Caches Along A Route - Sort Order

[+MrCJDL]

I've created a feedback/suggestion topic for this, but just wanted to get some community input as it's entirely possible I'm just 'doing it wrong' (in which case I'll remove that ^^

 

When doing a caches along a route query, it seems that by default caches are sorted by how far away they are from 'the route'.

 

I think it'd be great if we could have the option to sort in a different manner, as (in my opinion) it'd greatly assist in cache/route planning.

 

Ideally, the option to sort based on how far they are from the START of the route... that way they would be listed in, roughly, the correct order from start to finish... the PQ could then be refined to only show caches, e.g. within 1km of the route.

 

I feel that this would make it much easier to plan trips.

 

Anyone any thoughts on this ?

 

If you agree, feel free to vote up the idea in the feedback forum. If I'm just 'doing it wrong', please do let me know

[+pppingme]

Since PQ's are typically loaded into another app/device/something else, there's usually no need to sort a pq in any order.

 

If you are planning your route with any type of mapping program (s&t, google earth, the map on your gps etc), then that program will show them visually.

 

If you are driving along your router and just hit the nearest option on your gps, then you get the closest caches.

 

Either way, its probably good to get that visual look, just because a cache happens to be near a route, doesn't mean its a typical vacation or easy cache you typically think about along a route, if you're route happens to go through some otherwise very rough terrain that you have to go around for miles to even enter the area, its probably not one you would grab if you're doing the along a route thing.

 

I'm curious how you are trying to use it, maybe based on that, better suggestions can be made.

[+MrCJDL]

Personally, I wouldn't be using it on a driving route, well - maybe, but primarily I'm thinking of long distance (~100 mile) / multi-day (~7 days) hiking trips. I realise I can just stick them all in a PQ and load up 'closest to my location' at 'x' place - but I'm one of these 'planning' types that likes to have everything mapped out in advance. i.e., I know exactly where I want to be going, in advance.

 

I suppose, as you allude to, I could just map them, and pick what I want from that - I just think it'd be so much easier to have the route PQ show them all, including distance, difficulty, terrain, last found, favourites... etc, all in one place, but in the 'right' order.

 

I guess I could even add them to a new list, and create a new PQ from that, therefore filtering out all the caches I want to skip, etc.

 

[+fizzymagic]

I realise I can just stick them all in a PQ and load up 'closest to my location' at 'x' place - but I'm one of these 'planning' types that likes to have everything mapped out in advance. i.e., I know exactly where I want to be going, in advance.

 

That's part of what PQs are for; so you can use your own software to do with the caches returned whatever you want.

 

Ccoming up with a stable, useful sort order such as you describe is very difficult. Do you want them sorted by distance from the origin of the route? By distance along the route of the route point nearest the cache? By distance from the route? Any of those is going to burn cpu time, as well.

 

I suppose, as you allude to, I could just map them, and pick what I want from that - I just think it'd be so much easier to have the route PQ show them all, including distance, difficulty, terrain, last found, favourites... etc, all in one place, but in the 'right' order.

 

No problem; just sort the GPX file any way you want. Remember that the original intent of PQs was to make data available for third-party applications to do. You can do everything you have just described using GSAK or some other application.