Thursday 28 March 2013

Google Maps from ACT!

A while back I published a YouTube video showing how to produce a Google Map showing the location of selected Contacts from your ACT! database. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OwPoPoSr3k

This prompted one ACT! user to send me this email.

I just watched your short tutorial on mapping with Google on You Tube.

It was excellent.

I own .. one of the nation’s largest commercial real estate companies specializing in commercial investment sales.

I have been using ACT long before it was even called ACT, and I have been a major fan ever since, and I require everyone in our office to use it.
 
I just found the “display map” button, and that would work excellent for our use, if it would map the location of the property of the owner, and not the address of the property owners personal office.
Is there a way to change the field which the “display map” pulls from, so I can change it to the “property address”, and not the “contact address”?

Great question!

There’s not a way to change the result of clicking the MAP icon.
  
In ACT! it’s hard coded to show the Contact’s main address.

However, I don’t know if you have ever delved into the Web Info Tab, but that also contains a “Google Maps” link which pops up the same map.
 
So as an example, I opened Chris Huffman’s contact record in the ACT Demo Database.

Her business address is 13 East 54th St. NY
 
 
If I click the Map Icon in the menu bar OR "Google Maps" in the Web Info Tab links, a map of that location is shown.

 
 
However, in the Personal Info Tab of ACT! you can see her Home Address is 1993 Broadhollow Road.



 
So in the Web Info Tab I decided to create a new link.
 
First I clicked Edit Links. I selected Google Maps, then clicked Advanced Edit.
  
I then copied the URL
 
I then created a new User Link, called "Home Property Address", clicked Advanced Edit, and pasted in the URL I'd just copied.
 

 Advanced Edit
 
 
I then edited the fields inside the red wavy brackets to read the "Home" address fields; so {Home Address 1} , etc.
 
This URL will now search Google Maps using the Home Address fields in ACT! rather than the Business Address fields.
 
When I click this Home Property Address link it now pops-up a map of her Home Address rather than her business address.
 
 
So, if you enter the property address in the Home Address fields of your client’s contact record you can produce a Google Map instantly.
 
If you need some expert training to customise your own ACT! database to work the way your business works, please get in touch!