Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Website and forum announcements!

Moderators: justTripn, Elessar, dark_rain

User avatar
mjimeyg
Site Admin
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:45 pm

Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby mjimeyg » Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:52 pm

Greetings all!

Those of you have been around long enough to remember will know that I created an add-on for the site that allowed us to see where we got visitors from on the map based on cities.

I have updated this add-on so that we can now opt to show ourselves individually on the map, simply go to your User Control Panel and make sure the option for the 'Show On Map' box is checked and click submit or save changes.

Provided your friends have clicked the button as well, you should be able to see them as well.

If you click the option and allow people to you when you are online then we should all be able to see that on the map as well.

Remember, the whole thing is optional so if you don't want to be identified on the map, just don't check the button.

It is also available on the front page as well.


Distracted
Site Donor
Posts: 5036
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:19 am
Show On Map: No
Location: Lafayette, LA

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby Distracted » Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:12 am

What page? I can't find it. All I can find is the map on this thread and the older thread. I also went to my profile and made sure the box was checked, but I'm still not on the map. What's up? Did I fail to do something I needed to do?
Image sig by chrisis1033

User avatar
justTripn
Consigliere
Posts: 3991
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 11:12 pm
Show On Map: No
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby justTripn » Wed Mar 30, 2011 2:56 am

When I got on a firewall tried to stop the google Earth application, but then allowed it. It is WAY cool. Who lives in Kula Lumpur? But I also don't see google Earth on the fanfic page. Which page is it on?
I'm donating my body to science fiction.

Cogito
Fleet Captain
Fleet Captain
Posts: 1886
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:46 pm
Show On Map: No
Location: England

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby Cogito » Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:13 am

justTripn wrote:When I got on a firewall tried to stop the google Earth application, but then allowed it. It is WAY cool. Who lives in Kula Lumpur? But I also don't see google Earth on the fanfic page. Which page is it on?


It does also appear at the bottom of the 'Board Index' page, although for me it didn't display until several hours after mjimeyg's announcement. You might need to clear out 'temporary internet files' to see it.

Feature request, would it be feasible to show the number of people in each category?

User avatar
mjimeyg
Site Admin
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:45 pm

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby mjimeyg » Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:04 am

Did everyone find the map yet? :wave:

There isn't one at the bottom of the FanFic page but there is one at the bottom of the phpBB home page, you'll probably need to scroll down.

Cogito, what do you mean by category? Could you give me a few more details of what you are thinking of? :nerd:

Cogito
Fleet Captain
Fleet Captain
Posts: 1886
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:46 pm
Show On Map: No
Location: England

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby Cogito » Wed Mar 30, 2011 11:31 am

mjimeyg wrote:Cogito, what do you mean by category? Could you give me a few more details of what you are thinking of? :nerd:


At the top of the map there are radio buttons "Standard", "Users", "Friends", "Online" which control which category of pushpins get displayed in the map. I was wonder whether it would be possible to show the number of pushpins in each category. For example:

"Standard (253)", "Users (253)", "Friends (0)", "Online (5)"

The intention is that the actual numbers would equal the number of pushpins shown when the corresponding radio button is selected.

User avatar
mjimeyg
Site Admin
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:45 pm

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby mjimeyg » Wed Mar 30, 2011 12:02 pm

Cogito wrote:
mjimeyg wrote:Cogito, what do you mean by category? Could you give me a few more details of what you are thinking of? :nerd:


At the top of the map there are radio buttons "Standard", "Users", "Friends", "Online" which control which category of pushpins get displayed in the map. I was wonder whether it would be possible to show the number of pushpins in each category. For example:

"Standard (253)", "Users (253)", "Friends (0)", "Online (5)"

The intention is that the actual numbers would equal the number of pushpins shown when the corresponding radio button is selected.


Simple... elegant... useful... SO WHY THE BLOODY HELL DIDN'T I THINK OF IT!!! :banghead:

I am on the case!

PS: Just realised the reason I didn't think of it, because it's simple, elegant and useful.

User avatar
justTripn
Consigliere
Posts: 3991
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 11:12 pm
Show On Map: No
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby justTripn » Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:37 pm

I see it now, at the bottom of the forum! Thanks! :)
I'm donating my body to science fiction.

Distracted
Site Donor
Posts: 5036
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:19 am
Show On Map: No
Location: Lafayette, LA

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby Distracted » Fri Apr 01, 2011 12:37 am

So... I've got the plug-in downloaded and I can see the map. I'm logged in and I've got the box checked off in my profile. Why, then, are there only 2 users in South Louisiana, both of them in Gonzales? Gonzales is over an hour away from Lafayette. I would think that the program could distinguish the two. My second question...if the program just picked a random town in South Louisiana, why Gonzales of all places? :vulcan:
Image sig by chrisis1033

Cogito
Fleet Captain
Fleet Captain
Posts: 1886
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:46 pm
Show On Map: No
Location: England

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby Cogito » Fri Apr 01, 2011 12:45 am

I wouldn't put too much faith in the location being accurate. According to the map, I live in the middle of a field. :lol:

But at least it's nice to see where people are in very rough terms.

User avatar
mjimeyg
Site Admin
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:45 pm

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby mjimeyg » Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:39 am

Actually, neither of those are you Distracted. :lol:

I got worried that the program wasn't working properly when neither you or justTripn showed up in the users section. So I checked the database and it seems that your ip address isn't logged, which might mean you have some software to protect your ip address.

The system works by pulling the registered ip address from the users registration details and using a system called 'Geo-Coding' to turn that ip address into a set of coordinates. Which means that if you hide your ip address you won't see yourself on the map.

Distracted, when you load the front page does the globe zoom in slightly and rotate over your general area (America)? If it does, then that means that your ip address is no longer hidden, as both you and justTripn were two of the first users on the site, it might mean there was a glitch with the original version of the phpBB software or that the browser you used back then was too old to actually have access to the ip address, if that's the case I can remedy it by having it pull your latest ip address.

If you don't hit the button to hide you when you are online then you should be able to see yourself in the online list on the map.

User avatar
mjimeyg
Site Admin
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:45 pm

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby mjimeyg » Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:41 am

Cogito wrote:I wouldn't put too much faith in the location being accurate. According to the map, I live in the middle of a field. :lol:

But at least it's nice to see where people are in very rough terms.


Is Steeple Bumpstead a county? I know I live in this country but geography sucks... I'm lucky I know where London is!

Cogito
Fleet Captain
Fleet Captain
Posts: 1886
Joined: Fri Dec 03, 2010 8:46 pm
Show On Map: No
Location: England

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby Cogito » Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:44 am

mjimeyg wrote:Is Steeple Bumpstead a county? I know I live in this country but geography sucks... I'm lucky I know where London is!


I expect you'll find it's a phone exchange tucked away in the corner of some tiny suburb.

User avatar
mjimeyg
Site Admin
Posts: 362
Joined: Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:45 pm

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby mjimeyg » Fri Apr 01, 2011 10:50 am

Cogito wrote:
mjimeyg wrote:Is Steeple Bumpstead a county? I know I live in this country but geography sucks... I'm lucky I know where London is!


I expect you'll find it's a phone exchange tucked away in the corner of some tiny suburb.


Probably looks a little like this?
Image

Distracted
Site Donor
Posts: 5036
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:19 am
Show On Map: No
Location: Lafayette, LA

Re: Updated Google Earth Mapper - NOW ON FRONT PAGE!

Postby Distracted » Fri Apr 01, 2011 12:05 pm

mjimeyg wrote:Actually, neither of those are you Distracted. :lol:

I got worried that the program wasn't working properly when neither you or justTripn showed up in the users section. So I checked the database and it seems that your ip address isn't logged, which might mean you have some software to protect your ip address.

The system works by pulling the registered ip address from the users registration details and using a system called 'Geo-Coding' to turn that ip address into a set of coordinates. Which means that if you hide your ip address you won't see yourself on the map.

Distracted, when you load the front page does the globe zoom in slightly and rotate over your general area (America)? If it does, then that means that your ip address is no longer hidden, as both you and justTripn were two of the first users on the site, it might mean there was a glitch with the original version of the phpBB software or that the browser you used back then was too old to actually have access to the ip address, if that's the case I can remedy it by having it pull your latest ip address.

If you don't hit the button to hide you when you are online then you should be able to see yourself in the online list on the map.

Nope. No zooming. No rotating. It just sits there with all of its tiny yellow dots shining, none of which are where I happen to be. I recently found out that my computer still had the Office Depot corporate firewall installed, I'm assuming because it was being used by Office Depot staff as a demo when I bought it. So I uninstalled it, but it didn't help. Would Avast or Spysweeper software prevent your program from picking up my computer's IP address? Because I have both of those installed and I don't plan to remove them.
Image sig by chrisis1033


Return to “Announcements”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests