Template:OSM Location map
 | This template is used on approximately 7,400 pages and changes may be widely noticed. Test changes in the template's /sandbox or /testcases subpages, or in your own user subpage. Consider discussing changes on the talk page before implementing them. |
 | This template uses Lua: |
Technical issue
 | Even Newer version now live, as of 21 March 2025! Not only does this continue and extend the range of graphical elements, but now allows unlimited numbers of dots/marks, and much faster load times with lower resource demands! See the Return to service article for details on both the 2024 and 2025 features. |
Major rewrite for 2025
In 2024 the template was finally able to return to something close to full functionality, following the 2023 withdrawal of the 'graph'/VEGA capability that was previously relied on. The use of inline CSS meant maps were once again possible, but the wiki-template solution was very slow and resource-heavy, as well as limiting the number of dots and marks. A 2025 overhaul has resulted in a template now entirely delivered via a Lua/Scribunto module, significantly improving the loading times and enabling additional features and 'unlimited' dots and graphical elements, whilst aiming to retain full compatibility with existing maps. Full details of the 2025 additions are at Template:OSM Location map/Return to service#Additional features, new to 2025.
Documentation
741yds
.jpg){kind=small}
Tower
Car Park
(Hunt's Hill)
House
This template provides
- A map (from OpenStreetMap) in a frame, for any location, anywhere in the world, at scale from global to an individual building.
- Optional multiple markers, text labels, numbered dots, live wikilinks and other graphical elements.
- A link (top right corner) to a fullscreen interactive version, which can have 'dots and details' from the article/map.
- A mini-locator map can be shown to provide context for the map.
Purpose
OSM Location map allows an editor to include a map in a frame with a zoom level appropriate to the topic. A scale marker is provided in the bottom right corner. This is at best a rough guide to the distances on the map, as the map projection results in scale changes depending on the latitude. Allowance has been made for this, but it is useful only as a guide to the maps scale, not a reliable measuring tool.
The multiple marks, images and labels can be a shape or image, include a text label, and potentially 'pointer-lines' and other graphical elements. The fullscreen map on the other hand will show pointer marks, which can be given popup thumbnail images and captions, as well as providing links to access other maps and satellite images, and an option to show locations of other articles nearby.
A selection of example maps, along with links to an even wider range of use-types, is at Template:OSM Location map/examples.
Usage Examples
Scenario 1: Minimal version
An unadorned map centred on a latitude and longitiude coordinates, via a {{coord}} value. Set the zoom to give a scale that fits the subject (0=whole world, 18=a street). With just these options set, all other parameters use the defaults, or are left unused. It also gives a link to the interactive fullscreen version.
{{OSM Location map
| coord = {{coord|53.4146|-4.3341}} <!--latitude/longitude coordinates for map's center -->
| zoom = 15 <!--zoom 0=whole world, 18=a street.-->
}}
|
Scenario 2: Single marker with text label
A default 'Red pog' marker and accompanying label. Additional items (the last three parameters) don't show up on the page, but give extra information when hovering/clicking on a dot in the fullscreen version.
| mark-coord = {{coord|53.3966|-4.46204}}
| label = [[Llanfechell#Llanfechell Triangle|Llanfechell Triangle]] <!--text label/wikilink -->
| label-pos = right <!--right, left, top, bottom - or use compass point: south, southeast, east etc -->
| mark-title = [[Llanfechell#Llanfechell Triangle|Llanfechell Triangle]] <!--clickable link &/or tooltip -->
| mark-image = The Llanfechell Triangle - geograph.org.uk - 1260817.jpg
| mark-description=Prehistoric standing stones at [[Llanfechell]] <!--fullscreen marker content -->
|
The mark-title can optionally be wiki-linked, and the dot on the map becomes a live link, even if the page doesn't exist. The label can also be wiki-linked, but as in the case here will display the page that contains a subsection as the live link rather than a picture of the feature as is shown on full screen. It can work well when there is a page on the specific subject.
| Blank code for a single marker map | Blank code with comments |
|---|---|
{{OSM Location map
| coord = {{coord| | }}
| zoom =
| width =
| height =
| caption =
| label =
| mark-coord = {{coord| | }}
| label-pos =
| mark-title =
| mark-image =
| mark-description =
}}
|
{{OSM Location map
| coord = {{coord| | }} <!-- {{coord}} has various formats for latitude and longitude -->
| zoom = <!-- (0=whole world, 18=a street)-->
| width = <!-- width and height of the map, in pixels. Do not add px -->
| height = <!-- default is width=350, height=250 -->
| caption = <!-- Text below the map. Can include [[wikilinks]] -->
<!-- Parameters for 1st mark -->
| label = <!-- text alongside the mark. (Can include wikilink and other markup)-->
| mark-coord = {{coord| | }} <!-- lat and lon location for the marker -->
| label-pos = <!-- default position is left. It can also be right, top, bottom. -->
| mark-title = <!-- tooltip and/or clickable link on the map and in fullscreen -->
| mark-image = <!-- image for fullscreen map content. Use a filename from Commons, without File: -->
| mark-description = <!-- text shown on fullscreen map when clicking on mark -->
}}
|
Multiple markers, labels and images
In addition to the un-numbered mark parameter set, there are 60 numbered ones. These are otherwise identical to the one above, but the name terminates in a number (1-60). Each mark and label has its own set of parameters (|mark1=, |mark-coord1=, |label1=, |label-pos1= etc...|mark2=, |mark-coord2=, |label2=, |label-pos2= etc.) Values can be inherited either from the 'mark1 master parameter set', or from a special 'markD' Default set that provides override defaults. When set, these values are inherited by the other numbered sets to avoid having to repeat for each, whilst they can still be set individually where required.
Scenario 3: Numbered dots with labels and auto-caption
861yds
railway station
San Michele
della Salute
Sighs
San Marco
St Mark's Basilica
St Mark's Campanile
Horses of Saint Mark
Doge's Palace
Source-code for the map can be seen by clicking the 'Edit' link. Some noteworthy points about the numbered-dot map example:
- The dots are given numbers when
shape = n-circle(square, triangle and diamond also available) - Depending on use cases, and on the number and density of dots, you might choose not to set some (or any) labels, relying on captions/links/main text to explain which feature is which.
- To avoid over-writing, a label position can be adjusted in relation to its dot using ldx and ldy parameters to set + or - pixel offsets horizontally and vertically. (Down and right are +ve, up and left -ve).
- To avoid a crowded area of the map, shape4 uses
| label-pos4 = top,with-line | ldx4 = 8 | ldy4 = -37to move the label much further away, and add a line linking the label to its shape. - Line breaks can be added to any label by adding a ^ symbol wherever needed, to split a long label.
- By setting
auto-caption=1, numbered shapes are all listed within the caption, using the 'mark-title' values, which as with shape2 here, might include links or explanations of multiple different items. auto-caption = 14can be used to specify a column width of (in this case) at least 14 ems. The template then adds as many columns as that width permits. Alternatively, the number of columns can be specied directly, as can making it collapsible or collapsed (to hide/show the list). egauto-caption = collapsed columns=2- By default, each dot will be given the same number as its 'mark-number'. If each dot is used in turn the numbers will go in sequence, and will match the numbers on the fullscreen version. Fullscreen numbers always run in sequence from 1 upwards, so if you don't use some mark-numbers, or over-ride them with 'numbered=', the fullscreen dots won't match. But they are self-documenting via their hover/click links, so that is not a problematic outcome, if that is desired.
{{Flushing Meadows-Corona Park map}} is a useful real life example in template form.
Inherited values
Each mark and label can be given a unique set of attributes (size, colour, outline, angle, relative position, etc.) To minimise repetition of code, there is a sliding scale of inheritance that applies to each value in each parameter set. For example, if label-size4=16 is set, that will always take precedence. If label-size4 has not been set, it will inherit the value from the special Default setting (defined using label-sizeD= ). If no Default has been set, it will inherit the value set by the 'master parameter set', label-size1=. If that is also undefined it will fall back to the underlying default, which in the case of label-size is 13. The same is true of all the variables relating to marks and labels, (although not to the coordinates, labels themselves, or mark-titles, which are always unique to the particular mark they relate to.)
Scenario 4: Using marks to add graphical elements to the map
Noteworthy Points illustrated by the map of Banwen area:
- Each of these marks has a very different appearance, and some are sized to be 'map features' rather than markers.
- Mark-size can be used not just to set width, but also height, by adding a second, comma-separated value. This allows a 'box' to be given a rectangular shape. In the case of 'box' a third value sets a radius for the corners, which gives the rounded corners of the two Roman forts. eg
| mark-size2 = 44,62,4 - The Marching fort has a transparent colour, so only the outline shows up, set to give a wide, dashed outline.
- Label-pos2 is set to 'center', so the words appear within the shape, rather than alongside it.
- There are now various ways to add a line to the map. The Roman road on this map is included by using
shape6=rule. A rule has 'shape-outline' attributes, which are all set by| shape-outline6=hard grey,2,60,dashedcolor and line-width are required. Opacity% and 'style' are optional. The style options are solid, dashed, dotted or double. - If you look at the fullscreen version, you will only see the first three marks. An item can be excluded by setting
mark-title6=none, for example. - All three of the fullscreen marks here show as white, but for different reasons. Mark-color1 is set to white. Mark-color3 is not defined, (Red pog.svg, being an image item, brings its own color), so the fullscreen dot 'inherits' white from Mark1. Mark-color2 is set to transparent, which shows as white for the fullscreen dot. Adding more diverse items to the map can affect the fullscreen colors, intended or otherwise.
- This map also shows the county boundary. See the Parameters Section for details of how Qvalues can be used to show 'map-data' lines from OpenStreetMap.
- 'curveA', an arrow-curve has been added to this (contrived) example. curveC (clockwise version) is also available.
- Note also that citation refs can be included in the caption. Non-obvious location data should be backed up by sources, just like any other wikipedia information, either within the main body text or, as here, in the caption.
References
- ↑ Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (1976). Glamorgan Inventory, Vol 1, Part 2: The Iron Age and Roman Occupation. p. 100.
Adding a Minimap in the left or right corner
Many pages with info-boxes already include a locator map showing where the topic or place is located. For those that don't it might be helpful to include one within your map. It is possible to incorporate an existing 'Location map' (from Wikimedia Commons) in a corner of this map.
The width and height of the Location map both have to be decided upon, specified (and calculated so as to not shift the map away from the corner). Some location maps may already highlight the feature, but if not, an optional locator 'pog' can be placed by calculating and specifying the minipog-gx and -gy values, using a 100x100 grid across the minimap. (so gx and gy values of 25 and 50 would place a dot a quarter of the way across and half way down the minimap. It does not pick up or use latitude and longitude values. The origin (0,0) is in the top left of the minimap and the map itself defaults to the bottom right corner, but can also use minimap=file bottom left, minimap=file top left and minimap=file top right.
The dot will remain in the right place even if you alter minimap size. (Note, the now redundant minipog-x and minipog-y are retained for compatibility. These used the same pixel dimensions as the width and height of the map, which made them harder to calculate/guess and needed to be re-done if the size was changed. Much better to use gx and gy from here on.)
If the area of the actual map is a large portion of the mini-map, an open red box can be included instead of a dot, to show the bounds of the main map. To use this feature, simply specify the width of the required box: minimap-boxwidth=xx where xx = the percentage of the minimap width for the box. In general anything much below xx=15 will be better served by a dot. The box will be centered at the coordinates minipog-gx and minipog-gy. The required width will require some trial and error to pin down. The box height is then matched in proportion to the actual map and will scale if the minimap size changes.
Text on an arc
Text for broader geographic features can be placed around an arc, to convey a sense of a broader area, or to follow the curve of a river, mountain range, coastline, etc. This works entirely separately from the other labels. It does not attach itself to any mark or dot, and does not create any fullscreen markers. It requires coordinates for the first letter, parameters for the starting angle, radius of arc and gap between letters. As of 2025 there are two alternative ways of defining text on an arc: using the standard parameters is clearer but more verbose, so there is also now a condensed format, where all the values are listed as a comma separated single parameter. The end result on the map is identical.
For example, from the Aberystwyth map, the river name could be defined by either
| arc-textA=Afon Rheidol
| arc-coordA={{coord|52.4109|-4.0875}}
| arc-text-sizeA = 11
|arc-text-colorA = blue
| arc-angleA = -31
| arc-gapA = 4.5
| arc-radiusA = 0.24
|ellipse-factorA = 0.98
or the same item can now be defined by
<!--text, lat,lon, size, color, angle, gap, radius [,ellipse-factor]-->|arcA=Afon Rheidol, 52.4109,-4.0875, 11, blue, -31, 4.5, 0.24, 0.98
| Table of example arc-text/arc starter values |
|---|
| Having identified the coordinates of the start-point, choose a starter-pattern from the selection below, and then adjust parameters to fit the requirement of the map. (The Negative / Positive values for angle and gap dictate which way up the text will read). |
Shallow smile:
arc-angleA=-170 arc-gapA=-1.0 arc-radiusA=1.6 |
Deeper smile:
arc-angleA=-150 arc-gapA=-4 arc-radiusA=0.4 |
wide eyebrow:
arc-angleA=-20 arc-gapA=3 arc-radiusA=0.8 |
opening bracket (reading up):
arc-angleA=-110 arc-gapA=1.5 arc-radiusA=0.6 |
opening bracket (reading down):
arc-angleA=-60 arc-gapA=-2 arc-radiusA=0.5 |
closing bracket (reading up):
arc-angleA=120 arc-gapA=-1.5 arc-radiusA=0.8 |
closing bracket (reading down):
arc-angleA=60 arc-gapA=2.5 arc-radiusA=0.4 |
Alternative marks
If |shape=image the default is to show a standard 'Red pog', which is useful to mark points of interest on the map. However other images can be used, selected from Wikimedia Commons: particularly useful for the large library of map icons and symbols. Note: if a particular image file is specified in mark1= or markD=, all subsequent marks will use it as well unless they name their own image file, or set shape= to a built-in shape. If using an image that is not square, a height setting (or alternatively a dimension value) should be set to ensure the image is vertically centered. (nb, there is no longer any ability to adjust the actual dimension of any images, which will display at the proportions supplied by wikimedia commons)
Transparent overlay
A marker image does not have to be small and opaque. A larger overlay image (with a transparent background) can be used to show particular features not included in the base map, such as a town's former walls (see the adjacent map, which is using [[File:Leicester Town Walls map overlay.svg]] ). Such images can be created in several ways (such as tracing over a copy of the base map); they are invoked like any other marker image file. (For a detailed guide to creating and deploying an overlay for these maps see User:J. Johnson/OSM overlay how-to). (See below for some direct ways to show linear graphics.)
Shapes
Instead of using a wikimedia image, it is possible to show a wide range of built in shapes. Until recently this was a fairly limited list, mainly being circles, squares and triangles. With the 2025 rewrite a new selection of shapes has been implemented, using the CSS 'clip-path' capability. There are now diamond, cross, various stars and an open ring, most having variants with single or double outer lines (indicated by D or DD). Unlike circles and squares, these are only solid shapes, which carry limitations. When an outline is set for these, it is actually a larger version of the shape 'underneath', so you cannot use opacity on the 'top' version, nor can you use css styles on the outline. On the other hand all of these shapes can be stretched by setting different width and height values, rotated to any desired angle, as well as given whatever color values are desired. The full list of clip-path shapes, as of March 2025, is:
squareD, squareDD, triangleD, triangleDD, circleD, circleDD, diamond, diamondD, diamondDD, thincross, cross, crossD, fivepointstar, fivepointstarD, sixpointstar, sixpointstarD, sevenpointstar, sevenpointstarD, eightpointstar, eightpointstarD, ring. (box, boxD, boxDD, ellipse, ellipseD, and ellipseDD are all synonyms for their square and circle equivalents)
A demo map is at Template:OSM Location map/Return to service which shows some of these shapes. Use them with care! The aim of the map is to elucidate its content, not overload with excess complexity.
Legend/Key/Information panel within the map
This is a new and improved (for 2025) feature, using |legendBox= and |legendItem1=. It uses the pixel x,y values (rather than coordinates), to place the top-left corner of the legendBox on a fixed point relative to the frame top-left corner, and centres an optional heading-text. The multiple legendItem lines nominate a particular existing shape number, and places the dot/shape and the given text as the next line in the legendBox.
|legendBox=Legend,115px65px1px, 175px205px<!--text, size, position [,background, text color, options]-->|legendItem1=Main Roman archaeological sites,7<!--this will use the shape info set for mark7, for example-->|legendItem2=Selected Medieval sites,1,42<!--Item text, shape number [,pixels from top]-->
It is possible to get similar results using shape=panel, which allows more layout and control options, but will all use coordinate values, and specially defined shapes/dots. The legendBox alternative gives a much more concise and convenient version, where that is sufficient.
With no numbers or labels, the use-case here is showing the scatter of different types of sites. The individual dots can still be 'interrogated' for further information, particularly using the fullscreen version, but only if 'looked for' rather than presented up-front. Different page content will have different needs. A map should aim to show the most relevant information, and editors can make choices on how to best make the map a part of the article's narrative.
A note on order of drawing: The un-numbered mark is drawn first. Numbered marks are drawn starting with highest first and drawing shape1 last, which is therefore 'on top'. The overlay uses the un-numbered mark, to go below everything else. if using a 'panel' you will want a higher number to put it below its contents. In this example the legendBox is also drawn underneath any other marks. (
Note: a legendBox with no items can create quick and easy map title in a box).
Text color
Color of label text can be specified using label-color = . Standard html colors can be specified by name, and any color can be specified using the hex triplets coding #xxyyzz (see Web colors). However, to create a consistent look and feel across the wikipedia maps, there are some OSM Location map specific colors, with a more muted tone range that fit well with the color scheme of the base maps. In general it is best to make use of this range, unless there are good reasons for using other particular shades for specific features.
Under normal usage, the following label color scheme can be followed:-
| soft grey | Settlements = soft grey (Subject of the map can be hard grey and larger label-size)
Map areas with darker or busier backgrounds may need to move a shade darker to hard grey and dark gray respectively. |
| soft blue | Rivers, lakes, sea areas etc = soft blue (Works well on top of OSM blue areas) |
| soft green | Parkland, national/regional parks, gardens, forests etc = soft green works well on top of OSM green areas. (hard green may be desirable in forests or for the subject of the map) |
| hard red | Use with care, or not at all. Any red text can look like a wikilink redlink. Since wikilink text is now possible on the map, this would be an unwanted confusion. |
| dark grey | Individual sites = dark grey (no need to specify if the site has a single label to accompany a red pog - it will be the default) |
| dark brown | Information panel, or legend = dark brown (works nicely on a 'pale brown' panel, for example. It is the default for legendBox) |
Full table of color options
| Colors recommended for OSM Maps.
These have a more pastel shade than the standard colors, so blend well the map backgrounds (pale variants are only for panel-backgrounds, etc) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| pale red #FCC6C0 | soft red #EC644B | hard red or Red #DB3123 | dark red #AA1205 |
| pale green #D2F0E5 | soft green #81AF81 | hard green or Green #269F46 | dark green #0B7527 |
| pale blue #D6E1EC | soft blue #77A1CB | hard blue or Blue #4B77D6 | dark blue #4B77D6 |
| pale grey #E8E8D6 | soft grey #AAAA88 | hard grey or Grey #777755 | dark grey #444433 |
| pale brown #FAF6ED | soft brown #CCB56C | hard brown or Brown #AD7F14 | dark brown #754910 |
| Other named colors.
Standard HTML colors tend to look rather harsh on the OSM maps so some of them are given more subtle shades. If you need the standard HTML version, it can be set by using an appropriate '#' 6-figure hex value. | |||
| White #FFFFFF | Silver #800000 | Beige or beigeground #F5F5DC | Orchid #DA70D6 |
| Maroon #800000 | Yellow #FFFF00 | Olive #808000 | Limegreen #32CD32 |
| Leaf #8CC244 | Aqua #00FFFF | Teal #008080 | Aquamarine #7FFFD4 |
| Navy #000080 | Fuchsia #FF00FF | Purple #A029CF | Black #000000 |
| Orange #EEB533 | transparent #transparent | background #F9F6F2 | paleground #FEFEFA |
New to 2024: All colors can have an opacity value as well as the color name. eg label-color3=dark blue,30 will set a 30% opacity. (The '50%' and 'opacity' parameters are now deprecated. ie they still work, but are not needed anymore)
It is also possible to specify any HTML Hex color using the six-figure hex-code, eg #AAAAAA, but sticking to defaults allows a consistency between pages
If no valid color is specified the color will be set to a default of 'hard grey'
Text, shape and outline opacity
With the 2024 changes it is now possible to easily set the opacity value of any specified color. For 'label-color' and 'shape-color', this is a second, comma-separated value. For 'shape-outline' it is the third item, (it takes color name,line-width,opacity,style). eg shape-outline4=hard red,8,30,solid would add a transparent red outline 8px thick around the shape. (Note, the opacity is given as a %. For historical reasons, an opacity of 0 and 100 both give fully opaque colours. To set as entirely transparent, use a value of 1 - or the colour name 'transparent'.)
- Alternatively:
| label-color=#1659165A. It is possible to set an opacity value when using #hexvalues instead of just named colours from the HTML color-space. The opacity is an additional two-digit hex value to make an 8 digit #value, with the opacity digits ranging from 00 (opaque) to FF (transparent).
Note: whilst the shape-color is also used by the markers in the fullscreen map, these cannot use any opacity. This 'feature' can be utilised as a way of setting the marker color for any transparent shape. Using the 'transparent' color setting will give a white marker, bus using dark red,1 will look transparent on the map, but still give a red fullscreen marker.
There was previously an option to specify 'Halo' features around shapes. These were rarely used (it at all) and would have made considerable resource demands through the use of multiple additional shapes. With the template size risking difficulties when many dots are used, the halo parameter has been removed for now. Various halo-like effects can be obtained using the shape-outline option.
Text effects
- multi-line label
- Where label text is too long to fit on a single line, using
label =, any line can now be split as many times as desired using the ^ hat symbol. This supersedes the now deprecatedlabela =andlabelb =. To put an actual ^ in your label, use the^entity.
- Label with no mark
- If
mark-size=0this has the effect of a free-floating label with no marker
- Angled label
- It is possible to specify a
label-angle =, which will pivot the label text around the centre of the marker point by the specified angle. Using an angled label which also has no marker is particularly good for labelling various geographic and linear features. A more characterful alternative is to set the text on an arc, using the ArcText options. For stylistic consistency settlement and building names should not normally be given an angle.
- Wiki markup
- New to 2024, all text is shown as standard wiki text. This means you can use '''bold''' and ''italic'' as normal. Wikilinks are also possible, but note that they will then take standard wikilink colors, including red-link for non-existent links.
- And one for the geeks: if you are desperate to use other fonts or font-effects, you can include elements such as <span style="...">your text here</span> as part of your label. But use with caution and care. the aim is not to overwhelm the map with fancy effects. However, used appropriately it could be just the solution you are looking for - provided you know enough html/css/etc.
Use in infoboxes
{{OSM Location map}} can be shown in many infoboxes. This may depend upon if they allow a map_image parameter (preferable) or the module and/or embedded parameters, as their image parameter is usually used and best reserved for images. See for instance {{infobox school}} by using the instruction |module={{OSM Location map| ...}}. Some infoboxes also allow it to be incorporated within the caption below an image. However, this only works if an image and some caption text are also present. (see Inishmore Lighthouse). A multi-use template with controlling logic is possible as with {{Karakoram OSM}} and its different display in K2 using {{infobox mountain}}.
{{switcher}} could be used to display two instances of {{OSM Location map}} in a single infobox.
Some infoboxes default to using a maplink map. In this case, if actively maintained rather than auto-generated, it may be possible to substitute {{OSM Location map}} if it will be more informative.
Using label text to draw graphic features
With the arrival of various outline and line-drawing features, there is less need to resort to text labels as a way of showing simple graphics. However, for certain cases, some of the many unicode items in the Box Drawing list may be of use.
Autogenerated dots using wikidata
1.9miles
| No. | Torfaen | population | year | Wikidata page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Fairwater, Torfaen | 11,632 | 2011 | Q5430902 |
2 | Cwmbran Central | 9,947 | 2011 | Q13127602 |
3 | Panteg | 7,217 | 2011 | Q7131674 |
4 | Abersychan | 6,690 | 2021 | Q3304459 |
5 | Blaenavon | 6,055 | 2011 | Q42949429 |
6 | Pen Tranch | 5,989 | 2011 | Q16540173 |
7 | New Inn | 5,986 | 2011 | Q7008960 |
8 | Croesyceiliog | 5,246 | 2011 | Q5187462 |
9 | Upper Cwmbran | 5,228 | 2011 | Q7898590 |
10 | Trevethin | 5,147 | 2011 | Q7838973 |
11 | Pontymoile | 5,082 | 2011 | Q7228398 |
12 | Pontnewydd | 4,954 | 2011 | Q7228313 |
13 | Llantarnam | 4,125 | 2011 | Q6661778 |
14 | Llanyrafon | 3,239 | 2011 | Q6661924 |
15 | Henllys, Torfaen | 2,682 | 2011 | Q17739230 |
16 | Ponthir | 1,482 | 2011 | Q7228203 |
It is possible to extract a list of sub-regions from the wikidata page for a particular region, and from that, generate dots of different sizes to reflect a particular set of the latest values such as population or land area. It requires the wikidata to be complete and contain the information you wish to show, so editors may wish to bring wikidata up to date. This process avoids a lot of the addition of separate values for each dot item that would otherwise be required, but means it is much harder to customise to show particular features. The wikidata information is potentially 'live' information to the extent that it can change and be updated after your edit is finished, which is a useful way of staying up to date but runs the risk of the map to be rendered illegible by, for example, major boundary changes or administrative re-structuring. The example here shows a Welsh principal area and it's individual communities. Note that the data is also added to a collapsed table as part of the caption to the map. (Narrow maps will get a reduced subset of the data items).
Below is the template code for this map, in its entirety, including some un-needed defaults shown for demonstration purposes. The automated data-gathering does make for much smaller template code, but has a proportionally greater demand on processing time. The main Parameters table gives details of further control options including ways to manually add more Qvalues, turn off the dots, etc
{{OSM Location map
| coord = {{coord|51.7015|-3.0443}} <!-- {{coord|qid=Q643919}} also works but may not be ideal -->
| zoom =11
| width = 350 <!-- width and height of the frame. numeric input - do not add px -->
| height = 470
| map-data-inverse=Q643919 <!-- add the inverse geo-shape for Torfaen -->
| geo-region=Q643919 <!-- this is the key value, that looks for the list at wikidata -->
| geo-data-type= P1082 <!--P1082 is population, P2046 would show land area instead-->
| geo-boundaries=1 <!-- draw the sub-region boundaries, if known -->
| geo-list-sort=VH <!-- sort by value, highest first -->
| label-posD=on <!-- probably unwise here, but shown for demo. Set to off, for dots only -->
| auto-caption=1 <!-- deafults to 1 when using geo-region. -->
| toggletext=Table of population data for Torfaen communities
| show-q-values=1
| shape-colorD=dark red,50
| shape-outlineD=dark red,2,80
| shapeD=n-circle
| label-sizeD=10,background,outline <!-- turn the label text into little oval labels -->
}}
List of parameters
| Code blank - OSM Location map template, listing a selection of the parameters for showing manually created dots and labels. |
|---|
{{OSM Location map
| coord = {{coord| | }}
| zoom=
| float =
| width =
| height =
| fullscreen-option =
| caption =
| title =
| minimap =
| mini-file =
| mini-width =
| mini-height =
| minipog-gx =
| minipog-gy =
| minipog-boxwidth =
| scalemark =
<!-- optional default settings. These 'D' parameters only create override values for subsequent marks. They make no marks of their own -->
| shapeD =
| shape-colorD =
| shape-outlineD =
| shape-angleD =
| markD =
| mark-sizeD =
| mark-dimD =
| label-sizeD =
| label-colorD =
| label-angleD =
| label-posD =
| ldxD = <!-- short-forms of label-offset-x and -y are now available for all sets-->
| ldyD =
<!-- unumbered parameter set creates mark and/or label on the map -->
| mark-coord = {{coord| | }}
| mark =
| shape =
| shape-color =
|shape-outline =
| shape-angle =
| mark-size =
| label =
| label-size =
| label-color =
| label-angle =
| label-pos =
| ldx =
| ldy =
| mark-title =
| mark-image =
| mark-description=
<!-- Arc text (A, B and C etc). It has no shape, mark or fullscreen effect, just text on an arc. Coords are for the first letter.-->
| arc-coordA = {{coord| | }}
| arc-textA =
| arc-angleA =
| arc-gapA =
| arc-radiusA =
| arc-text-sizeA = <!-- defaults to 12 -->
|arc-text-colorA =
|ellipse-factorA = <!-- defaults to 1.0 -->
<!--Or short-form version: arcA= text, lat, lon, [size]px, color, [angle]deg, gap, radius, ellipse-->
|arcA="River Soar, canal",52.6208,-1.1469,10px, hard blue, 128deg, -1.0, 0.55, 1
<!-- numbered markers (1 to 60). Values set in mark1 will be inherited by all other numbered markers, unless overridden by a 'D' value-->
| mark-coord1 = {{coord| | }}
| mark1 = <!-- commons file name. default is red pog.svg -->
| shape1 = <!--image/circle/square/triangle/diamond/rule/box/ellipse/etriangle/panel -->
| shape-color1 =
|shape-outline1 = <!--color,width,opacity,style-->
| shape-angle1 =
| mark-size1 = <!--width,height,corner-->
| label1 = <!--use ^ to add a newline, (so labela1 and labelb1 are now redundant -->
| label-size1 = <!--includes extra parameter options: ,outline,background for text effects-->
| label-color1 =
| label-angle1 =
| label-pos1 = <!--position,[line option][,further options] -->
| ldx1 =
| ldy1 =
| mark-title1 =
| mark-image1 =
| mark-description1=
| mark-coord2 ={{coord| | }}
| mark2 =
| shape2 =
| shape-color2 = <!-- ... and so on for all the parameters above, for with only memory/resource usage limitations as an upper limit -->
}}
|
Parameters
Map display parameters | |
|---|---|
| Parameter | Description |
coord |
Latitude and longitude coordinates of the centre point of the map.
Use HINT: gridreferencefinder.com, is a helpful place to find coordinates if you have other grid references. In Preview mode, a right-click while using the 'Interactive fullscreen map' will also show a coord point. |
zoom |
Sets the scale of the map, from 0 to 19, to the levels defined by OpenStreetMap. (details here).
NOTE: The actual distances represented will vary depending on the latitude, as the scale defines different fractions of a degree. The apparent scale will also vary depending on the screen device, browser magnification, etc. The on-screen 'scalemark' gives a rough indication of the scale of the map. |
magnify |
Enlarges the central area of the map and its contents. Main use case is where a feature shows as too small at one zoom level, and too large at the next. It can be given a decimal value between 1 and 2. (1 is the default, ie no effect, 2 doubles the size). It is a 'new for 2025' option. For more details and an example see OSM Location map/Return to service#Magnify. (Note: This option creates an unwanted, but stubbornly resistant effect of blocking access to any wikilinks in the caption area - and below. The effect is more extensive with larger magnify values, and should not be used, for example, with collapsible autocaptions as it prevents use of the hide/show buttons.) |
float |
Positions the frame to the left, centre (or center) or right. (default is right). If centered, the text will be forced above and below, otherwise text will wrap to the side.
HINT: For left or right align, if you want to ensure some following text sits alongside the map, use {{clear}} before the map template. |
widthheight |
Sets the width and height of the map in pixels. Only the number is required (i.e. no px). Default is 350 by 250 pixels. |
fullscreen-option |
From 2024, the 'link-box' symbol at top left is hard-coded onto the map, so will always include the link to an Interactive Full screen, with links to other mapping options and can show locations of other nearby articles. It is always 'on' so the parameter has no effect. |
nolabels |
Optionally use a map-set without settlement/country names.
By default the base map uses mapstyle='osm-intl'. Progressively higher zoom levels bring more place names onto the map, in the language/script of the wiki/user preference, where that is available. For some contexts it may be preferred to 'turn off' the place name labels, and use the mark/label options to provide such names as are wanted. Use |
captionauto-captiontoggletext |
Optionally, a text caption can be included, below the map. Unless overridden by tags etc., this is left-justified plain text. It can include any wiki-item that can be inserted into a table cell, including images, formatting, citation references, etc.
NEW for 2025: The numbered list can be set to be collapsed (hidden) like a wiki-table. Add the word 'collapsed' or 'collapsible' to set either to start collapsed, or start visible, but with the ability to hide it. eg.
|
title |
Optionally a title or other text can be placed in a cell above the map. By default this is centred and bold, but as with the caption, any wiki-markup can be included. |
legendBox |
A Legend or Key panel can be added within the map, to explain what some of the shapes or dots represent. The size of the panel and its position relative to the top left corner of the map are both given in pixels, so the box remains in a fixed position even if the map coords are changed. A centred title line (optional) is followed by as many 'legendItem(n)=' lines as wanted. This identifies the explanation text, the dot-number it relates to, and an optional distance (px) down the box for that line. (If no distance is given it uses the shape height to find the next line distance.) Example: It attempts to automate as much as possible to save editing time and space. It does this by re-using the shape values from already-defined dots, and giving very few points of control. If greater control/flexibility is wanted, it is possible to use a |
|
|
Allows 'OSM ExternalData elements' to be added to the map. This can be an administrative boundary, highway or other linear map element that has been assigned a wikidata Q value. (e.g.: map-data=Q83065 will add the city boundary of Leicester.) The map item needs to be on the same place as the map itself. It can be linear features or inverse areas (not filled areas/shapes). Multiple elements can be added, separating each Q value by a comma. New to 2024 is that the element will be on the framed map as well as in fullscreen, and can apply an inverse mask.
nominatim.openstreetmap.org/ has a search engine to identify data elements for which Q values have been assigned, or to add (or repair) wikidata Q values to map elements. The relevant wikidata page also gives its Qvalue. All lines on the 'framed' map are for now a 10% opacity grey line, 6, 9 and 3 pixels wide for Links are still only visible in fullscreen. The framed version lines have no links, so it may be helpful to use a discrete label alongside a boundary (for example) to indicate what it is (See Banwen example, above).
|
| geo-region = | Using this paramereter with the wikidata Qvalue of an administrative region will attempt to find all the sub-regions (if any) that the wikidata entry includes, along with information such as population, land area, etc. Numbered dots for each sub-region will be given a size indicating the requested values. Tooltips will allow inspection of each dot location and value, plus potentially labels can be used if not too crowded. It also adds a collapsed data-table to the caption, showing the places and values extracted from wikidata for each dot number. (nb. It is dependant on the relevant wikidata page being complete and up-to-date). The following 'geo' parameters provide a range of additional controls. |
| geo-data-type = | default is P1082 (population). other options include number of households (P1538) per capita income (P10622) land area (P2046) |
| geo-data-list = | An alternative (or additional) way of including items for auto-generated dots. It is a comma-separated list of Qvalues, for a manually generated list which doesn't require manual 'tweaking' of individual dot settings. |
| geo-data1= or 2= or 3= etc |
A further method of adding to the 'auto-generated' Qvalue list. In this case use one Qvalue per item which allows it to be controlled individually by other shape/label parameters. (nb: to exclude these from the caption-list, use mark-title3=nolist. (As before, mark-title3=none will exclude from both the list and fullscreen) |
| geo-list-sort = | Sorts the caption table and geo-data numbers. Default is A = alphabetic, V = dot value (eg population size), N will sort northernmost first, W = westernmost first. (Order can be reversed using L=loweest, H=highest. eg default is AL, so AH will reverse. |
| geo-scalefactor = | Can enlarge or shrink all the dots in proportion, depending on how much space is available between dots on the map. (default=1) |
| geo-sub-region = | needs to be a wikidata Pvalue, but will default to P150 ('contains administrative areas') if not supplied (some pages use 'has parts' = P527) |
| geo-number-size = | will give a fixed size for shape numbers, if they are shown. (defaults to 12 when using geo auto-generated dots) |
| geo-boundaries = | if set to 1 will add the list of Qvalues to 'map-data-light', to draw the boundaries on the map. (Need to have an appropriate OpenStreetMap tag as well as the wikidata link, for this to work.) |
| show-geo-dots = | defaults to '1' if there is a geo-region, to use proportional dots. If it is '0', there will be a fixed dot size of 1px, eg to show labels and boundaries without dots. The data table will still be available. |
| find-geo-dots = | If geo-region is included, it will default to 1. '0' allows for just finding boundaries, with no data table. |
| show-q-values = | '1' will include a wikidata link column in the caption table, provided the frame is wide enough. Defaults to 1 if width > 400, and will not include, even if requested, for narrow frames, below 320. Helpful for seeing further information, including the source citation for the data. |
| label-posD = shapeD= shape-colorD= etc. |
You should use the standard 'Default' options to control appearance of the generated dots. label-posD gets additional options: 'off' is no label, 'on' is lower centre. Adding ^ (eg label-posD=right^ will add the value-data to a new line, or '-' etc will add the value alongside. Using shapeD, and other color, outline, label parameters, can set up the auto-generated dots to the required appearance. |
map-raw |
Enables raw geoJSON files to be displayed directly to the basemap. This includes files at Wikipedia:Map data or .map files on wikimedia commons. Provided they are valid geoJSON, elements will be displayed on both the framed and fullscreen versions, and can be comma-separated to allow several files to be used together. See examples at Example: using map-raw to show customised areas and lines. Be aware that inline geojson (rather than geojson passed as a file) will not be parsed correctly unless the outer square brackets are removed, so code transferred from {{maplink}} will need any inline outer square backets removed. |
map-wdqs
|
Enables a SPARQL query to wikidata and shows resulting geopoints, geoshapes etc on the framed basemap and on the fullscreen version. map-wdqs is the body of the SPARQL search and formatting. map-wdqs-type can be 'geopoint' (default), 'geoline', or 'geoshape' to match the search results. More specific documentation is needed, but there is info at mediawiki Kartographer help page and a tutorial at wikidata.org/wiki/Wikidata:SPARQL_tutorial. Some examples are at Example: map using Wikidata Query Service (WDQS) |
minimap |
Set to file to add an external locator-style map from wikimedia commons, plus optional locator dot. A map can be placed in any of the four corners. minimap=file bottom left, minimap=file bottom right, minimap=file top left.
If just |
mini-file
|
Takes the file name of a standard location map from Commons (without 'File:'), and displays it as a minimap in a corner.
mini-width and mini-height are the desired dimensions of this minimap, in pixels. Unlike pre-2024, all images can only be displayed at their given proportions. The width/height ratios are still need to correctly position the file into its corner. |
|
|
Within the custom minimap this can place an optional small Red pog. Nb. The x and y are not lat and lon values. They relate to a 100x100 grid of the minimap at whatever size and ratio it is set to. The origin is top,left of the mini map, so if minipog-gx=25, it will be a quarter of the way across. (Some location maps have a highlighted location already, so leaving these two parameters undefined gives the map without a dot.)
minimap-boxwidth=xx can optionally use an open red box instead of a Red pog. xx = the width of the box, in percent of the width of the minimap. The height is then matched in proportion to the actual map. The box is centered at spot corresponding to (minipog-gx,minipog-gy). In general anything much below xx=15 will be better served by a dot. The required width will need some trial and error to pin down. If xx=0 or minimap-boxwidth is undefined, a Red pog is used. |
| or (shortform instead)
|
Alternative, shortform to replace all the above minimap parameters, they can all be rolled into a single line of comma-separated values. (optionally put the filename element in "double quotes" if it has commas or inverted commas within the filename). Example:
|
scalemark |
By default or with scalemark=1, a scale line with guide to the scale of the map is supplied near the bottom right corner of the map. If this is not required - e.g. if it interfers with a map element at that point - it can be turned off by setting this to '0'. To shift it further left, e.g. to avoid a minimap, or to avoid a 'busy' bit of the map, enter the number of pixels to shift left. If not set by hand it will automatically shift to the left of any bottom-right minimap. |
Label and mark parameters | |
| Multiple marks can be set on the map, being an un-numbered version, and a potentially 'limitless' series running from 1 upwards. The first numbered one, (mark1, label1, etc.) is a 'master marker' and its values are inherited by the other numbered markers unless set individually. (nb: label1= and mark-title1 etc are not inherited). All label, mark and full-screen parameters are available for each numbered marker.
Default set: For added flexibility a parameter set with a On the Fullscreen map, the dots always number from 1, and will always run in sequence. If using auto-numbered dots on the framed version, you can start with | |
| Parameter | Description |
shape |
OSM Location map can use either an external image as a location marker, or one of various shapes. The mark-size setting will require different numbers of items for different types of shape.
|
shape-colorshape-outlineshape-anglenumbered |
The |
mark |
The name of a Wikimedia commons file, which is used as the marker. Default is Red pog.svg. Other pog colours are available (see Map pointers, dotset 1 on Commons), and a large range of map markers can be found at Commons:Location markers and Commons:Category:Map icons. Nb, at present if a default shape-outline is set, this appears around images as well. Use shape-outline=transparent to remove it. |
mark-size ( mark-dim) |
Size and dimensions of a marker. mark-size is used by both shape and mark and can define the width, height and (where relevant) corner radius of the marker symbol. A single value sets both the width and height of the mark or shape in pixels (no 'px' required, default is 12). A second, comma-separated value will set height, and a third will be used by square, box or panel to define the corner-radius. If only a text label is wanted with no marker, set mark-size=0.
NOTE: of particular use with n-circles and n-square, the text-size for the number is based on the shape's 'height' value. If only one value is supplied, that is both width and height. By supplying a second value (e.g. |
mark-coord |
Latitude and longitude coordinates of the marker point. Use the format mark-coord={{Coord|lat value|lon value}}. Used by shape and mark as well as the related label. If the location is outside the area of the map, it will not appear. (For backwards compatibility, mark-lat and mark-lon still work, but are not the preferred method.) |
label |
Text to appear alongside a mark or shape. If left blank then a mark will show without a label. If only a text label is wanted with no marker, set mark-size=0 If there is no label and a mark-size=0 this is an invisible marker, but will still feature on the Fullscreen option.
New for 2024: Where label text is too long to fit on a single line, using Text that strays too close to the right edge of the frame may now 'automatically wrap' to the next line. However, this will not be 'balanced' in the way the inserted linebreaks are, so in most instances a manual break will be preferable. All label text is now standard wiki text. This means you can use '''bold''' and ''italic'' or even your own |
label-size |
Sets the text size for the label, in points; default is 12.
New for 2024, Two further colours can be used for the fill: if |
label-color |
Sets the text colour for the label. The standard colour labels (red, black, grey, white, blue, green etc…) all work as described, but can be rather strident on the OSM map. Each of the colors below have three standard shades - soft, hard and dark. Default is dark grey. (Actually defaults to #222211, slightly darker than 'dark grey', so it is prominent when someone just puts a single pog and label.) A comma-separated number after the color will set the opacity (in %) – e.g. dark-blue,40 will give 40% opacity. See Template:OSM Location map#Text color for colors and usages.
It is also possible to specify any HTML Hex color using the six-figure hex-code, eg |
label-posldx(or label-offset-x)ldy(or label-offset-y)(in pixels, - = up and left, + = down and right) |
At its simplest, label-pos sets the position of the label, relative to the marker: left, right, top, bottom or centre/center. Default is left. Top, bottom and center text is center-justified, whereas left and right align against the marker. The label aims to be at an appropriate distance from the edge of the marker, but irregular shapes and larger sizes may need further adjustment using the label-offsets - now in a shortened form of ldx and ldy. These 'offset' values can also move the label much further distances, and make use of the line-drawing additions shown below.
NEW for 2025: As an alternative to the 'top, bottom, left, right' terminology, you can instead use commpass-points: 'north, south, east, west'. In addition to these Cardinal directions, the four ordinal points (northeast, southwest etc) can also be used, to further control the label position. Center (or centre) text is placed over the middle of any shape, point, rule, box or panel. Line breaks will 'spread' the lines above and below the center-point. Nb: in the case where the shape is a panel, the text is placed 'within' rather than to the side of the shape, and left and right become 'justified' instructions for text that will wrap within the panel, rather than the 'positional' instructions they normally are. Line-drawing options: by adding additional values to the
|
label-angle |
It is possible to specify label-angle=, which will pivot the label text around the centre of the marker point by the specified number of degrees. (+ve angle rotates clockwise, -ve anticlockwise) If mark-size is set to zero, this has the effect of a free-floating label with no marker, useful for various geographic and linear features. For stylistic consistency all settlement names should not be given an angle. |
label-spacing |
Extra space can be added between each letter in a label. For example, label-spacing12=4 adds 4 pixels between each letter in label12. Default is 0. (A controlled wide-spaced text can be achieved, without having to put real spaces in between the letters) |
label-height |
Where there is a multi-line label, this increases or decreases the gap between lines as a % in relation to label-size, e.g. label-height12=90 would give very closely spaced lines. Default is 120. |
Additional content for Full screen link | |
| The 'full screen' map uses the same OSM base map, in a different map environment, including the option for users to scale in and out, to pan across the map, and to find (via the 'More details' button) other maps and satellite imagery for the location. It also includes numbered markers, for which tooltip-style titles, and image thumbnails with captions can be brought up. This makes most sense where there are several markers on the map. The content for this facility is set with the following three parameters - which need to be numbered for each mark as for the other mark attibutes: | |
| Parameter | Description |
mark-title |
This title appears as a tooltip and also a thumbnail title, accessed by clicking the marker. if mark-title=none that will exclude that marker from the full screen map. (it will still show as normal on the main map).New for 2024, if a wikilink item is included within mark-title, it will now make the mark a live-link on the framed map. Only the first link is used as a link, but the whole text is shown as a tooltip, when hovering over the mark/dot. |
mark-image |
This provides a pop-up thumbnail image when the marker is clicked. Include only the image name from Wikimedia commons etc. (i.e. no brackets, or 'File:'). |
mark-description |
Caption text, which will either accompany a pop-up photo, or if no photo then as a text box, when the marker is clicked. This can include wikilinks etc., to link on to additional relevant articles. |
Arc Text: label placed on an arc | |
| Arc-text parameters allow multiple lines of text to be placed along on arc, with parameters to control the tightness of the circle (radius) and the looseness of the text (gap). Changes in radius will also have an effect on the gap size, with a larger radius opening out the gap. Trial and correction will be needed to get the shape and effect desired. As a general rule, identify the coordinates of the required start-point, then choose a starter-pattern from the selection at OSM Location map#Text on an arc, and then adjust parameters to fit the requirement of the map. As an alternative to the 8 separate parameters, there is an alternative comma-separated shortform version that can be used instead. The parameters below are for set A. Any capital letter afrom A to Z is available. (Note: excessive use may overload your map with too many text arcs.) | |
| Parameter | Description |
arc-coordA | coordinates of first letter, using ={{coord|xxx.xx|yyy.yy}} |
arc-textA= | Add your text here |
arc-angleA | in degrees, -180 to 180. 0 will start as horizontal, -90 straight up, 90 straight down |
arc-gapA | 1= a notional 'standard'. 0.2 is very tight, 10 is very wide. Applying a negative gap will invert the letters and run the other way around the circle |
arc-radiusA | 1= a notional 'standard' 0.5 is quite a tight circle, 8 is so wide as to be almost flat |
arc-text-colorA | sets text color. #000000 color hexes and standardised OSM Location map colors are accepted |
ellipse-factorA | (optional) will squash or stretch the circle. 1= notionally circular, 0.5 to 1.0 will flattern top and bottom, above 1.0 flattens the sides. |
arcA | A Comma-separated multi-value parameter to replace all of the above (Note you can use lat and lon decimal values or the {{coord}} template call). (optionally put the text element in "double quotes" if you wish to include commas or inverted commas within the text). Example:
|
Comparison with {{Maplink}}
The essential difference is that detail and context with {{OSM Location map}} can be abstracted and displayed without further user interaction being required while {{Maplink}} is more likely to need user interaction to get equivalent reader understanding.
Since May 2018 it has also been possible to create a map in a frame via {{Maplink}}, which in some respects does a similar job to OSM Location map. In both cases a static map image can be added to an article, for anywhere in the world, pulling in the map from OpenStreetMap data. The differences are in what they can and can't add to the base map. Maplink, in both its framed and fullscreen versions, can add points (numbered or icon-style pointy dots), and various, lines and areas generally imported from OpenStreetMap via wikidata Q values. A large part of its role is in providing an 'automated' map, using wikidata to give quick results, often within an infobox. With OSM Location map the process is much more hand-built, drawing together elements from the article. The framed map can show a much richer selection of dots, shapes, graphics, overlays, images and especially text to convey specific details relevant to a particular article. It has now also been enabled to show Q value (at present limited to boundaries, and roads) and raw Geojson. Unlike {{Maplink}} these features are not mutally exclusive so the default mapping display can be richer and allow useful abstraction possibilities at the expense of more complex code. The fullscreen equivalent is much closer to a Maplink fullscreen item, re-using as point-items the details supplied for the framed map. Arc-text labels are displayed full screen with {{OSM Location map}} as point locations which do not geographically exist so the click through map can be more misleading than in the case of {{Maplink}}
Underlying technology
OSM Location map now makes use of the <mapframe> module, which in turn displays the requested portion of the globe as drawn from the Open Street Map global maps. This template then generates the overlay text and graphics on top of the base map. Until 2023 everything within the frame was produced through the template {{Graph:Street map with marks}}, created by User:Yurik which itself made use of the Vega visualisation package which displayed both the base map and a range of text and graphic features. In its original (2016) incarnation the result was a rendered bitmap image, making the viewing overhead very low compared to the more complex preview-mode rendering, but with a low-resolution output. In 2020, the bitmap creation process was withdrawn, so from then on rendering has been carried out for read as well as preview modes, resulting in a much clearer page view, but adding considerably to the resource overhead.
In April 2023 the Vega package was withdrawn, along with all of its 'graph' dependencies, amid security concerns. After a protracted period of uncertainty (and with the Graph replacement still under development in April 2025) a way was found to replicate the map outcomes previously handled by 'graph'. By making use of Extension:Kartographer, through its <mapframe>tag, the base map can be displayed within an HTML <div>...</div> element. Inline CSS coding could then be used to overlay graphics and text within the resulting frame. The Mercator 'coords' are converted to (x, y) pixel values to match the map location and zoom level. This switch not only got the existing stock of 5,600 templates back in a working state, but also allowed the implementation of additional graphical items. A further gain was that standard use of wikimarkup and wikilinks became possible, allowing the maps to be a 'live' component of the page, rather than simply an illustration.
In 2025 another hurdle was overcome by rewriting the template as a Lua/Scribunto module, to replace the much more cumbersome wiki-markup. The outcome was that pages could load in about 20% of the time, and use far less memory and other resources. It also allowed unlimited numbers of marks, should they be needed. The page load-times/display demands in particular had been a potential constraint to further adoption, which has at least been alleviated by the rewrite, as well as facilitating a few extra shapes, controls and features.
The full screen option, which can be clicked through from the framed map, provides an entirely different mapping approach, although also using Kartographer to access the OSM base-map data. This uses <maplink> to provide a fullscreen interactive map that can be panned and zoomed. It also replicates (as numbered markers) the various marks and colors from the framed map. These can then be given extra content, by way of a title, image and description, along with displaying the coordinate values. Since 2024 maplink can also show the locations of other 'nearby' wikipedia pages. The result is a map-based page that offers another way of engaging with the article content, and navigating to related material.
Further development of mapping technology is currently not a Wikimedia Foundation priority area. Having established {{maplink}}, which initially just created a text link to a full-screen map, to the point where it provides a framed image with data directly from wikidata, there are no active developments for different mapping solutions. (Please tell us if you know differently!). The processor overheads are reduced by showing a static image in the frame, which can be clicked to become interactive in fullscreen. Maplink is now an effective and widespread solution within info-boxes, where the map is automatically generated from already available data.
This template is geared rather to producing a hand-editable map, in which the area displayed and the selection of items and labels included are selected, edited, and added to, to suit the specifics of the subject in hand. A third approach, which is not currently supported by any mapping template, would be to draw the data from external live data, such as using a SPARQL query, to generate, for example large-area scatter-plots to show different distributions across a map. The security and maintainability aspects of such tasks, as with other graph visualisations of live data, are a major barrier to implementation.
The technology used here (Kartographer plus inline-css) is probably best described as 'reasonably well developed'. As of late April 2025 it would seem to be in a mature, stable and sustainable state, so should not see the kind of hiatus experienced by 'Graph' in 2023. It is highly likely that this or a comparable solution will still be available into the future. Of the possible evolutions over time one may be through SVG-based graphics, allowing a richer graphical content and maybe even moving towards a proper visually-based editing environment. In the opposite direction, maps that need to show large numbers of dots might be better served by drawing from an external (wikimedia-based) data file. But these should most likely be seen as alternatives rather than replacements for this template.
See also
- Wikipedia:Maps for Wikipedia - A list of mapping tools available on Wikipedia
- {{Location map}} - Placing one marker/label by latitude/longitude.
- {{Location map+}} - Placing unlimited list of markers/labels.
- {{Location map many}} - For displaying multiple marks using latitude and longitude.
- Commons:Category:Map pointers - List of the many Wikimedia Commons pointer symbols.
- {{Overlay}} - Allows image numbered, textual number, or color tag overlays to be positioned over an image to indicate particular features in the image.
TemplateData
TemplateData for OSM Location map
Add a map (OpenStreetMap) with annotations, markers and text labels. Note: Only one mark/label is available in visual editing as yet. Additional marks can be added by copy/paste and using numbers 2,3 etc. Most marker parameters are optional, with default values. When set for Marker1 these become the local default for other numbered markers, so you may not need to add all the values for each mark/shape. See template documentation for additional information and further options.
| Parameter | Description | Type | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Map Coordinates | coord | Use {{Coord}} template and add latitude and longitude for the required map centre-point
| String | required |
| Zoom | zoom | set the zoom level (between 1 and 19) 1=the whole world, 9=a country, 19=one street
| Number | required |
| Frame width | width | Width of the map frame, in pixels
| Number | optional |
| Frame height | height | Height of the map frame, in pixels
| Number | optional |
| Marker1 coord values | mark-coord1 | Coordinates of the 1st marker/pin. Use a {{coord| | }} template for the lat and lon values to position Marker1
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 shape type | shape1 | Marker appearance. It can be a file image from Commons, or one of the built in shapes. (Those ending with D have an outer line, and DD have a double line
| String | optional |
| Marker1 file name | mark1 | File name from Wikimedia Commons (only used if shape1=image)
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 shape color | shape-color1 | Select a named color and optionally include a comma and an opacity value (1 to 100), or use a # and 6-digit hex value.
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 shape outline parameters | shape-outline1 | Up to 4 comma-separated items to define an outline around the shape. These are color,width,opacity,style. Color list is the same as the main shape-color list. width is the number of pixels wide, opacity if from 1 to 100, and style is one of: solid, dotted, dashed or double
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 size values | mark-size1 | Both image and shape marks can have a width size, set in pixels. Images will always retain their aspect ratio. For shapes, an optional second value can set the height (eg shape-size1=12px8px). Square and box can be given a third value, to round the corners. eg 10px10px2px will give a 10 pixel square with rounded corners. 0px will mean there is no visible shape, so could just be a text label
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 text label | label1 | An item of text to be placed alongside the marker. Extra lines can be added by inserting a ^ character.
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 text position | label-pos1 | controls where the text is placed relative to the marker. Top, bottom and center positions are center-justified. (Alternatively, one of eight compass positions can be used.) Note: ldx and ldy parameters along with additional comma-separated parameters can also be used to various connecting lines. See documentation for details.
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 text size | label-size1 | Sets the text-size in pixels for the text label
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 text color | label-color1 | Sets the color of the text used for the label. The same color names and opacity option are available as for shape-color.
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 title | mark-title1 | Can be a wikilink or plain text title that will be a tooltip value when hovering over the mark, and also accessed within the fullscreen markers.
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 description | mark-description1 | Additional text accessed as an infopanel when clicking on the fullscreen markers.
| String | optional |
| Marker 1 image name | mark-image1 | The name of a Wikimedia commons image illustrating the marked item. It will be included within the fullscreen marker infopanel.
| String | optional |