Find the works on the map, zoom until a sign click is precise, and set **Scale:** so objects print at a readable size. This page is **Search address**, **Zoom in** / **Zoom out**, pan, **Scale:**, and coordinates.

Use it when **Demo traffic plan** opens on the wrong city, signs look huge on a **Detail** export, or the scale slider is grey. Skip it to pick a sign from the catalogue.

![Map tools](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/traffic-plans/editor/03-map-tools.png)

## Wait for the map

The editor opens full-screen. A branded overlay shows **Opening Map Environment...** and **Loading geographical data & traffic signs**.

Wait until that overlay is gone **and** street tiles are visible. Do not search or place signs on a white rectangle.

If the map stays blank: [Map will not load or stays blank](/hc/test/articles/map-will-not-load).

## Search address

**Search address** is in the left tool stack (magnifying glass).

1. Click **Search address**.
2. The field appears with placeholder **Type to search address**.
3. Type a street, place, or full address — for example a Utrecht junction, or an Amsterdam venue.
4. Press Enter.

The map jumps to the first geocoded result. There is no separate search button. Enter runs the search and closes the field.

Try a fuller address if nothing useful appears: street, number, city, country. **Neude, Utrecht** beats **Neude**. A postcode plus city often works when a venue nickname does not.

<video controls playsinline src="https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/traffic-plans/editor/07-address-search.mp4"></video>

### Country versus address

**Country** on the plan loads the *sign catalogue*. Address search geocodes a place on the world map. They are not the same control.

A Netherlands catalogue with a Belgian street still searches. You will then place Dutch signs on a Belgian road. If the catalogue is wrong, start a new plan with the correct **Country** rather than hunting in **Search traffic signs**. [Wrong country or missing traffic signs](/hc/test/articles/wrong-country-or-signs).

Confirm **Country** matches the area you are searching before you draw a lot of signs.

## Zoom and pan

Left stack, under **Layers & Objects**:

- **Zoom in**
- **Zoom out**

Also:

- Mouse wheel zooms.
- Trackpad pinch or scroll zooms.
- Drag the *background* (not a selected sign) to pan.

Zoom in until placing a sign on a lane feels precise. Keep the works near the centre of the view before you draw export maps, so PDF pages frame the road rather than a field.

Read-only viewers (share link, or not the assigned editor) can still pan and zoom. They cannot change **Scale:**.

**Zoom** is how much map you see. **Scale:** is how large *your* signs and sketches are on that map. Zooming in does not shrink a sign for print. Lowering **Scale:** does.

Some Dutch layers only appear when you are close enough. You may see **Zoom in further to show BGT objects.** or **Zoom in further to display fire hydrants.** Those hints are the layer talking, not a broken search. [Map layers and Melvin](/hc/test/articles/map-layers-and-melvin).

## Scale

**Scale:** sits at the bottom right of the map.

Default **1.0**. The slider runs from **0.1** to **1.0** in steps of **0.1**. You cannot go above **1.0**. Lower values shrink objects.

Click **Scale:** to open the slider. Move it, then release.

Lower scale *shrinks* signs, lines, and drawings relative to the basemap. Use **0.5** when a long Utrecht corridor must fit more objects on a **Detail** export page without covering the whole junction.

**1.0** is the default for a single junction that already fits.

![Scale control](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/traffic-plans/drawing/03-scale.png)

Set scale **before** you finalise many **Detail** export rectangles. After a change, those rectangles may be cleared (see confirm below). Re-check framing and sign size on **Export**.

Sketch tools and measurement are a different lesson: [Drawing and measuring](/hc/test/articles/drawing-and-measuring).

### PDF preview locks the slider

While **PDF preview** is **On**, scale cannot change. Hover the control: **Scale cannot be changed while PDF preview is on.**

1. Set **PDF preview** to **Off**.
2. Change **Scale:**.
3. Turn preview **On** again if you still need the paper rehearsal.

**PDF preview** is a Pro tool. Paying for unlimited signs (**Paid**) does not unlock it. Preview itself: [PDF preview](/hc/test/articles/pdf-preview).

### Confirm scale change

If the plan already has **Detail** export maps, changing scale opens **Confirm scale change**.

Body, with the value you picked (example **0.5**):

**To ensure optimal results with the new scale (0.5), your detail export maps will be reset and need to be redefined. The scale function gives you more control over the size of objects like lines and traffic signs.**

Notes:

- **Scale 1.0 is the default. If you lower the scale (e.g., to 0.5), all objects will shrink, and detail export maps must be redrawn. This helps keep traffic signs readable when exported or printed.**
- **PDF preview and XL maps will be kept because their scale is based on the selected export map.**

Buttons: **Confirm** and **Cancel**.

**Confirm** applies **0.5** (or whatever you chose) and clears **Detail** rectangles. You redraw those maps. **XL** maps and **PDF preview** framing stay.

**Cancel** keeps the previous scale. The slider closes.

If there are no **Detail** maps, the confirm dialog does not appear. The new scale applies immediately.

After a confirmed change, open **Export** and redraw **Detail** maps before you send a PDF. [Export and print traffic plans](/hc/test/articles/export-and-print).

## Coordinates and Address

Select a sign stack. Open **Traffic Objects** → **Details**.

**Coordinates**: **Latitude** and **Longitude**.

**Address** shows the reverse-geocoded street when the app has one.

Use **Search address** to jump around. Use **Latitude** / **Longitude** when a contractor asks for an exact point. Empty **Details**: **No sign selected**. Typing a latitude does not move the map the way **Search address** does.

## Worked example

Sam Rivera opens **Demo traffic plan** for Utrecht.

1. Wait until **Opening Map Environment...** is gone and tiles show.
2. **Search address**, type the works street in **Type to search address**, Enter.
3. **Zoom in** until one junction fills the view.
4. **Scale:** is **1.0**. The corridor is long, so Sam chooses **0.5**.
5. **Confirm scale change** appears because **Detail** maps already exist. Sam reads that those maps will be reset, clicks **Confirm**, and redraws them.
6. A contractor asks for a point. Sam selects the stack, **Details**, copies **Latitude** and **Longitude**.

If Sam had left **PDF preview** **On**, the slider would stay grey with **Scale cannot be changed while PDF preview is on.**

## Practical rhythm

1. Wait until **Opening Map Environment...** is gone.
2. **Search address** → **Type to search address** → Enter.
3. **Zoom in** until a pole location is obvious.
4. Set **Scale:** (often leave **1.0**; use **0.5** for a long corridor) *before* lots of **Detail** maps.
5. Place signs.
6. Pan by dragging the background to check nearby junctions.

## What good looks like

The map is on the Utrecht (or Amsterdam) works, not a default city you never chose. Tiles are visible. Signs sit on the carriageway at a size that will still read on PDF. **Scale:** matches the export you intend. **PDF preview** is **Off** when you need to move the slider. **Details** shows **Latitude** and **Longitude** for a selected stack.

## If something blocks you

| Situation | What to try |
|-----------|-------------|
| Overlay never clears, or the map is white | [Map will not load or stays blank](/hc/test/articles/map-will-not-load) |
| Search jumps to the right street, wrong signs | Wrong **Country** — [Wrong country or missing traffic signs](/hc/test/articles/wrong-country-or-signs) |
| **Scale cannot be changed while PDF preview is on.** | **PDF preview** **Off** |
| **Confirm scale change** surprised you | **Cancel** if you cannot redraw **Detail** maps yet |
| Cannot pan or the tools are missing | Read-only or locked — [I can’t open or edit a plan](/hc/test/articles/cannot-edit-plan) |
| Need paper rehearsal, not object size | [PDF preview](/hc/test/articles/pdf-preview) |

## Related articles

- [Tour of the traffic plan editor](/hc/test/articles/editor-tour)
- [Drawing and measuring](/hc/test/articles/drawing-and-measuring)
- [PDF preview](/hc/test/articles/pdf-preview)
- [Export and print traffic plans](/hc/test/articles/export-and-print)
- [Map will not load or stays blank](/hc/test/articles/map-will-not-load)
- [Wrong country or missing traffic signs](/hc/test/articles/wrong-country-or-signs)