Customize how categories and their locations appear and behave on your map. Choose marker styles, control visibility and interaction, configure subcategories, and set the map view shown when a category is selected.
To get started, open Categories in the Mapme Editor and select a category. Its settings are organized into the sections below.
Marker Style Customization
Open Category > Marker Style Customization to design the marker used for locations in this category. You can:
- Choose a built-in marker or upload a custom marker.
- Customize its shape, color, size, and border.
- Use an icon, text, or a serial number as the marker content.
How Category Markers Are Chosen
By default, a location uses its category’s marker. If it belongs to multiple categories, Mapme uses the marker from the first eligible category in the category list. Categories set to Do not use this marker are excluded from this selection.
You can also assign a custom marker to an individual location or use a global marker override to apply one marker style across the map.
For multilevel categories, the choice between parent and subcategory markers also depends on the Marker Displayed settings. See Subcategories below.
Marker Display & Behavior
Open Category > Marker Display & Behavior to control when location markers appear and how visitors interact with them. These settings apply to locations assigned to the category and can be overridden at the individual location level.
Marker Visibility
- Show: Allow the markers to appear on the map, subject to other visibility settings.
- Hide: Hide the markers from the map without deleting the locations.
- Zoom range: Display the markers within a specified zoom range. Select this option to access the zoom controls.
Labels, Halo, and Interaction
- Show marker label: Allow the location’s label to appear according to your map’s label display settings.
- Show marker halo: Highlight the marker when visitors hover over or select it.
- Enable click on marker: Allow the marker to respond to clicks or taps.
- Display content: Display the location’s details, such as its name, description, and media, in the content panel.
Example: For decorative markers such as trees or parking symbols, you can disable labels, halo, clicks, and content to keep them purely visual.
Category Marker Usage
Open Category > Category Marker Usage to choose where this category’s marker design can be used.
- Use in filters and on map: Display the marker beside the category in filters and allow locations to use it on the map.
- Use on map only: Allow locations to use the marker on the map, while hiding it beside the category in filters.
- Do not use this marker: Exclude this marker from filters and from the category markers available for locations.
Do not use this marker does not hide the category or its locations. Locations can use another eligible category’s marker. If no eligible category marker is available, Mapme uses the default ? marker, unless a custom marker or global override applies.
To hide the entire category from filters, use Filters & Map Home. To hide its location markers, use Marker Display & Behavior. Marker usage does not override those visibility settings.
Example: Real Estate Map
This map uses categories for Property Types, Price Range, and Property Size. The property type provides the most useful marker for each location, while the other categories provide additional filters.
Set the Price Range and Property Size markers to Do not use this marker, while keeping those categories visible in filters. In this example, the map uses subcategory markers with filters both active and inactive, so each location displays its relevant Property Type marker.
Subcategories
For maps with parent categories and subcategories, use the Subcategories section to configure the relevant browsing and marker settings.
Parent Category Behavior
In Single Selection mode, you can choose how visitors navigate parent categories:
- Parent Category View: Selecting a parent category displays its related locations on the map. This works well for buildings, floors, campuses, and venues.
- Browse Subcategories: Selecting a parent category expands its subcategories without changing the map. This works well for guides and directories.
Parent and Subcategory Markers
By default, Map Home displays parent category markers, while filtered views display subcategory markers. Use the Marker Displayed settings to choose which markers are used when filters are active or inactive.
The selection also respects Category Marker Usage, category order, and any marker overrides.
Learn more: Multilevel Categories.
Filters & Map Home
Open Category > Filters & Map Home to control whether the category appears in filters and whether its location markers appear on Map Home.
Show or Hide a Category in Filters
Turn off Show category in filters to remove the category from the filter panel. Its locations can still appear on the map, in search results, and in other views, subject to their visibility settings.
This is useful for supporting information, such as parking areas or landmarks, that visitors do not need to select as a filter.
Markers on Map Home
Under Markers on Map Home, choose:
- Show on Map Home: Allow this category’s location markers to appear on Map Home.
- Hide on Map Home: Keep these markers hidden on Map Home. They can still appear when the category is selected or a configured trigger location is opened, subject to other marker visibility rules.
Show Markers When Specific Locations Are Opened
To reveal the category’s markers when a visitor opens a particular location, use the trigger-location controls below Markers on Map Home. Select one or more locations. Opening any selected location reveals the category’s markers, subject to their visibility settings.
A trigger location does not need to belong to the category.
Example: Hide the Restaurants category’s markers on Map Home and select a Hotel location as a trigger. When a visitor opens that hotel, the Restaurants markers appear. Add the restaurants you want to highlight to that category.
Default Map View
Open Category > Default Map View to control the visible area, zoom level, pitch, and bearing when a visitor selects the category.
- Autofit: Automatically fit the map view to the category’s locations.
- Center / Zoom: Define a specific map center and zoom level.
- Area: Display a predefined geographic area.
Learn more: Setting Map Views.
Favorites
Open Category > Favorites to designate a category for visitors’ saved locations. Visitors can then save places they like and return to them easily.
See the setup guide: Save Places & Favorites.
Additional Category and Filter Settings
The following options control how categories work together across the map.
Category Order
Sort categories alphabetically or arrange them manually. Their order affects both their position in the filter panel and which eligible category marker is chosen when a location belongs to multiple categories.
Learn more: Sorting Categories.
Single Selection and Multiselect
Use Single Selection for browsing one category at a time, or Multiselect to let visitors combine several category selections.
Learn more: Multiple Category Selection and Combine and Intersect Settings.
Expand Subcategories When the Map Loads
- Go to Categories > Filter Visibility.
- Enable Show all subcategories when map loads.
You can also choose specific parent categories to expand automatically. Learn more about automatically expanding category filters.
Share a Subset of Categories
Create different shared versions of the same map, each containing a selected set of categories. Categories excluded from a shared version are hidden from that version.
Learn more: Share a Subset of Categories.
CSS Customization
Use the CSS editor to customize category filter spacing, typography, expand/collapse arrows, and other visual details.
See the category CSS examples.
Related Guides
- Categories & Filters: How Map Filtering Works
- Multilevel Categories: Parent Categories and Subcategories
- Category Filter Settings: Combine and Intersect
- Multiple Category Selection
Need help choosing the right settings? Chat with our support team or use our contact form.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I create a category for my map?
To create a new category:
- Go to Categories in the editor.
- Click New Category.
- Enter a clear, descriptive category name.
- Open Marker Style Customization to choose the category’s marker, then adjust its display, behavior, and other settings as needed.
Tip: Choose category names that visitors will easily understand when filtering the map.
What is the recommended number of categories?
As a guideline, aim for 10 or fewer top-level categories to keep your filters easy to scan.
Too many top-level categories can clutter the filter panel and make it harder for visitors to find what they need. If you need more, consider organizing them into parent categories and subcategories.
Can I assign multiple categories to a single location?
Yes. A location can belong to multiple categories or subcategories. For example:
- A restaurant can belong to both Fine Dining and Seafood.
- A park can belong to both Outdoor Recreation and Family-Friendly.
This helps visitors discover the same location through different filters.
How do I share a map with only specific categories visible?
You can create shared versions of your map using category subsets:
- Open the Advanced Code Generator.
- Select the categories you want to include.
- Generate a custom share link or embed code.
- Share it with your audience.
Only the selected categories will be visible in that shared version of the map.
What happens if a category has only one location?
If a category contains a single location, selecting that category opens the location directly instead of showing a list view.
Why don’t I see markers when selecting a category?
Check the following:
- Make sure locations are assigned to the category.
- Go to Category > Marker Display & Behavior and check that marker visibility is not set to Hide.
- If Zoom range is selected, make sure the current zoom level is within the configured range.
- Check whether individual locations override the category’s marker display settings.
Can I hide a category from filters but still show its locations?
Yes. Go to Category > Filters & Map Home and turn off Show category in filters.
The category will no longer appear as a filter option. Its locations can still appear on the map, in search results, and in other views, subject to their visibility settings.
What is the difference between “Hide” and “Do not use this marker”?
- Hide, under Marker Display & Behavior, hides the location markers from the map.
- Do not use this marker, under Category Marker Usage, excludes this category’s marker design from filters and from the category markers available for locations. Locations can still appear using another eligible category’s marker, the default ? marker, or a marker override.
Neither option removes the category from filters. To do that, turn off Show category in filters under Filters & Map Home.
What is the difference between Parent Category View and Browse Subcategories?
These options apply in Single Selection mode and are configured under Category > Subcategories:
- Parent Category View: Selecting a parent category immediately shows its related locations on the map.
- Browse Subcategories: Selecting a parent category expands its subcategory list. The map updates when a visitor selects a subcategory.
Parent Category View works well for buildings, floors, and campuses. Browse Subcategories works well for guides and directories.
Can I change the order of categories?
Yes. Categories can be sorted alphabetically or reordered manually.
The order affects both the filter list and which category marker is chosen when a location belongs to multiple categories. Mapme uses the marker from the first eligible category, skipping categories set to Do not use this marker.
For multilevel categories, parent/subcategory marker settings also apply. Custom location markers and global marker overrides can replace the selected category marker.