Developer Alan Hamlett has just released CLMapper, a Chrome extension reminiscent of PadMapper. When that extension is installed, you see a map view on the right side while browsing apartment and housing postings on Craigslist. In other words, the developer found a workaround to provide the PadMapper experience without the legal issues that have been troubling the service.
Indeed, when it comes to displaying Craigslist listings on a map, CLMapper and PadMapper use two completely different methods. PadMapper used to index Craigslist posts on its server in order to display them on a map using Google Maps API while CLMapper is a client-side Chrome extension. It means that when you visit craigslist.org, your browser executes some JavaScript on your computer to add a map with all the listings using Google Maps API. So in addition to displaying the map on Craigslist’s website, no server is needed to make it work. All you have to do is install the extension and you won’t rely on any third-party service. You can even download the source here.
In June, PadMapper received a cease-and-desist from Craigslist because it was using Craigslist’s valuable data without the consent of the listing site. Yet, PadMapper found a workaround to get Craigslist postings by partnering with 3taps. However, as users have noticed lately, PadMapper is inconsistently updated with Craigslist data. The new terms that were deployed this morning and the lawsuit against PadMapper are probably the reasons behind that new outcome.