| -!!Goal
|
| -The goal of this project is to create a package that lets you edit a [http://maps.google.com|Google Map] like a wiki, with some Flickr integration thrown in for spice.
|
| +{maketoc} |
| +!Summary |
| +This package makes including and using Google Maps on your bitweaver site a snap! You can create maps, markers, polylines, and other information with just a little pointing and clicking - no Google Maps API knowledge required! It also provides a service to other packages, to make it easy to add location data to other content. The Gmap Package also provides a universal map for viewing any of such geo-located bitweaver content on your site, so if you tag a page or article with a location you can search for that content by location and view it on a map. |
|
|
| -This will take the best features of sites like [http://www.wikyblog.com|WikyBlog-Maps], [http://www.pixeldevelopment.com/virtualgoogleearth.asp|VirtualGoogleEarth], and [http://geobloggers.com|GeoBloggers] and merge them in to a package for hosting your own wikimap rather than having to use the existing services which are limited to their hosting, their feature implementation, and their look and feel.
|
| +!Core Features: |
| +!!!Gmap Map Builder |
| +Creating Custom Google Maps with Custom Markers, Polylines, Polygons, and other features |
|
|
| -A Road Map for the package is well underway. You can find it below. The engine will have to make extensive use of AJAX.
|
| +!!!Gmap Mapping Service |
| +Lets other packages integrate Google Maps into their features without having to do any map development. One example use that is already integrated is Google Maps can be used for easily attaching geo location data to any bitweaver cms content. Admins can select which content types can be mapped. A Small Map and Permalinks to the Gmap Content Browser can also be included on content pages for easy viewing of where a content item is on a map. |
|
|
| -If you want to join in I'm not a professional programmer, but have faith, this is going to be sweet. If you do want to help out, well I guess you can email me wjames5 -at - nyc.rr.com or find me on irc #bitweaver.
|
| +!!!Gmap Content Browser |
| +A universal map interface for searching for bitweaver geo located content (like pages, articles, users) and viewing it on the map. |
|
|
| -!!Code
|
| -You can get the latest stage of development by checking out ___bit_map__ from CVS HEAD branch.
|
|
|
| -!!Google Map Hacks to Include
|
| -*[http://xmaps.busmonster.com/documentation.html|XMap Library]
|
| -*[http://groups-beta.google.com/group/Google-Maps-API/search?hl=en&group=Google-Maps-API&q=GxMarker&qt_g=1&searchnow=Search+this+group|GxMarkers] Tools
|
| -*[http://gmaps.tommangan.us/tlabel.html|T-Labels]
|
| -*[http://www.pixeldevelopment.com/pdmarker.asp|PdMarker]
|
| -*Custom Map Tiles
|
| -*Geocoding
|
| +!Install Instructions |
| +!!Dependencies |
| +The R2 version of the GmapPackage is dependent on the GeoPackage. All location date, lat/lng pairs, are being managed by the GeoPackage service. __You MUST also install the GeoPackage if you want to use GmapPackage__. |
|
|
| -!!References
|
| -*[http://www.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/|Official Google Maps API]
|
| -*[http://groups-beta.google.com/group/Google-Maps-API|Google Maps API News Group on Google Groups]
|
| -*[http://mapki.com]
|
| -*[http://www.flickr.com/services/api/|Flickr API]
|
| -*[http://www.flickr.com/services/api/key.gne|Flickr API Key Application]
|
| +__For strict security enforcement in Gmap package you should also install LibertySecurePackage.__ Gmap has options for making maps and map components private. To strictly enforce those settings in all access points, particularly lists, then you will need LibertySecure. You can run Gmap without LibertySecure, but "private" content will be displayed in lists. |
|
|
| -!!Some Other Useful Stuff
|
| -*[http://81.138.11.136:8080/bitweaverdocs/ric_NEWS.html|Bitweaver Class Tree]
|
| -*[http://digir.sourceforge.net/nightly/DiGIRprov/lib/adodb/docs-datadict.htm|ADODB Data Dictionary for PHP]
|
| -*[http://www.bitweaver.org/wiki/TP-Structures|List of BW tables and structures]
|
| -*[http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/tutorials/index.php?tut=0&part=25|Javascript and Navigating the Dom Tree]
|
| -*[http://smarty.php.net/manual/en/language.escaping.php|Using Javascript with Smarty] and elegant solution.
|
| +!!Configuration |
| +You must obtain a Google Map API Key for your site. |
| +To use the package you need a key from Google. You can sign up for a key [http://www.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html|here] - it is quick and painless and best of all, Free. After you install the package and have your key, you can plugin your key value for your site in the Gmap admin preferences, which you can get to by going to http://yourbitweaversite/kernel/admin/. Or if you just point your browser to the gmap/ directory, while logged in as admin, you will get prompts how to do this. |
|
|
| -----
|
| -!!Loose Bits
|
| -These are loose ends created that will eventually need to hook up with other parts of the package:
|
| +__For non-required additional configuration tips see: ((GmapPackage Configuration Tips))__ |
|
|
| -!!!Permission variables referenced but not created yet:
|
| -home_bitmap
|
| -* default page when no map_id posted
|
| -* REF IN
|
| -**index.php
|
| +!!Get The Code |
| +You can get the latest version of the package by getting module _bit_gmap from bitweaver CVS. |
|
|
| -bit_p_read_bitmap
|
| -* created based on SamplePackage - not clear that it is needed
|
| -* REF IN
|
| -**index.php
|
|
|
| -bit_p_view_bitmap
|
| -* intended for alowing viewing of map page
|
| -* REF IN
|
| -**bit_setup_inc.php
|
| +!Development Roadmap |
| +!!Bugs |
| +* Content Browser Map - Category options list has duplicates. (NEED HELP) |
| +* Content Browser Map - Content in nested categories is not found when only ancestor is selected (NEED HELP) |
| +* Maptype/Tilelayer/Copyright updating after edit does not work - this is really a TODO -- you can store maptypes - just refresh the map to see the results. Basically the ajax callback does not work at the moment. |
|
|
| -!!!Templates referenced but not created yet:
|
| -menu_bitmap.tpl
|
| -* not sure what it is for
|
| -* SAME AS menu_blogs.tpl
|
| -* REF IN
|
| -**bit_setup_inc.php
|
| +!!Next Steps |
| +* backside functionality to browse Marker, polyline, and polygon styles exists, need ui to display info to user while editing overlays. |
| +* cache page requests - including all related data |
| +* stuff javascript |
| +* Polygon drawing assistant basically works - could be nicer |
| +* Create custom display of polys on Gmap Content Browser page |
| +* Create content page versions for Polylines, Polygons, that do not require loading the whole map. |
| +* Clean Up gmap css |
| +* Integrate GxMarker and [http://www.pixeldevelopment.com/pdmarker.asp|PdMarker]. |
|
|
| +* Infinity and Beyond: see history below |
|
|
| -----
|
| -!!Outline of Functions for map part storage and retrieval
|
| -(this is pretty close)
|
| +!!!Custom History |
| +History features would be for recording changes to gmap package specific data as well as displaying liberty history data. |
| +* Wire in access to Liberty History records |
| +* Map History |
| +* Marker History |
| +* Poly History |
| +!!Final Beta Prep |
| +* Test in various browsers |
|
|
| -!!!get map
|
| - - get map by id
|
| - - get map data (lat/lon/maptype etc)
|
| - - get sets ids
|
| - - get related style ids (get rid of duplicates)
|
| - - get icon and marker styles data
|
| - - get sets data
|
|
|
| - - render map
|
| +!Extended Features Description |
| +Many basic Google Map features are now fully supported and editable via a AJAX UI. Also 600+ free custom icon images, as originally [http://mapki.com/index.php?title=Icon_Image_Sets|listed here] are also included with the package. Additionally, Marker infoWindow text can utilizes whatever text syntaxes your site supports. With all these features you can create great looking maps without writing a single line of javascript. And with its "Sets Model", the Gmap Package makes it easy to re-use map components, like marker styles, custom icons, polylines, etc, over and over on multiple maps, i.e. create once, use infinitely. More about the "Sets Model" is below. |
|
|
| +The features of the package are supplemented by a bleeding edge AJAX editing interface. Almost all features of the map can be updated live, without a browser refresh. |
|
|
| -!!!update/save map
|
| - - get map by id
|
| - - save map values and data
|
| - - get map data
|
| - - update map
|
| +!!About the AJAX Editing UI |
| +The Gmap Package has a very robust AJAX based editing interface for live updating of map features. The editing UI and related AJAX transaction methods use the [http://mochikit.com|Mochkit] library. |
|
|
| +!!Sets Model Framework |
| +The GmapPackage uses a sets model for associating markers, markericons, maptypes, polylines, polygons, and their styles with maps. |
|
|
| -!!!get marker/maptype/poly
|
| - - get object by id
|
| - - get object data (lat/lon/label)
|
| - - get sets ids (list from set table)
|
| +Through the use of various keychains, each object may be associated with many maps, many sets of obejcts, and many styles. Each map has a key chain which associates it with sets of markers, maptypes, polylines, and polygons. Marker Sets, Polyline Sets, and Polygon Sets in turn each have individual objects as well as styles with which they are associated. The reason for this is multifold. |
|
|
| +One advantage of this sets model is it makes it easier to share individual markers, polyline, and polygons with various maps and sets of each object. For example a marker can be in any number of sets, and those sets can be on any number of maps. This makes it much easier to share content across multiple maps. This could be especially value where say you might want to mash up particular information like restaurants, or art events with something universal like subway stops. Once you create a set of subway stops, then you could reuse that on multple maps mixing it with other data. |
|
|
| -!!!update markers/maptypes/polys
|
| - - get object by id
|
| - - save object values and data
|
| - - get object data
|
| - - update map object
|
| - - update sets data via object id
|
| +The other advantage is that styles can be divorced from content. This is both valuable for customizing the look and feel of the same map data on a map by map basis, as well as optimizing the database and lightening page weight. Each set contains a reference to a style. If a new look and feel is desired for a set of markers, that set only need be duplicated and a new style assigned. However none of the actual marker or polyline or polygon data is duplicated, only the reference to that data. This thus reduces redundancy while following in the W3C ideal of seperating data from style. |
|
|
| +This use of sets also makes for lighter db queries and page weight. For each style used that style is only delivered to the client once, each object in a set then references that one style. This is faster and more efficient than packaging style information with each object...especially as one starts to use tens to hundreds of like styled objects on one map. |
|
|
| -!!!get styles
|
| - - get style by id
|
| - - get style data (color/weight/type etc)
|
|
|
| -
|
| -!!!update styles
|
| - - get style by id
|
| - - save style values and data
|
| -
|
| -
|
| -!!!get sets
|
| - - get sets ids
|
| - - get related style ids (get rid of duplicates)
|
| - - get icon and marker styles data
|
| - - get sets data
|
| -
|
| -!!!update sets
|
| - - get sets ids
|
| - - save object values and data
|
| -
|
| -----
|
| +!References |
| +*[http://mapki.com/index.php?title=Knowledge_Base#Developer_Tools|Mapki Developer Tools] |
| +*[http://www.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/|Official Google Maps API] |
| +*[http://groups-beta.google.com/group/Google-Maps-API|Google Maps API News Group on Google Groups] |
| +*[http://mapki.com] |
| +*[http://www.flickr.com/services/api/|Flickr API] |
| +*[http://www.flickr.com/services/api/key.gne|Flickr API Key Application] |
| |