Ann: Gpsbabel Beta

[robertlipe]

The new release at http://www.gpsbabel.org has a large number of

changes. Highlights include:

• A new GUI for Windows.
  
• Character set transformations to allow more ready interchange between
  international character sets and/or formats that may not support the
  same character sets.
  
• Improvements to KML (Google Earth) reader.
  
• A new filter to discard all waypoints, tracks, or routes.
  
• New formats:
  • Garmin POI database.
     
    
  • CompeGPS
     
    
  • Map & Guide
     
    
  • National Geographic Topo
     
    
  • Navigon
     
    
  • Geocaching & URL support for AN1 (Delorme)
     
    
  • CarteSurTable
    
  • Microsoft Autoroute and Street & Trips
     
    
  • Geonet
     
    
  • IGNRando
     
    
  • Improved forerunner 301support.
    

  [*]NMEA enhancements.

  [*]Doc improvements.

  [*]RPMs (source and x86) for Linux.

  [*]About a bazillion other fixes and other enhancements.

For a fuller list, see http://www.gpsbabel.org/changes.html

For a mind-numbing list, you may review the source code changes directly from CVS.

 

In related news, Adam Schneider has put up an online front-end to GPSBabel at http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/gpsbabel/ He's done an outstanding job of providing the power of GPSBabel in a web interface.

 

Enjoy.

[+embra]

Awesome. The Babel tinkers keep making it better and better.

 

Interesting thought experiment: where would we be without GPSBabel?

 

Edit: horrible spelling error

Edited November 7, 2005 by embra

[robertlipe]

Interesting thought experiment: where would we be without GPSBabble?

I would still be somewhere in my first 100 finds as entering coords by hand is so much slower.

 

I would also have rather more time on my hands between 11pm and 3 am...

 

 

As perspective, since 1.2.7 was release ten weeks ago, there have been 164 distinct changes comprising 671 file edits.

[gpsvisualizer]

I'd like to chime in and point out that another new feature this week on gpsvisualizer.com is Google Maps output -- and if you use the aforementioned GPSBabel gateway to convert your data to a file format that the GPS Visualizer mapping program understands (like GPX), the output page will include a link to an instant Google Map of your data. (Along with links to SVG and JPEG maps too, of course.)

Edited November 7, 2005 by adamschneider

[robertlipe]

There was a gremlin that slimed the new Windows GUI. I've just re-released the windows build. The underlying GPSBabel code is the same; it's just the new GUI that'a affected.

 

But since the new GUI was one of the big features and it was broken at the last minute, respinning the release seemed worthwhile. So please use the 1108 version for testing the new Windows pointy clicky thingy.

[+user13371]

... a gremlin that slimed the new Windows GUI...

Isn't that redundant?

[+megamapper]

I also threw together a GPSBABEL front end for Version 1.2.7.

 

I wanted a GUI front end that would automatically adapt to any new version of GPSBABEL without me having to constantly re-code. It does this by issuing a GPSBABEL -H and then examining the help screen to work what options are available. So as long as the -H screen's format does not change, the wrapper will adapt automatically showing any new command options.

 

It then displays these options to the user using a wizard like interface. Any options selected by the user will be saved in the registry, making it real easy to re-run without having to try and remember the last options you used.

 

I just tested my home brew wrapper against verions 1.2.8, and it still works fine.

 

You can read more about is Here....

 

Regards,

---- Megamapper -----

[robertlipe]

I wanted a GUI front end that would automatically adapt to any new version of GPSBABEL without me having to constantly re-code. It does this by issuing a GPSBABEL -H and then examining the help

 

Thanx. I think the new GPSBabel GUI really is more complete (and definitely more actively maintained) than the one we shipped so far, but if yours is better in some way, great. Choice is good.

 

If you'd asked, there's a better interface than -h for what you're doing that has an interface designed to be read by machines and not humans. It exists for that very purpose.

[+geognerd]

Was checking out the beta GUI version of GPSBabel and saw that Magellan eXplorist Geocaching (.gs) is available in the dropdown next to Input Format, but wasn't available in the dropdown next to Output Format. A permanent change or just missing in the beta version?

[+megamapper]

Thanx.  I think the new GPSBabel GUI really is more complete (and definitely more actively maintained) than the one we shipped so far, but if yours is better in some way, great.  Choice is good.

 

is more complete - Well I would have to say yes and no on this.

 

I took a look at the newer gpsbabel before I posted in this thread. I saw a few things that still make the standard stock gpsbabel 1.2.8 gui front end a little harder to use for novice users.

 

Where I think the home brew GUI is better (or more complete):

 

1. The home brew gui shows the main file types, and shows the user what

sub options are available. The Beta 1.2.8 gui, only shows the main file types,

and you have to manually know what sub options are available, and manually

enter these in. It was mainly because of this (and the below) that I posted my

home brew front end in this thread.

 

2. The home brew gui remembers the main file types, and sub options and

settings. Where as standard 1.2.8 gui only remembers what main file types

were selected, and you have to keep manually enter and or select options over

and over again each time you run the program. It looks like it works this way

for at least the file types sub options.

 

3. The home brew gui presents more of a wizard like interface that guides users

through the process.

 

Where the standard 1.2.8 GUI is better (or more complete):

 

1. It supports serial devices better then my home brew gui. So if your trying to

send serial data out a com port, my interface may not work for you.

 

2. It supports the extra filter options, where as mine does not have this.

On the GPSBABEL command line, there are extra filtering options that you

may need. The new 1.2.8 GPSBABEL gui will handle these better.

 

Thanx.  I think the new GPSBabel GUI really is more complete (and definitely more actively maintained) than the one we shipped so far, but if yours is better in some way, great.  Choice is good.

 

(and definitely more actively maintained)

 

Part of my experiment, was a 'proof of concept' in that if the gui front end was written in a certain way, it would automatically adapt to newer versions of GPSBABEL.EXE without having to do any code changes. Actually, while I was working on it, it found an older version of GPSBABEL.EXE in the Google Earth directory, and it adapted to the command structure of this version automatically. Here I was trying to figure out where all my 1.2.7 options went LOL!

 

As well, the home brew gui (written for 1.2.7) automatically adapted to the new version 1.2.8 without any code changes.

 

Barring any changing in how the help screen is formatted, it works fine, displaying all of the the 1.2.8, 1.2.9, . . . 2.0.1 options to the users.

 

If you'd asked, there's a better interface than -h for what you're doing that has an interface designed to be read by machines and not humans.  It exists for that very purpose.

 

I would have asked, but you must understand, I was just sitting in front of my computer, read this This Topic one day, and in only 4-6 hours. POOF - there it was, running on my machine.

 

This took only a few HOURS to make, not even a full day to make. Since it was the result of reading the above topic, I posted it.

 

Obviously this was not a difficult thing to make! If this computer readable interface you describe has user friendly text and comment information that can be displayed to the user so they know what they are selecting, I could quite easily adapt. If the only thing it presents is single word options, well then, maybe not.

 

I hope from the description of how this program came about, that you can understand that it 'just happened', and was only made to try and make things a little better for the other babel users.

 

Regards,

---- Robb ----

[robertlipe]

Seeing your response, I was perhaps unclear that I was contrasting the two GUIs that have shipped as part of GPSBabel.

[robertlipe]

Was checking out the beta GUI version of GPSBabel and saw that Magellan eXplorist Geocaching (.gs) is available in the dropdown next to Input Format, but wasn't available in the dropdown next to Output Format. A permanent change or just missing in the beta version?

Simple lameness. I spelled "write" as "read". The explorist module is WRITE-only, not READ only. Fixed. (I will follow up in private email)

[+megamapper]

Seeing your response, I was perhaps unclear that I was contrasting the two GUIs that have shipped as part of GPSBabel.

 

OH, OK, now I can see where you were going.

 

Oh well, onward and upward...

 

Do you know if there are any plans to have GPSBabelGui show the available sub file type information, and remember the users settings from a previous run? I could modify my version over to support the filtering, and serial devices fairly easy. But truth be told, I would much rather see this stuff being done in your gui front end.

 

So if you folks are planning on coming out with that functionality fairly soon, I would simply not bother with my BabelGui front end, and keep it simple. Also, I have access to some software installer technologies, so if you like, I could whip you off a single .EXE installer for GPSBABEL in about 30 mins.

 

Kindest Regards,

------ MegaMapper ------

[robertlipe]

GPSBabel is open source. Help is welcome. I think the intersection of folks working on the Windows GUI and the folks reading geocaching forums is the null set, so that's best asked on the gpsbabel-code mailing list.