A Web Mapping Service (wms) layer is a great way to add extra information on your map. Typically, this will allow you to show electoral boundaries, transport routes, green wedge zones, infrastructure and other information that is relevant to your place based consultation.
NOTE: Any WMS file you want to use in your EngagementHQ needs to be hosted externally to EngagementHQ. We do NOT allow you to upload a WMS file directly. Rather, this file needs to be hosted externally, e.g. on your server, and is called from there.
The WMS file has to be available publicly. They should not be protected by an API key, as this is not supported by our Places tool.
To add a .wms layer to your places map, follow the below steps;
Ensure you have activated the Places tool on your selected project page. Read through our article Engage with Places to learn how to activate and setup the Places tool.
Go to the Places tool on the project page and click on Edit.
Click on Add Map Layer.
Select the WMS option from the Type dropdown. There are two options to choose from so make sure you select the correct version of your file.
To use a WMS file to your map you will need to have access to a hosted WMS file. That means the file must be uploaded to a server external to EngagementHQ. Paste the WMS link in the URL after providing a Name or name for this layer on your map.
Next, open the WMS link in a new tab of your web browser. The file contents should look like below.
Use the Control + F command and find the layer name that you want to use. For example, the layer name used in the image below is ‘National_Ferry_Terminals’. You can always find the layer names in your WMS file by looking for the <name> attribute.
Paste this layer name in the Layer Name field.
Click on Save & Close. You can now view your new layer on the map preview as displayed in the figure below.
You can re-center your map using the zoom and move controls as required.
Update the remaining fields for your activity, including your Pin Categories and Participation Settings as detailed in the article on Engage with Places.
You have successfully uploaded a .wms layer to your Places map. You should always preview your map to ensure it has uploaded correctly. To add more WMS layers, you will need to follow the same process mentioned above and enter the particular layer name in the WMS file (that appears between the <Name></Name> tags), that you wish to show. Please note that the top most layer on the map on the front end, will be the last one that was added in the back end.
If your layer information fails to apply to the places map, check to make sure you have applied the correct layer name and that the url to your .wms file is correct.
Contact our support team via chat or by email at support@engagementhq.com if you need any further assistance.