Map¶
The map page in PastPaths gives you a geographic overview of all the places in your database. Places that have coordinates are shown as pins on an interactive map — you can zoom, pan, and click a pin to go straight to that place's page.
Open the map¶
Click Map in the left-hand menu.
Parts of the map¶
The filter bar¶
At the top of the page are three filter fields you can combine freely:
- Filter by type — show only places of a certain type, e.g. churches or cemeteries.
- Filter by country — show only places in a certain country. The list is automatically populated with the countries found in your database.
- Search place — free-text search on the place's name, address, or city.
Click the X in a filter field to clear it.
The map itself¶
The map uses OpenStreetMap as its base layer. Every place with coordinates is shown as a blue pin.
- Zoom with the mouse wheel or the buttons in the top left of the map.
- Pan by dragging the map.
- Click a pin — a small box shows the place's name. Click inside the box to go to that place's detail page.
The map adapts to your filters
When you change a filter, the pins update immediately. If you have a lot of places, it can be useful to filter by country to zoom in on a particular area.
Only places with coordinates are shown
A place without latitude and longitude won't appear on the map, even if it's otherwise well documented. See the Add coordinates section below.
The statistics box¶
Below the map, four numbers are shown:
| Field | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Total places | All places in the database, whether or not they have coordinates |
| With coordinates | Places that actually appear on the map |
| Countries | Number of unique countries among your places |
| Cities | Number of unique towns/cities among your places |
Add a new place from the map page¶
Click Add place in the top right. A dialog opens with the following fields:
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | E.g. Hallsberg Church or Storgatan 5 |
| Address | No | Street address or brief description |
| City/Town | No | |
| County | No | |
| Country | No | Pre-filled with Sweden |
| Place type | Yes | See the list below |
| Latitude / Longitude | No | Decimal degrees, e.g. 59.329300 / 18.068600 |
| Description | No | Free text about the place |
| Notes | No | Private notes not shown in reports |
Available place types: City, Town, Village, Farm, Parish, County, Province, Country, Building, Address, Cemetery, Church, Hospital, School, Military facility, Other.
Click Save when you're done. The place will appear on the map if you added coordinates.
Add coordinates¶
The easiest way to find coordinates is to search for the place on openstreetmap.org, right-click on the map, and copy the coordinates.
- Go to the place's detail page (click the pin on the map, or go via Places in the menu).
- Click the pencil icon in the top right to edit.
- Fill in Latitude and Longitude in decimal format.
- Click Save.
The place now appears as a pin on the map.
Coordinates from GEDCOM import
When importing from Ancestry, MyHeritage, or TNG, PastPaths tries to read coordinates from the GEDCOM file if they exist. After importing, check how many places got coordinates — see the With coordinates statistic on the map page.
The place's detail page¶
Click a pin and then the place name in the popup to open that place's detail page. There you'll find:
- Information — address, city, county, country, coordinates, and description.
- Tags and categories — for organizing the place within your taxonomy.
- Statistics — how many links the place has, broken down by relationship type.
- Mini-map — a small map centered on that particular place (only shown if coordinates exist).
- Persons tab — all persons linked to the place, e.g. lived here, was born here, died here.
- Events tab — events that took place at the place.
- Media tab — photos and documents linked to the place.
Update the map¶
If you've recently added places and they're not showing up, click the Update button in the top right of the map page.