Map Posts allows you to add location as post metadata and insert a map directly in the post, without ever leaving the editor.
No plugin configuration is required; simply install, activate and within the post editor define a location and insert a map.
WordPress 5.0 and Gutenberg Compatibility
Map Posts Free, as of version 1.2.2, works best with the Classic Editor enabled (meaning the Classic Editor plugin has been installed
and activated). It will also work with the Gutenberg editor, with the exceptions noted below. Map Post shortcodes can be
added in any block that allows text to be manually typed in; Map Post map insertion buttons are available if a classic editor block
is added (in Gutenberg editor click Add (block); scroll down to Formatting tab and expand; select the Classic block).
Post Map
There are 2 types of map that can be inserted. The first (Post Map) displays only one marker, which is the current location
associated with the post. Note that Map Posts automatically adds a location to every post, defaulting to co-ordinates of 0.00,
0.00 (the intersection of the Equator and the prime meridian) and a blank value for the address. Post Maps are typically
inserted to display a location that is related to the post.
To actually insert the map, there are two options. If using the visual editor (or Classic Block), simply place the cursor in the
content area where you would like to insert the map, then click the Insert Post Map button. Alternatively you can simply type in the
Post Map shortcode, which is
postmap. The second option can be done in visual or text editor mode.
All Posts Map
The second type of map is called the All Posts Map. This map inserts a marker for every post that is published (not saved as
a draft) and has a custom location (it has co-ordinates other then 0.00,0.00). Insert this map if you want to display
all post locations in relation to one another.
To actually insert the map, either use the Insert All Posts Map button from the visual editor toolbar, or type in the
shortcode
allpostmap (in either visual or text editor mode).
Adding Location
To update the location, find the Define Map configuration panel within the post editor and expand it if necessary. If it is
not visible open the WordPress editor screen options and ensure Define Map is listed and is checked.
Locations can be updated by:
- Typing in an Address
- Clicking on Map
- Dragging the Marker
- Typing in the Latitude and Longitude Manually
If an address is provided (or an existing address is changed) Map Posts will attempt to geocode it, which means it will send
the address to a geocoding service that can match addresses with a set of co-ordinates. If a match can be found the post location
will be updated with the new latitude and longitude; if not, no changes will be made and the user will be informed that no locations
could be found matching the address.
Co-ordinate Units
Map Posts uses latitude and longitude co-ordinates in decimal degree (DD) units. This means it will not recognize
co-ordinates in the format of degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS)or with N,S,E or W abbreviations indicating hemisphere.
If you intend to provide co-ordinates manually but they are in a non-supported format, there are a number of online
converters available:
Geoinfo San Diego State University
RapidTables
or Google:
convert degrees minutes seconds to decimal degrees
Map Configuration
You can further customize your map appearance by defining a width, height and initial zoom level.
- Map Width - as a percentage of width available, from 10 to 100 (default - 75%)
- Map Height - in pixels, from 10 to 10 000 (default - 300px)
- Initial Map Zoom - from 0 (world) to 18 (highest) - (default - 0)
NOTE: Map configuration applies to all maps (Post Map or All Posts Map) inserted in the post. Each post retains its own
configuration.
Preview Map
A preview map is used as a visual means to verify post location is correct. It shows the most recently successfully
saved location and the currently configured initial zoom level. The preview map height and width is fixed and
does not reflect custom map configuration. To verify the suitability of a customized height or width, insert a map
in the post and view it in preview mode.
To install automatically
- Log into the WordPress dashboard
- Go to Plugins
- Click Add New
- Find Map Posts Free and click Install Now
- Once installed, activate the plugin
To install the plugin manually
- Download the plugin zip file
- Log into the WordPress dashboard
- Go to Plugins
- Click Add New
- Click Upload Plugin
- Click Choose File and navigate to the location the plugin zip file was downloaded
- Select the plugin zip file and click Open
- Click Install Now
- Once installed, activate the plugin