BeaconFence Map Editor

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The BeaconFence Map Editor allows you to create a project where you can design, load, and edit several maps of interest. For each map you can define and modify the layout of physical spaces and the placement of a set of:

• Beacons
• Zones
• Paths with nodes

The BeaconFence Map Editor also provides you with the abilities to:

• Fence areas within the map space.
• Name beacons, zones, paths, and nodes.
• Connect, and disconnect paths between maps.
• Set description values for beacons, zones, and nodes.

BeaconFence Map Editor Basics

BeaconFence Map Editor Concepts

The following are the concepts are used in the BeaconFence Map Editor:

• Maps: Maps are the images of the map that represent a physical space in real life.
• Beacons: The physical beacon devices.
• Zones: A zone represents an area of the map. The zones can be rectangular, circular, or polygonal.
• Paths: A path represents a walking path where you can be positioned at.
• Nodes: The nodes are special points on the map. A path can have one or several nodes. A node can represent divisions in a path, turns in path, or just points of interest.

BeaconFence Map Editor Areas

The BeaconFence Map Editor has the following main areas that are described below.

• Drawing Area: The central panel where you design the layout of your maps and their corresponding objects.
• Information Bar: Bottom bar that displays the position of the mouse pointer and the name of the pointed object.
• Hint Panel: Bottom right panel that shows hints for the toolbar buttons of the main menu.
• Menu and Toolbar
• Object Tree Panel
• Object Properties Panel

Menu and Toolbar

The following table shows the different menu options, and toolbar buttons available in the BeaconFence Map Editor:

Name	Icon	Menu	Shortcut	Description
Save Project		File > Save Project	CTRL+S	Saves, in an XML file, the entire scene; the images of the maps, as well as all the objects with their respective configuration and properties.
Load Project		File > Load Project	CTRL+O	Loads a previously saved scene from an XML file, including the images of the maps, and all the objects with their respective configuration and properties.
New Project		File > New Project	CTRL+N	Creates a new blank project. See how to add and configure maps.
Create New Map		Edit > Create New Map	CTRL+ALT+M	Creates a new blank map that is added in a new tab. You can have several maps to differentiate rooms or levels within a general environment. See how to add and configure maps.
Delete Map		Edit > Delete Map	CTRL+ALT+S	Deletes the map that you are currently viewing. See how to delete a map.
Connect Maps			CTRL+ALT+J	Launches the path editor in order to connect and disconnect paths between maps. See how to set connections between maps.
Select Object			ESC	This tool allows you to select objects in the map. Select an object to see its properties in the Object Properties Panel.
Create Rectangular Zone			CTRL+ALT+R	Tool to create zone with rectangular shape. See how to add and configure zones.
Create Circular Zone			CTRL+ALT+C	Tool to create zone with circular shape. See how to add and configure zones.
Create Polygonal Zone			CTRL+ALT+L	Tool to create zone with polygonal shape. See how to add and configure zones.
Create Path			CTRL+ALT+P	Tool to create paths with nodes in the map. Use this tool also to extend existing paths. See how to add and configure paths and nodes.
Create Beacon			CTRL+ALT+B	Places beacon devices on the map. See how to add and configure beacons.
Set Distance Between Beacons			CTRL+ALT+N	Tool to manually set the distance between two beacons. Use this tool to get a more accurate measure for computing reliable values of distance, position and paths. See how to configure beacons.
Scale Map			CTRL+ALT+D	Use this tool to scale the map. Note: It is very important, that you scale the map after you add the map image, and before you add any object. See how to configure maps.
Zoom to Selection			CTRL+ALT+Z	Zooms and centers the map on the object that is currently selected. You can also use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.
Undo		Edit > Undo	CTRL+Z	Undoes the last action. Warning: Some actions such as for example deleting a map, joining two paths, and connecting maps cannot be undone.
Redo		Edit > Redo	CTRL+Y	Redoes the last action that was undone.
Show Object Tree		Tools > Show Object Tree	CTRL+T	Displays the Object Tree.
Show Object Properties		Tools > Show Properties Panel	CTRL+P	Displays the Object Properties Panel.

Object Tree

The left side panel of the BeaconFence Map Editor displays the Object Tree. Use this panel to see the hierarchy of all the maps and object in the scene. In order to show or hide this panel you can:

• Use the Tools > Show Object Tree menu.
• Click the Show Object Tree toolbar button.
• Press CTRL+T.

You can also use the tree to find, display, and select objects located anywhere in the scene.

Object Properties

The right side panel of the BeaconFence Map Editor displays the Object Properties. Use this panel to view and set the options of the objects on the map. In order to show or hide this panel you can:

• Use the Tools > Show Object Properties menu.
• Click the Show Object Properties toolbar button.
• Press CTRL+P.

The following table shows the option properties available for each object:

Map Object	Properties
Maps	Name: Name of the map. You can add a friendly name for your map. DescriptionList: Property to add any wanted information about the object as a set of key and value pairs. BitmapPath: Path to the image of the map. See how to add map images. FillColor: Color to fill the entire map area when there is no map image. Height: Height of the map. The height is provided in the same unit of measurement as indicated in the MeasureUnits map property. MeasureUnits: Units of measurement of the map: Centimeters, Meters, or Inches. Opacity: Transparency of the object. Width: Width of the map. The width is provided in the same unit of measurement as indicated in the MeasureUnits map property.
Beacon	Name: Name of the beacon. You can add a friendly name for your beacon. GUID: Unique identifier that identifies a group of beacons. Major: The sub-region within the GUID. Minor: The further subdivision within a Major ID. DescriptionList: Property to add any wanted information about the object as a set of key and value pairs. Displacement: X and Y position of the object in the map. FillColor: Color to fill the core part of the beacon represented in the map. Opacity: Transparency of the object.
Zones	Name: Name of the zone. You can add a friendly name for your zone. DescriptionList: Property to add any wanted information about the object as a set of key and value pairs. Displacement: X and Y position of the object in the map. EnableFill: Enables or disables the FillColor property. FillColor: Color used to fill the shape of the zone. The EnableFill property must be enabled to see the fill color. Height: Height of the zone. The height is provided in the same unit of measurement as indicated in the MeasureUnits map property. Opacity: Transparency of the object. PerfectCircle: Determines whether the zone shape must be a perfect circle, or whether the circle can stretch as an ellipse. Note: This property is only for circular zones. Width: Width of the zone. The width is provided in the same unit of measurement as indicated in the MeasureUnits map property.
Paths	Name: Name of the path. You can add a friendly name for your path.
Nodes	Name: Name of the node. You can add a friendly name for your node. DescriptionList: Property to add any wanted information about the object as a set of key and value pairs. Displacement: X and Y position of the object in the map. Opacity: Transparency of the object.

See Also

• IoT
• Using the BeaconFence Map Editor
• Using Beacons