Administering the CMS Plugins

The BMLT comes with three plugins for the major CMS (Content Management System) providers: WordPress, Joomla! and Drupal. These plugins are installed differently (details on how this is done are given here). This page covers administration of the plugin, once it has been installed and activated. All three have essentially the same interface.

The screenshot shown here is taken from the WordPress plugin, but they all look about the same, and have the same fields. They are all accessed by selecting "BMLT Options" or "BMLT Settings" from the CMS' Administration menus. The data here is for the Suffolk Area Service site, which uses the Greater New York Region BMLT root server. The data for your implementation is likely to be different.

In order to effectively implement your CMS plugin, you'll need a couple of pieces of data from external sources:

You'll need to get a Google Maps API key for the domain of your CMS server. The trick here, is to get a key for the top domain of your server, not for a path to the plugin. For instance, if your meeting list is at http://bmlt.mydomain.org/meeting-list/, then the API key should be for bmlt.mydomain.org, or mydomain.org (Google sometimes needs you to specify subdomains, like the "bmlt"). Experiment, and you'll know when you get it right. In fact, the first time that you access the options, expect to see a popup that tells you the Google API key is invalid, and the map may not draw.
You'll need to get the root server URL from the Webservant that administers the root server (probably your RSC). This points to the base server that you log into in order to administer the BMLT database. It also is the URL that your plugin needs to get its data.

Once you have these, you're ready to start setting up your plugin.

Initial Search Type

This is a popup menu that allows you to select how the BMLT Search first appears to visitors to your site.

It has four choices:

Root Server Decides
In this case, the plugin will present the search as decided by the root server (either Text or Map).
Map
If this is selected, the plugin will always first appear with the "Search By Map" choice shown.
Text
If this is selected, the plugin will always first appear with the "Search for Text" choice shown.
Advanced
Always start with the "Advanced Search" tab showing.

Root BMLT Server

This is a text entry box. You are expected to enter the URL mentioned in Item 2, above.

This is a very important URL. All kinds of strange things can happen if you don't get it right, so make sure that you get the correct URL.

Google Maps API Key

This is a text entry box. You are expected to enter the API key mentioned in Item 1, above. You get this key from Google.

Once you have the correct key, the popup complaining of an incorrect key will go away.

Specific URL for a New Search

This is a text entry box. If you want to have a different URL than the one automatically determined by the BMLT plugin, then enter it here. Some CMS systems have "pretty URL" schemes, and the automatic URL might fall foul of this scheme, so you can override it here. In most cases, you can leave this blank.

Support Non-JavaScript Browsers

If this is checked, visitors to the meeting search will be greeted with a brief "refresh." This is how the system detects whether or not the visitor's browser can support the requisite JavaScript to take advantage of the nicer parts of the system (interactive maps and AJAX screens). In many cases, you will leave this blank. If a visitor comes without support for JavaScript, they will be given a link to the root server, which can support it.

Pre-Checked Service Bodies

Support Non-JavaScript Browsers Checkbox

The exact content of these checkboxes will vary, depending upon your root server. It is possible to have certain Service Body checkboxes "pre-checked," when the visitor goes to the Advanced Search tab. This is useful for satellite implementations that serve particular Service Bodies. The main root server may have many, many Service Bodies, and searches may deliver too many results. This helps narrow it down to ones relevant to the visitor, while giving them the option to expand their search to areas outside the Service Body.

The example here is for the Suffolk Area Service Site. The Service Bodies that have been checked cover the whole of Long Island, from the Queens border, to the Eastern tip of Montauk.

The Map

This is how you choose the initial position and zoom level of the map view in the Basic Search tab Search By Map. Simply grab the center marker, and put it where you like. This is a Google Map, so it will scroll to areas not visible in the initial map. You can also set the zoom level. When the visitor selects "Search By Map," the map will be shown centered as you choose here, and at the zoom you select.

It should be noted that this map will not be useful until after you have set the correct Google API Key for your server. Set that first, then set your map.

Setting the Options

Once you've decided on your settings, press the "Set These Values" button at the top of the page. This will immediately set the values. If you have been getting the complaint alert about the Google Maps API key being wrong, and you set the correct key, then the complaint should stop after this button has been clicked.