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On 2/4/2019 at 1:50 PM, sloth96 said:

With the cutover coming soon, not many apps seem to be using it.  

 

How do you find this out?

How do you find out anything - other than basic end-user stuff - about the API?

 

My google-fu is weak when it comes to this. I can't seem to find out more, and hate having to ask...

 

EDIT: I did find this:

https://api.Groundspeak.com/documentation

...hidden behind the title of invisibility (license agreement).  Doesn't seem to discuss a new API or a cutover, that I can see on first skimming.

 

Edited by Viajero Perdido
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13 minutes ago, Viajero Perdido said:

 

How do you find this out?

How do you find out anything - other than basic end-user stuff - about the API?

 

My google-fu is weak when it comes to this. I can't seem to find out more, and hate having to ask...

 

EDIT: I did find this:

https://api.Groundspeak.com/documentation

...hidden behind the title of invisibility (license agreement).  Doesn't seem to discuss a new API or a cutover, that I can see on first skimming.

 

The new API was made available to all API partners around the middle of 2018 with an implementation date of May 2019. Clyde announced it to the GSAK community in June of 2018 so I'm assuming other developers chose not to inform their users? Since this is buried so far behind the scene I would think it would be the developers responsibility to inform their users.

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32 minutes ago, 31BMSG said:

Since this is buried so far behind the scene I would think it would be the developers responsibility to inform their users.

 

There should be no problem with actively supported apps but many apps do not have support any more. They are fully operational as long as groudspeak is supporting the API. It will be not a pleasant surprise when they stop working without any warning. It would be nice to have a list of apps which are compatible with the new API.

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I did some forum digging.  The authors of Locus Map and Geocaching4Locus are both aware of the API change.  The former hasn't implemented it yet (EDIT: now in beta), and I don't know about the latter.  Both are active developers so I'm not worried for my favorite app combo.

 

https://help.locusmap.eu/topic/new-geocaching-api

https://help.locusmap.eu/topic/add-geocache-to-watchlist

 

But I do worry for people using dormant apps, as pointed out above.

 

Edited by Viajero Perdido
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4 minutes ago, arisoft said:

 

There should be no problem with actively supported apps but many apps do not have support any more. They are fully operational as long as groudspeak is supporting the API. It will be not a pleasant surprise when they stop working without any warning. It would be nice to have a list of apps which are compatible with the new API.

 

I guess that actively supported apps will get updates to work with API2 and thus it will be clear that they will continue to work. Apps that are no longer supported will stop working (at least the API part) but I don't think the authors will warn their users (if they don't support their software anymore why would they).

Who knows, maybe new partners will be allowed to take the place of the ones that disappeared.

It surprises me you have an app that was not updated in years... so no bug fixes or new features all this time? I wonder which app it is.

 

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44 minutes ago, on4bam said:

Who knows, maybe new partners will be allowed to take the place of the ones that disappeared.

That would be nice. My main concern when I heard that Groundspeak was no longer accepting new API developers was that the third-party apps would disappear through attrition.

 

46 minutes ago, on4bam said:

 It surprises me you have an app that was not updated in years... so no bug fixes or new features all this time? I wonder which app it is.

I've had a couple apps where that happened: NeonGeo and CacheSense. They both worked fine for years after the developers stopped supporting them. But at some point, something in the API changed and they no longer worked.

 

I'm getting by with Groundspeak's app for now, but in May, I'll take a look at which Android API-based apps are still alive and pick one.

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1 hour ago, on4bam said:

It surprises me you have an app that was not updated in years... so no bug fixes or new features all this time? I wonder which app it is.

 

The App is Called "Neongeo" and all "bugs" relates to unexpected API changes which have happened quite recently. I have been fully satisfied with the app and it seems that I am forced to change to another one. Fortinately this app is capable to use GPX files and manual uploading of field notes so I am not fully disabled with the App when the API support ends. I am considering a "Locus" based solution but it seems to be not ready yet.

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3 hours ago, Viajero Perdido said:

 

How do you find this out?

How do you find out anything - other than basic end-user stuff - about the API?

 

 

It started with a post on the gsak board and the looking at the social media, web pages, and updates of various partners.

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The developer of Maloo (for Windows Phone) announced in November he will not update the app to the new API.

One of the reasons I went back to Android a couple of weeks ago.

 

13 hours ago, Team Fjordies said:

Globalcaching/4Geocaching (Dutch community site) is in the middle of migrating to the new API.

Actually, they will quit on March 1st due to the change to the new API.

But several volunteers are taking over (most of) the services. I believe this also includes GAPP.

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8 hours ago, niraD said:

I'm getting by with Groundspeak's app for now, but in May, I'll take a look at which Android API-based apps are still alive and pick one.

I've been experimenting with Geooh Live and am quite impressed with it.  I first used it when I was having trouble logging trackables with the Official app and the Geooh Live app worked just fine.  The app even has some utility for scouting out new cache locations, with 0.1 mile circles and waypoint averaging. I'll still stick with my GPSr for getting placement coords, but I think this app would be good when scouting out potential locations. It is being actively developed and is mentioned in the OP as one of the apps that is known to be migrating to the new API.

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LonelyCache  has been running on the REST API (I personally would not call it JSON based) since early last December. It was a fair bit of work to convert from the SOAP API, however I think it is currently running better than it ever has, as it forced me to look at and resolve some issues I had been ignoring. That being said, LonelyCache has yet to convert to the new authorization mechanism that is part of the transition Geocaching HQ is having their API partners go through.

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On ‎2‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 11:50 AM, niraD said:

That would be nice. My main concern when I heard that Groundspeak was no longer accepting new API developers was that the third-party apps would disappear through attrition.

 

I've had a couple apps where that happened: NeonGeo and CacheSense. They both worked fine for years after the developers stopped supporting them. But at some point, something in the API changed and they no longer worked. 

 

I'm getting by with Groundspeak's app for now, but in May, I'll take a look at which Android API-based apps are still alive and pick one.

I know last summer, Geocaching HQ made some changes to conform to the GDPS. That may very well have impacted the functionality of some apps. Also, they converted from TLS1.0 to TLS1.1 (Transaction Level Security) which also may have affected some apps. Both of those changes impacted LonelyCache, the latter causing its users to no longer be able to authenticate (authorize) with Geocaching.

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On 2/6/2019 at 12:58 PM, Viajero Perdido said:

I did some forum digging.  The authors of Locus Map and Geocaching4Locus are both aware of the API change.  The former hasn't implemented it yet (EDIT: now in beta), and I don't know about the latter.  Both are active developers so I'm not worried for my favorite app combo.

 

https://help.locusmap.eu/topic/new-geocaching-api

https://help.locusmap.eu/topic/add-geocache-to-watchlist

 

But I do worry for people using dormant apps, as pointed out above.

 

Considering that Clyde (GSAK) has been working on the new API code since last summer, it is a bit concerning that Locus is just starting work on it.

I hope he gets it done in time, as it's my preferred app.

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1 hour ago, BlackRose67 said:

it is a bit concerning that Locus is just starting work on it.

I hope he gets it done in time, as it's my preferred app.

 

He's working on it right now, and you can follow the progress here.  I imagine the next non-beta release will use the new API, once he gets the kinks worked out in beta.  If I had to guess, a week or two.

 

But just to be safe, I've turned off auto-update for Locus and G4L, because they're mission-critical for me on my annual caching pilgrimage, and that starts very soon.  I know the current released (non-beta) version is stable, and that's the version I intend to use for this trip.  :)  A couple of years back I said some unkind things about the API, profanity on a Hong Kong mountaintop, because the API end of things didn't seem to be working, and I really needed to load a spoiler picture.

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On 2/6/2019 at 6:07 PM, 31BMSG said:

The new API was made available to all API partners around the middle of 2018 with an implementation date of May 2019. Clyde announced it to the GSAK community in June of 2018 so I'm assuming other developers chose not to inform their users? Since this is buried so far behind the scene I would think it would be the developers responsibility to inform their users.

Cachetur.no has been open about this process to all users since the new API was announced. 

 

On 2/16/2019 at 12:30 AM, Corfman Clan said:

I know last summer, Geocaching HQ made some changes to conform to the GDPS. That may very well have impacted the functionality of some apps. Also, they converted from TLS1.0 to TLS1.1 (Transaction Level Security) which also may have affected some apps. Both of those changes impacted LonelyCache, the latter causing its users to no longer be able to authenticate (authorize) with Geocaching.

GDPR* If I remember correctly, it was TLS1.2, and to comply with PCI (for payments).

 

On 2/16/2019 at 3:05 PM, BlackRose67 said:

Considering that Clyde (GSAK) has been working on the new API code since last summer, it is a bit concerning that Locus is just starting work on it.

I hope he gets it done in time, as it's my preferred app.

The reason for the long time is issues with the new API, missing features etc. The new API is also considerably slower. It's starting to look better now. So migrating was a lot more work last summer than it is now.

Cachetur.no was fully migrated, but the new authentication didn't work, so we had to revert some parts back to the old API. So we are also about 90% migrated now.

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Update:  Locus Map has been released with the new API for some time now, and seems to be working well.  That covers the offline caching functions.

 

The companion app Geocaching4Locus - which handles online caching functions - is making people a bit nervous, as there's been no apparent activity or communication from the author, according to discussion in the Locus forum.  Since the code for G4L is public on github, the Locus author may have a contingency plan...

 

Edited by Viajero Perdido
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On 4/28/2019 at 11:22 AM, Viajero Perdido said:

Update:  Locus Map has been released with the new API for some time now, and seems to be working well.  That covers the offline caching functions.

 

The companion app Geocaching4Locus - which handles online caching functions - is making people a bit nervous, as there's been no apparent activity or communication from the author, according to discussion in the Locus forum.  Since the code for G4L is public on github, the Locus author may have a contingency plan...

 

I launched G4L and it was able to import a bookmark list ok

Not sure if it simply handed it off to Locus.

 

The rest I don't want to test until I am on Wi-Fi. 

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And juuust in the nick of time, the author of Geocaching4Locus (which provides live online functionality) has pushed a new version to the Play store, dated today, the day the old API dies.  "Rewritten from scratch".  Sounds like he's been busy, and maybe feeling the pressure a bit.

 

As I mentioned earlier, offline functionality that's built directly into Locus Map has already been working fine with the new API for a while.

 

Cache on.  B)

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