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

Koot, This tool is very useful and has evolved to be more than anyone expected. Turbbo has spent many months codings and creating a flexible tool for our community.

As you begin to maintain more poi files you will realize how valuable this product has become. I have not found any other products that does what this all-in-one product can do.

Sure it may have some bugs but each one has been address in a very short time. Our community has asked for many revisions which many have been implemented all to improve the product.

Turbo, Thank for all of your time and efforts. As a programer, I can understand what you have created and do appreciate all of your HARD work.

I have been using GeePeeEx Editor and really like it. It does everything I need. Am I missing something only available with the Extra POI Editor?

Since, as you say, this thread is extremely long, wouldn't it be better to have this discussion about what make your choice of editor better/worse than Extra POI Editor in a new thread instead of making this one even longer?

Dunno - not sure, but this seems to be THE place where everyone discusses the Extra_POI_Editor editor...

You're doing a wonderful job and your product is fantastic. But as I reported in another thread, this main thread has over 800 comments and is now 18 pages long. The last released version (4.22) was announced/commented upon on page 14. Everything since has been detailed discussions about the beta versions (now at 4.43). Searching for any specific information takes forever.

Turboccc, I strongly recommend that you have two threads, one for most people, "Extra_POI_Editor Releases" addressing/commenting about the released versions and another thread "Extra_POI_Editor Beta Discussion" for the specialists/beta testers. Maybe you can start that at the next release (what will it be? 4.23 or 4.4x?)

Otherwise, the beauty and simplicity of your software will be lost to many.

I am sure GeePeeEx is a great tool for updating GPX
but I think it does not create multiple output formats (csv, ov2, etc). Some people like GPX others preferred CSV while other need OV2.

You do not need to convert from tool to another. Instead, just be aware of the options and maybe use a mixture to get the job done quicker and accurate.

Cheers:

Sometimes, the difference are in the details. EPE was designed originally to emulate exactly the display POIs on a nuvi 760.

EPE reads GPX, CSV, OV2, MGNL, KLM, LOC and now XLS files. It saves to most of these formats too. If you do not need mutiple file formats, it is not an advantage.

It exports (split files) by State or Category. That's cool if you have a mega-POI file and you want to split them into smaller ones before publishing.

Personnally, I like the automatic field extraction for Phone, States & Postcode. It gets better when you combine it with Reverse Geocoding because it extracts also the City (and States + Postcodes). When reading a well-formatted CSV or XLS, it can extract automatically the different fields of the address. Very cool if you want to save to a GPX with all the fields.

The "View All POIs on Map" is nice although a bit slow if you have 1000's of POIs loaded.

The "Find Duplicates" supports a distance parameter and creates a table to review the duplicates.

The "Find" text allows to search not only in the POI name, but also inside all the POI fields.

It has a Field Replace function allowing you to replace any field with something applying to all POIs. Speed limit and Proximity are one thing, but you can specify a symbol for the entire file, or clear the comment field, etc...

The 4-Column CSV Assignment is a very nice feature to format a GPX-like file to a 3 or 4-Column CSV. You can format/merge many fields into a column and include custom text.

Finally, EPE allows you to customize your line breaks (CRLF, LF, Pipe, ...) accordig to your GPS liking.

Oh yeah! One last feature: EPE is free.

Soon it will include Streetview (I have a beta for this too, but it is useless without coordinate extraction) and some other nice things I want to add.

Cheers,

Turbo

Hi Jale and everybody,

You are right about starting a new thread. This one started at around v2.70 which has not much anything to do with the latest version.

What about starting a new thread and forget entirely about this one? I wonder if anybody really reads everything that was posted in this thread. I we start a new one, we can concentrate on the latest features (and bugs).

Jale, I do not mind starting a new thread for betas, although a beta is nearly the same as a normal release. The beta may just have more bugs or unfinished features. Still, I appreciate all the feedback I can get from all of you.

All, tell me what you think. I'll do as you want. I am not attached to this thread.

Best regards,

Turbo

Will do... thanks.

Got it. I could not reproduce the error. I sent you an email.

I'll post the information to the others here when we'll pinpoint the problem.

StreetView of the selected POI under "View". Not its final position. Not very useful for now. Just for fun. Do not bother to comment.

For those who asked, drag&drop in POI Edit window works. Ctrl-A as well. Internet can be disabled in Options menu and with Ctrl-W in main window and POI Edit window. Still need an icon feedback.

Just for fun.

Finnally figured out what I was doing wrong and got both the Voice Ed. program and Extra POI Ed. loaded. Although MS Vista uses an included unzip program that works in the background, it does not unzip your programs. Winzip did the trick and all is well. Thanks again for the super programs.

Thanks Turbo!

As to the thread - You might consider a thread for each month like: EPE-0910 for Oct 2009 or each Quarter
And place an ending post with a link to the new thread.

This is probably FAR easier said than done, but could I suggest the addition of what I will call a data mining feature? The general though process behind this is that the locations for many POIs (or at least the ones I work on) come from data on Company X's website, and it would be a huge time saver if there was some way to do a bulk download of that data rather than manually entering each location's address.

Hi beagle.fan,

bulk download?

All sites are different, but for Friendly's I was able to cut&paste directly from their site to Excel. With simple Excel manipulations, I was able to format it as a valid CSV file.

Can you point me in the direction of some site you want to extract the data from? I am a visual guy. I need to see with my eyes. From there, I can provide suggestions.

Thanks,

Turbo

That's the problem as Turboccc says.

It would be great to be able to do what you suggest, but I fear, impossible.

All you have to do is go to several store's websites and go to their store locator pages. Sadly, they are all laid out differently.

I maintain the Target, Batteries Plus, Crispers and Shanes Rib Shack POI files, among others. Their store locator functions are all different. In fact, several months ago, one of them totally changed the structure of their store locator pages, which threw me a curve the first time I went to do an update.

Hi Gary A,

You know all of this, but I will state it for discussion's sake:

Target and Batteries Plus: you need to c&p manually into excel. Easy, but you have to manually select the State. Not too bad, but not coordinates.

Crispers: The locator gives a single list with all locations, but when you c&p into Excel, the information is on 2 lines. A simple Excel equation can bring eveything on a single line using cell references.

Shanes Rib Shack: the information is on multiple lines. You need also to use Excel to put it back on a single line.

My recommedation would be to continue with Excel. Except for clicking on States and doing the manual c&p, this is just more boring that difficult.

Do you re-check all those stores often? If you want to do this often to check for new/closed stores, then it becomes a problem.

For sites that offer locations by State, I could program EPE to launch your internet browser automatically for all States one by one.

If I really really wanted to scratch my head, I could find the embedded table and detect the column names with the information (address, city, state, etc...). I would probably ask the user to confirm the detected columns. Then I could program EPE to automatically find all other stores within that page. Otherwise, I could ask the user to highlight each field of the first POI so EPE can locate them and see if they are arranged in a single row table, in many rows or as a list of lines. Since everything is uniform, it should be possible to automate it.

Did I say "if I really really wanted to scratch my head"... LOL! Everything is possible!

If you could do that it would be great.I manage the Sonny's file based on the web site http://www.sonnysbbq.com/images/stories/pdf/sonnys_locator.p... .Along the lines you have outlined how would it work with a file like this?

yes. A pdf file complicates things. You can still c&p in Excel. If gives you a poi on 3 lines which you can "easily" put it back on a single line using some excel equations. I did something similar for Friendly's.

When you get out of sync, you know there is a State name to remove. I would through away the state name because it can be retrieved easily using reverse geocoding.

edit: after more checking, this file is doing funny things when c&p in Excel. It seems to have embedded codes that do line breaks or add spaces within words... For example: look at St. Cloud below:

S
t. Cl oud
4475 13th St.
(407) 892-2285
Turnpike Exit 244

Turbo-
I upgraded to the EPE 4.45 beta. I don't know what you did, but that seems to have fixed the problem! Thanks!

One of the lists I maintain converted the site to flash and you can't C&P. Any chance you could read Flash?

I have no clue. Post me a link and I'll see.

You've pretty much discovered what a lot of us are faced with when it comes to using website store locators.

Since most of it is c&p as you mentioned, I've actually been using Notepad rather than Excel. I sometimes will then use Excel to manipulate whole columns of data or use the find/replace function. But in the end, its a lot of manual c&p.

There's no simple answer to that questions. A lot depends on how much input I get from the members here, or learning that a particular store chain is going through either expansion or contraction.

I have gotten in the habit of building my files in the same alphanumeric sequence that the particular website uses. This makes it somewhat easier when I go back to see if a location has been added or removed, but it still involves a lot of scrolling and visual comparing of the website list against my POI file.

When I first took over the Target file, for example, the stores were not entered in any particular sequence so it made comparing it to the current website store list almost impossible... certainly, very time consuming. Not wanting to lose the existing lat/lon and address information, I found it easiest to take the time and rearrange the file so the stores were listed in the same sequence as they were on the website. As I moved each line of data in Notepad, I checked it against the current website store locator and either updated the entry if there was changed information, or deleted the line if that store no longer appeared on the website, or added a new line if the website had a new store. The 4 digit store number was key in being able to do this, although of not much value to a user of the file loaded in a GPS.

FYI,

Here is a nice quick tool for comparing files...

The FREE version does the job without all the Bell/whistle.

http://www.prestosoft.com/ps.asp?page=edp_examdiffpro

That's what I thought, until someone pointed out that it can be very useful to a truck driver or courier.

There are other ways of including store numbers besides making them part of the name such as Wal-Mart #1232 or Target #1979. I would much rather have the name of at least the city so it would read Wal-Mart Cleveland or Target South Boston. But then I'm the average shopper and not a delivery person. If I'm looking for a store in an unfamiliar area, store numbers mean nothing but cities and neighborhoods mean a lot.

Simply forget about it. I tried the Kia site and I could not read anything useful from the html. I am not expert, but I will ask some of my friends what they think.

Using a store number would satisfy two areas. One, it would be useful for a delivery driver, and second, it would differentiate any possible unique identifier that may be needed for a POI entry.

I know the Magellen folks would LOVE this. I would too, even though I have a Garmin.

Without making the name field too long, that's what I tried to do when I re-wrote the Target file. By leaving the store number in the name field, a delivery person can do a search for it. Also, rather than spelling out the compass direction (northwest, for example) I used all abreviations (NW). I also removed all punctuation except for the # sign.

For example: Target Modesto NW #0938

Following the suggestions of a few users here, I placed the city info first and moved (in Excel using formulas) the store number to the end.

I figured it was pretty much a lost cause to try and extract data from a site that is so heavily into flash animation and displays. I've sent a note off on their contact form, but I hold no hope of a positive response. The POI will just have to die and Kia owners will have to dial roadside assistance when they are away from their normal areas.

What I've found the most useful way to extract POI data from websites is to use copy & paste and create a text file with the website data in the website order. When doing an update, recopy & paste to another text file, then use a file comparison utility to see what's changed. It's sure faster than using the eyeball technique.

All fine and good if you can even copy the data. Some of the flash sites display data, but it can't be copied.

I just installed 4.22 tonight and tried to create a POI in a new/empty file by clicking Add New POI.

Here is what I entered in the editor window.
Name: Sprouts - Avondale
Address: 1813 Dysart Rd
City: Avondale
State: AZ
Country: USA
Post Code: 85392
Phone: 623-535-8989

I clicked Geocoding and then Grab to load the Lon/Lat.

When I clicked OK to save it, I got the subject message also saying "Invalid Property Value" but I have no idea which property was invalid or why.
And, of course, POI Edit crashes when I dismiss the message.

Is there an error log file someplace?
Thanks

I've had no such problem with 4.45. I've entered your data, and it worked, saved it to file as well.

4.45 is beta... I tried it and it seemed to work.
I tried it multiple times on 4.22 with the same problem each time.

Brother,

Beta or not, if it works, it works! I've found it very stable.

Glad to hear you're up and running though!

Hi KenBushaw,

No, there is no log file. I should design more carefully and trap all error codes, but I did not. It most certainly has something to do with the category field (although not used)...

Yes, you should try 4.45. I call it beta because some of the new features are not 100% to my liking, but I have improved other things as well in the process which makes it more stable than 4.22. I could not find what was causing the problem, but checking 4.22 again showed many similar errors. I shall remove this version.

Please, use v4.45 instead.

I've tried to connect to the url to download the program - no success - seems the address isn't working at present

I just tried it and it seems to be working okay.

Maybe the host site when down for a few minutes, however I also tried all the links and they are all working now.

I am going to use the tool/app in creating the Frisbee Golf/Disc Golf Tour guide. The PDGA has contacted me (free so its a labor of love) to create a file for them. I will post any feedback as I try to get the file out for geneal use soon!

Scott

I cannot get the program to load as it keeps saying that the RICHTX32.ocx file is missing. I dida Google search and found a download of the file and followed the directions there and is would not register in Windows 7 Pro. Ideas?

Hi johnju,

Read this:

http://turboccc.wikispaces.com/Extra_POI_Editor#toc6

It will work after.

Hello again turbo.
I think i found out what courses the OV2 problem.
Now i got it to work. This is what i did:( I dont know if the names I call it is how it is in English version of Windows, its free transelatet from Norwegian.) I go to Control panel > Regional and language > regional settings - standards and formats
and i changed it from Norwegian to English USA,
Then i could save ov2.So it must be something in EPE that dosen fit with the Norwegian settings.
Would bee nice if it could work with Norwegian settings too , so I dont need to have Windows in USA standard and formates (courses other problems).

But I must say, I realy like this program, and I
think you will get many of Norwegian users in the future too.

Vestenfjell.

Co-ordinates seem to be in degrees ( 0 ) with the minutes as degree decimals. Two questions:
Will the program accept co-ordinates as degrees, minutes and decimal minutes?
How does one enter co-ordinates from a keyboard? What characters are typed for o ?

It's far easier! I use decimal on my nuvi, Google Earth, and it makes entering coords simple when you use "coordinates" on the GPS.

Becuase Delorme uses degrees and minutes and it's easier to just copy than do the math (simple though it may be)

Hi Not2Bright,

You want a way to enter coordinates in Degree minutes secondes? Show me an example of syntax and I'll try to support it.

DD MM SS.SS ?
DD' MM" SS.SS ?

Very good catch. I'll try to switch my computer in Norvegian and see how it goes...

Edit: All fixed in v4.47. Posted in 5 minutes...

I had to make the 900th post!