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WordPress Store Locator - LotsOfLocales™

The WordPress Store Locator is a map maker that empowers you with mapping tools to create store locators, store finders, and other address maps for multiple locations in WordPress to display your important stores, points of interest, product locations, etc. anywhere on Earth using Google Maps.

Also referred to as an address map, address location map, locator map, store finder, dealer locator (locater), shop finder, and zip code or zipcode search. Its strength is in its flexibility to allow you to easily manage a one or thousands of locations through your WordPress admin interface.

New in Version 4.0

  • Biggest update yet: Google Maps-feature & functionality focused, while still remembering its store locator origins
  • PHP 7-compatible, while still remaining compatible all the way down to PHP 5.2+
  • All premium addons are now official WordPress plugins -- install, update, and use just like the base plugin w/ no hassle via WP Admin or via FTP
  • More flexible premium licensing management & freedom of moving keys from site to site
  • New highly requested functionality now available, such as custom ordering of locations, custom starting location, custom zoom, MVC objects (layers, fusion tables, etc), map styling, and much more
  • New: Developer Console addon -- create your own addons. It's an API inspection and browsing tool for Addons Platform Lite.  It allows one to see most hooks, where they visually occur in Store Locator's interface (both in the admin area and frontend map interface), the addon functions that are currently using each hook, and the visual / HTML output of each addon functions (if there is any)
  • New: Power Options addon -- enhances the capabilities of your Store Locator map interface and the search results to present almost any feature you can think of, including scrollwheel zoom, draggable map, search by name, limit name search by radius, search by country, ordering when auto-loading locations & showing search results, setting a starting search location, forcing zoom level, animating map icons, stylized maps, custom info windows, mvc object layers (bike paths, circles, kml, fusion table data, polygons, polylines, rectangles, traffic, transit), and css search buttons
  • WPML v3.2 & Polylang Integrations for dynamic string translating of LotsOfLocales Google Maps interface
  • Have original CSV Importer? Now deactivate and activate it on new sites, as long as Addons Platform Lite is installed and activated on that same site

Download Store Locator Now

New in Version 3.0

  • New: Super Geocoder addon -- Avoid upgrading to more expensive hosting, or buying dedicated IP addresses -- successfully geocodes even when the default geocoder runs in Google's geocoding quotas (requires Store Locator v3.0+)
  • Now, in addition to using the shortcode [STORE-LOCATOR] on Pages & Posts, display on Store Locator in PHP page templates if needed (explained in changelog & docs).
  • Several new icons with shadowing; several current icons refreshed with shadowing for 3D effect on map

New in Version 2.0

  1. Now uses Google Maps V3
  2. Streamlined admin interface (more powerful yet much simplier)
  3. Implemented much faster code (reduced database use {insert/update/delete} in code by 81.4% & applied fastest functions throughout)
  4. LotsOfLocales™ Dashboard: Pull-out interface that provides you with the latest Store Locator news, installation & usage instructions, your website's hosting server information, available shortcode parameters to create multiple maps of specific groups of locations, general settings, and the activation interface for the LotsOfLocales™ Addons Platform & G1 (Generation 1) addons
  5. Availability of the LotsOfLocales™ Addons Platform: (more details below)
  6. Ability to auto-locate your website visitors in order to show locations based on where visitor is currently located
  7. 40+ new Google Maps country domains
  8. New address map icons
  9. New default fields: Fax & Email Address

LotsOfLocales™ Addons Platform

LotsOfLocales™ Addons Platform provides you with a growing number of free Generation 2 (G2; comes with the Addons Platform) addons & themes to save you time, provide you highly-advanced features, and impress your clients. Below is a list of some of the addons available, starting in Store Locator Version 2:

The above addons are only a few of the LotsOfLocales™ G2 addons available -- installable by 1-click via the Addons Marketplace in your WP admin dashboard. These addons also communicate with each other to make full benefit of the Addons Platform's API.

All addons available previous to Store Locator 2.0 are now called "G1" (Generation 1) addons, and can still be used, with or without the Addons Platform installed (if you purchased an addon prior to 2.0, re-download it via the emailed link of your purchase and install a slighty updated version that allows it to work with 2.0).

Target Users

  • Those of you who create sites for clients using WordPress
  • Those of you who want to show your important locations (stores, buildings, points of interest, etc.) in an easily searchable manner.

Also referred to as a dealer locator (locater), shop finder, and zip code or zipcode search. Its strength is in its flexibility to allow you to easily manage a few or a thousand or more locations through the admin interface.

Great Built-In Functionality & Features

  • You can use it for numerous countries, which will continue to be added as Google adds new countries to their Google Maps API. See the documentation for the latest
  • Supports international languages and character sets
  • Allows you to use unique map icons or your own custom map icons --- great for branding your map
  • Gives your map the desired look by using our MapDesigner™ interface in the WordPress admin section
  • Pick other cool Google Maps options, such as an inset box, zoom level, map types (street, satellite, hybrid, physical), and more
  • You can use miles or kilometers
  • Automatically restricts loading of Javascript & CSS to only pages that display the map (or that might need access to the JS & CSS) for better site performance
  • Option to show dropdown list of cities allows visitors to quickly see where your locations are and choose their search accordingly

Download Store Locator Now

Upgrades

If you need additional features, enhance your store locator with addons & themes. Upgrade Now

Important Links

Downloads | Upgrades | Blog - New Features & Updates | Documentation

Special Thanks to Translators

Tranlations can be downloaded from the main Store Locator downloads page

(Email new translations to info{at}viadat{dot}com. If you provide your web address, we'll link back to you also)

Installation

Main Plugin

  1. Upload the store-locator/ folder to the /wp-content/plugins/ directory
  2. Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' menu in WordPress
  3. Sign up for a Google Maps API Key for your domain at http://code.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html
  4. Add your locations through the 'Add Locations' page in the Store Locator admin panel
  5. Place the code [STORE-LOCATOR] in the body of a page or a post to display your store locator

Addons

  1. Unzip & Upload the entire add-on folder to the /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/addons/ directory (for Store Locator v1.2.37 and later)
  2. For Store Locator v2.0 and later: Click the pull-out Dashboard tab (top right of any Store Locator admin page), then submit the activation key that you received after purchase into the "Activation Keys" section of the pull-out Dashboard.
  3. For versions before Store Locator v2.0: Activate the addon by submitting the activation key that you received after purchase at the bottom of the "News & Upgrades" Page.

Current Addons (G2)

G2 (Generation 2) addons are those that are freely installable as part of Store Locator v2.0+ if you have purchased, installed, and activated the Addons Platform.

Below are most of the addons that are available with the Addons Platform installed and activated (documentation included with each addon). Not listed below, there are also bonus addons that are only visible to Addons Platform users via the Addons Marketplace:

Super Geocoder
  1. Features & Installation
Categorizer
  1. Features & Installation
Multiple Mapper
  1. Features & Installation
Advanced Theme Manager
  1. Features & Installation
Location Pages
  1. Features & Installation
CSV Importer/Exporter G2
  1. Features & Installation
DB Importer G2
  1. Features & Installation
Multiple-Field Updater G2
  1. Features & Installation
Custom Field Manager
  1. Features & Installation
User Location Submit
  1. Features & Installation
Fine Tuner
  1. Features & Installation
Sidebar Search
  1. Features & Installation
Power Options
  1. Features & Installation
Developer Console
  1. Features & Installation

Current Addons (G1)

G1 (Generation 1) addons existed before Store Locator v2.0 and can be used with or without the Addons Platform:

CSV Importer / Geocoder / Exporter & XML Exporter
  1. Buy Now»
  2. Installation
  3. Frequently Asked Questions
Database Importer
  1. Buy Now»
  2. Sample Database Queries
Multiple Field Updater
  1. Buy Now»
Point, Click, Add Mapper
  1. (Retired)

Themes

  1. Unzip & upload the entire theme folder to the /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/themes/ directory (for 1.2.37 and later). Use /wp-content/plugins/store-locator/themes/ for versions before 1.2.37.
  2. Select theme from the theme dropdown list under the "Design" section on the MapDesigner™ store locator admin page.

Icons

  1. There are some default icons in the /wp-content/plugins/store-locator/icons/ directory.
  2. Add your own custom icons in to /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/custom-icons/ (note the new location for custom icons as of v1.2.37).

Custom CSS (Stylesheets)

As of version 1.2.37, you can modify you the default 'store-locator.css' and place it under /wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/custom-css/. The store locator will give priority to the 'store-locator.css' in the 'custom-css/' folder over the default 'store-locator.css' in the main 'store-locator/' folder. This allows you to upgrade the main store locator plugin without worrying about losing your custom styling.

Download Store Locator Now

Tutorials

How to Use File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

  1. URL: http://www.viadat.com/2014/05/tutorial-how-to-use-file-transfer-protocol-ftp/
  2. Summary: Basics of setting up FTP and using FTP to upload your Store Locator addons & themes

Fixing the Google Maps API “Server Rejected Your Request Error” in the Store Locator Plugin for WordPress

  1. URL: http://clicknathan.com/web-design/google-maps-api-server-rejected-your-request-error-store-locator/
  2. Note: Affects Store Locator v2.0 - v2.9 in very limited situations; fixed since Store Locator v2.10

Tutorial: How to add forms to Store-Locator plugin in WordPress

  1. URL: http://blueprintds.com/2009/06/13/how-to-add-forms-to-store-locator-plugin-in-wordpress/
  2. Note: Works for Store Locator v1.9.7 or earlier; for Store Locator v2.0 or later, this tutorial has been superseded by the Custom Field Manager addon

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a Google Account to use this store locator?

Yes, you will need a Google account in order to retrieve an API for your maps to work properly

  1. To sign up for a Google Account, visit: https://www.google.com/accounts/
  2. To sign up for a Google Maps API Key, visit: http://code.google.com/apis/maps/signup.html

How do I use a translation?

Place `store-locator-fr_FR.po`* & `store-locator-fr_FR.mo`* into the `/wp-content/uploads/sl-uploads/languages` directory, and then follow one of the below examples for updating your WordPress site's language, depending on whether it's pre-WP v4.0 or WP v4.0+:

  1. Example - using French (pre-WP v4.0): make sure to update the code in wp-config.php to read `define('WPLANG', 'fr_FR')`, and Voila, Il sera en francais (It will be in French).
  2. Example - using French (WP v4.0+): from your WP admin, go to General > Settings > "Site Language" option to choose French language (may need to first install language pack)

*Note: Translation file names shifted from `lol-fr_FR(.po|.mo)` to `store-locator-fr_FR(.po|.mo)` in Store Locator v3.80 due to new WP translation requirements.

Which countries is this compatible with?

This plugin is compatible with many countries that have Google Map domains. This includes:

Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Congo, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dem. Republic of Congo, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Reunion, Russia, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Note: If you don't see a country that you need, contact us on our 'Contact' page

I've placed the shortcode on the page, and I see the address search form, but why is the map area blank and not loading?

  1. Make sure that you have the code <?php wp_head(); ?> in your theme's header.php file
  2. Press ctrl+F5 (using Windows) or command+R (using a Mac) to refresh your browser's cache to use the latest javascript from the 'store-locator/' folder if you've recently updated the plugin
  3. Make sure that the permissions of your WordPress folders are 755 and the permissions of the files are 644, including the files and folders of the store locator plugin (you can change permissions using the chmod command in many FTP programs)

Does this support non-English characters?

Yes, it does:

  1. For Store Locator v1.2.37 - v1.9.7, you can choose the character encoding you wish to use from the "Localization & Google API Key" store locator admin page
  2. Since Store Locator v2.0, you can choose the character encoding from the MapDesigner™ admin page

Why am I not seeing any icons on my map?

If icons aren't showing up on the map, go to the MapDesigner™ store locator admin page, and make sure to click on your desired icons.

Why is the city dropdown list not showing even though it's activated?

Cities will only show up if the "State" field is also filled out in addition to the "City" field. For non-United States locations, fill in the Province or the Country in the "State" field.

On the "Manage Locations" page, why are locations highlighted red?

Sometimes, Google's geocoding service may not recognize the address you've tried to submit. On this rare occasion, it won't geocode the location, thus the red allows you to quickly identify such a location --- which also won't show up during a store locator search.

Suggestion: Type the same address into Google.com's search field and use the reformatted version of the address that Google provides.

After uploading my addon files to the "addons/" folder, I'm not seeing the option to activate it on the "News & Upgrades" page

When you extract you addon folder (e.g. "csv-xml-importer-exporter/") from your zip file, make sure that you upload the entire extracted folder and its contents to the "addons/" folder, not just the files. Your directory structure should look like this: "addons/csv-xml-importer-exporter/"

How do I enter non-US addresses?

The "General Address Format" above the form on the "Add Locations" store locator admin page is a rough guide of how the address should look.

If there is no "State", fill in the country, for instance. If the zip code (also called a postcode) of your location should be written in a different position within the address, Google should still figure it out even if you type it as the form arranges the address.

Note: a city will show up in the city dropdown list only if the "City" and "State" fields are filled in.

I'm seeing a "You do not have sufficient permissions to access this page." error in my Store Locator admin

This issue occurs if you update to WordPress version 2.8.1 or later, but are still using an old version of the Store Locator plugin. Store Locator version 1.2.28.3 is required, so make sure to update.

Can I display the Store Locator in a page template instead of using shortcode in a Page or a Post?

Yes, for Store Locator v2.0+, in your page template, instead of:
do_shortcode("[STORE-LOCATOR]")

Use the code:
if (function_exists("sl_template")) {print sl_template("[STORE-LOCATOR]");}

Additionally, for versions prior to Store Locator v3.0, you would also need to add the following to your theme's functions.php file:
if (!function_exists("show_sl_scripts")){ function show_sl_scripts(){}}

Download Store Locator Now