Batch Uploading Maps

For any problems encountered when using the Batch Uploader, please contact Avenza Support:

 

Submit a Request for Support

 

The Avenza Maps Batch Uploader is a tool that helps publishers upload large sets of maps simultaneously. The information about the maps is filled out via Google Sheets or an uploaded .XLSX file. The maximum amount of maps you may upload at once is 3000. Anything over 3000 will result in errors.

 

Launching the Batch Uploader

Launch the Batch Uploader here and log in with your publisher account.

If you’re looking for information how to upload single maps through the vendor site, please read this support article:

 

Adding Maps to the Map Store

 

My Uploads Homepage

Once logged in, the My Uploads page shows all the uploads you’ve made. If you have not made an upload, the page will look like this:

The My Uploads homepage with no previous uploads

Or if you’ve made a prior upload, the page will contain all previous uploads in a list:

The My Uploads homepage with previous uploads

 

Each batch of maps is arranged in a table format where rows represent a unique upload and the columns show you particular information:

 

Progress - The amount of upload progress as a percentage. If the upload is incomplete, the red broken symbol will be displayed to the left. If the upload has completed, the green checkmark  will be displayed.

 

Name - The name of the batch upload. If a batch is not named, it defaults to the current date as the name. Example: 2022-03-24. The name can be edited by clicking the pencil to the left of the name.

 

Data Source - The link to the method of inputting the map information. This is either a link to Google Sheets or to an uploaded XLSX file. The two methods are described in the Spreadsheets section of this article. 

 

Products Size/Total - The size and number of maps in the batch. 

 

Uploaded Products - The number of maps uploaded in the batch.

 

Sent to Processing - The number of maps sent to the processing server in the batch.

 

Failed - The number of maps that have failed processing. For a list of processing errors, please refer to the article Map Processing Notifications.

 

Action - There are a few options:

Info - Shows the file names of the maps that have been uploaded, missed, sent to processing or failed.

Edit - If the batch upload is incomplete, clicking edit will allow information to be edited or to continue uploading. The edit option will be grayed out and unusable on batches that have completed uploading.

Archive - Archives the batch. Archived batches cannot be uploaded once they are archived. They can be viewed below the batch list table.

 

Click  to begin uploading a batch of maps.

 

Linking Files

The first step of the Batch Uploader is to link your maps. For more information concerning the map submission guidelines, please consult the support article: Avenza Map Store Submission Guidelines

You can choose to either select multiple individual files or upload all files within a single folder by selecting the corresponding tab. The tool also allows dragging and dropping files or folders onto the blue banner when the corresponding tab is selected.

The first page of the Batch Uploader when Upload a new map batch is clicked

When the files are selected, the system will take a little time to load the files. If the files are successfully loaded, a green check mark will appear to the left of the file name. If the files are not successfully loaded, a red broken symbol   will appear instead. The red broken symbol will prevent the files from being uploaded. To fix the files, remove them and select them again to link them.

When all maps are loaded in, the  button will turn into . Click it to proceed to the next step.

Linked maps in the Batch Uploader

 

Unlinked and linked maps in the Batch Uploader

Spreadsheets

There are two methods to enter the map information, through Google Sheets or through a XLSX File. It is recommended that if you are new to the Batch Uploader, that you use Google Sheets since it will give you real time updates of any errors in the information you provide.

The prompt to choose which method of data entry

 

Google Sheets

A Google Sheets link is generated with all the filenames in the first column. You will be filling out the rest of the columns with headings. Explanations for each column are in the Filling out the Map Information section of this article.

List of errors in spreadsheet with corresponding cells

Blank Google Sheets spreadsheet with errors highlighted in pink

 

XLSX File

You can download a blank .XLSX file template by clicking . 

Prompt to upload Excel spreadsheet

 

This file contains the filenames of every file in the first column. You will be filling out the rest of the columns with headings. Explanations for each column are in the Filling out the Map Information section of this article. Once you have completed filling out the XLSX file, you can upload the file in a similar way that the maps were linked.

Blank XLSX Spreadsheet

 

Filling out the Map Information

Filling out the map information is the same procedure whether you chose the Google Sheets or the XLSX File method. The only difference is as you edit Google Sheets, it has real time error checking that will notify you of any formatting errors or missing information that would prevent a successful upload. The XLSX File method will only notify you of errors after the file has been loaded into the Batch Uploader. Descriptions and formatting of the map information columns on the spreadsheet are as follows:

title (Required) - The title of the map displayed in the Map Store. We recommend using a clear and concise title so users immediately understand your map’s location and purpose.

Formatting - Title length must be between 5 to 100 characters 

 

description  (Required) - A summary of what the map displays, and why a user should download it.

Formatting - Description length must be between 32 to 4096 characters

 

published (Optional) - The publishing date of the map. 

Formatting - YYYY or YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD 

Example - 2022 or 2022-02 or 2022-02-14

 

publisher (Optional) - The original creator of this map, can either be an individual or company name.

Formatting - Publisher length must be between 2 to 100 characters

 

category (Required) - Any category from the category list that you feel the map falls into.This identifies what type of map you are presenting to the public, and all maps must have one category. Users can filter maps based on your selection, so it’s best to be as accurate as possible.

For a complete list of available categories, please consult the support article: Map Categories and Activities

 

activities (Optional) - Any activity/ies from the activity list that you feel the map falls into. This identifies what you can do with the information shown on your map. Users can filter maps based on your selection, so it’s best to be as accurate as possible. You may choose up to five activities per map. 

For a complete list of available activities, please consult the support article: Map Categories and Activities

Formatting - Activity;Activity;Activity

Example - Hiking;Snowmobiling;Camping

 

language (Optional) - The languages that appear on the map. If you see a language you’d like to use that is not on the list, please email mapreviews@avenza.com, so it can be added.

Formatting - Language or Language;Language

Example - English or English;French

List of Accepted Languages:

Afrikaans	Arabic	Basque	Catalan	Chinese (Simplified)	Chinese (Traditional)	Croatian	Czech
Danish	Dutch	English	Estonian	Faroese	Finnish	French	Galician
German	Greek	Hebrew	Hungarian	Icelandic	Indonesian	Inuktitut	Irish
Italian	Japanese	Khmer	Korean	Macedonian	Malay	Norwegian	Persian
Polish	Portuguese	Romanian	Russian	Serbian	Slovak	Slovenian	Spanish
Swedish	Thai	Turkish	Ukrainian	Vietnamese	Welsh

 

country (Required) - The countries or continents covered by the map. If you see a country you’d like to use that is not on the list, please email mapreviews@avenza.com, so it can be added.

Formatting - Country or Country;Country

Example - Canada or Canada;United States of America

List of Accepted Countries: 

Afghanistan	Africa	Albania	Albania	Algeria	American Samoa	Andorra	Angola	Anguilla	Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda	Arctic	Argentina	Armenia	Aruba	Ashmore and Cartier Islands	Asia	Australia	Austria	Azerbaijan
Bahamas, The	Bahrain	Balkans	Bangladesh	Barbados	Belarus	Belgium	Belize	Benin	Bermuda
Bhutan	Bolivia	Bonaire	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Botswana	Brazil	British Indian Ocean Territory	British Virgin Islands	Brunei	Bulgaria
Burkina Faso	Burundi	Cambodia	Cameroon	Canada	Cape Verde	Cayman Islands	Central African Republic	Central America and the Caribbean	Chad
Chile	China	Clipperton Island	Colombia	Comoros	Congo (Brazzaville)	Congo (Kinshasa)	Cook Islands	Coral Sea Islands	Corsica
Costa Rica	Croatia	Cuba	Curacao	Cyprus	Czech Republic	Denmark	Djibouti	Dominica	Dominican Republic
East Timor (Timor Leste)	Ecuador	Egypt	El Salvador	Equatorial Guinea	Eritrea	Estonia	Ethiopia	Europe	Falkland Islands
Faroe Islands	Fiji	Finland	France	French Guiana	French Polynesia	French Southern and Antarctic Lands	Gabon	Gambia	Georgia
Germany	Ghana	Gibraltar	Greece	Greenland	Grenada	Guadeloupe	Guam	Guantanamo Bay, US Naval Base	Guatemala
Guernsey	Guinea	Guinea Bissau (Guinea-Bissau)	Guyana	Haiti	Heard Island and McDonald Islands	Honduras	Hong Kong	Hungary	Iceland
India	Indian Ocean Territories	Indonesia	Iran	Iraq	Ireland	Isle of Man	Israel	Italy	Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire)
Jamaica	Japan	Jersey	Jordan	Kazakhstan	Kenya	Kiribati	Korea No Mans Area	Kosovo	Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan	Laos	Latvia	Lebanon	Lesotho	Liberia	Libya	Liechtenstein	Lithuania	Luxembourg
Macau S.A.R	Macedonia	Madagascar	Malawi	Malaysia	Maldives	Mali	Malta	Mariana Islands, Northern	Marshall Islands
Martinique	Mauritania	Mauritius	Mayotte	Mexico	Micronesia, Federated States of	Middle East	Moldova	Monaco	Mongolia
Montenegro	Montserrat	Morocco	Mozambique	Myanmar	Namibia	Nauru	Nepal	Netherlands	New Caledonia
New Zealand	Nicaragua	Niger	Nigeria	Niue	Norfolk Island	North America	North Korea	Northern Cyprus	Norway
Oceania	Oceans	Oman	Pakistan	Palau	Palestinian Territory	Panama	Papua New Guinea	Paraguay	Peru
Philippines	Pitcairn Islands	Poland	Portugal	Puerto Rico	Qatar	Reunion	Romania	Russia	Rwanda
Saba Island	Saint Barthelemy	Saint Helena	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Saint Lucia	Saint Martin	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Samoa	San Andreas
San Marino	Sao Tome and Principe	Saudi Arabia	Scandinavia	Scotland	Senegal	Serbia	Seychelles	Sierra Leone	Singapore
Slovakia	Slovenia	Solomon Islands	Somalia	Somaliland	South Africa	South America	South Georgia and the Islands	South Korea	South Sudan
Spain	Sri Lanka	St. Maarten	Sudan	Suriname	Swaziland	Sweden	Switzerland	Syria	Taiwan
Tajikistan	Tanzania	Thailand	Togo	Tonga	Trinidad and Tobago	Tunisia	Turkey	Turkmenistan	Turks and Caicos Islands
Tuvalu	Uganda	Ukraine	United Arab Emirates	United Kingdom	United States Minor Outlying Islands	United States of America	United States Virgin Islands	Uruguay	Uzbekistan
Vanuatu	Venezuela	Vietnam	Wallis and Futuna	Western Sahara	World	Yemen	Zambia	Zimbabwe

 

price (Optional) - The price you wish to charge for your map in USD.

The price will be automatically converted to each user’s local currency when they view the map in the Store. Leave this cell blank if you wish to have the map in the Store for free. 

Example - 9.99

 

hidden (Optional) - If you wish to keep your map hidden from the public and only accessible via a link. There are two options:

Yes - Your map will not appear publicly in the Map Store. It will only be accessible via link

No/Leaving cell blank - Your map will appear publicly in the Map Store once it's been approved.

 

new_version (Optional) - If you are creating a new version of an existing map. There are two options:

Yes - A new version will be created in place of a previous map that you specify in the next columns

No/Leaving cell blank - No new version of the map will be created. Map version is Version 1.

Note: When versioning maps, put the maps you wish to version in the Prepare state. Maps that are in the state For Sale cannot be versioned.

 

The next columns are dependent on if you chose Yes for the new_version column. If you chose No, leave these columns blank.

 

whats_new (Optional) - The differences between the previous map and the new version of the map.

Example - Updated to 2022

 

discount_price (Optional) - The discounted price offered if you wish to sell the new map version discounted to users who have purchased the previous version of the map. If left blank, users who have purchased the previous version of the map will be able to update the map for free.

Example - 4.99 USD

 

old_title (Optional) - The title of the previous version of the map. The two titles must match exactly in order for the versioning to work correctly. The title and old_title can be the same.

Formatting - old_title length must be between 5 to 100 characters 

 

Map Information Errors

You will be notified of any formatting errors that happen on Google Sheets or when you load the .XLSX file into the Batch Uploader. Each error will specify the cell it is found in. Explanations of them as as follows:

 

File name is required - Map files must be linked to the Batch Uploader in order to be uploaded. When linked, their name will appear on the spreadsheets automatically.

Solution - Unlink and relink the map files

 

File name is wrong/File extension must be PDF, TIF or ZIP only -  The file extension is absent or is not recognized.

Solution -  Unlink the file and relink a file with a supported extension

 

Maps for these files have not been provided - The map files have become unlinked.

Solution - Relink the map files

 

Title is required - The title is required information for a map in the Map Store.

Solution - Provide a title for the map 

 

“Title” length must be between 5 to 100 characters long - The title provided is either below 5 characters or over 100 characters.

Solution - Correct the title to be between 5 to 100 characters long

 

Description is required - The description is required information for a map in the Map Store.

Solution - Provide a description for the map 

 

“Description” length must be between 32 to 4096 characters long - The description provided is either below 32 characters or over 4096 characters.

Solution - Correct the description to be between 32 to 4096 characters long

 

Published date cannot be future date - The publish date provided is a date that comes after the current date. 

Solution - Correct the date to be a past date

 

Please type a valid date/“Published date must be YYYY or YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD - The date provided does not follow formatting guidelines.

Solution - Correct the date to be YYYY or YYYY-MM or YYYY-MM-DD

 

“Publisher” length must be between 2 to 100 characters long - The publisher provided is either below 2 characters or over 100 characters.

Solution - Correct the publisher to be between 2 to 100 characters long

 

Category is required - The category is required information for a map in the Map Store.

Solution - Provide at least one category for the map 

 

Category must be an item on the specified list - The category provided is not on the specified list.

Solution - Provide a category that is on the list

 

Choose the 5 most suitable activities for your map(Maximum of 5 activities can be selected per map) - More than five activities have been provided

Solution - Correct the activities provided to be between 1 and 5

 

Please enter valid activities - The activities provided are not on the specified list.

Solution - Provide activities that are on the list

 

Languages not allowed: - The specified languages are not allowed.

Solution - Check the provided language for spelling errors or typos

 

Country not allowed: - The specified country is not allowed.

Solution - Check the provided country for spelling errors or typos

 

Price not allowed: - The specified price is not allowed.

Solution - Correct the provided price to be in the format of $4.99

 

“Hidden” must be “Yes” or “No” or empty - There is a value other than Yes or No within the Hidden cell.

Solution - Correct the specified cell to contain Yes, No or be empty. 

 

“new_version” must be “Yes” or “No” or empty - There is a value other than Yes or No within the new_version cell.

Solution - Correct the specified cell to contain Yes, No or be empty.

 

File Errors

You will be notified of any file errors from the maps that are being uploaded. Each error will specify which file and which cell on the spreadsheet has the error. Explanations of them as as follows:

 

The map titled "" is already on sale, product id:"". Please fill "Yes" in "new_version" column if you wish to update this product. - The map you are trying to version is for sale within the Map Store. In order to version the map, it must first be placed in the Prepare state.

Solution - Change the map’s state to Prepare

 

Duplicate title - There is a map on your publisher account with the same name as the map being uploaded. Each map must have a unique name on your publisher account.

Solution - Change the name of the map to be unique on your publisher account

 

After all errors have been cleared, there will be no pink cells on the spreadsheet:

Completed information on Google Sheets

 

Uploading the Maps

 

The final step is to upload the maps. Once all errors have been corrected, the grayed out button will become . 

Continue button on Spreadsheet page is no longer grayed out 

 

Clicking on it will bring you to a page where you can name the batch. By default, it is named after the current date.

Ready to Upload page with map upload information

 

There are also two options on this page that are checked by default: 

 

Automatically submit the maps for review once the maps have completed processing

Checked - The maps will automatically be sent for review once they have completed processing

Unchecked - The maps will be set to the Prepare once they have completed processing. They will have to be manually sent for review through the vendor site whenever you are ready to do so.

 

Release maps for sale in the store

Checked - The maps will be released into the Map Store once they have been reviewed and approved

Unchecked -The maps will be set to On Hold once they have been reviewed and approved. They will have to be manually released into the Map Store through the vendor site.

 

Clicking will cause a final popup to appear just to verify that all map information is correct within your upload. If there is incorrect information, you can return to the spreadsheet and make the necessary corrections; otherwise you will always be able to manually change information through the vendor site once the upload has completed.

Final popup warning about incorrect information 

 

A progress bar will appear with the number of maps remaining and the time left. It also displays a progress bar for the map currently being uploaded. The button allows you to pause the upload progress.

 

Do not close the Batch Uploader window! It will disrupt the upload.

Upload in Progress page with progress information

 

Once the upload completes, a summary of the upload will appear. It details the number of uploaded maps, which ones failed, and how many were sent to processing or missed.

Completed upload page with upload information

 

Clicking will take you back to the My Uploads page where you can see the latest upload at the top of the list:

My Uploads page with list of all uploads