TOPIC: Customising the interface

First off let me congratulate you on a great plugin. I have been looking for a long time for a solution that fits my needs, even coding my own solution in a wrapper. Then I found hotspots and with a little tweaking I think it will fit my needs perfectly.

I have been trolling the rest of these forums seeking answers to the following questions, so if they have been answered before please forgive me.

The site I am working on is not live yet so I have sent you ( Daniel) the password via personal email. I will willingly share what I have learnt with the rest of the forum once it is live.

I have modified the layout a little so the footer with the list of category hotspots is above the map and visible all the time. I have also removed the location search as I do not require it.

I would not call myself a developer but I am a fairly competent hacker so if you could steer me in the correct direction to solve any of the problems outlined below I would be most grateful.

1. I would like the DIV popup with the Short description to appear when the hotspot name is clicked in the list at the same time as the location is centred on the map. At the moment it appears when the icon on the map is clicked.

2. I would like the DIV popup to appear below the map (not on top of it) . I have tried modifying the hotspots.css without success. What I am after is demonstrated here quite well.

tech.reumer.net/Google-Maps/Demo-Google-...dow-outside-map.html

3. I notice these is a "Plugins in marker short description" option in the Advanced settings. I have turned this on and tried {module} from Modules Anywhere and {simpleproduct} from Simple Product Snapshot to display virtuemart items. Both of these cause the plugin to hang at "loading data". Is there a solution to this? Could you let me know which plugins are compatible and can be embedded.

4. Although I like the popout menu I think it would be improved greatly if it retracted automatically after a short time and/or it retracted when the main map was clicked in some way. Would this be hard to achieve?

5. How do i set the default map to Hybrid?

Well, I think that is enough questions for now. Any help you can give will be very gratefully appreciated.

Cheers
Mike

1. this will be possible with the next version.
2. this is not possible, and there aren't any plans to make this.
3. Yep, this is a problem with the version right now, I think that the next version will also solve this problem, because we are going to use json for the marker response and this should not brake like the ugly html/js thing that we return right now.

4. Well, actually you can look at this early preview: labs.compojoom.com/index.php/hotspots this is what we are currently working on and how it will look in the next version - be aware that not everything is working there.

5. Search the forum - I've replied to such question like 1 or 2 weeks ago.

Cheers,
Daniel

Wow Dan Beta version looking pretty good, can't wait to get it released keep up the good work!

Have a good day,
Iki

Daniel Dimitrov wrote: 4. Well, actually you can look at this early preview: labs.compojoom.com/index.php/hotspots this is what we are currently working on and how it will look in the next version - be aware that not everything is working there.
Cheers,
Daniel

Hi Daniel, great progress there. Just wanna ask, Currently i have about 50 categories. After looking to the new design, I wonder how can i manage an easy navigation between those 50 categories ? Thanks

Well, you don't have to show just 3 categories at once as in the demo site.You can go for example for 10 - this way the user won't have to scroll that much.
Is this good enough?
Daniel

Actually i need to show not just the icon, but the text also. The reason is, i want my user can easily identify each icon, so they can navigate fast & comfortable.

Just for your suggestion, i propose 3 ways of navigation for huge categories:
1. maybe you can make category panel on top. When you click this panel, the whole category screen come up, just like the overlay implementation right now.
2. maybe you can make drop down menu. and implement sub categories structure
3. or you can leave the old design intact, but renew the engine

that just my opinion, i hope you can consider one of this, or just come up with a new way that can resolve this case. Thanks for your effort.

best regards,

So, hovering with the mouse and looking at the title and description is not an option for you(it is made this way right now). The idea for me behind this is that you should place icons that are understandable for all. For a restaurant you'll place a fork, for a coffee shop - a coffee cup etc. If the user is unclear what exactly the icon means - he just goes over it and that's it.

Right now i use your extension as part of directory feature. I need to show how much item inside each category, And with 50+ category, there is no way my user can identify and remember those all icon easily. And with scrolling design, this will add more difficulties to them to navigate.

My main consideration is the comfort of my user. Easy and fast navigation is something that really make this extension really great for my purpose.

I am agree with you kurniawan pribadi,

My site is going in that direction and with 50 categories, using only icons, it will be almost impossible to find the right category.

www.virtualbc.ca

Ok, guys let us think for a second together! If you have 50 categories - how many of those are going to be clicked on? Do you have any analytics data ? In my opinion less then 1% is going to click on the last categories.

Also in the next version you'll have the option to search for hotspots - so you could just enter the category name or anything else and the hotspots will pop up on the map.

I'm not agains implementing something else for the categories, but hidding the cats in subcategories or showing 50 categories at once is in my opinion not the solution to the problem.

Btw did I tell you that we'll have a list view with all markers and categories??? So perhaps this one will solve the problem of showing a lot of categories.

Hi,

You should have both options. Whoever wanna see only icons will have to click in some place to see only icons, and vice versa. Let say that I have the following categories: Hotels, Motels, Bread & Breakfast, Pit-stops and Resorts. Do I have to unify all of them under only one category? If not, what kind of icon I should use to make the difference between them?
The search for hotspots is a good feature, and see all hotspots as well.
A good application for subcategories could be the category: Restaurants with subcategories: Chinese, Mexican, Italian, etc.
or the category: Gas Stations with subcategories: Petro Canada, Canadian Tire, Superstore, Safeway, Shell, Supersafe, etc.
or the category: Stores with subcategories: the list of different stores in the area.
But could be a good feature to mark your actual position with an icon, letting you see on the map what you have closer to your actual location. It can stay by default in all the categories, and if you wanna hide it you can do it clicking on some icon.

www.virtualbc.ca

Guys, I think that you should try to walk in my shoes
Some users want subcategories, another don't want them. Some want the option to add a hotspot to multiple categories etc. I'm faced with a huge problem all the time - how to make the features in a way that everyone can do what they want???

Now if I try to add another view for the categories I'll spend another day fine tuning it...

Right now the only option I can think of is implementing a template system, that will enable you to create a template for your specific needs?

Daniel

I understand how big is your responsibility trying to make everyone happy.
About the subcategories..... If you wanna use subcategories, you will be using them, otherwise you will be using only the categories.
For example: The category Golf Courses doesn't need subcategories, The category Night Clubs doesn't need subcategories. The use of subcategories is not mandatory, it's optional just in case we need to use them. The subcategory creation should be an option inside the actual created categories.

The option to add a hotspot to multiple categories is not mandatory, it's optional. If someone needs to use, then, they can use it, other wise not. When you are creating a hotspot should be an option asking: Do you wanna post it in another category? If the answer is yes, a category selector is popping up, and the question will be moved to the next line just in case we wanna add the hotspot to another category.

Right now, if i wanna see only the icons from the categories, i just click on the icon Minimize category selection area, and if i want to revert the process, I just click on the icon Categories Views. You should create a section to select how to see the category section by default, and keep the actual icon to switch between views, just in case whoever is seeing the map wanna change the view of the category section. In that way everyone will be happy.

You are doing a great job here, and whatever you implement in the next version, it will be more than welcome.

www.virtualbc.ca

Daniel Dimitrov wrote: Btw did I tell you that we'll have a list view with all markers and categories??? So perhaps this one will solve the problem of showing a lot of categories.

Nice, perhaps you can setup some demo with different view mode that would be implemented on the next version. tq

Eliecer Marchante wrote: I understand how big is your responsibility trying to make everyone happy.
About the subcategories..... If you wanna use subcategories, you will be using them, otherwise you will be using only the categories.
For example: The category Golf Courses doesn't need subcategories, The category Night Clubs doesn't need subcategories. The use of subcategories is not mandatory, it's optional just in case we need to use them. The subcategory creation should be an option inside the actual created categories.

The option to add a hotspot to multiple categories is not mandatory, it's optional. If someone needs to use, then, they can use it, other wise not. When you are creating a hotspot should be an option asking: Do you wanna post it in another category? If the answer is yes, a category selector is popping up, and the question will be moved to the next line just in case we wanna add the hotspot to another category.

Right now, if i wanna see only the icons from the categories, i just click on the icon Minimize category selection area, and if i want to revert the process, I just click on the icon Categories Views. You should create a section to select how to see the category section by default, and keep the actual icon to switch between views, just in case whoever is seeing the map wanna change the view of the category section. In that way everyone will be happy.

You are doing a great job here, and whatever you implement in the next version, it will be more than welcome.

Completely agree. This would be great

My favorite feature so far: labs.compojoom.com/index.php/hotspots -> the last button -> resize the map

The biggest problem I have right now -> the bubbles(infowindows) have a scroll bar and it shouldn't. I want to have the get directions and zoom there - they are causing the problem, but so far I can't find a solution.

About the subcategories... The problem I have is not creating a feature, but adding this feature to the interface. Now you have a line with all categories - how to fit the subcategories in there??? The idea that I have right now is to display the subcategories in the menu on the right. When a user clicks on the main category -> the menu on the right opens and you can see the images of the subcategories in there and you can click on them. (this is my idea - if you have any better feel free to share). I don't know if this is going to make it in the next release. For me a more important thing is to add the option to have additional fields per category.

P.S. Once the other views are ready I'll create a view for them too.

Hi Daniel,

The full screen map feature is pretty cool !

About the subcategories, this is my idea:
Can you create a floating menu on top of the categories section with a close button?
Once we click on top of any category containing sub-categories, a floating menu will come from top covering the categories. Once we close the subcategory menu, this will be floating back to the top, and the categories section will be visible again.

I have no ideas about the bubbles (info windows).

Hopefully my subcategory idea will help you somehow.


www.virtualbc.ca

Daniel Dimitrov wrote: My favorite feature so far: labs.compojoom.com/index.php/hotspots -> the last button -> resize the map

Yea, this is pretty neat and useful. I like this.

Daniel Dimitrov wrote: The biggest problem I have right now -> the bubbles(infowindows) have a scroll bar and it shouldn't. I want to have the get directions and zoom there - they are causing the problem, but so far I can't find a solution.

If you manage to get rid of the problem later, please give an option on the back end to activate or deactivate this, because i prefer not to show the get direction feature.

Daniel Dimitrov wrote: About the subcategories... The idea that I have right now is to display the subcategories in the menu on the right. When a user clicks on the main category -> the menu on the right opens and you can see the images of the subcategories in there and you can click on them.

Sounds good and solid. I love this idea. please put an option to show not only icon, but also text and number of item inside each subcategory.

Keep up the good work.

labs.compojoom.com/index.php/add-hotspots - already spent 27h on this view... Need another 4-5h to finish it...

Guys play around with the marker, or try to enter directly a street, city etc to see how the marker is moving, or just go for the location fields, ah did I say that there is a geolocation option too???

Hi Daniel,

Everything looks pretty good. The Lat. and Lon. are perfectly working.

Only one problem so far: If I move the marker on the map, i am getting the name of the road before the number inside the street field, and it must be in reverse. The number in front of the street's name.

What country is this? For germany and bulgaria it is street name + street number. I guess that you'll have to make a change in the code for this.