Opening a location in an external web application

This topic pertains to self-hosting customers only.

The Link Tool allows you to click a location in the Imaging application and view it in an external web application (like Google or Bing Maps). This allows you to take advantage of the features offered by other applications. For example, you might want to see a street view for a location in your Pictometry image.

Before you can click a location, you'll need to enter the URL for the web application you want to open. (You only need to do this once, unless you want to change the URL.) You'll use the Link Tool to enter the URL, including placeholders for the lat and long coordinates. After you enter a URL, you can click a location. The Imaging application opens the URL in a new browser window and provides it the coordinates of the location you clicked.

You can associate one web application's URL with the Link Tool at a time, but you can easily change the URL.

Entering an application URL

To enter the web application URL:

  1. Click the Link Tool . The Link Tool window opens.

  1. In the field on the left, type the URL for the web application you want to open whenever you click a location. Type the parameters #lat and #lng where applicable in the URL.

Example: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=#lat,#lng

  1. Click Save.

The Link Tool window closes and the cursor turns into a crosshair. The URL you saved becomes the default URL that opens whenever you activate the Link Tool and click a location. The Link Tool remains active so you can click the location immediately. See the following procedure.

NOTE: Click if you want to close the Link Tool window's URL bar. (If closed, you can open it again by clicking the Link Tool icon in the lower left corner of the Link Tool window.)

Viewing a location

If you've previously saved a URL to associate with the Link Tool, you can activate the Link Tool and click a location at any time. The URL you saved is opened using the coordinates of the location you click.

To view a location in the web application associated with the Link Tool:

  1. If not already active, click the Link Tool . If you already entered a URL, the cursor turns into a crosshair, otherwise the Link Tool window opens so you can enter a URL. (See the previous procedure.)
  2. In the Imaging window, click the location you want to open in the URL associated with the Link Tool. The Imaging application opens the web application in a new browser window and shows the location you clicked.
  3. To view a different location, click a new location in the Imaging application.
  4. Close the Link Tool window when you're done viewing locations in the external web application. (Click the X in the upper right corner.)

Changing the URL

You can change the web application URL by typing a new URL in the URL field on the Link Tool window. (If you want to save it as the default URL, click Save.

To open the Link Tool window:

  1. Click the Link Tool and click any location.

To view the URL bar:

  1. Click the Link Tool icon in the lower left corner of the Link Tool window.