Seared Ice

Here's a macro I made for Google Earth Export. The GPSBabel documents say it's support for KML (google earth files) is "sketchy". Plus, I use Google Earth for some things and I wanted flexibility with my exports. This copy of the macro is a simple version: it exports the waypoint name as the Google Earth Placemark name, and uses the GSAK waypoint's "Long Description" as the description that shows up in Google Earth. The exported file name is the Waypoint Code from GSAK. I have it so you can pick where to save the exported file. http://searedice.rchomepage.com/geocaching...googleearth.txt If you want to change things like what it saves the description as (like if you wanted hints in the Google Earth description instead of GSAK's Long Description, etc.), learn GSAK macro language and change my code, or just ask me...I'm willing to help. Right now the macro exports only the waypoint you have selected in GSAK...if you want it to do the whole list of waypoints or something, code it yourself, or ask me to... -John

I don't know if this will do it in GSAK, but this is how you make a link in HTML open in a new page: <a href="http://searedice.rchomepage.com" target="_blank">hlkjsd</a> See the target="_blank" after the href="..." in the <a> tag? -John

Yes, as you were posting that last one, I was testing some simple replace uses. They were working. As soon as I added code to load gsak.ini into the variable, it gave the error. I want to use MacroSet, but my current application only needs it for the delete dialog, which won't be working until the maintenance update. I won't complain anymore about my crazy ideas until the update comes out, I promise. -John

Now what's the problem with my use of the replace function? http://searedice.rchomepage.com/geocaching/error2.jpg Changing the last parameter from 1/0 to true/false didn't change how GSAK was complaining. Then, I realized that I wasn't assigning replace()'s return value to anything, so I added the "$s_currentsettings =" before the replace functions. Then the error message changed from what it used to be to what it is now. I tried getting rid of the . and = from the parameter strings, but that didn't help. Maybe the replace() function has a problem with the contents of $s_currentsettings (which should be whatever's in gsak.ini...or the error message returned if loading gsak.ini fails) -John

Since yesterday's problem was fixed, I've done some more macro coding. Today I've been working on a different macro. I got most of the important code done, but when I started adding code to make the macro work on any GSAK setup without anyone having to do anything too complicated, I've come across another issue. I need to be able to delete all user flagged waypoints in a database. Ok, so there's a "Delete" command. The delete command needs a settings name. Ok, so I go into GSAK, pretend I'm gonna delete a waypoint, select the radio button for "All user ticked" and then hit save. When I use the name for the delete command that I used when I saved my delete dialog settings, the macro deletes the flagged waypoints like it should. However, I wanted my macro to be able to tell GSAK to only delete the "user ticked" waypoints...I don't want the user of my macro to have to create a new saved settings for the delete dialog by himself/herself...that would gaurantee problems for like 1/2 the users (spelling mistakes etc.). So, I played around with GSAK's ini files and learned that GSAK updates it's settings from the gsak.ini file very often (at least before it displays the delete dialog). I also figured out which settings control the delete dialog. At that point I got ambitious and wrote the code to append delete dialog code to the gsak.ini file if it doesn't have any yet, and modify it if it does. My code would replace the settings for which radio button is selected, making sure that the delete dialog is set to delete user-ticked waypoints only. In the macro, I told the delete command to use "... Last active" as the "settings" option. When I ran the macro, GSAK complained before it even got to the "Delete" command. GSAK is telling me there's something wrong with my replace command. Here's my replace() function code: replace("cbxStop.Checked=True", "cbxStop.Checked=False", $s_currentsettings, 0) Here's the error it gives me: http://searedice.rchomepage.com/error.jpg I think the error might have something to do with previous commands...I'm still looking. Anyway, here's the main point of my post: I didn't realize at first there was a "macroset" command (that's why I messed with the ini files), but when I did, I couldn't figure out how to make it change the settings for the delete dialog (the delete dialog isn't listed as one of the possibilities in the help section for the macroset command). Maybe this could be added for the next maintanence release? When I change the gsak.ini file by hand to include delete dialog settings, GSAK uses them and even moves that section of settings to where GSAK likes it (when I add the settings at the bottom of the file). I doubt it would be too hard to add this to the macroset command... For the time-being, I'm gonna look over my file editing code for why the replace() function isn't working. Also, I'm gonna try making the delete dialog settings ride along with something like MoveCopy. Plus, I see one option called Custom...but that might not be what I think it is... Once all that is sorted out, what is the setting (like "chkUserFlag2=True") that can be set with macroset to make a command like movecopy only act on macroflag'ed waypoints (like userflag'ed waypoints). Thanks again, John

Woot! With build 46 it works! Lol...I feel all special knowing I got one of the first buggy copies of the new release! GSAK60B45.exe is getting a special place on my computer... Yay! Back to coding! Well...maybe bed...then coding in the morning... Thanks for helping me out! Expect another $20 registration in your pocket REAL soon... -John

Your code: $x = at('"c","abcde") pause msg=$x has a stray ' in it. GSAK gives an error about that. When I got rid of the ' it still showed me a 0 in the pause dialog. I uploaded the two files I have here incase anyone else wants to see. http://searedice.rchomepage.com/geocaching/test.txt http://searedice.rchomepage.com/geocaching/test2.txt Clyde, I'll email you these two in a sec. -John

Originally I had those two lines as part of the larger macro I was writing. I just made a new file with only those two lines, and GSAK is still giving me a 0. The original file was being run from a macro button, the second I ran from the Macro menu, and then the Run option. GSAK says it's running at version 6.0.0 in the title bar and in the Help|About dialog. It says it's build 45. I think I installed GSAK 6.0.0 right ontop of the previous version. (I didn't uninstall the old version first.) Maybe that's the problem... I just tried closing and re-opening GSAK...still have the zero problem. As a note, it's 12:18 here...just got the nag screen for the first time lol. Do you need any more info about how I'm running this?

I'm writing my first macro, and I can't get a simple command to work. I have 4 years programming experience in C++ and about 3 years' worth of BASIC. So far, I'm enjoying GSAK code. In the help file, the format for the "AT" function is AT(sSearchString, sTargetString) and it is supposed to return a 0 if sSearchString is not found in sTargetString. If sSearchString is found, the AT function should return the position of sSearchString in sTargetString. Whenever I use the AT function on any strings, I always get a 0 returned. Even when I use the example strings ("gh" and "defghij") which in the help file are supposed to give a return value of 4, I get zero. Perhaps the problem is my computer or my installation of GSAK. Someone make a macro and put the following code in it, and tell me if you get a zero on the pause message too. The proper number would be 4 as the Help file states. $s_test = AT("gh", "defghij") pause msg=$s_test As a note, I tried flipping the strings around (make the search the target and visa-versa), but that still made the function return zeros. In my particular macro, I have about two workarounds in mind for my problem, one of which might actually run smoother and faster than my preferred method... Once today I already missed something obvious....sorry if this is another obvious mistake. BTW, the reason I'm using the AT function is to workaround the absence of a character-to-ascii-value function. Sounds silly, but those 3 years of using different versions of BASIC have taught me to think about (programming) things in very strange ways... All I could find in GSAK code is the ascii-to-character function called Chr()... -John

Look at Tools/Options/General Tab - the first thing in the upper right side says "Default Action When You Double Click on A Waypoint Name". The choices are: Show OziMap Show offline browser view Show online browser view Set as Centre Point Change/Edit Waypoint Add Cache to Watch List Geocaching.com Google Maps Google Satellite MapQuest TopoZone Microsoft MapPoint Microsoft TerraServer Benchmark MutilMap (zoom in) MutiMap (zoom out) Log Cache I believe you're asking for the "Change/Edit Waypoint" option, which is already there, along with a whole lot more (Isn't Clyde great! ). You can do that for certain cells in GSAK (e.g. try clicking on user data, or user sort, then click again a moment later and you can enter appropriate information). Other cells are not editable in that way for good reason (e.g. they're calculated by the program). Give Clyde a break and spend some time with GSAK, and read the help files, before suggesting new features - you'll discover that Clyde has built in many, many features (and where he hasn't, there's usually a good reason for it)! At least look at the Options screen before suggesting an option that's right there at the top of the screen! Edit: And remember that the right-click is your friend - right clicking on a waypoint offers a handy context menu, which includes "Send to GPSr Now", per your other suggestion above. lol sorry for the (parially) useless post! I wasn't expecting it to be the first option...so I didn't look there!! Wow I feel dumb. Usually I'm real good about this stuff...I always search forums before asking etc. I couldn't find what I was looking for in the help docs. As for the editable cells...I'm talking about things like the Name of waypoint, the Lat/Long, the Waypoint Code, the State, Cache container etc. You are right about the User fields...and that's what I'm looking for in the cells that are not created by GSAK (the ones I just mentioned). Thanks for pointing out my first error, though. I promise I won't suggest anything stupid anymore. -John

Here's a couple quick interface suggestions: In alot of software I've used, when something's double-clicked on, the program usually goes to a dialog for editing what's been double-clicked on. Perhaps you could add an option in the Tools|Options screen to control what happens when a waypoint is double-clicked on. The possibilities might include: Go To Offline Waypoint file (like GSAK currently does) Go to Geocaching.com page for waypoint **Edit Waypoint Data** Send Waypoint To GPS Also, in many windows programs if a person selects a cell in a table, waits a second or two, then clicks on it again, the user can edit what's in the cell. In programs like Excel, the F2 button allows a person to edit what's in a cell. In fact, F2 is the keyboard shortcut for renaming things in Windows itself (click on something on your desktop, then press F2 to see it in action). -John

I'm 17 now, have more money, but I'm still looking. The end of the school year took over all of my time. I've been looking around some more now that I have the time during summer vacation. The legend still seems to be my best bet. However, I've gotten attached to the idea of having a barometric altimeter in a GPS, so I'm thinking about the Vista (The Summit is nice but has no basemap). How much newer is the Vista than the Legend or Legend Color? Does anyone have experience with the Lowrance brand? What about Cobra? I've read some good stuff about Lowrance and some really nasty stuff about Cobra. Is what I've read correct? Thanks alot for your time and interest, John D.

Thank you very much for your replies. Through my own research so far I have found the Legend to be what I think I'm looking for...I'm glad others with experience (at least more than me...) come to the same conclusion. Thank you for the link, Sputnik57...I see that file format is not as much of an issue as I thought it might be...it seems most files are in a simple text format (XML)...no fancy binary/hex files And even if there is, there is format converting software available. If ebay prices are about the same as in stores like BestBuy, should I just get the GPS unit in the store? ~John

Hello everyone! My name is John D. and I'm a 16-year-old high-school junior in Wallingford, PA. I've been interested in Geocaching for a couple years now, but I have never actually done any Geocaching... I've been putting it off until I would have enough $$ to buy a GPS unit. I've been saving up and it's finally time to pick a unit. I am looking for something with WAAS, and any sort of (U.S.) basemaps built in (I don't have $100 to buy map software for a unit). I DO want to be able to connect the unit with the computer (serial,usb...any will do). As part of this, I would like to be able to not only transfer waypoint data (etc.) to the unit, but also be able to get waypoint and "track"/"route" data from it onto the computer. That is all I really care for in the unit...battery life and other stuff does not worry me. I am extremely careful with my electronics...bouyancy is not an issue With all that in mind, what would you guys recommend? As a programmer, I would be interested in making some of my own software to use with the unit. If anyone could send me a copy of any of the files a GPS unit can work with (waypoints,routes,whatever), I would appreciate it. I want to get an idea of the file format these things use. Are the file formats standard for most brands/models? Before I pick a model or brand, I want to make sure it wouldn't be terribly hard to code for it. Well...thanks everyone for their time reading and responding! See you geocaching soon (hopefully), John D.