Public Map URL Customisation

Public Map URL Customisation

When you share a Public Map link, you can add extra options to the web address (URL) to control what people see when they open it. You can centre the map on a specific location, set the zoom level, drop a marker with a label, and control how layers are stacked — all without changing the map itself.

This article lists each option and shows how to combine them.

How URL options work

Your Public Map link already contains one option — the map's ID:

https://shared.xmap.cloud/?map=1f0c9a2e-4b7d-4e2a-9c31-8f4d2a6b7e91

To add more options, append each one with an ampersand (&) in the form name=value:

https://shared.xmap.cloud/?map=1f0c9a2e-4b7d-4e2a-9c31-8f4d2a6b7e91&x=529090&y=179645&z=16

Available options

OptionWhat it doesExample
mapIdentifies which Public Map to open — a long unique reference (UUID). This is included automatically in your shared link.map=1f0c9a2e-4b7d-4e2a-9c31-8f4d2a6b7e91
x and yCentres the map on a coordinate. Both must be provided together, in the same coordinate system as your map — for most UK maps this is a British National Grid easting (x) and northing (y).x=529090&y=179645
zSets the zoom level when used with x and y. Higher numbers zoom in closer. If left out, the map opens at zoom level 12.z=16
labelDrops a red marker at the x/y position with your text shown beside it. Requires x and y.label=Site%20Entrance
orderingSet to new to use the improved layer stacking, which always draws base maps underneath your other layers.ordering=new

Centring the map on a location

Add x and y together to open the map centred on that coordinate. Add z to control how far in the map is zoomed:

https://shared.xmap.cloud/?map=1f0c9a2e-4b7d-4e2a-9c31-8f4d2a6b7e91&x=529090&y=179645&z=17

Note: When you provide x and y, they take priority over the map's normal starting view. z only takes effect when x and y are also present.

Adding a labelled marker

Add label alongside x and y to drop a red marker at that point, with your text displayed to the right of it:

https://shared.xmap.cloud/?map=1f0c9a2e-4b7d-4e2a-9c31-8f4d2a6b7e91&x=529090&y=179645&z=17&label=Car%20Park

Because URLs cannot contain spaces, replace each space in your label text with %20. For example, Car%20Park appears on the map as “Car Park”.

Showing a marker with no label

Tip: To highlight a location with just the red marker and no text, set the label to a single encoded space — label=%20. The marker appears with a blank label, which is ideal when you simply want to point at a spot on the map.

https://shared.xmap.cloud/?map=1f0c9a2e-4b7d-4e2a-9c31-8f4d2a6b7e91&x=529090&y=179645&z=17&label=%20

Changing the layer ordering

By default, layers are stacked in the order they were configured. Adding ordering=new switches to the improved stacking behaviour, which keeps base maps at the bottom so your overlay layers are never hidden behind them:

https://shared.xmap.cloud/?map=1f0c9a2e-4b7d-4e2a-9c31-8f4d2a6b7e91&ordering=new

Troubleshooting

  • The map ignores my x/y position — check that both x and y are present; either one on its own has no effect.
  • The marker doesn't appearlabel only works together with x and y.
  • The map opens in the wrong place — check your coordinates are in the map's coordinate system. For most UK maps, use a six-digit British National Grid easting and northing, not latitude and longitude.
  • My label is cut off or missing text — make sure every space is written as %20 and avoid characters such as & and #, which have special meanings in URLs.

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