14 DAY TRIAL // As part of the Bing Maps v7 Module CodePlex Project that kicked off in September last year, Microsoft has made available three new modules for application developers to take advantage of.
The company has been focused on providing application builders with the possibility to access useful modules that expand the functionality of the Bing Maps V7 API, and the three new releases are meant exactly for that.
The project has had 12 modules added into the mix, which shows that it is slowly growing in importance. The three newest such modules are the Drag Handle Module, Shape Toolbox Module, and Persistence Module.
Coming from Mike Garza, a regular Bing Maps community contributor, the new Drag Handle Module was meant to provide easy editing of shapes by adding “handles to drag the vertices of the shapes in order to update their values.”
Microsoft notes that this functionality should prove great when it comes to providing users with a predefined shape on the map and with the option to edit it as they want to.
“I’ve seen this functionality used a lot for search-type applications as it gives the user the ability to select the area they want to search, even if that area is a complex-looking polygon,” Ricky Brundritt, EMEA Bing Maps Technology Solution Professional, notes in a blog post.
The Shape Toolbox Module comes from the same contributor, and should enable easy drawing of shapes on the map with the use of a mouse. It offers support for Pushpins, Polylines, and Polygons, as well as for Circles and Rectangles.
“The module also includes a toolbar that you can turn on or off, exposing the drawing tools to users. It’s also worth noting that after drawing shapes on the map, you can click on a given shape and edit it,” Ricky Brundritt explains.
“Again, this is great for search-type applications when you want to give your users the ability to draw a search area on the map. I can see this being used in a number of other types of applications as well. This is bound to be a popular module.”
As for the Persistence Module, which comes from John O’Brien from SoulSolutions, a Bing Maps partner in Australia and a Microsoft Bing Maps MVP, we should note that it was meant to offer users a URL that could be shared and which would return the map to the exact location and map style they looked at.
This can also be saved so that users are able to continue from exactly the same place they left. Moreover, the option will prove great when it comes to bookmarking and sharing maps with other users.
“Having tested this module out myself, I have to say, that it’s one of those things you didn’t realize you needed it until you had it. This module makes a great addition to almost any type of Bing Maps application. I highly recommend checking it out,” Brundritt concludes.