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Point layer style controls

Every point layer style control with its default and range: marker type, colour and size drivers, Style as, and zoom stops.

The Style tab for a point layer has three main pickers: Marker type, Colour markers by, and Size markers by. The marker type and the two drivers decide which other controls appear. This page lists every control with its default and range.

For the conceptual overview, see How layer styling works in MangoMap.

Marker type

Default Circle
Choices Circle, Icon, Custom Icon, Heatmap
Where First control in the Style tab

Each marker type swaps the visible control set. Switching marker types resets marker-specific settings.

Zoom stops work on Circle markers only. Switching away from Circle deletes every zoom stop on the layer. If Colour markers by was Colour by zoom, it goes back to Single colour.

Colour markers by

Default Single colour
Choices Single colour, Colour by zoom (Circle only), plus any text or numeric field on the dataset
Where Below Marker type. Hidden when the marker type is Heatmap or Custom Icon.
  • Single colour paints every marker the same.
  • Colour by zoom changes the colour as the viewer zooms. See Colour by zoom.
  • A text field gives one colour per value.
  • A numeric field adds the Style as select, which picks classes, a continuous gradient, or one colour per value.

Line and polygon layers call the no-field option Uniform colour. Points call it Single colour.

Style as

Default 5 classes
Choices Continuous, Categories, 3 classes, 4 classes, 5 classes, 6 classes, 7 classes, 8 classes, 9 classes
Where Below Colour markers by. Shown only when a numeric field is selected.
  • Continuous maps every value to a point on a colour gradient.
  • Categories gives each distinct value its own colour, the same way a text field does. Use it for numeric codes such as zone numbers or years.
  • 3 classes to 9 classes split the values into that many class breaks.

Text fields have no Style as select. They are always styled as categories.

Each switch between Categories and a class or continuous mode builds a new list:

  • Leaving Categories discards every category customisation: colours, labels, hidden rows, and per-category markers.
  • Entering Categories discards every class-break customisation.
  • The palette resets to the default for the new mode.
  • Moving from Categories to classes sets the classification method to Natural Breaks (Jenks).

Switching back does not restore the old customisations.

Size markers by

Default Uniform size
Choices Uniform size, plus any numeric field on the dataset
Where Below the colour driver. Hidden when marker type is Heatmap or Custom Icon.

Uniform size draws every marker at the Marker size set below. A numeric field sizes each marker from its value. MangoMap maps values to sizes between a minimum and maximum; it has no size classes.

When a numeric field is chosen, the single size slider is replaced by a min–max range: a Minimum size and Maximum size input (each in px) with a dual-handle slider. Range 2–60 px; defaults min 4 → max 20; the two values stay at least 4 px apart. The smallest data value renders at the minimum size, the largest at the maximum.

Style section of the Centroids — Bubble layer with Marker type Circle, Colour markers by Single colour, and Size markers by set to pop_est; the size row reads 4 px to 20 px and ends with the Vary size by zoom level button

The size driver is separate from the colour driver, so one field can set colour and another can set size (see How to colour and size points by two fields). Sizing applies to Circle, Icon, and Custom Icon markers (not Heatmap), but the control is only visible while Circle or Icon is selected — a size field chosen there stays applied on the map after switching to Custom Icon. See How to size points by a number.

On Circle markers, both size modes also have a Vary size by zoom level button. See Vary size by zoom level.

Controls when Marker type = Circle

Fill colour

Shown when Colour markers by is Single colour. Default: #2196F3 (blue) with 80% opacity. The picker’s transparency setting is the marker opacity; there is no separate opacity slider.

Hidden with Colour by zoom, where the zoom stops set the fill. The value is kept, and it comes back when you pick Single colour again.

Outline colour and Outline width

Shown when Colour markers by is Single colour. Hidden with Colour by zoom, where each stop sets its own outline. See Outlines on stops. The values are kept, and they come back when you pick Single colour again.

Outline colour Colour picker with transparency
Outline width 0–6 px, step 0.5 px. Set 0 for no outline.

Marker size

Slider in pixels. Default 8 px; range 2–50 px, step 1 px. This is the Uniform size control — shown when Size markers by is Uniform size. To size markers by a field instead, use the Size markers by driver above.

While Vary size by zoom level is on, the slider is replaced by the text Size varies by zoom level and the zoom stops.

Vary size by zoom level

Where Icon button next to Marker size, or next to the min–max range when Size markers by is a field
Shown Circle markers only
Turn off Click the same button. Its tooltip changes to Reset to fixed size while zoom sizing is on.

Each zoom stop pairs a zoom level with a value. Between two stops, the size changes gradually. Below the first stop, markers keep the first stop’s value. Above the last stop, they keep the last stop’s value.

Setting With Uniform size With a size field
Value column Size, in px Scale, shown as ×1.0
Value range 3–40 px, step 1 ×0.2–×3.0, step 0.1
Default stops Zoom 1 and zoom 12. With the default 8 px marker: 4 px and 8 px. Zoom 1 at ×0.5; zoom 18 at ×1.5
Number of stops 2–6 2–6
Zoom range 1–22, step 0.5 1–22, step 0.5

With a size field, each stop’s scale multiplies both Minimum size and Maximum size at that zoom. The ratio between the smallest and largest markers stays the same at every zoom.

Curve

Default 1
Range −3 to 4, step 0.1

At 1, the size changes at a steady rate between stops. Above 1, most of the change happens near the higher-zoom stop. Below 1, most of the change happens near the lower-zoom stop.

Style section of the Major Cities — Zoom Styling layer with Size markers by set to Uniform size and the note Size varies by zoom level, the Curve slider at 1.0, a curve chart rising from 4px at z1 to 8px at z12, two zoom stops (zoom 1 at 4 px, zoom 12 at 8 px), Add stop, and Save

Stop rows

Control Effect
Zoom box Sets the stop’s zoom level. Stops stay at least 0.5 zoom apart and in order.
Value slider and box Sets the size or scale at that zoom
Remove stop Deletes the stop. Disabled at 2 stops (tooltip Minimum 2 stops).
Add stop Adds a stop halfway between the last stop and zoom 22, with the last stop’s value. If the last stop is at zoom 22, the new stop goes into the widest gap. Disabled at 6 stops (tooltip Maximum 6 stops).

With categories or class breaks

When Colour markers by is a field and Size markers by is Uniform size, zoom sizing replaces each row’s marker size. The per-row size control is disabled and shows Size varies by zoom level — set on the layer's size control. The row sizes are kept and come back when you turn zoom sizing off. Rows that use an Icon or Custom Icon marker keep their fixed size.

Legend

Zoom sizing does not change the legend. A Uniform size layer keeps a fixed-size swatch. A size-field layer keeps its size key, labelled with field values.

Colour by zoom

Where Colour markers by → Colour by zoom
Shown Circle markers only
Number of stops 2–6
Zoom range 1–22, step 0.5
Default stops Zoom 1, 12, and 22, coloured light to dark from the Teal gradient

Colours blend smoothly between stops. Below the first stop, markers keep the first stop’s colour. Above the last stop, they keep the last stop’s colour.

Colour by zoom can’t be combined with a colour field, because both use the Colour markers by dropdown. It works with every size setting: Uniform size, Vary size by zoom level, and a size field. Picking Single colour or a field discards the stops. Picking Colour by zoom again starts from the default stops.

See How to change marker colour by zoom level.

Style section of the Major Cities — Zoom Styling layer with Colour markers by set to Colour by zoom, the Colour gradient dropdown showing a light-to-dark teal ramp and the Reverse colour ramp button, and three zoom stops at zoom 1, 12, and 22 with Fill, Outline, and Width controls, followed by Add stop

Colour gradient and Reverse colour ramp

Colour gradient lists sequential and diverging gradients. Picking one spreads the stops evenly between the first and last stop zooms and recolours them from the gradient. Reverse colour ramp flips the order of the colours.

Changing any stop’s Fill makes the ramp custom, and the dropdown shows a custom entry.

Stop rows

Control Range Effect
Zoom 1–22, step 0.5 The stop’s zoom level. Stops stay at least 0.5 zoom apart and in order.
Fill Colour picker with transparency The marker colour and opacity at that zoom
Outline Colour picker with transparency The outline colour at that zoom
Width 0–8 px, step 0.5 The outline width at that zoom
Remove stop — Disabled at 2 stops (tooltip Minimum 2 stops)
Add stop — Disabled at 6 stops (tooltip Maximum 6 stops)

How Add stop and Remove stop place stops depends on the ramp:

  • Gradient ramp: the stops are spread evenly again between the first and last stop zooms, and recoloured from the gradient. Custom zoom positions are lost.
  • Custom ramp: Add stop splits the widest gap and takes the blended colour at that zoom. Reverse colour ramp flips the colours and keeps the zooms.

Outlines on stops

With Colour by zoom, the stop rows are the only outline control. Each stop draws its own outline, and the layer’s Outline colour and Outline width are not used. A stop with a Width of 0px draws no outline at that zoom. The outline colour and width blend between stops, as the fill does.

Legend

The legend shows a row of overlapping circles, one for each stop in zoom order. A circle has an outline only when its stop’s Width is above 0px. Its tooltip reads “Colour changes as you zoom in.” The same row appears in the map legend and in the printed legend.

Legend of World Point Styling Lab as a viewer sees it: the Major Cities — Zoom Styling entry shows three overlapping circles from light to dark purple, with the tooltip Colour changes as you zoom in., beside a world map of small light purple city markers

Controls when Marker type = Icon

Select Marker drawer open beside the Places — Icons Style section, with Search markers, the Nature and Transportation icon groups, the Weight dropdown set to Fill, and the Cancel and Save buttons; the panel shows Marker type Icon, the Select Icon button, and the icon rotation slider

Select Icon button

Opens the built-in icon library drawer to pick a glyph. The picked icon shows in the marker preview swatch to the left of the dropdown.

Fill colour

The icon glyph is tinted with this colour when the colour driver is Single colour. The picker’s transparency setting is the icon opacity.

Marker size

Slider in pixels. Zoom sizing is not available for icons.

Rotation

Default 0°
Range 0–360°, step 5°
Where Next to the Marker type dropdown

Rotates the icon glyph. Use it for directional symbols such as arrows or compass markers. Rotation applies to Icon only — Custom Icon doesn’t expose a rotation control.

Controls when Marker type = Custom Icon

Select icon button

Opens the Select Custom Icon drawer, where you upload icons and use each icon’s Update from file and Delete actions. See How to upload a custom point icon.

(All other style controls except Opacity — fill colour, outline, rotation, and the size controls including Size markers by — are hidden while Custom Icon is selected; the uploaded image supplies the appearance. A size-by field configured before switching to Custom Icon stays applied on the map; to change it, switch back to Circle or Icon, adjust, and switch again.)

Opacity

Default 100%
Range 0–100%, with a slider and a number box
Where Below Marker type

Sets how see-through the icon is, on the map and in the legend. Switching Marker type to Custom Icon sets it to 100%. Switching back to Circle or Icon does not bring back the old transparency. Set it again in the Fill colour picker.

Controls when Marker type = Heatmap

See Heatmap style controls for the full Heatmap controls (gradient, weight by, radius, intensity, and opacity). Colour markers by is not used in Heatmap mode.

Controls when colour driver = Single colour

  • Fill colour, with transparency for opacity
  • Outline colour and Outline width (Circle only)

Controls for a category style

A category style comes from a text field, or from a numeric field with Style as set to Categories.

Colour palette

Palette selector applied across the categories in list order. If there are more categories than colours in the palette, the colours repeat.

Opacity

Slider, 0–100%. Moving it changes every category except those with custom symbology. A row with a Custom Icon marker keeps its own opacity. Set it in that row’s Opacity control.

Categories

MangoMap builds one category for each distinct value in the field:

  • Up to 50 values get their own row. For numbers, these are the 50 lowest values; for text, the first 50 from A to Z.
  • If the field has more values, one Other row covers the rest.
  • If some features have no value, a Null row covers them.

You can’t add or remove categories. Hide a row instead.

Customise categories collapsible

Expand to edit each category’s colour, label, visibility, drag order, and per-row marker overrides. The transparency set in a row’s colour picker shows on the map for Circle and Icon markers. A Custom Icon row has its own Opacity control instead. See Category and class break symbology reference.

Controls for a quantity style

A quantity style comes from a numeric field with Style as set to Continuous or a class count.

Style as

See Style as. A new numeric style starts at 5 classes, not Continuous.

Classification method

Default Natural Breaks (Jenks)
Choices Equal Interval, Quantile, Natural Breaks (Jenks), Head/Tails
Where Shown only for a class count (not Continuous)

Note: point layers label the heavy-tail method Head/Tails. Line and polygon layers label the same method Head/Tail Breaks. The algorithm is identical. See Classification methods for by-quantity styling.

Colour palette and Reverse colour ramp

Palette selector with a Reverse colour ramp icon button. The selector is labelled Colour palette for class counts and Colour scheme for Continuous.

Opacity

Slider, 0–100%. Moving it sets every class to this value, except a class with a Custom Icon marker.

Customise Class Breaks collapsible

Per-break colour, range, label, visibility, and marker overrides. See Category and class break symbology reference.

Save button

Label Save
Where Bottom of the Style tab

The Style tab doesn’t auto-save. Your changes apply only when you click Save. Closing the panel or switching tabs discards every unsaved change. See Troubleshooting: my style change isn’t appearing on the map.