Map tools

The map is where you draw and edit a design. This page is a tour of the map screen: what each part is for and where to find each tool. The pages linked from each section go into the details.

The map screen

The map screen has five parts around the map itself.

Part	What it does
The toolbar	Across the top: help, undo and redo, the save status, Design, Details, Print, Tools and more. See Toolbar.
The left drawer	The Layers and Maps tabs (on a computer it starts as a rail of icons: Layers, Maps and Base map). Open or close it with the menu button at the top left. See Map layers.
The search bar	Search places, parcels or coordinates, over the top left of the map. See Parcel search.
The map controls	Under the search bar: full screen, your location, the compass, Map settings and the site at a glance. See Map controls.
The right panel	On a computer, one panel with three tabs: Design (Smart design), Tools (every drawing, editing, measuring, soil and septic tool) and Properties (the selected feature). On a tablet or phone it is the Tools drawer. See Tools drawer.

The bar along the bottom shows the latitude and longitude under the pointer, the zoom level, the map projection and the units. Click the latitude and longitude to see the map's grid coordinates instead (in the map projection's units), and click again to go back. Click the projection to switch to another one for the area, or the units to change them. The house button takes the map back to the site: the parcel, or the soil tests when there is no parcel yet.

A map you open for the first time on a device opens on its parcel, as soon as the parcel is on the map. If you move the map before then, it stays where you moved it.

On a computer, Smart design, the Tools and a feature's properties share the right panel, so the map keeps its width: pick Design, Tools or Properties at its top, and close it with its ×. Selecting a feature opens the panel on Properties when it is closed; while it shows Design or Tools it stays there, and Properties shows how many features are selected. On a laptop screen (narrower than 1600 pixels), the left drawer and the right panel take turns: opening the right panel folds Layers or Maps to its icons, and opening Layers or Maps closes it. The system's Estimate is in the bottom left corner of the map.

The quick tools bar can also sit on the map, with the tools you use most. See Quick tools.

When a new version of landplan.io is ready, a window says A new version of landplan.io is ready. Click Update now to reload the page, or Later. Your projects and saved maps aren't affected. To check yourself, click the version number next to the logo and choose Check for updates.

Toolbar

The toolbar runs across the top of the map.

Button	What it does
Help	Opens the help panel: the tips of the tool you are using, or the video guides when no tool is on. See Map help.
Undo and Redo	Undo or redo the last change to the map. The tooltip names the change, for example Undo Move. See Undo and redo.
The save status	Saved, Saving…, Unsaved changes or Save failed · Retry. Click it to save now. See Map saving.
Design	Opens Smart design or Auto design. See Smart Design and Auto Design.
Details	Opens the design calculator: flow, soil, sizing, elevations, pump and the report. See Details.
Print	Opens print mode. See Print a site plan.
Tools	Opens or closes the Tools drawer (on a computer, the right panel on its Tools tab).
Quick tools (toolbox)	Shows or hides the quick tools bar on the map.
Dark mode (moon)	Switches between the light and dark look.
⋮ (More actions)	The menu below.

The ⋮ menu has:

Item	What it does
Share map	Share the map as a link. See Map sharing.
Link map to a job	Link this map to one of your jobs. See Jobs.
Contract this project as a job	Post the project as a job. Shown when the project isn't a job yet.
Refresh map	Download a fresh copy of the map. See Refresh map.
Project information	The project's details and the app version. See Project information.
Design setup	Your default products and options for new designs. See Design setup.
Help	Opens the help panel.
Keyboard shortcuts	Lists every shortcut on the map. See Keyboard shortcuts.
Map settings…	Shows or hides parts of the map. See Map settings.
Quick tools	Shows or hides the quick tools bar.
Dark mode	Switches the dark look on or off.
Check for updates	On a phone only. Elsewhere, click the version number next to the logo.

On a narrow screen the buttons lose their labels and some move into the ⋮ menu. On a phone, Details, Print, Tools, Undo and Redo are in the ⋮ menu.

Tools drawer

Click Tools in the toolbar to open the Tools drawer on the right (on a computer, the Tools tab of the right panel). Its tools are in six groups. Click a group's title to open or close it. The map remembers which groups you left open.

Click a tile to turn its tool on, and click it again, or press Esc, to turn it off. The tile of the tool that is on is filled in blue. Point at a tile to see what it does. A few tiles also say it in small words under their name, such as from deed bearings under Parcel traverse. On a project you can only view, the drawer has the Measure tools only.

Edit tools

Tools to select, move, copy and delete what is on the map.

Tool	What it does
Select	Select one feature with a click. See Select tools.
Multi-select	Each click adds a feature to the selection. See Select tools.
Box select	Drag a box to select what it covers. See Select tools.
Move	Drag the selected features. See Move.
Copy	Copy the selected features and paste them into a layer. Shown when something is selected. See Copy feature.
Rotate	Turn the selected features. See Rotate feature.
Scale	Resize the selected features. See Scale feature.
System	Move or rotate a whole septic system as one. See Move or rotate a whole system.
Freehand, Snap, Snap guides	Shown while you draw. See Drawing on the map.
Trace	While you draw a line or a shape, click near a line or an edge and move along it: the drawing follows it. Click again to leave it. See Trace.
Clear all	Under More: remove all the drawings from the map. See Clear all.
Delete	Delete the selected features. See Delete features.

Measure

Measure on the map without changing the design. See Measure tools.

Tool	What it does
Length	Measure a distance along a line.
Area	Measure the area of a shape.
Slope	The slope between two points, from the ground elevation.

Basic tools

Your own features, the parcel, buffers, images, and importing and exporting data. See Basic tools.

Tool	What it does
My features	Draw your own points, lines and areas.
Parcel	Draw or edit the parcel outline.
Parcel traverse	Draw the parcel from a start point and the deed's bearings and distances.
Buffer	Draw a buffer around a feature.
Georef image	Place an image or PDF plan on the map.
My location	Options for your GPS location. Shown once Show my location has found you.
Import file	Add a drawing or GIS file to the map: DWG, DXF, shapefile, KML/KMZ, GPX, GeoJSON or CSV.
Export data	Download layers as DXF, DWG, LandXML, GeoPackage, shapefile, KML/KMZ, GeoJSON, CSV, Excel, GPX and more.
Export to CAD	Download the design as a DXF drawing for AutoCAD and other CAD programs.
Import GPS	Add GPS points to the map.
Saved features	Place features you saved before.

Soil

Soil boundaries, soil tests and soil data. See Soil tools.

Tool	What it does
Soil boundary	Draw the soil boundary evaluated in the field. Right-click it to check the fit along the contour or design in it. See Soil boundary actions.
Soil test	Add or edit soil tests. See Soil test forms.
Test pits	Add or edit test pits.
Soil test list	Show or hide the list of soil tests at the bottom of the map. See Soil test list.
Soil & hydro data	Show or hide the soil survey and hydrology layers. See Soil and hydro data.
Field Log	Beta. Log test holes from the surface down. See Soil Field Log.

Septic design

The tools for the site, the buildings, the tanks, the system and the pipes. See Septic tools overview.

Group	Tools
Site	Elevation, Discharge point, Elevation profile, Cut & fill, Elevation list, Isolation, Right-of-way
Buildings	Building, Aux. building, Hardscape, Driveway
System	Tank, Treatment train, Distribution, Trench, Contour (once a trench or bed is drawn), Spray zone, 3D view, Drip design
Pipes	Pipes and Fittings

Landscape

Trees, plants, lawns, paths and walls around the house, below Septic design. The system keeps its setbacks from them. See Site features.

Group	Tools
Plants	Tree, Shrub, Hedge (line + width)
Areas	Planting bed (mulch, garden), Lawn (turf, sod)
Paths & edges	Walkway (line + width), Fence, Retaining wall

Quick tools

The quick tools bar keeps the tools you use most on the map, so you don't have to open the Tools drawer. Click the toolbox button in the toolbar to show or hide it.

From top to bottom, the bar has:

• The handle. Drag it to move the bar. Drop it near an edge of the map to dock it there, or anywhere else to leave it floating.
• The toolset. The arrows go through the Edit, Basic, Septic and Measure toolsets. Under it are the last 4 tools you used in that toolset. The bar opens on the toolset you used last.
• Your pinned tools. The tools you chose in Customize tools….
• The next septic step. The tool for the next part of the design: building with flow, sewer main, treatment train, then trench or spray zone. Its badge shows the step, for example 2/4. Once every step is drawn, it shows Steps done.
• ⋮ (Quick tools options). The menu below.

Click a tool on the bar to turn it on, and click it again to turn it off, as in the Tools drawer.

Option	What it does
Dock left, Dock right, Dock top, Dock bottom, Float	Where the bar sits.
Center on the map	Brings a floating bar back to the middle of the map.
Show labels	Shows each tool's name under its icon. Always on with a touch screen.
Recent tools	Shows the last tools used in the toolset.
Customize tools…	Pin tools to the bar and set their order, and turn the next septic step on or off. Reset to default goes back to the start.
Hide quick tools	Hides the bar. Show it again from the toolbar or the ⋮ menu.

On a phone the bar sits along the bottom of the map.

Map controls

The buttons under the search bar, one above the other, control the view.

Control	What it does
Full screen	Fills the screen with the app. Click it again, or press Esc, to leave.
Show my location	Shows where you are, from your device's GPS. A bar at the bottom then shows your latitude, longitude, altitude and speed, with buttons to record a track.
The compass	Drag it round to turn the map. Click it to face north again.
Map settings (sliders)	Shows or hides parts of the map. See Map settings.
The site at a glance	The last button. It opens chips for the site below it: the soil tests, and after a site scan the parcel, slope, water, flood zones and tree cover. Click a chip to see it on the map. Click the button again to hide them; an amber dot on it means a hidden chip needs a look.
Scan the site	Shown before the site is scanned. Opens Smart design, which reads the parcel, slope, water, flood zones and tree cover.

You can also zoom with the mouse wheel or a pinch, and move the map by dragging it. While you draw, the search bar and the chips step aside for the Finish Editing and Cancel Editing bar.

Map settings

Map settings hides the parts of the map you don't use, so the map has more room. Open it with the Map settings button (sliders) under the search bar, from the toolbar's ⋮ menu, or from Map settings at the bottom of the Layers panel. Your choices are saved to your account, so they follow you to every device you sign in on.

The Show tab has a drawing of the map screen and a large Don't show toggle for each part, with the part drawn beside it. A part you turn off is greyed out in the drawings and goes from the map at once:

Part	What it hides
System value	The Estimate chip in the bottom left corner.
Search box	Search places, parcels or coordinates. The map controls move up to the corner.
Aerial photos chip	The imagery chip and its notices. The base map stays, and Layers still changes it.
Messaging	The chat button and quick questions. Support's replies still come to the bell.
Site at a glance	The site at a glance button.
Help that pops up by itself	Tours, pointers and tips. Help always opens them.
Notices	Notices such as Map saved. Warnings and errors always show.

The Tools tab has the Floating toolbar (the quick tools bar) and the Drawing chip (the layer you draw on, Snap and tips while a tool is on), each with its Don't show toggle. For the floating toolbar you can also pick Small buttons and Lock in place, so it can't be dragged by accident. The same tab sets the Tools panel: hide the groups you don't use and make its buttons Compact. The Map look tab has the theme, the base map options and the units.

The Map settings button itself never hides, so you can always bring a part back. Reset to quiet defaults shows the map as it starts: the floating toolbar, the drawing chip, help that pops up and notices off, the rest on.

Drawing on the map

Most tools draw a feature: a point, a line or an area. They all draw the same way.

1. Click on the tool you draw with, for example the Trench tool or the Length tool.
2. Click the map to add each point.
3. Double-click to finish a line or an area, or click Finish Editing at the top of the map.
4. Press Esc, or click the tool again, to stop drawing.

To	Do this
Add a point	Click (tap on a touch screen).
Finish a line or area	Double-click (double-tap), or click Finish Editing.
Remove the last point	Ctrl+Z (⌘+Z on a Mac), or Delete.
Type a bearing and distance	Tab, with the map focused.
Draw a line at any length	Hold Alt (⌥ Option on a Mac).
Stop drawing	Esc, or Cancel Editing.

Lines snap to whole feet (or metres) as you draw them. Hold Alt to draw a line at any length. To shorten a line you drew to a whole number later, right-click it and choose Round length down.

Bearing and distance

Press Tab while drawing a line or area to place the next point by numbers. The Insert distance and azimuth window asks for the Distance, and either the Bearing (with its quadrant, such as N 45° E) or the Azimuth, in decimal degrees (DD) or degrees, minutes and seconds (DMS). Click Add Point, or Add Point and Finish Drawing.

Snap, snap guides and freehand

While you draw, three more tiles show in Edit tools.

Video: Freehand

Tile	What it does
Snap	Opens the snap options: what the feature you draw snaps to. The tile is blue when snapping is on. See Snapping.
Snap guides	Shows guide lines at right angles, to draw square corners. See Snap guides.
Freehand	Draws the line along the pointer as you drag, instead of point by point.

Tips while you use a tool

When you turn on a tool, a tips card opens next to it the first 3 times you use it.

• The title names the tool, with the step you are on under it, for example Step 2 of 3 · Esc leaves the tool.
• The steps come from this guide. The current one is highlighted. Click Next tip to go on.
• Under the steps are the tool's mouse and keys, and sometimes a short clip: Watch how it works · no sound.
• Full guide opens the tool's page in the help panel.
• The arrow shrinks the card to one line. Turn tips off stops the cards opening by themselves.

After the first 3 times, a chip on the map names the tool that is on. Click its ? to see the tips again.

Undo and redo

Click Undo in the toolbar to undo the last change to the map, and Redo to do it again. The tooltip names the change, for example Undo Move, or says Nothing to undo. When you undo every change since the last save, the save status shows Saved again, unless you also changed something undo doesn't cover, such as the layer order.

To	Press
Undo	Ctrl+Z (⌘+Z on a Mac)
Redo	Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y (⌘+Shift+Z on a Mac)

While you draw, Ctrl+Z removes the last point instead. In print mode the map's undo is off: use Undo in the page tools. On a phone, Undo and Redo are in the ⋮ menu.

Keyboard shortcuts

The shortcuts work anywhere on the map page, except while you type in a field or when a window is open. To see them on the map, choose Keyboard shortcuts in the ⋮ menu, or open the Shortcuts tab of the help panel.

Press	To
?	Open help: search, tips and tools.
/ or Ctrl+K	Search the map.
Ctrl+S	Save the map to the server.
Ctrl+P	Open print mode.
Ctrl+F	Open project information. In a field or a window, it stays the browser's Find.
Ctrl+C	Copy the selected features.
Ctrl+V	Paste copied features.
Ctrl+Z	Undo the last map edit. While drawing, remove the last point.
Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y	Redo.
Delete	Delete the selected features. While drawing, remove the last point.
Esc	Cancel drawing and leave the tool that is on.
Tab	Enter a bearing and distance, while drawing a line or area.

On a Mac, use ⌘ for Ctrl, and ⌘+Shift+Z to redo.

Map help

Help on the map answers how do I…? without leaving your design.

Click Help in the toolbar to open the help panel. It opens on the tool you are using, or on the Guide tab when no tool is on. On a phone, Help is in the ⋮ menu.

Part	What it does
Search	Search or ask, e.g. well setback in Ohio. Type a few words to find the page, or ask a question: see Ask landplan.
Guide	The video guides and the welcome tour. See Video guides and the tour.
This tool	The guide for the tool that is on, with a button to start it, and Watch for its video guide. With no tool on, it suggests where to start.
Workflow	A design process step by step, such as a trench system. Tick the steps as you do them. Start turns on a step's tool, and How opens its guide.
Shortcuts	The mouse and keys of the tool that is on, and every keyboard shortcut on the map.
Did this help?	Click Yes or No to tell us. Contact us if you are stuck.

The button at the top opens the same page in the docs site. Press Esc, or click the close button, to close the panel. Help doesn't open by itself when you pick a tool: the tool's tips card does, the first 3 times.

Ask landplan

Type a question in help's search, or press ? and ask. Ask landplan answers above the results:

• How to do something in the app, such as how do I move a trench: the help that answers it, its first steps and a button to start the tool.
• What the rules say, such as how far from a well in Ohio or gallons per day per bedroom: the rule for the state you name, or your project's state when you don't name one. You see the value, the regulation's citation and its own words, and the other rules that match.

Rules can be stricter where you work: always confirm with your permitting office. Ask landplan answers from landplan's own help and the state regulations it holds; your questions don't go to an outside service.

Video guides and the tour

The Guide tab has short videos of the app in use:

• Start here: one video of a whole design, from the address to the printed plan.
• The basics: finding a property, maps and layers, drawing and measuring, Smart design, Details and printing.
• Design a system: one video for each system, such as a trench system, a mound, low pressure pipe, drip and spray.

Click a video to play it in the panel, and Read the guide for the same steps in words. A help page that has a video shows Watch at its top.

Take the tour starts the welcome tour again. The tour offers itself the first time you open a map: Show me around walks through the main buttons, one step at a time, each with a short clip. Not now, Skip tour or Esc closes it, and it doesn't come back by itself. Use ← and → to go back and forth.

Search help from anywhere

Press ? to open the help search: Ask or search help, e.g. move a trench.

Type a question or a tool's name. Use ↑ and ↓ to choose a result, and Enter to start the tool or open the page. Ask us contacts support.