FireFighterJ

Possibly I shouldn't have added my other "pet peeve" (the question about limiting the results to a certain State) ... I'll settle for ANYONE that can tell me what in tarnation the WILDCARD character is? How do I get a list of caches that begin with a Q (for example)? I'll buy a round of beers for whoever can help me find the elusive Wildcard character

As in DOS, Windows, UNIX, most other SQL/Server query screens, etc, one can find all "records" beginning with (for example - a "T") by typing T* for the search query. However; by Golly, By Goshdurn it, I "gist" don't see how to do that in the Geocaching.Com search screen for keyword search. Suppose I want to find all occurences of caches beginning with a "Q". Just suppose. Wouldn't it be groovy, boss, far-out, rad, phat, neat, swell, cool, keen, and sweet if I could type something (using a pattern matching special character) like "Q*" or "Q?" to get gc.com to list out for moi all of the caches that begin with a Q? Wouldn't that be just peachy? I'm really hoping that I am just embarassing meeself and there is already a way to do this and I am just a big phat dork and the entire gc community can laugh at me and made phun of this dude that doesn't know how to do this. I'm not proud. I don't care. I just want to be able to do this. I'm hoping someone out there has the answer. (Oh, and pudy please no suggestions of running pocket queries and downloading the caches into GSAK and then sorting by cache name inside GSAK. I'm talking about having those Seattle Servers directly provide me the list of caches based upon my search query) Oh .... and one other thing, how many zillion times have you wanted to search for a cache and you wish you could tell the search to search for caches ONLY in a particular State so that you don't get a hit list of 2,300 caches that you have to sift through looking for the cache in question? Well ... I can dream can't I?

Many thanks to all who have responded to my orignal post. Lots of good ideas. Thanks again.

Man ... I hate asking this question. I really think that it has ben asked a gazillion times. But, I can't find it in the FAQ's or anywhere. As an alternative to buying the Geocaching "Stickers" that you affix to a standard sized ammo can, I know that "somewhere out thar in the hinterlund" is an electronic version of that document (Word format or Acrobat Reader (PDF) format?) Then ... someone ... like me .... could print it out and then zerox it onto green paper ... then .... cut it out ... and tape it with packing tape directly to the ammo can. Where in tarnation is the electronic version of that "Sticker"? Mr. Stickerless

I am well well aware of the "email thing" regarding Delorme/Challenge type caches. I was not referring to PLACING a Challenge type cache. I was referring to being one of the ones to FIND an already existing Challenge type cache. Thanks, however, for the words of wisdom.

No on the 3 character limit for keyword searches Search on X (just X - one byte) The search returns 11 caches on this planet whose name is exactly that - X. We are working on a "Challenge" type cache. You have to find one cache who cache name begins with each of the 26 letters of the alphabet (but only cache finds found after 7/1/07 count) I was hoping that if I entered something like "X*" in the keyword search field, it would respond with cache names whose first letter is an X regardless what the next and following characters were. (Of course, even it this DID work, then I'd have to page through all of the "hits" looking for any of them that were actually NEAR where I live!) The Pocket Query screen offers no help in this regard.

Anybody out thar know how to search for a cache name that begins with a "pattern". Specifically, at this moment, we want the Search (by keyword) to give us all caches that begin with the letter X. If we enter X, then gc.com return only caches whose name is just that - X. Trying DOS wildcards like * and ? no workie. Trying SQL/Query like characters doesn't seem to work. For example, trying X* or X? or %X% don't do the trick. So ... NEbody out thar in the hinterlund know how (W/O downloading a gazillion caches to GSAK and then using the sort function within GSAK) to use the search function within gc.com to display caches that begin with a given letter or character or number or pattern?

You folks have all been very helpful! I like the Locationless theory. Since I found a cache today (bringing my total to 2,002), that is just TOO COINCIDENTAL that since I found 12 locationless caches eons ago, that would yield 1,990 caches and that number 1,990 appears after Total records: when someone clicks on "ALL cache finds" in my Profile. However; ..... But ..... On the other hand .... The My Finds PQ sent 1,996 caches on its way into GSAK. Now I have the opposite problem. Under the "Locationless Theory", it should have sent 1,990 records inside the PQ but now I can't explain where the other 6 caches came from?? So ... if someone asks me, "Hey dude - how many caches have you found?" I guess that I have three answers (not that anybody cares, of course): 2002 (what folks see on my little rectangular profile) 1996 (the number of caches that My Finds sent inside the PQ) 1990 (the number when someone clicks on "All cache finds" on my profile page) Geeesh! I do seem to remember hearing that gc.com DELETED all of the Locationless caches from the D/B (and moved them to another site?) Is this true? This would mean that I would have to manually "tweak" my GSAK caches to add 5 caches that I found (with old dates) so that my Milestones come out right. I did CERTAIN caches for my 1,000 and 2,000 and the GSAK Macro is reporting the WRONG cache since it thinks that I have found 1,996 when in reality I had found 2,001 at the time of the PQ I'm just trying to understand all of this Thanks

The PQ was run today. I already had posted 2,001 finds before today. Also, I've seen this phenomen before. The missing caches, I believe, are caches that I found eons ago and don't show up on the PQ. GSAK reports "1,996 finds on 1,996 unique caches" - so I am very very certain that the PQ has, in fact, only 1,996 caches (when it should have 2,001)

I have noticed this before but basically "didn't care enough to look into it" ... but ... today for some reason I guess I care enough. I wanted to use that great Macro for GSAK that produces "all kinds of fancy numbers and charts" (FindStatGen3) so I ran that Pocket Query from gc.com that sends you (supposedly) ALL OF YOUR CACHE Finds )"My Finds") But ... it doesn't. At this point (and at the point that I ran "My Finds") I have/had 2,001 finds. However; the Pocket Query that I get from gc.com contains only 1,996 caches (5 caches short) One of the features of the FindStatGen3 shows "Milestones" - what cache you did for #100, #500, #1,000 etc. They are all WRONG because the PQ file has only 1,996 caches in it instead of 2,001. Does gc.com have a function STRONGER than Archive? Can they complete delete from their database a cache that I had found years ago and now it doesn't show up on a PQ? What gives?

Geesh - again I was a "Dork". Right there in front of my eyes! Thank you very much! Everything works just ducky! :-)

Thank you very much as I really really really really feel stupid not having ever noticed that selection just two buttons down from the "log your visit" button! :-) However; unfortunately placing a cache into the "Ignore List" works really great for SEARCHES doesn't do "squat" for Pocket Query searches! :-( I've done testing and I notice that if you place a cache into your "Ignore List", it, indeed, prevents it from displaying during searches. However; the cache still shows up on Pocket Query results. :-( But, I guess this just means that it is working "As Advertised" and I'd need to enter a website enhancement request if I wanted to persue this any further?

A fellow premium member has a bookmark called "Ignore List" - which he didn't create. (Groundspeak did on his behalf.) This fellow premium member sent a question to Groundspeak asking what this bookmark "Ignore List" was for and if he can delete it. He was told its purpose and that it can not be removed. He forwarded to me the response from Groundspeak and it piqued my interest in that I would like to have an "Ignore List" also (based upon what its function is) I guess that I don't understand why his was created automagically when I, too, am a premium member and I have and use Bookmarks (and LOVE THEM by the way)!! :-) How can I create an "Ignore List" (or have one created for me? I would like to use the "Ignore List" to EXCLUDE a few caches around here from my pocket query searches. Specifically; there is an Event cache called MIMA MOUNDS BROWN BAG that has long long since been over. Unless I own a Time Machine, how could I ever "find" or "Log it". I wish that it would just "go away" but having it IGNORED in searches would be peachy, keen, cool, boss, groovy, neat, phat, rad and sweet!

Danke, Gracias and Merci! Thanks (The Leprechauns) for the info. I really should have thought of the URL as the answer! Warm Peas (my silly answer to "Cool Beans")

If one marks a Bookmark as a "Shared" Bookmark (checking the box, "I want to share this list with others"), then how in tarnation does one do that? Is one suppose to download the list to a .LOC file and then email that .LOC file to the person you want to share it with? If so, what would that person do in order to "load" that bookmark? I guess that I'm just clueless on the procedure of sharing a bookmark list with others. Thanks, in advance.

OK ... then I guess that I'll need to arrange for training classes for the dispatchers!

Danke, Gracias und merci!

As a newbie, what in tarnation is: 1. TPTB 2. Trading SWAG (apparently not scientific wild ...) 3. Avatar ???

I appreciate the response and for taking the time and effort to do so ... but ... that isn't really the question. I know exactly what I want to do to change the puzzle and whatnot. My question centers around whether I need to go through another "approval process" and exactly how to do that. I'm assuming that I would be a VERY BAD BOY if I were to just edit my webpage and make the changes to the puzzle so that the cacher would end up with my new coordinates and I just move the cache to those new coordinates. I'm assuming that this would make me a VERY BAD BOY cuz how would gc.com know whether or not I did "my homework" and made sure that the new coords weren't 5 ft. from RR tracks or 300 ft. from another cache. Of course, I would make sure of this, but gc.com couldn't trust little-ole-me not knowing moi from Adam. Maybe my real question is, "If this is a cache that was approved a month ago, then how do I indicate to gc.com that I need to change the actual coords and have it re-approved?"

If it "comes to pass" that a Mystery/Puzzle cache needs to be moved, what is the procedure (other than changing the puzzle itself to "solve to" the new coordinates)? I assume that the new coordinates (location) would have to be approved; proximity check done on it; checking for RR's, etc. ? I assume that I would change the webpage so that (1) the puzzle "solves to" the new coordinates, (2) potentially change the "fake" coordinates; and (3) enter an entry in the log to tell folks that it has been moved ???

Thank you, Danke, Gracias and Merci to all of vous!!! :-)

Uhhhh ... this would be pretty embarassing if that was all that it took! :-) However; the only checkbox that I see that you could be referring to says, "Yes, this cache is currently active" Is that the critter ?

Sometimes I need/want to see how my HTML code is gonner look in an actual real rootin tootin Geocaching webpage but I don't have any real good way to do that. Embarassing enough, what I do is temporarily (for say 8 seconds) I use one of my already existing cache pages (which is pretty static) by quickly throwing in my HTML code for this new/proposed cache; see if I like what I see; and then quickly put it back. My premise is that it would be very very unlikely that somebody would reference that cache within those (circa) 8 seconds. Is there a better way to preview what your html based cache pages are going to look like beforehand so that when you are actually ready to really really submit it, you can be confident that you don't have to keep editing it after you've already submitted it?

Oui. I meant for everyone to comment on dis question. However; I guess that perhaps what I am REALLY asking is if it is just (at least) a little harder to get these difficult puzzle series caches approved than the good ole traditional? Let's assume that there are no "guidelines problems" (proximity, RR tracks, trespassing, National Park, etc.)

I've never had any difficulty getting Mystery/Puzzle caches approved (or any other for that matter) so I can only say that I "approve of the approvers" ... but ... I have a question and I am looking for folks' opinions on this question. Now, maybe everyone will have a different opinion. Maybe if I stopped 10 geo-cachers in the streets and asked this question I'd get 10 different answers. Maybe, since I'm not as experienced as most of you, this question has an obvious answer. I dunno. Maybe I should stop beating around the bush .... Yipes! did I say Bush? Anywho ... my question is, "How does geocaching.com view difficult puzzle cache series?". Are they frowned upon ... but approved anyway (as long as they meet all the guidelines)? Does geocaching.com prefer the 1 star easy to find ammo boxes with lots of "goodies" for the kids? Do they frown on these puzzle caches (and series to boot) that probably have a smaller audience of "finders"? Or, on the other hand, since adults would most likely be the ones trying to solve these puzzle caches and since adults are the buyers of stuff on the website, maybe geocaching.com likes them? I dunno .... What's your opinion?