Simplovation Blog

Happy New Years!! Web.Maps.VE v3 now $49

support.nospam@nospam.simplovation.com (crpietschmann) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:49:00 -0500

Happy New Year! I have decided to lower the price of the Web.Maps.VE control by cutting them in half. Version 3 is now $49 and v1 is now $25.

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Chris Pietschmann

Web.Maps.VE v3.01 Released with Support for Bing Maps Keys and Draggable Pushpins

support.nospam@nospam.simplovation.com (crpietschmann) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:31:00 -0500

Today, we are happy to announce that we have released the v3.01 update release to the Web.Maps.VE control. This update adds a couple of highly requested features to the control, as listed below.

Download: Web.Maps.VE v3 Free Edition

The new features are:

Updated to support Bing Maps v6.3 Ajax Control.
Bing Maps Key support added via the new Map.BingKey property.
Added Map.CustomMapScript property to allow developers to override the Bing Maps Ajax Control JavaScript file, and allows the use of a custom script file within the page, instead. For advanced users only.
Added Client-Side JavaScript API support to the control for the new "Search" and "Geocode" methods that were added to the Bing Maps v6.3 update.

More Infomation

Enter by July 3rd for a Chance to Win a FREE Web.Maps.VE License

support.nospam@nospam.simplovation.com (crpietschmann) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:57:00 -0500

Contest is closed and winners haved been notified.

I have decided to give away FREE licenses to Web.Maps.VE in celebration of releasing Web.Maps.VE v3.0 almost a year ago, and launching the Web.Maps.VE v1.0 product almost 3 years ago!!

Ways to enter contest:

Follow @simplovation on Twitter
Post a Comment to this blog post, but be sure to enter your email address.

Then on the morning of Saturday, July 3rd I will choose 10 people to award a FREE Web.Maps.VE v3.0 Single Developer License. Plus, if there are a fairly large number of Followers and/or Comments, I will give away more the 10 licenses.

Disclaimer: The winners will be chosen at random, by a Simplovation representative (most likely me), and entering the contest does not guarantee you'll win. Any additional prizes, other than the 10 promised, will be given out at the discretion of Simplovation. Also, Simplovation retains the right to cancel the contest at its own discretion for any reason.

--
Chris Pietschmann
Owner, Simplovation LLC

Web.Maps.VE 3.0 Price Reduction to $99 from $139

support.nospam@nospam.simplovation.com (crpietschmann) — Tue, 04 May 2010 11:01:00 -0500

Today, we have reduced the price of the Web.Maps.VE v3.0 Single Developer License to $99 from its previous price of $139. Additionally, we have also reduce the price of the Web.Maps.VE v1.0 Single Website License to $49 from its previous price of $99.

Purchase Web.Maps.VE v3.0 for $99!

Chris Pietschmann Awarded 2010 Microsoft MVP!

support.nospam@nospam.simplovation.com (crpietschmann) — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:13:00 -0500

April 1st, 2010, Chris Pietschmann was awarded the 2010 Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) Award in the Windows Live Platform category for his contributions to the Microsoft Development Community over the past year. This is Chris' third time receiving the annual award.

View Chris Pietschmann's MVP Profile on Microsoft.com

Chris Pietschmann's Blog

"The Microsoft MVP Award recognizes exceptional technical community leaders from around the world who voluntarily share their high quality, real world expertise with others. Microsoft MVPs are a highly select group of experts representing technology's best and brightest who share a deep commitment to community and a willingness to help others. Worldwide, there are over 100 million participants in technical communities; of these participants, there are fewer than 4,000 active Microsoft MVPs."

More information about the Microsoft MVP Award

Use AddCustomLayer with Web.Maps.VE v3.0 To Add "Custom" Pushpins

support.nospam@nospam.simplovation.com (crpietschmann) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:55:00 -0500

The "VEMap.AddCustomLayer" method in the Bing Maps JavaScript Map Control can be used to add a DIV element to the Map, and have that same DIV element scroll/pan around the Map automatically. Even though Web.Maps.VE doesn't support using the "AddCustomLayer" method from within server-side code, you can still use a little bit of JavaScript on your page to hook into Web.Maps.VE to add any Custom Layers you need.

I've had a few requests for sample code on how to use the "VEMap.AddCustomLayer" method with Web.Maps.VE, so here's a full example that adds a custom layer, and a couple "custom" pushpins. Just copy the below code into an ".aspx" page and hit Run.

<asp:ScriptManager runat="server" ID="sm"></asp:ScriptManager>

<Simplovation:Map runat="server" ID="Map1" OnClientMapLoaded="Map1_ClientMapLoaded" Width="800"></Simplovation:Map>

<div id="myCustomLayer"></div>

<script type="text/javascript">
    var myCustomLayer = null;
    var customPoints = []; // same as "new Array()"

    var previousZoom = null;

    var pinImage = 'http://dev.virtualearth.net/mapcontrol/v6.2/i/bin/6.2.2008082210001.41/pins/poi_usergenerated.gif';
    var pinXOffset = -25 / 2; //width of pushpin image divided by 2
    var pinYOffset = -30;     //height of pushpin image since we want bottom point of image to point to LatLong

    // The "OnClientMapLoaded" Event is fired when the Map is finished loading on the page
    function Map1_ClientMapLoaded(sender) {
        // sender = The Client-Side Web.Maps.VE object that raised the event

        // Add some custom pushpin points to the custom layer
        customPoints.push(sender.GetCenter());
        customPoints.push(new VELatLong(47.6357835908649, -122.376708984375)); // Seattle
        customPoints.push(new VELatLong(51.5087424588033, -0.175781249999995)); // London

        RenderCustomPoints();

        // Attach Event Handler to Redraw Custom Points when needed
        sender.AttachEvent("onviewchange", Map1_RedrawEventHandler);
        sender.AttachEvent("onendzoom", Map1_RedrawEventHandler);
        sender.AttachEvent("onobliquechange", Map1_RedrawEventHandler);
    }

    function Map1_RedrawEventHandler(sender, e) {
        var currentZoom = $find("<%=Map1.ClientID %>").GetZoomLevel();
        if (e.eventName !== "onviewchange" || previousZoom != currentZoom) {
            previousZoom = currentZoom;

            RenderCustomPoints();
        }
    }

    function RenderCustomPoints() {
        InitializeCustomLayer();

        var map = $find("<%=Map1.ClientID %>"); // Get reference to the Web.Maps.VE Client-Side Object
        var s = []; // same as "new Array()"
        var pixel;

        // Loop through all custom points and create IMG tags
        for (var i = 0; i < customPoints.length; i++) {
            // Figure out the Pixel coordinate that matches the custom point lat/long
            pixel = map.LatLongToPixel(customPoints[i]);
            // create the IMG tag
            s.push("<img src='" + pinImage + "' style='position:absolute; left: " + (pixel.x + pinXOffset) + "px; top: " + (pixel.y + pinYOffset) + "px;' />");
        }

        // Add all the IMG tags to the Custom Layer DIV
        myCustomLayer.innerHTML = s.join('');
    }

    function InitializeCustomLayer() {
        if (myCustomLayer === null) {
            // Add Custom Layer to Map
            myCustomLayer = document.createElement("div");
            myCustomLayer.style.position = "absolute";
            myCustomLayer.style.top = "0px";
            myCustomLayer.style.left = "0px";
            myCustomLayer.style.zIndex = 1000;

            $find("<%=Map1.ClientID %>").AddCustomLayer(myCustomLayer);
        }
    }
</script>

Conclusion

This is yet again one of the many ways that you can use JavaScript to enhance the already powerful Web.Maps.VE control to customize it to fit the exact needs of your application.

If you have any questions about using Web.Maps.VE, please post them to the Support Forums.

Web.Maps.VE v3.0 Released!

support.nospam@nospam.simplovation.com (crpietschmann) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:46:00 -0500

Today we are proud to announce that we have just released Web.Maps.VE v3.0!

Download FREE Edition!

One of the most notable things about this new version release is that it's completely FREE to use for Non-Commercial purposes.

There are a few new things in this latest release, but the most significant are the following performance updates:

Microsoft CDN (Content Delivery Network) Support Added. This helps improve the Bing Maps content delivery speed by up to 82%
JavaScript Performance Optimizations. All the JavaScript code internally within the control has been optimized to increase the overall speed of the Web.Maps.VE Map controls functionality.

Check out the following link to see what has all been included in this release:
https://simplovation.com/page/webmapsve30/roadmap.aspx

Also, this new version release is a completely FREE upgrade to all existing customers who have already purchased Web.Maps.VE v2.0. If you have previously purchased v2.0, then there is nothing required to obtain your v3.0 license other than going to the "My Licenses" page to download the DLL and License Activation File. If for some reason you have trouble obtaining your Free Upgrade to v3.0, please let us know and we'll get it activated as soon as possible.

Thank you for your continued support in Web.Maps.VE and Simplovation!

Chris Pietschmann
Owner, Simplovation LLC
Microsoft MVP - Windows Live Platform
http://simplovation.com
http://pietschsoft.com

Web.Maps.VE v2.0 with AjaxControlToolkit ModalPopup Extender Demo

support.nospam@nospam.simplovation.com (crpietschmann) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:06:00 -0500

Since both Web.Maps.VE v2.0 and the AjaxControlToolkit are both built on top of ASP.NET AJAX, they compliment each other very well when used together to easily create some very dynamic user experiences. One of the requests we've gotten a few times is to give an example of how to show a Popup over the Map when a user clicks on a specific pushpin. This example demonstrates just such an example using both Web.Maps.VE v2.0 and the AjaxControlToolkit's ModalPopupExtender control.

Download Source Code: WebMapsVE_2.0_PopupWindowDemo.zip (753.58 kb)

This demo website also allows you to easily manipulate the Pushpins/Shapes on the Map in the following ways:

Left Click an Existing Pushpin to Edit it's Title and Description using a Popup Dialog
Left Click to Add a New Pushpin and enter the Pushpins Title and Description using a Popup Dialog
Hold the Control (Ctrl) Key while Left Clicking on an Existing Pushpin to Delete it from the Map

The total source code for this example is pretty short, and it demonstrates how to perform the above mentioned actions all from within Server-Side .NET code. There is actually No JavaScript written to wire everything up with this example.

Also, once you download this demo website, you'll need to do the following 2 things before you can Hit Run within Visual Studio:

Download Web.Maps.VE v2.0 from http://simplovation.com/download
Copy the "Simplovation.Web.Maps.VE.dll" file into the "Bin"
folder within this demo website.

Simplovation Forums Updated to Use jHtmlArea

support.nospam@nospam.simplovation.com (crpietschmann) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:34:00 -0500

We just updated the Simplovation Support Forums to use the jHtmlArea HTML WYSIWYG Editor instead of FreeTextBox for posting new threads and replies. The jHtmlArea editor is written on top of jQuery and is a really lightweight HTML WYSIWYG editor that turns any HTML TextArea into a nice HTML WYSIWYG Editor with only one line of code.

Bing Maps for Enterprise and Web.Maps.VE ASP.NET AJAX Virtual Earth Server Control

support.nospam@nospam.simplovation.com (crpietschmann) — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:46:00 -0500

Yesterday, Microsoft announced that its Live Search, Live Search Maps and Virtual Earth products will be rebranded to be under the "Bing" product name / branding. Live Search Maps will now be called Bing Maps, and Microsoft Virtual Earth will now be called "Bing Maps for Enterprise."

How does this relate to Simplovation and Web.Maps.VE?

Simply put, the transition from "Virtual Earth" to "Bing Maps for Enterprise" will be seamless. You will not need to download any updates from us to keep your maps working after the branding has changed. The Bing Maps for Enteprise JavaScript API will be downloaded from the existing URL that it is toda; the only difference is they will be changing the logo displayed on the map from "Virtual Earth" to say "Bing Maps" or "Bing Maps for Enterprise".

Also, we will not be making any breaking changes to Web.Maps.VE like changing the namespaces or product name. Web.Maps.VE v1.0 and v2.0 will remain "Web.Maps.VE" and the namespace will remain "Simplovation.Web.Maps.VE."

More Information:

Rebranding Microsoft Virtual Earth To...