Module talk:Mapframe

Module:Mapframe is indefinitely protected from editing as it is a heavily used or highly visible module. Substantial changes should first be proposed and discussed here on this page. If the proposal is uncontroversial or has been discussed and is supported by consensus, editors may use {{edit template-protected}} to notify an administrator or template editor to make the requested edit.

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Mapframe module, and the related Maplink template.

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Frequently asked questions (see also: mw:Help:Extension:Kartographer)

Q1: Where to file a bug report when there is a problem with the base map? (e.g. a missing lake)

A1: If the problem also occurs on OpenStreetMap, it needs to be fixed there. If the problem is only on Wikimedia's maps, it can be reported on Phabricator (you can log in with you Wikipedia account). See mw:How to report a bug for instructions (for the tags, use Maps). (Alternatively, you can try mw:Help talk:Extension:Kartographer)

Q2: Where to report other bugs or problems with the maps?

A2: This may be a problem with the Wikipedia module, or it may be an underlying software bug (there are lots of those).

If the problem also occurs when using plain <mapframe>...</mapframe> tags, then it should be reported on Phabricator (you can log in with you Wikipedia account). See mw:How to report a bug for instructions (for the tags, use Maps). (Alternatively, you can try mw:Help talk:Extension:Kartographer)
If the problem only occurs with Wikipedia's template/module, or you're not sure, report it here. (Alternatively, you can try Wikipedia:Village pump (technical))

Q3: Why does the thumbnail map render as a static image when viewing pages, but is interactive when editing pages?

A3: On Wikipedia, and most wikis other than Wikivoyage, the emdeded thumbnail is a static map, and the full screen map needs to be opened before the map can be zoomed or panned. This is for for performance reasons, and to present some content if javascript is disabled, and for printing.
That preview mode shows an interactive map is a bug, phab:T203863 (and also a performance issue). Further explanation can be found in the comments on phab:T202793.

Q4: Why is a line or shape feature from OpenStreetMap not being shown?

A4: There are several possible causes:

The feature on OSM needs to be tagged with the Wikidata id, per mw:Help:Extension:Kartographer/OSM. It is not enough to just set OpenStreetMap relation ID (P402) on the Wikidata item.
Only certain OSM relations (those with type=multipolygon, type=route, type=waterway and type=boundary) can be used, and not others like buildings and public transport master routes. See mw:Help:Extension:Kartographer/OSM#Limitation and phab:T156433.
It can take 1 or 2 days after tagging on OSM before the data is available here.
Wikimedia occasionally has problems replicating OSM data (e.g. phab:T218097), or intentionally disables replication due to other problems (e.g. phab:T243609)

Q5: Why are line, shape, or point features are not shown after editing or adding a map, even though they were shown in the page preview?

A5: This is a bug related to generating thumbnail map images. It should fix itself in an hour or two. See phab:T269984 for details.

Q6: A page using mapframe's |raw= parameter is showing error messages of "The time allocated for running scripts has expired." What can be done?

A6: If the amount of raw data to be processed is too large, that timeout message may be shown. You can try moving the raw data to Commons (example) or replacing the mapframe template with the equivalent wikitext using Special:ExpandTemplates (example)

To help centralize discussions and keep related topics together, Template talk:Maplink and related subpages redirect here

Avoid polluting Category:Pages with script errors

Rather than using assert(lat_d, "Unable to get latitude/longitude from input '"..coords.."'."), which shows an unhelpful level of detail and places pages into the generic Category:Pages with script errors, is there a way to just return something like <strong class="error">Unable to get latitude/longitude from input XXX. Specify coordinates using {{tl|Coord}} template.</strong>[[Category:Pages with mapframe errors]] that would be more helpful and use a dedicated category? Only complication would be if there are other modules that try to parse the output of mapframe, but the common ones such as Module:Infobox mapframe just concatenate the output string to something else and should work fine. --Ahecht (TALK
PAGE) 14:25, 4 September 2025 (UTC)[reply]

coord compatibility

Why does Template:Maplink/testcases#Coord compatibility happen? It's not often, but it trips me up every now and then. If the coord template can tolerate lowercase cardinal directions, why can't maplink? --Joy (talk) 14:50, 23 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Map labels for some place names in Telugu language partly rendered with rectangular boxes

I filed a bug affecting small number of place labels for Telugu language on Phabricator (https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T408884). Request other users with similar problem in their native languages to add comments. Arjunaraoc (talk) 01:46, 31 October 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Raw GeoJSON preferably stored locally rather than on Commons

On {{Maplink}}, regarding the raw parameter, why does it say for GeoJSON to be stored locally here rather than on Commons? The text is: "(specify raw GeoJSON, preferably transcluded from a subpage of Wikipedia:Map data)". A technical issue, or fear of vandalism on Commons, or something else? Commander Keane (talk) 03:58, 13 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The instruction to use Wikipedia's Map Data predates the updated licensing conditions on Commons, clearly it was overlooked and has not been updated since. It also states preferably. Regs, The Equalizer (talk) 17:26, 15 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Discussion at Template talk:MergedMap

You are invited to join the discussion at Template talk:MergedMap. -- Joy (talk) 12:34, 27 November 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Wikidata precision property

Apparently there's a precision indicator on Wikidata forms that impacts coordinates, e.g. in this diff. Would it be possible to look up that value (once we're already rendering Wikidata coordinates, of course) and have it contribute to our default thumbnail zoom? @Hike395? --Joy (talk) 11:49, 10 December 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Multiple maps on a page?

In Special:Permalink/1334423075, I'm creating some maps which will eventually be used in Tatannuaq. In the Coppermine expedition map, the marker numbers (to my great astonishment) don't follow the template item numbers but appear to pick up in sequence where the previous map left off. Is there any way to get each map to start numbering at 1? RoySmith (talk) 13:08, 23 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, set the marker type for the points in each map with the same number group, so -number-1 etc. Regs, The Equalizer (talk) 19:02, 23 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

OK, that worked, thanks. But, I do have to say, not at all obvious from the docs :-) RoySmith (talk) 20:41, 23 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Better way to arrange multiple items in a map?

Locations where Mallon worked or resided. 1) Mamaroneck. 2) East Hampton. 3) Sands Point. 4) Oyster Bay. 5) Tuxedo Park. 6) New York. 7) North Brother Island. 8) Newfoundland. 9 Marblehead. 10) Dark Harbor.

In Mary Mallon, I've got a map with 10 locations. Is there some way to do this without having to explicitly number the locations, i.e. type1, type2, etc? That's a maintenance nightmare. The intent is that the locations are numbered in the same order as they are mentioned in the article text. If I want to add a new location between what's now 2 and 3, I have to manually renumber all the rest of the items. That's a pain in the wikitext editor. It would be essentially impossible in VE. What I've been tending to do is copy-paste the text onto my desktop, go at it with emacs, and copy-paste the results back. Not wonderful, but better than the alternatives.

Computers are good at counting things. Why can't there be a way to just list the locations in order, without any explicit numbering, and let the software handle figuring out which is 3 and which is 7? Then if I want to modify the list, I just plop the new entry down and it all works.

Is there at least some way to not have to repeat the type, marker, and marker-size parameters, since they're the same for every item? RoySmith (talk) 13:32, 30 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]

Most of the Wikipedia:Maps for Wikipedia tools expect the same format to define each marker / feature with parameters unless using default values where some can be left off. Mapframe does offer a Wikidata SPARQL query option whereby the points can be pulled into the map automatically without explicitly defining them but it is quite advanced powerful stuff. Regs, The Equalizer (talk) 14:29, 30 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]