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Geocaching.com site update Jan 17th 2012


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as an osm contributor and infrequent geocacher - awesome move to openstreetmap data based maps. for europe they are of much better quality than google ones, and i have the exact same map in my browser, in geocaching.com site, in my garmin device and in my phone. neat.

 

I think OSM is more interesting too, but I have a problem with the zoom level of the little preview map on the cache page. Previously the Google maps showed the surrounding villages, but now it only mentions the next city which makes it almost useless. I think users should be able to control a setting to adjust the default zoom level. Perhaps this was tested in the US where, I suppose, you've got a city every 50 or 100 km, but living in a small european country, the map now shows almost a third of the entire country and the only labelled city is that of the capital.

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Update: Recently Viewed Caches list (Bye bye confidentiality)

 

My girlfriend and I, we both use our GC team account. As a present for her birthday next week, I had prepared a one day surprise trip to our favourite vacation resort in the highlands. In preparation, I have also been looking for cool and promising cache listings at the planned destination. Now, after the recent site update, this morning she was able to foresee the whole thing, thanks to the new Recently Viewed Caches list. In almost six years of Geocaching, we have not been affronted with such an insensitive and indiscretionary functional extension. This situation is unbearable for both of us. So our request is to

 

  • retract that shady memory feature or at least
  • make it optional within the users' account preferences

Kind regards from Germany,

 

Gero & Jutta (Team drkurt)

 

This certainly wasn't one of our use case scenarios. :sad:

 

I had very similar thoughts myself - my wife can see that I haven't been working as hard as I claim to have been! :unsure:

 

I don't like the feature one bit (and have ABPed it) but I'd have thought it would have made more sense to use cookies or something to maintain a list

 

Mark

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REALLY dislike the recently viewed caches update.

Beyond really dislike it.

 

How do I turn it completely off and save that setting

using no third party hacks or the like ?

 

Don't fight it... install AdBlock Plus and you can hide all the other unwanted stuff as well - Facebook links, Challenges, Cachers' trackables and finds stats etc..

 

:)

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If it must stay and I can't disable it, I will say I appreciate including the GC code on the page.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the GC code is displayed anywhere on the confirmation page after a log is submitted. This has always annoyed me. I have a long list of found GC codes on 60csx and I sometimes lose track of where I am on the list. I'd like to see the GC code on that page instead of having to navigate back (or forward) to see it.

 

you're mixing apples and oranges, i.e. that's two unrelated things

 

the GC codes are displayed in the list of last viewed caches

 

having the GC codes display for logs has nothing to do with last viewed caches list

 

I don't want to start an argument over semantics, but yes they are related. They are both ostensibly used for submitting your next log. The recently viewed caches list has the "log it" link and the log confirmation page has the input box for a GC code at the bottom of the page. The GC code on the recently viewed list will make it easy to match to the calendar on my 60csx while I was lamenting that the confirmation page had no such code.

 

your GPS doesn't support field notes?

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Y our GPS doesn't support field notes?

 

 

The 60CSx, arguably the best GPS Garmin ever made, does not support field notes. It is the precursor to the Colorado/Oregon which introduced "paperless caching".

 

Each waypoint in the 60CSx has a "memo" field that holds about 20-30 characters but you would drive yourself nuts using the toggle for data entry.

 

 

.

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I'm going to go against the grain here and say I like the new Recently Viewed Caches list. I've found it very useful already. And I'm not just saying that because The Frog owns part of me. I really do like it :)

 

OTOH, I would like to see the ability to turn off the "Your Logs (Last 30 Days)" list :anibad:

I haven't actually logged much lately, but I did find over 800 caches in the last few days. When I start logging, I can easily see the list get up to several thousand entries which will really slow down my browser. My buddy Alamogul (who I cached with last week) says he can't even open his profile page because it's always so long. :blink:

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I'm going to go against the grain here and say I like the new Recently Viewed Caches list. I've found it very useful already. And I'm not just saying that because The Frog owns part of me. I really do like it :)

 

OTOH, I would like to see the ability to turn off the "Your Logs (Last 30 Days)" list :anibad:

I haven't actually logged much lately, but I did find over 800 caches in the last few days. When I start logging, I can easily see the list get up to several thousand entries which will really slow down my browser. My buddy Alamogul (who I cached with last week) says he can't even open his profile page because it's always so long. :blink:

 

Yeah, don't get me wrong. I LIKE the list. I just don't like it THERE. :D

 

I can understand what you mean about the last 30 days list. Perhaps it's time to redesign the Quickview into something like clearly defined panes with the top few (5? 10?) each of; most recent logs, most recent views, most recent travelers logged, most recent PQs run, etc. Each would have a link to the expanded list of those activites in the last 30 days and, maybe, the full list of each.

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Is there a way to turn this off, please? I would much rather see our current log activity at the top of the page.

 

Thank you,

Mrs. Car54

 

You guys do realize it is only the latest 5 caches that are displayed here right? It is only on the detailed view that 50 are shown. We can look into adding the ability to minimize those lists if it becomes a real issue.

 

Thank you, Nate. Yes, I do realize that, although the initial language made it sound as though all 50 would be displayed. I would still prefer not to have them take up the prime real estate at the top of the page. An option to minimize the list would be nice, even better if it stayed minimized through multiple log-ins/log-outs unless/until the user decided to un-minimize it. :)

 

Thank you,

Mrs. Car54

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Thanks for the Recently Viewed Cache list. It's one of the more helpful features Groundspeak has released lately. I think it will come in handy, and like Personal Cache Notes, Correctable Coordinates, and the Favorites system, it's helpful, and generally well thought-out. I do wish it was in a tab or something; from a usability standpoint it really doesn't belong there.

 

I'll mention again that it would be great to demo these new changes before forcing them on us. :rolleyes:

Edited by JJnTJ
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Yeah, don't get me wrong. I LIKE the (recently viewed) list. I just don't like it THERE. :D

I don't think ADB can come to the rescue here - time for Oily Primate! Erm, I mean GreaseMonkey!

 

ADB got rid of it for me in Chrome. So now I look at it via the link at the top. I don't need it in front of me all the time and I sure didn't like the clutter.

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The Recently Viewed Caches that was added to our Profile page is nothing but a mess and clutters up the page. I look at future runs weeks out and I don't see where this is of any help to anybody. There should be a way to close this out if we don't want it. If you came up with a hide this status button then most folks would be very happy.

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Yeah, don't get me wrong. I LIKE the (recently viewed) list. I just don't like it THERE. :D

I don't think ADB can come to the rescue here - time for Oily Primate! Erm, I mean GreaseMonkey!

 

ADB got rid of it for me in Chrome. So now I look at it via the link at the top. I don't need it in front of me all the time and I sure didn't like the clutter.

I mean relocating it to below the found caches list, for those who like it but don't want it on top. For now I'm suppressing it with the ADB element hiding rule as well.

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Yeah, don't get me wrong. I LIKE the (recently viewed) list. I just don't like it THERE. :D

I don't think ADB can come to the rescue here - time for Oily Primate! Erm, I mean GreaseMonkey!

 

ADB got rid of it for me in Chrome. So now I look at it via the link at the top. I don't need it in front of me all the time and I sure didn't like the clutter.

I mean relocating it to below the found caches list, for those who like it but don't want it on top. For now I'm suppressing it with the ADB element hiding rule as well.

 

Ah. Yeah. With you there.

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Update: Recently Viewed Caches list (Bye bye confidentiality)

 

My girlfriend and I, we both use our GC team account. As a present for her birthday next week, I had prepared a one day surprise trip to our favourite vacation resort in the highlands. In preparation, I have also been looking for cool and promising cache listings at the planned destination. Now, after the recent site update, this morning she was able to foresee the whole thing, thanks to the new Recently Viewed Caches list. In almost six years of Geocaching, we have not been affronted with such an insensitive and indiscretionary functional extension. This situation is unbearable for both of us. So our request is to

 

  • retract that shady memory feature or at least
  • make it optional within the users' account preferences

Kind regards from Germany,

 

Gero & Jutta (Team drkurt)

 

This certainly wasn't one of our use case scenarios. :sad:

 

 

My girlfriend and I, we both use our GC team account. We've been having issues, so i decided to get rid of the problem. I've been researching caches in secluded areas where i could dump her body, but didn't find one yet. Now, after the recent site update, this morning she was able to forsee the whole thing, i've been arrested and am currently facing 15 to life for conspiracy to commit murder.

 

thanks, Groundspeak, for ruining my life.

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May I ask why the Slovenian (and other Slovan lengueges) letters in HTML codins (reffering to letter "Č" ) does not work?

Why don't you remove X any Y too? We don't need them for our language.

 

Yes, please full Unicode support!

I can't understand how it's possible that you still don't fully support Unicode :mad: (there is no charge for using it as is the case for google maps)

 

Domo!!!

 

+1 for that.

 

Unicode support!!!

I vill ask one more time. Vhj there is no ansver from Groundspeak about this "little" issue about unicode support. Vhj are some characters filtered out? Can some admin please ansver to this oustion.

p.s. This tekst is intentionallj vritten vithout "special" english letters. This is hov description of our Slovenian caches looks like.

 

Thank jou!

 

+1

 

I also think It vould be great, if Unicode for the Slovenian letters vould be enabled. Othervise it is realli annoing to read the tekst.

 

Please enable it, Thank jou :)

 

I also don't understand this really bizzare thing: Slovenian letters (I don't know for other languages) DO WORK in descriptions and logs for TBs and GCs!!! :blink:

It seems that there are two uncoordinated teams of programmers...

Edited by pikacu
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I also don't understand this really bizzare thing: Slovenian letters (I don't know for other languages) DO WORK in descriptions and logs for TBs and GCs!!! :blink:

It seems that there are two uncoordinated teams of programmers...

 

That's because the conversion work for logs has taken place. There is still a ways to go before all elements of the site are Unicode-enabled. It is not as simple as flipping a switch - database fields must undergo a conversion process that takes some time and effort.

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I also don't understand this really bizzare thing: Slovenian letters (I don't know for other languages) DO WORK in descriptions and logs for TBs and GCs!!! :blink:

It seems that there are two uncoordinated teams of programmers...

 

It's related to the HTML validator screwing up the HTML entities. The HTML entity for the character you mentioned (edit: I just saw it actually was someone else who mentioned it) is Č which upon form submission gets translated into the actual character, which then shows up as a plain C. The workaround for now is to enter it as Č (yeah, really like that). Save only once though, if you do it twice it's gonna be screwed up again.

Edited by dfx
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REALLY dislike the recently viewed caches update.

Beyond really dislike it.

 

How do I turn it completely off and save that setting

using no third party hacks or the like ?

 

Can you talk about what you don't like about it?

I look at a lot of caches, especially when I do a CAR. Most I really don't want to look at again. When I am setting up to do a day of caching I look at a lot of caches, many I don't want to look at again. And there on my profile page is a list of caches I don't care to look at. Seems to me it is real estate on my profile page displaying something I don't care to look at, which took developer time to create and server time to keep it there. I personally think the developer time could have been better spent on fixing the bookmark API so I can also delete bookmarks from the list in addition to adding them. Actually, there is a whole list of features and feature enhancements I would have found more useful than a list of caches I don't care to look at anymore. Did any one mention PQ maps? I suppose someone that looks at only a couple caches a month might find this feature useful, I don't.

Edited by jholly
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Seems to me it is real estate on my profile page displaying something I don't care to look at, which took developer time to create and server time to keep it there. I personally think the developer time could have been better spent on fixing the bookmark API so I can also delete bookmarks from the list in addition to adding them. Actually, there is a whole list of features and feature enhancements I would have found more useful than a list of caches I don't care to look at anymore.

I completely agree. Why do we keep getting these new features when the previously released features are either not working or are only partially completed? The developers should be working on fixing and completing the existing features before working on any new ones.

Oh, and don't get me started on the blatant lack of testing...

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Recently Viewed Geocaches

 

Have you ever been out for a day of caching and then struggled to remember which caches you found so you could log them? In this update we added a list of caches you recently viewed to the profile and a new top navigation link under "Play" to directly view the list. The last 50 viewed caches are included and are saved for 10 days.

 

Is there a way to turn this off, please? I would much rather see our current log activity at the top of the page.

 

Thank you,

Mrs. Car54

 

Yes, I too would like the ability to turn this new "feature" off.

 

You guys do realize it is only the latest 5 caches that are displayed here right? It is only on the detailed view that 50 are shown. We can look into adding the ability to minimize those lists if it becomes a real issue.

 

I just do not see how anyone can be griping about this. It looks fine to me. I like it. How does this take away from anything peoples?

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I love this new feature! I can now close several tabs in my browser that I have open. :) I really appreciate that it's at the top & easy to find, since I rarely go back to look at caches I've logged recently besides browsing to see if caches I've logged DNFs and Needs Maintenance on recently have been disabled. Thank you!

 

Will there be a feature in the mobile app that has this information as well, so that when we're out and about, we can see which caches we were looking at while at our home computer & vice versa? That would be really helpful.

 

Read the last update's Release Notes

 

Recently Viewed Geocaches

 

Have you ever been out for a day of caching and then struggled to remember which caches you found so you could log them? In this update we added a list of caches you recently viewed to the profile and a new top navigation link under "Play" to directly view the list. The last 50 viewed caches are included and are saved for 10 days.

 

Edited by Mickey4jes
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The way I see it, it's not that this is a bad feature - I think it just needs to be an optional display; let us hide or remove the box, since it's really not useful to quite a lot of people. It can be useful, but to many, not nearly as useful as the other page elements that it's now placed above as having more priority.

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What I think that Many of us would like is the ability to choose what section to view, and in what order. Honestly, I'd LOVE to see field notes expanded into a segment like the recently viewed caches. Maybe revamp the 'logs in last thirty days' segment...give us options to maybe only show last 10, 15, days....it would lessen the hits on the database.

 

I don't mind the new ability to see more stuff, but there also needs to be a way for each user to decide what they want to see and what they don't after they play with it for a bit.

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I also don't understand this really bizzare thing: Slovenian letters (I don't know for other languages) DO WORK in descriptions and logs for TBs and GCs!!! :blink:

It seems that there are two uncoordinated teams of programmers...

 

It's related to the HTML validator screwing up the HTML entities. The HTML entity for the character you mentioned (edit: I just saw it actually was someone else who mentioned it) is Č which upon form submission gets translated into the actual character, which then shows up as a plain C. The workaround for now is to enter it as Č (yeah, really like that). Save only once though, if you do it twice it's gonna be screwed up again.

 

It's slightly different behaviour: when we enter characters č and Č literaly (ie by pressing a corresponding keyboard key), they are translated to ASCII c and C after submission. The translation is one way only: when we edit the old record, we don't get back original letters any more.

There are two strange things:

1. The other national characters (šŠžŽ) are left untouched,

2. In the first log preview (the single log record which you get just after submittion) you can see untouched characters! But in the log listing on the cache page the charactes are already translated. The translation obviously occurs while writing the record to database. (Please note tha I am referring here to cache logs; when the cache description is submitted you don't get its plain version)

 

The workaround now is like you said: to use html entities & #269; and & #268; which are left untouched after submitting and you can also get them back in editing mode. But this workaround is very cumbersome, I am using it only in descriptions of my caches.

 

BUT...

 

I'm totaly frustrated now! While I was writing the post above and doing some tests I realized that workaround with html entities DOESN'T WORK ANY MORE in the cache descriptions!!!!!! :mad:

Therefore no more national characters in our cache descriptions :( .

Hey guys what are wrong with you????? Don't you realize that you have international audience here and not only ASCII reading/writing people?

 

Please make full Unicode support for cache descriptions ASAP. I believe that this is a more urgent issue than inventing some fancy lists like last visited caches... The unicode support issue is here for a long time now (it had its own vote entry in former voting mechanism which was quietly removed recently), and as I heared not only Slovenian (Croatian, Bosnian, etc..) characters are affected but some other nations' too.

In the meantime, please bring back the workaround with html entities for national characters.

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It still works if you don't use HTML coding. Just add HTML code in non-html text and you get Č. I still didn't find a way to get Č into HTML coding.

 

I just tested the code posted by CDJ Abuser (THANK YOU VERY MUCH :) ) and it works exactly as written. Please note that you should submit cache description only once (each time something is stripped away). See the description of http://coord.info/GC2VBMY where I use html coding.

 

Summary of using č and Č:

1) In cache description form use č and Č (before submitting again you will have to correct all the codes because they are screwed upon submittion)

2) In log form for cache and trackable item use & #269; and & #268; (one string, no space between & #)

3) In descriptions for trackable items you can use literal characters.

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Yo ho ho Raine, Jeremy, Moun10bike - have a question, do ya'all sit back in the office and have a pool to see how many people on the forums here have conniption fits on the trivial for each update? Bet everyone bid under on this one.....

 

I would bet a good amount that most of those having these fits would not have even looked at the page in question for weeks without the said update notice, yet such a horrible thing - the sky is falling, look out peoples.....

 

This one takes the cake though as king of trivial! Wowsie kapowsie.

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Without six or eight nested quotes, I also would like to ask the recently viewed caches be moved to a tab or otherwise relocated. I am preparing for a cross country trip and I have looked at a lot of caches that I will never look at again, having them disqualified from my list of potential hunts. I don't need to see them again. I also follow links to random caches mentioned in the forums and other places that I will never hunt nor be within 1500 miles of. Again, I don't need to see them again. Even my 10-year-old-technology Legend C records at least the name of my finds. I can revisit them easily enough. My newer Oregon features field note uploads, taking care of both found and not found revisits. Using my Android phone, I can log from the field assuming cell coverage. If not, logs will be held until service is available.

I get the feeling that GS is attempting to make the site easy to use for new users, and new recruits to this hobby/sport/game/passtime. That's well and good, but it shouldn't at the same time kludged up for users who can find a tab when they need to.

hairball

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A few people on here have expressed the desire to not see the last 5 recently viewed cache list on the My Profile page. In our next release there will be an option to hide that section.

 

Going forward we'll try to make these types of things configurable.

 

-Raine

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A few people on here have expressed the desire to not see the last 5 recently viewed cache list on the My Profile page. In our next release there will be an option to hide that section.

 

Going forward we'll try to make these types of things configurable.

 

-Raine

Thank you. And hopefully if we turn them off you get to keep the server cycles.

Edited by jholly
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A few people on here have expressed the desire to not see the last 5 recently viewed cache list on the My Profile page. In our next release there will be an option to hide that section.

 

Going forward we'll try to make these types of things configurable.

 

-Raine

Awesome :) Thanks for listening to us. It's not said enough, but the developers clearly do a lot of work, whether it's requested or not, so keep it up. There will always be more criticism than praise, unfortunately, such is the bane of development for a passionate community ;)

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And hopefully if we turn them off you get to keep the server cycles.

 

Well I personally don't but every cache log that happens I've been scrapping the .00001 favorite points into a slush account, just don't tell anyone :ph34r:

 

-Raine

Didn't Richard Pryor do that with the company payroll in Superman II? :laughing:

 

--Larry

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A few people on here have expressed the desire to not see the last 5 recently viewed cache list on the My Profile page. In our next release there will be an option to hide that section.

 

Going forward we'll try to make these types of things configurable.

 

-Raine

I put my tuppence in and say I like the last viewed facility. What I do find distracting and of no use is the Unpublished Cache list. I'd rather see that go.

 

A suggestion—would it be feasible to drop a cookie that loaded whatever the user was last viewing?

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A few people on here have expressed the desire to not see the last 5 recently viewed cache list on the My Profile page. In our next release there will be an option to hide that section.

 

Going forward we'll try to make these types of things configurable.

 

-Raine

 

thank you for saving a lot of people from getting mouse induced scrollitis :P:anibad:

 

good call, as i said before personally i wouldn't mind seeing just one

Edited by t4e
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as an osm contributor and infrequent geocacher - awesome move to openstreetmap data based maps. for europe they are of much better quality than google ones, and i have the exact same map in my browser, in geocaching.com site, in my garmin device and in my phone. neat.

 

I think OSM is more interesting too, but I have a problem with the zoom level of the little preview map on the cache page. Previously the Google maps showed the surrounding villages, but now it only mentions the next city which makes it almost useless. I think users should be able to control a setting to adjust the default zoom level. Perhaps this was tested in the US where, I suppose, you've got a city every 50 or 100 km, but living in a small european country, the map now shows almost a third of the entire country and the only labelled city is that of the capital.

 

I agree with you. It makes a big difference for which country the maps are used and at which scaling level.

 

For this Canadian cache the mini map makes some sense

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=34f3010a-737c-4998-9b58-b2aef2add3c5

 

For these Austrian caches it makes almost no sense at all

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GC2Q6AX

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=2953183e-eb05-4408-9f6f-8b470242b63d

 

Cezanne

Edited by cezanne
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thank you for saving a lot of people from getting mouse induced scrollitis

 

Didn't you know? The profile home page is some people's actual home. They don't like other people renovating their home. It's a personal offense to their taste in decor. And they can get confused navigating the new floor plan. :lostsignal:

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thank you for saving a lot of people from getting mouse induced scrollitis

 

Didn't you know? The profile home page is some people's actual home. They don't like other people renovating their home. It's a personal offense to their taste in decor. And they can get confused navigating the new floor plan. :lostsignal:

 

but..but...they don't own it, they're just renting it from GC :laughing:

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What I do find distracting and of no use is the Unpublished Cache list. I'd rather see that go.

That is one I don't mind. I reuse the unpublished caches for new caches so having list is handy. Having it as one of the menu items at the top of the page would be fine so the real estate could be freed up would also be cool.

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thank you for saving a lot of people from getting mouse induced scrollitis

Didn't you know? The profile home page is some people's actual home. They don't like other people renovating their home. It's a personal offense to their taste in decor. And they can get confused navigating the new floor plan. :lostsignal:

but..but...they don't own it, they're just renting it from GC :laughing:

Exactly! And between AdBlock and GreaseMonkey you can do a fair amount if interior decoration, though of course you're not allowed to do any structural modification such as plumbing.

 

This metaphor is getting a little shaky and in need of a seismic retrofit...

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thank you for saving a lot of people from getting mouse induced scrollitis

Didn't you know? The profile home page is some people's actual home. They don't like other people renovating their home. It's a personal offense to their taste in decor. And they can get confused navigating the new floor plan. :lostsignal:

but..but...they don't own it, they're just renting it from GC :laughing:

Exactly! And between AdBlock and GreaseMonkey you can do a fair amount if interior decoration, though of course you're not allowed to do any structural modification such as plumbing.

 

This metaphor is getting a little shaky and in need of a seismic retrofit...

Given where we live that may occur at any moment.

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Recently Viewed Geocaches

 

Have you ever been out for a day of caching and then struggled to remember which caches you found so you could log them? In this update we added a list of caches you recently viewed to the profile and a new top navigation link under "Play" to directly view the list. The last 50 viewed caches are included and are saved for 10 days.

 

Is there a way to turn this off, please? I would much rather see our current log activity at the top of the page.

 

Thank you,

Mrs. Car54

 

As always, ABP to the rescue with an element hiding rule:

 

geocaching.com#div(id=ctl00_ContentBody_RecentlyViewedCachesPanel)

 

Would you be able to please provide the code to lose the "Your Unpublished Disabled Caches" list?

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Would you be able to please provide the code to lose the "Your Unpublished Disabled Caches" list?

 

Unfortunately that section isn't enclosed in any modern structural HTML blocks that would make it possible to hide it...

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