# How to use the markup tools
Markups are created by adding different markup elements to it. This includes any combination of markers (points), lines, polygons, circles, symbols, traffic signs, text labels and callouts. Any changes you make are saved automatically in real time.
# Adding markers
To add a marker (point) to your markup, click the 
(Marker) button. Then click anywhere on the map to add a marker there. Clicking anywhere else on the map will add a new marker.
# Adding geometries (lines and polygons)
To add geometry to your markup click the 
(Line or polygon) button. Click on the map to place the corners of your shapes or points of your lines. To create polygons, click the first point again.
To start a new geometry, click the New geometry button, or by click the map again after closing off a polygon.
# Adding circles
To add a circle to your markup click the 
(Circle) button. Click on the map to place the center of your circle. Click and hold the center point of the circle to move it around. You can specify the circle radius in metres in the properties panel.
# Adding text
To add text to your markup click the 
(Text label) button. Click on the map to specify the insertion point for your text. Type the text to display inside the Text field. You can specify the text height (in meters) in the Text size (m) field and the rotation of the text (in degrees) by moving the Rotation slider.
A new label is plain text with no box around it. To put it in a box, use the Text box section of the properties panel:
- Fill color and Fill opacity: Color the area behind the text. At 0% opacity no fill is drawn.
- Border: Turn on a frame around the text. When it's on, you can also set the Border weight and Border color.
- Corner radius: Round the corners of the box. This is shown once the label has a fill or a border.
# Adding callouts
A callout is a text box joined to a point on the map by a leader line, usually ending in an arrow. Use it to label something without covering it up: the arrow points at the feature, and the text sits off to the side where it's easy to read.
To add a callout to your markup, click the 
(Callout) button. Placing a callout takes two clicks:
- Click the map where you want the arrow to point. This is the callout's anchor. If you click close to a feature that's displayed on the map, the anchor snaps to it.
- Move the mouse to where you want the text to go. A preview of the leader line follows the pointer. Click again to place the text box.
- Type the callout text into the Text field in the properties panel. It's ready for typing as soon as the callout is placed.
To cancel a callout part-way through, press Esc before the second click. Nothing is added to the markup, and you can start again by clicking the map.
Callouts can't be placed by typing coordinates, so the Coordinates panel isn't shown for the Callout tool.
# Changing a callout's position
Select a callout to adjust it. Each part of the callout can be moved on its own:
- Move the anchor: Drag the anchor point. The text box stays where it is and the leader line redraws to follow. The anchor snaps to nearby displayed features while you drag it.
- Move the text box: Drag the text box. The anchor stays where it is.
- Move the whole callout: Drag the leader line. The anchor and text box move together.
- Resize or rotate the text box: Use the handles around the text box, as you would for a text label.
# Styling a callout
A selected callout shows these sections in the properties panel:
- Geometry: The Text size (m) and Rotation of the text, as for a text label.
- Appearance: The Text color.
- Text box: The Fill color, Fill opacity, Border switch and Corner radius of the box. A callout always has a box. Its border takes its weight and color from the leader line, so those are set in the Leader section instead.
- Leader: The line from the text box to the anchor.
- Weight and Color set the leader line. The arrow head and the text box border use the same color and weight, so the whole callout stays consistent.
- Elbow sets the shape of the leader line (see below).
- Arrow head turns the arrow at the anchor on or off.
The Elbow options are:
| Option | Leader line shape |
|---|---|
| Fixed | Runs from the anchor to a short horizontal stub that joins the middle of the side of the text box facing the anchor. This is the default. |
| Custom | Bends at a point you choose. The bend starts halfway along the line; drag the elbow point on the map to move it. |
| None | Runs in a straight line from the anchor toward the middle of the text box, stopping at its edge. |
A new callout has white fill, a border, an arrow head and a Fixed elbow. The arrow head is sized in proportion to the text, so it stays in scale as you change the text size.
Callouts work with Copy style to new features. You can copy the style of one callout to the next, or copy between callouts and text labels: the text styling and the box carry over, and a label's border becomes the new callout's leader style (and the other way around). The text itself is never copied.
# Viewing and exporting callouts
Callouts appear on the map for everyone who can view the markup, with the same leader, arrow head and box they were given in the designer. In the markup's feature list, a callout is listed with its text, for example Callout: 'Existing drainage pit'.
When you export markups to CSV or GeoJSON, each callout is a single row or feature. Its location is the anchor (where the arrow points), not the text box. See How to download, comment on and delete markups.
# Adding symbols and traffic signs
To add a symbol to your markup click the 
button to select the Symbol tool.
Click the button to open the Symbol select dialog. Symbols are organised into groups you can switch between using the tabs at the top:
- Basic: General-purpose icons you can recolor to suit your markup.
- Road signs: Official Australian traffic signs. These keep their standard colors and so may not be recolored.
Choose a tab, pick the symbol you want, then click on the map to place it.
You can move, resize and rotate a symbol directly on the map; see Moving, resizing and rotating features below.
The symbol can be further adjusted by changing the properties in the designer panel. For Basic symbols you can specify stroke weight, stroke color and fill color. Road signs keep their official colors, so color options aren't shown for them.
If you wish to repeat the same styling to subsequent symbols, check the "Copy style to new features" checkbox. Any new symbols created with this checked will have the same stroke weight and colors of the checked symbol.
If you wish to change the symbol, you can select the "symbol select" button to show the symbol selection dialog again.
# Moving, resizing and rotating features
Once a feature is on the map, select it and use the on-map handles to adjust it. The same controls work across every feature type, so each feature behaves the same way. Only the adjustments that make sense for a feature are offered:
| Feature | Move feature | Resize feature | Rotate feature | Move vertex | Create new segment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marker (point) | Yes | - | - | - | - |
| Circle | Yes | Yes | - | - | - |
| Line / polygon | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Text | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - |
| Callout | Yes | Yes (text box) | Yes (text box) | Yes (anchor and elbow) | - |
| Symbol / road sign | Yes | Yes | Yes | - | - |
For example, a marker only has a location, so it can be moved but not resized or rotated, while a circle can be moved and resized but not rotated. You can also fine-tune values such as circle radius, text height and rotation directly in the properties panel.
The handles for line / polygon features have different appearances for the various adjustments; these are outlined as follows:
| Handle | Function |
|---|---|
| Blue dot with yellow glow | Move feature |
| White square with blue outline | Resize feature |
| White dot with blue outline | Rotate feature |
| Large white dot with yellow glow | Move vertex |
| Small white dot with yellow glow | Create new segment |
# Styling markup features
Most markup features can be styled, usually by colors (stroke and fill) or width (stroke). To style a feature, first select it by clicking on one of the select handles for the feature, the adjust the properties in the properties panel for the feature.
# Removing a feature
To remove a markup feature, first select it by clicking on one of the select handles for the feature, then click the Delete feature button at the bottom of the properties panel. Deleting a callout removes all of it: the text box, leader line and arrow head.
# Sharing a markup
You can share a markup with other users individually, or with entire groups. To share, click the 
(Permissions) button which will open up the permissions dialog. From here, select any individual user or any groups you want to share with, along with the permission level. The permission won't committed until you click Share.
# View only
This permission setting only allows the markup to be viewed (no editing is possible). This permission still allows users to comment on the markup.
# View and edit the markup
This permission setting allows full editing of the markup. This includes adding, removing and styling features as well as changing permissions for the markup. This permission setting does not allow deletion of the markup; only users who created the markup (and project administrators) may do this.
# Next steps
- How to edit a markup: Change features you've already added
- How to view markups: Find and display existing markups
- How to download, comment on and delete markups