Feature Request

[+Hushovd]

Is it possible to have a feature added where once you solve a puzzle cache the proper coordinates show on the cache page some where? And to have the puzzle icon on the map change to something slightly different to reflect that it is a puzzle cache that you have solved but have yet to go find..

 

Maybe by incorporating a geochecker type thing onto a puzzle cache that once you imput the right coordinates it updates the cache page to reflect that you solved it and will list the proper coordinates.

[+WRASTRO]

You could make a bookmark of puzzles you have solved and list the solved coordinates in the comments for each one. You would likely want to have that be a private bookmark.

[+Semper Questio]

This is how I handle solved puzzles.

 

1. I have a bookmark called "Solved Puzzles" (original, huh?). When I solve one, it goes in that bookmark list with the final coords. Yes, it is private. I also put the solved puzzle on my ignore list, and add a comment that it is solved.

 

3. I don't get puzzles in my regular PQ. However, I have a PQ for mystery caches. Since my solved ones are ignored, all I get are unsolved ones. I also have a PQ made from the Solved Puzzles bookmark.

 

4. I get my regular PQ and my Solved Puzzle bookmark PQ once a week. I use the 'corrected coordinates' feature of GSAK to input the final coords for the puzzles. (the corrected coordinates do not get overwritten with subsequent PQ updates)

 

5. When I find a puzzle I remove that puzzle form the ignore list and the Solved Puzzles bookmarks.

 

For those mystery caches that don't require solving puzzles, I still do the same thing, but I make a user note in GSAK explaining it and what I think the "mystery" of the cache is.

 

I know it sounds cumbersome, but it really isn't and it works VERY smoothly. Also, the Solved Puzzles bookmark list acts as a backup of my solutions should I hose up my GSAK data.

 

I also have a bookmark of Working Puzzles where I keep notes of puzzles or bonus caches that take some time to do - like having to find other caches, etc.

[+WRASTRO]

Those bookmarks can be pretty darned usefull.

[+pppingme]

Bookmarks may sound like a fix but they are still a LOT of manual labor.

 

Even if I downloaded a .gpx of my bookmark, I still don't have good coordinates.

 

What the original poster suggested I think is close to a fix.

 

I personally would like the ability to add coordinates to ANY page (of course they are private to just me) so that when I do grab a .gpx, those are included.

 

This would be useful for solved puzzles (the OP's request) and also for any other coords that may come up, like figuring out a better place to park or trailheads, or any other useful additional coords that the cache owner didn't include.

[+TrailGators]

Is it possible to have a feature added where once you solve a puzzle cache the proper coordinates show on the cache page some where? And to have the puzzle icon on the map change to something slightly different to reflect that it is a puzzle cache that you have solved but have yet to go find..

 

Maybe by incorporating a geochecker type thing onto a puzzle cache that once you imput the right coordinates it updates the cache page to reflect that you solved it and will list the proper coordinates.

 

I've always wished we could do this and have the correct coordinates downloaded in PQs. I know there are other ways to do it but this would be ideal. I keep a Mapsource file with all my solved puzzles that I load.

[+WRASTRO]

Bookmarks may sound like a fix but they are still a LOT of manual labor.

 

Even if I downloaded a .gpx of my bookmark, I still don't have good coordinates.

 

What the original poster suggested I think is close to a fix.

 

I personally would like the ability to add coordinates to ANY page (of course they are private to just me) so that when I do grab a .gpx, those are included.

 

This would be useful for solved puzzles (the OP's request) and also for any other coords that may come up, like figuring out a better place to park or trailheads, or any other useful additional coords that the cache owner didn't include.

I don't disagree, but how many puzzles do you solve at a time? And how many solved puzzles do you have that you haven't gone and found? The effort required to update a bookmark is pretty minor compared to the effort required to solve most puzzles.

 

I would think that for GS to maintain separate records for each cacher for each cache would be a pretty big task, plus I would expect it to slow down PQ generation and/or cache printing.

[+pppingme]

I don't disagree, but how many puzzles do you solve at a time? And how many solved puzzles do you have that you haven't gone and found?

Without looking, I probably have more than 2 dozen puzzles that I've solved but haven't found yet.

 

For puzzles that are solvable without an onsite visit, its not unusual for me to be working on them at two in the morning, not a good time for finding most caches. I've also sat on puzzles for more than a year between solving them and actually finding them. If its a simple puzzle, I'll probably solve it as soon as the cache is published but may not have a chance to find it for a while.

[+WRASTRO]

I don't disagree, but how many puzzles do you solve at a time? And how many solved puzzles do you have that you haven't gone and found?

Without looking, I probably have more than 2 dozen puzzles that I've solved but haven't found yet.

 

For puzzles that are solvable without an onsite visit, its not unusual for me to be working on them at two in the morning, not a good time for finding most caches. I've also sat on puzzles for more than a year between solving them and actually finding them. If its a simple puzzle, I'll probably solve it as soon as the cache is published but may not have a chance to find it for a while.

So this doesn't sound like an overly large amount of work to keep a bookmark up to date. Maybe we have differnt definitions of a LOT of manual labor.

[+pppingme]

So this doesn't sound like an overly large amount of work to keep a bookmark up to date. Maybe we have differnt definitions of a LOT of manual labor.

Manually putting coordinates in my GPS, since I carry two when I go out.

 

I haven't keyed a coordinate in several years, except for one's that I have to do onsite (like simple 2 stage multi's or solve onsite puzzles), and I'm not about to start now.

 

When I'm out and about, I hit "nearest" on my gps and decide then if I want to grab a couple caches. I'm not about to manually key 2 dozen or more additional coordinates in my GPS every time I reload it (I do clear my gps between every load so there is no chance of me walking around with stale data). Plus when you include all of the other manual coordinates I've figured out, like trail heads, parking, etc for caches I haven't found yet we are probably in the range of 50 to 100 coordinates I'd be hand keying.

[+TrailGators]

This is how I handle solved puzzles.

 

1. I have a bookmark called "Solved Puzzles" (original, huh?). When I solve one, it goes in that bookmark list with the final coords. Yes, it is private. I also put the solved puzzle on my ignore list, and add a comment that it is solved.

 

3. I don't get puzzles in my regular PQ. However, I have a PQ for mystery caches. Since my solved ones are ignored, all I get are unsolved ones. I also have a PQ made from the Solved Puzzles bookmark.

 

4. I get my regular PQ and my Solved Puzzle bookmark PQ once a week. I use the 'corrected coordinates' feature of GSAK to input the final coords for the puzzles. (the corrected coordinates do not get overwritten with subsequent PQ updates)

 

5. When I find a puzzle I remove that puzzle form the ignore list and the Solved Puzzles bookmarks.

 

For those mystery caches that don't require solving puzzles, I still do the same thing, but I make a user note in GSAK explaining it and what I think the "mystery" of the cache is.

 

I know it sounds cumbersome, but it really isn't and it works VERY smoothly. Also, the Solved Puzzles bookmark list acts as a backup of my solutions should I hose up my GSAK data.

 

I also have a bookmark of Working Puzzles where I keep notes of puzzles or bonus caches that take some time to do - like having to find other caches, etc.

I keep a Mapsource file with my solved puzzles that I load into my GPS. I currently have around 70 to find because I am not very speedy about finding them. Anyhow, that's about the simplest way to do it that I could think of.

[+WRASTRO]

So this doesn't sound like an overly large amount of work to keep a bookmark up to date. Maybe we have differnt definitions of a LOT of manual labor.

Manually putting coordinates in my GPS, since I carry two when I go out.

 

I haven't keyed a coordinate in several years, except for one's that I have to do onsite (like simple 2 stage multi's or solve onsite puzzles), and I'm not about to start now.

 

When I'm out and about, I hit "nearest" on my gps and decide then if I want to grab a couple caches. I'm not about to manually key 2 dozen or more additional coordinates in my GPS every time I reload it (I do clear my gps between every load so there is no chance of me walking around with stale data). Plus when you include all of the other manual coordinates I've figured out, like trail heads, parking, etc for caches I haven't found yet we are probably in the range of 50 to 100 coordinates I'd be hand keying.

Yep, I understand your reluctance. To me it isn 't a big deal. I use one GPS and may or may not have info loaded into my PDA. So for one, two or a few caches I don't give the manual entry a second thought. I found two caches today. Manually entered the coordinates for both of them.

[+WRASTRO]

This is how I handle solved puzzles.

 

1. I have a bookmark called "Solved Puzzles" (original, huh?). When I solve one, it goes in that bookmark list with the final coords. Yes, it is private. I also put the solved puzzle on my ignore list, and add a comment that it is solved.

 

3. I don't get puzzles in my regular PQ. However, I have a PQ for mystery caches. Since my solved ones are ignored, all I get are unsolved ones. I also have a PQ made from the Solved Puzzles bookmark.

 

4. I get my regular PQ and my Solved Puzzle bookmark PQ once a week. I use the 'corrected coordinates' feature of GSAK to input the final coords for the puzzles. (the corrected coordinates do not get overwritten with subsequent PQ updates)

 

5. When I find a puzzle I remove that puzzle form the ignore list and the Solved Puzzles bookmarks.

 

For those mystery caches that don't require solving puzzles, I still do the same thing, but I make a user note in GSAK explaining it and what I think the "mystery" of the cache is.

 

I know it sounds cumbersome, but it really isn't and it works VERY smoothly. Also, the Solved Puzzles bookmark list acts as a backup of my solutions should I hose up my GSAK data.

 

I also have a bookmark of Working Puzzles where I keep notes of puzzles or bonus caches that take some time to do - like having to find other caches, etc.

I keep a Mapsource file with my solved puzzles that I load into my GPS. I currently have around 70 to find because I am not very speedy about finding them. Anyhow, that's about the simplest way to do it that I could think of.

I like your method! I will need to check into doing it that way.

[+pppingme]

This is how I handle solved puzzles.

 

1. I have a bookmark called "Solved Puzzles" (original, huh?). When I solve one, it goes in that bookmark list with the final coords. Yes, it is private. I also put the solved puzzle on my ignore list, and add a comment that it is solved.

 

3. I don't get puzzles in my regular PQ. However, I have a PQ for mystery caches. Since my solved ones are ignored, all I get are unsolved ones. I also have a PQ made from the Solved Puzzles bookmark.

 

4. I get my regular PQ and my Solved Puzzle bookmark PQ once a week. I use the 'corrected coordinates' feature of GSAK to input the final coords for the puzzles. (the corrected coordinates do not get overwritten with subsequent PQ updates)

 

5. When I find a puzzle I remove that puzzle form the ignore list and the Solved Puzzles bookmarks.

 

For those mystery caches that don't require solving puzzles, I still do the same thing, but I make a user note in GSAK explaining it and what I think the "mystery" of the cache is.

 

I know it sounds cumbersome, but it really isn't and it works VERY smoothly. Also, the Solved Puzzles bookmark list acts as a backup of my solutions should I hose up my GSAK data.

 

I also have a bookmark of Working Puzzles where I keep notes of puzzles or bonus caches that take some time to do - like having to find other caches, etc.

If your using GSAK, then why go through the site at all with bookmark lists and ignore lists?

 

Here's what I do:

 

I get ALL caches in my PQ's, I don't do any filtering at all at the PQ level (except found/not found)

 

When I download caches to my equipment from GSAK (2 gps units, pda) I filter on whatever criteria I want but I also filter so userdata "does not contain" "unsolved", so there are never unsolved caches on my equipment.

 

I have one filter that filters for Puzzle/Unknown and for the userdata field to be blank. I check this after loading new data, it should always return nothing unless there is a new puzzle cache that I've never seen.

 

If its a puzzle that I need to work out, but I'm not going to do it right now, then I put "unsolved" in the userdata field (so it won't show up in my normal gps/pda downloads). As I solve them, I change the userdata field to either "solved" or some other one or two word note (it doesn't really matter what it is as long as its not "unsolved") and either set corrected coords or child waypoints as needed.

 

If it seems to be an on-site or gather info, or similar type cache, then I put "onsite" in the userdata field.

 

This seems a lot easier than messing with bookmarks, ignore lists, and still loading everything through gsak, its also keeps the PQ's simpler. Even with your method, you still have to do corrected coords or child waypoints on the cache after you solve it on the site, something that could easily be forgotten.

 

Doing it this way also allows me to work on a puzzle at any time (assuming internet isn't required for the puzzle itself) on my laptop without an internet connection, since I never need to visit the site.

[+hallycat]

GSAK has the ability to change coordinates and lock it so that a new PQ won't change it. Highlight the cache and right click/choose corrected coordinates. Once you hit OK that field is locked.

 

When I've found a cache it gets moved to my found caches database.

It's there with the correct coordinates any time I need it.

[+Cache O'Plenty]

I do similar to Potato Finder except I have a special PQ just for Mystery caches that go into their own database. That's only run once a week. Then I have 10 PQs that are "date placed" driven to maximize the number of caches in my radius of 30 miles. When a puzzle is solved, I use the "corrected coordinates" flag in GSAK to change the coordinates. If a "Mystery" cache turns out to be a "onsite" type where the coordinates are the actual location, I also use the "corrected coordinates" flag to enter the original coordinates as "corrected" ones.

 

Finally, all "corrected coordinates" are then copied to the main database with all the other "real" coordiates caches for download to the GPSr units. This way I can delete "disabled" Mystery caches based on the GPX date.

[+Cache O'Plenty]

Dup post. Dang mouse is sticking.

Edited January 29, 2009 by Cache O'Plenty