Avoid Specific Cachers from Searches

[+flyfshrgrl]

I would like to avoid hides by some specific cachers.  I was looking for some Challenge caches, so I entered "Challenge" in the "Geocache name contains" field; I clicked enabled in the "Cache Status" field; Found Status field I chose "Not found by me," which autopopulated my geonick in the "Not found by."  I then entered the names of the two hiders whose caches I want to avoid in the "Not found by."  In the "Owner status field," I clicked "Caches I don't own."  In the "Geocache Type" field, I Deselected All, and then I chose only the Mystery.  From that point onward, I selected no other filters, and chose Apply.

Lo and behold, both their names appeared in my search results, many times but not as many active caches as they have.  I was surprised, so I tried only having their name in the "Not found by" category, eliminating my name and the other cacher's name.  Same results appeared for the cacher's name which was typed in the "Not found by" and obviously, all the caches hidden by the other cacher that I removed from that category.

I then tried variations of filters, but I could never eliminate the two cachers' hides from my searches, so I know I am doing something wrong, but I am stumped as to what combination of dos and don'ts I need to execute to achieve my goal.  I would appreciate the help greatly.

I have included a photo but have redacted names; however, the first name in my filter is the hider, same name/spelling/icon, of the caches that appear.  How does one log their own cache?

Edited February 16 by flyfshrgrl

[Keystone]

If you're trying to exclude owners who have hidden caches, a filter based on "not found by" won't help at all.  A cache owner cannot find their own cache, so nothing will be filtered out.

 

What's missing in the search filters is the equivalent for "Hidden by."  There is a filter to return all caches hidden by a specified cache owner, but there is no filter like "Not Hidden by."

 

The only available site functionality is to put caches by these cache owners onto your "Ignore" list.  That must be done one cache at a time.  There is no "bulk ignore" for all caches hidden by a particular geocacher.  This is a feature that's been requested over the years.

 

What you're attempting to do is quite easily accomplished using third party tools.  For example, could you let us know if you are a GSAK user, or if you use a smartphone app from an authorized third party API partner, such as Cachly?

[+flyfshrgrl]

Thank you for the reply.

I am curious though, why not found by will not help.  I seriously was asking how does an owner find his own cache?

No, I am not a GSAK or Cachly user.  I use the geocaching.com on a laptop, app, and a GPSr, Garmin Colorado 400.

Edited February 16 by flyfshrgrl

[+HHL]

46 minutes ago, Keystone said:

That must be done one cache at a time.  There is no "bulk ignore" for all caches hidden by a particular geocacher.  This is a feature that's been requested over the years.

There is a way doing it per GS's Api with the help of the Api-partner app GSAK

BulkIgnoreFilter (click here)

Or do the search like Keystone has mentioned. Copy the entire Webpage. Then run this macro:

BulkIgnoreByCode

 

Hans

 

Edited February 16 by HHL

[+lee737]

49 minutes ago, flyfshrgrl said:

I am curious though, why not found by will not help.  I seriously was asking how does an owner find his own cache?

You are trying to filter using 'not hidden by', which doesn't exist. Using 'not found by' won't substitute..... CO's can't log finds on their own caches (now) - that's why they appear in a search 'not found by'.....

[+flyfshrgrl]

So by reasoning, if an owner cannot find and log their own cache, why isn't that an equal substitute?  When I don't put in the hider's geonick in Not Found By, all their hides do appear, but when I put in their geonick in Not Found By, a significant majority, but not all, are eliminated from the search.  The photo above shows a search result where I inserted the CO's name in the Not Found By.  23 of their hides were returned in the search, as compared to over 100 when their name was not inserted in the Not Found By.  I'm trying to figure out why things work one way and not  another way.

I don't know GSAK, don't know that I want to invest a ton of time learning a third-party, and really cannot afford to add more apps to my phone due to its overtaxed status because a medical device, a CGM, I operate with my phone combined with company's infrequent app updates, makes upgrading my phone to a new model unfeasible, because the new model won't allow for an iOS 16 system, which is the latest company approved iOS.  It's not convenient and is frustrating, but it does make my life much easier to manage, so I live with an iPhone 8 running a 16.5 iOS.  

I agree with others' requests that to minimize disagreements between cachers, being able to eliminate a cacher's hides altogether would be a viable method to deescalate tensions and frustrations.

[+Hügh]

6 hours ago, flyfshrgrl said:

So by reasoning, if an owner cannot find and log their own cache, why isn't that an equal substitute?  When I don't put in the hider's geonick in Not Found By, all their hides do appear, but when I put in their geonick in Not Found By, a significant majority, but not all, are eliminated from the search.  The photo above shows a search result where I inserted the CO's name in the Not Found By.  23 of their hides were returned in the search, as compared to over 100 when their name was not inserted in the Not Found By.  I'm trying to figure out why things work one way and not  another way.

 

You put two names in "Not found by":

 

 

The caches appearing in the search results will be only those which neither of those players have found. Read it as: "Not found by X and not found by Y".

[+flyfshrgrl]

That makes sense; thank you.  I’ll see what happens when it’s only one name at a time.

[+L&N Railroad]

It is easy to avoid hides from specific cachers in GSAK. First, run pocket queries for the areas you want and load them in GSAK.

Click the filter icon in the upper left (between the yellow folder and the red X).

A window will open with lots of options. You want the General tab, which is where it will open.

Look for the Hidden By option. Select In List from the drop down, and then enter the cachers you want to delete in the box to the right of the list. enter a cacher name. If you want to add another, put a comma after the first name, enter a space and enter the next name. Keep adding comma space name until you are done.

If you will you this regularly save the filter first. Click Go. This will display the caches by the hiders you want to delete. You can then delete all of these caches from your database in GSAK. If you don't want these caches to come back in pocket queries and/or appear in your web/app maps you will need to add each cache to your ignore list. If you want to get them back you can view your ignore list on your profile at the Geocaching web page.

[Keystone]

1 hour ago, L&N Railroad said:

If you don't want these caches to come back in pocket queries and/or appear in your web/app maps you will need to add each cache to your ignore list.

This can be done in bulk using the API.  Once you have a filter of all the caches you don't want, go to "List Manager" under GSAK's "Geocaching.com Access" menu.  Select your Ignore list, then choose Add Caches to List and specify all  the caches in your filter.