Google Maps

Above - a Google Map object on the page. Below, what it looks like in Freeway

Google Maps is the best way to show people directions - maybe to help customers find you, or to an event you are publicizing. Whatever your needs, our Google Maps Action will save you time and effort. Simply register for a Google API key, and draw the Action on your page. To display the location you need, simply type in the ZIP code, address or latitude and longitude coordinates and you’re done. In Freeway, you’ll see a full preview of the map, so when you publish there won’t be any surprises! This Action requires an active internet connection to work as it uses live data from Google to create the preview.

Instructions

The Google Map Action is a standalone Action, so to add it to your page you should either select the Google Map Action from the Action pop-up on the tool bar and draw the Action item as you would any other item, or choose Insert>Action Item>Google Map. This Action will generally work best if the Action item’s width and height are both larger than 200px, so resize it appropriately.

Before you can proceed further, you need to enter your Google Maps key into the Site Key field in the Actions palette. If you have not already signed up for one, you can click on the Sign Up for Key button in the Actions palette. This will open the appropriate Google page in a new browser window. Once you have signed up and obtained your key, paste it into the Site Key field in the Actions palette.

Now that your key is entered, you can start changing how your map will display. The options available are as follows:

• Location entry: If this pop-up is set to Simple, you just enter the location you want to display (for instance a place name or zip code) in the Town/Zip field. If this pop-up is set to Advanced, you can enter the exact geographical point you would like to display in the Latitude and Longitude fields.

• Controls (click on the Controls disclosure triangle to show these options):

– Map Type: Whether the map is a normal map, a satellite picture, or a hybrid of the two.

– Show Type Control: Whether a control to change between the different map types is shown on the map

– Default Zoom: How zoomed in the map should be when first shown

– Map Controller: Whether to show a controller for users to navigate the map, and if so, what type it should be

– Show Scale: If on, displays a scale indicator on the map

– Show Map Overview: If on, adds an extra small map in the corner indicating the overall position of the main map within a larger area

• Marker (click on the Marker disclosure triangle to show this option):

– Create Marker: If on, displays a marker at the exact location specified for the map. When on, you can enter the text to go with the marker in the Marker Text field, and the font for the marker text in the Caption font field.

As you change the values of these fields, the preview of the Action will update to reflect your changes.