Extra_POI_Editor - A tool to View/Edit/Convert POI/TourGuides (Part 1)

A LOT of the coordinates in your original file are not just off by a little, they are flat wrong!

The difference is the precision from the geocoder. Using GPSVisualizer or others they don't tell you when a location didn't resolve to the street address. Some of those coordinates in your original file were to zip code which could be miles away.

EPE resolves everything to the street address level and posts an error for those it could not resolve. The coordinates coming out of EPE are about as close as you are going to get without having a GPS taking coordinates at the doorstep.

Am I doing something wrong?

I get a scripting error when trying to view all on map after opening the All_States_Offbeat_Tourist_Attractions.csv I downloaded from this site.

line: 1
char: 2405
error: 'documentElement' is null or not an object
code: 0
URL: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Daily/Local%20Settings...

Hi TXRVer,

EPE uses Google maps for the geocoding.

just come across this, thanks

Hi Panache,

There was some double quotes in some POI Names. I modified EPE to handle this. Thanks.

BTW, loading 4700 POI in View All POIs on Map takes quite a few seconds to load.

I'll post the beta on the Extra_POI_Editor page in a few minutes. Check for beta v4.40.

Edit: Beta v4.40 posted!

When I try to download Extra_POI_Editor I keep getting a page of computer code instead of the program. Am I doing something wrong?

Line: 1, Char 206 expected ")"

Input file was a Excel file with the following:

long, lat, name, addr, "city, St zip-0000",phone,fax
The corr field were present with NO data (I wanted to geocode the file)

I then drop the first two empty columns, saved it as a CSV file, changed the M-field, loaded the file & geocode with no problems.

Please add a quick description of what has changed on the beta file so we know what to test.

Thanks

a_user, Yes finding that out.. I am now using this program to go over ALL of the lines and makeing the proper corrections. Then I am going to add a few more new spots to go.. its taking a little while but getting it done.. I do not want to send someone to the wrong place and a lot of the places are given to me or find it in my many daily seaches for new places.

THanks for the input..

Bobkz/a_user

Are you verifing coor 1 entry at a time?

turboccc,

Have I said THANKS lately ?

Well... if not.... THANKS !

Hi DRMCMTR,

If there is no lon/lat coordinates, there should be no script error. If you put text in the lon/lat coordinate fields, it will show a script error. I'll try to fix that. I did not expect anybody would put text in those fields.

To my knowledge, I did not change anything in the beta regarding this. For a complete list of changes, you can see the readme.txt in the zip package. I always try to list everything I changed.

You can also email me your original csv file and I can see for myself what is causing the issue(turboccc at hotmail dot com).

Turbo

edit: just posted beta v4.41 which should correct your script error.

Edit: link to v4.41 fixed now. 2009-10-16

You are welcomed!

Turbo

Hi jakekells,

Maybe you clicked to view the zip inside IE. Instead of clicking the link, do a mouse right click and select "Save As".

Turbo

Here are some more ideas:

1) A warning when you are going to overwrite a file using "save as" command.

2) Is it possible to add the "street view" option (little yellow man) on the geocode Google map screen?

FYI, Please check your email.

Thanks for all you have done.

Turbo-
Your website explains what to do -- i.e. use the installer --if you see the missing OCX error, but says nothing about upgrading to a newer version. Should we copy the .exe file within the .zip to the corresponding directory in C:\Program Files?

Hi beagle.fan,

To upgrade from a working version, you can aimply copy the new zip content in the same directory as the installation (which could be in C:\Program Files\...). This is what you should do by default.

You could also put the new .exe in a new folder. The only drawback is that your Start Menu shortcuts will not be good anymore. Also, if you already registered some file extensions (like .GPX, .OV2, ...) to EPE, you will need to do this again by unselecting them in the Preferences and re-select them afterward.

Regards,

Turbo

1- This is already done, except when you do not specify a file extension. The Windows API is not bright enough to add the file extension, so "junk" with a filetype of "gpx" is tested for "junk" and not "junk.gpx". So far, I consider this as a "limitation". Some day, I'll do something about it.

2- I worked on that twice already and the last time was yesterday. So yes, it is coming. I am looking for an easy way to switch between normal view and StreetView from within the map. If I do not find a way, I'll add an external checkbox. So far, I plan to have StreetView only on the POI Edit page because the window is bigger. Any problem with that?

Turbo

Downloading the Extra POI progam for some reason is being saved to NOTEPAD-that's why all program code showing up. Which program should I open the zipped file from. Thanks

You'll need WinZip. or WinRAR to extract the files to your drive.

Yes I am doing this one at a time.. I am also making sure on most of them that I am at the right location now.. I want this file to be at least ery close to the attraction that I am sending the person that is using it.

At least doing it this way, I know all my locations will / should be good. I love this program and am going to use it for many more prodjets that I am thinking about. Well done TurboCCC very well done.. Sometimes I may get a eror or something and that is ok.. I will report it to turboCCC but I know that he is doing a great job on this and more people should use the software.

Anyways.. Almost done with my file and next I plan to add more places, then to check for dups and last split it by states, and upload it here whe done3.

Bob

Thank you! Much appreciated!

Or if you use Vista or Windows 7 it has a built in Zip file extractor.

Have Vista and thought it had an automatic unzip program included too. All other downloads unzipped OK. Anyone else with Vista have problems downloading Extra POI Editor?

It looks like Google has quietly made some improvements. The last time I checked, it was putting my house at the wrong end of the block. Now it's dead on.

You picked a good horse to run with. It's encouraging to see that at least Google is working to make the maps better.

Hello all,

I did not release anything interesting in the last 2 weeks. Sorry about that. I caught a cold last week and I have been a bit tired since then.

A couple nice things are coming. Definitively StreetView. Then, probably the Batch Geocoding with coordinates compare. I have to review the last 20-30 posts and see what else I forgot.

I still handle bug report in priority. Do not hesitate to post.

Cheers!

Turbo

Hi Turbo

You are the greatest. I didn't like the first versions of the program due to memory issues and crashing but you have improved it so much that it has become one of my favorite programs. It is certainly the best piece of software to make my Garmin usable.

A few suggestions to make a great program greater:

1) add a button on the main screen to ENABLE/DISABLE internet so you don't have to go to preferences to do it.

2) in the map view, number the markers to correspond to the list of waypoints on the right.

3) obsolete CATEGORIES seem to remain in the drop down list. Provide some way to delete these. I get a drop down list that contains the permanent categories that MapSource saves in the registry plus any others ever entered in EPE.

4) It would be nice when entering new entries if the city, state and country were pre-filled in with the last entry but could easily be overwritten with a new entry.

5) When you edit an individual entry, clicking OK sends you back to the main screen. An APPLY button would let you save the change and then access the NEXT POI button.

Again, thanks for the program that makes my Garmin useful.

Mark

Hi turboccc

Thanks for a great AP.

Might it be possible to have the data fields follow Windows convention and allow drag n' drop from a diff AP like a browser?

Allow for Ctrl+a, Ctrl+s, Ctrl+x, as well as drag n' drop between fields. That would make breaking up combined address field stuff a bit easier.

Thanks again!

Do you mean put the zip file in C:\Program Files\... or the contents of the the unzipped archive?

The last time I tried this, I extracted the contents of the zip file to the appropriate directory in C:\Program Files\, but I got an error. I guess I'll try again and see what happens.

You can just extract the new Extra_POI_Editor.exe file from the zip file and place it in the directory where the previous version is. This will overwrite the old version with the new one.

You would get an error only if EPE is running. Windows is telling you the file Extra_POI_Editor.exe is already in use and the file is locked.

@other posters: I read you posts and will give feedback a bit later.

I installed using the installer, and then upgraded by extracting the contents of the 4.22 zip file to C:\Program Files\Extra_POI_Editor. It seemed to work, but the minute I tried to load a CSV file that I had been working on, I got the following error.

Run-time error '380'
invalid property value

What's up?

How many POIs have to be in a file before the scroll bar starts appearing the the upper left window? I have 12 POIs loaded and the arrows are there and work but the scroll bar has not appeared yet. This is with the 443 version.

25 POI. For small files, I wanted to preserve the nuvi experience... LOL!

This has something to do with a parameter in the registry that is invalid with the current version of EPE. No way to know which one.

Here's how to cure the problem:

1- In the Start Menu, click Run... and type "regedit" (without quotes) and click OK.

2- Expand the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER

3- Expan key Software

4- Select key TurboCCC and press the Delete key on your keyboard to delete the entire key and sub-keys.

5- Close the registry (File-Exit) or use the X.

Now all should work fine, but you will have to set your Preferences and M-Column Assignments again.

And, then reboot for changes to be effective.

Downloaded latest version and continue to get this error after unzipping files and trying to run file:

Component 'RICHTX32.ocx' or one of it's dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid.

Fred

I keep having the program crash from:
run time error '380':
invalid property value

I did the registry reset noted above and it made no difference.

not sure what field it expects to be filled but I filled lat, lon, name, comment and it crashed.

I like the program and I think you're making great progress with it!

Found the installer file and loaded without a problem. I guess must read all the documentation first!!!! Oh, well!!!

Thanks for the suggestion, but alas... it didn't help, even after a reboot as Juggernaut suggested. Deleting the registry key caused the EPE program to give me the license prompt, but nothing else had changed. I am using EPE 4.22 with the defaults.

Upon closer inspection, it seems that the problem follows with the file. I get the error when I attempt to open my file (created with an earlier version of EPE -- i.e. your latest installer version), but not when I use it to open other files, like the Redlight or speed camera files. I am able to open my file using Excel.

I'm curious about something... This thread is extremely long (over 800 posts) - and searching through some of the messages it seems people have a lot of problems using or getting this editor to work right. Why not use another editor that doesn't have all the problems and issues? Just curious...

Hi koot,

Very good question.

My quick answer would be to look at the history file and it will tell you why this is happening. I added tons of features over the past year. Some worked the first time, some not. There are many configurations and possibilities. It is not possible for me to test everything.

However, I have some good reasons for using this program. First, it is free. Every bug is corrected within the next few days they are reported or within the same evening. I implement nearly all the features that are asked to me. All in all, I think this has been an enjoyable experence for both parties.

Maybe I should start a new thread at 0 post and clear my history file... LOL!

Hi beagle.fan,

If your problem moves with the file, just send me the file and I will have a look.

turboccc at hotmail dot com.

@spiiiguy

Same for you. Email me the file causing you problems or tell me in details how to reproduce it.

Thanks,

Turbo

Hi SCClockDr,

I will have a look for the drag & drop. I never did this, but it should not be a big problem.

ctrl-x seems to work to delete seletec text in POI edit window. It can also be used to quit EPE in the main window. What do you expect ctrl-s to do? In the main window, it is used to save to the current file. I will check for ctrl-a.

Edit: I implemented the CTRL-A and the Drag&Drop in the textboxes of the POI Edit window. Check for beta v4.44 (to be posted soon).

see below

Hi Mark,

1- Yes, it is in the Preferences. No more space in the main window. Maybe I can add an icon. What is the problem with the Preferences? Do you switch often on and off the internet?

2- Number markers. I would like that too, but the marker is too small to put a number in it. Sometimes, people load 1000's POI on the map. Not a good idea BTW because it becomes very slow.

3- Obsolete categories. By default, I load only the MS categories at power-up. Then, everytime you load a new file I will remmeber those new categories, but they will be cleared the next time you start EPE. Some people wants me to remember all categories forever even between program starts. What do you suggest I should do?

4- Pre-filled entry. I will think about this one.

5- Apply button. Yes, I should have one. In the meantime, you may be happy to know that clicking Previous or Next will automatically do an Apply. So your entry will be saved for you.

Thanks for the feedback/suggestions.

Turbo

Again, thanks for the best program out there for the Garmin (wish Garmin paid as much attention to bug fixes and working improvements as you do!!)

To reply to your answers:
1) It is a few extra clicks to get to preferences. A simple icon on main page that would toggle internet on/off would be nice. I used to have a serious problem with old versions that seems to have been corrected. When I edited many POI's for a small change and internet was enabled, the program often crashed and I lost my work. Sometimes I rushed to make changes and forgot to turn off internet and save often. If there was an icon to toggle internet on each screen, it would be fast and easy to use it.

2) Most of my poi files are rather small and it would be nice if there were numbers or maybe better yet, if you mouse over the marker, it could show the number. Two suggestions--do this if there are less than x pois, or put a button on the map screen to toggle this feature on/off.

3) I have found obsolete categories do not go away. I can open a poi file with new categories that I change to existing categories. Those new categories are no longer assigned to anything. I can open another file days later and those obsolete categories still appear in the drop down list. Perhaps you could allow those categories to be selected and then hitting the DELETE key would permanently delete them.

4) Yea.

5) I thought that your suggestion might work but wasn't brave enough to try it and risk losing data. What you say is good enough for me. Perhaps put a note under those buttons that selecting them saves changes.

I look forward to each new version you come out with. Your program not only provides a very useful function, it is "fun" to use.

Mark

Turbo,
Is it possible to verify the coordinates in a POI using the Geocode kf the address? It would be useful to validate POI coordinates this way.
Dave

Hi medoff,

Thanks for the clarifications. Those are not big things and I hope to add new cool stuff, but I'll see what can be done.

Hi Dave817,

So far, the only way to do this is to go in the POI Edit page and click Geocode and compare manually the coordinates.

I have been asked to do something better. The end result could be a table of all POI with the original coordinates and the geocoded ones. I will also add a distance between those coordinates and maybe a threshold to ignore those within a certain distance.

I have been very busy/sick/tired lately. This is why nothing very interesting came out. I am taking notes and hope to start more complex things soon.

Thanks to all for your patience.

Turbo

rufree4t has been writing the help file for EPE for some time. If you want to give him feedback or if you have requests for him, he is monitoring this topic:

http://turboccc.wikispaces.com/message/view/Extra_POI_Editor...

I personally appreciate all the work he did. Without him, that help file would never have existed. Thanks rufree4t.

Turbo