Troubleshooting The Area Selector


If you are stuck in the area selector, this article contains:

  1. Checklist
  2. Step-by-Step Guide on how to Create an Area

For more information on how to Edit Areas, see the Related Articles section. 

Checklist

If you are attempting to generate an area and are stuck, here is a checklist to follow: 

  • Before You Begin. Are you using Chrome?
    • If not, we recommend switching - there are known bugs with Internet Explorer and Safari.
    • If yes, read on.  
  • Step 1. Have you selected a list of counties, ZIP codes, or cities? Note: It is not possible to mix and match (cities + counties; ZIP codes + cities; etc).

Step 2. Have you named your area?

  • If not, Step 2 must be completed before clicking GENERATE AREA
  • Step 3. Have you clicked GENERATE AREA? 
    • If not, Step 3 must be completed before clicking SAVE
    • This step is important because some data are only available at the ZIP code level, for example. Generating areas lets you see what ZIPs would be included

Below is a more in-depth Step-by-Step Guide to show what it will look like:

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Create an Area

The Area Selector appears when creating maps and reports. In the top box, you'll want to list which areas you'd like to be included in your community. You can create a community by creating:

  • A list of ZIP codes,
  • A list of counties, or
  • A list of cities, villages, and towns.

In the next box, you can enter the zip code, county, or city. The map will populate in real time.

You can add multiple areas to a map as well. 

In the second box you'll want to create a name for your area. This will help you find it more easily in the future. This step is required. 

Once you have added all the areas you'd like to include in your community select Generate Area to create a list of counties, zip codes, and cities. 

Clicking on Generate Area will produce a list of the cities and counties found within the selected area. You may remove any cities or counties you wish not to include by clicking on the "x." You may also search for any cities or counties not included by typing them into the search bars. 

Once finished, select Save in the upper-right hand corner.

If you are Running a Report, a message will display to show your area has been saved, you can then close the window to generate the Report.


Hopefully this article has helped to answer frequently asked questions such as:

  • How do I create an area? 
  • How do I edit or add an area?
  • The area selector will not generate my area! Why not?
  • I am trying to run a community indicator report and I am stuck on the area selector page

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