Store Locator Plus Archives | Page 9 of 21

Store Locator Postal Code , City Address Format

Posted by lcleveland in MySLP SaaS, Store Locator Plus, WPSLP

Store Locator Plus® 5.2 brings a new search results shortcode to assist in proper formatting of European addresses — especially German addresses which list the postal code followed by the city. Prior to the 5.2 release the standard shortcode was [slp_location city_state_zip] which displayed a standard US-format address with a comma between the city and state when warranted.

A new variation of the shortcode [slp_location zip_state_city] puts the zip (postal code) first followed by the state and city WITHOUT any commas. The new shortcode goes in the Store Locator Plus® | Settings | Results Layout setting. To swap the address format change the [slp_location city_state_zip] entry in the Results Layout setting with [slp_location zip_state_city].

In addition to the new layout option, the [slp_location city_state_zip] output was patched to ensure a space remains in place between city and postal code if the state is not set.

MySLP Users

Users of our My Store Locator Plus® SaaS service will automatically receive this new feature as our servers are updated. That is one of they many benefits of having a monthly MySLP subscription — no more plugin updates or migration concerns. As soon as the newest features have been tested and scanned for security issues we update our servers. Your JavaScript embed code keeps on working, automatically getting the latest features.

If you wish to change your Results Layout setting you can login at the MySLP Dashboard.

WordPress Plugin Users

Users that opt to stay with our legacy Store Locator Plus® products, we are continuing to patch these self-managed/self-installed plugins. You are responsible for making sure your WordPress account is backed-up prior to upgrading and will need to manage the installs on a site-by-site basis.

Remember, WordPress users are not required to upgrade to the MySLP SaaS subscription. If you have purchased the WordPress plugins and want to check on what was ordered and what updates are available you should login at the WordPress Plugin Store.

Store Locator Address Accuracy

Posted by lcleveland in Map Software, MySLP SaaS, Store Locator Plus

My Store Locator Plus® was updated this weekend with new software. While we were at it the MySLP servers were upgraded.

Better address accuracy outside the United States

The biggest change to the My Store Locator Plus® software was the implementation of region data handling. The map domain, aka “region” setting under Store Locator Plus | Settings | Map influences the accuracy of the results returned for new location addresses as well as user searches.

Users in countries like Australia or parts of Western Europe should see a notable improvement in the accuracy of locations returned when searching for an address. The map engines, primarily Google, that are used to geocode addresses are more heavily influenced by the region setting in those countries.

Protecting Google API Keys

Posted by lcleveland in Store Locator Plus, WPSLP

For those of you in the self-service Store Locator Plus® WordPress plugins camp you are going to want to spend time protecting your Google API Keys. For those using our Store Locator Plus® managed SaaS service, this is yet another article you can skip.

The basic configuration of Google API Keys tells you to turn off ALL restrictions on the first API key you setup with Google. Turns out a lot of people have issues with configuring the keys properly and getting them put in the right place.

To make matters more complicated, some lower-end web hosting companies don’t understand security and in turn shut off critical web services that do nothing to improve security; Like disabling all communication between the web server and Google. That breaks things like the ability to Geocode locations in Store Locator Plus®.

This article is here to tell our WordPress plugin users how to properly secure their Google API keys for web hosts are configured properly.