If you have configured Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), WooCommerce, or Post Location Markers but they are not appearing on your front-end map, or in the map editor, here are the two primary reasons and how to resolve them.
Markers Do Not Appear on Front-end (Collation Conflict) #
In some cases, your dynamic markers may fail to load on the front-end due to a rare but known database conflict called a collation error.
⚠ The Technical Issue: When our maps attempt to retrieve marker data from your post tables (like wp_posts) and join it with our own plugin tables, the underlying MySQL database requires that the collation (the set of rules for comparing characters) across all tables involved in the JOIN query must be aligned. If they are mismatched, the query fails, and the markers do not load.
How to Find and Resolve Collation Errors #
Although this can be done manually within your database by simply matching our database table collations to your wp_posts collation type, this can be difficult to do in some cases, where you might not have access to the respective tools or may not be comfortable with making these changes yourself.
This is why we have included a built-in tool which automatically detects and corrects collation errors for this exact use case:
- Navigate to Maps > Settings > Danger Zone
- Find the sub-section labelled Integration Tools
- You should see a button labelled Collation Test, which you can click to scan for errors
- If errors are found, you will see a notification confirming this
- A new button will then appear labelled Resolve Collation Issues
- Click this button to automatically resolve the errors
- Retest your maps and the markers should show as expected
What if this does not resolve the issue? Please reach out to us as it is likely due to a different cause that your markers are not displaying as expected.
Markers Do Not Appear in the Map Editor (Expected Behaviour) #
It is crucial to remember that dynamically loaded markers—those pulled from ACF fields, WooCommerce products, or the new Post Location system—do not display within the WP Go Maps admin editor.
This is because these markers are designed to be loaded at the moment the map is viewed on the front-end. This ensures that the map only displays the latest, most current data from your posts and custom fields. Additionally, these markers are not meant to be edited in the map editor, and as a result will not load in the editing systems
