WordPress Store Locator

Table of Contents

  • Description
  • Important Links
  • New in Version 3 (Released March 20, 2014)
  • New in Version 2 (Released August 3rd, 2013)
  • Target Users
  • Great Built-In Functionality & Features
  • Upgrades
  • Addons Platform
  • Special Thanks to Translators (Email new translations to info{at}viadat{dot}com)
  • Installation
  • Main Plugin
  • Addons
  • Themes
  • Icons
  • Custom Images
  • Custom CSS (Stylesheet)
  • Screenshots
  • Changelog
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • I'm getting 'failed to geocode' error messages -- why?
  • Bought the CSV Importer ...
  • I'm using an updated Store Locator, but still no luck geocoding when adding a location
  • Is this plugin USA-only? / Does it support locations in multiple countries?
  • Can I display the Store Locator in a page template instead of using shortcode in a Page or a Post?
  • I'm seeing a 'Google Maps is disabled', or other Google Maps error messages on my website when viewing my Store Locator
  • If I need to rename my folder from the older 'wordpress-store-locator-location-finder' to 'store-locator', will I lose my locations?
  • How can I have more than one Store Locator map on my website?
  • I would like to show different icons for different locations -- can that be done?
  • Do I need a Google Account to use this store locator?
  • How Do I use a Translation?
  • Which countries is this compatible with?

    • Contributors: viadat
    Requires at least: 3.3
    Tested up to: 3.9
    Stable tag: 3.4.1

    A WordPress-integrated map & location management interface. Quickly create store locator maps -- provides several top-level addon features

    Description

    Power your site with this WordPress-integrated map making & location management system possessing mapping tools to create store locators, store finders, and other location address maps. Manage and display a few or thousands of your important stores, points of interest, or product locations anywhere on Earth using Google Maps.

    Its strength is in its flexibility to allow you to easily manage any number of locations from your WordPress admin interface and the several addons featuring top-level features that are available to further boost its capabilities. Also referred to as an address map, address location map, locator map, store finder, dealer locator (locater), shop finder, and zip code or zipcode search.

    Important Links

    table of contents
    All Downloads | Addons & Themes | New Features & Updates Blog | Documentation

    New in Version 3 (Released March 20, 2014)

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  • New: Individual Addons -- select addons to use as needed
  • New: Addons Platform Lite -- All the power of the full Addons Platform to power your addons, at a fraction of the price.
  • New: Super Geocoder addon -- Avoid upgrading to more expensive hosting, or buying dedicated IP addresses -- successfully geocodes even when the default geocoder runs in Google's geocoding quotas (requires Store Locator v3.0+)
  • Now, in addition to using the shortcode [STORE-LOCATOR] on Pages & Posts, display on Store Locator in PHP page templates if needed (explained in changelog & docs).
  • Several new icons with shadowing; several current icons refreshed with shadowing for 3D effect on map

    • New in Version 2 (Released August 3rd, 2013)

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  • Now uses Google Maps V3
  • Streamlined admin interface (more powerful yet much simplier)
  • Implemented much faster code (reduced database use {insert/update/delete} in code by 81.4% & applied fastest functions throughout)
  • Admin Dashboard: Pull-out interface that provides you with the latest Store Locator news, installation & usage instructions, your website's hosting server information, available shortcode parameters to create multiple maps of specific groups of locations, general settings, and the activation interface for the Addons Platform & G1 (Generation 1) addons
  • Availability of the Addons Platform: (more details in Other Notes)
  • Ability to auto-locate your website visitors in order to show locations based on where visitor is currently located
  • 40+ new Google Maps country domains
  • New address map icons
  • New default fields: Fax & Email Address

    • Target Users

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  • Those of you who create sites for clients using WordPress
  • Those of you who want to show your important locations (stores, buildings, points of interest, etc.) in an easily searchable manner.

    • Great Built-In Functionality & Features

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  • You can use it for numerous countries, which will continue to be added as Google adds new countries to their Google Maps API. See the documentation for the latest
  • Supports international languages/translations and character sets
  • Allows you to use unique map icons or your own custom map icons --- great for branding your map
  • Gives your map the desired look by using our MapDesigner™ settings interface in the WordPress admin section
  • Pick other cool Google Maps options, such as an inset box, zoom level, map types (street, satellite, hybrid, physical), and more
  • You can use miles or kilometers
  • Automatically restricts loading of Javascript & CSS to only pages that display the map (or that might need access to the JS & CSS) for better site performance
  • Option to show dropdown list of cities allows visitors to quickly see where your locations are and choose their search accordingly

    • Upgrades

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    If you need additional features, enhance your store locator with addons & themes. Upgrade Here

    Addons Platform

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    The Addons Platform provides you with a growing number of free Generation 2 (G2; comes with the Addons Platform) addons & themes to save you time, provide you highly-advanced features, and impress your clients. Below is a list of some of the addons available, starting in Store Locator Version 2 (view documentation for more details on each):

  • Categorizer
  • Multiple Mapper
  • Advanced Theme Manager
  • Location Pages
  • CSV Importer/Exporter G2
  • DB Importer G2
  • Multiple-Field Updater G2
  • Custom Field Manager
  • Super Geocoder

    • The above addons are only a few of the addons available via the Addons Platform -- install them with one click directly from your admin interface's Addons Marketplace. These G2 addons also communicate with each other to make full benefit of the Addons Platform's API.

    All addons available previous to Store Locator 2.0 are now called "G1" (Generation 1) addons, and can still be used, with or without the Addons Platform installed (if you purchased an addon prior to 2.0, re-download it via the emailed link of your purchase and install a slighty updated version that allows it to work with 2.0).

    In addition to the 8 addons listed above, there are currently 8 additional bonus addons -- visible to those with the Addons Platform installed: Currently, 3 are active, 1 is yet-to-be-released, and 4 more addons are in development.

    Special Thanks to Translators (Email new translations to info{at}viadat{dot}com)

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  • Simon Schmid: German (Deutsche), Italian (Italiano), Czech (Cestina), French (Francais)
  • Gwyn Fisher: Spanish (Espanol - es_MX)
  • Josef Klimosz: Czech (Cestina)(updated)
  • Willem-Jan Korsten: Dutch (Nederlands)
  • Marcelo V. Araujo: Portuguese (Portugues)
  • Reno: French (Francais)(updated)
  • Alf Vidar Snaeland: Norwegian (Norsk)
  • Laifeilim: Simplified Chinese
  • Victor Ukhimenko: Russian
  • Rene: Turkish
  • Outshine Solutions: Hindi
  • Diana S.: Serbian
  • Esa Immonen: Finnish
  • Quickloop: Romanian
  • Andrew Kurtis - WebHostingHub: Spanish (Espanol - es_ES)

    • (How to submit your translation | If you provide your web address, we'll link back to you)

    Installation

    Main Plugin

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       1. Upload the store-locator folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
       2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
       3. Sign up for a Google Maps API Key for your domain (not required in Maps V3, unless needed for high usage sites). Instructions: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/tutorial#api_key
       4. Add your locations through the 'Locations' page in the Store Locator admin area
       5. Place the shortcode [STORE-LOCATOR] in the body of a Page or a Post to display your store locator

    Addons

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       1. Unzip & Upload the entire addon folder to the /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/addons directory
       2. Activate the addon by submitting the activation key (which you receive after purchasing it) to the "Activation Keys" section of your pull-out admin dashboard (If you have the Addons Platform installed, you submit activation keys on the 'Addons' > 'Settings' page)

    Themes

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       1. Unzip & Upload the entire theme folder to the /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/themes directory
       2. Select theme from the theme dropdown menu under the "Design" section on the "MapDesigner™" Page

    Icons

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       1. There are some default icons in the /wp-content/plugins/store-locator/icons directory
       2. Add your own custom icons in to /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/custom-icons

    Custom Images

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       1. You can create your own custom 'search_button.{...}png' images and place them under /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/images/
       2. The store locator will give priority to the 'search_button.{...}png' images in the /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/images/ folder over the default 'search_button.{...}png' images in the main store-locator/ folder, allowing for store locator plugin updates without worrying about losing your custom button images

    Custom CSS (Stylesheet)

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       1. You can modify the default 'store-locator.css' and place it under /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/custom-css/
       2. The store locator will give priority to the 'store-locator.css' in the /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/custom-css/ folder over the default 'store-locator.css' in the main store-locator/ folder. This allows you to update the main store locator plugin without worrying about losing your custom styling.

    Screenshots

       1. Showcase of Store Locator Usage By Well-Known Organizations, With Some Having Customized it to Their Brands
       2. News & Upgrades: See the Latest News and Available Addons for Your Store Locator
       3. Manage Locations: Easily Manage a Few or Many Locations, Sortable by Name, City, etc.
       4. Add Locations: Once You Add a Location, it is Automatically Given Coordinates
       5. MapDesigner™: Choose the Important Options For the Look & Feel of Your Map
       6. Addons Platform: Increase Your Store Locator's Capabilities With Numerous Addons & Themes that are Included
       7. Quickly Upload Many Locations From a Spreadsheet to Save Time (Addon: CSV/XML Importer/Exporter)
       8. Bulk Update More than just the Tags Field (Addon: Multiple-Field Updater)
       9. Examples of the Store Locator's Basic and Upgraded User Interfaces

    Changelog

    3.4.x (May 25, 2014)

    table of contents
  • Fixed stray jQuery code showing up in default location addition form
  • Properly linked to Advanced Theme Manager(http://docs.viadat.com/Advanced_Theme_Manager) addon in readme
  • Added info for creating custom search button images to readme
  • Added Spanish (es_ES) translation (thank you Andrew Kurtis - WebHostingHub). Copy translation into /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/languages/ to use
  • Restored changelog

    • 3.3 (May 8, 2014)

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  • [addon] Advanced Theme Manager - update: complimentary SL Starter theme included
  • [addon] "F.T." (bonus) - update: new option in settings to determine whether or not to use automatic address updating
  • [addon] "F.T." (bonus) - update: displays full address at all times below map
  • [theme] SL Starter - new
  • [update] Addons Platform Lite -- improved default file/folder permissions
  • New option to modify city search dropdown label in MapDesigner
  • Updated mysql_real_escape_string() -> esc_sql() (for later WP/PHP versions)
  • Increased default Locations in Results

    • 3.2.x (April 27, 2014)

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  • [addon] Categorizer - update: Added ability for users to customize "Default" label associated with un-categorized locations
  • Updated geocoding to a secure (HTTPS) connection
  • Map interface CSS updates

    • 3.1.x (April 11, 2014)

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  • WP v3.8.2 compatibility testing / updates of MapDesigner, Addons Marketplace displays for WP v3.8.x (& still backward-compatible for pre-WP v3.8 admin)
  • [addon] Super Geocoder - update: now fully shows settings & shows all functionality for those who have installed it via Addons Platform. If already installed, delete super-geocoder folder from /sl-uploads/addons/ directory, then search Addons Marketplace for 'geocoder' and click 'Install Now' button to re-install it.

    • 3.0.x (March 20, 2014)

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  • Introducing: Early Access Stage 1 - Individual Addons -- Earliest entrants receive higher status
  • [addon] Location Pages - update: bug fix when displaying map relating to categories & fix relating to conditional template shortcode
  • [addon] CSV Importer/Exporter (original) - update: Integrated re-geocoding capabilities, to allow bulk re-geocoding for any imported locations that weren't given coordinates on initial import (re-geocoding should work w/Store Locator v2.9+)
  • [addon] CSV Importer/Exporter G2 - update: also added re-geocoding capabilities (re-geocoding capabilities needs Store Locator v3.0+)
  • [addon] Super Geocoder - new: Avoid upgrading to more expensive hosting, or buying dedicated IP addresses -- successfully geocodes even when the default geocoder runs in Google's geocoding quotas (requires Store Locator v3.0+)
  • [new] Addons Platform Lite -- All the power of the full Addons Platform to power your G2 addons, at a fraction of the price; buy addons individually as needed (requires Store Locator v3.0+)
  • [update] Addons Platform -- Addons API updates; code & Windows compatibility fixes
  • In addition to using the shortcode [STORE-LOCATOR] on Pages & Posts, display on page templates with code: if (function_exists("sl_template")) {print sl_template("[STORE-LOCATOR]");}
  • Several new icons with shadowing; newer current icons refreshed with shadowing for 3D effect on map
  • Added constants for Addons Platforms, removed hard-coding; updated logic in 3.0.1, 3.0.2
  • Added constant for the site's name, used by addons
  • 'sl-uploads' folder permission granting update (for folders copied from) 'store-locator'
  • Existence checks/updates of variables for 1st-time users

    • 2.22

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  • Uploads directory creation class updated (to avoid collisions with other plugins with the same library)
  • Google Maps API Javascript - & in querystring updated to & for XHTML validation

    • 2.18

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  • Front-end interface CSS enhancement
  • New Store Locator admin menu for convenient access from WordPress Admin Toolbar
  • Modular & Pull-out Admin Dashboard updates
  • WP Admin dashboard news bugfix
  • Version bump: WP 3.3 (due to menu in WP Admin Toolbar)

    • 2.15.x

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  • Several Store Locator admin updates due to significant WP admin interface changes introduced in WordPress v3.8. Elements fixed include:
  • Pull-Out Dashboard & Modules
  • MapDesigner page
  • All Sectional headers
  • Addons Platform Settings page
  • Admin CSS fixes
  • Still maintains good appearance for pre-WP v3.8 installs also

    • 2.12.x

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  • Fixed issue causing 'geo_success' warning in Firefox. Better auto-location for Firefox browsers now.
  • Addon/Theme Updates:
  • [addon] Categorizer - updates: category search form; readme file

    • 2.11.x

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  • Faster environment load
  • Added debugging abilities
  • Addon/Theme Updates:
  • [addon] Addons Platform - update: navigation flexibility, admin display
  • [addon] Custom Field Manager - enhancement/fix: prefixing when adding new custom field; default db field type filled in
  • [addon] Location Pages - enhancement: new display filtering feature
  • [addon] Advanced Theme Manager - enhancement: new display filtering feature
  • [theme] Compact RIght - custom search button

    • 2.6.x

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  • Added Romanian translation (thank you Quickloop). Copy translation into /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/languages/ to use
  • Store Locator CSS updates
  • v1.x -> v2.x transition updates/improvements

    • 2.5.x

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  • Added Finnish translation (Thank you Esa Immonen). Copy translation into /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/languages/ to use
  • Store Locator CSS updates/improvements

    • 2.0

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  • Fully Uses Google Maps API V3 -- both for displaying maps, geocoding locations, and performing reverse geocoding. Transition from V2 is automatic and seamless -- no extra steps on your part.
  • New default fields added: Fax & Email Address
  • Streamlined interface
  • Benchmarked coding improvements for fastest code performance
  • Greatly reduced database usage (reduced by 81.4%)
  • New pull-out Dashboard for important settings & management tasks
  • New option to perform automatic search based on visitor's current location (auto-location)
  • 40+ new Google maps country domains
  • New address map icons
  • Addons Platform: boosts your Store Locator's abilities dramatically, based off of your most-requested features & paid customizations: 11+ free G2 addons. 8 listed above in 'Description' section, 3 visible only to those with the Addons Platform installed, 1 yet-to-be-released, 4+ currently in development, and compatible with the 3 main addons prior to Store Locator 2.0 (CSV/XML Importer/Exporter, DB Importer, & Multiple Field Updater; the Point, Click, Add Mapper will be retired). For those who purchased addons prior to 2.0, you can re-visit the email link sent to you when you purchased the addon, then re-download and install the updated version which makes it compatible with 2.0.

    • Frequently Asked Questions

    Make sure to check http://docs.viadat.com for the most updated information

    I'm getting 'failed to geocode' error messages -- why?

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  • Have you updated your Store Locator? It's mandatory to be using Store Locator v2.x if you want anything to work
  • Since Store Locator v3.0, the Super Geocoder addon geocodes locations not geocoding due to reaching Google geocoding quota limits (based on your website's IP address)

    • Bought the CSV Importer ...

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  • Nearly all your questions have been answered here. If you follow these instructions & answers exactly, you should be fine

    • I'm using an updated Store Locator, but still no luck geocoding when adding a location

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  • Google's Geocoding API v3 has 2,500 geocode per day limit, so you may need to wait several hours, and try to add your locations again

    • Is this plugin USA-only? / Does it support locations in multiple countries?

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    This plugin in not USA-only, and yes, it supports locations all over the world -- as long as the Google Maps API properly supports it:

  • On the MapDesigner admin page (v2.x), you can select your main country. This gives the Google Maps API a region to focus on
  • For non-USA addresses, use the 'State' field for the Country / Region containing the city & location you are submitting (regions, such as country, province, territory, arrondissement, protectorate, S.A.R, state, etc.). When you use any of these types of regions, the Google Maps API will still geocode (give coordinates) to them
  • It has been translated into 15+ languages -- if you would like to provide a new or updated translation, please do so

    • Can I display the Store Locator in a page template instead of using shortcode in a Page or a Post?

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  • Yes, in your page template, instead of do_shortcode("[STORE-LOCATOR]") add the code:if (function_exists("sl_template")) {print sl_template("[STORE-LOCATOR]");}
  • Additionally, for versions prior to Store Locator v3.0, you would also need to add the following to your theme's functions.php file:if (!function_exists("show_sl_scripts")){ function show_sl_scripts(){}}

    • I'm seeing a 'Google Maps is disabled', or other Google Maps error messages on my website when viewing my Store Locator

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  • Are you using Store Locator v1.9.7 or earlier? You must update immediately

    • If I need to rename my folder from the older 'wordpress-store-locator-location-finder' to 'store-locator', will I lose my locations?

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  • No. You won't lose them. And make sure to re-select your home & end map markers in MapDesigner after renaming

    • How can I have more than one Store Locator map on my website?

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  • The Multiple Mapper addon

    • I would like to show different icons for different locations -- can that be done?

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  • Yes, the Categorizer addon

    • Do I need a Google Account to use this store locator?

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    Since Store Locator v2.x, which uses Google Maps API v3, it is not required like it was in Google Maps API v2. However, high-usage sites may still need an API key to monitor usage. Thus, if needed:

       1. To sign up for a Google Account, visit: https://www.google.com/accounts/
       2. To sign up for a Google Maps API Key, visit: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/javascript/tutorial#api_key

    How Do I use a Translation?

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       1. Place .po & .mo translation files into the /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/languages folder, and then change the WPLANG constant to the corresponding language abbreviation in the wp-config.php file in the root wordpress directory
       2. Example: to use French, make sure lol-fr_FR.po & lol-fr_FR.mo are in the /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/languages folder, then make sure to update the code in wp-config.php to read define('WPLANG', 'fr_FR'), and Voila, Il sera en francais (It will be in French).

    Which countries is this compatible with?

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    This plugin is compatible with all countries that have Google Map domains. This includes:
  • Algeria
  • American Samoa
  • Angola
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Bangladesh
  • Bahrain
  • Belgium
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • Burundi
  • Canada
  • Central African Republic
  • Chile
  • China
  • Congo
  • Cyprus
  • Czech Republic
  • Djibouti
  • Dem. Republic of Congo
  • Denmark
  • Ethiopia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • Greece
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Kenya
  • Lesotho
  • Liechtenstein
  • Macedonia
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Norway
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Reunion
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Rwanda
  • Sao Tome & Principe
  • Senegal
  • Seychelles
  • Sierra Leone
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Togo
  • Turkey
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Venezuela
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe