Gsak And Archived Caches

[+JetMonkey]

Hello all, I have a question. I'm using GSAK to log my caches and also load my database into my Garmin 76CS. I have a question about something I haven't been able to figure out.

Lets say that in my GSAK database I start out with 100 caches, of those 100 caches 50 of them have been archived / inactive, that leaves 50 that are currently active. Of the ones that are archived say I have previously found half of them (25). Is there a way that I can show in GSAK the 50 active caches that I haven't found and the 25 caches that I have found but are now archived? I don't really care about the 25 that are archived that I haven't found, if they are dead then I don't need to bother with them. This past weekend I spent a fair amount of time looking for two separate caches that don't exist anymore but were loaded into my GPS via my GSAK database. I don't want to delete all archived caches from GSAK because then I wont be able to see the ones that I found when they were once active. I prefer to keep caches that I haven't found and are now archived out of my GPS so I don't spend time looking for something that isn't there.

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

Steve

[+Hynr]

The problem of not hunting for archived caches would be easy to solve if Pocket Queries would include archived caches when we ask for data for caches that are “not available”. But it is not so and it will not happen because ...well I honestly don’t understand the logic. Something about not wanting you to go looking for archived caches. Jeremy feels you should always look at the web site for every cache before you go out looking for it. The fact that many of us don’t seems to escape him.

 

So here is the work-around. Set up a Pocket Query that includes all 100 caches and don’t check any boxes like “I have found”, “Is available” etc - in other words, let them all come. If the caches you want are not all in one geographic circular area, then you may need to run several PQs. Set these up so they DO NOT delete the PQ specification after one run, because you will use these again in the future (i.e.: every time you want to cull out the archived caches). Load their results into your GSAK database - this will consolidate the new information with the old information for all caches except one’s that have been archived. Now display the column “Last GPX” and click on the column header to sort the display by this column. You can now see, in one set of rows, all the caches that were not updated - some (perhaps all) of these are archived. I have GSAK set up so that when I double-click on a record, the current record pulls up the Print-friendly display of the cache page on the browser. So I double click on one of the records that might be archived and if the browser shows that it has been archived, then I switch back to GSAK and hit F3 two times (to toggle to archived status). I process the entire group of caches that have not been updated recently in this way. My sense is that you generally have fewer than 5% of the caches to worry about; so it’s not a big ordeal and goes pretty quickly once you do it. My only problem is that I frequently forget to do it, so I do still hunt for archived caches on many geocaching trips. I always say something nasty about Jeremy when I do, but then I remember all the wonderful things he is doing and I get over it. (I suggest you do same).

 

To display only the subset of caches that you asked about in the first part of your post, do the following:

Load GSAK and display the database in question.

Type F7 to clear all your user flags.

Type CTRL-F and on this Filter dialog uncheck the “Archived” and “Temporarily unavailable” checkboxes; then click “Go”

Now click on “User Flags” and select “Set for Filter only”

Again click Ctrl-F and now put the two check marks back that you unchecked before, also uncheck the “Not Found” checkbox. Click on “GO”.

Again click on “User Flags” and select “Set for Filter only”

Now set a filter where you display only the records where the user flags are checked. Run this filter and you will see exactly what you asked for.

 

You can use macros in GSAK to automate this with one button-click. Most folks just load the caches that they have not found AND are not archived (i.e. since they already know where the found one’s are, so why load them into the GPS). That is done with one very simple filter.

[+The Jester]

You can do this in a single filter. Uncheck found, uncheck Temp Unavailable & Available (these would show unfound archived caches), check Reverse filter (showing everything BUT unfound archived caches).

[+kb7sei]

You can do this in a single filter. Uncheck found, uncheck Temp Unavailable & Available (these would show unfound archived caches), check Reverse filter (showing everything BUT unfound archived caches).

This would only work if GSAK had a way to get info on what caches are archived. Since GC won't send us that data in a PQ, we're stuck doing it manually. Personally, if I don't get a GPX within the last week, I mark it archived and move on. THEN I can do filters based on that flag. I really wish GC would send us archived caches, even if all they send is the GC# and the status so that GSAK can update the local database properly.

[+Olar]

Archived caches create a problem for me at both front-end and back-end. If Groundspeak were to include archived caches in PQ's then my weekly PQ's for my area would exceed the 500 maximum and Murphy's Law says that active not found will get bumped and not the useless archived ones.

 

On the back-end, in GSAK, I also was getting the archived uploading to my GPSr as active. What I do now after dropping each week's PQ's into GSAK is sort the list by the "Date last Updated" and investigate any "active" that did not on that day. If they show archived on the cache page then I code it as such in GSAK. Usually there are only 2 or 3 each week so the amount of time to do this is less than 5 minutes.

 

Not the best but it works.

 

Cheers, Olar

[+kb7sei]

I got annoyed after posting in this thread. So I wrote a quick macro to mark caches I haven't gotten an update on in the last 7 days as archived. I refresh my DB once a week via PQs, so I know when there is a problem. YMMV. I keep the whole state in my main DB, so I know I'm not dropping any due to the 500 rule or anything like that.

 

#############################################################

# Macro to mark as Archived all caches not updated recently.

#

# Author: Travis Tabbal <travis@tabbal.net>

# License: GPL

#############################################################

 

# Cancel any existing filters and find all records

# not updated in the last 7 days. Then loop through all

# records and mark them "Archived". Cancel the filter

# for the user.

 

CANCELFILTER

MFILTER IF=$d_LastGPXDate < $_Today - 7

 

GOTO Position=TOP

 

WHILE .not. $_EOL

SET $d_Archived=TRUE

GOTO Position=NEXT

ENDWHILE

 

CANCELFILTER

[+JetMonkey]

Wheww! I thought it was me, I mess around a little with both PQ and GSAK but nowhere near what either program is capable of, I thought that I was doing something wrong. So, far I reorganiged my database by going through each cache that has an older "update" date and mark the ones which have been archived as being so in my database. I reloaded the new list into my GPSr and so far so good. As I mess with this I plan to reread everyone's entries to see if I can steamline what I'm doing.

 

Thanks for all the help, I'm still open to other ways of doing this so let me know if someone has a different way of doing this that they like to use.

 

Thanks again,

 

Steve

[+ChaosOrder]

Here's a way to do it without a macro: set all caches to "archived" BEFORE you load/ update your pocket queries. That is, do a global replace "available status" to "archived," then afterwards, load your PQs. When you do the update, all caches in the PQ will go back to their true status, and anything left behind is presumed archived.

 

The assumption here is that your PQs define cache status, so your accuracy is only as good as your PQs. This can be limited by PQs 500 waypoint limit. Also, for example, if your PQ picks up only traditional caches, all other caches (multis, puzzles) will be marked archived unless you have additional PQs that pick up those caches. Of course, this is not the most accurate method if you want to maintain a large and manicured global GSAK database , but for the purpose of focusing only on active caches for your gpsr (with limited waypoint storage), this keeps out the archived caches pretty good.

 

Just our 2 cents.

 

[edited to add more ideas]

Edited September 9, 2006 by ChaosOrder

[robertlipe]

The 'teach a man to fish' department duly notes this old thread is the third question at http://gsak.net/board/index.php?showtopic=1921

[+Jurgen & co]

I use a macro because I get the PQ from a certain area. I combined wo macro's but hadent had the time to mace it clean and internaional to put it on the website from GSAK. But you can have a look.

 

It wil open internet. make the window small. Hit on the download gpx button from the cache. These information wil bedownloaded to the harddisk. After don so with al the caches GSAK wil load the gpxen. And the database is updated again with the last 20 logs and availebilti is also updated.

 

# Macro to display possibly-archived caches.
#
# Edit the below value to match your caching name
$user = "Jurgen & co"


DEBUG Status=Off

# Get from user the last time GPX was imported/how long ago to search
INPUT Msg="How many days ago was the last GPX import? (Yesterday = 1)" Default=7 VarName=$daysago
$lastgpx = $_Today - Val($daysago)

# Filter so that we only show caches that may be archived or disabled
MFILTER IF=$d_LastGPXDate <> [00000000] .AND. $d_LastGPXDate < $lastgpx .AND. $d_DNFDate = [00000000] .AND. $d_PlacedBy <> $user .AND. .NOT. ($d_Found .OR. $d_Lock .OR. $d_HasCorrected .OR. $d_Archived)
IF $_FilterCount > 0
SORT By="lastupdate"
 #Pause Msg="Wanneer deze caches gearchiveerd moeten worden druk op Continu anders op Skip next command"
 #MACRO File="C:\Program Files\GSAK\Macros\UpdateCaches.txt"

 # Subroutine om GPX te downloaden
 Speedmode Status=Off

 Goto Position=Top
  While .not. $_eol
WEB url="http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?id=%gcid"
pause msg="Click on contine for next cache"
Goto Position=Next
  EndWhile
 Pause msg="Finished Moet ik de GPXen laden dan continue anders Stop Macro"
 LOAD Settings="Mijn Downloads" ShowStats=Yes
 # Einde subroutine
CANCEL
ELSE
PAUSE Msg="No records match archiving criteria. Restoring."
ENDIF

# Cancel the filters
CANCELFILTER

[+myotis]

Why not check the "cache is active" box in the pocket querry. Then you only get active caches. Just load it into GSAK and have it delete the old file when loading. If you want to see the caches you have done, run the "My Finds" querry (listed after your querries).

 

The way I do it is I run a PQ for the area I am interesed in and set the cache is active box. I will then load that file into GSAK with a macro that does everything I need to also create the files for my PDA and export into Street Atlas. (I also have a macro that creates custon POIs that has the hint.) I also have some pocket querries that create PQs for the caches that I have found and are still active. I have a macro that creates files to download that seperately into my PDA and creates the files to use in street atlas. The macro also automatically creates a custom POI file. I like having the active caches I have found on my GPS in case I am caching with someone who has not found it. Since it is a seperate custom POI, it is completely seperate from the active caches.

[+Hi-Tek]

<snip> Is there a way that I can show in GSAK the 50 active caches that I haven't found and the 25 caches that I have found but are now archived? I don't really care about the 25 that are archived that I haven't found, if they are dead then I don't need to bother with them. <snip>

Provided you have already changed the cache status to archived here's a piece of code from a macro I have that does something similar to what I believe you are asking:

 

MACROFLAG type=clear range=all

# Set Macroflag for all "found" caches
MFILTER IF=$d_found
MACROFLAG type=set range=filter

# Set Macroflag for caches that are not found, and not archived, and not temp disabled
MFILTER IF=.not. ($d_Found .or. $d_Archived .or. $d_TempDisabled)
MACROFLAG type=set range=filter

# Show in the GSAK grid all found caches (including archived) and available caches.
MFILTER IF=$d_MacroFlag

 

HTH

[+SparkyInCali]

Then what is Gc sending you when you do a pocket queie for on inactive caches?I have a pocket query that runs only disabled caches.You could also set up notifications for archived caches since I am sure not too many get archived on a regular basis for most areas