YMS Yard Layout Editor: Generating and Editing the Yard Layout

Generate a yard layout in one click, or draw it yourself in four steps — outline, zones, spots and docks — then preview in 3D, save the draft and publish.

The layout tells Docklify what your yard actually looks like: where the fence line runs, which areas are container zones, chassis parking or reefer plugs, and where each parking spot and dock door sits. The 3D yard view draws from this layout. The Layout Editor (YMS → 3D Yard View → Layout Editor, /yms/visualization/layout-editor) gives you two ways to build it: Quick mode generates a draft for you in one click, and Advanced mode walks you through drawing it yourself in four steps. Editing works best on a desktop; on a phone, viewing is fine.

Before you start: pick the yard and name the layout#

• Pick the yard in the selector at the top. The yards come from YMS → Yards; switching yards loads that yard’s saved draft, or a blank draft if it has none yet.
• Type a layout name next to it (for example “Yard 3 layout v2”) so different versions are easy to tell apart later.
• The “Save draft” and “Publish” buttons are always in the top bar — you can save at any point and keep editing later.

Quick mode: generate a draft in one click#

1. Open the Quick mode tab.
2. Make sure the right yard is selected, then click “Auto-generate draft”.
3. The draft is generated from the yard data’s spot numbering pattern — the same automatic generation as on the 3D page. Once the yard team publishes it, it appears in the 3D view.

Quick mode is the fastest way to get a workable layout. Use Advanced mode when the yard is not a neat rectangle, or when you need to control exactly where zones, spots and dock doors go.

Advanced Step 1: Draw the yard outline#

1. Pick a drawing tool: Rectangle (press and drag), L-shape (first drag the outer rectangle, then drag inward from one corner to cut the missing corner), or Polygon (click to add points, double-click or click the first point to close; Esc cancels).
2. You can upload a floor plan image as a background and trace over it, then remove the background when you are done.
3. To fine-tune, switch to Select/edit and drag the outline’s corners. Click a corner and press Delete to remove that point.
4. The outline needs at least 3 points before you can move on — the steps after this one stay locked until it exists.

Advanced Step 2: Mark zones#

1. Click “Add zone”, choose its type and name it (for example “Container zone A”), then draw its shape inside the yard outline — click to add points, double-click to close. A zone drawn outside the outline is rejected.
2. Select a zone to rename it, change its type or color, drag its corners to adjust, or delete it.

• There are ten zone types, each with its own default color: Container zone, Chassis parking, Reefer plug area, Hazmat isolation, Gate area, Maintenance, Office, Staging, Parking area and Other.

Advanced Step 3: Mark spots and docks#

1. Pick a zone, set rows and columns, choose the spot size (20 ft or 40 ft) and the code prefix, then click “Generate spots”. Spots are numbered from the prefix (such as A-01, A-02…) and only the ones that fall inside the zone are kept.
2. To mark a dock door, turn on “Mark dock door” and click on the yard edge: a dock (D-01, D-02…) is placed there and linked to the nearest zone automatically. Press Esc to leave the dock tool.
3. Any spot or dock can be dragged to fine-tune its position; select one and press Delete to remove it.

Advanced Step 4: Preview in 3D, save the draft, publish#

1. The last step shows a 3D preview built from the current draft — empty spots, no containers yet — with the counts of zones, spots and docks underneath. Walk through it and check the yard looks right.
2. Click “Save draft” in the top bar. If the outline has fewer than 3 points, the editor sends you back to step 1 first.
3. Click “Publish” to make the layout the one the 3D page uses. If the draft was never saved, the editor asks you to save it first.

Docklify features used in this article#

• Layout Editor with yard picker and layout name — YMS → 3D Yard View → Layout Editor (/yms/visualization/layout-editor)
• Quick mode one-click draft generation — Layout Editor → Quick mode → Auto-generate draft
• Outline drawing tools (rectangle / L-shape / polygon, floor-plan background) — Layout Editor → Advanced mode → Step 1
• Zone marking with ten zone types — Layout Editor → Advanced mode → Step 2
• Batch spot generation and dock marking — Layout Editor → Advanced mode → Step 3
• 3D preview, save draft and publish — Layout Editor → Advanced mode → Step 4, and the top-bar Save draft / Publish buttons