How does ZIPzr Locator™ work?

The ZIPzr Locator™ web service is hosted on our servers. The service is comprised of a enterprise-class database and a front-end web application which work together to create the web service. Using just about any programming language (ASP, PHP, ColdFusion, Perl, Python, etc.) that can consume data from a webservice, two web pages are created on your site -a simple search page, and a search results page which calls the ZIPzr Locator™ web service and returns data based on the information (zip, radius, and client id) submitted in the form.

Below is an example of a simple search form which can be formatted to follow your web site style:

Here is the actual form code:

<form action="consumer.php" method="post" name="getzipradius">
ENTER U.S. ZIP CODE:<input type="text" size="6" name="passedzipcode" /><br />
ENTER MILE RADIUS:
<select name="passedradius">
<option value="50" selected="selected">Select a mile range</option>
<option value="10">10</option>
<option value="20">20</option>
<option value="30">30</option>
<option value="50">50</option>
<option value="100">100</option>
</select>
<br />
<input type="hidden" name="clientid" value="domainname.com" />
<input type="submit" class="f-submit" name="submit" value="Submit" />
</form>

The form passes the values of the form fields passedzipcode, passedradius, and clientid to the form action consumer.php. The clientid field is a predesignated id given to each of our clients and is based on the domain name of the site running the ZIPzr Locator™ search.

With the form information submitted, the consumer.php is configured to connect to the ZIPzr Locator™ web service, supplying the form fields to the service and returning the search results for all locations within the radius selected. The results are returned as a delimited string, so you can use as much or as little of the data returned, format it exactly the way you want, and more.

This is what the search results page might look like on your site:

ZIPzr Locator Control Panel

The ZIPzr Locator Control Panel is where clients manage their location lists. Our initial Beta release utilizes an upload utility where clients can upload an Excel file (exported to CSV) to populate their location lists. Our initial clients wanted to utilize an Excel spreadsheet for quick and easy updates to the master file and then upload the changes to ZIPzr.

The control panel consists of a file upload section, and a synchronization wizard. You can view and download the current version of the CSV file if you do not have a copy of it, or you upload a new file and begin the Sync Wizard to start the location update process. At this time, the Sync Wizard clears the database of all locations for your currently logged in client account and repopulates the database with the latest CSV file. The Sync Wizard process requires only 3 mouse clicks - one to start the process, a second to confirm clearing of the database, and one to complete the synchronization with the new CSV file. That's it!

We are working on creating a built-in AJAX based data administration section where clients can utilize either method of updating location data. We will update our current clients with newly released enhancements and features, along with instructions on how to use the new features.