Troubleshooting¶
How to get support for MapsAlive
If you don't find the information you are looking for in this user guide, or on the MapsAlive website, let us know so that we can help you. Please email questions to support@mapsalive.com.
Most Common Problem¶
Browser Cache¶
If you are experiencing a problem or you do not see your latest changes, the issue is often related to your browser cache. Problems can occur if the cache contains files that are out of date.
Determine if the problem is cache related:
Run your tour in a private or incognito browser window. If this fixes the problem then you need to clear your browser cache to get the latest files.
How to open a private or incognito browser window
When browsing in a private or incognito window, your browser will get all the latest files and data from the server instead of from the cache. Find the steps for your browser using the links below:
How to clear your browser cache
Your browser cache stores files used by MapsAlive, but problems can occur if those files have changed since they were cached. By clearing your cache you'll get all the latest files. Find the steps to clear your browser's cache using the links below:
Other Issues¶
Below are issues you may run into, along with information about how to resolve them.
Why don't I see my changes after publishing my tour?
This is most likely a browser cache problem. When you run your tour in a browser, the browser saves tour files in its cache. After you clear your browser cache and reload your tour, the browser gets the latest files.
See "How to clear your browser cache" above.
Why are shape markers covering up symbol markers even though the symbols are higher in the stacking order?
This can be caused by an optimization in MapsAlive called marker caching. To disable marker caching, set the disable-caching tour setting to false. The example below shows how to do this using JavaScript coded on the Custom HTML screen.
function onEventTourLoaded(event) {
event.api.setTourSetting("disable-caching", true);
}
If this solved the problem, but now the tour is performing slowly, please contact support@mapsalive.com.
Why do <br> tags disappear from my Custom HTML?
This is a side affect of how the text editor handles HTML. To work around the problem, code <BR> instead of <br>.
Why do my map colors look different from the map image I uploaded?
This can happen when you upload a jpeg image that has its color profile set to something other the sRGB. When you upload the image, MapsAlive stores a copy of the original image at full size (unless it's larger than 4096x4096px, in which case MapsAlive will downsize the image), and also creates smaller versions to use when the map is displayed zoomed out and does not require so much resolution.
MapsAlive creates the smaller versions using the sRGB color profile. As such, the colors may look correct when the map is zoomed out, but not when zoomed in. To fix the problem, set the color profile to sRGB before uploading the image to MapsAlive.
To change the profile using PhotoShop:
- Open the image in PhotoShop
- Choose Edit > Assign Profile from the menu
- On the Assign Profile dialog:
- Choose the Profile option
- Select sRGB IEC6196602.1 (or something close to that)
Why do some markers that are on the map not show in the Map Editor?
This can happen when a very large map is zoomed out and some of the markers are both very small and the markers zoom. When the map is zoomed out, these markers can become so small that they become invisible. The solution is to either use larger markers or change the markers to not zoom.
Why don't I see some of my marker in the Markers dropdown on the Edit Hotspot Content screen
Markers that are not in use by the current tour won't appear in the dropdown if you had checked the Filter Markers option. To see the markers, choose Library > Filter Markers and uncheck the option.
Why are some previews on the Font Style Library or Tooltip Style Library screens too small?
This is a remnant of MapsAlive V3 which did not show actual-size previews. You can correct the preview by changing the style and then setting it back to what it was before. For example, set the font size larger, save the style, and then set the font size back to what it was before. This will cause MapsAlive to create a new preview image. Note that you must change something that affects the appearance of the style. Just changing the name of the style won't affect the preview.
Why are are the page names in my menu incorrect after converting from V3 to V4?
In V3, the value of the Map Name field on the Map > Map Setup screen was used as the menu name. In V4, if there is a value in the Map Title field on the Map > Advanced Map Options screen it will be used as the menu name. If the value is blank, the Map Name field is used. If your menu names are not correct, check the Map Title field and either modify the value or remove it.
Why can't I see the Publish button on the Tour Preview screen?
The Publish button displays in the upper right of the Tour Preview screen. If you have used custom CSS to position your directory or other HTML content above your map on the right hand side, it may be obscuring the Publish button. To make the button visible:
- Choose Tour > Custom HTML from the menu
- On the Custom HTML screen type the following in the CSS text box:
.maDirBody { z-index: 1999; }
Why are the zoom control and menu icons displaying as a white box?
This can happen if you are hosting your tour on your own server and the server is not using the correct content-type for SVG files. It should be using image/svg+xml. If it is using another type like text/xml this problem will occur. On an Apache server you should be able to fix the problem by adding AddType image/svg+xml .svg .svgz to your .htaccess file. Also see this article about SVG content type.