Help:Google Maps

Google maps can be embedded in the pages of Wikia where the googlemaps extension has been enabled. If you have a use for maps on your local wiki, please ask on the forum

Google maps can be formatted in two ways:


 * 1) The code can be entered using the "edit map" shown on the edit pages.  This is more of a "point and click" method, and allows you search the map for the view you want.
 * 2) The code can be entered directly.  This is useful if you are comfortable with wikimarkup and know the coordinates of the places you want to map.



How do I use the editor's map?
If you are not comfortable with the code below, or don't know the coordinates for the places you want to map, you can use the editor's map. This is found on the edit page, and turned on by clicking the "show map" link above the edit box.

Once visible, the map can be moved to show the correct area by using the controls on the top right, or by clicking and dragging. The slider on the right can be used to zoom in.

To add the map:


 * 1) Ensure that your cursor is in the edit box at the point you want the map added.
 * 2) Move the editor's map until you can see the area you wish to map.  Choose the center point of your map by double clicking on that point.
 * 3) Add a placemark at the center, by clicking your chosen center point once.
 * 4) Click the placemark once, to show the label.  This shows two links "insert map centered here" and "add point here"
 * 5) Click "insert map centered here" to add the main code to the edit box.

To add placemarks to your map code:

 |
 * 1) Ensure that your cursor is in the edit box between the two tags:
 * 1) Move the editor's map until you can see the place you want to tag.  Add a placemark there, by clicking the point once.
 * 2) Click the placemark once, to show the label.  This shows two links "insert map centered here" and "add point here"
 * 3) Click "add point here" to add the placemark code to the code in the edit box.
 * 4) The coordinates will be added to the edit box, and "label goes here" will be added after the coordinates.  This can be changed to the text of your choice.

More placemarks can be added in the same way. Note that the placemarks will not remain visible on the edit map while you are working on it, as only one pin is shown at a time. But all placemarks that you have added in this way will show when the map is saved.

Warning: Using preview closes the editor's map, and shows a preview of the map you have created. This map can't be used to add points; click "show map" again to show the editor's map. Although you can move the preview map, you can't add placemarks.



How do I add the code directly?
Google maps start with the code and end with

The main coordinates are the center of the map. For example, to center a map on Berlin, you would take the coordinates latitude 52.523777, longitude 13.411896.

So the basic code would be:



Any coordinates for placemarks on this map need to go between the two basic start and end tags, in the format "latitude,longitude,label". So for example, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is at latitude 52.499683, longitude 13.333907. Giving the code:

 52.499683,13.333907,Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church

The text after the longitude becomes the placemark label. Wikilinks can be used here if you wish.

More placemarks can be added between the tags, each on it's own line:

 52.499683,13.333907,Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church 52.510019,13.369893,Berlin Philharmonie

The default zoom is too far out, so this can be adjusted within the first tag:

 52.499683,13.333907,Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church 52.510019,13.369893,Berlin Philharmonie

0 is the furthest away, 17 is the closest in.

Other aspects that can be adjusted in the same way are:


 * width (in pixels; default is 740)
 * height (in pixels; default is 600)
 * type ("normal"/"map", "hybrid", or "satellite"; default is "hybrid")
 * controls ("small", "medium" or "large")
 * selector (show the map/hybrid/satellite selector? "yes" or "no"; default is "yes".)
 * scale (show the distance scale? "yes" or "no"; default is "no".)
 * units ("meters" or "miles"; default is "meters".)

So the final code might be:

 52.499683,13.333907,Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church 52.510019,13.369893,Berlin Philharmonie

The easiest way to find coordinates is using a geocoder such as http://www.infosports.com/m/map.htm. Other resources can be found by searching for "free geocode" on Google or another search engine. Alternatively, go to Google Maps, find the location you wish to map, move the map very slightly and click "link to this page". The "ll" value in the resulting URL contains the geocode.



Why is the map box grey?
If you've entered the code correctly and all you are seeing in the map box is grey, check that you haven't got the longitude and latitude the wrong way round!

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