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What are Custom Objects in Forerunner?

Custom Objects are user-defined geospatial features that can represent any type of geographic data your organization needs to track. Unlike Properties (which are always address-based points), Custom Objects support any geometry type—points, lines, polygons, and more. Custom Objects enable Forerunner users to extend the platform beyond traditional property management to support infrastructure tracking, zone management, and any other geospatial use case.

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Why Custom Objects Matter

Custom Objects provide flexibility to:

• Track infrastructure like stormwater systems, utilities, roads, and critical facilities
• Define zones and regions such as community boundaries, flood zones, or planning areas
• Import existing GIS data from Shapefiles, GeoJSON, and other formats
• Create custom schemas with exactly the fields your organization needs
• Visualize any geometry including points, lines, areas, and multi-part features
• Engage public users through the public website, where community members can view custom object details, submit records, and attach files

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Key Features

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Flexible Geometry Types

Custom Objects support all standard GIS geometry types:

• Points: Individual locations (fire hydrants, signs, trees)
• Lines: Linear features (roads, pipes, power lines)
• Polygons: Areas (communities, flood zones, land parcels)
• Multi-part geometries: Complex features with multiple components

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Dynamic Field Structure

Unlike Properties with fixed address fields, Custom Objects have:

• Label: The primary display name for each object
• Additional Fields: Flexible key-value data imported from your source files
• Auto-detected schema: Field types automatically determined from your data
• Custom styling: Colors, icons, line widths, and opacity per object type

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Bulk Import Workflow

Custom Objects are typically created through bulk import:

1. Prepare GeoJSON or Shapefile data with your features
2. Upload to designated import location
3. System processes and validates the data
4. Objects appear on map and in tables
5. Attachments (records, files, tasks) are preserved during re-imports

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How Custom Objects Work

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Object Types

Each set of Custom Objects belongs to an object type (called a CustomMap in the codebase). For example:

• “Fire Hydrants” object type containing individual hydrant objects
• “Stormwater Systems” object type containing pipe and inlet objects
• “Community Boundaries” object type containing neighborhood polygons

Object types define:

• What fields all objects of that type will have
• How objects are styled on the map (colors, icons, line styles)
• Whether labels appear on the map
• Display order and legend settings

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Object Groups

Related object types can be organized into object groups for easier navigation and management. For example, you might create a “Stormwater Infrastructure” group containing:

• Stormwater inlets
• Stormwater pipes
• Outfall structures
• Drainage basins

Groups enable:

• Organized navigation in the sidebar
• Combined table views across multiple object types
• Logical grouping of related features

Learn more about Object Groups

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Object Information Panel

Click any custom object on the map or in a table to open the Object Information Panel (OIP):

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Importing Custom Objects

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Supported Data Formats

Forerunner accepts two primary formats for custom object imports: GeoJSON:

• Standard web-friendly geospatial format
• JSON-based, human-readable
• Supports all geometry types
• Includes feature properties as fields

Shapefiles:

• Traditional GIS format
• Requires .shp, .shx, .dbf, and .prj files
• Converted to GeoJSON during import
• Supports coordinate system transformations

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Import Process

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Re-Importing and Updates

When you re-import Custom Objects:

• Matching by source_id: Objects with matching source_id values are updated (not recreated)
• Attachments preserved: Records, files, tasks, and comments remain linked
• Schema must match: New imports must have the same fields as existing data
• Removed objects tracked: Objects missing from new import are flagged if they have attachments

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Map Visualization

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Styling Options

Custom Objects support rich styling configurations: For Points:

• Icon selection from library
• Icon size and color
• Custom marker images

For Lines:

• Line color and opacity
• Line width
• Dash patterns

For Polygons:

• Fill color and opacity
• Border color and width
• Border opacity

Labels:

• Toggle labels on/off per object type
• Automatic label positioning
• Collision detection

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Layer Controls

Each custom object type appears as a separate map layer:

• Toggle layers on/off in map controls
• Control layer order (z-index)
• Visibility based on zoom level
• Legend showing all active layers

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Common Use Cases

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Custom Object vs. Property

Understanding when to use each type: Use Properties when:

• You’re tracking buildings or addresses
• You need elevation certificates
• You want manual entry through UI
• You need parcel data integration

Use Custom Objects when:

• You need line or polygon geometry
• You’re importing existing GIS data
• You need flexible field structure
• You’re tracking non-address features

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Limitations and Constraints

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Schema Constraints

• Additional fields must be flat key-value pairs (no nested objects or arrays)
• Field types limited to: string, number, boolean, null
• Field names must be valid JSON keys
• Schema changes require re-import of all data

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Import Constraints

• Large imports (>10,000 features) may take significant processing time
• Only one import per object type at a time
• Import is atomic (all features succeed or all fail)
• Maximum file size depends on system configuration

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Editing

• Objects created manually on web or mobile can have their label and geometry edited in the app
• Objects brought in through a GIS import are updated by re-importing the source data
• Field values are updated by re-importing

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Next Steps