Skip to main content
Version: ✨ 23.10

Place objects on maps

note

Placing objects on maps is only available on graphical (normal) and geographical maps. If you are looking for a help on topology maps, see our documentation section on creating topology maps.

Before you start​

Make sure to have read all information about graphical and geographical maps in our documentation about how to use and display maps.

The next thing required for placing objects on maps is a map itself. If you don't already have a map ready, have a look at our documentation on how to create a graphical or geographical map.

When you have your map created, open it from the Map overview.

Editing mode​

To make any changes on a map, you first need to enter the Edit Mode. To do so, click the Edit buttion on the top right corner of the page. You should now be in Edit Mode, instead of the Edit button you should now see Save Map, Reset and Exit Edit Mode as well as a collapsed sidebar and 4 different controls on the right of the map area.

After entering the Edit Mode, the map is automatically locked and real-time data is no longer refreshed!.

Map locked​

When a map is locked, it prevents other users from entering the Edit Mode, which is needed to make any changes to the map. Normally, the map gets unlocked again when a user exits the Edit Mode by clicking the button Exit Edit Mode on the top right corner.

note

Because of this it is always highly recommended to exit the Edit Mode before leaving the page.

If you encounter a map in locked state, it probably means somebody is currently working on the map.

A map should not be edited by more than one person at the same time!

Unlock a map manually​

If you find yourself in the situation that you made sure nobody is working on the map but the map is still locked you can manually unlock the map. To do so, navigate to the map list on Configuration -> Maps and click the unlock button on the map you wish to unlock. The map should now be unlocked again.

Nice to know

If a map remains in locked status, the last user which edited the map left the page without exiting the Edit Mode in the intended way.

Add new objects to the map​

only available in Edit Mode

Concept​

All saved map changes are automatically applied to other visualizations of the map. This ensures that maps displayed on hands-off screens are updated automatically, including map widgets and maps opened via Monitoring -> Maps.

Objects on a graphical (normal) map stand always for themselves - this means only objects which are manually added by the user are effectively placed on the map. The position of objects is not shared between other maps and is only maintained manually by moving objects around (not like on geographical maps).

Graphical maps are static - the only thing which interferes with object positions is the background. When the background of a graphical map is replaced and the new background is smaller in size, overflowing objects may reset their position.

The positions of objects do not change across different resolutions - this means the map looks the same even if it's displayed on different screen resolutions, only the zoom level may differ.

Map Controls​

To place new objects on the map, use the controls on the right side of the map.

Map Controls

  • 1 Place a new icon object on the map
  • 2 Place a new line object on the map
  • 3 Place a new gadget object on the map
  • 4 tool to select multiple objects on the map - useful for deleting (*delete* key) or moving multiple objects

Place and configure an object​

After clicking the 1 icon object control, you can choose a 2 position for your new object on the map. Add object

note

When working on a geographical map, it is not necessary to place the object on the correct position because it will be moved automatically after the resource is associated (only if the resource has a saved position).

When you have found a good position for your new object, click again to create the object on the map.

tip

Don't worry if your object isn't perfectly placed at first - you can always adjust its position later.

Created icon object

New icon

Now you need to associate a resource to the newly created icon. You can choose between 5 different types of monitoring resources: host, service, host group, service group or map. After you have chosen the type, search your desired resource in the below input and select it.

Advanced: Massive Add

You can select more than one resource of the same type when creating a new icon object. For every additionally selected resource a copy of your current object configuration is created and placed next to the original one.

This is useful if you need to create a lot of objects with special settings and you don't want to change the defaults.

Besides the linked resource, you can modify following object settings:

Icon Properties​

  • Icon Size
  • Icon Pack: currently we provide 2 very similar icon packs - it is recommended to choose the i-Vertix Iconpack 1 Advanced because it provides icons for all resource states
  • Service Status on Host Icon: when enabled, an icon representing the summarized (highest severity) status of all host services is shown inside of the host status icon; shall the summarized service status be problematic (critical, warning, unknown), the whole host inherits the state. This behaviour is relevant for objects connected to Hosts, Host Groups or Maps.

After you have filled all needed information four your new object, you can save the object by pressing the Save button at the very bottom of the sidebar on the right or you can click the Save Map button on the top right of the page.

Modify existing objects​

only available in Edit Mode

Principles​

These are some important principles when modifying objects:

  1. To select and modify a single object, simply click on it when in Edit Mode
  2. You notice selected objects due to an orange dotted border selected object
  3. Remember to save your changes before leaving the page by clicking the Save Map button on the top right of the page

Move objects​

To move objects, simply drag and drop them to the desired location.

Make sure to save the object by clicking Save Map on the top right of the page or by clicking the Save button at the very bottom of the sidebar before exiting the Edit Mode!

Best practices
  1. You don't need to enter single-object editing (sidebar) to move an object to a different location
  2. You can move as many objects as you want to new positions before you save the entire map by clicking Save Map; thus you don't always need to save the map after every movement
  3. When dragging an item, you may notice orange guide lines that help you align the object perfectly with other objects
  4. Hold down the CTRL key while clicking on objects or use the select map control to select multiple objects; now when you drag a selected item to a new position, all selected items are moved relative to that new position

Delete objects​

To delete an object, click on it to select it and then press the Delete button at the bottom of the sidebar or the Delete key on your keyboard. To delete multiple objects, hold down the CTRL key while clicking on the objects, or use the select map control to select multiple objects, and then press the Delete key.

Viewpoints​

When a user opens a graphical (normal) map, the map area is always automatically scaled to display the entire map at its maximum size, regardless of the resolution.