• The SimpleMap plugin was a great plugin. It has lots of features that work really well.

    Problem is that the developers have seemingly stopped working on it.

    Here are suggestions I’ve made to the developers, with no response.

    1. The individual location page map is awful!!
    Here is an example of a better, but not ideal page:
    http://www.cyclingutah.com/bike-shop/bingham-cyclery/

    The map is 400×400 instead of 100×100. The smaller map is a complete waste. The larger map is better but not ideal. To make it ideal, you need to easily allow clicking on the map to open in a larger window.(Change this in the templates.php file).
    I have also added in code to a ‘Visit Website’ link on the same page. Inexplicably, this is not included in SimpleMap.
    (This can be fixed by adding:$return .= "<br /><a href=\"[sm-location data='url']\">Visit Website</a>";in the appropriate spot in the templates.php file.
    I have also changed the wording on the ‘Get Directions’ to be Get Directions, Larger Map. Not ideal, but a workaround.

    2. Please figure out how to make simplemap locations indexable by Google. Currently, it’s not clear that they are (I don’t think they are). This is a major problem for SEO.

    3. User Roles. Currently, all wordpress user roles can add a new location. This is not ok. You need to have some sort of restriction to only allow admins and/or editors to add new locations. This is a major flaw.

    4. On the main page, consider some possible changes:
    When listing the locations, give the option of listing by category, not just distance from the user.

    5. Consider (a larger project) adding a ratings and/or yelp like comment system to the locations so that. This is probably beyond the scope of this plugin, however.

    6. There are reported fatal errors here http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/simplemap/

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
  • It could be that if you sign up for premium support that the plugin developers will help you integrate custom coding to accomplish what you are looking for. I know when I had premium support last year for this plugin the plugin developers were very responsive. However, it seems like they are not so responsive on the support forums unfortunately.

    Thread Starter daveslc

    (@daveslc)

    Nope. I had premium support. They were unresponsive in regards to updating what used to be a decent plugin.

    I even sent some of the code changes to them, but no response.

    If you don’t mind me asking… how long ago did you start sending them messages and when did you send the last one?

    I had premium support last year but now that it has expired I was going to sign up for another year but won’t bother if they are unresponsive. One inquiry I have is whether or not you can set the map to have a percentage width rather than a fixed pixel width. I am re-designing a client’s website with responsive architecture and need to be certain that the map will resize depending on the users screen resolution.

    Thanks for the info daveslc!

    Thread Starter daveslc

    (@daveslc)

    I cannot say what their response would be if you get premium support. They may be fine for bug fixes, etc, but I don’t know about development questions.

    I sent this to simple map with no response. 2 of the changes are extradinarily simple, and I even provided the code, but no changes were made. I got a reply that they claim to provide 4 updates a year, which hasn’t happened.

    Three requested fixes.

    1. Please make the map in the individual listing be more than 100 x 100 pixels. It’s also not ‘clickable’. The size and this makes it pretty useless to even display. [I actually did this to make it 400 x 400 ].
    Change this line:

    $return .= "<div class='sm-single-map'>[sm-location data='iframe-map' map_width='400px' map_height='400px']</div>";

    in the file: simplemap/classes/templates.php

    This may be where you can solve your issue.

    2. Displaying the website link in simple map output is needed. It is data that you can input, but it never displays.

    See: http://www.cyclingutah.com/bike-shop-directory/
    and
    http://www.cyclingutah.com/bike-shop/wasatch-touring/ for how this looks.

    To do so, add 1 line (see below where it says ‘added by Dave’) to:

    function get_template_structure() {
    
    			// Grab the post that contains the template strucutre or the hard_coded structure
    			if ( 0 != $this->template_id ) {
    				// get post obejct via ID
    				// return post_content
    			} else {
                    $return  = "<div class='sm-single-location-default-template'>";
                    $return .= "<div class='sm-single-map'>[sm-location data='iframe-map' map_width='100px' map_height='100px']</div>";
    				$return .= "<div class='sm-single-location-data'>[sm-location data='full-address']";
                    $return .= "<a href="[sm-location data='directions']">Get Directions</a>";
                    $return .= "<ul class='sm-single-location-data-ul'>[sm-location data='phone' before='
    <li>' after='</li>
    '] [sm-location data='email' before='
    <li><a href="mailto:%self%">' after='</a></li>
    '] [sm-location data='sm_category' format='csv' before='
    <li>Categories: ' after='</li>
    '] [sm-location data='sm_tag' format='csv' before='
    <li>Tags: ' after='</li>
    ']";
    
    /* added by Dave */
    	$return .= "<a href="[sm-location data='url']">Visit Website</a>";
    /* endadded by Dave */	
    
                    $return .= "</div>";
                    $return .= "<hr style='clear:both;' />";
                    $return .= "</div>";
                    $return .= "[sm-location data='description']";
                    return apply_filters( 'sm-single-location-default-template', $return );
    
    			}
    
    			return $return;
    		}

    3. Make the outuput so it will be indexed/searched by Google. It is currently not.

    [Please use the code buttons – as is, your code may have been corrupted]

    Well thanks for your input I appreciate it.

    T Klein

    (@tklein87gmailcom)

    Crap, your number 3 got cut off, do you still have that for the indexed search for google?

    Thread Starter daveslc

    (@daveslc)

    I don’t have a fix for that. It has to do with the type of script used. This is something that the developers need to do.

    It’s really a shame about this plug in. The developers have been completly non-responsive.

    T Klein

    (@tklein87gmailcom)

    Ya, the other store locator plugins don’t compare, or are all hidden behind paywalls, so you only get 1/2 the features.

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
  • The topic ‘This was a great plugin, but no new development about a year’ is closed to new replies.