How to bulk import layers to a map

If you have a large number of map layers and you'd like to import them in bulk rather than creating them manually, this can be done by pre-populating a GeoJSON file using a template. Follow the steps below to find out more.

There are two possible approaches:

Approach A - Populate via GIS software

The fields defining the map features sit inside a metadata object - the structure of your GeoJSON file should look something like this:

{
	"type": "FeatureCollection",
	"features": [
		{
			"type": "Feature",
			"metadata": {
				"name": "Layer name 1"
				"fillColor": "#000000",
				"strokeColor": "#000000",
				"highlightFillColor": "#000000",
				"highlightStrokeColor": "#000000",
				"svg": "",
				"hoverablePopup": true,
				"title": "Hover panel title",
				"description": "Hover panel description",
				"imageUrl": "",
				"imageAlt": "",
				"externalLink": "https://example.com",
				"proposalId": "",
	
			},
			"properties": {},
			"geometry": {}
		}
	]
}

The purpose of each field can be found in the table below:

Approach B - Populate via a spreadsheet template

1. Click the following link to open the template spreadsheet

2. Download the sheet or make a copy - then open it in spreadsheet editing software such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets

3. Open the 'Points | Template' tab

4. Populate the columns in the sheet with the various different attributes you want the layers you upload to have

5. At the top of the sheet, each column has the following information to help you:

   • Required/optional
     Lets you know whether this column must be populated or can be left blank

   • Description
     Contains useful information for this column - such as which formats are accepted or recommended image dimensions

   • Example
     Demonstrates an example of the data that particular column should be populated with

6. Each layer must have the following:

   • A layer name

   • A latitude

   • A longitude

   • A fill colour

   • A true or false value for whether or not a hover panel should be enabled

7. If a hover panel is enabled, a title is required - a description and image can optionally be added. If an image is added, image alt text is required for accessibility purposes

8. Hover panels can also include a link - either to an external URL, or to another Commonplace tile

   • If linking to another Commonplace tile, the title, image and description will be pulled in from the tile - however, for data validation reasons a title should still be populated in the upload sheet even though it will not be visible after uploading

9. Once the template tab has been populated, move on to the 'Points | Generator' tab

10. Drag the formula in column D down to match the number of layers in the 'Points | Template' tab

The maximum number of layers that can be uploaded once is 300. If uploading more than this, please upload in batches.

11. Download the template.geojson file

12. Open the file using Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on MacOS

13. Copy all the 'features' from column D in your spreadsheet, and paste them between the square brackets after features:

features: []

14. Remove the comma after the last 'feature'

15. Rename the file and then save it - ensure that it saves with a .geojson extension and not a .txt extension

16. Go to your Commonplace map

17. Follow the instructions under the Shapefile section to upload your layers

18. If you encounter an error, one of the following may be the cause:

    1. Incorrect formatting - try uploading to a site like https://jsonformatter.org/ to verify that the file is formatted correctly

    2. Uploading too many features at once - try splitting the upload into smaller batches

19. Once you have uploaded your layers, refresh the page and they will be visible

20. Don't forget to populate your legend with the colour coding used for your layers if required

If you make a mistake when uploading your layers and would like to delete them and start again, please contact the support team.

Related articles

Introduction to maps / how to create and edit a map tile

How to add layers to a map

Further support

Still unsure about anything? There's lots more information here on the Commonplace Help Centre - alternatively, contact the support team and we'll be happy to help