[maplab-users] Some new ideas for maplab

[woodbri@swoodbridge.com]

Hi all,

I have an idea for a significant feature(s) for maplab that would 
make it easier to integrate application addons into maplab created 
applications.

The idea would be to define a/some API that a developer could build 
an addon to that could then be added directly into maplab when 
building an application.

For example, adding a control to the page that would allow the user 
to select items from a multiple select box that would dynamically 
generate layers and add them to the map.

Addon developer would need to supply:

1) a php snippet to generate the html form element
2) a php snippet that would generate the layers and add them to the 
map based on input from the form element
3) other stuff ??

then maplab could request a directory for the addon, merge the 
snippets with existing maplab code and gmapfactory could control the 
position of the html form element. There may be additional php 
snippets required to handle queries and/or query results.

Another example would integrating an address lookup application 
where:

1) there is an html form element to enter the address information
2) there is a URL that will regenerate the map at a new location 
based on adding x=<lon>&y=<lat>&dx=<dx>&dy=<dy> or
minx=<minx>&miny=<miny>&maxx=<maxx>&maxy=<maxy>
3) a php snippet that takes the form input and does the address 
lookup and if errors occur generates appropriate user error messages 
or does a redirect to a new map for the looked up address.

The cool thing about this would be that you would start an industry 
or at least a collection of addons that would increase the overall 
value of the maplab by making it easy to add things like customized 
database or geocoding or routing applications that third parties 
might develop. It would make it easy to merge multiple addons into a 
single application. It would make it easier to upgrade to new mapedit 
features over time and to reintegrate addons when upgrading.

Yes, this is a little self-serving because I have application that I 
could integrate, but I think others do also and the value to the end 
users would be faster time to market and a great array of options and 
applications that can easily be integrated.

So food for thought! and I would be willing to work with you one 
something like this.

-Steve