Create Public Views

In the following section you will read, in the sense of a checklist, some basic tips that you should consider before publishing a View.

• Give your View a unique title under "Settings".
• Specify a descriptive thumbnail image under "Settings". This makes it easier to find the View and looks appealing in the PlexMap Portal.
• Assign a name (e.g. "map") under "Settings" and "Shortname". This short name will be used in the URL (e.g. www.sampleportal.de/v/map).
• Assign unique Layer names under "Layer". Use short and generally understandable terms (do: "DevelopmentPlans", don't "D_Pl_SampleCity_2019").
• Under "Layer" you can influence the clarity of your Layer tree. The user will grasp the content faster if you create one view for each topic (e.g. " DevelopmentPlans" or "Vacancy register"). Too many layers confuse many users.
• Under "Layer" you can set e.g. background maps, which are used in the view but not visible in the Layer tree (do not check the eye).
• Use layergroups to group Layers by topics. You need many layergroups? Maybe it is clearer if you create one view per layergroup instead.
• Assign an explicit start position in the "Start View" area: To do this, find a suitable start position in the created View and click on "Split View". Copy the generated link and paste it under "Start View" at "Vistacode". Your View will now always start at this position.
• Setting POIs is very helpful for certain purposes. How to create them is explained in the tutorial "Setting up POIs and flight tours".
• Define under "Tools -> Appearance" how your View should look like. Make sure to use a logo with a transparent background. Also make sure to use a dark highlight color so that the white title of your view is easy to read.
• Tip: Activate the side Selection window under "Tools -> Appearance". This allows a much improved query of objects on mobile devices and many individual settings (see tips below in the Layer section).
• Under "Tools -> Attribution" you should definitely set a copyright notice for public views.
• Under "Search bar" you can configure the Address search for your view.
• You have a setting in mind but you can't find it? Use the search function in the "Edit View->Tools" menu. This function makes it much easier to find settings.
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Your map will be found better in search engines if you fill in the "Title" and "Description" settings in the "Tools -> General -> Search Engine Optimization" section. The description should motivate to click (do: "Discover sample city in 3D", don't: "Visualization of CityGML data in LOD2 of sample city").

In the main "Layer" menu, search for a Layer you have published and click on the gear icon. Here you can make many helpful settings for each Layer:

• Under "Legend" you can set an individual legend for the layer.
• Under "Selection window" you can use "+ Add Attribute" to set the attributes displayed in the viewer. Use understandable names here (e.g. "Building_Height" instead of "Bld_Hght"). 
   
• If a link is stored in the Layer Attributes, you can generate a button from the link under "+ Add Attribute". Clicking on the button in the viewer opens a PDF, for example.
   
• Assign a unique title for the queried Layer under "Selection window"
• You can name an individual contact person for the topic under "Selection window". 
• Specify an image under "Selection window" that is displayed in the viewer when you query a Layer entry.