Adding categories to map locations

There becomes a point where having a map with dozens of pins on it becomes unmanageable and the end user needs more context to understand what they're looking at. In Vepple, you can now categorise locations based on whatever you like so that you can, for example, see all accommodation locations and/or all public transport locations.

Adding a location category

1. In the CMS, browse to: Site Options > Map Settings
2. Scroll down to "Categories”.
3. Press the "Add new category" button
4. Give the category a title, slug, icon and colour, then when finished, press “Update” (top right of page).

Please Note:

• While you can change the title of the category, you can not change the slug of the category.
• If you would like your category to have a different slug, please add a new category and assign all the posts that are relevant to that category to it.

Assigning a post/group to a category

1. In the post/group in question, scroll down to the "Location settings" section
2. Towards the bottom of the section, you'll see checkboxes for each of the categories that have been added. Check all categories that you want the location to be included in
3. Publish/update the post/group

Deep linking in to a map category.

To deep link into a specific map category, simply append the following parameter to your URL: active_map_category={your-category-slug}. Replace your-category-slug with the slug of the category you want to highlight. You copy this slug from your CMS in map settings.

For example:

For the accommodation category below,

For example: https://demo.vepple.co.uk/map?sl=not-sure&sa=art-and-design&loc=not-sure&od=not-sure&hide_leads=1&active_map_category=accommodation

What Happens When the Link Is Used?

• If the map sidebar is open by default: The linked category will be automatically selected in the sidebar, helping users easily identify the relevant content.

• If the sidebar is closed: Pins related to the selected category will still appear on the map, ensuring users can see and interact with the relevant locations.

Please Note: This is only for deep linking purposes. Selecting the map category on the front-end won't automatically add the category to the url. You have to manually do append the category slug to the url you intend to share.