Failed to create a valid POI file

 

After reading the FAQ on how to create POI's, I tried to make a simple file of a half-dozen locations.

When, however, I run Garmin's POI Loader on my Macintosh, it won't recognize the file.

Clearly, I've done something wrong.

I took a screen shot of the text and uploaded it here so you can see it with the line breaks in the proper places.

Can anyone see where I made my mistake? Also, in what format should the file be saved?

Using TextEdit as the FAQ suggests, my choices are:
RTF
HTML
Web archive
OpenDocument Text
Word 2007
Word 97
Word 2003 XML Format

Many thanks for any assistance,
Speed3

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

Sorry...here's the URL

...where you can view the file:

http://a3.s3.p.quickshareit.com/files/picture1a0bd7.jpg

Speed3

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

the actual file is worth 1000 pictures

Speed3 wrote:

...where you can view the file:
http://a3.s3.p.quickshareit.com/files/picture1a0bd7.jpg

Well, if that's the file, then your first problem is that it's a jpg. You can't load a picture of the file, you actually have to load the file.

In the more likely event that you realized that you were showing us a picture of the file, I'll suggest that you may be doing something strange in how you are saving the file. So to best help you, people really need the actual file, not a picture of what you think you have.

Also, it may be worth mentioning that the top entry in the picture seems to have 5 fields, not 4. I don't think this would cause your problem, more likely field 5 would just be ignored, but it's not right and something that you should correct.

Creating POI Files

Make sure you are saving the file with a .csv extension, and not .txt, .rtf, etc. I am not that familiar with TextEdit, but in Notepad in Windows, you sometimes have to enclose the filename in quotation marks: "MyPOI.csv", for example.

Also, make sure you are pointing POI Loader to a folder with that file in it, and not directly to that file. For example, create a folder on your desktop (or a different location, it doesn't matter) called 'Custom POIs', or something similar, then place the file you created in that folder. Point POI Loader to that folder, not the file.

Creating POI Files

Thanks to both of you for responding.

Here is the text of my first atttempt:
-77.163162,38.814566, "Penn Daw SC", "6238 N Kings Hwy", "Alexandria, Rte. 1"
-77.077503,38.821521, "Steuart Alexandria Commons SC", "3155 Duke St., Alexandria Rte. 236"
-77.109907,38.829345, "Seminary Plaza SC", "4606 Kenmore Ave. Alexandria"
-77.07304,38.855216, "Alexandria Shopping Center"‎, "3811 Mount Vernon Ave Alexandria"
-77.050123,38.839407, "Potomac Yard Center"‎, "3671 Jefferson Davis Hwy Alexandria"
-77.091441,38.828874, "Bradlee SC", "Rte 7 & Quaker Lane Alexandria"
-77.133001,38.810800, "Van Dorn Plaza", "Van Dorn St./Rte. 1 Alexandria"

When you say the first field has five entries, am I correct in concluding that each entry preceding a comma is a field? I didn't realize that the coordinates themselves were entries.

I did save the file as a .csv file.

Also, I notice that when I open .csv files I download here that when I double click on them, they all open in Excel. Should I be using Excel to create these?

Again, many thanks for the help,
Speed3

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1

.

Yes, each entry preceded by a comma is a "field". The coordinates count. You can only have 4 fields total, so just move all the stuff after the name field into the same set of quotation marks.

I don't use a Mac, but I seem to recall someone recently posting that the text editor on a Mac (maybe there are different ones?) actually saved the files as RTF and not as plain text, so perhaps that's what's happening. ??

Excel will open CSC (commas separated values) files but it's generally not required that you do so.

Hopefully, another Mac user will come along to expound on the text issue.

.

Speed3 wrote:

Thanks to both of you for responding.

Here is the text of my first atttempt:
-77.163162,38.814566, "Penn Daw SC", "6238 N Kings Hwy", "Alexandria, Rte. 1"
-77.077503,38.821521, "Steuart Alexandria Commons SC", "3155 Duke St., Alexandria Rte. 236"
-77.109907,38.829345, "Seminary Plaza SC", "4606 Kenmore Ave. Alexandria"
-77.07304,38.855216, "Alexandria Shopping Center"‎, "3811 Mount Vernon Ave Alexandria"
-77.050123,38.839407, "Potomac Yard Center"‎, "3671 Jefferson Davis Hwy Alexandria"
-77.091441,38.828874, "Bradlee SC", "Rte 7 & Quaker Lane Alexandria"
-77.133001,38.810800, "Van Dorn Plaza", "Van Dorn St./Rte. 1 Alexandria"

When you say the first field has five entries, am I correct in concluding that each entry preceding a comma is a field? I didn't realize that the coordinates themselves were entries.

I did save the file as a .csv file.

Also, I notice that when I open .csv files I download here that when I double click on them, they all open in Excel. Should I be using Excel to create these?

Again, many thanks for the help,
Speed3

As I believe you mentioned in a different thread, the extra commas in rows one and two do not prevent a file from loading as POI Loader merely ignores anything past column 4. It does cause loss of data.

I believe your only problem is the use of TextEdit. As you say, starting from a new file, it will not offer a plain text option for saving; RTF doesn't work. If, however, you open any of the POIs here and substitute your data for all the current data, it will allow you to save as UTF-8 and it will work (I just did it).

As for using Excel or an open version thereof, your life will be much easier. Just remember to save as csv and not the native Excel format.

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Nuvi 660 -- and not upgrading it or maps until Garmin fixes long-standing bugs/problems, and get maps to where they are much more current, AND corrected on a more timely basis when advised of mistakes.

Thanks to all.

Just wanted to say thank you once again for all the generous help.

Think I'll take bentbiker's suggestion and download a POI file then substitute my data.

I'll report back, just to end the thread in case anyone else stumbles across it looking for help in creating POI files.

Off to try it again and see what happens.

**************

OK! Success!!

I downloaded a small .csv file, opened it in Excel, replaced the data in the fields with my data, placed it inside a folder, ran POI loader and now they are on my Garmin.

Thanks to all.

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Nuvi 3790T w. Lifetime Maps/Macintosh OS Lion/iPhone 4/iPad 1