Hide unavailable check box in google maps.

[+xshooter]

I would like to see a check box like "Hide My finds" and "Hide my caches" that when checked would hide the unavailable caches. When planning a day of caching I'm not usually interested in seeing the ones I can't go after. Anybody else think that it would be a good idea?

xshooter

Edited January 15, 2008 by xshooter

[+UncleJimbo]

I would like to see a check box like "Hide My finds" and "Hide my caches" that when checked would hide the unavailable caches. When planning a day of caching I'm not usually interested in seeing the ones I can't go after. Anybody else think that it would be a good idea?

xshooter

You can already do that with Pocket Queries.

[+Cyberclops]

I would like to see a check box like "Hide My finds" and "Hide my caches" that when checked would hide the unavailable caches. When planning a day of caching I'm not usually interested in seeing the ones I can't go after. Anybody else think that it would be a good idea?

xshooter

I wholeheartedly agree. I often go out caching on the spur of the moment and do not have time to wait for a PQ to finish so I look at the maps and it would be great if the display of inactive caches could be turned off so that I am not distracted by them.

[+xshooter]

You can already do that with Pocket Queries.

 

I do that with the PQs.

I would like the feature on the maps.

A couple of areas around here have a number of unavailable caches do to being covered in snow.

These unavailables are close to other active caches and when zoomed out they cover the active ones on the map.

 

xshooter

[OpinioNate]

There is a social component to showing you those caches as it puts pressure on the cache owners to either fix or archive them.

[+xshooter]

There is a social component to showing you those caches as it puts pressure on the cache owners to either fix or archive them.

 

That's fine but I would like the option of hiding them.

[+root1657]

I would like to see a check box like "Hide My finds" and "Hide my caches" that when checked would hide the unavailable caches. When planning a day of caching I'm not usually interested in seeing the ones I can't go after. Anybody else think that it would be a good idea?

xshooter

 

I absolutley agree and asked for the same in the enhancement request section a few days ago. Interestingly enough, even though I was suggesting a new feature in the area where you suggest new features, I got the same response about doinig it in pocket queries. I understand that they are trying to be helpful in telling us how to do it with what we have now, but if that were the case for everything, then we wouldnt have half the cool features of the site, since you could still just write the coords on your arm with a pen and go out hunting.

 

It seems to me that with the way disabled caches are shown differently, that the map already 'knows' that they are different, and I too would like the filter button for them, same as for my finds and other categories.

[+waterwitch2]

I can hide my finds and my caches when I view a map. I have a box in the upper right corner on the screen called "Premium Member Filters".

[+tozainamboku]

I understand that they are trying to be helpful in telling us how to do it with what we have now, but if that were the case for everything, then we wouldnt have half the cool features of the site, since you could still just write the coords on your arm with a pen and go out hunting.

It is almost the case for everything that you can still go caching if some feature doesn't exist, but this is not the reason that people are giving you alternatives to making the enhancement you are requesting. Before implementing any new feature Groundspeak tries to determine if the feature would be valuable to a significant number of geocachers, if there is no workaround or the workaround is too burdensome, and how much effort is involved in implementing the enhancement. People who suggest workarounds are not commenting that your idea for an enhancement is a bad idea. On the contrary, they tend to indicate that they see an advantage to cachers being able to do what you are asking for and how you might be able to accomplish that while TPTB decide if this is an enhancement worth making. TPTB follow the threads in this forum and since this topic has come up several times I would guess is something they may look at. Still is likely a low priority since:

1. Disabled caches are already shown in a different color while you are panning the map, so even though you can't hide them you see which caches are enabled and which are temporarily disabled.

2. A premium member can click on Create Pocket Query from the map with a single click. Once you have panned and zoomed the map to an area with sufficient enabled caches you want to search for, click the Create Pocket Query lintk.

3. On the pocket query page you edit the PQ by checking the Is Active box so that only enabled caches are returned.

4. When you have saved the new PQ, you can preview the result in Google maps and print this map out if you want take it along. You can also get the GPX file with the caches sent to you so you can load the coordinates in your GPS.

 

Search and mapping capabilities with pocket queries are very flexible - especially with some recent enhancements that have been made. And if you need even more advanced searches you can load the PQ results into a third party program like GSAK and do even more with it. Clearly there is some learning curve involved in using these powerful features. Sometimes, instead of trying to find out how to do thing with the existing tools, cachers ask for features they think are missing.

Edited January 17, 2008 by tozainamboku

[+x_Marks_the_spot]

 

It seems to me that with the way disabled caches are shown differently, that the map already 'knows' that they are different, and I too would like the filter button for them, same as for my finds and other categories.

 

I agree that it would be a nice feature, but I just count my lucky stars that they even show up different. Before the nifty Google Maps feature, I used Google Earth with the Geocaching KML, and you had no way of knowing until you clicked on the cache and looked at the listing.

[+root1657]

1. Disabled caches are already shown in a different color while you are panning the map, so even though you can't hide them you see which caches are enabled and which are temporarily disabled.

 

A strong point, to be sure, but it does loose something when printed in black and white, or in dense areas, where the disabled caches add to the 'clutter'. also, the cache name list to the side is made much longer by them, turning it into a scroll fest.

 

2. A premium member can click on Create Pocket Query from the map with a single click. Once you have panned and zoomed the map to an area with sufficient enabled caches you want to search for, click the Create Pocket Query lintk.

 

You mean that is suppossed to make a PQ set with map data as displayed? Awesome! however, when I click on that, it takes me to a blank pq form, so I had no idea it should work like that.... As long as we are at it though, why not just have an 'instant pq' button for the premium members, have it count against my weekly pq count, and save me a few steps, and save the servers a few page hits with me bungling around.

 

3. On the pocket query page you edit the PQ by checking the Is Active box so that only enabled caches are returned.

 

Yep, I do that in my PQs, but again, we are back to discussing work arounds for something we put up as a site enhancement. Maybe there is a disconnect here somewhere with my point about having a site suggestion explained away with a work around. Here is the ultimate work around that takes us back to geocaching day 1... get coords from usenet, write em on a piece of paper, and go have some fun finding a can of beans! I jest of course, but still, in so many thread, I see GSAK and PQs being put up as the ultimate answers to everything, and yet in others we see reminders that we arent suppossed to be building offline databases. How many line items does it take to be an offline database? a debate for another day...

 

4. When you have saved the new PQ, you can preview the result in Google maps and print this map out if you want take it along. You can also get the GPX file with the caches sent to you so you can load the coordinates in your GPS.

 

So after I jump through those hoops and am again viewing it in google maps, I've essentially done a whole lot of work to accomplish exactly what we want the one additional check box filter for?

[+xshooter]

1. Disabled caches are already shown in a different color while you are panning the map, so even though you can't hide them you see which caches are enabled and which are temporarily disabled.

 

A strong point, to be sure, but it does loose something when printed in black and white, or in dense areas, where the disabled caches add to the 'clutter'. also, the cache name list to the side is made much longer by them, turning it into a scroll fest.

 

2. A premium member can click on Create Pocket Query from the map with a single click. Once you have panned and zoomed the map to an area with sufficient enabled caches you want to search for, click the Create Pocket Query lintk.

 

You mean that is suppossed to make a PQ set with map data as displayed? Awesome! however, when I click on that, it takes me to a blank pq form, so I had no idea it should work like that.... As long as we are at it though, why not just have an 'instant pq' button for the premium members, have it count against my weekly pq count, and save me a few steps, and save the servers a few page hits with me bungling around.

 

3. On the pocket query page you edit the PQ by checking the Is Active box so that only enabled caches are returned.

 

Yep, I do that in my PQs, but again, we are back to discussing work arounds for something we put up as a site enhancement. Maybe there is a disconnect here somewhere with my point about having a site suggestion explained away with a work around. Here is the ultimate work around that takes us back to geocaching day 1... get coords from usenet, write em on a piece of paper, and go have some fun finding a can of beans! I jest of course, but still, in so many thread, I see GSAK and PQs being put up as the ultimate answers to everything, and yet in others we see reminders that we arent suppossed to be building offline databases. How many line items does it take to be an offline database? a debate for another day...

 

4. When you have saved the new PQ, you can preview the result in Google maps and print this map out if you want take it along. You can also get the GPX file with the caches sent to you so you can load the coordinates in your GPS.

 

So after I jump through those hoops and am again viewing it in google maps, I've essentially done a whole lot of work to accomplish exactly what we want the one additional check box filter for?

 

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[+The Leprechauns]

There is a social component to showing you those caches as it puts pressure on the cache owners to either fix or archive them.

 

That's fine but I would like the option of hiding them.

I would like the option of riding past the disabled caches on a Pony. Nate???

 

Seriously, in most areas, if there's more than 5% of the caches out of 500 on a map view that are temporarily disabled, there is likely a shortage of "needs archived" logs. Eliminate the annoyance by being proactive.

[+root1657]

There is a social component to showing you those caches as it puts pressure on the cache owners to either fix or archive them.

 

That's fine but I would like the option of hiding them.

I would like the option of riding past the disabled caches on a Pony. Nate???

 

Seriously, in most areas, if there's more than 5% of the caches out of 500 on a map view that are temporarily disabled, there is likely a shortage of "needs archived" logs. Eliminate the annoyance by being proactive.

 

I'll take your 5% challenge and raise you a San Diego. We are so cache dense out here that at 5% there would be 25 disabled caches in an area only a few miles wide. I do understand that rural areas are a whole different animal, but dont forget about us simple city folk and our unique challenges....

 

A bit off the point, but just the other day I was explaining to someone that in Ohio I could stand out at a cache and see that there were no people around for miles. Here in San Diego I often find that I have to undertake specific acts of distraction and subterfuge to confuse the muggles. Hint to urban cachers, get a small cute dog. People will stand there petting him and talking to you and not even notice you retrieving or replacing the magnetic container from the back side of the rail you are sitting on.

[+TJ Willy]

I would like to see a check box like "Hide My finds" and "Hide my caches" that when checked would hide the unavailable caches. When planning a day of caching I'm not usually interested in seeing the ones I can't go after. Anybody else think that it would be a good idea?

xshooter

 

Yep. I agree. I jumped in this forum just to suggest a feature such as this.

[+The Leprechauns]

There is a social component to showing you those caches as it puts pressure on the cache owners to either fix or archive them.

 

That's fine but I would like the option of hiding them.

I would like the option of riding past the disabled caches on a Pony. Nate???

 

Seriously, in most areas, if there's more than 5% of the caches out of 500 on a map view that are temporarily disabled, there is likely a shortage of "needs archived" logs. Eliminate the annoyance by being proactive.

 

I'll take your 5% challenge and raise you a San Diego. We are so cache dense out here that at 5% there would be 25 disabled caches in an area only a few miles wide. I do understand that rural areas are a whole different animal, but dont forget about us simple city folk and our unique challenges....

 

A bit off the point, but just the other day I was explaining to someone that in Ohio I could stand out at a cache and see that there were no people around for miles. Here in San Diego I often find that I have to undertake specific acts of distraction and subterfuge to confuse the muggles. Hint to urban cachers, get a small cute dog. People will stand there petting him and talking to you and not even notice you retrieving or replacing the magnetic container from the back side of the rail you are sitting on.

Ohio has more than 10,000 caches, one of the top 10 states. I'll see your San Diego with a Cleveland, and raise you a Cincinnati. While there are more than 10,000 caches, fewer than 500 of them are "temporarily disabled." Yet, Ohio has awful winter weather. Excluding caches on long term disability in San Diego due to the terrible recent fires, what is the percentage there? If there are lots of disabled caches that are just being neglected, get them to go away by logging a "needs archived" or writing to the owners or writing to your cache reviewer with a list. This frees up the area for new cache hides, and makes your map cleaner.