Bug: Lab cache GPX files are invalid XML

[+Bananeweizen]

Hi guys,

 

would you please consider creating actually valid XML files for the lab caches? Using a namespace and declaring that namespace inside the element using it simply doesn't work, as every XML validation tool can tell you. Please declare the namespace at some parent elment, e.g. the root element of the XML file.

 

Every GPX reader that actually uses XML to read these files will just ignore all the geocache data, and only read the desc, sym and coordinates.

 

Ciao, Michael

[+Bananeweizen]

And while you are at it, you could also generate actual non zero IDs and unique geo codes for lab caches. Right now, importing several lab cache GPX files will result in only seeing the caches from the last file, as they are always called GC-0 to GC-123 and therefore overwrite each other.

 

This led to a really poor user experience for many visitors of the Giga in Munich, who had imported all 3 files in advance, and discovered only at the event that 2/3 of the lab caches were now missing.

Edited August 19, 2014 by Bananeweizen

[Moun10Bike]

I've been working with the dev in charge of labs on this and we think we have a reasonable solution in place for these issues now. The updated GPX is validating and he put together a hash for the ID based on the lab name that seems to be working and provides a unique ID for each lab (he plans to keep tweaking this). Do you have access to any labs at this point to download and provide feedback?

 

One strange quirk I'm seeing with the new format is that if I load a set of labs on my Garmin Oregon 650t with no other caches loaded, nothing shows up. However, if I add even one "regular" cache, then I see all of the labs as expected. The dev working on this does not see the same thing on his Garmin eTrex 30 - they load fine in both instances for him.

[+Slow Wolf]

Do you have access to any labs at this point to download and provide feedback?

 

If you send a fixed GPX file to me (sam@hacker.org), I can test and report.

[+Lil Devil]

If you send a fixed GPX file to me (sam@hacker.org), I can test and report.

Go to your found lab caches list and click on one of the headers (not the individual labs, but the header for a set of labs). You'll end up with a url such as

https://labs.geocaching.com/Adventures/Details/8d09f6fa-2a03-4a39-aba7-bf57a612875f

Now change the "Details" part of the url to "DetailsAsGPX" and hit the enter key. This will download the GPX file for that set of labs. This works for all labs since the first lab cache just over a year ago.

[+Bananeweizen]

Looks much better now and can be read again by XML tooling. Thanks.

 

There is still another issue I didn't mention before: You are stripping away all umlauts in the output. E.g. the lab cache 01_Munich Olympic Walk Of Stars should start with "Ein Paar schräge Vögel" (as seen on the webpage of that lab cache), but in the GPX there is only "Ein Paar schrge Vgel".

[jholly]

I've been working with the dev in charge of labs on this and we think we have a reasonable solution in place for these issues now. The updated GPX is validating and he put together a hash for the ID based on the lab name that seems to be working and provides a unique ID for each lab (he plans to keep tweaking this). Do you have access to any labs at this point to download and provide feedback?

 

One strange quirk I'm seeing with the new format is that if I load a set of labs on my Garmin Oregon 650t with no other caches loaded, nothing shows up. However, if I add even one "regular" cache, then I see all of the labs as expected. The dev working on this does not see the same thing on his Garmin eTrex 30 - they load fine in both instances for him.

You might consider taking a look at the conversation over at GSAK starting here.

[+ecanderson]

You might consider taking a look at the conversation over at GSAK starting here.

The use of the prefix may be moot if Moun10Bike is correct that they'll soon be using a hash of the lab name to create (statistically) unique tags. Edited August 27, 2014 by ecanderson

[+Wulfman_Do]

Hello,

 

i check different LAB Caches GPX files for germany, the most are know ok and make no problem.

 

but the GPX File for the LABs at the GC4EMGA - Big Äppel is not valid.

( https://labs.geocaching.com/Adventures/Details/ef2bc574-5959-400f-8dde-3556fbad02a4 )

 

When I import this gpx file i get the error " Badly formed UTF-8 Character in stream "

I check the gpx valid and the prob is at:

 

Adresse: http://www.validome.org/xml/validate/ Zeile Nr. 76, Spalte 92:

<desc>This is a cache list generated from Labs.Geocaching.com specifically for Big ppel - GC4MEGA</desc> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------^

 

It is the Problem with the vowel mutation of the Ä . ( the German Ä for AE, Ö for OE, Ü for UE )

Some posts befor there was the Problem with the LAbs for the GIGA Munich were the ä,ö,ü, was cut out, i check this gpx files after import there are the ä,ö,ü changed to ae, oe, ue.

 

Think at the Big Äppel LABs GPX Set it was forgotten ? or missed to replace ?

 

Please Check, thanks.

Wulfman_Do