We have just implemented our latest upgrade to plotaroute.com, which introduces the ability to annotate your route maps with short text labels - a popular feature request from users of the site. To add labels to a route map, use the route planner to attach labels to any existing directions/notes or to create new ones. You can also choose the position of the labels so that they don't obscure anything important. Any labels you add will be included when you print your route map and also when you download it as an image - great for event organisers who want to indicate the location of things like water stations or toilets/restrooms. And you'll also see the labels when you view the route's elevation profile in our route profile tool. To give you even more control, we've also added some new switches that let you temporarily switch off various features on the route map including labels, symbols, direction arrows and mile/km markers.
To see an example of the new labels feature in action, take a look at the my Machame Route to the summit of Mount Kilomanjaro. This is a challenge I will be attempting in September 2016 in memory of my wife, who tragically passed away from ovarian cancer three months ago at the age of just 41. I will be raising money for two charities that helped her a great deal, so if you would like to support me I would very grateful. Please visit my Kilomanjaro for Cancer fundraising page to find out more.
May I take this opportunity to thank all our users for supporting us over the last 12 months and wish you all the very best for 2016.
John, Founder of plotaroute.com
I'd love to use this, and this is great timing as it was just added, but I can't figure out how to actually add these.
On another note, I just started checking out plotaroute.com, this thing is amazing.
Hi Tea - Thanks for your kind feedback about the site.
To add labels to your route map, select the Directions option in the bottom right corner of the route planner map ("DIR'NS") to open the Directions panel and then either click on any of the existing directions to edit one or click the ADD/EDIT button to add a new one and drag the "EDIT" marker on the map to where you want the directions/label to go. Then you can enter your text for the label in the Directions panel. If you have loaded a route you have previosuly created, you wll need to click the "EDIT THIS ROUTE" button at the top of the map first before doing any of this.
Hope that helps.
John
Thats helps a lot, just made my first label! By any chance is it possible to add labels not on the route? The use case is like "I don't plan to stop for food over here, but if I get hungry, I can deviate from my path and get some." Either way, this is great. The ability to powerfully edit is so great.
At the moment labels can only be attached to points along the route. I can see that it may be useful sometimes to be able to also add information to the map at places wheich are not directly on the route itself - I'll add this to our Feature Request list.
John
I'm voting for this. For someone organising an event, it would be useful to be able to indicate parking or a transport link near the start of a route. As noted by Tea Bn (the originator of the request) it would also be handy to note refreshment stops, toilets etc. close to but not on the route.
Hi John,
I'm trying to add some notes to a route I created, but I am unable to drag the EDIT marker to the precise location where I want to plant it. I've used this feature in the past and somtimes have this problem and sometimes do not. Today I do have problems. On Route 465838 I inserted four locations, three of which are slightly misplaced and which I cannot move. It is a minor nuisance, but still a nuisance that I would like to be able to fix. For example the label L&S located at a 90 degree turn shortly before the 88k marker should be about 100 metres closer to the 88k marker than it is.
Is there any way I can fix this?
Thanks,
Steven
Labels are currently attached to points on the route, so if there is no point at the precise location you want to put the label you'll need to edit the route to place a point there. It is easiest to make small chnages like this by using the Drag Mode feature (at the top of the map), which lets you drag the points on short sections of the map. I suggest you turn the Auto-Plot feature off first if you are just tweaking positions slightly.
John
Thanks, John. I was able to make the edits following your advice. Cheers, Steven
This tpoic is five years old, but still relevant! All of my annotions are now set. I can't edit any of them. When I rest my pointer on them, I don't get the "finger" indication that enables editing.. Any suggestions?