# Extra text beneath key entries

Official GBMaps guide for the classic map maker. VectorMaps has a different interface.

Source: https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details
Updated: 2026-09-29

Add useful contact details or notes without squeezing everything into the territory name. Changes in this dialog are held until you choose Apply to legend.

[Watch tutorial video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qs9vmGI5Ko)

Some videos show an earlier layout. The written instructions below describe the current controls; this is a guide, not a video transcript.

![Legend details dialog with extra text colour, territory notes, preview and spreadsheet import.](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/help/images/legend-details.png)

Choose a colour for the extra detail lines, check the preview, then apply it to the legend. Select a numbered circle to read its explanation.

## 1. Show extra text

Controls whether the saved notes are displayed beneath the names. Switching it off hides the notes; it does not erase the text you have entered.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details#legend-details--show)

## 2. Choose the extra text colour

Click the colour square to choose a font colour for the extra detail lines beneath every legend name. The preview shows your choice straight away. Territory names and statistical totals keep their existing colours. Choose Apply to legend to use the new colour, then save your map to keep it. Cancel or the close button leaves the previous colour in place.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details#legend-details--colour)

## 3. Choose an entry

Select a territory in the entry list, or use the previous and next buttons to work through the key. The text box and preview show the selected entry. This is handy when adding a telephone number for every team.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details#legend-details--entry)

## 4. Write one detail per line

Type or paste the lines to appear below that name. Use short, readable lines; up to 20 nonblank lines and 4,000 characters are accepted per entry. A postcode here is printed as text only. It does not colour or locate that postcode.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details#legend-details--text)

## 5. Clear this entry

Removes the draft extra text for the selected entry. Other entries keep their own notes. Apply the dialog to make that removal appear on the map.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details#legend-details--clear)

## 6. Paste details from Excel

Put the existing territory name in the first column, then one detail per following column. Paste the table into the import box. Names must match entries already in the key; check the import feedback for any unmatched names.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details#legend-details--paste)

## 7. Replace existing details, including blanks

Use this option when the spreadsheet should become the new set of notes, rather than retaining previous text. Blank values can clear existing notes when replacement is selected, so check your pasted rows first. Then use Add to these details to load the table into the dialog.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details#legend-details--replace)

## 8. Check the preview

Review the selected name and its notes before applying. Long lines can make a key wide; splitting an address over a few short lines is often easier to read. Statistics selected in Additional Data are separate from these manually entered notes.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details#legend-details--preview)

## 9. Apply to legend / Cancel

Apply to legend commits the dialog’s changes to the current map. Cancel or the close button leaves the map’s existing notes unchanged. Save the map afterwards if you want the new notes to be there when you reopen it.

[Open this step](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=legend-details#legend-details--apply)

## Related guides

- [Key Settings: layout & visibility](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=key)
- [Excel import with your own colours](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=excel-colours)
- [Additional Data: add your own figures](https://www.gbmaps.com/mcs/map-help.php?topic=data)