[Plugin: Comprehensive Google Map Plugin] Feature suggestions.

Okay, I know you said “no new features,” but, if and when you ever get back to it… Immediately, I’m wanting integration with the usual editor box for pages & posts… That is, rather than having a separate widget cluttering every page it hooks into, I’d RATHER just have an integrated “Map” button on the usual toolbar, maybe in the “kitchen sink” area? When you click it, maybe another window pops up or a handy “layer” where you can do all your Google wizardry and when finished click “Add to [Page]/[Post]” or “Update [Page]/[Post]”

Yes, that brings me to my second request. I’d like the ability to “update” an existing shortcode… That is, once the shortcode is in there, there doesn’t seem to be any way to edit it other than by hand or delete it and start over fresh. It would be NICE if you could position your cursor somewhere within the bounds of the shortcode, and click “Edit” on the widget or just click the aforementioned ‘Map’ button and magically you’re back editing the same map again to fine-tune it because you screwed up the first time, but it took a while and you don’t want to have to manually re-do it by hand or start over from scratch.

Thirdly, I noticed that when you inset a marker there is no way to then subsequently “edit” the marker. It would be nice if when you moused over the marker you got a little line below it like you do in the Page / Post administration screen to [Edit | Delete | etc.] Thus, if you screw up on some aspect of the marker, you can simply click “Edit” and have its info populate the appropriate bits of the entry fields (marker icon, marker location, marker description).

Fourthly, I know, I’m asking a lot here, it would be super-awesome if you could actually view the map you’re trying to create. Like have an actual Google map you can re-size, drag & zoom in, zoom out, etc. Then once you’re done editing it, click “save.” Obviously you’ve already got the code to display maps and make them “usable” on the final page, so why make it so you have that “usability” *in* the editor. Know what I mean? Like click the map button, and it inserts a “live” map into your page, you can then edit it as you see fit and click “save” to memorialize it on your page once you’re sure it looks right. But, again, with the above mentioned ability to again edit it later, if need be…

If figure if all those abilities were included, this would nearly be an end-all, be-all tool. As it is, it’s pretty good. But I think it’s entirely possible to improve upon pretty easily in some pretty awesome ways!

Just some suggestions for the future, for what they’re worth. 🙂

Best,
~MG

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/comprehensive-google-map-plugin/