Maps Setup Dialog

(Accessed through Maintenance / Park Setup / Maps.)

In order to put a map in Campground Master and make the map "interactive" so it shows the status of each site, allows clicking on sites to make reservations, etc., you need to do 2 things:

To start setting up a map (or to edit the map later), start from Maintenance / Park Setup / Maps.  This will open the Set Up Maps dialog, which simply shows a list of current maps defined (if any), and buttons to add, edit, delete, and move maps around the list.  Any number of maps can be defined, and this list corresponds with the list of maps available (from the drop-down list) on the Map tab view.  The order in the list here determines the order in the drop-down list, and the first map in the list will be shown by default unless a different default is selected on the Map Options (from the tab view controls).  The only information shown in this dialog is the map name (as it will appear in the list) and the filename of the map image.

The main reason that you might have multiple maps is that the visible area of each map is limited in the tab view (and it cannot be scrolled).  Therefore if your park is too large to show in one view without making the sites unreasonably small, you would want to split your park into different sections and show each section on a separate map view.  You might also have multiple maps for the same area if there is a significant change in the use for that area in different seasons or for special events.

Click Add map entry to define a new Map, which will open the Edit Map Dialog. This is where you will select a map file to use as the background and define the site locations.

Note: A map image cannot be created from scratch inside Campground Master -- you must have a bitmap (.bmp) file to start with, which Campground Master will use as a background for the site indicators you add here.  You can use the Paint program that comes with Windows to create a basic map or convert an existing image to bitmap format (go to Start / Programs / Accessories to find the Paint program).  If you want to do something fancier, you can use Corel Draw, Paint Shop Pro, PhotoShop, Visio, or any similar drawing program.  See the next section, Edit Map Dialog, for more details on the format required for Campground Master.

You can edit any map already listed by clicking on the map in the list and selecting Edit map entry (or you can double-click on the map in the list).  You can also Move or Delete one or more maps by selecting the map(s) in the list (Ctrl-click or Shift-click will select multiple maps), and then click the appropriate button.  Note that if you delete a map, all of its elements are also deleted automatically.

The Copy map entry function will make a copy of the selected map record (and show "copy" in the name) -- this will create a new entry that references the same map (bmp) file, but makes new copies of all map elements so it's effectively a separate map view.  This is handy if you want to make a temporary copy for testing some changes to the indicators, for instance, without affecting the "live" map.  You can also change the map image file, but of course if the sites aren't in the same positions then the indicators will need to be changed.  If you just want to start a new map that will need all new indicators, it's better to use Add instead of Copy.

Warning -- All changes to maps are permanent -- there is no way to cancel the operation.   (Moving maps in the list is also "permanent" since there is no Cancel button, but you can always move them back.)  Making a backup is recommended before any significant changes are made to a map.

Copying maps to another computer

Maps are separate BMP files, not part of the normal database file.  Therefore you may need to manually copy the map to other computers using Campground Master.  However, there are shortcuts. Backups of the database can include the map file (and restored using Restore from Backup), and if you're using Networking then they can also be automatically sent to client computers from the master.  So it's recommended to set up maps initially on the Master computer so it's easy to send them to the clients when ready.

In order to enable this, you need to make sure the option "Include map images and Form bitmap files in all backups" is selected under Program Options / Database.  That way it's always included in backup files, which is always a good idea.  Then you can either manually back up and restore your database to the other computer, or if you need to get it from the master to a client workstation that's already connected then you can Request a Full Database from that client.

Importing Map(s) and Export Map(s)

These functions allow copying a map setup (the site indicator information, not the BMP files) from one database to another (or between computers).  This is primarily used if you have your software provider do the setup on another system and then need to import that setup to the working database on your computer.

The Export function creates a text (CSV) file in a special format that the Import function can read.  This can include one or more map entries (select the entry or entries to export before clicking the Export button).  It will export the map entry with the name, file name, and all site indicator elements.

Note that the map image file (BMP file) is not exported or imported -- it will need to be copied separately if needed (see above).

The Import function is simply the reverse of Export -- select the CSV file containing a map export, and Open it to import the map entries into your database.  Again, the map image file itself is not imported, only the name of the map file -- so you may have to copy the map image manually into the proper folder (or use Browse to locate it, and it will be copied to the correct place automatically).

Further Topics:

 Maps Setup Overview

 Edit Map Dialog