Locator
Version
1.900 (last update on Aug 30, 2011)
Rating
Compatibility
Reviews
24
License
GPLv2 or later
Commercial
Type
Date Added
13 February 2010
The locations can be displayed in a Google Map, Directory List View and Combined List & Map View. All views can be searched for locations within a configurable distance of a provided postal code, city, state or any other geo-spatial reference point understood by Google.
Each location is automatically Geocoded (assigned a latitude and longitude) using the address data provided. The Locator uses Google to geocode postal codes and address data, so that means this can be used in any of the hundreds of countries supported by Google. It includes a bulk geocoder for large lists and also geocodes individual entries as they are added. See our FAQ for a complete list of supported countries.
The Locator Component allows for name, description and address, link and email fields and also a free form HTML field allowing for a great amount of detail for each location. Include pictures, links or other media for each entry in the database. Our FAQ also includes a tutorial on adding custom fields.
You can tag locations with one or more custom tags. This allows you to create multiple directories on the same site or to allow for categorization within the same directory. E.g. tag entries as 'Vendors', then create a menu item that shows only that tag and you have a custom view of only locations tagged with 'Vendor'. You can even choose the map marker image of each tag, allowing, for example, red icons are vendors, blue icons are suppliers etc.
You can also allow your users to add locations from the front-end, which can be automatically geocoded and optionally published directly to your map!
Other features include:
* No monthly fees!
* International support for all locations supported by Google
* Bulk import of location information via CSV files
* Bulk Geocoding (assignment of a latitude and longitude) of address data
* User-configurable, custom fields and templates to allow custom field arrangement & ordering
* Optionally display turn-by-turn directions to each location on demand.
* Bulk geocoding of hundreds or thousands of locations
* Search by Postal Code, Intersection/Address, State, Country, Tag, Keyword and more
* Includes a module to show a flexible search form on any page.
* Keyword search of your locations
* Joomla core SEF support
* Include hyperlinks, metatags, images, video and other media for each location.
* Tag locations with one or more custom tags
* Integrates with Google Analytics
Images
Very Good Extension!!! Great support also! Our scenario is unique since we have around 1500 locations to display, the cluster feature worked great for us in this. Also, the ability to select from different types of layouts... directory, mobile, directory/map... etc.. is above and beyond what I would expect any developer to do. Great job! Thank you!
This component has all of the features you need and looks/works great out of the box. I received extremely prompt customer support as well. Thanks!
Blew me away. After visiting with Mike through a variety of emails, he called me, we talked and then he went inside our site, found the conflict..
This is stellar service.. I wholeheartedly recommend this product and the people who stand behind it.
This is stellar service.. I wholeheartedly recommend this product and the people who stand behind it.
Using the code for a couponing website. I ran into an issue with another third party program. First Mike returned my voicemail the same day, logged into my site and agreed everything was setup properly and explained why their program didn't work. I am working with the other company now to get it resolved.
This is a very large program with lots of options. It is going to take you a while to get used to it but that's when you will realize how good the price is. Thanks again Mike. Buy this program.
This is a very large program with lots of options. It is going to take you a while to get used to it but that's when you will realize how good the price is. Thanks again Mike. Buy this program.
Nothing else out there beats what this product offers. I was able to batch import and export a list of my 132 locations, all geocoded. Upgrades went smoothly and a bump along the way was quickly handled by immediate response personally from the developer. I would highly recommend this product for anyone want to map their store/unit locations with easy configurations and lots of options for customization.
I've demo'd every Joomla! mapping solution available and, it's clear that this is the only one worth having. My clients demand clean, professional and user-friendly sites.
Locator has become my "go-to" component for all of my mapping. It does it all and does it very very well.
Pros:
Great Looking maps that are easy to read and navigate.
Perfect interface puts my clients information into the users hands
Simple component back end - tons of options
Multiple view options (for menu items)
Full-featured module that mirrors the full component's options
CSV IMPORT/EXPORT (If you've ever had to enter hundreds of lines of data, you'll know how valuable this feature is.)
World-Class customer service. I've had to ask for help on 2 issues over the past year. Both were problems that I caused myself. My questions were responded to in under 3 hours - both times solving the issue immediately. This company maintains a great website and Forum.
Cons: None. Absolutely none! You want to show map locations on your web site? This is the only component you will ever need for mapping.
Locator has become my "go-to" component for all of my mapping. It does it all and does it very very well.
Pros:
Great Looking maps that are easy to read and navigate.
Perfect interface puts my clients information into the users hands
Simple component back end - tons of options
Multiple view options (for menu items)
Full-featured module that mirrors the full component's options
CSV IMPORT/EXPORT (If you've ever had to enter hundreds of lines of data, you'll know how valuable this feature is.)
World-Class customer service. I've had to ask for help on 2 issues over the past year. Both were problems that I caused myself. My questions were responded to in under 3 hours - both times solving the issue immediately. This company maintains a great website and Forum.
Cons: None. Absolutely none! You want to show map locations on your web site? This is the only component you will ever need for mapping.
We are non code people who uploaded and configured 1700 locations within 30 minutes. This component does exactly what it says it would without any glitches. Love it!
Owner's reply
Thanks for the kind words!
Overall, a well-programmed component but falls short in a couple of key functionality areas.
Pros:
- Provides both map and text results (or both), which most other locators do not.
- Easily configurable address display field.
- The developer provides great screencast tutorials. I wish everyone would do that.
Cons:
- *** You can only search by ZIP or postal code not by address. This was a deal breaker for me.
- *** Needs a separate search module or mode for not displaying map on mode. Yes, you can turn the markers off on load, but the map remains. This is a key weakness when space on web pages is so precious.
- You can create custom fields but you have to manually alter the SQL database and then import. There's nothing in the admin interface for this functionality.
Pros:
- Provides both map and text results (or both), which most other locators do not.
- Easily configurable address display field.
- The developer provides great screencast tutorials. I wish everyone would do that.
Cons:
- *** You can only search by ZIP or postal code not by address. This was a deal breaker for me.
- *** Needs a separate search module or mode for not displaying map on mode. Yes, you can turn the markers off on load, but the map remains. This is a key weakness when space on web pages is so precious.
- You can create custom fields but you have to manually alter the SQL database and then import. There's nothing in the admin interface for this functionality.
Owner's reply
While we always appreciate feedback, this review is actually incorrect on all "cons". We'll work to update our documentation to make it clearer that all of these items are possible:
-You can search by postal code or address.
-The search module does not require that a map be displayed. There is an option for "Display Map?" that is a Yes/No.
-You do not have to alter the SQL to add custom fields. We even offer a video showing how it is done.
Having looked at most all the mapping components on the JED and used a number of them, I've found the locator component to be among the best.
The particular strength of the locator component is the way you can have one location, and then tag it with different attributes.
Being able to then display all the locations that have "hockey sticks" or "soccer balls", turns out to be very useful. None of the other components do this, or do this as well.
I used this component on a client site who needed to show sales reps in different states. One rep was responsible for "Utilities" and "Commerical". Another was responsible for "Municipal". Having the tagging ability kept the database of reps understandable and allowed me to easily generate tag based maps.
When I first started using this component in early 2010, it was a bit buggy. I'm please to write in this review, that all of those bugs have been addressed. This is now a solid component, which I'd recommend to anyone. Well worth the price.
The particular strength of the locator component is the way you can have one location, and then tag it with different attributes.
Being able to then display all the locations that have "hockey sticks" or "soccer balls", turns out to be very useful. None of the other components do this, or do this as well.
I used this component on a client site who needed to show sales reps in different states. One rep was responsible for "Utilities" and "Commerical". Another was responsible for "Municipal". Having the tagging ability kept the database of reps understandable and allowed me to easily generate tag based maps.
When I first started using this component in early 2010, it was a bit buggy. I'm please to write in this review, that all of those bugs have been addressed. This is now a solid component, which I'd recommend to anyone. Well worth the price.
full evaluation:
Works great. system is smart, loads fast.
does not work well with multiple javascript library's. Make sure you have CLEAN code and are careful with your scripts. to reduce script conflict check against the developers website, he has it working PERFECT there.
Courtesy and Honesty:
Varry professional, 100% honest, 100% on point and courteous. Offers a demo site where you can log in and test it, works just like it should when you follow the instructions.
Pros & Cons of the extension and its performance:
PROS- simply the best component of its kind for the price. can not beat it
CONS- every location on a results page terminates within the HEADER as an inline script. This can cause page load times to be slow on 1000+ locations. Also, note that this can effect the SEO of a site with 1000+ lines of javascript in the header. could be better done inside a dynamic JS file with a no-cache URL name.
Level of support received:
Fatika Consulting was willing to actually accept my calls, and responded to emails in a timely fashion. I was very impressed with the full level of support offered with this product. WELL WORTH the small fee.
A RARE GEM in the Joomla community, I wish every developer was like this with phone calls.
Ease of usage and deployment:
Verry easy to use out of box. Deployment was a snap, perfect install. However, please note that there are some customizations that need to be done.
For example, if you select the double display, map and results. and nothing is searched you get a big blank area. I was easily able to make some CSS adjustments on this and thats how it SHOULD be. so GOOD JOB.
Purpose of using the extension:
I used this extension on a dealer locator page to list all the distribution and retailers of a companies product across the USA.
Level of difficulty:
Low if you have standard joomla install
MED-High if you have custom CSS and Javascript which interfaces with the moo-tools library. does not play well with RT templates, but after a little tweeks here and there it was working well.
Your experience level with Joomla and web technologies
9 of 10: been using and customizing Joomla for 7 years.
OVERALL: 10 of 10!!!
Works great. system is smart, loads fast.
does not work well with multiple javascript library's. Make sure you have CLEAN code and are careful with your scripts. to reduce script conflict check against the developers website, he has it working PERFECT there.
Courtesy and Honesty:
Varry professional, 100% honest, 100% on point and courteous. Offers a demo site where you can log in and test it, works just like it should when you follow the instructions.
Pros & Cons of the extension and its performance:
PROS- simply the best component of its kind for the price. can not beat it
CONS- every location on a results page terminates within the HEADER as an inline script. This can cause page load times to be slow on 1000+ locations. Also, note that this can effect the SEO of a site with 1000+ lines of javascript in the header. could be better done inside a dynamic JS file with a no-cache URL name.
Level of support received:
Fatika Consulting was willing to actually accept my calls, and responded to emails in a timely fashion. I was very impressed with the full level of support offered with this product. WELL WORTH the small fee.
A RARE GEM in the Joomla community, I wish every developer was like this with phone calls.
Ease of usage and deployment:
Verry easy to use out of box. Deployment was a snap, perfect install. However, please note that there are some customizations that need to be done.
For example, if you select the double display, map and results. and nothing is searched you get a big blank area. I was easily able to make some CSS adjustments on this and thats how it SHOULD be. so GOOD JOB.
Purpose of using the extension:
I used this extension on a dealer locator page to list all the distribution and retailers of a companies product across the USA.
Level of difficulty:
Low if you have standard joomla install
MED-High if you have custom CSS and Javascript which interfaces with the moo-tools library. does not play well with RT templates, but after a little tweeks here and there it was working well.
Your experience level with Joomla and web technologies
9 of 10: been using and customizing Joomla for 7 years.
OVERALL: 10 of 10!!!
Owner's reply
Wow! Thanks for the detailed review. We love this kind of feedback and will certainly be updating the product in the places you mentioned improvement could be made. Thanks again!
This locator does exactly what it says. Mike did a really good job with this component, and this locator is a good alternative for the expensive ones out there.
The locator is really easy to install, and tweaking it is done at the back end. There are tons of configurations possible.
Even if you run into some difficulties, fatica has a really good forrum. Fast answers, great support.
All and all a great extension, worth it!
The locator is really easy to install, and tweaking it is done at the back end. There are tons of configurations possible.
Even if you run into some difficulties, fatica has a really good forrum. Fast answers, great support.
All and all a great extension, worth it!
Owner's reply
Thanks for your kind words. We intend to continue to make this the #1 directory and locator component available for Joomla!
I just purchased the component and have so far loaded over 15,000 locations. Whew. This is the only component - besides core Joomla content that allows for search / sort / filter within a particular category. All other popular directories, including core weblinks cannot filter within a category.
I am using Locator to do just this. This is exactly what I needed.
There is no SEF right now but the developer suggested that this will come very soon. I gave 5*s because I had a couple other requests and they were answered with exactly what I needed, and promtly with an updated version solving very minor unique-to-my-site issues.
I am using Locator to do just this. This is exactly what I needed.
There is no SEF right now but the developer suggested that this will come very soon. I gave 5*s because I had a couple other requests and they were answered with exactly what I needed, and promtly with an updated version solving very minor unique-to-my-site issues.
Owner's reply
Thanks! We have since added SEF support!
We just replaced our antiquated store locator that was third party, needed a wrapper, and was difficult to maintain.
I researched all of the other store locators and this component is exactly what we needed. The import from the old locator product worked flawlessly and we had the new store locator up and running in no time.
Fatica Consulting has excellent support, are located here in the US, and they really seem to understand how important this product is to our community.
Great job!
I researched all of the other store locators and this component is exactly what we needed. The import from the old locator product worked flawlessly and we had the new store locator up and running in no time.
Fatica Consulting has excellent support, are located here in the US, and they really seem to understand how important this product is to our community.
Great job!
All I can say is wow! I've never had a better experience with a Joomla extension ever. I tried out the demo and saw a few errors in it, I messaged the developer and he got back to me within a couple hours answering all my concerns. I purchased the component a few weeks later and had a few issues, I submitted a request and received a phone call the next day! I didn't even ask for a phone call, he just saw my number in my email signature and reached out. Never have I had this kind of support and I've bought sooo many extensions.
There was a small glitch in the component and upon pointing it out, he came up with a fix and an updated copy within minutes.
I'm currently using it with over 1,400 Canadian addresses, works incredibly. I imported them via a CSV file and it was super simple. I have even set up frontend submission for my client and they love adding addresses to it.
Who would pay $3000 (?!?!?!) for the other locator extension when there's this beautiful one for a fraction of the price? I would gladly pay twice what Fatica is asking for the quality they provide. I hope to see more extensions from them in the future.
5 thumbs up!!!!!
There was a small glitch in the component and upon pointing it out, he came up with a fix and an updated copy within minutes.
I'm currently using it with over 1,400 Canadian addresses, works incredibly. I imported them via a CSV file and it was super simple. I have even set up frontend submission for my client and they love adding addresses to it.
Who would pay $3000 (?!?!?!) for the other locator extension when there's this beautiful one for a fraction of the price? I would gladly pay twice what Fatica is asking for the quality they provide. I hope to see more extensions from them in the future.
5 thumbs up!!!!!
We had an issue with fields displaying, and after over a month of unanswered support requests, we fixed the issue ourselves.
Owner's reply
I'm sorry if you didn't receive a response. We were unaware of any outstanding support request from you. Please visit our forum and you'll see 100% of all requests have received a response. We offer phone support as well, please contact us directly if you need follow-up or priority support.
I have been looking for this for a long time. Another zip-code based locator (your might know which one) is asking an arm, leg and DNA sample for what the Fatica Locator will do. Geo-coding is brilliant and works like a charm. See the demo. I was unsure too if it would meet my requirements before purchase, however the demos seemed to show that it would. It did meet and surpassed my expectations. Unlimited locations can be located world wide based on your database. Set up and name your file as the example file (easy to save from Excel as a .CSV, just make sure columns are the same order as sample and you may have to move your columns around>> if you don't understand this simple Excel stuff, you probably shouldn't be building a website - get a professional ;) )
So irelise that phone numbers were not showing up on bubble with location results >> looked on the forum and there it was, included in the latest update! Uninstall previous version of component, download and re-install new version and bam! there it is - all data, menu links etc still intact.
If you are looking to show multiple/unlimited locations, additional information for these locations such as image snapshots, details, addresses, phone numbers etc, combined with the power of Google Maps - this is the extension you need. Purchase like right now! (LOL, I have not been paid to say this, just very happy with it).
So irelise that phone numbers were not showing up on bubble with location results >> looked on the forum and there it was, included in the latest update! Uninstall previous version of component, download and re-install new version and bam! there it is - all data, menu links etc still intact.
If you are looking to show multiple/unlimited locations, additional information for these locations such as image snapshots, details, addresses, phone numbers etc, combined with the power of Google Maps - this is the extension you need. Purchase like right now! (LOL, I have not been paid to say this, just very happy with it).
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