How to set the initial map view

Choose whether a map opens fitted to all its data or at a saved position and zoom. Set the initial view from the Configuration page.

The initial view sets the centre and zoom when viewers open the map. Choose Fit to data (all layers) or Use current position and zoom. Fit to data is off until the map has at least one layer. Use current position and zoom takes the centre and zoom of the map you have open, so open the map first and then go to its Configuration page from the sidebar, in the same browser tab.

Before you start

• You need edit access to the map.
• Decide which mode fits the map:
  • Fit to data — best for maps where you want viewers to see everything as the data evolves. The view auto-adjusts when you add or remove layers.
  • Use current position and zoom — best when you want viewers to land on a specific area regardless of what data is on the map (for example, your office, a project site, or a country-level overview).

Open the map’s Configuration page

Open the map and click Configuration in the sidebar. The page opens at Map details. Initial view is below the Description field.

Choose Fit to data

If you want viewers to land on a view that fits every layer, select Fit to data (all layers). It saves on click. The view auto-adjusts when you add or remove layers. No other setting is needed.

On a map with no layers, Fit to data (all layers) is off until you add one:

Choose Use current position and zoom

If you want viewers to land on a specific centre and zoom:

1. Open the map, and pan and zoom to the view you want viewers to see.
2. In the sidebar, click Configuration. Do not reload the page: the Configuration page reads the position from the map you just left.
3. Select Use current position and zoom. It saves on click.
4. Click Set to current position. MangoMap saves the map’s centre and zoom as the initial view, and the Current: line below the button shows the saved values.

If you open the Configuration page from a link or reload it, Use current position and zoom and Set to current position are off, and the page shows Preview map not available. Open the map to set position. Open the map, then come back through the sidebar.

Re-capture the position later

To change the saved position, open the map, pan and zoom to the new view, click Configuration in the sidebar, then click Set to current position again. It overwrites the previous values.

The radio choice and the saved coordinates are independent: switching from Fit to data to Use current position and zoom doesn’t lose the coordinates if you’d already set them, and switching back to Fit to data doesn’t clear them.

Verify the result

Open the map’s link in a new private browser window to see it as a visitor. With Fit to data, expect a tight bounding box around the data. With Use current position and zoom, expect the exact centre and zoom you saved:

A feature permalink doesn’t use the initial view. It opens the map zoomed to its feature.