AKFF Wiki

This entry assumes some experience with using Google Maps, and creating and editing your own maps.


RedPhoenix has created a bbcode that will allow you to use 'live' Google Maps in your posts. The advantages of this are:

  • The map will appear as the size you wish, and centred as you wish
  • Other users will be able to zoom, pan, and change views as they see fit.


The syntax for inserting a Google Map is as follows:

[gmap=msid code]s code[/gmap]


How to find these codes? Read on...


Log into Google Maps. Create your map. Save as normal. In the top right hand corner, you will see a link for "Link to this Page"

http://lh3.google.com.au/tackycheese/R95JRuMa5kI/AAAAAAAACi4/a5yo1e6pHdQ/s800/Clipboard01.jpg


This will give you a pop-up box. Click the link for "Customise and preview embedded map"

http://lh3.google.com.au/tackycheese/R95KvuMa5lI/AAAAAAAACjY/ty440d2Mdbc/s800/Clipboard02.jpg


Fiddle with the map until you are happy, and the pop up box will give you some HTML code.

http://lh6.google.com.au/tackycheese/R95LmeMa5mI/AAAAAAAACj4/EXKIQU54oQw/s800/Clipboard03.jpg


Copy the HTML code and paste somewhere - we will need to pick a couple of numbers out of it to put in your post. Notebook is good (for Windows users), I'm sure humble Mac and Linux users have something similar...

The HTML code will look something like this:


<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=114743772663159801817.0004489e562c96ae68a9b& ll=-36.109629,147.000278&spn=0.084562,0.157006&output=embed &s=AARTsJq8LqtXwrkgXRhNMrKEPQRxOg3TpA"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com.au/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0 &msid=114743772663159801817.0004489e562c96ae68a9b&ll=-36.109629,147.000278&spn=0.084562,0.157006 &source=embed" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left">View Larger Map</a></small>


You'll see I've highlighted a string of characters behind the first "msid=" and "s=". These are the codes that you will need to paste into your bbcode to get the map into your post.


For the msid, you need to grab all the characters up to the '&' character. For the s, grab all the characters up the " character.


Now you need to slot these into your bbcode as such (cut and paste would be a real good idea here), in the following format.

[gmap=msid code]s code[/gmap]

In real life it will look like this:

[gmap=114743772663159801817.0004489e562c96ae68a9b]AARTsJq8LqtXwrkgXRhNMrKEPQRxOg3TpA[/gmap]


And the end result should look something like this!

http://lh6.google.com.au/tackycheese/R95QkeMa5nI/AAAAAAAACkY/2kUC8gPOfdg/s800/Clipboard04.jpg