CIMS Wiki - User contributions [en]

Map features

2026-09-21T21:05:15Z

Cims wiki: /* Vegetation options */

You may want to display trees, benches, fire hydrants and other objects visually on your CIMS map. This is what map features are for! CIMS also offers the ability to place temporary map markers.

[[Map features#Map features basics|Map features basics]]

[[Map features#Add a map feature|Add a map feature]]

[[Map features#Edit a map feature|Edit a map feature]]

[[Map features#Delete a map feature|Delete a map feature]]

[[Map features#Add media|Editing a map feature]]

[[Map features#Vegetation options|Vegetation options]]

[[Map features#Default map feature color|Default map feature color]]

[[Map features#Temporary map markers|Temporary map markers]]
<br><br>

==Add a map feature==

*Move your map so that it is zoomed in and roughly centered on the area where you want to add a map feature.
* In the top navigation bar, click "Utilities". From the dropdown, click "New map feature".
* Your default map feature shape will appear on the map. Use the options in the right-hand flyout to change the feature shape, color, size and rotation. Change the position of the map feature using controls in the right-hand flyout or simply clicking on the map. Select a feature type from the dropdown, then click "Save".
**Don't see the feature type you'd like to use as an option in the dropdown? Click the navy plus button to the right of the dropdown to open a popup that will allow you to add a new feature type.

Your map feature has been saved to the database and will appear on your map!

<br><gallery widths="375" heights="280">
File:Map features 1.png|To add a new map feature, click "Map features" from the navigation bar, then "New map feature".
File:Map features 2.png|Customize your map feature, including changing the color, shape, size, position and rotation. Choose a type (in the above case, it's a tree), then click "Save".
File:Map features 3.png|Your map feature will appear as a solid shape on your map! In this case, the tree shape helps us understand why two of our spaces are marked as restricted.
</gallery><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Edit a map feature==
To edit a map feature, first click on it on the map to load its information in the right-hand flyout.

Edit a feature's shape, including its color, position and rotation, by clicking the navy "Edit feature shape" button near the top of the flyout. Edit other fields associated with the map feature by clicking on the fields in question, making your changes, and clicking "Update".
<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Delete a map feature==
To delete a map feature, first click on it on the map to load its information in the right-hand flyout. Click the red "Remove" button, then click "Ok" to confirm. The map feature will shortly disappear from your map.

<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Add media==
[[File:Map feature with media.png|thumb|600x600px|This map feature has media attached to it, namely, a photo of the tree it represents.]]
Just like with spaces, burials, markers and more, you can choose to add media to a map feature. Click on the map feature on your map to load its information in the right-hand flyout. Scroll down to the Feature media section and click the navy "Add media" button. Upload a file or use your device's camera to take an image, then click "Save".

<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Vegetation options==

If your cemetery contains trees or other vegetation, you can choose to categorize those plants by their species name and record such details as the planting date and physical measurements. This is done in CIMS using map features assigned a "vegetation" type.

==== Enabling vegetation ====
If your cemetery doesn't have any map feature types categorized as vegetation, you need to change those types:

# Open up the dropdown options for map feature types. [[Dropdown options (formerly constants)|Read this section of our documentation on dropdowns]] to learn how to access the dropdown options.
# Find the relevant dropdown option you want to categorize as vegetation. Click the "vegetation" checkbox next to it, then the green "update" button.
# Alternatively, add any new dropdown options you want, save them, then mark them as vegetation by following step 2.

==== Marking a map feature as vegetation ====
Whether you're adding a new map feature or making an existing map feature vegetation, the process is the same:

# Choose a "type" for your map feature that is categorized as vegetation. In the dropdown, these types will be bolded and green. If none of your options appear so, follow the steps above to categorize one or more map feature types as vegetation.
# Options will appear below the type pertaining specifically to vegetation. You can choose to track the common name, species, planting date, measurements and more.
# Click "Save" if a new map feature or "Update" if an existing to save your changes.

==== Finding vegetation ====
All map features are clickable. Click on a map feature to see its details and edit them.

For a list of all vegetation map features, open the left-hand flyout and use the "Search" tab. Specify a search type of "Map features". Click the checkbox "All tree/vegetation" and click "Search". A list of all map features whose type is categorized as vegetation will appear.

Not sure where the "Search" tab is? [[Searching#Search basics|Read our page on searching]].

<gallery widths="420" heights="320">
File:Vegetation dropdown options.png|To categorize a map feature type as vegetation, click the "Vegetation" checkbox and then "Update".
File:Adding vegetation.png|Assign a map feature one of your vegetation map feature types to make the "Tree/vegetation" options appear.
File:Vegetation search.png|For a list of all vegetation map features, use the "Search" tab of the left-hand flyout, the type "Map features", click the checkbox "All tree/vegetation", then click "Search".
</gallery><br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Default map feature color==
[[File:Default map feature color.png|thumb|530x530px|In the "Map shapes" tab, change the "Default color setting" to the color you want your map features to default to. Click "Update cemetery settings" to save your change.]]
You can set a default color for your map features. This is especially useful if you're adding a lot of the same kind of map feature to your map at once, like a grove of green trees, or black utility boxes.

First, open the cemetery settings popup by clicking on the name of your cemetery in the upper-left corner of CIMS, then click "Cemetery settings". In this popup, click the "Map shapes" tab at the top, then scroll down to the "Feature shapes" section. Find the "Default color setting" and click the square of color next to it. This opens the color picker popup; choose the color you want, then click outside the color picker to close it. To save your default map feature color, click "Update cemetery settings". Your webpage will refresh and new map features will default to the color you chose.

<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Temporary map markers==

Temporary map markers allow you to place markers that disappear the next time you refresh your webpage. These markers appear only to you, not to others who may be using CIMS at the same time on their own devices. Temporary map markers are useful when saving or emailing screenshots of CIMS.

Follow these steps to place and edit a temporary map marker:

*Click "Utilities" in the top navigation bar, then "Add Temporary Map Marker".
*A map marker will appear in the middle of your screen. Click and drag on its lower point to move it.
*The latitude and longitude of the marker can be copied to your device's clipboard
*Notes may be added in the text box below the latitude and longitude.
*To remove a marker, click the "X" in the top-right corner.
*From here, you may want to take a screenshot of your temporary map markers, or use the built-in feature to [[Print or email screenshots|print or email screenshots.]]
<gallery widths="340" heights="220">
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 1.png|First, click "Add temporary map marker".
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 2.png|To move the marker, click and drag the lower triangular part of the marker.
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 3.png|Copy the latitude and longitude using the button that looks like two pieces of paper.
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 4.png|Add an optional note.
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 5.png|Remove the marker by clicking the "X" button.
</gallery>
[[File:Built-in print-email functionality example.png|center|thumb|778x778px|Using CIMS's built-in print/email functionality, you can send or save images of these temporary map markers to others.]]

Map features

2026-09-21T21:03:03Z

Cims wiki: /* Vegetation options */

You may want to display trees, benches, fire hydrants and other objects visually on your CIMS map. This is what map features are for! CIMS also offers the ability to place temporary map markers.

[[Map features#Map features basics|Map features basics]]

[[Map features#Add a map feature|Add a map feature]]

[[Map features#Edit a map feature|Edit a map feature]]

[[Map features#Delete a map feature|Delete a map feature]]

[[Map features#Add media|Editing a map feature]]

[[Map features#Vegetation options|Vegetation options]]

[[Map features#Default map feature color|Default map feature color]]

[[Map features#Temporary map markers|Temporary map markers]]
<br><br>

==Add a map feature==

*Move your map so that it is zoomed in and roughly centered on the area where you want to add a map feature.
* In the top navigation bar, click "Utilities". From the dropdown, click "New map feature".
* Your default map feature shape will appear on the map. Use the options in the right-hand flyout to change the feature shape, color, size and rotation. Change the position of the map feature using controls in the right-hand flyout or simply clicking on the map. Select a feature type from the dropdown, then click "Save".
**Don't see the feature type you'd like to use as an option in the dropdown? Click the navy plus button to the right of the dropdown to open a popup that will allow you to add a new feature type.

Your map feature has been saved to the database and will appear on your map!

<br><gallery widths="375" heights="280">
File:Map features 1.png|To add a new map feature, click "Map features" from the navigation bar, then "New map feature".
File:Map features 2.png|Customize your map feature, including changing the color, shape, size, position and rotation. Choose a type (in the above case, it's a tree), then click "Save".
File:Map features 3.png|Your map feature will appear as a solid shape on your map! In this case, the tree shape helps us understand why two of our spaces are marked as restricted.
</gallery><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Edit a map feature==
To edit a map feature, first click on it on the map to load its information in the right-hand flyout.

Edit a feature's shape, including its color, position and rotation, by clicking the navy "Edit feature shape" button near the top of the flyout. Edit other fields associated with the map feature by clicking on the fields in question, making your changes, and clicking "Update".
<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Delete a map feature==
To delete a map feature, first click on it on the map to load its information in the right-hand flyout. Click the red "Remove" button, then click "Ok" to confirm. The map feature will shortly disappear from your map.

<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Add media==
[[File:Map feature with media.png|thumb|600x600px|This map feature has media attached to it, namely, a photo of the tree it represents.]]
Just like with spaces, burials, markers and more, you can choose to add media to a map feature. Click on the map feature on your map to load its information in the right-hand flyout. Scroll down to the Feature media section and click the navy "Add media" button. Upload a file or use your device's camera to take an image, then click "Save".

<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Vegetation options==

If your cemetery contains trees or other vegetation, you can choose to categorize those plants by their species name and record such details as the planting date and physical measurements. This is done in CIMS by marking map features by assigning the feature a type that is categorized as "vegetation".

==== Enabling vegetation ====
If your cemetery doesn't have any map feature types categorized as vegetation, you need to change those types:

# Open up the dropdown options for map feature types. [[Dropdown options (formerly constants)|Read this section of our documentation on dropdowns]] to learn how to access the dropdown options.
# Find the relevant dropdown option you want to categorize as vegetation. Click the "vegetation" checkbox next to it, then the green "update" button.
# Alternatively, add any new dropdown options you want, save them, then mark them as vegetation by following step 2.

==== Marking a map feature as vegetation ====
Whether you're adding a new map feature or making an existing map feature vegetation, the process is the same:

# Choose a "type" for your map feature that is categorized as vegetation. In the dropdown, these types will be bolded and green. If none of your options appear so, follow the steps above to categorize one or more map feature types as vegetation.
# Options will appear below the type pertaining specifically to vegetation. You can choose to track the common name, species, planting date, measurements and more.
# Click "Save" if a new map feature or "Update" if an existing to save your changes.

==== Finding vegetation ====
All map features are clickable. Click on a map feature to see its details and edit them. For a list of all vegetation map features, open the left-hand flyout and use the "Search" tab. Specify a search type of "Map features". Click the checkbox "All tree/vegetation" and click "Search". A list of all map features whose type is categorized as vegetation will appear.

Not sure where the "Search" tab is? [[Searching#Search basics|Read our page on searching]].

<gallery widths="420" heights="320">
File:Vegetation dropdown options.png|To categorize a map feature type as vegetation, click the "Vegetation" checkbox and then "Update".
File:Adding vegetation.png|Assign a map feature one of your vegetation map feature types to make the "Tree/vegetation" options appear.
File:Vegetation search.png|For a list of all vegetation map features, use the "Search" tab of the left-hand flyout, the type "Map features", click the checkbox "All tree/vegetation", then click "Search".
</gallery><br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Default map feature color==
[[File:Default map feature color.png|thumb|530x530px|In the "Map shapes" tab, change the "Default color setting" to the color you want your map features to default to. Click "Update cemetery settings" to save your change.]]
You can set a default color for your map features. This is especially useful if you're adding a lot of the same kind of map feature to your map at once, like a grove of green trees, or black utility boxes.

First, open the cemetery settings popup by clicking on the name of your cemetery in the upper-left corner of CIMS, then click "Cemetery settings". In this popup, click the "Map shapes" tab at the top, then scroll down to the "Feature shapes" section. Find the "Default color setting" and click the square of color next to it. This opens the color picker popup; choose the color you want, then click outside the color picker to close it. To save your default map feature color, click "Update cemetery settings". Your webpage will refresh and new map features will default to the color you chose.

<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Temporary map markers==

Temporary map markers allow you to place markers that disappear the next time you refresh your webpage. These markers appear only to you, not to others who may be using CIMS at the same time on their own devices. Temporary map markers are useful when saving or emailing screenshots of CIMS.

Follow these steps to place and edit a temporary map marker:

*Click "Utilities" in the top navigation bar, then "Add Temporary Map Marker".
*A map marker will appear in the middle of your screen. Click and drag on its lower point to move it.
*The latitude and longitude of the marker can be copied to your device's clipboard
*Notes may be added in the text box below the latitude and longitude.
*To remove a marker, click the "X" in the top-right corner.
*From here, you may want to take a screenshot of your temporary map markers, or use the built-in feature to [[Print or email screenshots|print or email screenshots.]]
<gallery widths="340" heights="220">
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 1.png|First, click "Add temporary map marker".
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 2.png|To move the marker, click and drag the lower triangular part of the marker.
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 3.png|Copy the latitude and longitude using the button that looks like two pieces of paper.
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 4.png|Add an optional note.
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 5.png|Remove the marker by clicking the "X" button.
</gallery>
[[File:Built-in print-email functionality example.png|center|thumb|778x778px|Using CIMS's built-in print/email functionality, you can send or save images of these temporary map markers to others.]]

File:Vegetation search.png

2026-09-21T20:46:07Z

Cims wiki:

Vegetation search

File:Vegetation dropdown options.png

2026-09-21T20:44:05Z

Cims wiki:

Vegetation dropdown options

File:Adding vegetation.png

2026-09-21T20:43:54Z

Cims wiki:

Adding vegetation

Map features

2026-09-21T20:43:29Z

Cims wiki:

You may want to display trees, benches, fire hydrants and other objects visually on your CIMS map. This is what map features are for! CIMS also offers the ability to place temporary map markers.

[[Map features#Map features basics|Map features basics]]

[[Map features#Add a map feature|Add a map feature]]

[[Map features#Edit a map feature|Edit a map feature]]

[[Map features#Delete a map feature|Delete a map feature]]

[[Map features#Add media|Editing a map feature]]

[[Map features#Vegetation options|Vegetation options]]

[[Map features#Default map feature color|Default map feature color]]

[[Map features#Temporary map markers|Temporary map markers]]
<br><br>

==Add a map feature==

*Move your map so that it is zoomed in and roughly centered on the area where you want to add a map feature.
* In the top navigation bar, click "Utilities". From the dropdown, click "New map feature".
* Your default map feature shape will appear on the map. Use the options in the right-hand flyout to change the feature shape, color, size and rotation. Change the position of the map feature using controls in the right-hand flyout or simply clicking on the map. Select a feature type from the dropdown, then click "Save".
**Don't see the feature type you'd like to use as an option in the dropdown? Click the navy plus button to the right of the dropdown to open a popup that will allow you to add a new feature type.

Your map feature has been saved to the database and will appear on your map!

<br><gallery widths="375" heights="280">
File:Map features 1.png|To add a new map feature, click "Map features" from the navigation bar, then "New map feature".
File:Map features 2.png|Customize your map feature, including changing the color, shape, size, position and rotation. Choose a type (in the above case, it's a tree), then click "Save".
File:Map features 3.png|Your map feature will appear as a solid shape on your map! In this case, the tree shape helps us understand why two of our spaces are marked as restricted.
</gallery><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Edit a map feature==
To edit a map feature, first click on it on the map to load its information in the right-hand flyout.

Edit a feature's shape, including its color, position and rotation, by clicking the navy "Edit feature shape" button near the top of the flyout. Edit other fields associated with the map feature by clicking on the fields in question, making your changes, and clicking "Update".
<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Delete a map feature==
To delete a map feature, first click on it on the map to load its information in the right-hand flyout. Click the red "Remove" button, then click "Ok" to confirm. The map feature will shortly disappear from your map.

<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Add media==
[[File:Map feature with media.png|thumb|600x600px|This map feature has media attached to it, namely, a photo of the tree it represents.]]
Just like with spaces, burials, markers and more, you can choose to add media to a map feature. Click on the map feature on your map to load its information in the right-hand flyout. Scroll down to the Feature media section and click the navy "Add media" button. Upload a file or use your device's camera to take an image, then click "Save".

<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Vegetation options==

If your cemetery contains trees or other vegetation, you can choose to categorize those plants by their species name and record such details as the planting date and physical measurements.

<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Default map feature color==
[[File:Default map feature color.png|thumb|530x530px|In the "Map shapes" tab, change the "Default color setting" to the color you want your map features to default to. Click "Update cemetery settings" to save your change.]]
You can set a default color for your map features. This is especially useful if you're adding a lot of the same kind of map feature to your map at once, like a grove of green trees, or black utility boxes.

First, open the cemetery settings popup by clicking on the name of your cemetery in the upper-left corner of CIMS, then click "Cemetery settings". In this popup, click the "Map shapes" tab at the top, then scroll down to the "Feature shapes" section. Find the "Default color setting" and click the square of color next to it. This opens the color picker popup; choose the color you want, then click outside the color picker to close it. To save your default map feature color, click "Update cemetery settings". Your webpage will refresh and new map features will default to the color you chose.

<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Temporary map markers==

Temporary map markers allow you to place markers that disappear the next time you refresh your webpage. These markers appear only to you, not to others who may be using CIMS at the same time on their own devices. Temporary map markers are useful when saving or emailing screenshots of CIMS.

Follow these steps to place and edit a temporary map marker:

*Click "Utilities" in the top navigation bar, then "Add Temporary Map Marker".
*A map marker will appear in the middle of your screen. Click and drag on its lower point to move it.
*The latitude and longitude of the marker can be copied to your device's clipboard
*Notes may be added in the text box below the latitude and longitude.
*To remove a marker, click the "X" in the top-right corner.
*From here, you may want to take a screenshot of your temporary map markers, or use the built-in feature to [[Print or email screenshots|print or email screenshots.]]
<gallery widths="340" heights="220">
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 1.png|First, click "Add temporary map marker".
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 2.png|To move the marker, click and drag the lower triangular part of the marker.
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 3.png|Copy the latitude and longitude using the button that looks like two pieces of paper.
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 4.png|Add an optional note.
File:Adding a temporary map marker, step 5.png|Remove the marker by clicking the "X" button.
</gallery>
[[File:Built-in print-email functionality example.png|center|thumb|778x778px|Using CIMS's built-in print/email functionality, you can send or save images of these temporary map markers to others.]]

Advanced cemetery options

2026-09-10T12:45:56Z

Cims wiki: /* Cost updating tool */

[[File:Edit cemetery settings.png|To access advanced cemetery settings, click on the name of your cemetery, then "Edit cemetery settings".|thumb|372x372px]]
Advanced options for your cemetery are found in their own dedicated popup. Click on the name of your cemetery in the upper-left corner of CIMS, then click "Cemetery settings". This opens the edit cemetery settings popup.
<br><br>

[[Advanced cemetery options#Basic cemetery information|Basic cemetery information]]

[[Advanced cemetery options#Custom inputs (aka user-defined fields)|Custom inputs (aka user-defined fields)]]

[[Advanced cemetery options#Rename cemetery levels|Rename cemetery levels]]

[[Advanced cemetery options#Cost updating tool|Cost updating tool]]

[[Advanced cemetery options#Automatic burial & deed numbering|Automatic burial & deed numbering]]

[[Advanced cemetery options#Calendar subscriptions|Calendar subscriptions]]

[[Advanced cemetery options#Custom space statuses|Custom space statuses]]

[[Advanced cemetery options#Hide input fields & parts of the CIMS interface|Hide input fields & parts of the CIMS interface]]

[[Advanced cemetery options#Map shapes (CIMS Professional only)|Map shapes (CIMS Professional only)]]
<br><br>

==Basic cemetery information==
The "Basic" tab of the edit cemetery settings popup is where you can change your cemetery's name or address, choose the default date format, or add remarks. Some of these fields might be used in custom reports, if you have any.<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Custom inputs (aka user-defined fields)==
[[File:Advanced tab.png|thumb|510x510px|Use the "Advanced" tab to add, edit and delete custom inputs (aka user-defined fields). In the above example, our cemetery has custom inputs for both burials and markers.]]
Use the "Advanced" tab to add, edit and delete custom inputs (also known as user-defined fields). User-defined fields can be added for spaces, burials, markers, deeds, care funds, customers or work orders.

===What is a user-defined field?===
Say you want to track something in CIMS but you don't see a field dedicated to it. You can add this field to the program. Any data you save in this custom input will be saved in CIMS and searchable. Common examples of custom inputs are "Book number" and "Page number", or "Lot card number" for cemeteries tracking where the original information about a space sale was stored. Some cemeteries choose to track a customer's birth place, or add a link to their online obituary.

===Add a user-defined field===
Scroll until you find the section you want to add a user-defined field to (space, burials, markers, etc.). Click the navy blue "New" button. Add a label, choose a type, then click "Add". It is not necessary to click "Update cemetery settings" at the bottom of the edit cemetery settings popup, but you will need to refresh your webpage to see the new fields you have added.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Types of user-defined fields
!Type
!Description
|-
|'''Text input - single line of text'''
|Most common type. Good for short text.
''Example:'' Birth place: "Jackson Hole, WY"
|-
|'''Text input - multi- lines of text'''
|Useful for longer blocks of text.
''Example:'' Obituary: "Rev. Samuel Smith was born in 1954 on his family farm in ...... [text continues, this example does not]"
|-
|'''Dropdown select'''
|Define a set of options for users inputting data to choose from. Excellent choice when you have a limited set of possibilities and want to make sure users don't spell things 5 different ways or get too creative. Use commas with no spaces to separate your options.
''Example:'' Funeral service location: "Graveside,Whitehill Chapel,Louis Family Funeral Parlor,None"
|-
|'''Date input'''
| Save a date in CIMS.
''Example:'' Burial permit issued: "11/04/2009"
|-
|'''Numeric input'''
|Good for numbers and costs.

''Example:'' Down payment amount: "1500"
|-
|'''Last name lookup'''
|Link a customer record to this custom input. Acts like other last-name lookups on the site, where you search by last name for a customer, then a list of results from your database will appear for you to choose from. [[Customers|Read about customer records here]].

''Example:'' Funeral director: "Francine Devine"
|-
|'''External link'''
|Save a URL to your database. Useful for YouTube links to obituaries.
''Example:'' Obituary video: "www.youtube.com/my-video-url"
|}
[[File:Search by user-defined field.png|thumb|333x333px|You can search by any user-defined field you make. In the above, our cemetery has 2 user-defined fields for its markers, "Marker material" and "Marker commissioned on".]]

=== Edit a user-defined field===
Click on the name of a user-defined field, type in your changes, then click "Update cemetery settings" at the bottom of the edit cemetery settings popup. Do the same to change dropdown options.

===Delete a user-defined field===
Click the red trash can icon to the right of a user-defined field to delete it. A popup will ask you confirm this action. Be careful, as you will delete any data associated with this field from CIMS!

===Search a user-defined field===
The best part about user-defined fields is you can search by them! Whatever section of your site you added a field for (space, burials, markers, etc.), just go to the search tab, choose that type, scroll down, and you will see your custom inputs listed at the bottom.<br><br><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Rename cemetery levels==
[[File:Config tab of advanced settings.png|thumb|456x456px|Use the "Configuration" tab to change the labels your cemetery uses.]]
Does your cemetery use the term "Plot" instead of "Space"? or "Area" instead of "Section"? Do you have a columbarium using terms like "Wall", "Row" and "Niche"? You can personalize your cemetery section-by-section, as well as change the default terms.

In the edit cemetery settings popup, click the "Configuration" tab. The top section will allow you to specify what label each section of your cemetery uses. Change the "Universal levels" to change your default terms. Choose a section from that dropdown to change the labels for that section specifically.

To make a change, make your selection of section from the dropdown. Type in your changes in the appropriate fields. Click the green "Save levels term/label" button. When satisfied, click "Update cemetery settings" at the bottom-right of the edit cemetery settings popup, as your webpage needs to refresh to reflect these changes.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/SCBCrRE9NIo?t=498 Changing terms used for cemetery levels]</span></span></span>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Cost updating tool==
[[File:Cost updating tool.png|thumb|575x575px|Use the cost updating tool to update your cemetery's prices en masse. In the above example, we're choosing to only update blocks A, B and C of section 1.]]
Cemeteries often have to raise prices on a periodic basis. CIMS makes this easy with the cost updating tool.

In the edit cemetery settings popup, click the "Configuration" tab. Scroll down to the cost updating tool section. Choose to refine what area of your cemetery costs are updated for using the "Section" dropdown. By default, all sections of your cemetery will update. When you click a section, you may choose to further refine what areas of your cemetery update by block and lot. Once you have made your selection, enter a cost, then click the green "Update space costs" button. Your cemetery's button may have a slightly different name, such as "Update grave costs", depending on your settings.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">The cost updating tool will only change the cost of available, reserved, and restricted spaces.</span><br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Automatic burial & deed numbering ==
[[File:Automatic numbering.png|thumb|500x500px|The automatic numbering section in CIMS.]]
[[File:Auto burial numbering.png|thumb|497x497px|Part 2 of automatic burial numbering: Adding a custom input.]]
CIMS has the option to automatically number deeds and burials for you. You can set what number CIMS starts these deeds or burials at.

For example, say your cemetery already has 450 burials and has been keeping track of them sequentially. You purchase CIMS and enter in all of your information and now want CIMS to continue this numbering of burials for you. Rather than inputting the next number in for each burial, CIMS will do it for you automatically! The same is true for deeds.

===Automatic burial numbering===
There are two parts to using automatic burial numbering:

#'''Add a number for automatic numbering'''
##In the "Configuration" tab of the edit cemetery settings popup, scroll down to the automatic numbering section. Click the navy "Edit" button next to the burial number field. Enter in the number of the last burial you recorded. Click "Update cemetery settings" in the lower-right corner of the popup.
#'''Add a custom input'''
##In the "Advanced" tab of the edit cemetery settings popup, scroll down to the burials section. Click the navy "New" button to add a new custom input. Label it "Burial Number" (capitalization is important) and choose the type text input - single line of text. Click the green "Add" button, then click "Update cemetery settings" in the lower-right corner of the popup. [[Advanced cemetery options#Custom inputs (aka user-defined fields)|Learn more about custom inputs above]].

If you entered in "450" as the burial number, the next time you create a burial, it will have the number "451".

===Automatic deed numbering===
In the "Configuration" tab of the edit cemetery settings popup, scroll down to the automatic numbering section. Click the navy "Edit" button next to the deed number field. Enter in the number of the last deed you issued. Click "Update cemetery settings" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

If you entered in "1300" as the deed number, the next time you create a deed, it will have the number "1301".

===Notes ===
Automatic numbering is not smart enough to know when you've deleted a deed and are now re-issuing it; you will need to manually change that deed's number. Likewise, if you create deed numbers 402, 403 and 404, then delete 403, the system is not smart enough to know that 403 is missing, there will simply be a gap in your deed numbering. You can change the deed numbers by hand where necessary.

The same is true of burials; if you bury "Guy Jones" by accident and only find out much later after you've added other burials to your cemetery, when you delete the burial there will be a gap, a missing number, where "Guy" used to be. CIMS will not retroactively fix your automatic burial numbering.

Alphabetical or special characters for automatic burial or deed numbers are not allowed.
<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Calendar subscriptions==
The CIMS documentation has a [[Calendar|page dedicated to the calendar]], read it to learn how you might show CIMS calendar events on your third-party calendar app, such as Google, Outlook or iCal.<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Custom space statuses==
[[File:Additional statuses.png|thumb|470x470px|This cemetery chose to add 2 custom statuses.]]
CIMS has 5 built-in space statuses: "Available", "reserved", "restricted", "sold" and "sold with burial". You can add up to 3 custom space statuses whose usefulness will be limited, as you can only add cost, remarks and any custom inputs your cemetery may already have.

The most common space statuses we see cemeteries add are:

*'''Needs research -''' When a cemeterian is not sure if a space is sold, or if there are burials present, or some other reason where they will need to dig into their records or maybe physically go digging in the cemetery, they might change a space's status to "Needs research".
* '''Space does not exist''' - Somewhat redundant, as cemeteries could use the "Restricted" space status and specify a reason. Some cemeteries still choose to have a designated space status for spaces that don't exist.

===Adding a custom space status===
Click on the "Additional statuses" tab of the edit cemetery settings popup. Add up to 3 custom statuses, then click "Update cemetery settings" in the lower-right of the popup.<gallery widths="350" heights="220">
File:Platinum extra space status.png|CIMS Professional: Custom space statuses will show as on the legend, as an option in the status dropdown in the Ownership tab, and visually on your map if a space is assigned that status.
File:Gold-Light extra space status.png|CIMS Core & Plus: Custom space statuses will show in the status legend in the List tab in the left-hand panel, as an option in the status dropdown in the Ownership tab, and visually in the List tab if a space is assigned that status.
</gallery><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Hide input fields & parts of the CIMS interface==
Are there parts of the CIMS interface you're never going to use? Maybe your cemetery doesn't use care funds, or you never record the sales counselor of a space, or so on. You can choose to hide these fields!

Using the "Input fields" tab of the edit cemetery settings popup, find the input or entire section you wish to hide. Anything that is checked will show; to hide something, simply uncheck the checkbox next to it, then click "Update cemetery settings" in the lower-right corner of the popup. Your page will refresh; this is necessary to see the changes you made.<gallery widths="350" heights="275">
File:Interface hiding 1.png|In this example, our cemetery wants to hide the Care tab, as we're never going to use care funds.
File:Interface hiding 2.png|In the edit cemetery settings popup, click on the "Input fields" tab. Uncheck whatever you don't want to show in your interface; in this case, we unchecked the entire care fund tab. Click "Update cemetery settings".
File:Interface hiding 3.png|The Care tab is gone!
</gallery><br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Map shapes (CIMS Professional only) ==
[[File:Map shapes.png|thumb|538x538px|This cemetery has decided to limit their burial shapes to circles representing urns and caskets representing full-body burials. They set the casket as their default.]]
The "Map shapes" tab of the edit cemetery settings popup has 2 functions:

===Set your default map shapes and sizes===
These defaults are used when you add a marker, burial, vault or map feature to your map.

To set a default shape, click the circular button to the right of a shape, then click "Update cemetery settings". Likewise, use the slider to set a default size and click the same update button to save your changes.

===Show or hide map shapes ===
This is useful if you don't want your employees using certain shapes, or if you're just never going to use a shape and want to simplify your interface.

A shape with a checked checkbox next to it will show as an option when adding a marker/burial/vault/map feature. To hide a shape, uncheck it, then click "Update cemetery settings".

If you hide a map shape from your options, it will not delete anything on your map that is already using this shape, don't worry!<br>
[[File:Map shapes pt 2.png|center|thumb|587x587px|When the cemetery from the above image adds a new burial, they only have 2 options for burial shapes. This can make your map look consistent and make data entry easier!]]

Map pins & more

2026-08-29T15:20:03Z

Cims wiki:

[[Map pins & more#Pins basics|Pins basics]]

[[Map pins & more#Add pins to the map|Add pins to the map]]

[[Map pins & more#Move map pins|Move map pins]]

[[Map pins & more#Delete map pins|Delete map pins]]

[[Map pins & more#Change map pin colors|Change map pin colors]]

[[Map pins & more#Showing spaces with veterans|Showing spaces with veterans]]

==Pins basics==
[[File:Gold map pins.png|thumb|530x530px|The ideal CIMS Plus cemetery: Orderly pins representing cemetery spaces. Our default colors are green for available, light blue for sold and a darker blue for sold spaces with one or more burials present.]]
Only CIMS Plus has a dedicated tab in the right-hand panel for its map. Pins on the map represent individual spaces; one pin represents one space.

Map pins are NOT intended to represent burials. The correct way to handle a space with multiple burials in CIMS Plus is to create 1 space in your database, place 1 pin representing the space, and add multiple burials in the Burial tab of the right-hand panel. Read about [[Burials (Core & Plus)#Add a burial|adding burials here]].

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/1tYGPydii-A Mapping in CIMS Plus]</span></span></span>

<br><br>

==Add pins to the map==
Initially, your map in CIMS Plus will have no pins, you need to add them. The easiest way to do this to add all pins for a lot at once. You can also add pins individually.

=== Method 1: Add pins by lot ===

#'''Add pins to map'''
##In the right-hand panel, click the Map tab. Move the map to the area where you want the lot's pins to be placed.
##In the left-hand panel, open the List tab. Open your sections and blocks until you find the lot whose pins you want to add to the map.
##Hover over the name of the lot with your mouse. You will see a green location icon appear just to the right of the lot's name. Click it.
## In the right-hand panel, you will see the map now has blue bars above and below that read "Map mode: Move pins". This indicates the map is ready for you to move its pins.
#'''Move pins to their places'''
## In the center of the map, circles have appeared with dotted outlines. These are your '''pins'''. The number of pins that appear correspond to the number of spaces in this lot that have not been added to the map yet. Each pin will have its space name in its center.
##Click and drag on the pins to move them to their correct locations. The pins will initially be bunched up together, you will probably need to separate them out to read the numbers in the center first, then place them in their final positions.
##When finished, click the green "Finish moving pins" button.
##The pins are now locked in place. In the List tab of the left-hand panel, you can now see a faint location icon next to the space names, indicating these spaces have a pin on the map.
If a lot has more than 25 unpinned spaces, only the first 25 pins will appear on the map. Move these pins to their correct locations, then click the green location icon to the right of the lot's name to get the next 25 pins.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/1tYGPydii-A?t=78 Adding pins by lot]</span></span></span>

Optional:

*You may want to use a grid while placing pins so that they are more regular. Click the navy "Show grid" button, then manipulate the height, width and angle inputs to change the grid to suit your cemetery. Click "Hide grid" to hide the grid.
* You can directly input a pin's latitude and longitude if you have it for exact placement.

<gallery widths="350" heights="250">
File:Add pin 1.png|Let's add a lot's pins to our map! Click on the "Map" tab and move it to the area you want to add the pins to go. Find the lot in the left-hand panel's List tab. Hover over the lot name and click the green location icon.
File:Add pin 2.png|This lot has 6 spaces that haven't had their pins added to the map yet; 6 pins appear on my map, ready to be moved to their final positions. The dotted outlines indicate they have not been saved to the database yet.
File:Add pin 3.png|Start moving the pins by clicking and dragging them. Separate them out so you can read their labels.
File:Add pin 4.png|Optionally, you can input exact latitude and longitude or use a grid to help you place pins.
File:Add pin 5.png|When satisfied, click "Finish moving pins".
File:Add pin 6.png|That's it! Our pins have been saved to the database. Note that in the List tab, there is a faint location icon next to space names indicating they have pins on the map.
</gallery>

===Method 2: Add a single pin===

#'''Navigate to the space in CIMS'''
##Using the List tab, open sections, blocks and lots until you find the space whose pin you want to add on the map. Click it so its information loads in the right-hand panel.
##Click the map tab and move the map to the area where you want the pin to be placed.
## Click the green pin icon located to the left of the map, above the "Move pins" button.
# '''Move pin to its place'''
## In the center of the map, a circle has appeared with a dotted outline. This is your '''pin'''. The name in its center should correspond to the name of the space you clicked on in step 1 (above).
##Click and drag on the pin to move it to its correct location.
##When finished, click the green "Finish moving pins" button.
##The pin is now locked in place. In the List tab of the left-hand panel, you can now see a faint location icon next to the space's name, indicating this space has a pin on the map.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/1tYGPydii-A?t=278 Adding single pins]</span></span></span>

Optional:
*You may want to use a grid while placing pins so that they are more regular. Click the navy "Show grid" button, then manipulate the height, width and angle inputs to change the grid to suit your cemetery. Click "Hide grid" to hide the grid.
*You can directly input a pin's latitude and longitude if you have it for exact placement.

<gallery widths="350" heights="250">
File:Add singular pin 1.png|Start by opening the space whose pin you want to add to the map in the right-hand panel. The easiest way to do this is by clicking on it from the List tab.
File:Add singular pin 2.png|Click the Map tab and move the map to the area where you want to add the pin. Click the green location icon (outlined in red above).
File:Add singular pin 3.png|The pin appears on the map; it has a dotted outline to indicate it hasn't been saved to the database yet.
File:Add singular pin 4.png|Click and drag the pin to move it. When satisfied, click the green "Finish moving pins" button.
File:Add singular pin 5.png|That's it! The pin is saved in the database. You can see a faint location icon next to the space's name, indicating it has a pin on the map.
</gallery><div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Move map pins==
[[File:Move pins button.png|thumb|470x470px|Use the "Move pins" button to move one or more pins around your map. In the above example, somehow one of our pins got slightly out of place!]]

*To move a map pin, click on the Map tab in the right-hand panel and move the map to the area where you want to move one or more pins.
**Trying to move a specific space's pin? It's easiest to use the List tab to find the space and click on it. The map will then be centered on that pin; if it is not, this space may not have a pin yet. Alternately, you may have clicked on the wrong space from the List tab.
*Click the green "Move pins" button to the left of the map. You will see the map now has blue bars above and below that read "Map mode: Move pins". This indicates the map is ready for you to move its pins.
* Click and drag on any pins you want to move.
*When done, click "Finish moving pins" and the pins will be locked in place.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/1tYGPydii-A?t=369 Moving pins]</span></span></span>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Delete map pins==
[[File:Delete a pin.png|thumb|520x520px|Click on a pin, then the red trash can icon to delete it.]]
Deleting a pin does not delete the space or the space's information from your database.
To delete a pin, simply click on it on the map, then click the red trash can icon that appears with its information. A popup will ask you to confirm the action; click "Ok".
<br>

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/1tYGPydii-A?t=369 Deleting pins]</span></span></span>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Change map pin colors==
We have a section elsewhere in the wiki dedicated to changing map colors for CIMS Plus. Find it on [[Spaces list (Core & Plus)#Space status legend|the spaces list page]].
<br><br>

==Showing spaces with veterans==

CIMS Plus users are able to see spaces where veteran burials are located, assuming those spaces have a pin on the map.

In the Map tab of the right-hand panel, click the "Show veterans" checkbox. Any space that has a map pin and has one or more veteran burials on it will display on the map. <gallery widths="500" heights="320">
File:Normal CIMS Plus map.png|In the normal view of a CIMS Plus map, all map pins show.
File:Show veterans checkbox.png|With the "Show veterans" checkbox enabled, only those spaces where one or more veterans are buried are shown.
</gallery>

File:Show veterans checkbox.png

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Cims wiki:

Show veterans checkbox

File:Normal CIMS Plus map.png

2026-08-29T15:17:49Z

Cims wiki:

Normal CIMS Plus map

Map features

2026-08-29T15:07:03Z

Cims wiki:

File:Default map feature color.png

2026-08-29T15:04:56Z

Cims wiki:

Default map feature color

Map appearance

2026-08-27T14:05:23Z

Cims wiki: /* Map templates */

[[File:How to find the Layers modal.png|thumb|370x370px|To open the map settings popup, click on your username, then click "Map settings".]]
CIMS allows for extensive customization of your map's appearance. Change space colors, text sizes and colors, fonts, marker and burial colors, and much more.

[[Map appearance#Map appearance basics|Map appearance basics]]

[[Map appearance#Changing the color of spaces|Changing the color of spaces]]

[[Map appearance#Veteran burials|Veteran burials]]

[[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Space colors & labels]]

[[Map appearance#Label offsets|Label offsets]]

[[Map appearance#Label collisions|Label collisions]]

[[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]]

[[Map appearance#Making text larger|Making text larger]]

[[Map appearance#Map features & GPR|Map features & GPR]]

[[Map appearance#Flagged objects|Flagged objects]]

[[Map appearance#Map templates|Map templates]]

[[Map appearance#Resetting the map appearance|Resetting the map appearance]]

<br><br>

==Map appearance basics==
The map appearance is controlled by the "Map settings" popup. Click on your username in the top-right corner of your screen, then click "Map settings". This will open a popup with several tabs along the left side.

Each tab has an on/off switch. If you don't want to see vaults, or markers, simply click the on/off switch of its tab to "off", then click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Tabs in the map settings popup
!Tab name
!Tab description
|-
|'''Map settings'''
|Basic settings. Change the color of highlighted elements, show/hide flagged items, show/hide roads, etc.
|-
|'''Background'''
|Choose to display a solid color, Google satellite image or orthophoto (drone photo) if your cemetery opted for a drone flight. Read [[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]] for more information.
|-
|'''Section'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of sections (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias or individual ID. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias.
|-
|'''Block'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of blocks (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section and block id.
|-
|'''Lot'''
|Your cemetery may not have lots. If it does, this tab lets you control the outline (width & color) and labelling of lots (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section, block and lot id.
|-
|'''Space'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of spaces (font, bolding, size & color).

There are many label options. [[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Read more below about changing space labelling & colors]].
|-
|'''Burials'''
|Control the outline (width & color), fill color and labelling of burials (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: None, full name or last name.

Some names may be long; we recommend checking the checkbox next to "Split label into multiple lines".
|-
|'''Markers'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and fill color of markers.

If your cemetery uses memorial markers, you have options how to label them: None, full name or last name. You can also choose how those labels appear (font, bolding, size & color). [[Markers#Memorial markers|Read more about memorial markers on the Markers page]].
|-
|'''Vaults'''
| Choose the color vaults appear on your map.
|-
|'''Map features'''
| Choose which, if any, map features you want to display on your map.
Hiding a map feature does not remove it from the database.
|}

===Examples of different map appearances===
<gallery widths="450" heights="275">
File:Layers example 1.png|The default map settings will show veteran burials in blue and non-veteran burials in grey. Seen in the above cemetery is a tree to the left (in black), several headstones (in dark grey), and a few vaults (salmon rectangles in the bottom-right).
File:Layers example 2.png|This is the same exact section of cemetery, only this user has chosen to hide map features (such as the tree). The space colors have been changed and the names of burials are larger and bold.
File:Layers example 3.png|An extreme example of how dramatically we can change the appearance of the map. While we might not advise using this color scheme, you are absolutely free to do so!
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Space colors & labels==

===Space colors===
[[File:Layers - how to change space colors 2.png|thumb|451x451px|Use the "Space" tab and click on the blocks of color next to the different space statuses to change map colors.]]
*Click on the "Space" tab on the left side of the map settings popup, just above the "Burials" tab.
**Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
*Choose to color spaces by status or by type. The recommended setting is status.
*Click on the square of color next to each of your statuses. This will open a color picker, allowing you to change the color of the status.
*Remember to click "Save" when you are happy with your changes!

<br><br>

===Space labels ===
There are many ways to label spaces! These labels will show on top of each space when you have the map sufficiently zoomed in. You can independently label the space ID and the owner names, and also choose to show the space status and cost. Each of these options will display on its own line, so choosing "Space ID" for your space ID label and "Owner/company" as your space name label will show the ID on one line, and owner name (if any) on the line below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Space ID label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No space id shown.
|-
|Space ID
| A concatenation of the space's section, block, lot and space name/number.
Examples: ''8_B_30_A, Old section_4_East''
|-
|Space
|The space's name/number.
Example: ''A, 0012''
|-
|Alias
|In most cemeteries, this is the same as the space name or number.
Example: J2'', 12''
|}

====Space name label====
[[File:Pro - label placement demo.png|thumb|547x547px|Use the "Space" tab to control the appearance of your space labels. In this example, the user is choosing to show the space's ID, the owner's name, the space's status and cost. Using the "label placement" option, they are showing the label in the top-left corner of their spaces.]]
[[File:Pro - label placement demo spaces.png|thumb|546x546px|Here we see the space's ID, owner name, status and cost displayed. In addition, the name is showing the first, middle and last names, as well as prefix and suffix. CIMS has many options to make your space labels as simple or complex as you want!]]
We have many options for space name labels. In addition to choosing whose name shows, you can choose the format names appear in and whether or not to include prefixes, middle names, and suffixes. There is also an option to split a name label into multiple lines and allow name labels to collide. [[Map appearance#Label collisions|Read more below about label collisions]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Space name label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No name shown.
|-
| Owner/company
|A concatenation of the primary owner's last name, first name and middle name.
Examples: ''Smith, Lorna Jones, Fr. Paul Jenkins III''
|-
|Owner or permissions
|Displays the owner name or, if present, any burial permissions. [[Burials#Burial permissions|Learn more about burial permissions on the Burials page]].
|-
|Owner or burial
|Displays the owner name only if no burial present. If the space has a burial, will not display a name.
|}

====Status ====
Choose to include the status of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Cost====
Display the cost of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Label placement====
Control the placement of the space label. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on.

====Label offset====
An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down. [[Map appearance#Label offsets|Read more below about label offsets below.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label offsets==

An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; offsets are a way to move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down.

Offsets can be set for space and burial labels individually. To change the offset of space labels, click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y". Manipulate those values, click "Save", then close the modal. You will see your changes immediately. To change the offset of burial labels, the process is the same; click on the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y", change your values, and save.

An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement. Click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to the "Label placement" settings. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on. By default, labels show in the center-center.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">We understand your cemetery may use a different term for its spaces, such as "plot", "grave", etc. In that case, in your map settings, the tab will use your cemetery's term for space.</span>

<gallery widths="380" heights="280">
File:CIMS map offsets.png|Offsets shift your labels in different directions.
File:Map settings without offsets.png|Without offsets and with space labels set to appear in the center of the space, space and burial labels may conflict.
File:Map settings with offsets.png|With offsets, labels may be more legible.
File:Space offsets and label placement.png|Offsets for spaces are in the "Spaces" tab, and those for burials in the "Burials" tab. An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label collisions==
Labels are often in close proximity. If you want your labels to always show and sometimes overlap, click the check box "Allow label collision/overlap". This option exists for lot, space and burial labels.

Lot, space and burial labels exist independently; the collision settings of one will not affect the other. This means that sometimes these labels will appear on top of each other and be difficult to read. To read these labels, zoom your map in. You can also play around with the offset settings and the space label placement options.<gallery widths="420" heights="350">
File:Burial labels with collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, not all burial labels will display. Zoom in to see the names of all burials. The same logic applies to lot and space label collisions.
File:Burial labels without collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, all burial name labels display but can be difficult to read. Zoom in to read these labels. The same logic applies to lot and space label collisions.
File:Space label collisions.png|To change your collision settings for space labels, click the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap". Collisions settings for lot labels are found in the "Lot" tab.
File:Collision option.png|To change your collision settings for burial labels, click the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap".
</gallery><br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Veteran burials ==
[[File:The Burials tab of the Layers popup.png|thumb|Circled in red is the "Burials" tab. Within this tab, click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" and then choose a color you would like veteran burials to show as on your map.|452x452px]]You can choose to make veteran burials a different color from non-veteran burials. In the map settings popup, click on the "Burials" tab on the left side. Click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" so that it is checked. Next, choose the color you would like veteran burials to show as by clicking on the square next to "Veteran color". Remember to click save!
[[File:Burials showing veterans in blue.png|center|thumb|300x300px|Here we can see 2 veteran burials in blue and 3 non-veteran burials in grey.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Map background & drone photos==
[[File:Map background in CIMS.png|thumb|440x440px|Use the "Background" tab to choose what background your map will display. This cemetery had a drone photo done.]]
You may want to change the background of your map. To do so, click on the "Background" tab. All cemeteries have the choice of "Solid color" or "Google Maps". If you choose "Solid color", you can specify the background color. If using Google Maps, you can specify the opacity of the map. Click the option you would like to use as the background, then click "Save".

If your cemetery chose to have a drone photograph your cemetery, you will have the option "orthophoto" (meaning drone photo). Drone photos will be more accurate than Google Maps imagery and more consistent, as Google does periodically update their images and you may find the season has changed, or your background images have shifted. Want to learn more about drone photos? [[Drone Photography|Read our drone photography documentation]].

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

<gallery widths="450" heights="300">
File:CIMS columbarium view using Google maps satellite imagery.png|Google maps satellite imagery will not be entirely accurate. Note how the columbaria, which the CIMS team mapped to their real-life latitude and longitudinal position, do not line up with the Google satellite images.
File:CIMS columbarium view using drone imagery.png|With drone imagery taken by the CIMS team, the columbaria are now in their accurate spatial position. Other objects, such as headstones, chapels, trees and more, will also line up correctly with your map in CIMS. The image itself is also sharper and colors more realistic.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Making text larger==
To make text larger, there are 2 places we need to change the text settings:
*'''Space tab'''
** Click on the "Space" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how spaces are labelled (common choices are "Owner last name" and "Space ID").
***Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
**To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size, such as 20px. You may also want to make the text bold by clicking the "B" next to the "Bold" label.
**Other options you can change include the text font and color.
*'''Burials tab'''
**Click on the "Burials" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how burials are labelled (clients often choose "Full name").
**Beneath the burial label are options to control the text appearance. To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size.
**You can also change to the color, font, and text bolding, just like with spaces.
Click "Save", then close the map settings popup to see your map appearance changes.<gallery widths="450" heights="238">
File:Layers - how to make space labels larger.png|Click on the "Space" tab and change the "Size" to make space labels larger
File:Layers - how to make burial labels larger.png|Click on the "Burials" tab and change the "Size" to make burial labels larger
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Map features & GPR==
You can choose to show or hide map features, including GPR points, from your map. To hide all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" on the left side of the map settings popup so that it reads "off". To hide particular types of map features, make sure that toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on", and click that tab. A list of your cemetery's map feature types will appear. Map features with a checkbox next to them will show on your map, and unchecked will not show. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

====GPR====
To hide GPR map features, click on the "Map features" tab and uncheck your GPR map features. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

Your GPR map features may not be labelled exactly like this example, but will include the term "GPR".<gallery widths="450" heights="320">
File:Map features off.png|To turn off all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" so that it reads "off".
File:Gpr map features off.png|To hide individual map features, make sure the toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on". Click the tab, and uncheck the boxes next to any map features you don't want to see. In this case, we are hiding GPR map features.
</gallery><br><br>

==Flagged objects==
[[File:Examples of flagged objects.png|thumb|By default, flagged objects have a magenta outline and checkerboard pattern. Here you can see a flagged space, a flagged burial and a flagged marker.]]
To learn about flagging objects such as spaces, burials, markers, etc., including changing their appearance, refer to the [[Flagging objects|documentation on flagging]].
<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Map templates==
[[File:Template options button.png|thumb|502x502px|The template options button is found in the lower-left corner of the map settings popup.]]
Each user of a cemetery has their own map settings. Map templates are an easy way to share your map settings with other users of your cemetery.

If you have multiple cemeteries, a template from one should appear in the list of templates of your others. If it does not, get in touch with us; we may need to manipulate your database.

==== Applying a template====
To apply a template, click on "Template options" in the lower-left corner of the map settings popup. The template options popup will appear. If your cemetery has any available map templates, they will show as a list. Click on the name of the appropriate map template to apply it. This will close the template options popup. Your new settings are not automatically saved; if you like the new map appearance, click the green "Save" button in the lower-right corner of the map settings popup.

==== Saving a new template====
First, set the settings you want to share, including space colors, label options, label placement, fonts and more, in the map settings popup. Then, click on "Template options" in the lower-left corner. In the smaller popup that appears, find the "Save new template" section, enter a name, and click "Save". When other users of your cemetery login and open the map settings popup, then open the template options popup, they will see the template you have just created as well as any others that might exist.

====Editing & deleting templates====
A template's settings cannot be edited. Apply the template, change the settings you want, then re-save as a new template.

You can change the name of a template you created by clicking the blue pencil-and-paper icon shown next to it.

To delete a template, click the red trash can icon next to its name.

You can only change the name or delete a template that you yourself have created. Anyone, however, can apply a template you have created to their settings.<gallery widths="420" heights="320">
File:Apply a map template.png|To apply a template, click on its name from the list of templates. These settings will be applied to the map settings popup, but not saved. Click the green "Save" button in the lower-right corner of the map settings popup to save these settings.
File:Save a new template.png|To save a new map template, enter a name and click "Save".
File:Edit name or delete template.png|The buttons to edit the name of a template or delete it entirely can be found to the right of the template's name.
File:You cannot edit another users template.png|You cannot edit the name of or delete a template that has been created by another user, but you can still apply its settings to your own map.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Resetting the map appearance ==
[[File:Reset map button.png|thumb|495x495px|The reset settings button is found in the lower-left corner of the map settings popup.]]
Did you really mess up your settings? Tired of trying to fix everything? We have an easy solution, just reset your map's appearance and start over. Open the map settings popup, then click the blue "Reset settings" button in the lower-left corner. This will immediately save and take effect, closing the map settings popup and refreshing your map to show the default colors and settings. To make further changes, re-open the map settings popup.

Map appearance

2026-08-27T14:03:25Z

Cims wiki: /* Map templates */

[[File:How to find the Layers modal.png|thumb|370x370px|To open the map settings popup, click on your username, then click "Map settings".]]
CIMS allows for extensive customization of your map's appearance. Change space colors, text sizes and colors, fonts, marker and burial colors, and much more.

[[Map appearance#Map appearance basics|Map appearance basics]]

[[Map appearance#Changing the color of spaces|Changing the color of spaces]]

[[Map appearance#Veteran burials|Veteran burials]]

[[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Space colors & labels]]

[[Map appearance#Label offsets|Label offsets]]

[[Map appearance#Label collisions|Label collisions]]

[[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]]

[[Map appearance#Making text larger|Making text larger]]

[[Map appearance#Map features & GPR|Map features & GPR]]

[[Map appearance#Flagged objects|Flagged objects]]

[[Map appearance#Map templates|Map templates]]

[[Map appearance#Resetting the map appearance|Resetting the map appearance]]

<br><br>

==Map appearance basics==
The map appearance is controlled by the "Map settings" popup. Click on your username in the top-right corner of your screen, then click "Map settings". This will open a popup with several tabs along the left side.

Each tab has an on/off switch. If you don't want to see vaults, or markers, simply click the on/off switch of its tab to "off", then click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Tabs in the map settings popup
!Tab name
!Tab description
|-
|'''Map settings'''
|Basic settings. Change the color of highlighted elements, show/hide flagged items, show/hide roads, etc.
|-
|'''Background'''
|Choose to display a solid color, Google satellite image or orthophoto (drone photo) if your cemetery opted for a drone flight. Read [[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]] for more information.
|-
|'''Section'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of sections (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias or individual ID. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias.
|-
|'''Block'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of blocks (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section and block id.
|-
|'''Lot'''
|Your cemetery may not have lots. If it does, this tab lets you control the outline (width & color) and labelling of lots (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section, block and lot id.
|-
|'''Space'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of spaces (font, bolding, size & color).

There are many label options. [[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Read more below about changing space labelling & colors]].
|-
|'''Burials'''
|Control the outline (width & color), fill color and labelling of burials (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: None, full name or last name.

Some names may be long; we recommend checking the checkbox next to "Split label into multiple lines".
|-
|'''Markers'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and fill color of markers.

If your cemetery uses memorial markers, you have options how to label them: None, full name or last name. You can also choose how those labels appear (font, bolding, size & color). [[Markers#Memorial markers|Read more about memorial markers on the Markers page]].
|-
|'''Vaults'''
| Choose the color vaults appear on your map.
|-
|'''Map features'''
| Choose which, if any, map features you want to display on your map.
Hiding a map feature does not remove it from the database.
|}

===Examples of different map appearances===
<gallery widths="450" heights="275">
File:Layers example 1.png|The default map settings will show veteran burials in blue and non-veteran burials in grey. Seen in the above cemetery is a tree to the left (in black), several headstones (in dark grey), and a few vaults (salmon rectangles in the bottom-right).
File:Layers example 2.png|This is the same exact section of cemetery, only this user has chosen to hide map features (such as the tree). The space colors have been changed and the names of burials are larger and bold.
File:Layers example 3.png|An extreme example of how dramatically we can change the appearance of the map. While we might not advise using this color scheme, you are absolutely free to do so!
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Space colors & labels==

===Space colors===
[[File:Layers - how to change space colors 2.png|thumb|451x451px|Use the "Space" tab and click on the blocks of color next to the different space statuses to change map colors.]]
*Click on the "Space" tab on the left side of the map settings popup, just above the "Burials" tab.
**Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
*Choose to color spaces by status or by type. The recommended setting is status.
*Click on the square of color next to each of your statuses. This will open a color picker, allowing you to change the color of the status.
*Remember to click "Save" when you are happy with your changes!

<br><br>

===Space labels ===
There are many ways to label spaces! These labels will show on top of each space when you have the map sufficiently zoomed in. You can independently label the space ID and the owner names, and also choose to show the space status and cost. Each of these options will display on its own line, so choosing "Space ID" for your space ID label and "Owner/company" as your space name label will show the ID on one line, and owner name (if any) on the line below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Space ID label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No space id shown.
|-
|Space ID
| A concatenation of the space's section, block, lot and space name/number.
Examples: ''8_B_30_A, Old section_4_East''
|-
|Space
|The space's name/number.
Example: ''A, 0012''
|-
|Alias
|In most cemeteries, this is the same as the space name or number.
Example: J2'', 12''
|}

====Space name label====
[[File:Pro - label placement demo.png|thumb|547x547px|Use the "Space" tab to control the appearance of your space labels. In this example, the user is choosing to show the space's ID, the owner's name, the space's status and cost. Using the "label placement" option, they are showing the label in the top-left corner of their spaces.]]
[[File:Pro - label placement demo spaces.png|thumb|546x546px|Here we see the space's ID, owner name, status and cost displayed. In addition, the name is showing the first, middle and last names, as well as prefix and suffix. CIMS has many options to make your space labels as simple or complex as you want!]]
We have many options for space name labels. In addition to choosing whose name shows, you can choose the format names appear in and whether or not to include prefixes, middle names, and suffixes. There is also an option to split a name label into multiple lines and allow name labels to collide. [[Map appearance#Label collisions|Read more below about label collisions]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Space name label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No name shown.
|-
| Owner/company
|A concatenation of the primary owner's last name, first name and middle name.
Examples: ''Smith, Lorna Jones, Fr. Paul Jenkins III''
|-
|Owner or permissions
|Displays the owner name or, if present, any burial permissions. [[Burials#Burial permissions|Learn more about burial permissions on the Burials page]].
|-
|Owner or burial
|Displays the owner name only if no burial present. If the space has a burial, will not display a name.
|}

====Status ====
Choose to include the status of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Cost====
Display the cost of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Label placement====
Control the placement of the space label. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on.

====Label offset====
An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down. [[Map appearance#Label offsets|Read more below about label offsets below.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label offsets==

An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; offsets are a way to move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down.

Offsets can be set for space and burial labels individually. To change the offset of space labels, click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y". Manipulate those values, click "Save", then close the modal. You will see your changes immediately. To change the offset of burial labels, the process is the same; click on the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y", change your values, and save.

An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement. Click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to the "Label placement" settings. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on. By default, labels show in the center-center.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">We understand your cemetery may use a different term for its spaces, such as "plot", "grave", etc. In that case, in your map settings, the tab will use your cemetery's term for space.</span>

<gallery widths="380" heights="280">
File:CIMS map offsets.png|Offsets shift your labels in different directions.
File:Map settings without offsets.png|Without offsets and with space labels set to appear in the center of the space, space and burial labels may conflict.
File:Map settings with offsets.png|With offsets, labels may be more legible.
File:Space offsets and label placement.png|Offsets for spaces are in the "Spaces" tab, and those for burials in the "Burials" tab. An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label collisions==
Labels are often in close proximity. If you want your labels to always show and sometimes overlap, click the check box "Allow label collision/overlap". This option exists for lot, space and burial labels.

Lot, space and burial labels exist independently; the collision settings of one will not affect the other. This means that sometimes these labels will appear on top of each other and be difficult to read. To read these labels, zoom your map in. You can also play around with the offset settings and the space label placement options.<gallery widths="420" heights="350">
File:Burial labels with collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, not all burial labels will display. Zoom in to see the names of all burials. The same logic applies to lot and space label collisions.
File:Burial labels without collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, all burial name labels display but can be difficult to read. Zoom in to read these labels. The same logic applies to lot and space label collisions.
File:Space label collisions.png|To change your collision settings for space labels, click the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap". Collisions settings for lot labels are found in the "Lot" tab.
File:Collision option.png|To change your collision settings for burial labels, click the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap".
</gallery><br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Veteran burials ==
[[File:The Burials tab of the Layers popup.png|thumb|Circled in red is the "Burials" tab. Within this tab, click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" and then choose a color you would like veteran burials to show as on your map.|452x452px]]You can choose to make veteran burials a different color from non-veteran burials. In the map settings popup, click on the "Burials" tab on the left side. Click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" so that it is checked. Next, choose the color you would like veteran burials to show as by clicking on the square next to "Veteran color". Remember to click save!
[[File:Burials showing veterans in blue.png|center|thumb|300x300px|Here we can see 2 veteran burials in blue and 3 non-veteran burials in grey.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Map background & drone photos==
[[File:Map background in CIMS.png|thumb|440x440px|Use the "Background" tab to choose what background your map will display. This cemetery had a drone photo done.]]
You may want to change the background of your map. To do so, click on the "Background" tab. All cemeteries have the choice of "Solid color" or "Google Maps". If you choose "Solid color", you can specify the background color. If using Google Maps, you can specify the opacity of the map. Click the option you would like to use as the background, then click "Save".

If your cemetery chose to have a drone photograph your cemetery, you will have the option "orthophoto" (meaning drone photo). Drone photos will be more accurate than Google Maps imagery and more consistent, as Google does periodically update their images and you may find the season has changed, or your background images have shifted. Want to learn more about drone photos? [[Drone Photography|Read our drone photography documentation]].

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

<gallery widths="450" heights="300">
File:CIMS columbarium view using Google maps satellite imagery.png|Google maps satellite imagery will not be entirely accurate. Note how the columbaria, which the CIMS team mapped to their real-life latitude and longitudinal position, do not line up with the Google satellite images.
File:CIMS columbarium view using drone imagery.png|With drone imagery taken by the CIMS team, the columbaria are now in their accurate spatial position. Other objects, such as headstones, chapels, trees and more, will also line up correctly with your map in CIMS. The image itself is also sharper and colors more realistic.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Making text larger==
To make text larger, there are 2 places we need to change the text settings:
*'''Space tab'''
** Click on the "Space" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how spaces are labelled (common choices are "Owner last name" and "Space ID").
***Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
**To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size, such as 20px. You may also want to make the text bold by clicking the "B" next to the "Bold" label.
**Other options you can change include the text font and color.
*'''Burials tab'''
**Click on the "Burials" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how burials are labelled (clients often choose "Full name").
**Beneath the burial label are options to control the text appearance. To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size.
**You can also change to the color, font, and text bolding, just like with spaces.
Click "Save", then close the map settings popup to see your map appearance changes.<gallery widths="450" heights="238">
File:Layers - how to make space labels larger.png|Click on the "Space" tab and change the "Size" to make space labels larger
File:Layers - how to make burial labels larger.png|Click on the "Burials" tab and change the "Size" to make burial labels larger
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Map features & GPR==
You can choose to show or hide map features, including GPR points, from your map. To hide all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" on the left side of the map settings popup so that it reads "off". To hide particular types of map features, make sure that toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on", and click that tab. A list of your cemetery's map feature types will appear. Map features with a checkbox next to them will show on your map, and unchecked will not show. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

====GPR====
To hide GPR map features, click on the "Map features" tab and uncheck your GPR map features. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

Your GPR map features may not be labelled exactly like this example, but will include the term "GPR".<gallery widths="450" heights="320">
File:Map features off.png|To turn off all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" so that it reads "off".
File:Gpr map features off.png|To hide individual map features, make sure the toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on". Click the tab, and uncheck the boxes next to any map features you don't want to see. In this case, we are hiding GPR map features.
</gallery><br><br>

==Flagged objects==
[[File:Examples of flagged objects.png|thumb|By default, flagged objects have a magenta outline and checkerboard pattern. Here you can see a flagged space, a flagged burial and a flagged marker.]]
To learn about flagging objects such as spaces, burials, markers, etc., including changing their appearance, refer to the [[Flagging objects|documentation on flagging]].
<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Map templates==
[[File:Template options button.png|thumb|502x502px|The template options button is found in the lower-left corner of the map settings popup.]]
Each user of a cemetery has their own map settings. Map templates are an easy way to share your map settings with other users of your cemetery.

If you have multiple cemeteries, a template from one should appear in the template list of your others. If it does not, get in touch with us; we may need to manipulate your database.

==== Applying a template====
To apply a template, click on "Template options" in the lower-left corner of the map settings popup. The template options popup will appear. If your cemetery has any available map templates, they will show as a list. Click on the name of the appropriate map template to apply it. This will close the template options popup. Your new settings are not automatically saved; if you like the new map appearance, click the green "Save" button in the lower-right corner of the map settings popup.

==== Saving a new template====
First, set the settings you want to share, including space colors, label options, label placement, fonts and more, in the map settings popup. Then, click on "Template options" in the lower-left corner. In the smaller popup that appears, find the "Save new template" section, enter a name, and click "Save". When other users of your cemetery login and open the map settings popup, then open the template options popup, they will see the template you have just created as well as any others that might exist.

====Editing & deleting templates====
A template's settings cannot be edited. Apply the template, change the settings you want, then re-save as a new template.

You can change the name of a template you created by clicking the blue pencil-and-paper icon shown next to it.

To delete a template, click the red trash can icon next to its name.

You can only change the name or delete a template that you yourself have created. Anyone, however, can apply a template you have created to their settings.<gallery widths="420" heights="320">
File:Apply a map template.png|To apply a template, click on its name from the list of templates. These settings will be applied to the map settings popup, but not saved. Click the green "Save" button in the lower-right corner of the map settings popup to save these settings.
File:Save a new template.png|To save a new map template, enter a name and click "Save".
File:Edit name or delete template.png|The buttons to edit the name of a template or delete it entirely can be found to the right of the template's name.
File:You cannot edit another users template.png|You cannot edit the name of or delete a template that has been created by another user, but you can still apply its settings to your own map.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Resetting the map appearance ==
[[File:Reset map button.png|thumb|495x495px|The reset settings button is found in the lower-left corner of the map settings popup.]]
Did you really mess up your settings? Tired of trying to fix everything? We have an easy solution, just reset your map's appearance and start over. Open the map settings popup, then click the blue "Reset settings" button in the lower-left corner. This will immediately save and take effect, closing the map settings popup and refreshing your map to show the default colors and settings. To make further changes, re-open the map settings popup.

Map appearance

2026-08-27T14:03:05Z

Cims wiki:

[[File:How to find the Layers modal.png|thumb|370x370px|To open the map settings popup, click on your username, then click "Map settings".]]
CIMS allows for extensive customization of your map's appearance. Change space colors, text sizes and colors, fonts, marker and burial colors, and much more.

[[Map appearance#Map appearance basics|Map appearance basics]]

[[Map appearance#Changing the color of spaces|Changing the color of spaces]]

[[Map appearance#Veteran burials|Veteran burials]]

[[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Space colors & labels]]

[[Map appearance#Label offsets|Label offsets]]

[[Map appearance#Label collisions|Label collisions]]

[[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]]

[[Map appearance#Making text larger|Making text larger]]

[[Map appearance#Map features & GPR|Map features & GPR]]

[[Map appearance#Flagged objects|Flagged objects]]

[[Map appearance#Map templates|Map templates]]

[[Map appearance#Resetting the map appearance|Resetting the map appearance]]

<br><br>

==Map appearance basics==
The map appearance is controlled by the "Map settings" popup. Click on your username in the top-right corner of your screen, then click "Map settings". This will open a popup with several tabs along the left side.

Each tab has an on/off switch. If you don't want to see vaults, or markers, simply click the on/off switch of its tab to "off", then click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Tabs in the map settings popup
!Tab name
!Tab description
|-
|'''Map settings'''
|Basic settings. Change the color of highlighted elements, show/hide flagged items, show/hide roads, etc.
|-
|'''Background'''
|Choose to display a solid color, Google satellite image or orthophoto (drone photo) if your cemetery opted for a drone flight. Read [[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]] for more information.
|-
|'''Section'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of sections (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias or individual ID. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias.
|-
|'''Block'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of blocks (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section and block id.
|-
|'''Lot'''
|Your cemetery may not have lots. If it does, this tab lets you control the outline (width & color) and labelling of lots (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section, block and lot id.
|-
|'''Space'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of spaces (font, bolding, size & color).

There are many label options. [[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Read more below about changing space labelling & colors]].
|-
|'''Burials'''
|Control the outline (width & color), fill color and labelling of burials (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: None, full name or last name.

Some names may be long; we recommend checking the checkbox next to "Split label into multiple lines".
|-
|'''Markers'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and fill color of markers.

If your cemetery uses memorial markers, you have options how to label them: None, full name or last name. You can also choose how those labels appear (font, bolding, size & color). [[Markers#Memorial markers|Read more about memorial markers on the Markers page]].
|-
|'''Vaults'''
| Choose the color vaults appear on your map.
|-
|'''Map features'''
| Choose which, if any, map features you want to display on your map.
Hiding a map feature does not remove it from the database.
|}

===Examples of different map appearances===
<gallery widths="450" heights="275">
File:Layers example 1.png|The default map settings will show veteran burials in blue and non-veteran burials in grey. Seen in the above cemetery is a tree to the left (in black), several headstones (in dark grey), and a few vaults (salmon rectangles in the bottom-right).
File:Layers example 2.png|This is the same exact section of cemetery, only this user has chosen to hide map features (such as the tree). The space colors have been changed and the names of burials are larger and bold.
File:Layers example 3.png|An extreme example of how dramatically we can change the appearance of the map. While we might not advise using this color scheme, you are absolutely free to do so!
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Space colors & labels==

===Space colors===
[[File:Layers - how to change space colors 2.png|thumb|451x451px|Use the "Space" tab and click on the blocks of color next to the different space statuses to change map colors.]]
*Click on the "Space" tab on the left side of the map settings popup, just above the "Burials" tab.
**Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
*Choose to color spaces by status or by type. The recommended setting is status.
*Click on the square of color next to each of your statuses. This will open a color picker, allowing you to change the color of the status.
*Remember to click "Save" when you are happy with your changes!

<br><br>

===Space labels ===
There are many ways to label spaces! These labels will show on top of each space when you have the map sufficiently zoomed in. You can independently label the space ID and the owner names, and also choose to show the space status and cost. Each of these options will display on its own line, so choosing "Space ID" for your space ID label and "Owner/company" as your space name label will show the ID on one line, and owner name (if any) on the line below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Space ID label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No space id shown.
|-
|Space ID
| A concatenation of the space's section, block, lot and space name/number.
Examples: ''8_B_30_A, Old section_4_East''
|-
|Space
|The space's name/number.
Example: ''A, 0012''
|-
|Alias
|In most cemeteries, this is the same as the space name or number.
Example: J2'', 12''
|}

====Space name label====
[[File:Pro - label placement demo.png|thumb|547x547px|Use the "Space" tab to control the appearance of your space labels. In this example, the user is choosing to show the space's ID, the owner's name, the space's status and cost. Using the "label placement" option, they are showing the label in the top-left corner of their spaces.]]
[[File:Pro - label placement demo spaces.png|thumb|546x546px|Here we see the space's ID, owner name, status and cost displayed. In addition, the name is showing the first, middle and last names, as well as prefix and suffix. CIMS has many options to make your space labels as simple or complex as you want!]]
We have many options for space name labels. In addition to choosing whose name shows, you can choose the format names appear in and whether or not to include prefixes, middle names, and suffixes. There is also an option to split a name label into multiple lines and allow name labels to collide. [[Map appearance#Label collisions|Read more below about label collisions]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Space name label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No name shown.
|-
| Owner/company
|A concatenation of the primary owner's last name, first name and middle name.
Examples: ''Smith, Lorna Jones, Fr. Paul Jenkins III''
|-
|Owner or permissions
|Displays the owner name or, if present, any burial permissions. [[Burials#Burial permissions|Learn more about burial permissions on the Burials page]].
|-
|Owner or burial
|Displays the owner name only if no burial present. If the space has a burial, will not display a name.
|}

====Status ====
Choose to include the status of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Cost====
Display the cost of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Label placement====
Control the placement of the space label. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on.

====Label offset====
An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down. [[Map appearance#Label offsets|Read more below about label offsets below.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label offsets==

An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; offsets are a way to move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down.

Offsets can be set for space and burial labels individually. To change the offset of space labels, click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y". Manipulate those values, click "Save", then close the modal. You will see your changes immediately. To change the offset of burial labels, the process is the same; click on the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y", change your values, and save.

An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement. Click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to the "Label placement" settings. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on. By default, labels show in the center-center.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">We understand your cemetery may use a different term for its spaces, such as "plot", "grave", etc. In that case, in your map settings, the tab will use your cemetery's term for space.</span>

<gallery widths="380" heights="280">
File:CIMS map offsets.png|Offsets shift your labels in different directions.
File:Map settings without offsets.png|Without offsets and with space labels set to appear in the center of the space, space and burial labels may conflict.
File:Map settings with offsets.png|With offsets, labels may be more legible.
File:Space offsets and label placement.png|Offsets for spaces are in the "Spaces" tab, and those for burials in the "Burials" tab. An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label collisions==
Labels are often in close proximity. If you want your labels to always show and sometimes overlap, click the check box "Allow label collision/overlap". This option exists for lot, space and burial labels.

Lot, space and burial labels exist independently; the collision settings of one will not affect the other. This means that sometimes these labels will appear on top of each other and be difficult to read. To read these labels, zoom your map in. You can also play around with the offset settings and the space label placement options.<gallery widths="420" heights="350">
File:Burial labels with collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, not all burial labels will display. Zoom in to see the names of all burials. The same logic applies to lot and space label collisions.
File:Burial labels without collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, all burial name labels display but can be difficult to read. Zoom in to read these labels. The same logic applies to lot and space label collisions.
File:Space label collisions.png|To change your collision settings for space labels, click the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap". Collisions settings for lot labels are found in the "Lot" tab.
File:Collision option.png|To change your collision settings for burial labels, click the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap".
</gallery><br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Veteran burials ==
[[File:The Burials tab of the Layers popup.png|thumb|Circled in red is the "Burials" tab. Within this tab, click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" and then choose a color you would like veteran burials to show as on your map.|452x452px]]You can choose to make veteran burials a different color from non-veteran burials. In the map settings popup, click on the "Burials" tab on the left side. Click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" so that it is checked. Next, choose the color you would like veteran burials to show as by clicking on the square next to "Veteran color". Remember to click save!
[[File:Burials showing veterans in blue.png|center|thumb|300x300px|Here we can see 2 veteran burials in blue and 3 non-veteran burials in grey.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Map background & drone photos==
[[File:Map background in CIMS.png|thumb|440x440px|Use the "Background" tab to choose what background your map will display. This cemetery had a drone photo done.]]
You may want to change the background of your map. To do so, click on the "Background" tab. All cemeteries have the choice of "Solid color" or "Google Maps". If you choose "Solid color", you can specify the background color. If using Google Maps, you can specify the opacity of the map. Click the option you would like to use as the background, then click "Save".

If your cemetery chose to have a drone photograph your cemetery, you will have the option "orthophoto" (meaning drone photo). Drone photos will be more accurate than Google Maps imagery and more consistent, as Google does periodically update their images and you may find the season has changed, or your background images have shifted. Want to learn more about drone photos? [[Drone Photography|Read our drone photography documentation]].

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

<gallery widths="450" heights="300">
File:CIMS columbarium view using Google maps satellite imagery.png|Google maps satellite imagery will not be entirely accurate. Note how the columbaria, which the CIMS team mapped to their real-life latitude and longitudinal position, do not line up with the Google satellite images.
File:CIMS columbarium view using drone imagery.png|With drone imagery taken by the CIMS team, the columbaria are now in their accurate spatial position. Other objects, such as headstones, chapels, trees and more, will also line up correctly with your map in CIMS. The image itself is also sharper and colors more realistic.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Making text larger==
To make text larger, there are 2 places we need to change the text settings:
*'''Space tab'''
** Click on the "Space" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how spaces are labelled (common choices are "Owner last name" and "Space ID").
***Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
**To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size, such as 20px. You may also want to make the text bold by clicking the "B" next to the "Bold" label.
**Other options you can change include the text font and color.
*'''Burials tab'''
**Click on the "Burials" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how burials are labelled (clients often choose "Full name").
**Beneath the burial label are options to control the text appearance. To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size.
**You can also change to the color, font, and text bolding, just like with spaces.
Click "Save", then close the map settings popup to see your map appearance changes.<gallery widths="450" heights="238">
File:Layers - how to make space labels larger.png|Click on the "Space" tab and change the "Size" to make space labels larger
File:Layers - how to make burial labels larger.png|Click on the "Burials" tab and change the "Size" to make burial labels larger
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Map features & GPR==
You can choose to show or hide map features, including GPR points, from your map. To hide all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" on the left side of the map settings popup so that it reads "off". To hide particular types of map features, make sure that toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on", and click that tab. A list of your cemetery's map feature types will appear. Map features with a checkbox next to them will show on your map, and unchecked will not show. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

====GPR====
To hide GPR map features, click on the "Map features" tab and uncheck your GPR map features. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

Your GPR map features may not be labelled exactly like this example, but will include the term "GPR".<gallery widths="450" heights="320">
File:Map features off.png|To turn off all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" so that it reads "off".
File:Gpr map features off.png|To hide individual map features, make sure the toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on". Click the tab, and uncheck the boxes next to any map features you don't want to see. In this case, we are hiding GPR map features.
</gallery><br><br>

==Flagged objects==
[[File:Examples of flagged objects.png|thumb|By default, flagged objects have a magenta outline and checkerboard pattern. Here you can see a flagged space, a flagged burial and a flagged marker.]]
To learn about flagging objects such as spaces, burials, markers, etc., including changing their appearance, refer to the [[Flagging objects|documentation on flagging]].
<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Map templates==
[[File:Template options button.png|thumb|395x395px|The template options button is found in the lower-left corner of the map settings popup.]]
Each user of a cemetery has their own map settings. Map templates are an easy way to share your map settings with other users of your cemetery.

If you have multiple cemeteries, a template from one should appear in the template list of your others. If it does not, get in touch with us; we may need to manipulate your database.

==== Applying a template====
To apply a template, click on "Template options" in the lower-left corner of the map settings popup. The template options popup will appear. If your cemetery has any available map templates, they will show as a list. Click on the name of the appropriate map template to apply it. This will close the template options popup. Your new settings are not automatically saved; if you like the new map appearance, click the green "Save" button in the lower-right corner of the map settings popup.

==== Saving a new template====
First, set the settings you want to share, including space colors, label options, label placement, fonts and more, in the map settings popup. Then, click on "Template options" in the lower-left corner. In the smaller popup that appears, find the "Save new template" section, enter a name, and click "Save". When other users of your cemetery login and open the map settings popup, then open the template options popup, they will see the template you have just created as well as any others that might exist.

====Editing & deleting templates====
A template's settings cannot be edited. Apply the template, change the settings you want, then re-save as a new template.

You can change the name of a template you created by clicking the blue pencil-and-paper icon shown next to it.

To delete a template, click the red trash can icon next to its name.

You can only change the name or delete a template that you yourself have created. Anyone, however, can apply a template you have created to their settings.<gallery widths="420" heights="320">
File:Apply a map template.png|To apply a template, click on its name from the list of templates. These settings will be applied to the map settings popup, but not saved. Click the green "Save" button in the lower-right corner of the map settings popup to save these settings.
File:Save a new template.png|To save a new map template, enter a name and click "Save".
File:Edit name or delete template.png|The buttons to edit the name of a template or delete it entirely can be found to the right of the template's name.
File:You cannot edit another users template.png|You cannot edit the name of or delete a template that has been created by another user, but you can still apply its settings to your own map.
</gallery>

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<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Resetting the map appearance ==
[[File:Reset map button.png|thumb|495x495px|The reset settings button is found in the lower-left corner of the map settings popup.]]
Did you really mess up your settings? Tired of trying to fix everything? We have an easy solution, just reset your map's appearance and start over. Open the map settings popup, then click the blue "Reset settings" button in the lower-left corner. This will immediately save and take effect, closing the map settings popup and refreshing your map to show the default colors and settings. To make further changes, re-open the map settings popup.

File:Apply a map template.png

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Cims wiki:

Apply a map template

File:You cannot edit another users template.png

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Cims wiki:

You cannot edit another users template

File:Edit name or delete template.png

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Cims wiki:

Edit name or delete template

File:Save a new template.png

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Cims wiki:

Save a new template

File:Template options button.png

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Cims wiki:

Template options button

File:Reset map button.png

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Cims wiki:

Reset map button

Map appearance

2026-08-27T13:44:54Z

Cims wiki:

[[File:How to find the Layers modal.png|thumb|370x370px|To open the map settings popup, click on your username, then click "Map settings".]]
CIMS allows for extensive customization of your map's appearance. Change space colors, text sizes and colors, fonts, marker and burial colors, and much more.

[[Map appearance#Map appearance basics|Map appearance basics]]

[[Map appearance#Changing the color of spaces|Changing the color of spaces]]

[[Map appearance#Veteran burials|Veteran burials]]

[[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Space colors & labels]]

[[Map appearance#Label offsets|Label offsets]]

[[Map appearance#Label collisions|Label collisions]]

[[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]]

[[Map appearance#Making text larger|Making text larger]]

[[Map appearance#Map features & GPR|Map features & GPR]]

[[Map appearance#Flagged objects|Flagged objects]]

[[Map appearance#Map templates|Map templates]]

[[Map appearance#Resetting the map appearance|Resetting the map appearance]]

<br><br>

==Map appearance basics==
The map appearance is controlled by the "Map settings" popup. Click on your username in the top-right corner of your screen, then click "Map settings". This will open a popup with several tabs along the left side.

Each tab has an on/off switch. If you don't want to see vaults, or markers, simply click the on/off switch of its tab to "off", then click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Tabs in the map settings popup
!Tab name
!Tab description
|-
|'''Map settings'''
|Basic settings. Change the color of highlighted elements, show/hide flagged items, show/hide roads, etc.
|-
|'''Background'''
|Choose to display a solid color, Google satellite image or orthophoto (drone photo) if your cemetery opted for a drone flight. Read [[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]] for more information.
|-
|'''Section'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of sections (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias or individual ID. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias.
|-
|'''Block'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of blocks (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section and block id.
|-
|'''Lot'''
|Your cemetery may not have lots. If it does, this tab lets you control the outline (width & color) and labelling of lots (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section, block and lot id.
|-
|'''Space'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of spaces (font, bolding, size & color).

There are many label options. [[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Read more below about changing space labelling & colors]].
|-
|'''Burials'''
|Control the outline (width & color), fill color and labelling of burials (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: None, full name or last name.

Some names may be long; we recommend checking the checkbox next to "Split label into multiple lines".
|-
|'''Markers'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and fill color of markers.

If your cemetery uses memorial markers, you have options how to label them: None, full name or last name. You can also choose how those labels appear (font, bolding, size & color). [[Markers#Memorial markers|Read more about memorial markers on the Markers page]].
|-
|'''Vaults'''
| Choose the color vaults appear on your map.
|-
|'''Map features'''
| Choose which, if any, map features you want to display on your map.
Hiding a map feature does not remove it from the database.
|}

===Examples of different map appearances===
<gallery widths="450" heights="275">
File:Layers example 1.png|The default map settings will show veteran burials in blue and non-veteran burials in grey. Seen in the above cemetery is a tree to the left (in black), several headstones (in dark grey), and a few vaults (salmon rectangles in the bottom-right).
File:Layers example 2.png|This is the same exact section of cemetery, only this user has chosen to hide map features (such as the tree). The space colors have been changed and the names of burials are larger and bold.
File:Layers example 3.png|An extreme example of how dramatically we can change the appearance of the map. While we might not advise using this color scheme, you are absolutely free to do so!
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Space colors & labels==

===Space colors===
[[File:Layers - how to change space colors 2.png|thumb|451x451px|Use the "Space" tab and click on the blocks of color next to the different space statuses to change map colors.]]
*Click on the "Space" tab on the left side of the map settings popup, just above the "Burials" tab.
**Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
*Choose to color spaces by status or by type. The recommended setting is status.
*Click on the square of color next to each of your statuses. This will open a color picker, allowing you to change the color of the status.
*Remember to click "Save" when you are happy with your changes!

<br><br>

===Space labels ===
There are many ways to label spaces! These labels will show on top of each space when you have the map sufficiently zoomed in. You can independently label the space ID and the owner names, and also choose to show the space status and cost. Each of these options will display on its own line, so choosing "Space ID" for your space ID label and "Owner/company" as your space name label will show the ID on one line, and owner name (if any) on the line below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Space ID label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No space id shown.
|-
|Space ID
| A concatenation of the space's section, block, lot and space name/number.
Examples: ''8_B_30_A, Old section_4_East''
|-
|Space
|The space's name/number.
Example: ''A, 0012''
|-
|Alias
|In most cemeteries, this is the same as the space name or number.
Example: J2'', 12''
|}

====Space name label====
[[File:Pro - label placement demo.png|thumb|547x547px|Use the "Space" tab to control the appearance of your space labels. In this example, the user is choosing to show the space's ID, the owner's name, the space's status and cost. Using the "label placement" option, they are showing the label in the top-left corner of their spaces.]]
[[File:Pro - label placement demo spaces.png|thumb|546x546px|Here we see the space's ID, owner name, status and cost displayed. In addition, the name is showing the first, middle and last names, as well as prefix and suffix. CIMS has many options to make your space labels as simple or complex as you want!]]
We have many options for space name labels. In addition to choosing whose name shows, you can choose the format names appear in and whether or not to include prefixes, middle names, and suffixes. There is also an option to split a name label into multiple lines and allow name labels to collide. [[Map appearance#Label collisions|Read more below about label collisions]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Space name label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No name shown.
|-
| Owner/company
|A concatenation of the primary owner's last name, first name and middle name.
Examples: ''Smith, Lorna Jones, Fr. Paul Jenkins III''
|-
|Owner or permissions
|Displays the owner name or, if present, any burial permissions. [[Burials#Burial permissions|Learn more about burial permissions on the Burials page]].
|-
|Owner or burial
|Displays the owner name only if no burial present. If the space has a burial, will not display a name.
|}

====Status ====
Choose to include the status of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Cost====
Display the cost of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Label placement====
Control the placement of the space label. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on.

====Label offset====
An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down. [[Map appearance#Label offsets|Read more below about label offsets below.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label offsets==

An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; offsets are a way to move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down.

Offsets can be set for space and burial labels individually. To change the offset of space labels, click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y". Manipulate those values, click "Save", then close the modal. You will see your changes immediately. To change the offset of burial labels, the process is the same; click on the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y", change your values, and save.

An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement. Click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to the "Label placement" settings. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on. By default, labels show in the center-center.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">We understand your cemetery may use a different term for its spaces, such as "plot", "grave", etc. In that case, in your map settings, the tab will use your cemetery's term for space.</span>

<gallery widths="380" heights="280">
File:CIMS map offsets.png|Offsets shift your labels in different directions.
File:Map settings without offsets.png|Without offsets and with space labels set to appear in the center of the space, space and burial labels may conflict.
File:Map settings with offsets.png|With offsets, labels may be more legible.
File:Space offsets and label placement.png|Offsets for spaces are in the "Spaces" tab, and those for burials in the "Burials" tab. An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label collisions==
Labels are often in close proximity. If you want your labels to always show and sometimes overlap, click the check box "Allow label collision/overlap". This option exists for lot, space and burial labels.

Lot, space and burial labels exist independently; the collision settings of one will not affect the other. This means that sometimes these labels will appear on top of each other and be difficult to read. To read these labels, zoom your map in. You can also play around with the offset settings and the space label placement options.<gallery widths="420" heights="350">
File:Burial labels with collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, not all burial labels will display. Zoom in to see the names of all burials. The same logic applies to lot and space label collisions.
File:Burial labels without collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, all burial name labels display but can be difficult to read. Zoom in to read these labels. The same logic applies to lot and space label collisions.
File:Space label collisions.png|To change your collision settings for space labels, click the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap". Collisions settings for lot labels are found in the "Lot" tab.
File:Collision option.png|To change your collision settings for burial labels, click the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap".
</gallery><br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Veteran burials ==
[[File:The Burials tab of the Layers popup.png|thumb|Circled in red is the "Burials" tab. Within this tab, click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" and then choose a color you would like veteran burials to show as on your map.|452x452px]]You can choose to make veteran burials a different color from non-veteran burials. In the map settings popup, click on the "Burials" tab on the left side. Click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" so that it is checked. Next, choose the color you would like veteran burials to show as by clicking on the square next to "Veteran color". Remember to click save!
[[File:Burials showing veterans in blue.png|center|thumb|300x300px|Here we can see 2 veteran burials in blue and 3 non-veteran burials in grey.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Map background & drone photos==
[[File:Map background in CIMS.png|thumb|440x440px|Use the "Background" tab to choose what background your map will display. This cemetery had a drone photo done.]]
You may want to change the background of your map. To do so, click on the "Background" tab. All cemeteries have the choice of "Solid color" or "Google Maps". If you choose "Solid color", you can specify the background color. If using Google Maps, you can specify the opacity of the map. Click the option you would like to use as the background, then click "Save".

If your cemetery chose to have a drone photograph your cemetery, you will have the option "orthophoto" (meaning drone photo). Drone photos will be more accurate than Google Maps imagery and more consistent, as Google does periodically update their images and you may find the season has changed, or your background images have shifted. Want to learn more about drone photos? [[Drone Photography|Read our drone photography documentation]].

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

<gallery widths="450" heights="300">
File:CIMS columbarium view using Google maps satellite imagery.png|Google maps satellite imagery will not be entirely accurate. Note how the columbaria, which the CIMS team mapped to their real-life latitude and longitudinal position, do not line up with the Google satellite images.
File:CIMS columbarium view using drone imagery.png|With drone imagery taken by the CIMS team, the columbaria are now in their accurate spatial position. Other objects, such as headstones, chapels, trees and more, will also line up correctly with your map in CIMS. The image itself is also sharper and colors more realistic.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Making text larger==
To make text larger, there are 2 places we need to change the text settings:
*'''Space tab'''
** Click on the "Space" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how spaces are labelled (common choices are "Owner last name" and "Space ID").
***Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
**To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size, such as 20px. You may also want to make the text bold by clicking the "B" next to the "Bold" label.
**Other options you can change include the text font and color.
*'''Burials tab'''
**Click on the "Burials" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how burials are labelled (clients often choose "Full name").
**Beneath the burial label are options to control the text appearance. To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size.
**You can also change to the color, font, and text bolding, just like with spaces.
Click "Save", then close the map settings popup to see your map appearance changes.<gallery widths="450" heights="238">
File:Layers - how to make space labels larger.png|Click on the "Space" tab and change the "Size" to make space labels larger
File:Layers - how to make burial labels larger.png|Click on the "Burials" tab and change the "Size" to make burial labels larger
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Map features & GPR==
You can choose to show or hide map features, including GPR points, from your map. To hide all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" on the left side of the map settings popup so that it reads "off". To hide particular types of map features, make sure that toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on", and click that tab. A list of your cemetery's map feature types will appear. Map features with a checkbox next to them will show on your map, and unchecked will not show. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

====GPR====
To hide GPR map features, click on the "Map features" tab and uncheck your GPR map features. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

Your GPR map features may not be labelled exactly like this example, but will include the term "GPR".<gallery widths="450" heights="320">
File:Map features off.png|To turn off all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" so that it reads "off".
File:Gpr map features off.png|To hide individual map features, make sure the toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on". Click the tab, and uncheck the boxes next to any map features you don't want to see. In this case, we are hiding GPR map features.
</gallery><br><br>

==Flagged objects==
[[File:Examples of flagged objects.png|thumb|By default, flagged objects have a magenta outline and checkerboard pattern. Here you can see a flagged space, a flagged burial and a flagged marker.]]
To learn about flagging objects such as spaces, burials, markers, etc., including changing their appearance, refer to the [[Flagging objects|documentation on flagging]].
<br><br>

==Map templates==
Each user of a cemetery has their own map settings. Map templates are an easy way to share your map settings with other users of your cemetery.

If you have multiple cemeteries, a template from one should appear in the template list of your others. If it does not, get in touch with us; we may need to manipulate your database.

====Saving a new template====
First, set the settings you want to share, including space colors, label options, label placement, fonts and more. Then, click on "Template options" in the lower-left corner of the map settings popup. In the smaller popup that appears, find the "Save new template" section, add a name, and click "Save". When other users of your cemetery login and open the map settings popup, then the template options, they will see the template you have just created as well as any others that might exist.

====Editing & deleting templates====
A template's settings cannot be edited. Apply the template, change the settings you want, then re-save as a new template.

You can change the name of a template you created by clicking the blue pencil-and-paper icon shown next to it.

To delete a template, click the red trash can icon next to its name.

You can only change the name or delete a template that you yourself have created. Anyone, however, can apply a template you have created to their settings.
<br><br>

==Resetting the map appearance==
Did you really mess up your settings? Tired of trying to fix everything? We have an easy fix, just reset your map's appearance and start over. Open the map settings popup, then click the blue "Reset settings" button in the lower-left corner. This will immediately save and take effect, closing the map settings popup and refreshing your map to show the default colors and settings. To make further changes, re-open the map settings popup.

Map pins & more

2026-08-21T16:20:06Z

Cims wiki: /* Method 1: Add pins by lot */

[[Map pins & more#Pins basics|Pins basics]]

[[Map pins & more#Add pins to the map|Add pins to the map]]

[[Map pins & more#Move map pins|Move map pins]]

[[Map pins & more#Delete map pins|Delete map pins]]

[[Map pins & more#Change map pin colors|Change map pin colors]]

==Pins basics==
[[File:Gold map pins.png|thumb|530x530px|The ideal CIMS Plus cemetery: Orderly pins representing cemetery spaces. Our default colors are green for available, light blue for sold and a darker blue for sold spaces with one or more burials present.]]
Only CIMS Plus has a dedicated tab in the right-hand panel for its map. Pins on the map represent individual spaces; one pin represents one space.

Map pins are NOT intended to represent burials. The correct way to handle a space with multiple burials in CIMS Plus is to create 1 space in your database, place 1 pin representing the space, and add multiple burials in the Burial tab of the right-hand panel. Read about [[Burials (Core & Plus)#Add a burial|adding burials here]].

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/1tYGPydii-A Mapping in CIMS Plus]</span></span></span>

<br><br>

==Add pins to the map==
Initially, your map in CIMS Plus will have no pins, you need to add them. The easiest way to do this to add all pins for a lot at once. You can also add pins individually.

===Method 1: Add pins by lot===

#'''Add pins to map'''
##In the right-hand panel, click the Map tab. Move the map to the area where you want the lot's pins to be placed.
##In the left-hand panel, open the List tab. Open your sections and blocks until you find the lot whose pins you want to add to the map.
##Hover over the name of the lot with your mouse. You will see a green location icon appear just to the right of the lot's name. Click it.
##In the right-hand panel, you will see the map now has blue bars above and below that read "Map mode: Move pins". This indicates the map is ready for you to move its pins.
#'''Move pins to their places'''
##In the center of the map, circles have appeared with dotted outlines. These are your '''pins'''. The number of pins that appear correspond to the number of spaces in this lot that have not been added to the map yet. Each pin will have its space name in its center.
##Click and drag on the pins to move them to their correct locations. The pins will initially be bunched up together, you will probably need to separate them out to read the numbers in the center first, then place them in their final positions.
##When finished, click the green "Finish moving pins" button.
##The pins are now locked in place. In the List tab of the left-hand panel, you can now see a faint location icon next to the space names, indicating these spaces have a pin on the map.
If a lot has more than 25 unpinned spaces, only the first 25 pins will appear on the map. Move these pins to their correct locations, then click the green location icon to the right of the lot's name to get the next 25 pins.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/1tYGPydii-A?t=78 Adding pins by lot]</span></span></span>

Optional:

* You may want to use a grid while placing pins so that they are more regular. Click the navy "Show grid" button, then manipulate the height, width and angle inputs to change the grid to suit your cemetery. Click "Hide grid" to hide the grid.
* You can directly input a pin's latitude and longitude if you have it for exact placement.

<gallery widths="350" heights="250">
File:Add pin 1.png|Let's add a lot's pins to our map! Click on the "Map" tab and move it to the area you want to add the pins to go. Find the lot in the left-hand panel's List tab. Hover over the lot name and click the green location icon.
File:Add pin 2.png|This lot has 6 spaces that haven't had their pins added to the map yet; 6 pins appear on my map, ready to be moved to their final positions. The dotted outlines indicate they have not been saved to the database yet.
File:Add pin 3.png|Start moving the pins by clicking and dragging them. Separate them out so you can read their labels.
File:Add pin 4.png|Optionally, you can input exact latitude and longitude or use a grid to help you place pins.
File:Add pin 5.png|When satisfied, click "Finish moving pins".
File:Add pin 6.png|That's it! Our pins have been saved to the database. Note that in the List tab, there is a faint location icon next to space names indicating they have pins on the map.
</gallery>

===Method 2: Add a single pin===

# '''Navigate to the space in CIMS'''
## Using the List tab, open sections, blocks and lots until you find the space whose pin you want to add on the map. Click it so its information loads in the right-hand panel.
## Click the map tab and move the map to the area where you want the pin to be placed.
## Click the green pin icon located to the left of the map, above the "Move pins" button.
# '''Move pin to its place'''
## In the center of the map, a circle has appeared with a dotted outline. This is your '''pin'''. The name in its center should correspond to the name of the space you clicked on in step 1 (above).
## Click and drag on the pin to move it to its correct location.
## When finished, click the green "Finish moving pins" button.
## The pin is now locked in place. In the List tab of the left-hand panel, you can now see a faint location icon next to the space's name, indicating this space has a pin on the map.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/1tYGPydii-A?t=278 Adding single pins]</span></span></span>

Optional:
*You may want to use a grid while placing pins so that they are more regular. Click the navy "Show grid" button, then manipulate the height, width and angle inputs to change the grid to suit your cemetery. Click "Hide grid" to hide the grid.
*You can directly input a pin's latitude and longitude if you have it for exact placement.

<gallery widths="350" heights="250">
File:Add singular pin 1.png|Start by opening the space whose pin you want to add to the map in the right-hand panel. The easiest way to do this is by clicking on it from the List tab.
File:Add singular pin 2.png|Click the Map tab and move the map to the area where you want to add the pin. Click the green location icon (outlined in red above).
File:Add singular pin 3.png|The pin appears on the map; it has a dotted outline to indicate it hasn't been saved to the database yet.
File:Add singular pin 4.png|Click and drag the pin to move it. When satisfied, click the green "Finish moving pins" button.
File:Add singular pin 5.png|That's it! The pin is saved in the database. You can see a faint location icon next to the space's name, indicating it has a pin on the map.
</gallery><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Move map pins==
[[File:Move pins button.png|thumb|470x470px|Use the "Move pins" button to move one or more pins around your map. In the above example, somehow one of our pins got slightly out of place!]]

* To move a map pin, click on the Map tab in the right-hand panel and move the map to the area where you want to move one or more pins.
** Trying to move a specific space's pin? It's easiest to use the List tab to find the space and click on it. The map will then be centered on that pin; if it is not, this space may not have a pin yet. Alternately, you may have clicked on the wrong space from the List tab.
* Click the green "Move pins" button to the left of the map. You will see the map now has blue bars above and below that read "Map mode: Move pins". This indicates the map is ready for you to move its pins.
* Click and drag on any pins you want to move.
* When done, click "Finish moving pins" and the pins will be locked in place.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/1tYGPydii-A?t=369 Moving pins]</span></span></span>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Delete map pins==
[[File:Delete a pin.png|thumb|520x520px|Click on a pin, then the red trash can icon to delete it.]]
Deleting a pin does not delete the space or the space's information from your database.
To delete a pin, simply click on it on the map, then click the red trash can icon that appears with its information. A popup will ask you to confirm the action; click "Ok".
<br>

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/1tYGPydii-A?t=369 Deleting pins]</span></span></span>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Change map pin colors==
We have a section elsewhere in the wiki dedicated to changing map colors for CIMS Plus. Find it on [[Spaces list (Core & Plus)#Space status legend|the spaces list page]].

Map appearance (Core & Plus)

2026-08-21T02:09:34Z

Cims wiki:

[[File:Plus map settings.png|thumb|370x370px|To open the map settings popup, click on your username, then click "Map settings".]]
CIMS Plus users are able to control their space colors and background appearance.

[[Map appearance#Map appearance basics|Map appearance basics]]

[[Map appearance#Space colors|Space colors]]

[[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]]

<br><br>

==Map appearance basics==
The map appearance is controlled by the "Map settings" popup. Click on your username in the top-right corner of your screen, then click "Map settings". This will open a popup with options to control space status colors and the map background.

<br><br>

==Space colors==
[[File:Plus changing a space status color.png|thumb|361x361px|Click the block of color next to the status you want to change. A color picker will appear, change it to the color you want, then click "Choose". Finally, click "Save".]]
Each space status is assigned a color, making it easy to tell at a glance what spaces in your cemetery are available, sold, etc.

To change a space status color, scroll to the "Space status colors" section of the map settings popup and click on the block of color next to the status you want to change. Use the color picker to choose a new color, then click the grey "Choose" button. To save your changes, click the green "Save" button in the lower-right corner of the map appearance popup.

An alternate way to change space colors in CIMS Plus is to use [[Spaces_list_(Core_%26_Plus)#Space_status_legend|the space status legend]].<br><br>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Map background & drone photos==
[[File:Gold - background options.png|thumb|440x440px|Use the "Background style" section to choose what background your map will display. This cemetery had a drone photo done and has "Orthophoto" as an option.]]
You may want to change the background of your map. To do so, choose an option from the "Map background" section. All cemeteries have the choice of "Solid color" or "Google Maps". If you choose "Solid color", you can specify the background color. If using Google Maps, you can specify the opacity of the map. Click the option you would like to use as the background, then click "Save".

If your cemetery chose to have a drone photograph your cemetery, you will have the option "Orthophoto" (meaning drone photo). Drone photos will be more accurate than Google Maps imagery and more consistent, as Google does periodically update their images and you may find the season has changed, or your background images have shifted. Want to learn more about drone photos? [[Drone Photography|Read our drone photography documentation]].

CIMS Plus cemeteries with an orthophoto have an alternate way to toggle between the orthophoto and Google Maps as their background. In the "Map" tab, a globe button in the upper-left map controls can be clicked to toggle between backgrounds.

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

<gallery widths="450" heights="300">
File:Gold - google maps example.png|Google Maps satellite imagery may be of low quality.
File:Gold - drone example.png|With drone imagery taken by the CIMS team, the background is of much higher resolution and better quality. This image will also not update unpredictably, as Google Maps images might.
File:Plus - toggle between drone and google maps.png|To toggle between drone imagery and Google Maps, click the globe icon in the map controls area in the "Map" tab. Note: Must have purchased an orthophoto.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

File:Gold - background options.png

2026-08-21T02:08:14Z

Cims wiki:

Gold - background options

File:Plus - toggle between drone and google maps.png

2026-08-21T02:05:46Z

Cims wiki:

Plus - toggle between drone and google maps

File:Gold - drone example.png

2026-08-21T02:02:50Z

Cims wiki:

Gold - drone example

File:Gold - google maps example.png

2026-08-21T02:02:40Z

Cims wiki:

Gold - google maps example

File:Plus changing a space status color.png

2026-08-21T01:53:32Z

Cims wiki:

Plus changing a space status color

File:Plus map settings.png

2026-08-21T01:47:54Z

Cims wiki:

Plus map settings

Spaces list (Core & Plus)

2026-08-21T01:39:10Z

Cims wiki: /* Space status legend */

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">We understand your cemetery may use a different term for its spaces, such as "plot", "grave", etc. In general, this documentation will use the term "space".</span>

[[Spaces list (Core & Plus)#List of all spaces|List of all spaces]]

[[Spaces list (Core & Plus)#Space status legend|Space status legend]]

[[Spaces list (Core & Plus)#Space status counts|Space status counts]]

[[Spaces list (Core & Plus)#Navigate to a specific space|Navigate to a specific space]]

[[Spaces list (Core & Plus)#Space history|Space history]]

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==List of all spaces==
[[File:Gold-light list tab.png|thumb|423x423px|Outlined in red is the "List" tab of the left-hand flyout. Clicking on sections, blocks and lots will expand them.]]
By default, the left-hand panel is set to show the "List" tab. You may need to click on the "List" tab if your default is set to something else.

This tab lists all spaces in your cemetery and initially presents in a collapsed format; click on sections to expand the list and see the blocks in that section. Clicking on a block will show the lots in that block (if your cemetery has lots). Click on lots for a list of spaces. Click on an individual space to load its information in the right-hand panel.

Not sure what are the left-hand and right-hand panels? Refer to the [[Core & Plus basics|CIMS Core & Plus basics]] page.

Want to change your default tab in the left-hand flyout? Refer to [[Searching (Core & Plus)#Changing your default search|our documentation on searching]].
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Space status legend==
[[File:Gold-light space status colors.png|thumb|336x336px|To change a space status color, click on its corresponding color block in the legend. Use the color picker to choose a new color. In Lot 166 (above), we can see at a glance this lot contains 1 available, 2 sold, 2 sold with burial and 1 restricted spaces.]]
In CIMS Core and Plus cemeteries, a space status legend appears near the top of the List tab. To show or hide this legend, click on the toggle next to the "Space status legend" label.

Each space status is assigned a color, making it easy to tell at a glance what spaces in your cemetery are available, sold, etc. Click on the color block in the space status legend to change it using a color picker. Expand the sections, blocks and lots in your cemetery to see the space status color next to each space in your cemetery.

To change a space status color, click on its corresponding color block in the legend. Use the color picker to choose a new color, then click the grey "Choose" button to save the change. If you don't see the change happen right away, refresh your webpage.

If you have CIMS Plus, changing the color in the space status legend will also change the colors of the pins on your map. CIMS Plus users also have a dedicated popup where they can control their map settings, read more on [[Map appearance (Core & Plus)|the map appearance page]].
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Space status counts==
[[File:Gold-light space counts.png|thumb|404x404px|Outlined in red is the space stats button, located to the right of a section/block/lot name. At the bottom, a total count of all space statuses appears.]]
CIMS has an easy way to tell, at a glance, how many spaces in your cemetery are available, sold, sold with burial, etc. At the bottom of the List tab is a section titled "Space status totals". The colors correspond with your map colors; by default, available spaces are green, sold spaces are blue, sold with burial a darker blue, reserved spaces are pink and restricted an orange-salmon color.

You may also want a count of spaces by status for an individual section, block or lot. In the left-hand panel List tab, just click the quick stats button to the right of the section/block/lot in question. This button looks like an abstract bar chart. Click the quick stats button again to hide the space counts.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
==Navigate to a specific space ==
[[File:Gold-light space search.png|thumb|364x364px|Outlined in red is the input box where you can type a space id to navigate to a specific space.]]
Each space has its own unique "space ID". This id consists of a concatenation of the section, block, lot and space name combined with a dash. A space's id will show at the top of the right-hand panel when its information is loaded.

To navigate to a specific space, you will need this space id. In the List tab of the left-hand panel, type the space id into the box located at the very top, then click "Go". The right-hand panel will load with that space's information. If you are a CIMS Plus user and have placed a pin for this space, it will show in the Map tab of the right-hand panel.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
==Space history==
[[File:MapHistory.PNG|200px|thumb|The space history dropdown shows this user's most recently-visited spaces.|link=https://wiki.cimscloud.com/index.php/File:MapHistory.PNG]]
Every space you click on will be added to the space history list. This feature is especially useful if you need to refresh CIMS, or easily navigate back to a space you were working on earlier in the week.

Click on "History" in the top navigation bar of CIMS. Clicking on a space ID in the history list will center the map on that space and zoom in. The space's information will load in the right-hand panel.

Map appearance (Core & Plus)

2026-08-21T01:38:52Z

Cims wiki: Created page with "Coming soon!"

Coming soon!

Main Page

2026-08-21T01:34:34Z

Cims wiki: /* Map (CIMS Plus only) */

This is the online documentation for CIMS. There are 3 levels of CIMS: Core, Plus and Professional. Use the section of documentation that pertains to your product.

We also have documentation here for [[Main Page#Burial Search|Burial Search]], [[Main Page#Ledger|Ledger]] and information about [[Main Page#Other CIMS Services|drone photography, 360 images and ground-penetrating radar]].

<br><br>

==CIMS Professional (formerly Platinum) ==
[[File:Main Page Overview.png|thumb|647x647px|CIMS Professional]][[Professional basics]]

[[Navigating CIMS Professional]]

===Left-hand flyout functions===
[[Spaces list]]

[[Searching]]

[[Reports]]

===Right-hand flyout functions===
[[Customers]]

[[Selling spaces & more]]

[[Burials]]

[[Markers]]

[[Deeds]]

[[Care funds]]

===Other functions===
[[Work orders]]

[[Map features]]

[[Print or email screenshots]]

===Customizing your cemetery===
[[Map appearance]]

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)]]

[[Advanced cemetery options]]

[[Renaming sections, blocks, lots & spaces]]

===Video Library===
[[Video library]]

<br style="clear:both" />

==CIMS Core & Plus (formerly Light & Gold)==
[[File:CIMS Light Main Page.png|thumb|472x472px|CIMS Core (CIMS Plus is identical with the addition of a Map tab)]][[Core & Plus basics]]

===Left-hand panel functions===
[[Spaces list (Core & Plus)|Spaces list]]

[[Searching (Core & Plus)|Searching]]

[[Reports (Core & Plus)|Reports]]

===Right-hand panel functions===
[[Customers (Core & Plus)|Customers]]

[[Selling spaces & more (Core & Plus)|Selling spaces & more]]

[[Burials (Core & Plus)|Burials]]

[[Markers (Core & Plus)|Markers]]

[[Deeds (Core & Plus)|Deeds]]

[[Care funds (Core & Plus)|Care funds]]

===Map (CIMS Plus only)===
[[Map appearance (Core & Plus)|Map appearance]]

[[Map pins & more]]

===Other functions ===
[[Work orders (Core & Plus)|Work orders]]

===Customizing your cemetery===
[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)]]

[[Control Your Cemetery|Advanced cemetery options]]

[[Creating sections, blocks, lots & spaces (Core & Plus)|Creating sections, blocks, lots & spaces]]

===Video Library===
[[Video library#CIMS Core & Plus|Video library]]

<br style="clear:both" />

==CIMS miscellaneous functions (Core, Plus & Professional)==

[[Miscellaneous functions#Auto-tab date inputs|Auto-tab date inputs]]

[[Calendar]]

[[Miscellaneous functions#Disinterred burials|Disinterred burials]]

[[Miscellaneous functions#Download cemetery data|Download cemetery data]]

[[Features for Jewish cemeteries]]

[[Flagging objects]]

[[Managing users]]

[[Miscellaneous functions#Move a space|Move a space]]

[[Multi-factor authentication (MFA)]]

[[Miscellaneous functions#Reminders|Reminders]]

<br style="clear:both" />

==Burial Search==
[[File:Burial Search Home Page.png|thumb|527x527px|Burial Search by CIMS]][[What is Burial Search|What is Burial Search?]]

[[Burial Search settings]]

[[Using Burial Search]]

<br>

==Ledger==

[[What is Ledger?]]

More information coming soon!

<br style="clear:both" />

==Other CIMS Services==
[[Drone Photography|Drone photography]]

[[360 Images|360 images]]

[[GPR (Ground-Penetrating Radar)]]

Main Page

2026-08-21T01:34:28Z

Cims wiki: /* Map (CIMS Plus only) */

This is the online documentation for CIMS. There are 3 levels of CIMS: Core, Plus and Professional. Use the section of documentation that pertains to your product.

We also have documentation here for [[Main Page#Burial Search|Burial Search]], [[Main Page#Ledger|Ledger]] and information about [[Main Page#Other CIMS Services|drone photography, 360 images and ground-penetrating radar]].

<br><br>

==CIMS Professional (formerly Platinum) ==
[[File:Main Page Overview.png|thumb|647x647px|CIMS Professional]][[Professional basics]]

[[Navigating CIMS Professional]]

===Left-hand flyout functions===
[[Spaces list]]

[[Searching]]

[[Reports]]

===Right-hand flyout functions===
[[Customers]]

[[Selling spaces & more]]

[[Burials]]

[[Markers]]

[[Deeds]]

[[Care funds]]

===Other functions===
[[Work orders]]

[[Map features]]

[[Print or email screenshots]]

===Customizing your cemetery===
[[Map appearance]]

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)]]

[[Advanced cemetery options]]

[[Renaming sections, blocks, lots & spaces]]

===Video Library===
[[Video library]]

<br style="clear:both" />

==CIMS Core & Plus (formerly Light & Gold)==
[[File:CIMS Light Main Page.png|thumb|472x472px|CIMS Core (CIMS Plus is identical with the addition of a Map tab)]][[Core & Plus basics]]

===Left-hand panel functions===
[[Spaces list (Core & Plus)|Spaces list]]

[[Searching (Core & Plus)|Searching]]

[[Reports (Core & Plus)|Reports]]

===Right-hand panel functions===
[[Customers (Core & Plus)|Customers]]

[[Selling spaces & more (Core & Plus)|Selling spaces & more]]

[[Burials (Core & Plus)|Burials]]

[[Markers (Core & Plus)|Markers]]

[[Deeds (Core & Plus)|Deeds]]

[[Care funds (Core & Plus)|Care funds]]

===Map (CIMS Plus only)===
[[Map appearance (Core & Plus)|Map appearance]]
[[Map pins & more]]

===Other functions ===
[[Work orders (Core & Plus)|Work orders]]

===Customizing your cemetery===
[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)]]

[[Control Your Cemetery|Advanced cemetery options]]

[[Creating sections, blocks, lots & spaces (Core & Plus)|Creating sections, blocks, lots & spaces]]

===Video Library===
[[Video library#CIMS Core & Plus|Video library]]

<br style="clear:both" />

==CIMS miscellaneous functions (Core, Plus & Professional)==

[[Miscellaneous functions#Auto-tab date inputs|Auto-tab date inputs]]

[[Calendar]]

[[Miscellaneous functions#Disinterred burials|Disinterred burials]]

[[Miscellaneous functions#Download cemetery data|Download cemetery data]]

[[Features for Jewish cemeteries]]

[[Flagging objects]]

[[Managing users]]

[[Miscellaneous functions#Move a space|Move a space]]

[[Multi-factor authentication (MFA)]]

[[Miscellaneous functions#Reminders|Reminders]]

<br style="clear:both" />

==Burial Search==
[[File:Burial Search Home Page.png|thumb|527x527px|Burial Search by CIMS]][[What is Burial Search|What is Burial Search?]]

[[Burial Search settings]]

[[Using Burial Search]]

<br>

==Ledger==

[[What is Ledger?]]

More information coming soon!

<br style="clear:both" />

==Other CIMS Services==
[[Drone Photography|Drone photography]]

[[360 Images|360 images]]

[[GPR (Ground-Penetrating Radar)]]

Map features

2026-07-20T20:18:54Z

Cims wiki: /* Add a map feature */

Dropdown options (formerly constants)

2026-07-07T15:05:33Z

Cims wiki: /* A warning about changing dropdown options */

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#Dropdown basics|Dropdown options basics]]

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#Add a dropdown option|Add a dropdown option]]

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#Edit dropdown options|Edit dropdown options]]

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#A warning about changing dropdown options|A warning about changing dropdown options]]

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#Merging dropdown options|Merging dropdown options]]

<br><br>

==Dropdown options basics==
[[File:Examples of constants buttons.png|thumb|300x300px|Highlighted in red: two examples of constant buttons next to dropdowns.]]
A dropdown option (formerly known as a "constant") is an option that appears in a dropdown box. These are found throughout CIMS, you use them all the time - think burial types, names of funeral homes, wars and military ranks (used by veterans), and more.<br><br>

==Add a dropdown option==
First, you will need to open the dropdown options popup. There are two ways to do this:
*In the top navigation bar, click your cemetery's name. A dropdown menu will appear; click on "Dropdown options" or select an option from the dropdown list next to "Dropdown options".
*Any place in CIMS you see a customizable dropdown, there will be a navy blue circular button with a white plus inside. Click this button to see the options for this particular dropdown.
In the dropdown options popup, there will be a field at the top with the placeholder text "New option". Type in the name of the new option you would like to add and any remarks (optional). Click "Save". The new option will appear in the list of options below.
[[File:Add a new constant.png|center|thumb|550x550px|Need to add a new dropdown option to your cemetery? Use the dropdown option popup.]]

==Edit dropdown options==
Follow the steps above to open the dropdown options popup. To change an option's name, simply click on it, type, and click "Update". Remarks are optional; follow the same procedure to edit them.

To delete an option, click the red trash can icon to the right of the "Update" button. CIMS will not allow you to delete a dropdown option that is in use.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">Use caution when changing an option's name! It will change all records in your database using that option. See below, [[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#A warning about changing dropdown options|a warning about changing dropdown options]]</span>

<br><br>

==A warning about changing dropdown options==
Be careful when changing the name of a dropdown option, it could have unintended consequences! For example, if you change an option for a burial type from "Cremation" to "Adult full-body burial", any burials in your cemetery that were using the option "Cremation" will now have a burial type of full-body adult burials! We recommend only changing the names of dropdown options if you need to fix a spelling or minor grammatical error.<br><br>

==Merging dropdown options==
Use the dropdown options popup to merge dropdowns. Click the checkboxes on the right side of the options you want to merge; you are not limited to merging two options at a time, you can select however many you need. Next, click the green "Merge" button in the lower-right corner of the popup. You will be asked which of the options you want to keep, choose one and click "Save".<gallery widths="450" heights="220">
File:Merge dropdowns 1.png|To merge dropdown options, click on the checkboxes to the right of the options you want to merge, then click "Merge".
File:Merge dropdowns 2.png|Choose the option you want to keep and click "Save".
</gallery><br><br>

File:Merge dropdowns 1.png

2026-07-07T15:03:47Z

Cims wiki: Cims wiki uploaded a new version of File:Merge dropdowns 1.png

Merge dropdowns 1

Dropdown options (formerly constants)

2026-07-07T15:02:08Z

Cims wiki:

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#Dropdown basics|Dropdown options basics]]

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#Add a dropdown option|Add a dropdown option]]

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#Edit dropdown options|Edit dropdown options]]

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#A warning about changing dropdown options|A warning about changing dropdown options]]

[[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#Merging dropdown options|Merging dropdown options]]

<br><br>

==Dropdown options basics==
[[File:Examples of constants buttons.png|thumb|300x300px|Highlighted in red: two examples of constant buttons next to dropdowns.]]
A dropdown option (formerly known as a "constant") is an option that appears in a dropdown box. These are found throughout CIMS, you use them all the time - think burial types, names of funeral homes, wars and military ranks (used by veterans), and more.<br><br>

==Add a dropdown option==
First, you will need to open the dropdown options popup. There are two ways to do this:
*In the top navigation bar, click your cemetery's name. A dropdown menu will appear; click on "Dropdown options" or select an option from the dropdown list next to "Dropdown options".
*Any place in CIMS you see a customizable dropdown, there will be a navy blue circular button with a white plus inside. Click this button to see the options for this particular dropdown.
In the dropdown options popup, there will be a field at the top with the placeholder text "New option". Type in the name of the new option you would like to add and any remarks (optional). Click "Save". The new option will appear in the list of options below.
[[File:Add a new constant.png|center|thumb|550x550px|Need to add a new dropdown option to your cemetery? Use the dropdown option popup.]]

==Edit dropdown options==
Follow the steps above to open the dropdown options popup. To change an option's name, simply click on it, type, and click "Update". Remarks are optional; follow the same procedure to edit them.

To delete an option, click the red trash can icon to the right of the "Update" button. CIMS will not allow you to delete a dropdown option that is in use.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">Use caution when changing an option's name! It will change all records in your database using that option. See below, [[Dropdown options (formerly constants)#A warning about changing dropdown options|a warning about changing dropdown options]]</span>

<br><br>

==A warning about changing dropdown options==
Be careful when changing the name of a dropdown option, it could have unintended consequences! For example, if you change an option for a burial type from "Cremation" to "Adult full-body burial", any burials in your cemetery that were using the option "Cremation" will now display as being full-body adult burials! We recommend only changing the names of dropdown options if you need to fix a spelling or minor grammatical error.<br><br>

==Merging dropdown options==
Use the dropdown options popup to merge dropdowns. Click the checkboxes on the right side of the options you want to merge; you are not limited to merging two options at a time, you can select however many you need. Next, click the green "Merge" button in the lower-right corner of the popup. You will be asked which of the options you want to keep, choose one and click "Save".<gallery widths="450" heights="220">
File:Merge dropdowns 1.png|To merge dropdown options, click on the checkboxes to the right of the options you want to merge, then click "Merge".
File:Merge dropdowns 2.png|Choose the option you want to keep and click "Save".
</gallery><br><br>

File:Merge dropdowns 2.png

2026-07-07T15:00:01Z

Cims wiki:

Merge dropdowns 2

File:Merge dropdowns 1.png

2026-07-07T14:59:50Z

Cims wiki:

Merge dropdowns 1

Customers

2026-06-30T16:50:39Z

Cims wiki: /* Changing a customer's name */

[[Customers#Customer basics|Customer basics]]

[[Customers#Avoiding duplicate customer records|Avoiding duplicate customer records]]

[[Customers#Creating a customer record|Creating a customer record]]

[[Customers#Editing a customer record|Editing a customer record]]

[[Customers#Recording a date of death|Recording a date of death]]

[[Customers#Marking a customer as a veteran|Marking a customer as a veteran]]

[[Customers#Searching for customers|Searching for customers]]

[[Customers#Merging customer records|Merging customer records]]

[[Customers#Customer contacts|Customer contacts]]

[[Customers#Companies as customers|Companies as customers]]

<br>
[[File:Customer records illustration.jpg|thumb|490x490px|Each person who interacts with your cemetery should have a customer record. They might be a space owner, cemetery employee, marker vendor, or even an interred pet.]]

==Customer basics==

===Who is a customer?===
A "customer" is anyone that has any dealings with your cemetery. A customer may have paid you for a space or services. A customer may also be an interred person, cemetery employee, vendor contact, next-of-kin, and so on. If your cemetery allows pet burials, a customer might even be a dog!

Anyone you want to be able to track names, address, contact information, veteran information, living or deceased status, etc. should be entered as a "customer" of your cemetery.

===What is a customer record?===
When you save a customer in CIMS, it creates a customer record. Ideally, we want a 1:1 ratio of one customer record per customer. This way, we can show the same person's activity with a cemetery over time; we can show when they purchased a space, when they authorized a burial, when they were in turn interred, and so on. When a mistake is made and a customer ends up with multiple customer records, you can merge records ([[Customers#Merging customer records|see below]]).

===What about married couples?===
For couples, each partner should have their own customer record, for a total of 2 records per couple.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/ufTOCnWYvVw Customers & customer records]</span></span></span>

<br>
<br><br>

==Avoiding duplicate customer records==
[[File:Multiple customer records for one individual should be avoided.jpg|thumb|300x300px|A person should only have one customer record. Look how unhappy this person is with 3 customer records!]]
Do not create duplicate customer records! This is when one individual has multiple customer records. Let's talk about how to avoid this common problem.

Crucial vocabulary: '''Last name lookup field'''. A last name lookup field is any field in CIMS where you save a customer's name. These always have the placeholder text of "search by last name". Last name lookup fields are found in the ownership tab when entering owner or co-owner names, in the burial tab when entering the name of the interred person, in the marker tab for entering the marker purchaser's name, and so many other places.

Every single time you are entering in a customer's name in one of these last name lookup fields, '''search for their last name before creating a new customer record'''. Type in the last name and a list of results will appear. If the name of the person appears in this list, click it.
<br><br>
<gallery widths="420" heights="250">
File:An example of a last name lookup field.png|All last name lookup fields have the placeholder text "search by last name"
File:Last name lookup pt 1.png|Start typing in the last name of the person you are looking for. A list of matches appears below, in orange.
File:Search for a customer before adding them to your database.png|Only create a new customer record when you are certain that the person doesn't already exist in your database!
</gallery><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Creating a customer record==
[[File:The add new customer button.png|thumb|Outlined in red is the "Add new" customer button. '''Note that we have searched for the last name in our database first!''']]
There are 2 main ways to create a customer record:

#'''From the Search tab'''
#*Open the left-hand flyout and click on the "Search" tab. Choose the type "Customers". Click on the green "New customer" button.
#'''From a "last name lookup" field'''
#*
#*First, search for the customer by starting to type in their last name. If you do not see their name appear in the orange box below, click the navy blue "Add new" button.

Next, a popup will appear. The only fields that are required to create a customer record are the first and last names. If you have it, we recommend filling in the birth date so as to avoid confusion if someone else in the cemetery has the same name. When you have filled in the information you would like, click "Create" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/ufTOCnWYvVw?t=77 Creating a customer record]</span></span></span>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br><br>

==Editing a customer record==
[[File:Open a customer record from a last name lookup field.png|frame|Click the blue '''i''' button next to a name to open their customer record ]]
First, find your customer record. There are 2 main ways to do this:

#Use the [[Searching#The most useful search: Customer searches|customer search]]
# Next to a last name lookup field, click the blue '''i''' button next to a name of the person whose record you would like to edit.

A popup will open with their information. Make any changes you would like, then click "Update" in the lower-right corner of the popup to save them.

To delete a customer record, click the red "Delete" button in the lower-left corner of the popup.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/ufTOCnWYvVw?t=309 Editing a customer record]</span></span></span>

===Changing a customer's name===
Be careful when changing the name of a customer record! It may have unintended consequences. When in doubt, create a new customer record.

If a customer's name genuinely did change, such as a change of name with marriage, proceed. Likewise, if the name has a typo, correct it.

Many cemeteries have "Unknown, Unknown" customer records that own many spaces. This is often done when we import data for you and it is unclear who owns a space. If your cemetery needs to add an owner to a space owned by "Unknown, Unknown", make a new customer record instead of changing the name.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">Think twice before changing the name of a customer!</span>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br><br>

==Recording a date of death==
[[File:Deceased section of a customer record.png|thumb|551x551px|Enter in a customer's date of death in the "Deceased" section.]]
To record a person's date of death in CIMS, you will need to specify it in their customer record. This is different from the date of burial, which can be found in the "Burial" tab of the right-hand flyout.

To record a date of death, first, open their customer record (read the above [[Customers#Editing a customer record|editing a customer record]] to learn how to find customer records). Scroll down to the "Deceased" section and fill in the "Death date" field. Click the green "Update" button if you are updating a customer record, or the green "Create" button if this is a new one.

<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br><br>

==Marking a customer as a veteran==
[[File:Customer record veteran information.png|thumb|543x543px|Veteran information can be found at the bottom of a customer's information. A checked "Veteran" checkbox indicates that this customer is a veteran.]]
To indicate that a customer is a veteran, you will first need to open their customer record (read the above [[Customers#Editing a customer record|editing a customer record]] to learn how to find customer records).

Scroll down to the bottom of their customer information to the "Veteran" section. Click the checkbox next to "Veteran" to mark this person as a veteran. Other fields, like the war they were in, their branch of service, rank, etc., are all optional. Click the green "Update" button if you are updating a customer record, or the green "Create" button if this is a new one.

<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br><br>

==Searching for customers==
Searching for customers can easily be done in the left-hand flyout, where we have a tab dedicated to searching not just for customers, but also for deeds, spaces, and more. See [[Searching#The most useful search: Customer searches|the Search page]] for more information.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br><br>

== Merging customer records==

Sometimes, mistakes happen and one customer may end up with multiple customer records. Ideally, we want every customer to only have one customer record. To solve this problem, we need to merge customer records.
==== To merge 2 customer records:====

*Open one of the customer records in question (it doesn't matter which you choose).
*Click the navy blue "Merge with another record" button in the lower-left corner of the popup.
*Enter the name of the customer record you want to merge this record with, then click "Search". Alternatively, you can search by their customer id, city, maiden name, and more.
*From the list of results, click on the result you want to merge with.
*A new popup will appear showing the information for each customer record. CIMS will automatically try to merge information, but make sure to look over the list and click on the information you want to keep. Information that will be kept in the merged customer record will be highlighted in green with a checked checkbox to the right.
*When satisfied, click the navy "Merge" button in the lower-right corner of the popup.
* That's it! Where previously you had two customer records, they are now merged into one.

If you have a customer with many customer records, repeat the above steps as necessary.

CIMS will not let you merge the customer records if both people are interred.<gallery widths="450" heights="200">
File:Merging customer records pt 1.png|Open one of the customer records you want to merge. Click "Merge with another record".
File:Merging customer records pt 2.png|In the popup that appears, fill in the name of the other record you want to merge with. Click "Search".
File:Merging customer records pt 3.png|In the list of results that appears, click on the one you want to merge with.
File:Merging customer records pt 4.png|Another popup will appear. Choose the information you want your merged customer record to have, then click "Merge". In the above example, you can see that the first name spellings are different; we chose "Mary Lee" as the correct spelling by clicking the checkbox next to it.
File:Merging customer records pt 5.png|As you can see, our merged customer record has the first name we chose to keep, Mary Lee.
</gallery>
<br><br>

==Customer contacts==
You might want to record relationships between customers, such as husband and wife, or parent and child. CIMS allows this with contacts in customer records.

*First, open the record of the customer you want to add a contact to.
*Click on the "Contacts" tab on the right side of the popup.
*Search by last name for the name of the person you want to add as a contact. Click on the relevant result. If they don't exist in your database, you will need to [[Customers#Creating a customer record|create a new customer record]].
*Click the green "Add" button.
*Next, fill in the relationships between these individuals. If a relationship is missing from the dropdown, use the navy blue plus button to add it to your database.
** "NOK" is short for next-of-kin. You may wish to designate a contact as being a customer's next-of-kin.
*Click "Save contact".
*This contact now exists for both customer records.

To edit contact relationships, click the blue pencil icon on the right side of the contact information. Make your changes and then click "Save contact".

To delete a contact, click the pencil icon on the right side of the contact information. From the popup that appears, click "Remove".<gallery widths="450" heights="200">
File:Adding a contact pt 1.png|Click the "Contacts" tab and search by last name for the person you want to add as a contact. Click their name from the list of results, then click "Add".
File:Adding a contact pt 1.5.png|Fill in the relationships of these customers, then click "Save contact"
File:Adding a contact pt 2.png|Saved contacts will appear in a list
</gallery>
<br><br>

==Companies as customers==
[[File:Customer records for companies.png|thumb|560x560px|Creating customer records for companies.]]
CIMS allows you to add companies as customers. A company might be a third-party vendor or a trust fund. You could also use this feature more generally when you need to add a generic customer record, like "Williams family" when you know a family owns a space, but aren't sure which member specifically owns it. If your cemetery has spaces owned by a county or governmental organization, you could create a company called "Henderson County", or "Hudson Township", or so on.

By default, when creating a customer record it is set as an "Individual". Just click "Company/group" and a new field asking for the company name will appear. A contact first and last name is required.

Now when selling a space (or any other place that asks for a name input), you can search for this company name.
[[File:Company name showing in database.png|center|thumb|364x364px|Here we see a company record, "Williams Family Trust", showing as an option when searching customers in our database.]]

File:Collision option.png

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Cims wiki: Cims wiki uploaded a new version of File:Collision option.png

Collision option

Map appearance

2026-06-30T16:24:46Z

Cims wiki: /* Label collisions */

[[File:How to find the Layers modal.png|thumb|370x370px|To open the map settings popup, click on your username, then click "Map settings".]]
CIMS allows for extensive customization of your map's appearance. Change space colors, text sizes and colors, fonts, marker and burial colors, and much more.

[[Map appearance#Map appearance basics|Map appearance basics]]

[[Map appearance#Changing the color of spaces|Changing the color of spaces]]

[[Map appearance#Veteran burials|Veteran burials]]

[[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Space colors & labels]]

[[Map appearance#Label offsets|Label offsets]]

[[Map appearance#Label collisions|Label collisions]]

[[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]]

[[Map appearance#Making text larger|Making text larger]]

[[Map appearance#Map features & GPR|Map features & GPR]]

[[Map appearance#Flagged objects|Flagged objects]]

<br><br>

==Map appearance basics==
The map appearance is controlled by the "Map settings" popup. Click on your username in the top-right corner of your screen, then click "Map settings". This will open a popup with several tabs along the left side.

Each tab has an on/off switch. If you don't want to see vaults, or markers, simply click the on/off switch of its tab to "off", then click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Tabs in the map settings popup
!Tab name
!Tab description
|-
|'''Map settings'''
|Basic settings. Change the color of highlighted elements, show/hide flagged items, show/hide roads, etc.
|-
|'''Background'''
|Choose to display a solid color, Google satellite image or orthophoto (drone photo) if your cemetery opted for a drone flight. Read [[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]] for more information.
|-
|'''Section'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of sections (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias or individual ID. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias.
|-
|'''Block'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of blocks (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section and block id.
|-
|'''Lot'''
|Your cemetery may not have lots. If it does, this tab lets you control the outline (width & color) and labelling of lots (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section, block and lot id.
|-
|'''Space'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of spaces (font, bolding, size & color).

There are many label options. [[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Read more below about changing space labelling & colors]].
|-
|'''Burials'''
|Control the outline (width & color), fill color and labelling of burials (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: None, full name or last name.

Some names may be long; we recommend checking the checkbox next to "Split label into multiple lines".
|-
|'''Markers'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and fill color of markers.

If your cemetery uses memorial markers, you have options how to label them: None, full name or last name. You can also choose how those labels appear (font, bolding, size & color). [[Markers#Memorial markers|Read more about memorial markers on the Markers page]].
|-
|'''Vaults'''
| Choose the color vaults appear on your map.
|-
|'''Map features'''
| Choose which, if any, map features you want to display on your map.
Hiding a map feature does not remove it from the database.
|}

===Examples of different map appearances===
<gallery widths="450" heights="275">
File:Layers example 1.png|The default map settings will show veteran burials in blue and non-veteran burials in grey. Seen in the above cemetery is a tree to the left (in black), several headstones (in dark grey), and a few vaults (salmon rectangles in the bottom-right).
File:Layers example 2.png|This is the same exact section of cemetery, only this user has chosen to hide map features (such as the tree). The space colors have been changed and the names of burials are larger and bold.
File:Layers example 3.png|An extreme example of how dramatically we can change the appearance of the map. While we might not advise using this color scheme, you are absolutely free to do so!
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Space colors & labels==

===Space colors===
[[File:Layers - how to change space colors 2.png|thumb|451x451px|Use the "Space" tab and click on the blocks of color next to the different space statuses to change map colors.]]
*Click on the "Space" tab on the left side of the map settings popup, just above the "Burials" tab.
**Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
*Choose to color spaces by status or by type. The recommended setting is status.
*Click on the square of color next to each of your statuses. This will open a color picker, allowing you to change the color of the status.
*Remember to click "Save" when you are happy with your changes!

<br><br>

===Space labels ===
There are many ways to label spaces! These labels will show on top of each space when you have the map sufficiently zoomed in. You can independently label the space ID and the owner names, and also choose to show the space status and cost. Each of these options will display on its own line, so choosing "Space ID" for your space ID label and "Owner/company" as your space name label will show the ID on one line, and owner name (if any) on the line below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Space ID label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No space id shown.
|-
|Space ID
| A concatenation of the space's section, block, lot and space name/number.
Examples: ''8_B_30_A, Old section_4_East''
|-
|Space
|The space's name/number.
Example: ''A, 0012''
|-
|Alias
|In most cemeteries, this is the same as the space name or number.
Example: J2'', 12''
|}

====Space name label====
[[File:Pro - label placement demo.png|thumb|547x547px|Use the "Space" tab to control the appearance of your space labels. In this example, the user is choosing to show the space's ID, the owner's name, the space's status and cost. Using the "label placement" option, they are showing the label in the top-left corner of their spaces.]]
[[File:Pro - label placement demo spaces.png|thumb|546x546px|Here we see the space's ID, owner name, status and cost displayed. In addition, the name is showing the first, middle and last names, as well as prefix and suffix. CIMS has many options to make your space labels as simple or complex as you want!]]
We have many options for space name labels. In addition to choosing whose name shows, you can choose the format names appear in and whether or not to include prefixes, middle names, and suffixes. There is also an option to split a name label into multiple lines and allow name labels to collide. [[Map appearance#Label collisions|Read more below about label collisions]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Space name label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No name shown.
|-
| Owner/company
|A concatenation of the primary owner's last name, first name and middle name.
Examples: ''Smith, Lorna Jones, Fr. Paul Jenkins III''
|-
|Owner or permissions
|Displays the owner name or, if present, any burial permissions. [[Burials#Burial permissions|Learn more about burial permissions on the Burials page]].
|-
|Owner or burial
|Displays the owner name only if no burial present. If the space has a burial, will not display a name.
|}

====Status ====
Choose to include the status of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Cost====
Display the cost of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Label placement====
Control the placement of the space label. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on.

====Label offset====
An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down. [[Map appearance#Label offsets|Read more below about label offsets below.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label offsets==

An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; offsets are a way to move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down.

Offsets can be set for space and burial labels individually. To change the offset of space labels, click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y". Manipulate those values, click "Save", then close the modal. You will see your changes immediately. To change the offset of burial labels, the process is the same; click on the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y", change your values, and save.

An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement. Click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to the "Label placement" settings. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on. By default, labels show in the center-center.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">We understand your cemetery may use a different term for its spaces, such as "plot", "grave", etc. In that case, in your map settings, the tab will use your cemetery's term for space.</span>

<gallery widths="380" heights="280">
File:CIMS map offsets.png|Offsets shift your labels in different directions.
File:Map settings without offsets.png|Without offsets and with space labels set to appear in the center of the space, space and burial labels may conflict.
File:Map settings with offsets.png|With offsets, labels may be more legible.
File:Space offsets and label placement.png|Offsets for spaces are in the "Spaces" tab, and those for burials in the "Burials" tab. An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label collisions==
Labels are often in close proximity. If you want your labels to always show and sometimes overlap, click the check box "Allow label collision/overlap". This option exists for lot, space and burial labels.

Lot, space and burial labels exist independently; the collision settings of one will not affect the other. This means that sometimes these labels will appear on top of each other and be difficult to read. To read these labels, zoom your map in. You can also play around with the offset settings and the space label placement options.<gallery widths="420" heights="350">
File:Burial labels with collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, not all burial labels will display. Zoom in to see the names of all burials. The same logic applies to lot and space label collisions.
File:Burial labels without collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, all burial name labels display but can be difficult to read. Zoom in to read these labels. The same logic applies to lot and space label collisions.
File:Space label collisions.png|To change your collision settings for space labels, click the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap". Collisions settings for lot labels are found in the "Lot" tab.
File:Collision option.png|To change your collision settings for burial labels, click the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap".
</gallery><br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Veteran burials ==
[[File:The Burials tab of the Layers popup.png|thumb|Circled in red is the "Burials" tab. Within this tab, click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" and then choose a color you would like veteran burials to show as on your map.|452x452px]]You can choose to make veteran burials a different color from non-veteran burials. In the map settings popup, click on the "Burials" tab on the left side. Click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" so that it is checked. Next, choose the color you would like veteran burials to show as by clicking on the square next to "Veteran color". Remember to click save!
[[File:Burials showing veterans in blue.png|center|thumb|300x300px|Here we can see 2 veteran burials in blue and 3 non-veteran burials in grey.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Map background & drone photos==
[[File:Map background in CIMS.png|thumb|440x440px|Use the "Background" tab to choose what background your map will display. This cemetery had a drone photo done.]]
You may want to change the background of your map. To do so, click on the "Background" tab. All cemeteries have the choice of "Solid color" or "Google Maps". If you choose "Solid color", you can specify the background color. If using Google Maps, you can specify the opacity of the map. Click the option you would like to use as the background, then click "Save".

If your cemetery chose to have a drone photograph your cemetery, you will have the option "orthophoto" (meaning drone photo). Drone photos will be more accurate than Google Maps imagery and more consistent, as Google does periodically update their images and you may find the season has changed, or your background images have shifted. Want to learn more about drone photos? [[Drone Photography|Read our drone photography documentation]].

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

<gallery widths="450" heights="300">
File:CIMS columbarium view using Google maps satellite imagery.png|Google maps satellite imagery will not be entirely accurate. Note how the columbaria, which the CIMS team mapped to their real-life latitude and longitudinal position, do not line up with the Google satellite images.
File:CIMS columbarium view using drone imagery.png|With drone imagery taken by the CIMS team, the columbaria are now in their accurate spatial position. Other objects, such as headstones, chapels, trees and more, will also line up correctly with your map in CIMS. The image itself is also sharper and colors more realistic.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Making text larger==
To make text larger, there are 2 places we need to change the text settings:
*'''Space tab'''
** Click on the "Space" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how spaces are labelled (common choices are "Owner last name" and "Space ID").
***Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
**To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size, such as 20px. You may also want to make the text bold by clicking the "B" next to the "Bold" label.
**Other options you can change include the text font and color.
*'''Burials tab'''
**Click on the "Burials" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how burials are labelled (clients often choose "Full name").
**Beneath the burial label are options to control the text appearance. To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size.
**You can also change to the color, font, and text bolding, just like with spaces.
Click "Save", then close the map settings popup to see your map appearance changes.<gallery widths="450" heights="238">
File:Layers - how to make space labels larger.png|Click on the "Space" tab and change the "Size" to make space labels larger
File:Layers - how to make burial labels larger.png|Click on the "Burials" tab and change the "Size" to make burial labels larger
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Map features & GPR==
You can choose to show or hide map features, including GPR points, from your map. To hide all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" on the left side of the map settings popup so that it reads "off". To hide particular types of map features, make sure that toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on", and click that tab. A list of your cemetery's map feature types will appear. Map features with a checkbox next to them will show on your map, and unchecked will not show. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

====GPR====
To hide GPR map features, click on the "Map features" tab and uncheck your GPR map features. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

Your GPR map features may not be labelled exactly like this example, but will include the term "GPR".<gallery widths="450" heights="320">
File:Map features off.png|To turn off all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" so that it reads "off".
File:Gpr map features off.png|To hide individual map features, make sure the toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on". Click the tab, and uncheck the boxes next to any map features you don't want to see. In this case, we are hiding GPR map features.
</gallery><br><br>

==Flagged objects==
[[File:Examples of flagged objects.png|thumb|By default, flagged objects have a magenta outline and checkerboard pattern. Here you can see a flagged space, a flagged burial and a flagged marker.]]
To learn about flagging objects such as spaces, burials, markers, etc., including changing their appearance, refer to the [[Flagging objects|documentation on flagging]].

Map appearance

2026-06-30T16:22:42Z

Cims wiki: /* Label collisions */

[[File:How to find the Layers modal.png|thumb|370x370px|To open the map settings popup, click on your username, then click "Map settings".]]
CIMS allows for extensive customization of your map's appearance. Change space colors, text sizes and colors, fonts, marker and burial colors, and much more.

[[Map appearance#Map appearance basics|Map appearance basics]]

[[Map appearance#Changing the color of spaces|Changing the color of spaces]]

[[Map appearance#Veteran burials|Veteran burials]]

[[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Space colors & labels]]

[[Map appearance#Label offsets|Label offsets]]

[[Map appearance#Label collisions|Label collisions]]

[[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]]

[[Map appearance#Making text larger|Making text larger]]

[[Map appearance#Map features & GPR|Map features & GPR]]

[[Map appearance#Flagged objects|Flagged objects]]

<br><br>

==Map appearance basics==
The map appearance is controlled by the "Map settings" popup. Click on your username in the top-right corner of your screen, then click "Map settings". This will open a popup with several tabs along the left side.

Each tab has an on/off switch. If you don't want to see vaults, or markers, simply click the on/off switch of its tab to "off", then click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Tabs in the map settings popup
!Tab name
!Tab description
|-
|'''Map settings'''
|Basic settings. Change the color of highlighted elements, show/hide flagged items, show/hide roads, etc.
|-
|'''Background'''
|Choose to display a solid color, Google satellite image or orthophoto (drone photo) if your cemetery opted for a drone flight. Read [[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]] for more information.
|-
|'''Section'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of sections (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias or individual ID. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias.
|-
|'''Block'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of blocks (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section and block id.
|-
|'''Lot'''
|Your cemetery may not have lots. If it does, this tab lets you control the outline (width & color) and labelling of lots (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section, block and lot id.
|-
|'''Space'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of spaces (font, bolding, size & color).

There are many label options. [[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Read more below about changing space labelling & colors]].
|-
|'''Burials'''
|Control the outline (width & color), fill color and labelling of burials (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: None, full name or last name.

Some names may be long; we recommend checking the checkbox next to "Split label into multiple lines".
|-
|'''Markers'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and fill color of markers.

If your cemetery uses memorial markers, you have options how to label them: None, full name or last name. You can also choose how those labels appear (font, bolding, size & color). [[Markers#Memorial markers|Read more about memorial markers on the Markers page]].
|-
|'''Vaults'''
| Choose the color vaults appear on your map.
|-
|'''Map features'''
| Choose which, if any, map features you want to display on your map.
Hiding a map feature does not remove it from the database.
|}

===Examples of different map appearances===
<gallery widths="450" heights="275">
File:Layers example 1.png|The default map settings will show veteran burials in blue and non-veteran burials in grey. Seen in the above cemetery is a tree to the left (in black), several headstones (in dark grey), and a few vaults (salmon rectangles in the bottom-right).
File:Layers example 2.png|This is the same exact section of cemetery, only this user has chosen to hide map features (such as the tree). The space colors have been changed and the names of burials are larger and bold.
File:Layers example 3.png|An extreme example of how dramatically we can change the appearance of the map. While we might not advise using this color scheme, you are absolutely free to do so!
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Space colors & labels==

===Space colors===
[[File:Layers - how to change space colors 2.png|thumb|451x451px|Use the "Space" tab and click on the blocks of color next to the different space statuses to change map colors.]]
*Click on the "Space" tab on the left side of the map settings popup, just above the "Burials" tab.
**Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
*Choose to color spaces by status or by type. The recommended setting is status.
*Click on the square of color next to each of your statuses. This will open a color picker, allowing you to change the color of the status.
*Remember to click "Save" when you are happy with your changes!

<br><br>

===Space labels ===
There are many ways to label spaces! These labels will show on top of each space when you have the map sufficiently zoomed in. You can independently label the space ID and the owner names, and also choose to show the space status and cost. Each of these options will display on its own line, so choosing "Space ID" for your space ID label and "Owner/company" as your space name label will show the ID on one line, and owner name (if any) on the line below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Space ID label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No space id shown.
|-
|Space ID
| A concatenation of the space's section, block, lot and space name/number.
Examples: ''8_B_30_A, Old section_4_East''
|-
|Space
|The space's name/number.
Example: ''A, 0012''
|-
|Alias
|In most cemeteries, this is the same as the space name or number.
Example: J2'', 12''
|}

====Space name label====
[[File:Pro - label placement demo.png|thumb|547x547px|Use the "Space" tab to control the appearance of your space labels. In this example, the user is choosing to show the space's ID, the owner's name, the space's status and cost. Using the "label placement" option, they are showing the label in the top-left corner of their spaces.]]
[[File:Pro - label placement demo spaces.png|thumb|546x546px|Here we see the space's ID, owner name, status and cost displayed. In addition, the name is showing the first, middle and last names, as well as prefix and suffix. CIMS has many options to make your space labels as simple or complex as you want!]]
We have many options for space name labels. In addition to choosing whose name shows, you can choose the format names appear in and whether or not to include prefixes, middle names, and suffixes. There is also an option to split a name label into multiple lines and allow name labels to collide. [[Map appearance#Label collisions|Read more below about label collisions]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Space name label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No name shown.
|-
| Owner/company
|A concatenation of the primary owner's last name, first name and middle name.
Examples: ''Smith, Lorna Jones, Fr. Paul Jenkins III''
|-
|Owner or permissions
|Displays the owner name or, if present, any burial permissions. [[Burials#Burial permissions|Learn more about burial permissions on the Burials page]].
|-
|Owner or burial
|Displays the owner name only if no burial present. If the space has a burial, will not display a name.
|}

====Status ====
Choose to include the status of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Cost====
Display the cost of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Label placement====
Control the placement of the space label. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on.

====Label offset====
An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down. [[Map appearance#Label offsets|Read more below about label offsets below.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label offsets==

An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; offsets are a way to move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down.

Offsets can be set for space and burial labels individually. To change the offset of space labels, click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y". Manipulate those values, click "Save", then close the modal. You will see your changes immediately. To change the offset of burial labels, the process is the same; click on the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y", change your values, and save.

An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement. Click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to the "Label placement" settings. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on. By default, labels show in the center-center.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">We understand your cemetery may use a different term for its spaces, such as "plot", "grave", etc. In that case, in your map settings, the tab will use your cemetery's term for space.</span>

<gallery widths="380" heights="280">
File:CIMS map offsets.png|Offsets shift your labels in different directions.
File:Map settings without offsets.png|Without offsets and with space labels set to appear in the center of the space, space and burial labels may conflict.
File:Map settings with offsets.png|With offsets, labels may be more legible.
File:Space offsets and label placement.png|Offsets for spaces are in the "Spaces" tab, and those for burials in the "Burials" tab. An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label collisions==
Labels are often in close proximity. If you want your labels to always show and sometimes overlap, click the check box "Allow label collision/overlap". This option exists for lot, space and burial labels.

Lot, space and burial labels exist independently; the collision settings of one will not affect the other. This means that sometimes these labels will appear on top of each other and be difficult to read. To read these labels, zoom your map in. You can also play around with the offset settings and the space label placement options.<gallery widths="420" heights="350">
File:Burial labels with collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, not all burial labels will display. Zoom in to see the names of all burials.
File:Burial labels without collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, all burial name labels display but can be difficult to read. The same logic applies to space and lot label collisions.
File:Space label collisions.png|To change your collision settings for space labels, click the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap". Collisions settings for lot labels are found in the "Lot" tab.
File:Collision option.png|To change your collision settings for burial labels, click the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap".
</gallery><br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Veteran burials ==
[[File:The Burials tab of the Layers popup.png|thumb|Circled in red is the "Burials" tab. Within this tab, click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" and then choose a color you would like veteran burials to show as on your map.|452x452px]]You can choose to make veteran burials a different color from non-veteran burials. In the map settings popup, click on the "Burials" tab on the left side. Click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" so that it is checked. Next, choose the color you would like veteran burials to show as by clicking on the square next to "Veteran color". Remember to click save!
[[File:Burials showing veterans in blue.png|center|thumb|300x300px|Here we can see 2 veteran burials in blue and 3 non-veteran burials in grey.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Map background & drone photos==
[[File:Map background in CIMS.png|thumb|440x440px|Use the "Background" tab to choose what background your map will display. This cemetery had a drone photo done.]]
You may want to change the background of your map. To do so, click on the "Background" tab. All cemeteries have the choice of "Solid color" or "Google Maps". If you choose "Solid color", you can specify the background color. If using Google Maps, you can specify the opacity of the map. Click the option you would like to use as the background, then click "Save".

If your cemetery chose to have a drone photograph your cemetery, you will have the option "orthophoto" (meaning drone photo). Drone photos will be more accurate than Google Maps imagery and more consistent, as Google does periodically update their images and you may find the season has changed, or your background images have shifted. Want to learn more about drone photos? [[Drone Photography|Read our drone photography documentation]].

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

<gallery widths="450" heights="300">
File:CIMS columbarium view using Google maps satellite imagery.png|Google maps satellite imagery will not be entirely accurate. Note how the columbaria, which the CIMS team mapped to their real-life latitude and longitudinal position, do not line up with the Google satellite images.
File:CIMS columbarium view using drone imagery.png|With drone imagery taken by the CIMS team, the columbaria are now in their accurate spatial position. Other objects, such as headstones, chapels, trees and more, will also line up correctly with your map in CIMS. The image itself is also sharper and colors more realistic.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Making text larger==
To make text larger, there are 2 places we need to change the text settings:
*'''Space tab'''
** Click on the "Space" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how spaces are labelled (common choices are "Owner last name" and "Space ID").
***Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
**To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size, such as 20px. You may also want to make the text bold by clicking the "B" next to the "Bold" label.
**Other options you can change include the text font and color.
*'''Burials tab'''
**Click on the "Burials" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how burials are labelled (clients often choose "Full name").
**Beneath the burial label are options to control the text appearance. To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size.
**You can also change to the color, font, and text bolding, just like with spaces.
Click "Save", then close the map settings popup to see your map appearance changes.<gallery widths="450" heights="238">
File:Layers - how to make space labels larger.png|Click on the "Space" tab and change the "Size" to make space labels larger
File:Layers - how to make burial labels larger.png|Click on the "Burials" tab and change the "Size" to make burial labels larger
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Map features & GPR==
You can choose to show or hide map features, including GPR points, from your map. To hide all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" on the left side of the map settings popup so that it reads "off". To hide particular types of map features, make sure that toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on", and click that tab. A list of your cemetery's map feature types will appear. Map features with a checkbox next to them will show on your map, and unchecked will not show. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

====GPR====
To hide GPR map features, click on the "Map features" tab and uncheck your GPR map features. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

Your GPR map features may not be labelled exactly like this example, but will include the term "GPR".<gallery widths="450" heights="320">
File:Map features off.png|To turn off all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" so that it reads "off".
File:Gpr map features off.png|To hide individual map features, make sure the toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on". Click the tab, and uncheck the boxes next to any map features you don't want to see. In this case, we are hiding GPR map features.
</gallery><br><br>

==Flagged objects==
[[File:Examples of flagged objects.png|thumb|By default, flagged objects have a magenta outline and checkerboard pattern. Here you can see a flagged space, a flagged burial and a flagged marker.]]
To learn about flagging objects such as spaces, burials, markers, etc., including changing their appearance, refer to the [[Flagging objects|documentation on flagging]].

Map appearance

2026-06-30T16:22:20Z

Cims wiki: /* Label collisions */

[[File:How to find the Layers modal.png|thumb|370x370px|To open the map settings popup, click on your username, then click "Map settings".]]
CIMS allows for extensive customization of your map's appearance. Change space colors, text sizes and colors, fonts, marker and burial colors, and much more.

[[Map appearance#Map appearance basics|Map appearance basics]]

[[Map appearance#Changing the color of spaces|Changing the color of spaces]]

[[Map appearance#Veteran burials|Veteran burials]]

[[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Space colors & labels]]

[[Map appearance#Label offsets|Label offsets]]

[[Map appearance#Label collisions|Label collisions]]

[[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]]

[[Map appearance#Making text larger|Making text larger]]

[[Map appearance#Map features & GPR|Map features & GPR]]

[[Map appearance#Flagged objects|Flagged objects]]

<br><br>

==Map appearance basics==
The map appearance is controlled by the "Map settings" popup. Click on your username in the top-right corner of your screen, then click "Map settings". This will open a popup with several tabs along the left side.

Each tab has an on/off switch. If you don't want to see vaults, or markers, simply click the on/off switch of its tab to "off", then click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Tabs in the map settings popup
!Tab name
!Tab description
|-
|'''Map settings'''
|Basic settings. Change the color of highlighted elements, show/hide flagged items, show/hide roads, etc.
|-
|'''Background'''
|Choose to display a solid color, Google satellite image or orthophoto (drone photo) if your cemetery opted for a drone flight. Read [[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]] for more information.
|-
|'''Section'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of sections (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias or individual ID. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias.
|-
|'''Block'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of blocks (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section and block id.
|-
|'''Lot'''
|Your cemetery may not have lots. If it does, this tab lets you control the outline (width & color) and labelling of lots (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section, block and lot id.
|-
|'''Space'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of spaces (font, bolding, size & color).

There are many label options. [[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Read more below about changing space labelling & colors]].
|-
|'''Burials'''
|Control the outline (width & color), fill color and labelling of burials (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: None, full name or last name.

Some names may be long; we recommend checking the checkbox next to "Split label into multiple lines".
|-
|'''Markers'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and fill color of markers.

If your cemetery uses memorial markers, you have options how to label them: None, full name or last name. You can also choose how those labels appear (font, bolding, size & color). [[Markers#Memorial markers|Read more about memorial markers on the Markers page]].
|-
|'''Vaults'''
| Choose the color vaults appear on your map.
|-
|'''Map features'''
| Choose which, if any, map features you want to display on your map.
Hiding a map feature does not remove it from the database.
|}

===Examples of different map appearances===
<gallery widths="450" heights="275">
File:Layers example 1.png|The default map settings will show veteran burials in blue and non-veteran burials in grey. Seen in the above cemetery is a tree to the left (in black), several headstones (in dark grey), and a few vaults (salmon rectangles in the bottom-right).
File:Layers example 2.png|This is the same exact section of cemetery, only this user has chosen to hide map features (such as the tree). The space colors have been changed and the names of burials are larger and bold.
File:Layers example 3.png|An extreme example of how dramatically we can change the appearance of the map. While we might not advise using this color scheme, you are absolutely free to do so!
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Space colors & labels==

===Space colors===
[[File:Layers - how to change space colors 2.png|thumb|451x451px|Use the "Space" tab and click on the blocks of color next to the different space statuses to change map colors.]]
*Click on the "Space" tab on the left side of the map settings popup, just above the "Burials" tab.
**Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
*Choose to color spaces by status or by type. The recommended setting is status.
*Click on the square of color next to each of your statuses. This will open a color picker, allowing you to change the color of the status.
*Remember to click "Save" when you are happy with your changes!

<br><br>

===Space labels ===
There are many ways to label spaces! These labels will show on top of each space when you have the map sufficiently zoomed in. You can independently label the space ID and the owner names, and also choose to show the space status and cost. Each of these options will display on its own line, so choosing "Space ID" for your space ID label and "Owner/company" as your space name label will show the ID on one line, and owner name (if any) on the line below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Space ID label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No space id shown.
|-
|Space ID
| A concatenation of the space's section, block, lot and space name/number.
Examples: ''8_B_30_A, Old section_4_East''
|-
|Space
|The space's name/number.
Example: ''A, 0012''
|-
|Alias
|In most cemeteries, this is the same as the space name or number.
Example: J2'', 12''
|}

====Space name label====
[[File:Pro - label placement demo.png|thumb|547x547px|Use the "Space" tab to control the appearance of your space labels. In this example, the user is choosing to show the space's ID, the owner's name, the space's status and cost. Using the "label placement" option, they are showing the label in the top-left corner of their spaces.]]
[[File:Pro - label placement demo spaces.png|thumb|546x546px|Here we see the space's ID, owner name, status and cost displayed. In addition, the name is showing the first, middle and last names, as well as prefix and suffix. CIMS has many options to make your space labels as simple or complex as you want!]]
We have many options for space name labels. In addition to choosing whose name shows, you can choose the format names appear in and whether or not to include prefixes, middle names, and suffixes. There is also an option to split a name label into multiple lines and allow name labels to collide. [[Map appearance#Label collisions|Read more below about label collisions]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Space name label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No name shown.
|-
| Owner/company
|A concatenation of the primary owner's last name, first name and middle name.
Examples: ''Smith, Lorna Jones, Fr. Paul Jenkins III''
|-
|Owner or permissions
|Displays the owner name or, if present, any burial permissions. [[Burials#Burial permissions|Learn more about burial permissions on the Burials page]].
|-
|Owner or burial
|Displays the owner name only if no burial present. If the space has a burial, will not display a name.
|}

====Status ====
Choose to include the status of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Cost====
Display the cost of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Label placement====
Control the placement of the space label. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on.

====Label offset====
An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down. [[Map appearance#Label offsets|Read more below about label offsets below.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label offsets==

An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; offsets are a way to move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down.

Offsets can be set for space and burial labels individually. To change the offset of space labels, click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y". Manipulate those values, click "Save", then close the modal. You will see your changes immediately. To change the offset of burial labels, the process is the same; click on the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y", change your values, and save.

An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement. Click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to the "Label placement" settings. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on. By default, labels show in the center-center.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">We understand your cemetery may use a different term for its spaces, such as "plot", "grave", etc. In that case, in your map settings, the tab will use your cemetery's term for space.</span>

<gallery widths="380" heights="280">
File:CIMS map offsets.png|Offsets shift your labels in different directions.
File:Map settings without offsets.png|Without offsets and with space labels set to appear in the center of the space, space and burial labels may conflict.
File:Map settings with offsets.png|With offsets, labels may be more legible.
File:Space offsets and label placement.png|Offsets for spaces are in the "Spaces" tab, and those for burials in the "Burials" tab. An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label collisions==
Labels are often in close proximity. If you want your labels to always show and sometimes overlap, click the check box "Allow label collision/overlap". This option exists for lot, space and burial labels.

Lot, space and burial labels exist independently; the collision settings of one will not affect the other. This means that sometimes these labels will appear on top of each other and be difficult to read. To read these labels, zoom your map in. You can also play around with the offset settings and the space label placement options.<gallery widths="420" heights="350">
File:Burial labels with collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, not all burial labels will display. Zoom in to see the names of all burials.
File:Burial labels without collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, all burial name labels display but can be difficult to read. The same logic applies to space label collision.
File:Space label collisions.png|To change your collision settings for space labels, click the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap". Collisions settings for lot labels are found in the "Lot" tab.
File:Collision option.png|To change your collision settings for burial labels, click the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Allow label collision/overlap".
</gallery><br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Veteran burials ==
[[File:The Burials tab of the Layers popup.png|thumb|Circled in red is the "Burials" tab. Within this tab, click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" and then choose a color you would like veteran burials to show as on your map.|452x452px]]You can choose to make veteran burials a different color from non-veteran burials. In the map settings popup, click on the "Burials" tab on the left side. Click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" so that it is checked. Next, choose the color you would like veteran burials to show as by clicking on the square next to "Veteran color". Remember to click save!
[[File:Burials showing veterans in blue.png|center|thumb|300x300px|Here we can see 2 veteran burials in blue and 3 non-veteran burials in grey.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Map background & drone photos==
[[File:Map background in CIMS.png|thumb|440x440px|Use the "Background" tab to choose what background your map will display. This cemetery had a drone photo done.]]
You may want to change the background of your map. To do so, click on the "Background" tab. All cemeteries have the choice of "Solid color" or "Google Maps". If you choose "Solid color", you can specify the background color. If using Google Maps, you can specify the opacity of the map. Click the option you would like to use as the background, then click "Save".

If your cemetery chose to have a drone photograph your cemetery, you will have the option "orthophoto" (meaning drone photo). Drone photos will be more accurate than Google Maps imagery and more consistent, as Google does periodically update their images and you may find the season has changed, or your background images have shifted. Want to learn more about drone photos? [[Drone Photography|Read our drone photography documentation]].

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

<gallery widths="450" heights="300">
File:CIMS columbarium view using Google maps satellite imagery.png|Google maps satellite imagery will not be entirely accurate. Note how the columbaria, which the CIMS team mapped to their real-life latitude and longitudinal position, do not line up with the Google satellite images.
File:CIMS columbarium view using drone imagery.png|With drone imagery taken by the CIMS team, the columbaria are now in their accurate spatial position. Other objects, such as headstones, chapels, trees and more, will also line up correctly with your map in CIMS. The image itself is also sharper and colors more realistic.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Making text larger==
To make text larger, there are 2 places we need to change the text settings:
*'''Space tab'''
** Click on the "Space" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how spaces are labelled (common choices are "Owner last name" and "Space ID").
***Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
**To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size, such as 20px. You may also want to make the text bold by clicking the "B" next to the "Bold" label.
**Other options you can change include the text font and color.
*'''Burials tab'''
**Click on the "Burials" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how burials are labelled (clients often choose "Full name").
**Beneath the burial label are options to control the text appearance. To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size.
**You can also change to the color, font, and text bolding, just like with spaces.
Click "Save", then close the map settings popup to see your map appearance changes.<gallery widths="450" heights="238">
File:Layers - how to make space labels larger.png|Click on the "Space" tab and change the "Size" to make space labels larger
File:Layers - how to make burial labels larger.png|Click on the "Burials" tab and change the "Size" to make burial labels larger
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Map features & GPR==
You can choose to show or hide map features, including GPR points, from your map. To hide all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" on the left side of the map settings popup so that it reads "off". To hide particular types of map features, make sure that toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on", and click that tab. A list of your cemetery's map feature types will appear. Map features with a checkbox next to them will show on your map, and unchecked will not show. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

====GPR====
To hide GPR map features, click on the "Map features" tab and uncheck your GPR map features. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

Your GPR map features may not be labelled exactly like this example, but will include the term "GPR".<gallery widths="450" heights="320">
File:Map features off.png|To turn off all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" so that it reads "off".
File:Gpr map features off.png|To hide individual map features, make sure the toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on". Click the tab, and uncheck the boxes next to any map features you don't want to see. In this case, we are hiding GPR map features.
</gallery><br><br>

==Flagged objects==
[[File:Examples of flagged objects.png|thumb|By default, flagged objects have a magenta outline and checkerboard pattern. Here you can see a flagged space, a flagged burial and a flagged marker.]]
To learn about flagging objects such as spaces, burials, markers, etc., including changing their appearance, refer to the [[Flagging objects|documentation on flagging]].

File:Space label collisions.png

2026-06-30T16:20:50Z

Cims wiki:

Space label collisions

Customers

2026-06-24T21:58:51Z

Cims wiki:

[[Customers#Customer basics|Customer basics]]

[[Customers#Avoiding duplicate customer records|Avoiding duplicate customer records]]

[[Customers#Creating a customer record|Creating a customer record]]

[[Customers#Editing a customer record|Editing a customer record]]

[[Customers#Recording a date of death|Recording a date of death]]

[[Customers#Marking a customer as a veteran|Marking a customer as a veteran]]

[[Customers#Searching for customers|Searching for customers]]

[[Customers#Merging customer records|Merging customer records]]

[[Customers#Customer contacts|Customer contacts]]

[[Customers#Companies as customers|Companies as customers]]

<br>
[[File:Customer records illustration.jpg|thumb|490x490px|Each person who interacts with your cemetery should have a customer record. They might be a space owner, cemetery employee, marker vendor, or even an interred pet.]]

==Customer basics==

===Who is a customer?===
A "customer" is anyone that has any dealings with your cemetery. A customer may have paid you for a space or services. A customer may also be an interred person, cemetery employee, vendor contact, next-of-kin, and so on. If your cemetery allows pet burials, a customer might even be a dog!

Anyone you want to be able to track names, address, contact information, veteran information, living or deceased status, etc. should be entered as a "customer" of your cemetery.

===What is a customer record?===
When you save a customer in CIMS, it creates a customer record. Ideally, we want a 1:1 ratio of one customer record per customer. This way, we can show the same person's activity with a cemetery over time; we can show when they purchased a space, when they authorized a burial, when they were in turn interred, and so on. When a mistake is made and a customer ends up with multiple customer records, you can merge records ([[Customers#Merging customer records|see below]]).

===What about married couples?===
For couples, each partner should have their own customer record, for a total of 2 records per couple.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/ufTOCnWYvVw Customers & customer records]</span></span></span>

<br>
<br><br>

==Avoiding duplicate customer records==
[[File:Multiple customer records for one individual should be avoided.jpg|thumb|300x300px|A person should only have one customer record. Look how unhappy this person is with 3 customer records!]]
Do not create duplicate customer records! This is when one individual has multiple customer records. Let's talk about how to avoid this common problem.

Crucial vocabulary: '''Last name lookup field'''. A last name lookup field is any field in CIMS where you save a customer's name. These always have the placeholder text of "search by last name". Last name lookup fields are found in the ownership tab when entering owner or co-owner names, in the burial tab when entering the name of the interred person, in the marker tab for entering the marker purchaser's name, and so many other places.

Every single time you are entering in a customer's name in one of these last name lookup fields, '''search for their last name before creating a new customer record'''. Type in the last name and a list of results will appear. If the name of the person appears in this list, click it.
<br><br>
<gallery widths="420" heights="250">
File:An example of a last name lookup field.png|All last name lookup fields have the placeholder text "search by last name"
File:Last name lookup pt 1.png|Start typing in the last name of the person you are looking for. A list of matches appears below, in orange.
File:Search for a customer before adding them to your database.png|Only create a new customer record when you are certain that the person doesn't already exist in your database!
</gallery><div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Creating a customer record==
[[File:The add new customer button.png|thumb|Outlined in red is the "Add new" customer button. '''Note that we have searched for the last name in our database first!''']]
There are 2 main ways to create a customer record:

#'''From the Search tab'''
#*Open the left-hand flyout and click on the "Search" tab. Choose the type "Customers". Click on the green "New customer" button.
#'''From a "last name lookup" field'''
#*
#*First, search for the customer by starting to type in their last name. If you do not see their name appear in the orange box below, click the navy blue "Add new" button.

Next, a popup will appear. The only fields that are required to create a customer record are the first and last names. If you have it, we recommend filling in the birth date so as to avoid confusion if someone else in the cemetery has the same name. When you have filled in the information you would like, click "Create" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/ufTOCnWYvVw?t=77 Creating a customer record]</span></span></span>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br><br>

==Editing a customer record==
[[File:Open a customer record from a last name lookup field.png|frame|Click the blue '''i''' button next to a name to open their customer record ]]
First, find your customer record. There are 2 main ways to do this:

#Use the [[Searching#The most useful search: Customer searches|customer search]]
# Next to a last name lookup field, click the blue '''i''' button next to a name of the person whose record you would like to edit.

A popup will open with their information. Make any changes you would like, then click "Update" in the lower-right corner of the popup to save them.

To delete a customer record, click the red "Delete" button in the lower-left corner of the popup.

<span style="border:2px solid #f2f2ce;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#ffffeb;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;"><span style="display:flex;gap:10px;align-items: center"><span style="font-size: 24px">🎬</span><span>'''Watch a video!''' [https://youtu.be/ufTOCnWYvVw?t=309 Editing a customer record]</span></span></span>

===Changing a customer's name===
Be careful when changing the name of a customer record! It may have unintended consequences. When in doubt, create a new customer record.

Many cemeteries have "Unknown, Unknown" customer records that own many spaces. This is often done when we import data for you and it is unclear who owns a space. If your cemetery needs to add an owner to a space owned by "Unknown, Unknown", make a new customer record instead of changing the name.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">Think twice before changing the name of a customer!</span>

<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br><br>

==Recording a date of death==
[[File:Deceased section of a customer record.png|thumb|551x551px|Enter in a customer's date of death in the "Deceased" section.]]
To record a person's date of death in CIMS, you will need to specify it in their customer record. This is different from the date of burial, which can be found in the "Burial" tab of the right-hand flyout.

To record a date of death, first, open their customer record (read the above [[Customers#Editing a customer record|editing a customer record]] to learn how to find customer records). Scroll down to the "Deceased" section and fill in the "Death date" field. Click the green "Update" button if you are updating a customer record, or the green "Create" button if this is a new one.

<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br><br>

==Marking a customer as a veteran==
[[File:Customer record veteran information.png|thumb|543x543px|Veteran information can be found at the bottom of a customer's information. A checked "Veteran" checkbox indicates that this customer is a veteran.]]
To indicate that a customer is a veteran, you will first need to open their customer record (read the above [[Customers#Editing a customer record|editing a customer record]] to learn how to find customer records).

Scroll down to the bottom of their customer information to the "Veteran" section. Click the checkbox next to "Veteran" to mark this person as a veteran. Other fields, like the war they were in, their branch of service, rank, etc., are all optional. Click the green "Update" button if you are updating a customer record, or the green "Create" button if this is a new one.

<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br><br>

==Searching for customers==
Searching for customers can easily be done in the left-hand flyout, where we have a tab dedicated to searching not just for customers, but also for deeds, spaces, and more. See [[Searching#The most useful search: Customer searches|the Search page]] for more information.
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<br><br>

== Merging customer records==

Sometimes, mistakes happen and one customer may end up with multiple customer records. Ideally, we want every customer to only have one customer record. To solve this problem, we need to merge customer records.
==== To merge 2 customer records:====

*Open one of the customer records in question (it doesn't matter which you choose).
*Click the navy blue "Merge with another record" button in the lower-left corner of the popup.
*Enter the name of the customer record you want to merge this record with, then click "Search". Alternatively, you can search by their customer id, city, maiden name, and more.
*From the list of results, click on the result you want to merge with.
*A new popup will appear showing the information for each customer record. CIMS will automatically try to merge information, but make sure to look over the list and click on the information you want to keep. Information that will be kept in the merged customer record will be highlighted in green with a checked checkbox to the right.
*When satisfied, click the navy "Merge" button in the lower-right corner of the popup.
* That's it! Where previously you had two customer records, they are now merged into one.

If you have a customer with many customer records, repeat the above steps as necessary.

CIMS will not let you merge the customer records if both people are interred.<gallery widths="450" heights="200">
File:Merging customer records pt 1.png|Open one of the customer records you want to merge. Click "Merge with another record".
File:Merging customer records pt 2.png|In the popup that appears, fill in the name of the other record you want to merge with. Click "Search".
File:Merging customer records pt 3.png|In the list of results that appears, click on the one you want to merge with.
File:Merging customer records pt 4.png|Another popup will appear. Choose the information you want your merged customer record to have, then click "Merge". In the above example, you can see that the first name spellings are different; we chose "Mary Lee" as the correct spelling by clicking the checkbox next to it.
File:Merging customer records pt 5.png|As you can see, our merged customer record has the first name we chose to keep, Mary Lee.
</gallery>
<br><br>

==Customer contacts==
You might want to record relationships between customers, such as husband and wife, or parent and child. CIMS allows this with contacts in customer records.

*First, open the record of the customer you want to add a contact to.
*Click on the "Contacts" tab on the right side of the popup.
*Search by last name for the name of the person you want to add as a contact. Click on the relevant result. If they don't exist in your database, you will need to [[Customers#Creating a customer record|create a new customer record]].
*Click the green "Add" button.
*Next, fill in the relationships between these individuals. If a relationship is missing from the dropdown, use the navy blue plus button to add it to your database.
** "NOK" is short for next-of-kin. You may wish to designate a contact as being a customer's next-of-kin.
*Click "Save contact".
*This contact now exists for both customer records.

To edit contact relationships, click the blue pencil icon on the right side of the contact information. Make your changes and then click "Save contact".

To delete a contact, click the pencil icon on the right side of the contact information. From the popup that appears, click "Remove".<gallery widths="450" heights="200">
File:Adding a contact pt 1.png|Click the "Contacts" tab and search by last name for the person you want to add as a contact. Click their name from the list of results, then click "Add".
File:Adding a contact pt 1.5.png|Fill in the relationships of these customers, then click "Save contact"
File:Adding a contact pt 2.png|Saved contacts will appear in a list
</gallery>
<br><br>

==Companies as customers==
[[File:Customer records for companies.png|thumb|560x560px|Creating customer records for companies.]]
CIMS allows you to add companies as customers. A company might be a third-party vendor or a trust fund. You could also use this feature more generally when you need to add a generic customer record, like "Williams family" when you know a family owns a space, but aren't sure which member specifically owns it. If your cemetery has spaces owned by a county or governmental organization, you could create a company called "Henderson County", or "Hudson Township", or so on.

By default, when creating a customer record it is set as an "Individual". Just click "Company/group" and a new field asking for the company name will appear. A contact first and last name is required.

Now when selling a space (or any other place that asks for a name input), you can search for this company name.
[[File:Company name showing in database.png|center|thumb|364x364px|Here we see a company record, "Williams Family Trust", showing as an option when searching customers in our database.]]

Map appearance

2026-06-22T16:19:22Z

Cims wiki:

[[File:How to find the Layers modal.png|thumb|370x370px|To open the map settings popup, click on your username, then click "Map settings".]]
CIMS allows for extensive customization of your map's appearance. Change space colors, text sizes and colors, fonts, marker and burial colors, and much more.

[[Map appearance#Map appearance basics|Map appearance basics]]

[[Map appearance#Changing the color of spaces|Changing the color of spaces]]

[[Map appearance#Veteran burials|Veteran burials]]

[[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Space colors & labels]]

[[Map appearance#Label offsets|Label offsets]]

[[Map appearance#Label collisions|Label collisions]]

[[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]]

[[Map appearance#Making text larger|Making text larger]]

[[Map appearance#Map features & GPR|Map features & GPR]]

[[Map appearance#Flagged objects|Flagged objects]]

<br><br>

==Map appearance basics==
The map appearance is controlled by the "Map settings" popup. Click on your username in the top-right corner of your screen, then click "Map settings". This will open a popup with several tabs along the left side.

Each tab has an on/off switch. If you don't want to see vaults, or markers, simply click the on/off switch of its tab to "off", then click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Tabs in the map settings popup
!Tab name
!Tab description
|-
|'''Map settings'''
|Basic settings. Change the color of highlighted elements, show/hide flagged items, show/hide roads, etc.
|-
|'''Background'''
|Choose to display a solid color, Google satellite image or orthophoto (drone photo) if your cemetery opted for a drone flight. Read [[Map appearance#Map background & drone photos|Map background & drone photos]] for more information.
|-
|'''Section'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of sections (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias or individual ID. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias.
|-
|'''Block'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of blocks (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section and block id.
|-
|'''Lot'''
|Your cemetery may not have lots. If it does, this tab lets you control the outline (width & color) and labelling of lots (font, bolding, size & color).
Label options: Alias, individual ID or full description. The alias is usually the same as the ID, some cemeteries may have a custom alias. The full description is a combination of the section, block and lot id.
|-
|'''Space'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and labelling of spaces (font, bolding, size & color).

There are many label options. [[Map appearance#Space colors & labels|Read more below about changing space labelling & colors]].
|-
|'''Burials'''
|Control the outline (width & color), fill color and labelling of burials (font, bolding, size & color).

Label options: None, full name or last name.

Some names may be long; we recommend checking the checkbox next to "Split label into multiple lines".
|-
|'''Markers'''
|Control the outline (width & color) and fill color of markers.

If your cemetery uses memorial markers, you have options how to label them: None, full name or last name. You can also choose how those labels appear (font, bolding, size & color). [[Markers#Memorial markers|Read more about memorial markers on the Markers page]].
|-
|'''Vaults'''
| Choose the color vaults appear on your map.
|-
|'''Map features'''
| Choose which, if any, map features you want to display on your map.
Hiding a map feature does not remove it from the database.
|}

===Examples of different map appearances===
<gallery widths="450" heights="275">
File:Layers example 1.png|The default map settings will show veteran burials in blue and non-veteran burials in grey. Seen in the above cemetery is a tree to the left (in black), several headstones (in dark grey), and a few vaults (salmon rectangles in the bottom-right).
File:Layers example 2.png|This is the same exact section of cemetery, only this user has chosen to hide map features (such as the tree). The space colors have been changed and the names of burials are larger and bold.
File:Layers example 3.png|An extreme example of how dramatically we can change the appearance of the map. While we might not advise using this color scheme, you are absolutely free to do so!
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Space colors & labels==

===Space colors===
[[File:Layers - how to change space colors 2.png|thumb|451x451px|Use the "Space" tab and click on the blocks of color next to the different space statuses to change map colors.]]
*Click on the "Space" tab on the left side of the map settings popup, just above the "Burials" tab.
**Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
*Choose to color spaces by status or by type. The recommended setting is status.
*Click on the square of color next to each of your statuses. This will open a color picker, allowing you to change the color of the status.
*Remember to click "Save" when you are happy with your changes!

<br><br>

===Space labels ===
There are many ways to label spaces! These labels will show on top of each space when you have the map sufficiently zoomed in. You can independently label the space ID and the owner names, and also choose to show the space status and cost. Each of these options will display on its own line, so choosing "Space ID" for your space ID label and "Owner/company" as your space name label will show the ID on one line, and owner name (if any) on the line below.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Space ID label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No space id shown.
|-
|Space ID
| A concatenation of the space's section, block, lot and space name/number.
Examples: ''8_B_30_A, Old section_4_East''
|-
|Space
|The space's name/number.
Example: ''A, 0012''
|-
|Alias
|In most cemeteries, this is the same as the space name or number.
Example: J2'', 12''
|}

====Space name label====
[[File:Pro - label placement demo.png|thumb|547x547px|Use the "Space" tab to control the appearance of your space labels. In this example, the user is choosing to show the space's ID, the owner's name, the space's status and cost. Using the "label placement" option, they are showing the label in the top-left corner of their spaces.]]
[[File:Pro - label placement demo spaces.png|thumb|546x546px|Here we see the space's ID, owner name, status and cost displayed. In addition, the name is showing the first, middle and last names, as well as prefix and suffix. CIMS has many options to make your space labels as simple or complex as you want!]]
We have many options for space name labels. In addition to choosing whose name shows, you can choose the format names appear in and whether or not to include prefixes, middle names, and suffixes. There is also an option to split a name label into multiple lines and allow name labels to collide. [[Map appearance#Label collisions|Read more below about label collisions]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Space name label options
!Option name
!Description
|-
|None
|No name shown.
|-
| Owner/company
|A concatenation of the primary owner's last name, first name and middle name.
Examples: ''Smith, Lorna Jones, Fr. Paul Jenkins III''
|-
|Owner or permissions
|Displays the owner name or, if present, any burial permissions. [[Burials#Burial permissions|Learn more about burial permissions on the Burials page]].
|-
|Owner or burial
|Displays the owner name only if no burial present. If the space has a burial, will not display a name.
|}

====Status ====
Choose to include the status of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Cost====
Display the cost of the space with the space label. Will display on its own line.

====Label placement====
Control the placement of the space label. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on.

====Label offset====
An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down. [[Map appearance#Label offsets|Read more below about label offsets below.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label offsets==

An offset is synonymous to a "shift", or "nudge"; offsets are a way to move your labels slightly in one direction or the other. A negative offset X will shift your labels to the left, a positive X offset to the right. A negative Y offset will shift your labels up, and positive Y down.

Offsets can be set for space and burial labels individually. To change the offset of space labels, click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y". Manipulate those values, click "Save", then close the modal. You will see your changes immediately. To change the offset of burial labels, the process is the same; click on the "Burials" tab and scroll down to "Label Offset X" and "Label Offset Y", change your values, and save.

An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement. Click on the "Space" tab and scroll down to the "Label placement" settings. There are nine options; top left will display the label in the top-left corner of the space, top-center in the top center, and so on. By default, labels show in the center-center.

<span style="border:2px solid #c2dce9;padding:10px;border-radius:5px;background-color:#f2fbff;margin:15px 0px;display:inline-block;">We understand your cemetery may use a different term for its spaces, such as "plot", "grave", etc. In that case, in your map settings, the tab will use your cemetery's term for space.</span>

<gallery widths="380" heights="280">
File:CIMS map offsets.png|Offsets shift your labels in different directions.
File:Map settings without offsets.png|Without offsets and with space labels set to appear in the center of the space, space and burial labels may conflict.
File:Map settings with offsets.png|With offsets, labels may be more legible.
File:Space offsets and label placement.png|Offsets for spaces are in the "Spaces" tab, and those for burials in the "Burials" tab. An alternative to using offsets for space labels is changing the label placement.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Label collisions==
Labels are often in close proximity. If you want your labels to always show and sometimes overlap, click the check box "Allow label collision/overlap". This option exists for both space labels and burial labels.

Space and burial labels exist independently; the collision settings of one will not affect the other. This means that sometimes space and burial labels will appear on top of each other and be difficult to read. To read these labels, zoom your map in. You can also play around with the offset settings and the space label placement options.<gallery widths="420" heights="350">
File:Burial labels with collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, not all burial labels will display. Zoom in to see the names of all burials.
File:Burial labels without collision.png|With burial label collision turned off, all burial name labels display but can be difficult to read. The same logic applies to space label collision.
File:Collision option.png|To change your collision settings for burial labels, click the "Burials" tab and scroll down. To change your collision settings for space labels, click the "Space" tab and scroll down.
</gallery><br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

==Veteran burials ==
[[File:The Burials tab of the Layers popup.png|thumb|Circled in red is the "Burials" tab. Within this tab, click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" and then choose a color you would like veteran burials to show as on your map.|452x452px]]You can choose to make veteran burials a different color from non-veteran burials. In the map settings popup, click on the "Burials" tab on the left side. Click the checkbox next to "Highlight veterans" so that it is checked. Next, choose the color you would like veteran burials to show as by clicking on the square next to "Veteran color". Remember to click save!
[[File:Burials showing veterans in blue.png|center|thumb|300x300px|Here we can see 2 veteran burials in blue and 3 non-veteran burials in grey.]]

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Map background & drone photos==
[[File:Map background in CIMS.png|thumb|440x440px|Use the "Background" tab to choose what background your map will display. This cemetery had a drone photo done.]]
You may want to change the background of your map. To do so, click on the "Background" tab. All cemeteries have the choice of "Solid color" or "Google Maps". If you choose "Solid color", you can specify the background color. If using Google Maps, you can specify the opacity of the map. Click the option you would like to use as the background, then click "Save".

If your cemetery chose to have a drone photograph your cemetery, you will have the option "orthophoto" (meaning drone photo). Drone photos will be more accurate than Google Maps imagery and more consistent, as Google does periodically update their images and you may find the season has changed, or your background images have shifted. Want to learn more about drone photos? [[Drone Photography|Read our drone photography documentation]].

<div style="clear:both;"></div>

<gallery widths="450" heights="300">
File:CIMS columbarium view using Google maps satellite imagery.png|Google maps satellite imagery will not be entirely accurate. Note how the columbaria, which the CIMS team mapped to their real-life latitude and longitudinal position, do not line up with the Google satellite images.
File:CIMS columbarium view using drone imagery.png|With drone imagery taken by the CIMS team, the columbaria are now in their accurate spatial position. Other objects, such as headstones, chapels, trees and more, will also line up correctly with your map in CIMS. The image itself is also sharper and colors more realistic.
</gallery>

<br><br>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>

== Making text larger==
To make text larger, there are 2 places we need to change the text settings:
*'''Space tab'''
** Click on the "Space" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how spaces are labelled (common choices are "Owner last name" and "Space ID").
***Your tab may actually be called "Plot", "Grave", "Plat", or another term, depending on how your cemetery is set up.
**To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size, such as 20px. You may also want to make the text bold by clicking the "B" next to the "Bold" label.
**Other options you can change include the text font and color.
*'''Burials tab'''
**Click on the "Burials" tab. Scroll down and you will see options to control how burials are labelled (clients often choose "Full name").
**Beneath the burial label are options to control the text appearance. To make the text larger, find the "Size" dropdown and choose a larger size.
**You can also change to the color, font, and text bolding, just like with spaces.
Click "Save", then close the map settings popup to see your map appearance changes.<gallery widths="450" heights="238">
File:Layers - how to make space labels larger.png|Click on the "Space" tab and change the "Size" to make space labels larger
File:Layers - how to make burial labels larger.png|Click on the "Burials" tab and change the "Size" to make burial labels larger
</gallery>

<br><br>

==Map features & GPR==
You can choose to show or hide map features, including GPR points, from your map. To hide all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" on the left side of the map settings popup so that it reads "off". To hide particular types of map features, make sure that toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on", and click that tab. A list of your cemetery's map feature types will appear. Map features with a checkbox next to them will show on your map, and unchecked will not show. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

====GPR====
To hide GPR map features, click on the "Map features" tab and uncheck your GPR map features. Click "Save" in the lower-right corner of the popup.

Your GPR map features may not be labelled exactly like this example, but will include the term "GPR".<gallery widths="450" heights="320">
File:Map features off.png|To turn off all map features, click the toggle next to the label "Map features" so that it reads "off".
File:Gpr map features off.png|To hide individual map features, make sure the toggle next to the label "Map features" is "on". Click the tab, and uncheck the boxes next to any map features you don't want to see. In this case, we are hiding GPR map features.
</gallery><br><br>

==Flagged objects==
[[File:Examples of flagged objects.png|thumb|By default, flagged objects have a magenta outline and checkerboard pattern. Here you can see a flagged space, a flagged burial and a flagged marker.]]
To learn about flagging objects such as spaces, burials, markers, etc., including changing their appearance, refer to the [[Flagging objects|documentation on flagging]].

File:Map features off.png

2026-06-22T16:16:36Z

Cims wiki:

Map features off

File:Gpr map features off.png

2026-06-22T16:16:24Z

Cims wiki:

Gpr map features off