Draw a Search

Draw a Search lets visitors filter locations by drawing an area on the map (click-to-draw or freehand) or by picking predefined areas you prepared (neighbourhoods, districts, delivery zones).

This is an Ultimate module. Enable under Ultimate Modules. Front-end drawing uses Terra Draw (same family of tools as admin shape fields — see Drawing tools (Terra Draw)).

Enable

  1. Ultimate Modules → Draw a Search → Enable
  2. Edit your map
  3. Open Draw a Search Settings (or similarly named widget)
  4. Configure Draw a Map Search and/or Predefined Areas Search
  5. Update the map

Draw a Map Search (visitor drawing)

Turn the tool on

  1. In Draw a Map Search, set Draw a Map Search Option to Yes.
  2. Choose a Drawing method:
  3. Optionally enable a heatmap while drawing: markers/clusters hide during draw so density stays visible. The heatmap itself must also be enabled under core heatmap settings — see Overlays / Map settings.
  4. Set Display status to open the drawing tools automatically on map load if desired.
  5. Customize the area style (fill, stroke, opacity) so drawings match your brand and remain readable over the basemap.

Automatically draw an area on load

You can predefine an area that appears as soon as the map loads (guided search, default territory). Use this when every visitor should start inside a known zone.

UX tips

  • On mobile, prefer click-to-draw with fewer vertices over complex freehand.
  • Pair with a search map mode if you want zero markers until an area exists.
  • Tell users how to finish/clear a shape (follow on-map controls/labels).

Predefined Areas Search

Offer a list of ready-made zones so visitors don’t have to draw.

Setup overview

  1. Enable the predefined areas list on the map.
  2. Optionally open the list automatically on map load.
  3. Allow single or multiple area selection.
  4. Customize list appearance (layout, icons, labels).
  5. Add areas — each area needs a geometry (drawn/imported coordinates) and a label.
  6. Organize areas into groups (e.g. “North districts”, “Downtown”).
  7. Add areas to groups; remove groups when obsolete.
  8. Style predefined polygons (default / active states).

When predefined beats freehand

  • City neighbourhoods with official boundaries
  • Delivery / service zones
  • Campus or venue maps
  • Any case where freehand drawings would be inaccurate or unfair

Translation

Translate Draw a Search strings via WPML or PoEdit. Keep area names in the language of your audience (or provide multilingual area sets).

Relation to core overlays

Admin polygons / KML (Overlays) Draw a Search
Static decoration / always-on zones Interactive filter for listings
Saved in map overlays Temporary search geometry + optional predefined filter areas
Not primarily a search tool Exists to change which markers match

You can use both: show a KML of city limits and let users draw inside it.

Troubleshooting

Issue Check
No draw tool on front Module disabled; option set to No on this map
Drawing clicks ignored Script optimize/minify conflict; jQuery errors
Heatmap missing while drawing Enable heatmap in core map settings
Old docs mention DrawingManager Obsolete — Ultimate uses Terra Draw
Predefined area wrong place Coordinate order — see Terra Draw

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