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GPXsonar And Mapopolis Questions


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Hiya all. Well the great PDA/CF GPS experiment is working out wonderfully for us! Its been exactly what we were hoping it would be.

 

Now that I've had a chance to play around, I've got a few advanced type questions I'm hoping you can help out with:

 

1) GPXSonar: Every time I switch to it (using PPC03) it asks me to load the gpx file. This can be a bit frustrating as I'll look at "Cache Details" then close IE and find GPXSonar needs to be reloaded, and the file along with it. We then have to wait the 30 seconds for the file to load... ect... I seem to recall remembering this isn't the way it first worked. Any thoughts?

 

2) Mapopolis: Can categories of landmarks be deleted? It can take a very long time to search for caches because if I have a lot of maps loaded, it wants to search/organize all the landmarks each time I use the search function.

 

3) Mapopolis: If the answer to 2 is no, how do you search for caches quickly? I use the Tools-?Find->Place by Category or Tools->Navigation->Find Route->Select Landmark. Each of these methods loads the entire landmark database each time I use it. I like the Tools->Maplets feature, but there is no way to enter a search string (you need to look manually for the name).

 

Thanks in advance guys!

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Hi Geo! Thanks for the quick response. Let me walk you thru my exact steps, just to see if I'm doing something wrong:

 

1) Open GPXSonar

2) Select the .gpx file (its the only one currently on my Axim X5)

3) Wait for a bit while it loads

4) Select a cache from the list by tapping and holding

5) Select "Cache Details"

6) This opens IE with all the details

7) Close IE (using the "X") NOTE: If I leave open IE and skip to step 9 I get the same results.

8) My desktop is now shown.

9) Start->GPXSonar

10) Loop back to step 2.

 

This happens every time now.

 

What am I doing wrong?

 

Edit: Added Note to step 7

Edited by CacheCreatures
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Let me walk you thru my exact steps, just to see if I'm doing something wrong:

1) Open GPXSonar

2) Select the .gpx file (its the only one currently on my Axim X5)

3) Wait for a bit while it loads

4) Select a cache from the list by tapping and holding

5) Select "Cache Details"

6) This opens IE with all the details

7) Close IE (using the "X") NOTE: If I leave open IE and skip to step 9 I get the same results.

8) My desktop is now shown.

9) Start->GPXSonar

10) Loop back to step 2.

This happens every time now.

What am I doing wrong?

 

Mine doesn't do that. When I hit the X to close IE (and it's not closed just minimized), Sonar is still there with the list. I'm using Wisbar which is a great program for not closing programs but letting you have the option if that has anything to do with it.

 

Also Geo, I've tried to understand how to Un-ignore a cache and have gotten nowhere. You once said to use the filters but I can't seem to figure out what I'm trying to do. Other wise, as said before.........What a fantastic program!!

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CC...

 

Very weird. From your description, it seems that closing IE is causing GPXSonar to close as well and this isn't normal. Let's do 2 things:

 

1. Zip up the GPX file you're using and email it to me so that I can check it out.

2. Backup the configuration file located under \Program Files\GpxSonar\Config\GpxSonar.dat to a safe location.

3. Uninstall GPXSonar (make sure all the files are gone).

4. Re-Install GPXSonar.

5. Restore the configuration file.

 

Let me know if this fixes the problem.

 

Regards,

Fabien.

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Rosco...

 

When you 'Ignore' a cache, GPXSonar removes the cache from the list and tags it as being hidden. In order to bring a cache back in the list, you need to remove the tag. This is done like so:

 

1. Tap & Hold

2. Choose 'List Options'

3. Choose 'Filters'

4. Choose 'Cache Attributes' (this is checked by default, btw)

5. Click the 'Config' button

6. You can either check 'Show Ignored Caches' or you can 'Edit' the list of hidden caches and remove the hidden 'tag' only on the caches that you want to see again.

7. Click 'OK'

8. Click 'Apply'

 

At this point, the caches that were previously hidden should be visible again (unless you have some other filtering options hiding them).

 

Regards,

Fabien.

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The 'Active Filters' dialog contains 7 options. The 'Bearing & Distance' one is only the first one of them at the top of the list. What you want is 'Cache Attributes', the one just below. It sounds like you're clicking too fast :D

 

Makes no difference which one I check. Starting with bearing and distance down to states, when I hit config it brings up that window with the compass points.

 

Not going fast or anything. Just clicking and doing.......

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Geo, file(s) on the way.

 

The uninstall/reinstall has (for now) fixed the problem. I'll try and pay attention to what I do when I do it, in attempts to figure out what went wrong. Believe me, if it can be broken I'll break it :D I started my software engineering career as a software tester (aka software breaker). Ahhh how those sw engineers hated to see me coming down the hall... dadgum I miss those days :D

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The 'Active Filters' dialog contains 7 options. The 'Bearing & Distance' one is only the first one of them at the top of the list. What you want is 'Cache Attributes', the one just below. It sounds like you're clicking too fast  :D

 

Makes no difference which one I check. Starting with bearing and distance down to states, when I hit config it brings up that window with the compass points.

 

Not going fast or anything. Just clicking and doing.......

Just figured it out. The actual item NAME has to be highlighted for the config to work. Having just the box checked makes no difference. If States is checked but the Cache Types is highlighted (and not checked) the cache types box comes up for edit. Is that the way it should work? At least now I know now to do it what ever it's supposed to do........:D

 

Matter of fact, the check box doesn't work. Just highlighting the text does. Feature?.....eheheh....

Edited by Rosco Bookbinder
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Rosco...

 

Do this:

 

1. Click on 'Cache Attributes'. The text of the filter will be 'highlighted'.

2. Then click 'Config'

 

The check boxes 'Activate' or 'De-Activate' the corresponding filter. This allows you to combine your search criteria at will. As a rule of thumb, the more checkboxes are checked, the more restrictive your search is (they form an 'AND' condition).

 

Fabien.

Edited by -=(GEO)=-
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1. Click on 'Cache Attributes'. The text of the filter will be 'highlighted'.

2. Then click 'Config'

 

The check boxes 'Activate' or 'De-Activate' the corresponding filter. This allows you to combine your search criteria at will. As a rule of thumb, the more checkboxes are checked, the more restrictive your search is (they form an 'AND' condition).

 

OK!!! Got it. Thanks. I'm sure all of this is in the documentation I should take the time to read instead of playing with the program and actually using it... :D

 

Ok how about this? Can a person add an entry to the list? I know I've looked for that one and haven't found it (yet)

 

Also for the states filter, how do you get more than one state in a query? I've not been able to do that on GC.com so you must be talking about merging files before putting in Sonar. I've had the experience that if you save a gpx file in Easygpx it won't load the same in Sonar. Data is missing all over the place.......

 

Rosco

Edited by Rosco Bookbinder
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Rosco...

 

You can't add to the list of caches from GPXSonar...yet. I'm working on it actually. In the next release, you'll be able to manage your own caches using the program. More on that later...

 

About the 'States' in the filters: if your original Pocket Query includes caches spanning more than one state, you'll see them listed there. Of course, you can also get the same thing by merging GPX files with a program like Watcher.

 

About EasyGPS: don't use that to manipulate GPX files. It 'drops' all the interesting data as it loads it since it does not understand the GC.com-specific xml tags. As a result, when you save it back, you're missing a great deal of the details that you had in the originals. This has nothing to do with GPXSonar.

 

Fabien.

Edited by -=(GEO)=-
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About the 'States' in the filters: if your original Pocket Query includes caches spanning more than one state, you'll see them listed there. Of course, you can also get the same thing by merging GPX files with a program like Watcher.

 

About EasyGPS: don't use that to manipulate GPX files. It 'drops' all the interesting data as it loads it since it does not understand the GC.com-specific xml tags. As a result, when you save it back, you're missing a great deal of the details that you had in the originals. This has nothing to do with GPXSonar.

I just tried that. I have Watcher and have played with it some but never tried merging two files (two states) then saving the file and loading into Sonar. It works GREAT!!!

 

I've known that EasyGPX pretty much is a look at only program. It has it's features but strips out the info during saves. It's WATCHER from now on!!!

 

Thanks for all the info Geo. You sure know a lot about GPXSonar.... :D

 

Have a good evening. I'm off to horizontal.....

 

Rosco

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Jeez, go away for a couple of days and miss a whole conversation. Well, to add my contribution... GPXSonar has always closed (not minimized) for me as well. I am running Omega One's Battery Bar and for most programs a red button with an X in it is in the upper right. Tapping the button minimizes the program. With GPXSonar, the red button has the work Ok in it and tapping the button actually closes, rather than minimize. This has been going on since the first beta was released. I always thought it was by design. Let me know if I can help at all..

 

Dave

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CC,

 

About your Mapopolis question... I try to only load one or two counties at a time and when geocaching, I skip the POI maps altogether. If you are using the gpx2maplet utility, categories for geocaching are already created for you to select from. Also, one tip for improving performance a bit; when in the dialog for choosing maps, if you tap and hold on a particular map a context menu will appear. One of the options listed is "Load map to RAM." I have this selected for the counties I most frequently cache in and things move a long a bit faster.

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Ahh excellent! I didn't realize the tap and hold option. Thanks!

 

One thing you said confused me: How does one skip POI maps? To the best of my knowledge, the POIs are included in the county maps. Is this not true?

 

Also, that brings up another question. What if I don't know the county name of where I'm heading? Lets say I want to navigate to a cache located outside of the map region I've got loaded. I think when I try it now it navigates using some base map, however the detailed map isn't loaded.

 

As for the exiting issue, I'm not using any special battery meter or closing application. However, when I uninstalled and reinstalled the problem was fixed. You may want to give that a go.

 

Thanks again!

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Guys,

 

About the 'Close' button thing: I'm one of those people who actually -want- applications to exit fully from memory when you close them, just like on a PC. I do understand how this behavior could get confusing since most other PPC apps do not behave this way. I'll look into it and possibly add an exit menu option and just 'minimize' the app the rest of the time.

 

Regards,

Fabien.

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About the 'Close' button thing: I'm one of those people who actually -want- applications to exit fully from memory when you close them, just like on a PC. I do understand how this behavior could get confusing since most other PPC apps do not behave this way. I'll look into it and possibly add an exit menu option and just 'minimize' the app the rest of the time.

There are times when I want a program to close and other times not. I have found that WisBar works fantastic for that. Click the "X" and it minimizes. Hold the "X" and it closes. Can't be any easier than that.

 

I will have IE, Mapopolis and GPXSonar all running at the same time. I can switch back and forth by hitting the icons in the top of my tool bar because I haven't closed them, just minimized.

 

Dell Axim X5-Magellan SportTrak Map, GPXSonar, Mapopolis and a bunch of games.

 

It's paperless!!

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Oh my. That is one beautiful piece of software. Thanks for the tip Rosco.

 

Geo, I agree with you. Actually, the nature of your application lends itself to a staying-open approach. Just minimize when not needed, and page to it when it is needed. I see no reason to change that. If anything I think what I was seeing was an "undesirable feature" (aka a bug), that by the way is still unreproducible.

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The maps that I have are separated by streets and POI. In other words, for each county there is a map for the streets and a map for POI. The streets map has certain limited POI such as government buildings and universities.

 

As of version 4.31 (I think), if you load the major roads map for a given state, a map symbol that looks somewhat like a star, eight points maybe, black in color with a circle in it will appear in each county. Tap on that map symbol and it will tell which county you need to load. The Mapopolis client is up to version 4.33 now. I tend to check their web site at least once a week for a new client. Each new revision seems to add a welcome new feature, speed something up, or fix a bug. Its nice to see a company, who obviously has the best PPC map client there is, continue development of its product rather than sit on it's duff.

 

Mapopolis recently posted a user guide in PDF format for the version 4 generation of the client. You should take a look at it as there is a ton of information in there. Its much better than an older version 3 manual I had seen at one point.

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