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• SimpleAnimationExtender - The SimpleAnimationExtender adds the ability to automatically move the map through a series of points on timed intervals. You can use this extender to show an animated slideshow of map locations.

Enhancements/Changes

• LatLong.ToString Method - The LatLong objects ToString method has been modified to return a string representation of the Lat/Long point it represents just like the VELatLong object does in Virtual Earth. It now returns a string in the following format "Latitude, Longitude"; for example "40.5137991550441, -97.734375"
  
• ShapeLayer.Visible Fix - The previous release had a small issue that caused the ShapeLayer.Visible property to not work correctly. This is fixed in this release.
• DirtyStateList Object Fix - This fix affects the ShapeLayer.Shapes and Map.Layers properties. Support for the RemoveAt, RemoveRange and RemoveAll methods have been added to the Simplovation.Web.Maps.VE.Collections.DirtyStateList<> object. The previous release did not remove the Shape or Layer from the client-side if these methods were used to remove them on the server-side. This is fixed in this release.

We are proud to announce that we have just release Web.Maps.VE v2.0!! Almost 2 weeks ahead of schedule!

This new release of the industries first ASP.NET Virtual Earth Mapping Server Control adds many new features:

• Support .NET 3.5 and Visual Studio 2008
• Supports Shape Layers
• Plot Pushpins, Polylines, and Polygons
• Plot Driving and Walking Directions from server-side code
• Perform "Find" Searches from server-side code
• Perform Reverse Geocoding (FindLocations) from server-side code
• Impoved 3D Map Support
• No more dependency on the AjaxControlToolkit

Plus many more not listed here! To view a full list of functionality click the More Info link below.

More Info: http://simplovation.com/page/webmapsve20.aspx

Product Roadmap: http://simplovation.com/page/webmapsve20/roadmap.aspx

Thanks you for your support of Web.Maps.VE!!
--
Chris Pietschmann, MVP
President
Simplovation LLC

I just posted the Web.Maps.VE v2.0 Feature Roadmap to the site. Go check it out to see what features are coming in the next release of Web.Maps.VE that is due out June 30th, 2008.

Some of the features coming in Web.Maps.VE v2.0 are Find, Reverse Geocoding (via FindLocations), CustomIconSpecification, Enhanced 3D Map Support, Plus many more.

See the list for yourself: http://simplovation.com/page/webmapsve20/roadmap.aspx

Plus, Web.Maps.VE v2.0 will be released under a "Per Developer" license, instead of the "Per Website" license that v1.0 uses.

--
Chris Pietschmann, MVP
President
Simplovation LLC

We just released the Web.Maps.VE v1.00.08 update release. This is just a small release that mostly contains some bug fixes in the Birdseye map style support, along withe a couple other things.

Download Web.Maps.VE v1.00.08 FREE Developer / Trial License

This update contains the following items:

New Features

• Add support for BirdseyeHybrid Map Style

Enhancements/Fixes

• Better Birdseye Map Style Support - This will be done via some bug fixes that prevented certain functions to be done from within server-side code while in Birdseye map style.
• Remove Server-Side "_Handled" Properties - Removed the server-side Map objects properties suffixed with "_Handled" to clean up the API. These properties weren't meant to be used on the server-side, and the value was just pushed down to the client. The proerties were removed, but the values are still pushed down to the client and used internally.

View the full Web.Maps.VE v1.0 Product Roadmap

Also, as a reminder, we will be releasing the all new Web.Maps.VE v2.0 at the end of June. The Web.Maps.VE v2.0 release is a complete new version of Web.Maps.VE, and will contain a number of enhancements that greatly improve upon what the v1.0 release has to offer.

We are happy to announce that we are working on Web.Maps.VE v2.0, and plan to release it by the end of June 2008.

Here's a list of a couple of the major features coming in Web.Maps.VE v2.0:

No More Dependancy on the AjaxControlToolkit!
In v2.0 we are breaking free of the AjaxControlToolkit by re-architecting it to get rid of the dependency.

ShapyLayer Support Will Be Added!
In v2.0 we are redesigning the way that Shape collections work, and will be supporting Shape Layers via the new ShapeLayer class and Map.Layers property.

Better VE 3D Support!
In v2.0 we are adding better support for the Virtual Earth functionality surrounding the 3D map view. For example, we are adding Altitude and AltitudeMode properties to the Shape and LatLong objects.

VECustomIconSpecificiation Object Support!
We are changing the way you specify the look of your Shape icons by adding support to for the VECustomIconSpecification object. This gives you better support for customizing the look of your Shape Icons, and will also enable the custom icons to be displayed in 3D map view.

Also, Web.Maps.VE v2.0 will only target .NET 3.5.

Well, that's all I can say about what's coming in Web.Maps.VE v2.0. More information will be announced when we get closer to the release date.

Updated 6/16/2008: See the Web.Maps.VE v2.0 Feature Roadmap for more information about this release.

We just released the Web.Maps.VE v1.00.07 update release that includes Virtual Earth v6.1 support along with a few other things. This is our largest update release yet! We hope you enjoy all the feature modifications and additions.

Download Web.Maps.VE v1.00.07

Here's a full list of this releases updates:

New Features

• Virtual Earth v6.1 - This release uses the Virtual Earth v6.1 API, instead of v6.0 that previous releases use. Note that support for all the new Virtual Earth v6.1 features have not been added yet, only the features listed below have been added.
• Bulk Loading of Shapes - This release automatically loads multiple shapes on the map using the Bulk Shape Loading technique described here, to improve performance.
• Virtual Earth Platform Customer Identification Support - The ClientToken server-side property has been added to the Map control in this release to enable Virtual Earth Platform Customer Identification for use within commercial applications. The "ontokenexpire" and "ontokenerror" client-side JavaScript events have also been added to the Map control.
• Shape.ZIndex property added
• Support for Walking Directions added - Support for walking directions have been added via the addition of the RouteMode enumerator and the addition of the RouteMode property to the RouteOptions object.
• Route.Time and RouteItineraryItem.Time properties added - These properties have been added to support getting the estimated elapsed time, in seconds, to traverse the retreived route.
• Shape.Tag property added - The Tag property (of type String) has been added to the Shape object to enable the ability to easily attach some data to the Shape. This can be used to store an ID value for the Shape that will be needed upon subsequent Async Postbacks. It is advised to store the smallest value necessary in the Tag property, since storing a large value for each Shape can potentially slow down performance during AsyncPostbacks. Also, it is unecessary to set the Shapes Tag if the Maps AsyncPostbackPassShapes property is set to False, since this causes no Shapes to be passed back to the server during Async Postbacks.
• MapActionExtender.GenerateAsyncPostback property added - When set to True, the MapActionExtender will cause the Map to generate an Asynchronous Postback after it executes the assigned MapAction. This properties Defaults is False.
• Map.ClearDirections method added - The Map.ClearDirections method is added in this release to enable the ability to clear an existing directions route from the map during an Asynchronous Postback.
• Added ability to change the MiniMapExtenders Vertical and Horizontal Side Alignment from within JavaScript API - A basic sample of using the new MiniMapExtender JavaScript API methods to change the Vertical and Horizontal Side Alignment have also been added to the Sample Website.
• MinLatitude, MaxLatitude, MinLongitude and MaxLongitude Read-Only Properties Added to the LatLongRectangle object - These properties have been added to encapsulate the simple logic of determining Min and Max Lat/Long values of a LatLongRectangle. This is done to help reduce the amount of "copy and paste" that is needed when implementing functionality such as the "dynamic" style search.

Enhancements/Fixes

• All Shapes not finished loading when OnClientMapLoaded is called issue - This issue will be fixed in this release. A description of this issue can be found here.
• JavaScript API: Map.AttachEvent and Map.DetachEvent methods added - In previous versions the only way to attach/detach map events was to use the addHandler and removeHandler methods; this version adds the AttachEvent and DetachEvent methods to the Map object to provide more similar support to that of the Virtual Earth API itself.

View the Web.Maps.VE v1.0 Product Roadmap

On April 1st 2008, Chris Pietschmann (the founder and owner of Simplovation) was awarded with the Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) Award for his contributions to the Microsoft Virtual Earth development community over the past year.

View Chris Pietschmann's MVP Profile on Microsoft.com

The Microsoft MVP Award recognizes exceptional technical community leaders from around the world who voluntarily share their high quality, real world expertise with others. Microsoft MVPs are a highly select group of experts representing technology's best and brightest who share a deep commitment to community and a willingness to help others. Worldwide, there are over 100 million participants in technical communities; of these participants, there are fewer than 4,000 active Microsoft MVPs.

More Information about the MVP Award

Notice to all customers, Simplovation Support services will be closed April 8 - 17, 2008. The Simplovation website will still be available during this time, but we will not be able to respond to any support questions and inquiries during this time. We will work to respond to any support questions and inquiries as soon as possible after the 17th.

We thank you for your cooperation during this time.

Chris Pietschmann, MVP, MCSD
President
Simplovation LLC

We just released the v1.00.06 update release of Web.Maps.VE!

Click here to Download Web.Maps.VE v1.00.06!

Here's a full change list for this update release:

New Features

• Support for Partial/Medium Trust Hosting Environment - In previous versions there was a bug within the licensing mechanism that caused the component to not work in a partial/medium trust hosting environment. This issue will be fixed in this release.
• Upgraded to Support AjaxControlToolkit v1.0.20229 for .NET 2.0 and v3.0.20229 for .NET 3.5

Enhancements/Fixes

• Fix JavaScript AddShape Method - In previous versions there was a bug that caused the Web.Maps.VE Map  objects JavaScript AddShape method to throw exceptions when it was passed a VEShape object. This method is also used internally when updating Shapes via Ajax that have already been plotted, and there previously wasn't a check to determine if the Shape passed is a VEShape object or an internal shape object representation.

We just released the v1.00.05 update release of Web.Maps.VE! This release includes a bunch of new features and bug fixes. This is the largest update we've done to Web.Maps.VE v1.0 so far; we hope you enjoy all the progress we've been making and continue to make.

Click here to Download Web.Maps.VE v1.00.05!

Here's a full change list for this update release:

New Features

• MiniMapExtender Control - This extender control adds the ability to easily make use of the Virtual Earth Mini Map functionality. This will also allow you to easily align the Mini Map to which ever side and/or corner of the map you want; therefore making it easier to put it exactly where you want.
• TileLayerExtender Control - This extender control adds the ability to easily make use of Custom Tile Layers on the Map. This control allows both Declarative and Programmatic methods of adding Custom Tile Layers.
• Declarative Support for Adding Shapes - This is the first release that supports Declaratively adding Shapes to the Map.

Enhancements/Fixes

• Fix MapActionExtender Postback Bug in FireFox - There is a bug in the MapActionExtender in both v1.00.03 and v1.00.04 that causes a Postback to incorrectly occur within FireFox.
• Map.AppPathDomain Property Removed - This property was only there so its value would be pushed down to the client. This property was removed to reduce the overall page foot print of the control and replaced with the better use of JavaScript "location.protocol" and "location.host" on the client. This change is internal to Web.Maps.VE and  doesn't cause any noticable change in its usage.
• Shape.Points property changed from LatLong Array to List Collection of LatLong objects - This was done so that Declarative support for adding Shapes to the Map could be implemented. The Shape objects constructor still allows a LatLong Array to be passed in to prevent this from being a breaking change.
• OnMapLoaded Server-Side Event and OnClientMapLoaded Client-Side Event are both now triggered during the Virtual Earth OnLoadMap event - instead of being triggered after Web.Maps.VE loads the map. This allows for more accurate firing of these events in cases of when loading the map and Virtual Earth's actual loading of the map are delayed for some reason.
• Fix Issue with Birdseye Map Style breaking Asynchronous Map Events - In previous versions, there was a bug that would cause the map to be moved to a different center location when async events (like: OnChangeView) occurred. This issue was caused by VE returning null values for the lat/long point the map is center on when in Birdseye map style. To fix this issue, Web.Maps.VE no longer raises an async server-side event when the VE returns null values for the center lat/long of the map.
• Panning ability added to MapActionExtender - The ability to Pan the map using the MapActionExtender is new in this update with the addition of the PanUp, PanDown, PanLeft and PanRight Map Actions. By Default each of the Pan Map Actions will move the map 50 pixels in the desired direction. You can also move the map by a custom number of pixels by setting the MapActionExtenders Value property. The Map Basics - Client-Side example in the Sample Website has been updated to include this.

Go here, to view the Full Web.Maps.VE v1.0 Feature Roadmap

A new tutorial titled "Dynamically Load Virtual Earth InfoBox Using AJAX" has just been posted in the Web.Maps.VE v1.0 Tutorials section of Simplovation.com. This tutorial covers building functionality that allows you to dynamically load the Shapes Title and Description using AJAX and Page Methods so you don't have to load the full Title and Description until it's needed. This tutorial also shows how to use a UserControl as a template for rendering HTML.

View Tutorial

We just released the v1.00.04 update release of Web.Maps.VE! Starting with this release we are supporting both .NET 2.0 and .NET 3.5; there is a seperate DLL for each version of the .NET Framework. There are two versions of the Sample Website, one for each version of the framework.

Click here to download the Web.Maps.VE v1.00.04

This update also includes a couple small feature additions, along with a couple bug fixes. Below is a full list of changes:

New Features

• .NET 3.5 and .NET 2.0 Support - This will be the first release to support both .NET 3.5 and .NET 2.0. There will be two separate versions of the DLL released, one for each version of the framework.
• AjaxControlToolkit v1.0.11119.0 Support - This release will target the latest version of the AJAX Control Toolkit.
• Shaded Map Style - This map style is the combination of the standard Road style with Shaded Contours drawn on the map. This map style is currently being used in http://maps.live.com/ as their Road style.
• Map.UseSSL Property - This property determines whether the Virtual Earth JavaScript file is included using SSL or not. The default value is True. The main reason for adding this property is to give the developer ("you") the option to use VE under SSL.

Enhancements/Fixes

• SSL Support Fix - SSL support for Virtual Earth was added in the previous release, but there were some issues with it. This will be fixed in this release, along with the Map.UseSSL property addition.
• Fix for ScriptManager.SupportsPartialRendering check issue - The previous release added a check for the ScriptManager.SupportsPartialRendering property requiring it to be set to True. There was a bug in the check faslely throwing an exception when the property is in fact set to True. This release will have this check removed.

Go here, to see the full Web.Maps.VE Product Roadmap

We just released the Web.Maps.VE v1.00.03 update release. This is the biggest update that we've done to Web.Maps.VE. We've recieved alot of customer feedback, and this update reflects that. We've added many features/enhancements that have been requested by our customers.

Here's a full list of what's changed in this update:

New Features

• Traffic data support added with the following new Map object properties:
  • ShowTraffic - this determines whether the Traffic data is shown on the map.
  • ShowTrafficLegend - this determines whether the Traffic Legend is shown on the map when Traffic data is shown.
  • TrafficLegendText - this allows the display of any additional text within the Traffic Legend.
• Map.MapView property added that gets populated on all Asynchronous Postbacks. This allows the visible area of the map to be determined during any Async Postback as needed.
• MapActionExtender control - This control has been added to allow basic map actions (like: Zoom In, Zoom Out, Set Aerial Map Style) to be performed on the client-side without the need to write any JavaScript code.
• JavaScript Support - JavaScript support has been added to allow for much more custom solutions to be built using the control. We will also be releasing tutorials and articles on working with the control from within JavaScript using the supported methods and events.
• SSL Support - This version uses the https url for VE6 so there is no longer a security popup when using the control within an SSL secured website.
• Newly redesigned Sample Website

Enhancements/Fixes

• Map.OnMapLoaded event is no longer fired when unhandled within server-side code.
• Shape/Pushpin Performance Enhancement - the way the control keeps track of which shapes are plotted on the map has been modified to reduce the amount of client-side memory usage and prevent a possible memory leak.

Go here, to see the full Web.Maps.VE Product Roadmap.

Today, we released the Web.Maps.VE product feature roadmap. This roadmap displays what new features and enhancements are planned for the product, along with any scheduled release dates. It already contains what features are to be released in the v1.00.03 update release coming within the next couple weeks.

You can find the roadmap here: http://simplovation.com/Page/WebMapsVE10/Roadmap.aspx

We just released the Web.Maps.VE v1.00.02 update release with the following New features:

• Multi-Point Driving Directions
• Support for Miles and Kilometers distance units
• OnMapLoaded event added - The event allows the application to take some action once the Map is finished loading on the page.
• Support for Custom InfoBox Styles using CSS 

Try out Web.Maps.VE for Free and see these features and more in action; just go check out the Web.Maps.VE Trial!

Remember there is only 16 days left to take advantage of our Special Introductory price for Web.Maps.VE v1.0.

• Virtual Earth 6 Support
• Visual Studio Design-Time Support