Posted on: 15 May 2024
Release notes 3.10

It’s been a busy couple of months for the Polimapper technical team, who’ve implemented a number of product improvements, particularly around general election based functionality.

Here’s a summary of what’s new in Version 3.10

 

Postcode search

We have updated our postcode/constituency search box from the previous release following feedback. You can now either search by postcode or constituency, giving a smoother user experience. 

This can be changed via a simple switch in the Polimapper CMS, so if your map is set to postcode search but you wish to quickly change it to constituency search ahead of an event or meeting, then that’s simple to do.

In addition, we have improved postcode validation so it works with a variety of spacing options. Specifically it ignores spaces either before, in the middle or afterwards when inputting a postcode.

 

Candidate Engage functionality

Much of our work in recent months has focused on our new supporter-to-candidate action tool, Candidate Engage.

Specific functionality improvements include:

  • Introduced a new one-page email candidate form, simplifying the process to increase conversion. 
  • Read full/less letter functionality for each selected candidate in candidate email form.
  • Added an option in the admin system that enables ‘editing’ of the emails to be switched on or off.
  • Created test mode to enable emails to emulate the candidate email sending process. And introduced a setting named “production/live project”; selecting “production” ensures that the MP/candidate does not receive emails from test or normal mode. Test mode still functions when the project is live.
  • Added options to independently choose the colour of the “Email your candidate” box to make it standout. Candidate action button background and text color option added in admin area.
  • Improved the way error messages are displayed eg. when there is no candidate email or you have already emailed the candidate.
  • Added an anchor link for ‘email candidates’ to assist conversion on mobile
  • Candidate background image: optionally enable an image to be displayed as background.
  • Change to email form so a candidate can not be emailed more than once by the same email address.
  • Added “Not Allowed icon” and accompanying message that appears on hover for candidates for whom we are yet to source an email.

 

Email functionality

  • Email export first name and last names stored in separate column.
  • Added postcode to email export
  • Toggle email confirmation on/off.
  • Send confirmation emails only once

Styling changes

In addition to the above changes, we have also made some styling changes to provide more flexibility. Lead among these are options to hide the map on the landing page, and to hide the local area outline image on local profile pages.

 

Here are the full list of changes

 

Maps and outlines

  • Created an option for removing the heatmap from the front page where it’s not strictly necessary and lowering load times is key.
  • Added an option to hide constituency outlines.

 

Dropdown positioning

  • Make dropdown longer horizontally and more central for usability purposes
  • Move zoom controls closer to the map
  • Hide map controllers button on mobile devices
  • Make select datafield full width so fewer titles get cut-off/truncated.
  • Make data-field dropdown background opaque.

 

General styling

  • Hide title – an option to disable the title on the home page.
  • Added Favicon/Browser icon option.
  • Remove Polimapper logo and added link ‘Powered by Polimapper’.
  • Remove N/A (if have any) from complex table values when field type is not text.
  • Round averages to the nearest whole number

 

Social share

  • Added project title in social share page title.
  • Added social share logo option in admin area and displayed on shares
  • WhatsApp share function: add option in the template, client and reflect to projects.
  • Add WhatsApp variable to the API.
  • WhatsApp share functionality implement on front-end.
  • Add WhatsApp share count in analytics module.

 

England-only map template

  • Show message  when a non-English postcode is input into the England-only map.

 

Optimisation work

  • Load optimisation work: remove unnecessary files, unnecessary CSS and codes.
  • When a project is loaded, only load the specific node data when node is opened to reduce initial load time.

 

Mobile usability

  • Disabled ability to click on map
  • Disabled ability to move the map
  • three dots denoting the menu will auto remove if the menu is empty 

 

Stakeholders

  • MP List issue bug fixed that prevented all MPs being selected.