Hi folks, Byron here with an exciting announcement. We’ve replaced our old Flash player with a new 100% Javascript version. Here it is:
I released it late Monday night, and it was just in time. Google shut off the Flash maps API right on schedule on Tuesday the 2nd. If you were using the IFRAME embed code for the old player, the new player will display automatically in its place. If you were using OBJECT embed code, you’ll see an error message in the old player…you’ll have to grab updated embed code from your map page.
Cool new stuff
Here’s a short summary of what’s new and some helpful hints.
- 100% Javascript, will display on mobile devices
- Styled maps with a nicer blue for water
- New control bar, step next/previous, first/last, zoom, full screen
- Keyboard controls!! Use the left/right arrows on your keyboard to navigate place to place, [enter] to open/close the photo gallery, left right arrows to navigate photos, [esc] to close the photo gallery and reset the map
- New photo gallery with super simple navigation and larger photo display
- Fully responsive (grab the responsive embed code on the map page to get the responsive/fluid map on your own site)
What’s not there (yet)
- Line animation
- Soundtrack/audio
Overall, I’m happy with it as a first release. I really thought I’d miss the animation dearly, but I’ve actually found the keyboard controls and manual skipping from place to place to be more engaging. I think the animation was fun for the first few waypoints, but it wasn’t the most engaging experience. I still do miss the coolness of the moving line, so I’m thinking about ways to build it in to the new player in a smarter way. I know lots of you loved the animation (and the soundtrack option), so let me know what you think in the comments. Bonus points if you find a bug.
Enjoy!
Byron@Tripline