Create Military Symbols via URL Parameter

symbol.army can be opened with a symbol already loaded: put the SIDC (Symbol ID Code) of the symbol into the URL. This is useful for links in documents, web pages and other applications.

Instructions

Follow these steps to open a military symbol in symbol.army with a URL parameter.

  1. Find the SIDC of the symbol in the MIL‑STD‑2525C standard. The full list is available here: List of MIL‑STD‑2525C symbols. Use upper-case letters.

  2. Add the SIDC as the only URL parameter of www.symbol.army, in the following format:

    https://www.symbol.army/?SIDC=<SIDC>



    Example:

    https://www.symbol.army/?SIDC=S-G-UCI--------



  3. Set the affiliation (position 2 of the SIDC). Definitions per TABLE A‑I of the MIL‑STD‑2525C standard:

    IDDescription
    -NULL
    PPENDING
    UUNKNOWN
    AASSUMED FRIEND
    FFRIEND
    NNEUTRAL
    SSUSPECT
    HHOSTILE
    GEXERCISE PENDING
    WEXERCISE UNKNOWN
    MEXERCISE ASSUMED FRIEND
    DEXERCISE FRIEND
    LEXERCISE NEUTRAL
    JJOKER
    KFAKER



    Example (neutral):

    https://www.symbol.army/?SIDC=SNG-UCI--------



  4. Set the status/operational condition (position 4 of the SIDC) per TABLE A‑I. SIDC positions and categories:

    IDDESCRIPTION
    AANTICIPATED/PLANNED
    PPRESENT (Units only)
    DDAMAGED
    XDESTROYED

    symbol.army supports these four status values. The codes C (present/fully capable) and F (present/full to capacity) of MIL-STD-2525C are not supported.



    Example (damaged):

    https://www.symbol.army/?SIDC=SFGDUCI--------



  5. Set the echelon (position 12 of the SIDC) per TABLE V. Echelon indicator:

    IDDESCRIPTION
    -NULL
    ATEAM/CREW
    BSQUAD
    CSECTION
    DPLATOON/DETACHMENT
    ECOMPANY/BATTERY/TROOP
    FBATTALION/SQUADRON
    GREGIMENT/GROUP
    HBRIGADE
    IDIVISION
    JCORPS
    KARMY
    LARMY GROUP/FRONT
    MREGION



    Example (platoon):

    https://www.symbol.army/?SIDC=SFGPUCI----D---



Main Window opened by the link ?SIDC=SFGPUCI----D---, with a friendly infantry platoon ringed
Hint: METOC symbols (weather) do not support affiliation → don’t change SIDC position 2.
METOC symbols do not support echelon → set SIDC position 12 to '-'.
Formatting cannot be set this way. Use the Options menu in the application.

Rules for the SIDC Parameter

  • The SIDC is only taken over if it is the only parameter in the URL. With a second parameter in the URL, the SIDC is ignored.
  • The name of the parameter does not matter: ?SIDC=…, ?id=… and ?symbol=… all work.
  • A SIDC shorter than 15 characters is filled up with -; a longer one is cut to 15 characters.

Open the Search via URL

The parameter searchText opens the Symbol Search with the results already listed:

https://www.symbol.army/?searchText=Infantry

The search text is compared with the symbol names in the app language. With the app in German or French, use ?searchText=Infanterie; in Italian, ?searchText=Fanteria.

Search opened by the link ?searchText=Infantry, with 'Infantry' already in the search field and the results listed

A link created with Share Symbol via URL carries the complete symbol, including its modifiers and format. It uses the following parameters. You do not need to write them by hand — create the symbol in symbol.army and share it — but they can be generated by other applications:

ParameterValue
mssStringXmlThe symbol as MSS XML, e.g. <Symbol ID="SFGPU---------G"/>, with <Attribute> elements for the modifiers. Taken over only together with mssNPoint.
mssNPointtrue for a tactical graphic (more than one reference point), false for a 1-point symbol.
mssGeometryOptional. The reference points of a tactical graphic, as JSON.
symbolFormatThe symbol format as JSON. Merged into the reader’s settings.

All values must be URL-encoded where required by the browser or the application that generates the link.

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