This page provides technical information about Metropix for IT departments and service companies operating within the estate agency marketplace. Whether you manage agents' websites, are a software provider, or manage PCs for agents who use Metropix, we aim to provide all the information you require. If any further information is needed, please contact us.
Metropix provides a web site where agents (and companies that provide services to agents) can obtain floor plans online. They can be drawn online, faxed or uploaded as a sketch, or obtained from a large database of pre-existing plans. The floor plans are converted to a wide range of output formats suitable for both web use and in print. Once a Classic (2D) floor plan has been created, it can be upgraded in a variety of ways including a 3D image, walkthrough video, Google Earth model and interactive plan with photos.
PCs must have Internet Explorer and the Microsoft .NET Framework, either version 1.1 or 2.0. New installations require at least version 2.0 of the framework. Computers which began using Metropix before 25th January 2006 have .NET 1.1 installed and are set to grant Full Trust for assemblies from site www.metropix.co.uk. Computers which were first used with Metropix after 25th January 2006 have at least .NET 2.0 installed and do not need to trust assemblies from Metropix.
If the Framework is not present when the user first attempts to draw a floor plan then the user is prompted to download version 2.0 of the Framework from our site. It can also be downloaded from Windows Update and Microsoft Download. If the agent is logged in as a user without administrative rights for their own machine then the process will fail. Windows Vista and above include the framework as shipped and thus require no installation to use Metropix.
Metropix is tested on Windows 2000, XP and Vista. Windows 2000 or above is recommended. Windows 95 has been known to work but is not supported. Windows 98 was supported until December 2007 and should continue to work. Windows NT 4.0 will not usually work with Metropix but can be supported in certain circumstances.
The software communicates purely through HTTP on port 80 using the standard SOAP protocol to ensure maximum ease of integration with corporate networks. If the Metropix website can be accessed at all then port 80 is already open. However, on a few firewalls SOAP needs to be specifically enabled in addition.
To use send plans to us via a proxy server that requires authentication, a configuration change is needed on the client computer. The change is needed on the client computer, not the server or firewall. This is due to a security restriction imposed by Microsoft that affects all .NET software. The following file can be edited with any text editor:
your windows directory\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727\CONFIG\machine.config(if the .NET version is not v2.0 then the version part of the filename needs to be adjusted accordingly)
The following lines need to be added to that file:
<system.net> <defaultProxy enabled="true" useDefaultCredentials="true" /> </system.net>
If there is no existing <system.net> section in the file, these lines can be inserted just before the </configuration> line at the end of the file. Otherwise the <defaultProxy line must be inserted into the existing <system.net> section.
For web delivery, we create a web page for every property as hosting is included in our prices. Estate agents' web sites should link to this page from the property details of the property on their own site. This can be done as a simple link, as a pop-up, or even embedded within the property's page on the agent's site using frames or IFRAME tags. What will visitors to the agent's site see?
For printing, we provide a service to third parties that allows any of our plans to be accessed at high-resolution using a REST or SOAP-based web service. The resolution, format and orientation of the plan are specified as parameters and we are responsible for delivering the finished plan ready for inclusion in documents.
We also allow users to manually download floor plans and videos in a range of different formats. In addition MetropixOpen, our API, provides a wide range of advanced options for total integration with your systems.
Software providers may request the Metropix Reference for each property from the agent, along with the usual details. The reference number is given to the agent when they submit a floor plan to us. A new number may be given if the plan is revised, so the agent should be allowed to update the Metropix Reference for an existing property. The Metropix Reference is an integer between 1 and 2,147,483,647.
The required URL is http://content.metropix.com/p/X where X is replaced by the Metropix Reference. It is preferable for software providers to ask the agent to enter the Metropix Reference, not the full URL. It is quicker and less error prone, and it allows software providers to use the Metropix Reference to retrieve floor plans from Metropix directly using the API, without troubling the agent.
To open a pop-up window at the appropriate size, we recommend the following code (replacing 'X' with the Metropix Reference):
<a onclick="javascript:window.open('http://content.metropix.com/p/X',null,'width=660,height=530');return false" href="http://content.metropix.com/p/X" target="_blank">link text or graphic</a>
Every property's page is the same size. Including a border, the space used is at least 665 pixels wide by 535 pixels high. A larger space is recommended where possible.
We actively encourage 3rd-party service providers to obtain copies of floor plans from us directly. This makes both Metropix and the 3rd party's service easier for agents. You do not need permission to use the service subject to our usual terms and conditions.
We provide a web service at http://content.metropix.com/mtpix/propertyservices.asmx (SOAP) and http://content.metropix.com/mtpix/planforprint.aspx (REST) allows any property's floor plan to be obtained at resolutions suitable for printing. Most third parties find the REST service easier to use and this provides the richest functionality. For further details including sample code, please contact us.