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SmallMap Manual
Chapter 1 From the Perspective of the End Users |
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Chapter 1 of the SmallMap manual is written for the end users, ie, the visitors to Web sites that publish community yellow page directory and maps using the SmallMap dynamic HTML shareware. This chapter will help the visitors understand how to browse and search through the SmallMap directory listing and maps, to find shops, people, or articles. Please also see this Quick Help page on SmallMap usage. The information here is also available on the SmallMap Web page if you click "Show Help" just below the map in the right column. The other chapters of this manual, chapters 2 to 7, are written for the Web Publishers, and involve technical aspects of customizing SmallMap. Those chapters are not meant for the Web visitors. 1.1 What Can SmallMap Do For Me? SmallMap will appear as a normal Web page to a casual visitor. It presents a table that lists names or shops on the left, and may be supplemented by a map on the right half of the Web page.
 You will likely be browsing a yellow page directory customized for a community, a small group, or even a database of musical articles, books, rental properties. You can look up a name, key words, filter for names alphabetically, and look around the map if there are any. You can sort the resulting short list. Unlike the major yellow pages or map direction Web sites, the communities that use SmallMap are presenting a more personalized, customized, "home-town" version of their Web directory and local map to help you navigate around the community. If you find a shop that is of interest, perhaps a chocolate specialty shop, you may click on the name to see a "name card." The name card lists the shop name, description, contact information, any Web address, category, and possibly images of mouth-watering morsels. In some countries such as the US, you may be able to click on a link to a third-party map and direction Website to find driving direction to satisfy your chocolate craving.
SmallMap Features:
Go to Quick Help page for end user.
1.2 Loading SmallMap Into a Web Browser Although running like a program, the SmallMap codes are fully contained within a common HTML text page. You will open the SmallMap program as you would any Web pages. To see an example, click on Sample Town. The program file is initially named "index.htm" but different Web sites might have renamed this file to suit their design. As you interact with the SmallMap Web page, perhaps entering text to find, the page regenerates itself to answer your search. The rendered page changes dynamically according to your request, even though you are viewing the same underlying Web page. There is no need for downloading of program package (only Web Publisher needs to download our template files), installation, software drivers, Direct-X, JAVA, or other supporting software.
1.3 SmallMap Layout on Web Page In the original design, SmallMap's rendered Web page is divided into two columns. The left column displays title and Find box on top, listing table in the middle, and notes at the bottom. The right column presents any map images on top, and the Quick Help Section at the bottom. However, Web Publishers may have modified this original SmallMap layout, change their size, or positions.
Visitor to a SmallMap Web page can view the Quick Help information by clicking on "Show Help" link on the right column below any map image. Click "Hide Help" to hide the help details. When Quick Help Section is displayed, you may be able to click "Online Manual" to open a new window that displays this and other chapters of the SmallMap manual. The "Online Manual" link may not be available if the Web Publisher has deactivated this link. After you have clicked the "Display more columns in table, but no map" link, SmallMap will hide the map images, and display additional columns of data. In this situation, the "Show Help" link is moved to the bottom of the left column, just below the "Map search Websites" links. The same instruction is duplicated at Quick Help page.
1.5 Switching between Index and Detailed Listings Upon loading for the first time, SmallMap displays a Category Index. Each row tallies the total number of listings in each category and subcategory. You can click a category, subcategory or a count number to view detailed listing under that group. The current mode of listing is highlighted in red-colored text. From Category Index, you can click Name (Alphabetic) Index, and vice versa.
 From Category or Name Index, click "Detailed Listing" to display directory items. Return to one of the indexes by clicking on the triangular arrow ►. Click a range of characters, such as F-L, to display only groups which beginning characters fall within this range. Click an alphabet at Alphabetic Index to view items which names start with that character. Important: At any time, your detailed listing may be limited by additional "constraints", such as the Find text, character range, etc. If you suspect you are not seeing items you should be seeing, clear the Find text, check/uncheck/verify the other criteria, and click the "Go" button again.
1.6 Viewing or Sorting a Category, Subcategory, or Grid In detailed listing, click Category, Name or Grid in the table header to sort by that criteria. Current sorting order is indicated by red-colored table heading, and in Summary information below the table. Click on a category, subcategory, or grid cell to find and display detailed listings for that criteria.
1.7 Viewing a Specific Name Card In detailed listing, click an item name to see its "name card". Name card details may include name, address, telephones, fax, emails, Website, description, category, grid info, and any images. The name card may include external links to Web map and direction search engines, if the feature is activated by the Web publisher. When clicked, each link will open a map and direction Website in a new window, and likely to an individualized search that points to the shop you are interested in. See also Chapter 1.11 Linking to Map and Direction Websites below.
1.8 Finding Items, Refining Your Search In the Find box, enter text to search for and click "Go". If you enter several words, clicking "Go" will find all listings containing any of the words (a broad, less specific search). Clicking the "And" button will yield only listings that contain all the words (a narrow, more specific search). The SmallMap cookie remembers the last 20 pieces of text you have entered into the Find box. To quickly backtrack on your Find session, click << or >> surrounding the Find box to rewind through the last 20 Find text you have entered. The cookie may remember the 20 pieces of Find text for only the session, one day, or 30 days, depending on the cookie expiry setting. See the "Forget/View Cookie ..." links near the bottom of SmallMap page for current expiry setting. Also see Chapter 1.14 Forget or View Cookie, Reset Expiry Days below for details. You can specify the scope of the find, whether to look only under Category/Subcategory, Name, Address, or All (including Grid and Description data if available.) Check any of the four "Find in" checkboxes above the table to specify the scope. For example, if you have checked Category/Subcategory and Name, SmallMap will look for your Find text under all item's Category/Subcategory and Name data fields within SmallMap.js.
 You can automatically update the Find text and listing table to track the latest item/name you have clicked to view. Check any of the boxes to "Track Similar" Category, Subcategory, Grid, or Name. For example, if you click "Ocean Aquarium Supplies" of "Pet" category and you have checked "Track Similar " Category and Name boxes, then the Find box and listing table will be automatically updated to search for "Pet+Ocean+Aquarium+Supplies." Leave all four "Track similar" boxes unchecked if you want to maintain current Find text and listing results. In this case, you can click any item names in the table, and the listing table remains static. You can further limit the results by specifying the character ranges (for category or name). A summary of listing and constraints is displayed at the end of the table. The default character ranges are !-1-A-E, F-L, M-S, T-Z... for both Category and Name. Check "All" to broaden the search. Important: Broadening your search Very often if you find very few items, it is because only one of the "Find in ..." checkboxes are checked. Check "All" to broaden the search. Or your Find text may be limiting your search results. Click "Clear" to empty the Find box, and search more freely. The results table may also be limited by "Max listing per page" to perhaps only 50 listings. Change this value in the text box below the listing table to generate a longer listing table. Or click Next to see the next batch of results. Make sure to examine the Find box text, as well as the Summary and Search Criteria sections below the listing table for more information about how your search may be limited by criteria you were not aware of. Clear all constraints to broaden your search.
1.9 Displaying More Columns of Data By default, SmallMap results table displays only two to three columns of data, ie, columns for Category, Name, and Grid if map images are available. However, the Web Publisher may have activated a SmallMap feature to allow an additional five columns of data to be displayed. Any map images will be hidden to make way for the extra screen width needed. If the link "Display more columns in table, but no map," is displayed below the results table, then you will be able to click this link to see additional columns of data.
 These additional columns are likely to be used to display telephone numbers, addresses, and Website URLs. To return to the three-column format, click "Display map with table, but fewer columns of data."
1.10 Outputting Table and Name Card to Print and Save You may want to print or save the results table containing many listings. Or you may want to print or save a single name card. The results or listing table: To print or save, click the "Output" link below the table (See image for Chapter 1.9). A new window will open showing the same current result table in a plain format, but containing the URL links (Figure 7, left image below).
  A name card: To print or save, click the "Output" link near the lower right of the name card (See image for Chapter 1.11). A new window will open showing the same current name card information in a plain format (Figure 8, right image above). You can print or save the output window's contents. There are several ways to save that:
1.11 Linking to Map and Direction Websites SmallMap can automatically generate individualized links to four external map and direction Web sites. This will help visitors who may wish to get larger area map or driving direction after browsing your community using SmallMap.
 When you click a name to open name card, these "map and direction" links are contained within the last row, above any images. By clicking any of these links, a new window should open to these map sites. In this window, SmallMap automatically sends a query for an individualized map, built from the address details contained in the database. These links are available only if your database contains adequate address details. "Map search Websites" is another set of links on the SmallMap page, below Summary and Search Criteria, on the left column. These links will open to the general home pages of the map and direction Web sites, and not individualized pages. See also Chapter 1.7 Viewing a Specific Name Card above.
1.12 Navigating By Index Map, Grid Map, Grid Buttons Click on the Index Map to zoom into and focus on a block of map grids. Meanwhile, the table will list items/shops in that focus (center) grid. In SmallMap, zoomed-in map is designed to display a block of 9 grids, ie, the one in focus and 8 surrounding grids. On a zoomed-in map, click one of the 8 grids on the edge to navigate in that direction. Navigation will stop one grid before the map's overall border. For example, if you try to move to Grid A02, the map will stop at a block of 9 grids that focuses on B02, because this 9-grid image is already showing the adjacent Grid A02, and no additional information is available beyond this set of grids. When any grid is selected, a set of grid buttons may appear. You can click on a button to navigate. But merely navigating around and browsing the maps does not automatically update the listing table. You need to click the center button to update the table.
 Clicking on the red center button will refresh the table to display listings within that grid. You can also click "Listing only center Grid" to achieve the same. Repeatedly clicking on the center button will alternately display listings of (1) the center grid in focus, and (2) all 9 grids in this block. You can also click (Listing) "all 9 Grids" to expand the table to list items in all 9 grids.
You may be able to view the full-size map image if the Web site using SmallMap has enabled an optional large map feature. Look for a link just below the table or in the upper-left corner of the map. Clicking one of these links will open a new window that shows a non-interactive, larger version of the map than the index map. The large map should have the same magnification and details as the zoomed-in map, only that the large map should include all grids on one single Web page.
1.14 Cookie: Forget or View Cookie, Reset Expiry Days SmallMap uses a cookie to remember your Find text and your other commands. A row of links near the bottom of the SmallMap rendered Web page gives you simple control over this cookie. You can click "Forget" to delete the cookie completely, and start from a clean slate. You will need to "Refresh" or "Reload" your browser for the deletion to take effect. You can click "View" to see the current cookie details.
 You can click "Session," "1," or "30" days to reset the expiration days of the cookie. By default, the sample SmallMap program is set to "Session" cookie, ie, the cookie is cleaned every time you quit the browser. However, a Web Publisher may have reset the default value. A Web Publisher may also have modified the "30" day option to some other value. The current expiry duration is highlighted in pink in sample SmallMap. The SmallMap cookie is a text string, made up of 23 pieces of data (index number 0 to 22), as explained in the table below:
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1. Sample Town - This is a fictitious town's directory and "map," a demonstration, and a template containing the latest SmallMap codes and scripts. To illustrate the capability to link to external map and direction Websites, we have input the addresses of actual public places under the Aquarium, Arboretum, and Museum categories. It uses single-grid, PNG-formatted, map images for zoomed-in view. Click for an alternative color scheme. 2. S2BJ - A real-life commercial area with a real map: Sungаi Duа and Bukit Jаmbul, Pеnаng, MaIаysiа. It makes use of 3-grid-by-3-grid GIF subdivided map images. Promotions Recent News |