Archived/Unarchived Cache notifications & queries

[+tekwizrd]

I recently sent a question into support to see if there was a way I could work with Archived and Unarchvied caches:

1. Ability to query Archived caches only, with your location as the center point.
   
2. Ability to be automatically notified via email of any caches that are Archived/Unarchived within a specified distance.
   

I have issues keeping track of caches that change a status frim Archived to Unarchived or vice versa. Having the ability to query only Archived caches would allow us to see at a quick glance what is archived and ensure our cahce information is up to date in out GPSr's.

 

An automatic email of any cache within a specific distance that changes to Archive or from Archive would allow us to keep up to date as we get the emails.

 

Hopefully if there is enough interest, they will build it into the site, currently, we have no way to track Archived caches without going through all of our caches to hunt, page by page.

 

What does everyone think??

Edited May 31, 2007 by tekwizrd

[+Team GPSaxophone]

1. There is no reason to look up archived caches. This site exists for you you find active caches, not go where one once was.

 

2. Trying to build an offline database? You can get the most current information about caches you want to find by getting a new pocket query. Archived caches won't be included since you aren't supposed to go looking for them.

[+Jaz666]

Afraid this topic has already been done to death.

 

You can actually setup notifications for when caches get archived, in the same way as when they get published.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/notify/edit.aspx

 

edit:

There are a few valid reasons to be able to lookup where archived caches once were.

On more than one occasion I've looked up archived caches close to where I planned to cache that day, and visited and cleared up the geolitter.

Edited May 31, 2007 by Jaz666

[+StarBrand]

If you want to keep up-to-date. Run a new query and make sure to delete the "stale" data from your database.

 

The blue guy said it well....

[+Renegade Knight]

I can think of a lot of reasons to be able to look up archived caches. Chiefly they have a history with them. The logs on them may be of interest to people who knew the cacher, or who want to get a feel for the area and for those who would like to see why the caches are archived in a certain area.

 

The last time I needed to look one up was because between when I got my PQ and my DNF (a few days) the cache had been archived. It was virtually impossible to find to see if it had been archived and that's what it wasn't coming up.

 

Just because any one person can't think of a reason to look up an archived cache doens't mean there aren't a truckload of reasons.

 

 

It would be very nice to see all cache changes in my weekly email. Not just the new ones. There are a lot of caches that I have at the back of my mind as "I need to do that cache" and I'm disspointed when they just dissapear and I missed it.

[+tekwizrd]

The main reason I want to see them is because I manually add new cacxhes to my GPS, I do not have a cable to upload and refresh them. I still use paper copies. I print a copy of the cache information which may become outdated if a cache gets disabled or archived. An email notification would help me to identify cache status changes easily and avoid caching in areas that have already been archived.

 

Currently, I have to scroll threough page by page to see what is currently archived. Besides, all of this info is there already. What is the big deal if we put a parameter in to query information that is already there?

[+tekwizrd]

Afraid this topic has already been done to death.

 

You can actually setup notifications for when caches get archived, in the same way as when they get published.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/notify/edit.aspx

 

edit:

There are a few valid reasons to be able to lookup where archived caches once were.

On more than one occasion I've looked up archived caches close to where I planned to cache that day, and visited and cleared up the geolitter.

 

Jaz666 hit on the head! I looked high and I looked low, but I guess I didn't check the edit.aspx page. This will give me EXACTLY what I am looking for.

 

Thank you so much!! I greatly appreciate all of your feedback. Thanks everyone!

[+Loch Cache]

Afraid this topic has already been done to death.

 

You can actually setup notifications for when caches get archived, in the same way as when they get published.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/notify/edit.aspx

 

edit:

There are a few valid reasons to be able to lookup where archived caches once were.

On more than one occasion I've looked up archived caches close to where I planned to cache that day, and visited and cleared up the geolitter.

 

Jaz666 hit on the head! I looked high and I looked low, but I guess I didn't check the edit.aspx page. This will give me EXACTLY what I am looking for.

 

Thank you so much!! I greatly appreciate all of your feedback. Thanks everyone!

Still it would be nice to have a PQ based on caches that have been archived for quick updates, even if it were like the “I found” PQ where it was limited to once a week.

 

Also having the ability to search an area for archived caches would allow a newer cacher to learn from past mistakes. Seeing a cache was placed in a particular park but kept getting muggled would let that cacher know either make a better hide or don't hide it there.

 

Loch Cache

[+tekwizrd]

Afraid this topic has already been done to death.

 

You can actually setup notifications for when caches get archived, in the same way as when they get published.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/notify/edit.aspx

 

edit:

There are a few valid reasons to be able to lookup where archived caches once were.

On more than one occasion I've looked up archived caches close to where I planned to cache that day, and visited and cleared up the geolitter.

 

Jaz666 hit on the head! I looked high and I looked low, but I guess I didn't check the edit.aspx page. This will give me EXACTLY what I am looking for.

 

Thank you so much!! I greatly appreciate all of your feedback. Thanks everyone!

Still it would be nice to have a PQ based on caches that have been archived for quick updates, even if it were like the “I found” PQ where it was limited to once a week.

 

Also having the ability to search an area for archived caches would allow a newer cacher to learn from past mistakes. Seeing a cache was placed in a particular park but kept getting muggled would let that cacher know either make a better hide or don't hide it there.

 

Loch Cache

 

I still agree with that. I would definitely like to be able to query just Archived caches. This would allow me to update my finds much, much easier and I wouldn't have to wait for my email query to run and arrive.

 

Some good pointts are made here.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

1. There is no reason to look up archived caches. This site exists for you you find active caches, not go where one once was.

 

2. Trying to build an offline database? You can get the most current information about caches you want to find by getting a new pocket query. Archived caches won't be included since you aren't supposed to go looking for them.

 

I wish it were easier to look up archived caches, the only way I know of is to hope you stumble across the profile of someone who found and/or hid one and it will turn up in the "geocaches" section of their profile.

 

Archived hides help me think of places to put new hides; it tells me one was there before and what they did with it. It also can alert me to things I wouldn't think of that may make it not such a good idea to put another hide in that particular place.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

I would definitely like to be able to query just Archived caches. This would allow me to update my finds much, much easier and I wouldn't have to wait for my email query to run and arrive.

 

Some good pointts are made here.

Whether your query returns archived cache or finds, you're still going to have to wait for it to arrive.

[+TheAprilFools]

Personally I would be very happy if you could just get a PQ on caches archived in the last 7 days, and I would not mind of the coordinates were rounded off and the description was truncated. I am not really interested in finding old caches, I spend a fair amount of time maintaining a gsak database for my local caches and would like to have a positive way to know that a cache that I downloaded earlier in the week is no longer there and I should not try to find it. It would also be a good way to know that an area has opened up for new caches.

 

As it is the only way is by using the notifications, but you have to setup one notification for each cache type you are interested in.

[Neos2]

I wish it were easier to look up archived caches, the only way I know of is to hope you stumble across the profile of someone who found and/or hid one and it will turn up in the "geocaches" section of their profile.

 

Archived hides help me think of places to put new hides; it tells me one was there before and what they did with it. It also can alert me to things I wouldn't think of that may make it not such a good idea to put another hide in that particular place.

Premium member can use the gc maps to see where archived caches were with a simple click of the "List Archived/Disabled Caches" button. I use that feature to do just exactly what you describe.

[+HaLiJuSaPa]

I wish it were easier to look up archived caches, the only way I know of is to hope you stumble across the profile of someone who found and/or hid one and it will turn up in the "geocaches" section of their profile.

 

Archived hides help me think of places to put new hides; it tells me one was there before and what they did with it. It also can alert me to things I wouldn't think of that may make it not such a good idea to put another hide in that particular place.

Premium member can use the gc maps to see where archived caches were with a simple click of the "List Archived/Disabled Caches" button. I use that feature to do just exactly what you describe.

 

Interesting, thanks, that may be the thing that finally gets me to "go premium" (the idea of "financially contributing" almost did it, but since we cache "casually" and I manually enter the waypoints PQ's, etc. wasn't enough to put us over).

[+tekwizrd]

I wish it were easier to look up archived caches, the only way I know of is to hope you stumble across the profile of someone who found and/or hid one and it will turn up in the "geocaches" section of their profile.

 

Archived hides help me think of places to put new hides; it tells me one was there before and what they did with it. It also can alert me to things I wouldn't think of that may make it not such a good idea to put another hide in that particular place.

Premium member can use the gc maps to see where archived caches were with a simple click of the "List Archived/Disabled Caches" button. I use that feature to do just exactly what you describe.

 

1. What are you referring to when you say GC maps? I'd like to check this out as I am a Premium member.

 

2. I don't understand why they wouldn't just build this as an option on the Seek a cache page. You could look up Archived caches simply with a paramter to search the already existing field value of 'Archived'? There must be a field there already, since caches are identified within each cache doc as being archived or active. Doesn't seem to difficult.

 

Thanks.

[bogleman]

easy/hard - this is how I do it:

-find a cache listing in the area you are searching

-view the "geocaching online map" from the cache page

-uncheck every box

-locate the show archived/disabled cache check box (lower left) and select the box

-select identify

-click the map for the desired results

 

I may have missed a step or three but this is how I do it

 

sample map from your area - just check/uncheck the boxes

[+Miragee]

<snip>

1. What are you referring to when you say GC maps? I'd like to check this out as I am a Premium member.

 

2. I don't understand why they wouldn't just build this as an option on the Seek a cache page. You could look up Archived caches simply with a paramter to search the already existing field value of 'Archived'? There must be a field there already, since caches are identified within each cache doc as being archived or active. Doesn't seem to difficult.

 

Thanks.

When you use the "Identify" and "Include Archived" on the GC.com maps, you can see where an Archived cache used to be and you can pull up the cache page from there.

 

If you have an offline database in GSAK, and you use the "Last .gpx Update" filter, you can identify caches that are being Archived now and you could, if you wanted to, create a new Database in GSAK into which you can move newly-Archived caches.

 

The site doesn't want to provide data for past Archived caches because there are no caches there. There is nothing to find, and the cache could have been Archived because it was on Private Property, or a nearby neighbor threatened cachers who sought the cache, or the area is now closed to caches, or the cache could be in an environmentally sensitive area.

[+baloo&bd]

 

I still agree with that. I would definitely like to be able to query just Archived caches. This would allow me to update my finds much, much easier and I wouldn't have to wait for my email query to run and arrive.

 

Along with that it would be nice if we could query on caches people are thinking about placing in the future.

 

It's archived, just act as if it's never been there.

[+tekwizrd]

<snip>

1. What are you referring to when you say GC maps? I'd like to check this out as I am a Premium member.

 

2. I don't understand why they wouldn't just build this as an option on the Seek a cache page. You could look up Archived caches simply with a paramter to search the already existing field value of 'Archived'? There must be a field there already, since caches are identified within each cache doc as being archived or active. Doesn't seem to difficult.

 

Thanks.

When you use the "Identify" and "Include Archived" on the GC.com maps, you can see where an Archived cache used to be and you can pull up the cache page from there.

 

If you have an offline database in GSAK, and you use the "Last .gpx Update" filter, you can identify caches that are being Archived now and you could, if you wanted to, create a new Database in GSAK into which you can move newly-Archived caches.

 

The site doesn't want to provide data for past Archived caches because there are no caches there. There is nothing to find, and the cache could have been Archived because it was on Private Property, or a nearby neighbor threatened cachers who sought the cache, or the area is now closed to caches, or the cache could be in an environmentally sensitive area.

 

Okay, I'm obviously not getting my point across well. I'll give it a last stab. I understand that an Archived cache is no longer there. I guess what I am really looking for is to see caches that change state, such as Active to Archive or Temp Disabled and also Temp Disabled to Active.

 

This is soley for the purpose of keeping my waypoints current. I have a manually updated GPS which only gets new refreshed info if I manually put it in myself. I would like to be able to query All archived caches from my center point so that I could run through my listing quickly and Archived out any caches that have since gone to Arcchive status since I have inout them and Unarchive any that have changed back to active status.

 

I don't care about any other data for the cache other than it's Name, Waypoint, and status. This will allow me update my lists easily.

 

Today I have to go through ALL of the cache pages starting from my center point and verify if all of the caches I have marked Archived and still Archived and all caches that show Archived on Geocaching.com show Archived in my PDA so that I don't keep running after caches that are not there.

 

Hope this is clearer now.

[+baloo&bd]

Okay, I'm obviously not getting my point across well. I'll give it a last stab.

 

You are getting your point across, it has just been discussed over and over and GC.COM simply does not support off line DB's, which is what would most benefit from this. They want the data to be used more or less "live" or close to it.

 

It has been discussed here, with some possible workarounds suggested and very detailed workarounds here.

[+tozainamboku]

 

Okay, I'm obviously not getting my point across well. I'll give it a last stab. I understand that an Archived cache is no longer there. I guess what I am really looking for is to see caches that change state, such as Active to Archive or Temp Disabled and also Temp Disabled to Active.

 

This is soley for the purpose of keeping my waypoints current. I have a manually updated GPS which only gets new refreshed info if I manually put it in myself. I would like to be able to query All archived caches from my center point so that I could run through my listing quickly and Archived out any caches that have since gone to Arcchive status since I have inout them and Unarchive any that have changed back to active status.

 

I don't care about any other data for the cache other than it's Name, Waypoint, and status. This will allow me update my lists easily.

 

Today I have to go through ALL of the cache pages starting from my center point and verify if all of the caches I have marked Archived and still Archived and all caches that show Archived on Geocaching.com show Archived in my PDA so that I don't keep running after caches that are not there.

 

Hope this is clearer now.

 

The instant notify system http://www.geocaching.com/notify/ can be set up to send you email when a cache changes state. You can be notified when a new cache is published, when a cache is disabled, when it is reenabled, and when it is archived. This should let you update the your GPS manually when you get a notification.

 

Your other option is to use a third party tool like GSAK. You can get a pocket query of the 500 closest caches. When you get a new pocket query you can then use a GSAK filter to see which caches were not updated in the most recent pocket query. These will either be caches that are no longer in your closest 500 because of new caches pushing them out or they were archived as archived cache are not returned in the pocket query.

 

Groundspeak seems to feel that once a cache is archived it doesn't need to show up in any queries. They also don't want people to keep offline data. But of course everyone does to some extent. The people who are not yet paperless and those that have to manually enter waypoints into their GPS are the ones hurt most. But they still have a few options to help remove the archived caches from their GPS and their stacks of printouts.

[+benh57]

Okay, I'm obviously not getting my point across well. I'll give it a last stab.

 

You are getting your point across, it has just been discussed over and over and GC.COM simply does not support off line DB's, which is what would most benefit from this. They want the data to be used more or less "live" or close to it.

 

Apparently he isn't, cause you still didn't read what he typed

 

He doesn't have an 'offline db'. He uses manual input. Technically, everyone's GPS is an 'offline db'.

[+sTeamTraen]

He doesn't have an 'offline db'. He uses manual input. Technically, everyone's GPS is an 'offline db'.

 

That's exactly the point. Groundspeak doesn't put much/any effort into helping you to maintain an offline "database", whether that's called a database à la GSAK or whether it's just a de facto list of the WPs in your GPSr which have the little treasure chest icon. But that list *IS* an offline db.

 

The supported way to have an up-to-date list of available caches in your GPSr is:

- Delete all WPs with the geocache symbol

- Run a PQ

- Upload those WPs to the unit

 

One second after you've done that, the validity of the data starts to decay; that's my definition of an offline database. If you have 1000 cache WPs then given the observed half-life of caches, one of them will go wrong every couple of days.

 

Of course, most cachers have some kind of offline database, nobody is pretending otherwise. And one could make an excellent case why the site's developers should spend more time on supporting those and less on <insert name of feature you don't care about> - in my case, buddy lists, for example. But the business decision has been made and I don't think it's likely to change in the immediate future.

Edited June 12, 2007 by sTeamTraen

[+TheAprilFools]

I am one of those miscreants that keeps an offline database of all the caches in my local area, of which here in the San Francisco Bay area are about 7000 within a 50 mile radius of my home. I then use several polygon shaped GSAK queries for each of the the several irregular shaped geographic areas that make up region. One of the big reasons I do so is that when you get a PQ, it typically only has the last 5 log entries, if you maintain your own db those past logs build up over time and you get a more complete listing of the logs. (Interstingly, if you download the GPX from the cache page itself it has up to 20 logs.)

 

If they really dont want us to maintain private DB's they should:

 

1) Allow polygon shaped PQ's

2) Increase the number of caches to 1000 (many of us have GPS's that can hold that many)

3) Increase the number of logs returned.

[+Renegade Knight]

...The instant notify system http://www.geocaching.com/notify/ can be set up to send you email when a cache changes state. You can be notified when a new cache is published, when a cache is disabled, when it is reenabled, and when it is archived....

 

I just set that up for Traditional/Archived.

 

There were a heck of a lot of various combinations to set up to get notified of a state change.

 

So much simpler to put in in that weekly email. PQ's are fine for having fresh data on hand. The weekly notice for status changes.

[+Renegade Knight]

I am one of those miscreants that keeps an offline database of all the caches in my local area...

If they really dont want us to maintain private DB's they should:...

 

The moment your PQ was emailed it's an "offline database". This site isn't worried about us tracking our finds, or our local area or even watching the evolution of caches in our area or even our state.

 

I'm not sure what the point was when someone brought up the offline database issue.

 

This site gets concerned when you want to do more than use the information for your personal caching enjoyment.

[+tekwizrd]

I am one of those miscreants that keeps an offline database of all the caches in my local area...

If they really dont want us to maintain private DB's they should:...

 

The moment your PQ was emailed it's an "offline database". This site isn't worried about us tracking our finds, or our local area or even watching the evolution of caches in our area or even our state.

 

I'm not sure what the point was when someone brought up the offline database issue.

 

This site gets concerned when you want to do more than use the information for your personal caching enjoyment.

 

Maintaining my GPSr DB is STRICTLY for my personal cachng enjoyment. That's the point. It isn't enjoyable to visit a cache that has been disabled since it was entered only to waste time looking for a cache that is no longer there.

 

I originally started this topic on the request of Geocaching .com support. They told me they watch the forumns and I was hopeful there would be enough support from other cachers to get that field added as a query point. It would be awaesome to quickly query a zip code and get ONLY the ASrchived or disabled caches. Than it would be extremely easy to validate my GPSr data against that list.

 

I appreciate all of the feedback I'm getting here guys, obviously we all Geocache with our self developed systems, so we will have varying opinions if that would be useful. Becuase I maintain a MANUALLY input GPSr DB, this would be very helpful if they would turn on the Archive field as a query item. Even if they limit it to Archived within the past week or so if they so choose.

[Motorcycle_Mama]

I get all of what you've said. But you still haven't responded to what a few people have posted about setting up the archive/unarchive notify feature.

 

Wouldn't it be fairly simple for you to receive these notifications and then use them to manually delete or add the archived or remove the unarchived caches as they come?

Edited June 12, 2007 by Motorcycle_Mama

[+tekwizrd]

Afraid this topic has already been done to death.

 

You can actually setup notifications for when caches get archived, in the same way as when they get published.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/notify/edit.aspx

 

edit:

There are a few valid reasons to be able to lookup where archived caches once were.

On more than one occasion I've looked up archived caches close to where I planned to cache that day, and visited and cleared up the geolitter.

 

Jaz666 hit on the head! I looked high and I looked low, but I guess I didn't check the edit.aspx page. This will give me EXACTLY what I am looking for.

 

Thank you so much!! I greatly appreciate all of your feedback. Thanks everyone!

Still it would be nice to have a PQ based on caches that have been archived for quick updates, even if it were like the “I found” PQ where it was limited to once a week.

 

Also having the ability to search an area for archived caches would allow a newer cacher to learn from past mistakes. Seeing a cache was placed in a particular park but kept getting muggled would let that cacher know either make a better hide or don't hide it there.

 

Loch Cache

 

I still agree with that. I would definitely like to be able to query just Archived caches. This would allow me to update my finds much, much easier and I wouldn't have to wait for my email query to run and arrive.

 

Some good pointts are made here.

 

I sure did .... This is a Reply from earlier in the thread.