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Understanding How WP Go Maps Handles Marker Data: Database vs. XML

34 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Wp go maps (formerly wp google maps)

Content

If you're using the WP Go Maps plugin and are curious about how it manages your map marker data, you've come to the right place. A common point of confusion for users is the plugin's advertised ability to serve marker data from either a database or an XML file. This guide will explain what this setting does, what it doesn't do, and how to configure it.

The Core Question: Database or XML?

Within the plugin's settings, you can find an option that controls how marker data is "served" or delivered to your website visitors. This is a backend performance and data handling choice, not a method for importing or creating markers.

What This Setting Actually Does

This configuration, found under Maps -> Settings -> Advanced, offers two choices:

  • Database: This is the default and recommended setting. It serves marker data directly from your WordPress database. It is efficient and reliable for the vast majority of websites.
  • XML File: This option tells the plugin to create and serve data from a cached XML file. This can sometimes improve performance for sites with an extremely large number of markers (e.g., 10,000+), but it is highly dependent on your specific server configuration and may not provide a benefit in all cases.

Common Misconceptions and Limitations

Based on community discussions, it's important to clarify what this feature cannot do:

  • It Does Not Help You Add Markers: This setting is purely for data delivery. You cannot use it to bulk import a list of addresses or coordinates. All markers must be added manually through the plugin's admin interface in the free version, or via a dedicated import add-on for bulk operations.
  • External Data Sources Are Not Directly Supported: The plugin cannot dynamically read an external XML or CSV file in real-time to plot markers on a map. The XML file it references is one it generates and manages internally.
  • Limited Documentation: The WP Go Maps team has acknowledged that detailed public documentation for this specific advanced feature is not currently available.

How to Change the Data Serving Method

  1. In your WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Maps -> Settings.
  2. Click on the Advanced tab.
  3. Look for the setting labeled something like "Store marker data in" or "Serve marker data via".
  4. Select your preferred method (Database or XML Cache).
  5. Save your changes.

Recommendation: For most users, leaving this setting on Database is the best and most stable option. Only consider switching to the XML cache if you have a very high number of markers and are actively troubleshooting performance issues, as its effectiveness is situational.

Conclusion

The "Database vs. XML" setting in WP Go Maps is a powerful but often misunderstood advanced feature. It controls the technical method of data delivery for performance optimization, not marker creation. For adding markers, you will need to use the plugin's interface or explore available add-ons for import functionality. If you experience issues after changing this setting, revert to the default Database option as a first troubleshooting step.

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