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Improved Google Maps Support

Patrick Bakker
UI Extension

Since the initial announcement of Google Maps support by means of a Location field in UI extensions, this functionality has been notably improved. Three very useful options have been added to the ‘Snippets’ section of the UI extension form for this field type.

UI extension google maps
  • The Zoom level determines the portion of the map that the user can see, in other words the height from which the user views the map. Five predefined zoom levels are available: buildings, streets, city, continent, and world.
  • The Initial location overrides the default location of the map, which is that of Xurrent headquarters. Latitude is the distance to the equator (-90 is South pole, 90 is North pole) and longitude determines the east-west position, counting from the prime meridian which passes through Greenwich, England.
  • It is now also possible to select Detect user’s location, showing a marker on the map close to the user’s current location. This only works when the user allows the browser to detect their position. If not, the Initial location is selected (or the default location in case the Initial position is not entered). The user’s location is determined by the IP address, which means that it may be offset when the user uses a VPN service.