Add Annotations

In Maps, annotation tools provide you with tools to add annotations to call out regions of the map. You can specify the descriptive text, shape, and color of annotation. You can also name each annotation.

To display the annotation tools

In the Tools panel, click the Annotations icon Annotations Icon.

To add an annotation

  1. Click the Annotations icon Annotations Icon. The Annotation widget opens.

  2. In the widget, click a shape and then, on the map, click and move the mouse pointer on the map to draw the shape. See the table, below, for more detailed procedures for each shape.

    • To adjust the shape, click the shape and drag the squares.

    • To rotate the shape, click the shape and drag the small circle that appears above the middle square that appears on the top border.

  3. Click the pencil and enter a name for the annotation.

  4. Click the color palette icon on the right to open the color picker to select a color for the shape.

    Annotation Shape

Available Tools

Maps provides the following tools for annotations:

Annotation tools tasks
Tool To Do this
Select Annotation Icon

Select an annotation on the map

In many cases, when you click an annotation on the map, the annotation is automatically selected. Alternatively, you can manually select the annotation.

To select an annotation

  1. Click the Select annotation icon.

  2. Select an existing annotation on the map.
Draw Point Icon

Draw a point on the map

To draw a point

  1. Click the Draw point icon, and then select the location for the point on the map. The point appears on the map and an "Untitled" line is added to the Annotation Tools menu.

  2. Click the field and replace Untitled with a name for the point.

  3. Click outside the row.
Draw Line Icon

Draw a line on the map

To draw a line

  1. Click the Draw line icon, and then click the location for the starting point on the map.

  2. Click the second location on the map. A dotted line connects the two points.

    • To extend the line further, click additional locations on the map.

  3. To complete the line, double-click the left mouse button.
Draw Polygon Icon

Draw a polygon on the map

To draw a polygon

  1. Click the Draw polygon icon, and then click the location for the starting point on the map.

  2. Click the second location on the map. A dotted line connects the two points.

  3. Continue to click until you have the shape you want.

  4. When the object is drawn, click once again to exit the drawing mode.
Draw Circle Icon

Draw a circle on the map

To draw a circle

  1. Click the Draw circle icon, and then click the location for the center of the circle on the map.

  2. Drag the pointer until the circle is the desired size.
Delete Annotation Icon

Delete an annotation

To delete an annotation

  1. Do either of the following actions:

  2. In the Annotations list, locate the annotation, and then click the delete icon Delete Annotation Icon.

  3. On the map, select the annotation, and then press Enter.
 

Resize an object

To resize an object

  1. On the map, select the object that you want to resize.

  2. Drag the borders of the rectangle to modify the size of the object.

  3. Click anywhere on the map to apply the change.
 

Move an object on the map

To move an object

  1. On the map, select the object that you want to move.

  2. Drag the object to the new location.

  3. Click anywhere on the map to apply the change.
Rotate Object Icon

Rotate an object on the map

To rotate an object

  1. On the map, select the object that you want to rotate. If the object can be rotated, a rectangle encompasses the object and a semi-circle Rotate Object Icon extends from the rectangle.

  2. Drag the semi-circle to rotate the object.

  3. Click anywhere on the map to apply the change.
Pick Color Icon

Apply a color to an object

To apply a color to an object

  1. On the map, select the object for which you want to change the color.

  2. In the Annotation Tool menu, click the Pick a color for an object icon Pick Color Icon.

  3. Select a color for the object, using the slider, or specify its Hex code, or RGB numbers. As you select the color, the object provide a preview.

  4. If needed, use the slider to determine its opacity.

  5. Click anywhere outside of the color picker to apply the change.
Edit Name Icon

Modify an annotation name

Board data cannot be renamed in Maps.

To modify a name on the map

  1. On the map, select the object you want to rename.

  2. In the Annotations Tool menu, locate the name with the highlighted radio button, and then click inside the field or click the edit name icon Edit Name Icon.

  3. Modify the name.

  4. Click outside the row.
Filled Icon
Strikeout Icon

Show or hide an annotation

To show or hide an annotation, see Navigate Maps: Show or Hide a Layer.