![still — sign catalogue (combination templates where available)](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/traffic-plans/features/01-composite-editor.png)

![still — placed sign selected (controls / details)](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/traffic-plans/signs/03-placed-and-selected.png)

Traffic plans are built from the sign catalogue for this plan’s **Country**. This page is everyday place, stack, label, and edit. Bulk lines and offset stacks are in [Advanced sign placement](/hc/test/articles/advanced-sign-placement).

Use this when you are drawing one sign at a time. Skip it if you only need a share link or a PDF.

## Find and place

1. Open **Traffic Objects** → **Signs**.
2. Confirm the country list at the top of **Signs**. A toast such as **Showing signs for The Netherlands (Nederland) based on traffic plan** follows that choice.
3. Type in **Search traffic signs**, or open a category. Categories depend on the country. In English you will typically see some of:

   **Most used**, **Speed**, **Priority**, **Road Closure**, **Mandatory Direction**, **Parking & Stopping**, **Commands & Prohibitions**, **Traffic Regulations**, **Built-up Area**, **Warning**, **Direction**, **Information**, **Waterways**, **Custom**, **Subsigns**, **Roadwork**, **Symbols**, **Pedestrians / School**, **Emission zones**, **Events**.

4. **Collapse all** / **Expand all** when the list is long.
5. Click a sign, then click the map. If the search is empty: **No signs found**. If the catalogue itself fails: **Could not load traffic signs** — refresh and retry.

![Signs catalogue — Search traffic signs and categories](https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/traffic-plans/signs/01-catalogue.png)

<video controls playsinline src="https://hel1.your-objectstorage.com/traffic-chart-tutorials/helpcenter/en/traffic-plans/signs/05-place-sign.mp4"></video>

A running count of placed types sits on the right of the map. **Expand legend** opens it; **Collapse legend** hides it. Use the legend to spot a plate you placed twice by accident.

**Details** with nothing selected: **No sign selected**. Click a stack first.

Placement is checked against the free sign limit, participating municipalities, and whether the plan is **Paid**. If the app blocks you, follow the dialog. Full rules: [Billing, free use, and credits](/hc/test/articles/billing-free-use-and-credits) and [I can’t place more signs](/hc/test/articles/cannot-place-more-signs).

Wrong catalogue: [Wrong country or missing traffic signs](/hc/test/articles/wrong-country-or-signs).

## Move, rotate, duplicate, remove

Click a placed stack. The toolbar:

| Control | Does |
|---------|------|
| **Move sign** | Drag the real location |
| **Displace sign stack** | Offset the drawing; Pro. Details in the advanced article |
| **Rotate sign** | Turn the stack |
| **Duplicate sign** | Copy the stack |
| **Edit sign** | Opens **Details** |
| **Remove signs** | Deletes the whole stack |

Each plate in a stack also has **Remove sign**.

Moving into a non-participating area can hit the free limit. Approved or in-review plans disable these controls. Tooltips: **Plan is approved and locked**, **Plan is under review**, **Plan is locked**, or **Plan is read-only**.

If **PDF preview** is **On** and the XL rectangle is unlocked: **Lock the preview map to select this object.** Click **Lock preview map**, then select the stack.

## Details: text, labels, address

Select the stack and open **Details** (or **Edit sign**).

**Sign text** appears when that plate allows or requires inscription. If you see **Please select a road type**, choose it before the text field accepts input. Length limits show in the form.

**Label** is a short crew tag on the stack (maximum **Only 20 characters are allowed** when enforced). Use **Show labels** / **Hide labels** on the map when you want those tags visible while drawing.

**Address** and **Coordinates** (**Latitude**, **Longitude**) describe the location. Prefer **Search address** to navigate; use coordinates when a municipality asks for them.

If the plate is a traffic-controller post, **Details** may include **Manage post orders?** **Open post orders**. That panel is **Post orders**: **Post items**, **Posts**, **Post name (label)**, **Orders**, **Google Maps**, **Go to post**. Full walkthrough: [Materials list and post orders](/hc/test/articles/materials-and-post-orders).

**Timeslots** on **Details** is marked **Coming soon**. The line under it is **We are working on time slots for signs**. Use the plan **Start date** and **End date** until that ships. Do not wait on **Timeslots** for a permit drawing.

## Sign stacking

**Enable sign stacking** / **Disable sign stacking** sits on the right of the map (with **PDF preview** and **Show labels**). Stacking is on by default. The control reads **Enable** / **Disable** plus **sign stacking**.

With stacking on, placing a sign on an existing location adds a plate to that pole. With stacking off, a nearby click starts a new location.

Select a stack to reorder visually by removing and placing, to **Remove sign** on one plate, or to edit **Details**.

The materials list can add **Stacked signs** as a mounting overview. Note on that section: **This is a mounting overview per post. The quantities for the individual signs are already included in the materials totals above.** Those quantities are already in the totals above that section.

Dense junctions often combine stacks with **Displace sign stack** so plates do not sit on top of each other on paper.

## Combination signs

Custom boards live in a full editor titled **Combination sign** (**Build your sign with text and icons**). Open it with **Edit sign** on a placed template.

That editor has its own article: [Combination signs](/hc/test/articles/combination-signs). Do not skip it if you build detour boards — validation (**Check the sign**), **Name** on the materials list (**This is how it appears on the material list.**), and unsaved-changes behaviour all live there.

Public share viewers see the finished board snapshot, not the editor catalogue.

## Request a missing item

If the catalogue has no match, **Request Item (24h)** at the bottom of **Signs**.

Describe the code, country, and what you need. Continue with the closest available sign if the works cannot wait. You can also email [customer@traffic-chart.com](mailto:customer@traffic-chart.com). The form and what happens next: [Request a missing sign or object](/hc/test/articles/request-a-missing-item).

## Older plans from before 01-10-24

Opening some older drawings can toast:

**It seems like you have imported an old traffic plan. When (re)using plans made before 01-10-24, previously placed items may have shifted and will need to be adjusted once to ensure the correct location. This is due to the improved surfaces and the export function of the system. For signs with text, please select each sign and reselect the road type to regenerate the text.**

Do that once. **Move sign** any stack that no longer sits on the carriageway. Open **Details**, pick the road type again, and confirm **Sign text**. Then **Save**.

## What good looks like

The catalogue country matches the road authority. Stacks have short unique **Label**s. Required **Sign text** and road type are filled. Combination boards **Save** without validation errors. Sign counts on the legend roughly match what you expect to export. **Timeslots** is left as **Coming soon**.

## If something blocks you

| Situation | Where to go |
|-----------|-------------|
| **Sign limit reached** or payment dialog | [I can’t place more signs](/hc/test/articles/cannot-place-more-signs) |
| **No signs found** / wrong plates | [Wrong country or missing traffic signs](/hc/test/articles/wrong-country-or-signs) |
| **Could not load traffic signs** | Refresh; if the map is also white, [Map will not load or stays blank](/hc/test/articles/map-will-not-load) |
| **Displace sign stack** or **Bulk signs** locked | [Feature not available for my account](/hc/test/articles/feature-not-available) |
| Cannot edit at all | [I can’t open or edit a plan](/hc/test/articles/cannot-edit-plan) |
| Missing catalogue item | [Request a missing sign or object](/hc/test/articles/request-a-missing-item) |

## Related articles

- [Tour of the traffic plan editor](/hc/test/articles/editor-tour)
- [Advanced sign placement](/hc/test/articles/advanced-sign-placement)
- [Combination signs](/hc/test/articles/combination-signs)
- [Drawing and measuring](/hc/test/articles/drawing-and-measuring)
- [Export and print traffic plans](/hc/test/articles/export-and-print)