The Click2Map User Interface

The Click2Map user interface was designed to make all users comfortable: even though Click2Map is a browser based online application, it preserves the general philosophy and ergonomy of desktop applications. The following sections include a detailed presentation of Click2Map's menus, buttons and dialog boxes.

The toolbar buttons provide quick and easy access to Click2Map's main functionalities.

• Map…: The New > Map menu item lets you create a new map on which you can add one or multiple markers. Whenever you want to create one or more markers and wish to be able to access them all from a unique entry point, the first step is to create a Map. See also: the New Map dialog box.
• Marker…: Use the New > Marker menu item to add a new marker to the currently selected map. To be able to use the New > Marker menu item, you first need to select a map in the Map Explorer tree view. See also: the New Marker dialog box.
• Marker from template…: Use the New > Marker from template menu item to add a new marker to the currently selected map from a previously defined marker template. To be able to use the New > Marker from template menu item, you first need to select a map in the Map Explorer tree view. If no marker template has already been created, you can choose to create one. See also: the Choose Template dialog box.
• Group…: Use the New > Group… menu item to create a new group. Groups are useful when you wish to create several related markers and access them from a single entry point. Each group can contain several subgroups that you can use for an even more precise organization of your markers. See also: the New Group dialog box.

• Properties…: To modify a map's general properties, first select the desired map in the Map Explorer and then click on the Edit Map button: this will open the Edit Map dialog box.
• Clustering Options: To modify a map's marker clustering properties, first select the desired map in the Map Explorer and then click on the Edit Map button: this will open the Cluster dialog box.

To quickly add a new marker on the selected map, first left-click on the Quick Add button, then left-click on the map at the desired location: a new blank marker will then appear and, if the option is turned on, the Quick Add Marker dialog box will be displayed.

You can add multiple new markers by simply left-clicking several times on your map while the Quick Add button is still active.

To return Click2Map to its default operating mode and exit the Quick Add mode, simply left-click on the Quick Add button a second time to turn this mode off.

Click2Map allows you to draw lines and polygons on your maps using simple mouse clicks. Once you've drawn the desired line or shape, the Edit Drawing dialog box that appears lets you enter its title, name or ID as well as its description. This dialog box also allows you to modify the color, line width, opacity, etc. To modify an existing shape, simply switch to Edit Mode.

• New Line: Use the Drawing > New Line option when you need to draw a new line on a map. A line can be made of as many contiguous line segments as you wish. When you select this command, the mouse cursor turns into a crosshair and a message appears at the top right of the Click2Map interface. Use the single click to add another line segment; double-click to end the drawing. See also: the Edit Drawing dialog box.
• New Polygon: Use the Drawing > New Polygon option when you need to draw a new closed shape on a map. A polygon is a closed shape made of as many contiguous line segments as you wish. When you select this command, the mouse cursor turns into a crosshair and a message appears at the top right of the Click2Map interface. Use the single click to add another line segment; double-click to end the drawing. See also: the Edit Drawing dialog box.
• Edit Mode: The Drawing > Edit Mode option allows you to activate or deactivate the drawing edit mode. A green icon is displayed to the left of the Edit Mode menu command to show when it is turned on. When the Edit Mode is active, simply click on an existing shape or line to display a context menu giving you access to various modification options. When the Edit Mode is not active, clicking on an existing shape simply displays its description.

Click2Map includes a powerful database system that can be used to organize and store information that can then be automatically inserted into new or existing markers and marker templates.

• Properties…: Use the My Database > Properties… menu item to create or modify the structure of your database. See also: the My Database dialog box.
• Edit Values…: Use the My Database > Edit Values… menu item to add new content or modify existing elements in you database. See also: the My Database Editor dialog box.

You can share Click2Map maps with others in different ways: you can generate a hosted webpage and share its address with your colleagues, customers, etc. or generate a widget and embed it in an existing webpage on your website.

• As a Web Page: To create a webpage on the Click2Map server and share its address with your contacts, left-click on the As a Web Page button. The Publish Map dialog box opens up to let you select publication options.
• As a Widget: To create a widget and generate the code necessary to embed it in an existing webpage, left-click on the As a Widget button. The Publish Map Widget dialog box opens up to let you select publication options.

To log out from your Click2Map account, left-click on the Logout button. It is always recommended to log out from your account when you're not using Click2Map: this security measure ensures that no one can modify or delete your data while you away.

The Tools menu provide access to advanced productivity and personalization features.

• Import: Adding multiple markers at once is an easy task thanks to this option. The Import functionality allows you to generate and update markers based on the data present in a CSV text file. See also: the Import Wizard.
• Export: This option allows you to export all your Click2Map markers' information to a file. You can then modify or update your file's contents, or even import it into Google Earth for a better 3D user experience. See also: the Export Wizard.
• Icon Set: Click2Map comes with five default sets of icons that can be used to personalize your markers, maps and groups. In addition, you can add your own icons and use them to create absolutely unique maps that match your company's corporate colors, etc. All the icons you add are placed in the My Icons collection. See also: the Icon Set dialog box.
• Bulk Operations: This powerful feature allows you to modify multiple markers in one single operation. You can use it to easily rename markers, modify their name and properties, move them or even delete them. See also: the Bulk Operations dialog box.
• Template Set: Click2Map gives you the possibility to create your own marker templates. Marker templates, once created, can be used to create multiple markers that share common properties and a common layout. Use the Tools > Template Set menu item to display the list of existing templates, create new templates or modify existing ones. See also: the Template Set dialog box.
• Settings: This option give you access to the Settings dialog box that allows you to modify Click2Map's general parameters. Here, you can select if the Quick Add dialog box should appear when you add markers in Quick Add mode; you can also select the date format, zoom level and default center position for new maps.

To display information about the Click2Map Editor, its developers and the Click2Map company, left-click on the About button.

The map area is the place where all your markers and drawings are displayed: it provides a visual representation of your data and offers you full access to Google's mapping system. The controls, buttons and sliders are identical to those available on the Google Maps' website.

The general map is the central part of the user interface in which the main map is displayed. This is where all your markers appear and where you can consult information about a specific marker. It is possible to drag the map to any direction and to change its magnification level to zoom in or out when needed.

• The four arrow buttons located at the top left of the map area can be used to move the visible part of the map in the corresponding direction.
• The central button restores the map to its default zoom level and centers it above the geographical zero point.
• The vertical slider located below the direction buttons lets you zoom in or zoom out: you can click on the + and - buttons or drag the - slider up or down to zoom in or out faster.

The three view buttons let you change the main map's display mode:

• Map: Choose the Map view to display a map with road and geographical information.
• Satellite: Choose the Satellite view to display aerial imagery.
• Hybrid: Choose the Hybrid view to display aerial imagery and road information.
• Terrain: Choose the Terrain view to display a map with terrain representation.

The Overview Map is located at the bottom right of the general map: the blue rectangle at its center shows which part of the world is visible in the general map area.

• You can easily drag this blue rectangle in any direction to quickly display another part of the map in the main map area.
• You can also drag the map around the blue rectangle to put the desired area at the center of the blue rectangle.

The bottom part of the Click2Map interface provides easy access to all your maps, markers, drawings and groups. It works exactly like Windows' Explorer: simple left-click on a category in the left tree view to list its contents in the right panel.

The map exploration area can be used to browse through existing maps, markers, drawings & groups and to perform search operations.

In Map Explorer mode, all maps, groups, drawings and markers are hierarchically displayed in a tree view at the bottom left of the Click2Map interface. To list all the markers and drawings present at a specific map or group level, left-click on the corresponding map or group name in the left tree view. The lists of all markers and drawgins appear in two separate tabs.

The Map Explorer works exactly like you usual file browser or explorer: both left-click and right-click actions are supported:

• Selection: To select or activate a specific map, marker or group, left-click on its name in the left tree view or the right list view. To select a drawing, left-click on the Drawings tab located at the top of the right list view, then left-click on its name in the list below.
• Edition: To modify a marker properties, alternatively double-click on the marker name in the right list view or right-click on its name and choose Edit Marker in the contextual menu. The Edit Marker dialog box appears in which you can modify your marker's properties. To modify a drawing or its properties, double-click on its name in the right list, or right-click on its name and choose Edit Drawing in the context menu that appears. The Edit Drawing dialog box is then displayed.
• Organization: To move a marker to another map or group, left-click on its name in the right list view, keep the left mouse button pressed, then drag the mouse cursor above the destination map or group in the left tree view. You can then release the left mouse button.

Right-clicking on an element in the left tree view displays a contextual menu that lists all available commands for the selected item:

• Add Marker…: To add a new marker to a specific group or map, right-click on the desired group or map name in the left tree view and choose Add Marker…. The New Marker dialog box appears in which you can define your marker's properties.
• Edit Map…: To edit a map's properties, right-click on an item belonging to the desired map in the left tree view and choose Edit Map…. The Edit Map dialog box appears in which you can modify your map's properties.
• Duplicate Map…: To create a copy of map including all its markers, groups and drawings, right click on one of the elements belonging to the map in the left tree view and choose Duplicate Map…. You will then be asked to confirm the operation and the duplicated map will appear at the bottom of the map list in the left tree view.
• Delete Map… : To delete a map, right click on an item belonging to the desired map in the left tree view and choose Delete Map…. A message box appears asking you to confirm if you really want to delete the map and all the markers and groups it contains.
• New Group…: To create a new group right-click on the desired map name in the left tree view and choose New Group…. To create a new sub-group right-click on the desired group name in the left tree view and choose New Group…. The New Group dialog box appears in which you can define your new group or sub-group properties.
• Edit Group…: To edit a group's properties, right-click on the desired group name in the left tree view and choose Edit Group…. The Edit Group dialog box appears in which you can modify the group's properties.
• Delete Group…: To delete a group, right click on the desired group name in the left tree view and choose Delete Group…. A message box appears asking you to confirm if you really want to delete the group and all the markers and sub-groups it contains.
• Reorder Groups…: To change the order in which the groups belonging to a map or a group appear, right-click on the desired map or group name in the left tree view and choose Reorder Groups…. The The Reorder Dialog Box dialog box appears in which you can modify the group order.

Right-clicking on a marker name in the right list view (Markers tab) displays a contextual menu that lists all available commands for the selected marker:

• Add Marker…: To add a new marker at the same level as all the other markers listed in the list view, right-click on the list view area and choose Add Marker…. The New Marker dialog box appears in which you can define your marker's properties.
• Edit Marker…: To modify a marker's properties, right-click on its name and choose Edit Marker in the contextual menu. The Edit Marker dialog box appears in which you can modify your marker's properties.
• Duplicate Marker: To duplicate an existing marker, right-click on the original marker in the right list view and choose Duplicate Marker. An exact copy of the original marker appears in the list view: you can then edit the copy or move it to another map or group.
• Delete Marker: To delete an existing marker, right-click on its name in the right list view and choose Delete Marker. A message box appears asking you to confirm if you really want to delete this marker.
• Reorder Markers…: To change the order in which markers appear, right-click on the list view area and choose Reorder Markers…. The The Reorder Dialog Box dialog box appears in which you can modify the markers' order.

Right-clicking on a drawing name in the right list view (Drawings tab) displays a contextual menu that lists all available commands for the selected drawing:

• Edit Drawing…: To modify the properties of an existing drawing, right-click on its name in the right list and choose Edit Drawing. The Drawing dialog box then appears, allowing you to modify the marker's properties.
• Delete Drawing…: To delete a drawing, right-click on its name in the right list and choose Delete Drawing. You woll then be asked to confirm the deletion operation. Warning: this operation cannot be undone.

Creating maps, groups and markers is so easy that there's a chance you'll soon have too many of them to effectively browse for something. The Search module helps you find specific markers, no matter in which map they are.

• Marker Title (or part): To find markers based on their titles, enter the desired text string in the Marker Title field. The Search Module will list all the markers whose titles contain the search string: for example, if you only enter a single letter, the search module will display the list of all the markers that contain this letter in their title. If you're searching for a specific marker, you can enter its exact title here.
• Expression in marker: Use this option to find markers based on their full text contents. The search will be performed on all the text elements associated with your markers: title, address, name, personalized fields and tabs, etc.
• Search in all maps: Check this option to extend the search to all the markers present in all your maps and groups. If left unchecked, the search will be performed within the limits of the active map only.