Interactive Maps¶

Interactive maps let you navigate the places of an adventure visually on a real map image, using clickable markers linked to place records.

They are designed for cases where a simple tree structure is no longer enough and you want to move through the campaign space in a more natural way, for example across:

a city
a castle
a district
a dungeon
a region

What They Are For¶

Interactive maps are useful when you want to:

use a map as the main navigation surface
open places by clicking visual markers
give the campaign a clearer spatial structure
move from a detailed map to a broader one

They do not replace Places and they do not replace Concept Maps:

Places remain the real records of the campaign
Concept Maps are used to show logical and narrative relationships
Interactive Maps are instead used to navigate real places on top of a map image

Where They Come From¶

Interactive maps are not a separate record type created in some other module. They are born from map images linked to places.

In practice:

you link one or more Map images to a place
you choose which one should be used as the default interactive map
you add markers to that map and link them to places

Where They Are Used¶

Interactive maps live inside Places and Quests.

They can be used in two ways:

as an integrated interactive mode inside the places dashboard
as a large map panel opened from Media

Difference Between Integrated Mode and Large Panel¶

Integrated Interactive Mode¶

When the adventure has maps available, inside the places dashboard you can switch from the normal view to the Interactive view.

In this mode:

the left side of the screen shows the map instead of the classic place tree
the right panel continues showing the detail of the selected place
clicking markers lets you navigate directly through places

Large Map Panel¶

From the Media panel of a place, you can also open an interactive map inside a larger dedicated panel.

This mode is particularly useful when you want to:

edit markers
fix links
work on the map with greater precision

How to Prepare an Interactive Map¶

The correct flow is:

open the place that should own the map
go to Media
add one or more images of type Map
choose which one should become the default interactive map
open the interactive map
create markers and link them to places

How the Default Map Is Chosen¶

A place can have more than one linked map. Among them, one can be marked as the default interactive map.

When DnDino needs to decide which map to show for a place, it follows this logic:

if the place has a map explicitly selected as interactive, it uses that
otherwise it uses the first available map of that place
if the place has no maps of its own, it may use a parent place map

Relationship Between Place and Map¶

Every interactive map belongs to a place.

The place that owns the map is not necessarily the only place you can open from it: markers can link to any place in the adventure structure.

Entering Interactive Mode¶

Inside the Places dashboard, when maps are available, you can switch to the Interactive view.

In that mode you find:

interactive map header
Map selector
optional Back button
optional Upper level button
Show marker names toggle
zoom controls
the map canvas

Map Selector¶

The Map menu lets you choose which map to display from the maps available in the adventure.

Interactive mode supports two kinds of navigation between maps.

Back¶

The Back button returns you to the previously displayed map.

Upper Level¶

If the current place has a parent place that owns an interactive map, the Upper level button may appear.

This lets you move back to a broader map.

The Map Canvas¶

The canvas is the central surface where the real map is displayed.

Here you can:

view the map
see markers
click or double-click markers
use zoom and pan

Zoom and Movement¶

Interactive maps support:

zoom in and out
zoom reset
horizontal and vertical scrolling
panning by dragging the map
pinch gesture
mouse-wheel zoom when the cursor is over the map

Show Marker Names¶

With the Show marker names toggle you can decide whether marker labels should also be visible directly on top of the map.

When active:

each marker can show its own title or, if the title is empty, the name of the linked place

When inactive:

only the marker icons remain visible

How Markers Work¶

A marker contains:

normalized position on the map
optional title
optional link to a place

The marker is saved relative to the map coordinates and therefore stays in the correct position even when zoom changes.

Markers also change color based on the status of the linked place, so the map gives you a clearer at-a-glance sense of exploration progress:

gray for Unvisited places
orange for places Currently visiting
green for Visited places

These colors are fixed and do not change with the active theme, so their meaning stays consistent across the app.

Marker Behavior in Read Mode¶

When you are not in edit mode:

a single click selects a marker
a double click opens the linked place

In integrated interactive mode, opening a place means updating the right panel immediately.

In the large map panel, opening a place closes the map panel and returns focus to the selected place in the dashboard.

How to Create a Marker¶

To create a marker in the large map panel:

open the interactive map from Media
press Edit
press New marker
choose the place to associate
click a point on the map

Edit Mode¶

In the large panel there is a real edit state.

When you press Edit:

the map enters editing mode
you can create new markers
you can select existing markers to edit them
you can drag markers to reposition them

Interactive map in edit mode

When you press Lock, you leave edit mode.

New Marker¶

When you activate New marker:

DnDino first asks you to choose the place to associate
then it asks you to click the map to position it

Choosing the Linked Place¶

When you are creating or editing a marker, the inspector on the right shows the place selector.

From here you can:

search by name
see places arranged in a hierarchy
assign the marker to the correct place

Editing an Existing Marker¶

When a marker is selected in edit mode, you can modify in the inspector:

Marker title
Linked place

If the title is left empty, DnDino falls back to the linked place name or to a generic title.

Moving a Marker¶

In edit mode, you can drag a marker to a new point on the map.

At the end of the drag, DnDino saves:

new X position
new Y position

Deleting a Marker¶

Also from the inspector, when a marker is selected, you can use:

Delete marker

The Map Inspector¶

The side panel of the large map changes depending on the current state.

In Read Mode¶

If you are not editing, the inspector simply shows the list of existing markers.

While Creating a Marker¶

If New marker is active, the inspector shows:

instructions
search field
list of selectable places

While Editing a Marker¶

If you have selected an existing marker, the inspector shows:

title field
linked place selector
current place summary
button to delete the marker

Marker List¶

The marker list in the inspector can also be used for navigation.

Each row shows:

marker title
linked place, if any

In read mode, clicking a row opens the linked place.

How the Map Behaves in Integrated Mode¶

When you use Interactive mode directly inside the places dashboard:

the map follows the selected place
DnDino tries to show the most suitable map for that place
if the place has no map of its own, it may use a map from an upper level

Inheriting a Map from a Parent Place¶

A very useful part of the system is that a place can also use a map from an upper level.

This allows scenarios such as:

a district using the city map
a room using the castle map
a point of interest using the region map

How to Open an Interactive Map from Media¶

In the Media panel of a place, maps of type Map can show the action:

Open interactive map

When It Makes Sense to Use Integrated Mode¶

Integrated interactive mode is the best choice when you want to:

navigate quickly between places
work with the map and the place panel side by side
use the map as an alternative to the classic tree

When It Makes Sense to Use the Large Panel¶

The large panel is the better choice when you want to:

create markers
move markers
change links
work with greater precision

In Practice¶

Interactive maps are the right tool when you want to give places a real spatial dimension.

The core idea is simple:

the place remains the main record
the map becomes the visual surface
the marker is the operational link between image and content