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Theme options – Map – How read from file works

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The Use file reading for pins option helps WPResidence load Google Maps pins faster on websites with many properties. Instead of loading all property pin data directly through the normal query, the theme can read the generated pin data from a file.

This option is useful especially for websites with more than 200 properties displayed on maps, or for websites where map pages load slowly because of a large number of property coordinates.

Important: This option does not replace the Maximum Number of Pins to show on the map setting for all map pages. Property List pages, Half Map pages, Directory pages, Advanced Search Results pages, and taxonomy pages still use the maximum pins limit.

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What Read from file for pins does

When properties are displayed on Google Maps, WPResidence needs to load each property’s map pin data, including coordinates and property details used in the marker popup.

On websites with many properties, loading this pin data directly can affect performance on some servers. The Use file reading for pins option allows the theme to use a generated pins file instead.

This can improve map loading speed because the map pin information is already prepared in a file and does not need to be rebuilt in the same way on each page load.

Where to find the option

Go to:

Theme Options > Maps > Number of Maps Pins Settings

Enable:

Use file reading for pins


WPResidence use file reading for map pins option

When to use this option

You can enable Use file reading for pins when:

  • Your website has more than 200 properties shown on maps.
  • Map pages load slowly because of many property pins.
  • Your server has difficulty loading many pins through the normal map query.
  • You want the map pin data to be generated and reused from the pins file.

This setting is mainly a performance option. It does not change the property data, search logic, property order, or taxonomy structure.

How Read from file applies to different pages

Default page with Hero Media set to Maps

When Use file reading for pins is enabled, and you use a regular WordPress page with the default page template and the Hero Media Header set to Maps, the map can show all generated property pins from the pins file.

This applies to regular pages that use:

  • Default page template
  • Hero Media Header set to Maps
  • Generated pins file available and writable
Important: This behavior applies to regular pages with map header media. It does not mean that all property list, search, or taxonomy pages will ignore the maximum pins limit.

If Read from file is not enabled

If Use file reading for pins is disabled, the number of pins shown on a default page with Hero Media Header set to Maps is controlled by the map pin limit set in:

Theme Options > Maps > Number of Maps Pins Settings

Set Maximum Number of Pins to show on the map to at least the same value as the number of properties shown on the current page, or higher.

Example: If your taxonomy page shows 40 properties, but the map pin limit is set to 25, the list can show 40 properties while the map shows only 25 pins. To make the list and map match better, increase the map pin limit to at least 40, save the settings, clear cache, and reload the page.


WPResidence map pin management settings

Pages where Maximum Number of Pins always applies

Regardless of whether Use file reading for pins is enabled or disabled, the Maximum Number of Pins to show on the map setting always applies to these pages:

For these pages, the map usually shows the pins connected to the properties listed on the current page, up to the maximum number of pins allowed in Theme Options.

Maximum pins and number of properties per page

If the property list shows more properties than the map shows pins, check the settings that control both the number of properties listed on the page and the number of pins allowed on the map.

Number of properties in list pages and taxonomy pages

For Property List templates and taxonomy/category pages, the number of properties shown in the list is managed from:

Theme Options > General > Lists Layout & Sidebar > No of Properties per Page in Property List Templates and Category/Taxonomy Lists

This value should match the standard WordPress Reading option:

Settings > Reading > Blog pages show at most


WPResidence number of properties per page setting


WordPress reading setting blog pages show at most

Number of properties on the Advanced Search Results page

The number of properties shown on the Advanced Search Results page is controlled separately.

Go to:

Theme Options > Search > Advanced Search Results Page

Set the number of properties to match the preferred page size for search results.

How to enable Read from file for pins

  1. Go to Theme Options > Maps > Number of Maps Pins Settings.
  2. Find the option Use file reading for pins.
  3. Set the option to Yes.
  4. Click Save Changes.
  5. Refresh the admin page.
  6. Go to Theme Options > Generate Data & Pins.
  7. Generate the pins manually.
  8. Clear WPResidence cache, plugin cache, server cache, or CDN cache if active.
  9. Reload the map page and test again.

Requirements

For file reading to work correctly, the generated pins file must be available and writable by the server.

  • The pins.txt file inside the theme folder must have writing permissions.
  • The recommended permission is 755, depending on the server configuration.
  • A daily cron runs automatically to generate new pins for new properties.
  • You can also generate the pins manually from Theme Options > Generate Data & Pins.

If the file cannot be created or updated, ask your hosting company to check the file permissions and ownership for the theme folder and the pins file.

You can also read more about WordPress file permissions here:
Changing File Permissions

How to generate pins manually

After enabling Use file reading for pins, you can generate the pins manually.

  1. Go to Theme Options > Generate Data & Pins.
  2. Use the option to generate map pins.
  3. Wait for the process to complete.
  4. Clear cache if needed.
  5. Test the map page again.

Manual generation is useful after importing many new properties, editing coordinates, changing map settings, or troubleshooting missing pins.

Message: Pin Generation works only if the file reading option is set to Yes

If you see this message:

Pin Generation works only if the file reading option in Google Map setting is set to yes


Pin generation works only if file reading is enabled

It means that pin generation is available only after the file reading option is enabled.

To fix this:

  1. Go to Theme Options > Maps > Number of Maps Pins Settings.
  2. Set Use file reading for pins to Yes.
  3. Click Save Changes.
  4. Refresh the page.
  5. Go back to Theme Options > Generate Data & Pins.
  6. Generate the pins again.


Enable use file reading for pins in WPResidence

Message: The file Google map does NOT exist or is NOT writable

If you see this message:

The file Google map does NOT exist or is NOT writable

This usually means one of the following:

  • The pins file does not exist yet.
  • The pins file exists but cannot be updated by the server.
  • The theme folder or pins file permissions are not writable.
  • A multi-language setup needs separate handling for translated map pin data.

To troubleshoot:

  1. Make sure Use file reading for pins is enabled.
  2. Check that the pins.txt file exists in the theme folder.
  3. Ask your hosting company to confirm that the file and folder permissions allow WordPress to write to the file.
  4. Recommended permission is usually 755, but the correct permission can depend on the server setup.
  5. If you use a multi-language plugin, make sure the pins file setup works correctly for the languages used on the site.
  6. After permissions are corrected, go to Theme Options > Generate Data & Pins and generate the pins again.

Important notes and limitations

Read from file does not control all map pages in the same way

The Use file reading for pins option can help regular pages with a map header load generated pins from file. However, list-based pages and result pages still use their own page logic and the maximum pins limit.

This includes:

  • Properties List pages
  • Half Map pages
  • Directory Property List pages
  • Advanced Search Results pages
  • Property taxonomy pages

Maximum Number of Pins must match the page setup

If a page shows more properties in the list than pins on the map, check:

  • The number of properties shown per page
  • The WordPress setting Settings > Reading > Blog pages show at most
  • The Maximum Number of Pins to show on the map setting

Go to:

Theme Options > Maps > Number of Maps Pins Settings

Set the maximum pins value to at least the same number as the properties shown on the current page, or higher.

Half Map pages require the header to be set to Maps

For Half Map layouts to work correctly, the page Hero Media Header must be set to Maps.

This can be managed:

  • Globally from Theme Options > Header > Hero Media
  • Individually from the page Appearance Options > Hero Media Type

Advanced Search Results is a special results page

The Advanced Search Results page is used only to display search results after a visitor submits a search.

Do not use the Advanced Search Results page as the homepage, and do not edit it with Elementor or WPBakery. Its layout and behavior are controlled from the theme options and the assigned page template.

Property coordinates are required

Map pins can only show for properties that have valid map coordinates. If a property has no latitude and longitude, it cannot display correctly as a map pin.

Clear cache after changing map settings

After changing map settings, generating pins, or changing the number of pins:

  • Clear WPResidence cache if enabled.
  • Clear any active cache plugin.
  • Clear server or CDN cache if used.
  • Reload the page and test again.