Note:
This tutorial is only relevant if the Branded Account was created when setting a password was an option in the Branded Account management console. Recent changes to Branded Accounts don't have unique logins and can only be accessed by the users main login/password.
Overview
With the shuttering of Google's Street View online publishing tools and the development by Pano2VR of an integrated publishing system there is now a simple efficient method to publish single and multiple node panoramic tours to Google Maps.
Tour published via Pano2VR5beta2b - click to view
Using the new Street View functionality is easy and the workflow is demonstrated by Martin Hopkins in this YouTube video. If you aren't familiar with the functionality I'd recommend you watch it.
Now this is fine for a personal G+ account but what happens when we manage Brand Accounts or have multiple accounts we need to publish for? The following is a step by step tutorial on how to publish tours to Brand Accounts.
Step #1. Enabling Access
a. I'm going to start with the assumption that there are no accounts logged in to Google. Go to https://accounts.google.com If you don't see your account there select "Add account" and add it.
The Brand Account that I want to make available to use in Pano2VR is Red Square, at the moment it's not available in the "Choose an account" page.
Google page showing all accounts are Signed Out
b. I'm going to sign in using my main G+ account email "tonyredhead@gmail.com" as I have several Brand Accounts set up under that email including Red Square
Google Sign in page
c. Once I've signed in I enter the URL "https://myaccount.google.com/brandaccounts" to access the Brand Accounts page where I can see all of the Brand Accounts managed by my account.
Google Brand Accounts page
d. I'll click on the Red Square account as it's the one I want to enable for use with the Pano2VR Street View publisher. This opens the Brand Account details page.
Google Brand Account details
e. I need to create a password so I'll click on the "Update Password" link - Note: At this stage you will be prompted to re-enter your G+ password that you originally logged in with. - this opens the "Update Password" page that also displays the Brand Account Username.
Update password page for the Brand Account
f. I'll create a new password, confirm it and click "Continue". This provides a notification that I've set a username and password for the Brand Account. Note: At this stage make a note of the username.
Username and Password notification page
g. Now that I've got the name of the account and a password to login with, I'll return to the https://accounts.google.com/ page, select "Add account" using the username and the password I just created. I now have two active accounts tonyredhead@gmail.com and red-square-8891@pages.plusgoogle.com
Google page showing the two active accounts
h. I've finished with Google so it's time to go open Pano2VR5.2beta2b
Step #2. Accessing accounts in Pano2VR5.2beta2b
a. I'll open up Pano2VR and then open the Google Street View panel, Note: I have a saved Google Street View window layout to speed things up.
Pano2VR5.2beta2b Google Street View interface
b. In the "Account:" section I'll click on the "Grant Access to Google Account" button. This opens the Google Accounts page.
Google Accounts page
c. I'll choose the tonyredhead@gmail.com account. This opens the "Request for Permission" page
Request for Permission page
d. I'll select "Allow". The page will close and an authorisation success message is displayed. I'll close the window and go back to Pano2VR
Authorisation successful message.
e. Back in Pano2VR the Account section shows that my "tonyredhead@gmail.com" account is active and windows like the Street View Browser show all of my published single and tour panoramas.
Google Street View interface for tonyredhead@gmail.com
f. Once I've finished any work I have to do with this account I can quickly switch to the Red Square account by clicking on the "Grant Access to Google Account" button again. This in turn opens the Google Accounts page and I can select the account "red-square-8891@pages.plusgoogle.com" and then select "Allow" in the Authorisation window.
Authorisation window for Red Square
g. When I return to Pano2Vr the Account section now shows that my "red-square-8891@pages.plusgoogle.com" account is active and windows like the Street View Browser no show all of my published single and tour panoramas relating to that Managed Account.
Red Square Account activated
As long as the account is open and signed in, Pano2VR can activate any of them by simply clicking on the "Grant Access" button.
Summary
I hope this helps and if you have any comments or questions don't hesitate to let me know.
regards,
Tony
