Google Maps Action

Grrrrr !

I have put a map onto a clients website using the google maps action - BUT in the action palette when you enter the advanced setup for the location it initially shows the latitude and longtitude based on the post (zip) code entered - AND it shows the full numbers to six decimal places - but post codes are only accurate to within a certain distance and the pointer is not on the correct building - after much fiddling via google maps I got the exact location co-ordinates of my clients premises - however this is the frustrating bit - Everytime I enter the new data Freeway always rounds the numbers down to three decimal places - this of course defeats the object as then the marker is in the wrong place and points to a different building !!!

anyone got any ideas please ? is it a bug or a limitation of the action ?

thanks

Gary


Freeway5beta mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

Sometime around 9/3/08 (at 12:56 -0400) diarbyrag said:

Everytime I enter the new data Freeway always rounds the numbers
down to three decimal places - this of course defeats the object as
then the marker is in the wrong place and points to a different
building !!!

That is a ‘grrr’ thing indeed. I love that I can set up a Google map
so easily - but I don’t love the imprecision. I want a way to
pinpoint a location using lat/long at whatever level of precision is
required, right up to Google’s maximum.

I wish there was also a way to nudge the Freeway view around when
something’s close but not close enough.

k


Freeway5beta mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

On 9 Mar. 2008, 5:04 pm, thatkeith wrote:

I want a way to
pinpoint a location using lat/long at whatever level of precision is
required, right up to Google’s maximum.

I have done it on a different site by aligning the centre of the google map to the building I want to pinpoint, then by pasting the google code into a markup item it links to the google map - without fiddling around with API keys or anything - It was tricky the first time but if the FW action does not work I will just have to use my previous method - pity though :frowning:


Freeway5beta mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

Hi,
I think the rounding issue is a general problem with the actions API and not specific to the Maps Action.

a quick caveat for you - or a gotcha - depending on how you se this. I have found that at times, the lat and long coordinates given to you by Goolge can be wrong. The only sure fire way to get these is to drag Google’s maps to the place you want and extract them from the URL supplied. Any other method used will result in Google’s coordinates being either the default, or the last dragged location.

You can also enter the postcode or zip code, or even the postal address of your location in the Action. If Google has the necessary data to convert this into a location, then it will.


Freeway5beta mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

On 10 Mar. 2008, 9:01 am, Paul wrote:
You can also enter the postcode or zip code, or even the postal address of your location in the Action. If Google has the necessary data to convert this into a location, then it will.

Hi Paul,

I used the postcode to start with but the centre of the map is about two streets away !

I even tried it with my own business and that was over two miles out !

If you alter the rounded up or down co-ordinates in the action by a factor of .001 for either lat or long. the shift is approximately 50 yards.

I went to google maps using the correct postcode, double clicked on the position I wanted to centre it on the map and then copied the url - extracted the long and lat co-ordinates from the link and entered them into the FW action - that is when it gets rounded down -

as good as it is then the api method is less accurate than copying the full code from google maps and pasting it into a markup item.

The FW api action is probably satisfactory for inserting a map to give a general location but it does not appear to me to be accurate enough to pinpoint a specific location ?

perhaps the google api would be more accurate in the U.S where everything is bigger :slight_smile:

Thanks

Gary


Freeway5beta mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

On 10 Mar. 2008, 10:07 am, diarbyrag wrote:
as good as it is then the api method is less accurate than copying the full code from google maps and pasting it into a markup item.

Just an update to this:

1/ using the embed map option copying the url from google and pasting it into the page - when you place a marker on your created map there is now what I think is an annoying link telling everyone who updated the map and when and when clicked takes the viewer away from the map to your own section of google ? why the h$LL would you want that ? So despite the API inaccuracy issue ( which i can happily live with for now ) looks like Freeway wins out :slight_smile:

3/ I have discovered that if you style the google map action div and then enclose your marker data in

&

tags in the action palette you can control the colour and spacing of your maps marker info - pretty neat :slight_smile:

I have done it here http://www.mcl-ltd.com/mcl-googlemap.html

may not be the correct way to do it ( perhaps someone can confirm this ? ) but it works so far.

Gary


Freeway5beta mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

You are luckier than I am, Gary. The only location the action allows me to see when I choose “advanced” is Oxford. No matter what zip code or city was filled in first, the advanced window will accept no changes; whatever I do - the action goes back to Oxford. I am afraid I’ll have to move there. Unfortunately I live in Germany.


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

hi,
try this: http://www.walterdavisstudio.com/map.php

greez


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

Thanks, purity! I have no idea how Walter Davis did this, but realised at least that one cannot only fill in simply zip code and city, but also the exact adress.


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

I tried this with my home UK postcode. It found my tiny village and
location within it pretty accurately. When i put my parents’ London
postcode in the marker was out by about quarter of a mile. Put the
same post/zipcode into Google Maps UK and it was pretty well spot
on, correct side of the road and only a down the terrace by a few
houses. Maybe Walter’s map is more accurate for the US…?

Pete

On 20 Apr 2008, at 08:01, purity wrote:

hi,
try this: http://www.walterdavisstudio.com/map.php

greez


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

Their data doesn’t always match up, and they aren’t too quick to fix it.

At least 6 months ago, I informed them of a discrepancy between the
satellite image and the street map for Juneau, Alaska (I was looking up
where my daughter lives). The address is correctly positioned on the
street map, but if you look at the hybrid, the satellite image is offset
something like 500 feet to the northwest.

Still isn’t right.

By contrast, if I look up my home address in Vermont, the map and the
satellite image line up perfectly, but they place my house about 50 feet
east of where it actually is.

Matt

on 04/20/08 10:33 AM Pete MacKenzie said:

I tried this with my home UK postcode. It found my tiny village and
location within it pretty accurately. When i put my parents’ London
postcode in the marker was out by about quarter of a mile. Put the
same post/zipcode into Google Maps UK and it was pretty well spot
on, correct side of the road and only a down the terrace by a few
houses. Maybe Walter’s map is more accurate for the US…?

Pete

On 20 Apr 2008, at 08:01, purity wrote:

hi,
try this: http://www.walterdavisstudio.com/map.php

greez


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

No matter what zip code or city was filled in first, the advanced window will accept no changes; whatever I do - the action goes back to Oxford. I am afraid I’ll have to move there. Unfortunately I live in Germany.

Hi tok,

perhaps you might be better using the method I originally used of locating your position on your localised version of Google maps, then copying the code and pasting it into a markup item on your freeway page.

not as difficult as it seems

if it helps and you want to send me your location I could always get the code and send it back to you.

Gary


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

So what’s so bad about Oxford. Apart from the rabid left wing City Council??

Neil
Oxford UK

On 20/4/08 07:05, “tok” email@hidden wrote:

You are luckier than I am, Gary. The only location the action allows me to see
when I choose “advanced” is Oxford. No matter what zip code or city was filled
in first, the advanced window will accept no changes; whatever I do - the
action goes back to Oxford. I am afraid I’ll have to move there. Unfortunately
I live in Germany.


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

Hi diarbyrag,

Just to let you know we have a bug logged on the rounding to 3 decimal places, and we hope to release a fix to it in a forthcoming update of Freeway.

Best regards

Alan Shouls


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

On 21 Apr. 2008, 8:24 am, alan wrote:

Just to let you know we have a bug logged on the rounding to 3 decimal places, and we hope to release a fix to it in a forthcoming update of Freeway.

Alan that will be a welcome bug fix thanks

Gary


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options

Like, I am sure, many of us, certain WebSites we do for free, for friends,
family, our own Clubs etc, and most times, peeps are grateful, but
occasionally - - - - - -!!

I explained in the Mail List for one of my freebie Sites, that there had
been a couple of comments about the odd problem occurring when viewing with
IE 6, which I suspect with being a UK Uni WebSite, would include the
majority of the viewers. So I included a disclaimer on the Welcome page, and
covered it more fully with this Post to their MailList.

I had a phone call yesterday evening saying a couple of the WebSite
Pages and Menus seemed a bit wobbly. The Design is up to date with the latest
standards, but unfortunately this can sometimes mean that viewing problems can
occur when using older versions of Explorer 6. I have just put a box up on the
Welcome page saying that
³The xxxx WebSite runs best on Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer 7. If
you’re still using Internet Explorer 6, you can download the new Explorer 7 by
clicking here²
or in fact here http://tinyurl.com/3wu5dd, which will take you directly to
the Microsoft Explorer 7 WebSite. It¹s a free download, and should lead to
trouble free viewing, or as the marketing types would say - a much richer
more fulfilling browsing experience (!!!)

I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry when I received this reply a short
time later.

"unfortuntately some of us can not update for IE7, here at xxxx we are

only allowed to use IE6 (no other browser) and this is also also true of

other multinationals ! It is a bit of pain for these people as they have no

alternative but to surf the xxx WebSite from home.

Unfortunately at the moment I have not been made aware specifically of what
the problems are, although I believe it occurs on a couple of pages where
the HTML text is indented in the bottom panel of the Text Inspector by
-18px/0px/0px, which effectively indents every line other than the first
line of every paragraph. This displays perfectly in every Browser I’ve been
able to check, including IE 5 on the Mac, but as I don’t have access to a PC
Explorer 6, this is more difficult to check.

What exactly is the reported Menu problem I have not yet been told, but I
may well be back to ask for help later. The Site was built in Freeway 4 Pro,
the Menus are built with the FW4 Menu Action, and the IE6 Compatible box HAS
been ticked in the Inspector Pallet Page Option in the Menu Action Master
Page.

A typical Text Page can be found here,
http://www.ouueg.org.uk/et2008report.html
while the drop down Menus feature on nearly every page. Any comments now
would be most welcome, but once I receive a more specific detail on the
problems, I will post again.

Many thanks as always

Neil Carter
Oxford UK


freewaytalk mailing list
email@hidden
Update your subscriptions at:
http://freewaytalk.net/person/options