Finished (again) my pocket pc geocaching app

September 29, 2006

It's way too late to be on the forums, so this might be incomprehensible!

I gave my paperless pocket pc program out almost a year ago (Smache) and got some good feedback. Now I've re-created it from scratch and it's ready to go again.

I wanted to be able to do everything on my pocket pc in a single program; Maintain the database, sort through thousands of caches, see ALL the details, navigate to the cache, collect waypoints, decrypt hints, connect the additional waypoints, convert lat/long formats, etc... So thats what Smache does.

I get my pocket queries through e-mail on my pocket pc and load them into Smache; I Never have to touch my computer and I always have all my caches with me. I connect to my bluetooth GPS through Smache and use the ultra-large-scale map (about 100 feet from one side of the screen to the other) to zero in on my destination. Plus you can export from Smache to GPX, LOC, TXT, CVS, Shapefile, Streets & Trips and Mapopolis!

Anyway, I've got downloads, screenshots, in-the-works help files and stuff on my site if you want to try it out.

http://www.cyancanyon.com/software/smache

Be sure and read the 'Important infomation' if you try it. I have a mailing list you can get on from the download page if you want to be notified of further updates, but it certainly isn't required. Above all, I would appreciate any feedback you fine folks could give me on it. The scripting on the site is all new too, so let me know if it breaks

Have Fun!

September 29, 2006

Sounds like a cool app!

I wish my pocket PC weren't busted.

September 30, 2006

Thanks :-) I'll check it out.

October 1, 2006

Sounds like a cool app!

I wish my pocket PC weren't busted.

The 'busted pocket pc' version is in the works... I'll let you know!

(gotta have one of these versions for geocachers that cache with a pocket pc, LIKE ME!)

Edited October 1, 2006 by gcslim

October 3, 2006

For the many of you who have looked, I have doubled the number of screenshots on the site. You can now see just about the entire program

Please, let me know what you think.

Thanks!

October 5, 2006

gave it a try, but it errors out after trying to load a GSAK generated gpx.

October 5, 2006

Smache isn't really intended to be used with GSAK, but it should, of course, be able to read a well-formed GPX. It has read the GSAK GPX files that I have tested it with. Could I get you to send me a sample GPX?

Edited October 6, 2006 by gcslim

October 6, 2006

For those watching this thread...

I just put out a new Log to Visit Import tool on the Smache page (www.cyancanyon.com/software/smache). The tool reads your latest 'My Finds' pocket query GPX file and creates a Visit file that you can import into Smache. So once you run the tool, Smache will know which caches you have and have not found.

October 13, 2006

Has anyone else tried this app? GCSLIM has done a great job with this! I highly recommend it!

Edited October 13, 2006 by Cachin' Cat

October 23, 2006

Has anyone else tried this app? GCSLIM has done a great job with this! I highly recommend it!

So far from what I've seen this app seems to work well. I threw in over 1000 caches and it handled it with no problem with out noticeable delays in loading caches to be displayed after the initial upload. I think this app is one of the best I've seen and differently deserves an install if your looking for a do it all app.

One thing I don't think I've ever seen yet is........... an app that will open the topo for the selected cache, I think that would be sweet.

October 29, 2006

Been paperless on an old Palm with cachemate for a while. Just got me a pocket PC and am looking for the 'perfect caching app'. Cachemate for PPC doesn't seem so friendly as the Palm version. All the other progs I've demo'd have had 'issues'. Let's see how Smache performs..... and if we can make it perfect!

Thanks for pitching in another geocaching app!

PEterW

October 30, 2006

I been trying to go paperless for a while now using a palm. But it seem to escape me. Would this app work on the palm??? i would love to try something that is easy to use even for me.

Alex

October 30, 2006

I been trying to go paperless for a while now using a palm. But it seem to escape me. Would this app work on the palm??? i would love to try something that is easy to use even for me.

No, this prog is ONLY for Pocket PC. For the Palm, go to smittyware.com for CacheMate... $8, but worth every penny/cent.

As far as smache is concerned, don't bother trying to force it to go VGA.... ugh...what a mess!! But on a more positive note, having a play at home, it appears to do everything that a cacher could want... can't wait to use it 'in anger'!

Thanks

PEterW

October 30, 2006

don't bother trying to force it to go VGA.... ugh...what a mess!!

Yeah, don't try that. I don't have a VGA pocket PC and I've never been able to get the VGA emulator working on my machine for some reason. Pretty soon I'll get myself a VGA WM2005 device and make Smache pretty for high-res. It's on the x-mas list I sent to santa.

1.3k · November 14, 2006

I'm going to give it a test. I'll let you know.

November 14, 2006

Installed it on my xv6700 and it took a very long time to load/import a 12mb gpx file. Then it complained about some IDs and didn't load but 200 caches. This same GPX file works fine in MapSource, GE, GPXtoMaplet, MapPoint2k6.

November 14, 2006

Then it complained about some IDs and didn't load but 200 caches.

Thanks for the feedback. What exactly was the "complaint" it gave you?

1.3k · November 14, 2006

I've just sent you feedback regarding Smacher.

Hope you can fix those small bugs. I'm willing to take it along while geocaching and make a field test!

November 14, 2006

Then it complained about some IDs and didn't load but 200 caches.

Thanks for the feedback. What exactly was the "complaint" it gave you?

Let me know if you need anything else.

November 15, 2006

Gawd you people make me feel so stupid.

November 16, 2006

Then it complained about some IDs and didn't load but 200 caches.

Thanks for the feedback. What exactly was the "complaint" it gave you?

Let me know if you need anything else.

OK, it looks like the reason that Smache was having trouble with your GPX file is that you have a mix of both caches and their additional waypoints in the same file. Smache expects these to be in two separate files as you get them in your pocket query. Smache also expects the specific headers that Groundspeak puts on their GPX files for both the caches and the additional waypoints.

Although I think that GSAK is a tremendous product, I didn't really intend Smache to work with it as other applications do (like Cachemate and GPXSonar), it was designed to be fully mobile and independent. Of course, Smache should be able to read any well-formed GPX file, but cache files and cache waypoint files are special cases and should be isolated from each other.

That said, a failed import certainly isn't the way to handle it, and based on your feedback, I am going to provide better data checking through the import process.

For the time being, you will get the best results if you import the GPX files straight from your pocket queries into Smache, or at least be sure that you only have caches in your GPX file.

November 16, 2006

Hey !

I was trying to test your program but... It seems it won't display the menu on my screen. You seen, the screen of my PDA is kinda "widescreen", I mean, horizontal pixels are more then vertical pixels. I guess you are aware of this issue, but do you have plans to release a version of the program for PDA's like mine?

Thank u in advance,

November 16, 2006

Ok, I see.

A couple of things.

-Smache has to work with GSAK. It's just too popular of an app.

--Currently GSAK does everything for me. Logs into my email, grabs all the PQs and imports them, and copies the resulting gpx file to my pda.

-Smache is very slow importing gpx files. I extracted and copied just four PQs to my device. Told Smache to import all of them. As I'm typing this 10 minutes has passed and it's still working on importing. It's only half way thru and this is only 1/3 of the queries I work with.

--Make a macro for GSAK to export, An import utility to run on the desktop, etc. so that this process can be done much faster.

I can't report on the functionality yet as I haven't been able to load any caches but I suspect when it's done importing I can start working with the app.

I spoke too soon.

The error I have now is:

"There were errors encountered during the import. Error: processing GPX records. IOException"

I suspected it error'd because my device went to sleep. It cuts power to the mini-sd card. So I got 1200+ caches load. Looks pretty good... Just took a very long time to get to this point.

A few more things.

-Make better use of the screen. The cache listing is in a box with quite a few pixels on each side.

-Make viewing caches a signal tap or a configurable option to do so.

-The link to GC.com doesn't work.

-Smache doesn't like landscape mode. (I have a XV6700 PDA/Phone, I have to slide open the device to get to the keyboard which switches the device to landscape mode)

Edited November 16, 2006 by Geek-Qualizer

1.3k · November 16, 2006

Just sent you some more feedback regarding Smache. :unsure:

November 16, 2006

the screen of my PDA is kinda "widescreen", I mean, horizontal pixels are more then vertical pixels. I guess you are aware of this issue, but do you have plans to release a version of the program for PDA's like mine?

Yes, landscape mode should be supported by January.

November 16, 2006

-Smache has to work with GSAK. It's just too popular of an app.

As I mentioned earlier, Smache can read any well-formed GPX file. If you derive your GPX from GSAK, be sure cache files and cache waypoint files are isolated in separate files. Smache and GSAK duplicate a lot of functionality, the difference being the platform, of course. I wrote Smache so that I wouldn't have to run my PQs through my PC, that is the point of it. If you do like to use GSAK however, Smache will still work for you.

-Smache is very slow importing gpx files. I extracted and copied just four PQs to my device. Told Smache to import all of them. As I'm typing this 10 minutes has passed and it's still working on importing. It's only half way thru and this is only 1/3 of the queries I work with.

--Make a macro for GSAK to export, An import utility to run on the desktop, etc. so that this process can be done much faster.

This has been my biggest headache since I began writing the application. The reason for the slow import is that it isn't just writing data from GPX to database. Its MERGING it. It checks to make sure that it isn't writing over new data with old data. It purges the logs so you don't max out your memory. Mostly though, it organizes it into an intricate index so that even if you had 10,000+ caches in your database, you can still access them quickly. The trade-off is a slower import.

That said, I found something about 2 weeks ago that I hope will allow me to speed the import up considerably, but I haven't tested it yet so I don't know how much of an improvement it will be.

A few more things.

-Make better use of the screen. The cache listing is in a box with quite a few pixels on each side.

-Make viewing caches a signal tap or a configurable option to do so.

-The link to GC.com doesn't work.

-Smache doesn't like landscape mode. (I have a XV6700 PDA/Phone, I have to slide open the device to get to the keyboard which switches the device to landscape mode)

Thanks for the suggestions, it turns out the landscape mode is much more common that I thought it was (or more common than when I started this thing). It will have support in the release version. The link to GC.com not working is puzzling since thats one I haven't ever had a problem with as long as I was connected to the Internet. I'll look at it, thanks!

November 16, 2006

Just sent you some more feedback regarding Smache.

Thanks again. I'm pretty sure that all the issues you pointed out in your e-mail are related to how I am handling regional settings except for the column header names (I can't seem to duplicate that one).

The coordinates for the location you were creating worked for me (under Portugal regional setting) in the format

34°44,638 w009°08,201

I'm guessing all the other situations are also mixing up commas and decimals, but I haven't been able to look at them specifically yet. The special characters aren't showing up because of a bug (I used 7-bit ASCII format instead of 8-bit unicode ).

Thanks for the feedback everyone, quite helpful!

2.8k · November 16, 2006

OK, it looks like the reason that Smache was having trouble with your GPX file is that you have a mix of both caches and their additional waypoints in the same file. Smache expects these to be in two separate files as you get them in your pocket query. Smache also expects the specific headers that Groundspeak puts on their GPX files for both the caches and the additional waypoints.

This is only the case with a PQ. If you download a single GPX file from the Groundspeak cache page, additional waypoints are intermingled with the cache.

November 17, 2006

This is only the case with a PQ. If you download a single GPX file from the Groundspeak cache page, additional waypoints are intermingled with the cache.

This I didn't realize since I rarely use the single download feature, but after talking to Geek-Qualizer I am guessing that many people have the two types mixed from GSAK anyway, so I plan on writing in the support for that situation.

Thanks for the tip!

2.8k · November 17, 2006

This is only the case with a PQ. If you download a single GPX file from the Groundspeak cache page, additional waypoints are intermingled with the cache.

This I didn't realize since I rarely use the single download feature

As you are "merging" the data in to your database and this has a "performance hit" I suspect users will often want to update their database with specific caches from a single GPX file rather than a PQ.

If it is any help, GSAK does indicate in the GPX header if the file contains additional waypoints or not. Contact me via email if you need more information.

November 18, 2006

appreciated!

December 20, 2006

the screen of my PDA is kinda "widescreen", I mean, horizontal pixels are more then vertical pixels. I guess you are aware of this issue, but do you have plans to release a version of the program for PDA's like mine?

Yes, landscape mode should be supported by January.

Oh man I hardly can wait ! You see, I've got a modified PDA which was origincally a dedicated TomTom device... never managed to have a paperless geocaching app before Smache. Now you can better understand my frustration when I noticed that it was working but....... no landscape mode :-)

December 21, 2006

It's way too late to be on the forums, so this might be incomprehensible!

I gave my paperless pocket pc program out almost a year ago (Smache) and got some good feedback. Now I've re-created it from scratch and it's ready to go again.

I wanted to be able to do everything on my pocket pc in a single program; Maintain the database, sort through thousands of caches, see ALL the details, navigate to the cache, collect waypoints, decrypt hints, connect the additional waypoints, convert lat/long formats, etc... So thats what Smache does.

I get my pocket queries through e-mail on my pocket pc and load them into Smache; I Never have to touch my computer and I always have all my caches with me. I connect to my bluetooth GPS through Smache and use the ultra-large-scale map (about 100 feet from one side of the screen to the other) to zero in on my destination. Plus you can export from Smache to GPX, LOC, TXT, CVS, Shapefile, Streets & Trips and Mapopolis!

Anyway, I've got downloads, screenshots, in-the-works help files and stuff on my site if you want to try it out.

http://www.cyancanyon.com/software/smache

Be sure and read the 'Important infomation' if you try it. I have a mailing list you can get on from the download page if you want to be notified of further updates, but it certainly isn't required. Above all, I would appreciate any feedback you fine folks could give me on it. The scripting on the site is all new too, so let me know if it breaks

Have Fun!

OK, I must be blind, but where exactly are the screenshots? I see a bunch of icons from the program when I follow the link that says "Click here for Smache help files and screenshots", but no full blown screens. maybe you're right...it is too late to be on here. i need sleep lol!

December 21, 2006

OK, I must be blind, but where exactly are the screenshots? I see a bunch of icons from the program when I follow the link that says "Click here for Smache help files and screenshots", but no full blown screens. maybe you're right...it is too late to be on here. i need sleep lol!

I guess they don't really jump out at you, after you click on the link you mentioned there will be a screenshots link under the "detailed topics" heading at the top.

December 28, 2006

So Smache is showing up on my Pocket PC but whenever I tap it to open it it comes up with an error saying:

"Cannot find Smache or one of its components. Make sure the path and filename are correct and all the required libraries are available."

Any thoughts?

TIA

January 2, 2007

So Smache is showing up on my Pocket PC but whenever I tap it to open it it comes up with an error saying:

"Cannot find Smache or one of its components. Make sure the path and filename are correct and all the required libraries are available."

Any thoughts?

This is the error you get when there is trouble with a shortcut and it can't find the file it's supposed to open. You can re-create the shortcut by simply copying the EXE and then choosing 'Edit --> Paste Shortcut'. I'm guessing you're working with the icon in the programs list, which is a listing of the shortcuts in '\Windows\Start Menu\Programs'. That is where you should paste the shortcut.

The beta is officially finished now and version 1.0 has been released. You'll find the new version at the same place as the beta (http://www.cyancanyon.com/software/smache). If you go to the page and it still shows the beta version, refreshing the page will fix the problem.

release thread

October 4, 2008

This looks awesome! THis is a huge bump for a good looking great sounding piece of software!

April 13, 2009

Can I use your app without a internet or phone connection on my pocket PC PDA? I need something I can use in place of plucker on my old Palm and I'm looking into a pocket PC.

May 9, 2009

It's way too late to be on the forums, so this might be incomprehensible!

I gave my paperless pocket pc program out almost a year ago (Smache) and got some good feedback. Now I've re-created it from scratch and it's ready to go again.

I wanted to be able to do everything on my pocket pc in a single program; Maintain the database, sort through thousands of caches, see ALL the details, navigate to the cache, collect waypoints, decrypt hints, connect the additional waypoints, convert lat/long formats, etc... So thats what Smache does.

I get my pocket queries through e-mail on my pocket pc and load them into Smache; I Never have to touch my computer and I always have all my caches with me. I connect to my bluetooth GPS through Smache and use the ultra-large-scale map (about 100 feet from one side of the screen to the other) to zero in on my destination. Plus you can export from Smache to GPX, LOC, TXT, CVS, Shapefile, Streets & Trips and Mapopolis!

Anyway, I've got downloads, screenshots, in-the-works help files and stuff on my site if you want to try it out.

http://www.cyancanyon.com/software/smache

Be sure and read the 'Important infomation' if you try it. I have a mailing list you can get on from the download page if you want to be notified of further updates, but it certainly isn't required. Above all, I would appreciate any feedback you fine folks could give me on it. The scripting on the site is all new too, so let me know if it breaks

Have Fun!

I have discovered recently this software ... and it is marvelous ! Better than gpxsonar ....

I am using v1.0 .... are you willing to make evolutions ? I could give you some evolution wishes ...

October 12, 2010

I went out for the first time today with a geocache friend. I'm now hooked. I installed on my iPaq PDA and it looks like it will everything I want. GPSDash was installed and didn't work out. Now I'm pouring over the manual to glean how to work the program. Looks good so far and I had to let you know that I'm impressed.

Finished (again) my pocket pc geocaching app

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