Map controls
Map controls are the buttons and panels drawn on top of the map: zoom buttons, the globe toggle, scales, the lasso, the layer control and more. You choose which ones your readers get in the Controls card of the Format pane.
Switch controls on and off
- In the Format pane, open Controls > Controls.
- Switch on the controls you want. A new map starts with Zoom, Globe Toggle and Imperial Scale on.
- Set Control Size to make the buttons larger or smaller.
Controls work in both editing and reading view. Changes a reader makes with a control, such as switching to the globe or hiding a layer, last for their session and are not saved to the report.
Every control
| Control | Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoom and compass | Zoom | + and - buttons, and a compass that shows which way the map is turned. Click the compass to turn the map back to north. | On |
| Globe toggle | Globe Toggle | One button that switches between the flat map and a 3D globe. | On |
| Pitch | Pitch | Two buttons that tilt the map down and up, 10 degrees at a time. | Off |
| Bearing | Bearing | Two buttons that rotate the map left and right, 10 degrees at a time. | Off |
| Zoom level | Display Zoom Level | Shows the current zoom level to two decimal places. Useful while you design a map and need a number for a zoom setting. | Off |
| Search | Search | A search box for finding a place. The result is marked on the map. | Off |
| Basemap selector | Show basemap selector | A button in the top right corner that opens a list of basemaps to switch between. | Off |
| Scales | Metric Scale, Imperial Scale, Nautical Miles Scale | A scale bar for each one you switch on, in any combination. | Imperial on, others off |
| Distance tool | Distance Tool | A ruler button for measuring along a path you click on the map. | Off |
| Zoom lock | Zoom Lock | A padlock button that stops the map zooming to data, to selections and to highlights until it is clicked again. | Off |
| Lasso | Lasso | A button for selecting everything inside a shape you draw. | Off |
| Clear selections | Clear Selections Button | A button that clears the selection this map holds. | Off |
| Attribution | Additional Attribution | The credit line. Your text is added to the credits that are always shown. | Empty |
| Layer control | Show layer control (in the Layer control group) | A panel that lists the map's layers so readers can show and hide them. | Off |
| Legend | The Legend card | Explains colors, sizes and symbols. See Legend. | Off |
| Floor picker | None | Appears by itself when a layer holds indoor (IMDF) data with floors. Readers pick the floor to show. | Automatic |
Two more settings sit with the controls and affect the map itself:
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Projection | Mercator (flat) or Globe: the projection the map opens with. Clicking the globe toggle while you edit the report updates this setting. | Mercator |
| Control Size | The width and height of every control button, in pixels, 1 to 100. | 30 |
How each control works
Zoom and compass
The + and - buttons zoom one step. The compass turns as the map rotates and leans as it tilts; click it to face north again. The compass comes with Zoom and has no switch of its own.
Globe toggle and Projection
The button's tooltip reads Switch to globe view or Switch to flat map. While you edit the report, clicking it also saves the choice to Projection, so the report opens that way. For readers the switch lasts for the session. See View, zoom and projection.
Pitch and Bearing
Pitch adds Decrease Pitch and Increase Pitch buttons. Bearing adds Rotate Left and Rotate Right buttons. Each click moves the camera 10 degrees.
The Pitch buttons follow Format pane > Map > Allow Tilt. When Allow Tilt is off, the buttons are hidden even if Pitch is on. When it is on, the buttons tilt the map up to Max Pitch (85 degrees by default). See View, zoom and projection.
Scales
The scale bars sit in the bottom left corner. Switch on any combination of metric, imperial and nautical miles.
Distance tool
- Select the Distance Tool button. The pointer becomes a crosshair.
- Click the map to add points. A line joins them and a label shows the running total.
- Double-click to finish.
- Select the button again to clear the measurement.
The units follow the scale settings:
| Scales switched on | Distance shown in |
|---|---|
| Metric Scale on | Kilometers and meters |
| Nautical Miles Scale on, Imperial Scale off, Metric Scale off | Nautical miles |
| Anything else | Miles and feet |
Zoom lock
The padlock is for readers. While it is locked, the map stays where it is when data changes, when items are selected and when another visual highlights rows. It lasts for the session. To lock the view for everyone, use Format pane > Map > Zoom > Lock Zoom instead.
Lasso
The lasso selects every item inside a freehand shape. Switching on Lasso shows three more settings:
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Lasso Mode | Intersect or Contain selects lines and shapes that touch the lasso. Fully Contain selects only those entirely inside it. | Intersect or Contain |
| Lasso Fill | Fill color of the shape while you draw. | #AAAAAA |
| Lasso Outline | Outline color of the shape while you draw. | #000000 |
See Selection, cross-filtering and highlighting for how to use it.
Basemap selector
Show basemap selector adds a button to the top right corner. It opens a panel of basemaps. Each entry shows a thumbnail where one is stored, otherwise a two-letter badge. Clicking one switches the basemap at once, in reading view as well as while editing.
New in 1.1.0.11
What the selector lists depends on how the map's basemaps are set up:
| Map | Button tooltip | The panel lists |
|---|---|---|
| A map with a basemap list (new maps) | Change basemap | Every basemap you added in the Basemaps dialog, from any provider, with the active one marked. |
| A map set up in the Format pane with an Icon Map background | Change Map Style | The Icon Map basemap styles. |
On a map with a basemap list, a reader's choice lasts for the session. While you edit the report, your choice also becomes the basemap the map opens with. To choose which basemaps are offered, see The Basemaps dialog. On other maps the setting can only be switched on when the background is an Icon Map basemap.
Attribution
The credit line sits in the bottom right corner. It always carries an Icon Map Pro link and the credits of the basemap and layers in use. Text you type in Additional Attribution is added to it. Licensing messages also appear here.
Layer control
The layer control is a panel listing the data layers on the map, and catalog layers, so readers can show and hide them. Its settings are in Format pane > Controls > Layer control.
| Setting | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Show layer control | Shows the panel. | Off |
| Position | Top left, Top right, Bottom left or Bottom right. | Top right |
| Title | Heading of the panel. | Layers |
| Allow show/hide | Lets readers switch layers on and off. Off shows a read-only list. | On |
| Start collapsed | The panel opens folded away. | On |
Left at its default, the title shows "Layers" in the report's language. A title you type is shown as you typed it.
What readers show and hide lasts for their session only. Rename a row with the layer's title setting in the Legend card, and put each layer's legend inside its row with the legend's Display mode. See Legend.
In 1.1.0.11 the layer control also lists ArcGIS and WMS reference layers.
Size and position
Control Size sets the size of every button at once. Each kind of control has a fixed corner:
| Corner | Controls |
|---|---|
| Top left | All the buttons: zoom and compass, clear selections, pitch, bearing, zoom level, search, globe toggle, zoom lock, lasso, distance tool. |
| Top right | The basemap selector and the floor picker. The legend and the layer control start here too. |
| Bottom left | Scale bars. |
| Bottom right | Attribution. |
Only the legend and the layer control can be moved, each with its own Position setting. Neither can be dragged.
Tips and limits
- On a map with an image background, the scales and the distance tool are not available.
- Globe Toggle, Projection, Pitch and Bearing belong to the Modern engine. For the Legacy engine's controls, see the documentation for 1.1.0.9 and earlier.
- There is no full screen or locate-me control. Use Power BI's focus mode to enlarge the visual.