Extra_POI_Editor - A tool to View/Edit/Convert POI/TourGuides (Part 2)

Thanks for all the work you did

I am using your program more & more. It reminds me of when I bought my first TI-30. Work get easier with the proper tools.

I've done a few of these csv file repairs to make them gpx friendly. The PC version of vi, Gvim, has all the programmable features of the Unix version and a nice GUI. It's very fast, but may have a steep learning curve if you haven't used Unix tools in the past.

oops

In version 4.88 when I hit add new poi the map defaulted to the position of the last poi highlighted. With 5.32 it comes up with a completely blank window. Could we go back to the way 4.88 worked or allow us to put in default values for lat/lon for add poi?

Thanks.

Jeff
AKA Panache

Hi Panache,

The behavior in v4.88 was a bug. When creating a new POI, there is no real reason for having a default map that is dependant on the last selected POI. Specially when those last lon/lat coordinates are not visible anymore. I would prefer not to go back to this previous behavior.

I assume you used that functionality to create a new POI from an existing nearby location. Right?

It worked better than just a blank screen. And it was in 4.85 also.

I am having a problem with using EPE to set proximity alerts in TourGuide files. The alerts work fine as I pass by each location. I have no problem navigating to any of the locations in the TourGuide file. I like to use favorites as via points each day of a trip. On my 1490t, Where to? > Extras > Custom POIs>McDonaldsTourGuide> Nearest McDonalds >Save. The unit responds with SAVED TO FAVORITES. > OK.
Main Screen. Where To? > Favorites > Select > , The map shows my favorite in the ocean, 6500 miles away. When I touch the PRESS FOR MORE, the correct address shows in the window.
I down loaded the newest EPE program and the current version of POI Loader. No improvement. I downloaded all of my custom POIs from this site. I have tried creating my own TourGuide GPX file using EPE and info from Google Maps, manually typing each location into Add New POI. I have tried changing the preferences in EPE also. I tried different alert proximities also. No luck. Using POI loader in manual mode, setting the distance, works OK when saving Custom POIs to favorites. But that is not what I want to do.
When using the very same files to load my 295w, I have no problems at all. Bear007 could not duplicate my problems on his 14xx either.
I have downloaded a fresh McDonalds CSV file to my PC. Using GPS Visualizer, I converted the CSV file to GPX. I opened the GPX file with MapSource. I then set the alerts to a distance of 0.1 miles for all locations. At this time I changed the alert distance for some of the locations near me. I saved the file as GPX to my custom POI folder. Then I used POI Loader in the express mode. All the entries now work OK when saved to favorites… I don’t like the way MapSource renames multi locations in the same city, so this method is not as good as EPE.

This is an earlier screen shot of my problem.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21928761@N04/6972577530/in/phot...
Here is a discussion thread.
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/36302

How do you have your preferences set in EPE?
The Editor options should be set to US/Imperial with the CSV Read/Write as Metric. GPX Output encoding should be UTF-8. Are these what you have?

I changed the CSV to what you said before. I guess I did not see your reference to the GPX output coding of UTF-8. Mine is set as "same as input." I have time this evening to try this.

The problem still persists. I converted the McD file but not my Wal-Mart file just now, using the settings you suggest.. Both are in the same custom POI folder for the POI Loader. Both reproduce the same error when saving to favorites.

I'd like to help, but I never used tourguides. I looked at your screenshots and it's pretty weird to have the POI in the water. Could it be a lon/lat inversion?

@spokybob,

Can you open, with a text or xml editor, the saved GPX files from EPE and Mapsource. Then search for a given POI in each that you know is wrong and compare them to see what differences there are before POI Loader.

Just curious to see if this shows any noticeable differences that may shed some insight.

Also, since saving with Mapsource and it working correctly, did you go back and do it again with EPE to see if it still isn't working?

Thanks for the emailed McD GPX TourGuide file. It works great. Then using EPE, I edited the proximity distance on all locations. Then I made minor long/lat corrections on two nearby locations. I saved it back in my Custom POI folder. I used POI Loader and everything OK.
Next I set the preferences in EPE to match the screen shot on Turbo's WIKI web site. I ran EPE, then opened the Arby's CSV file. I saved it as Arby's.GPX in my CustomPOI folder. Then used the POI Loader. The problem persists.
To restate: On my 1490t, I select a Extra>CustomPOI. I can VIEW MAP and GO to the location. I select the location then SAVE, the unit saves to FAVORITES. When I GOTO> FAVORITES, the long/lat appears to be 6200 miles away. For example, Arby's Moline -90.50638 41.4668.
When saved to favorites, then transferred from the unit to MapSource I get E 0.30213 N 0.22523
The unique problem seems to be that my EPE does not convert a CSV file properly. It does read a GPX file and save it back, with or without edits.
Signed:
Stumped in Illinois

Bear007 emailed a screen shot of his EPE preferences.

thanks for this nifty program ive been looking for somthing like this
thanks again

I note that Garmin typically has four fields in the POI file: lat, lon, name, and comment. If I add fields to a POI file, does Garmin simply ignore the extra data, does it crash, or will it open a viewing window for the extra fields?

CSV allows only 4 fields.
OV2 for Tom Tom allows only 3 fields.
Gpx allows more fields. I don't recall how many.

EPE uses up to 8 fields when saving as M-column CSV files. Garmin merges all the fields after the third.

EPE will save a GPX into however many fields are defied in M-Column screen. I believe Turbo allows up to 24 but it could be more.

I have tried 10 columns and EPE drops the last two fields.

Has anyone see or heard from Turbo lattly. It seems like it has been a long time since he has posted .

I guess it depends on how you are doing your files. My standard GPX file has up to 13 fields defined. I may not populate them all, but some of my personal files do have that many fields in use.

What happens when you save as M-column.CSV ?

Yeah, he lost his windmill. I sent him an email a few days ago but have not heard anything. Hope he is OK.

He emailed me on May 13th. Hope he is ok.

Why would you screw around with the CSV format in a spreadsheet? I do all my editing and file creation in the XLS format as it holds any formatting info so zip codes with leading zeroes maintain them when formatted as TEXT.

One of the FIRST things the CSV format does is strip all embedded format information.

What I think is most important about this program is that when I create a CSV file, and then view it on my GArmin, the line breaks are not always what I want. After finding this program, I use it to 'clean up' my files so that the data looks the way I want it to in the Garmin.

Because I don't understand the advantages in creating 8 or more fields in EPE or xlsx. Then the file must be saved as a CSV to upload to POI_FACTORY.

"What am I doing wrong?
t923347 wrote:

Luckily Windows 7 snap feature fixes that issue but your right, having the program remember the screen position would be nice for other Windows versions.

Turbo, thanks again for your great program.

I'm running Win 7x64 and when I try to use Extra_POI_Ed V460, it says I 'm missing RICHTX32.ocx, then I d/l'ed the Installer and it will not install. Is it because of the 64-bit OS?"

"You have to use the older

JJC
You have to use the older version to install then use 460 for EPE to work in all respects or the you will get an erro message saying file missing."

-------------------------------------

I too am using Win 7 54 bit-----Can you explain more fully the procedure to getting everything installed please?

Thank You.

Use the latest Multilingual Installer, which will install V5.32

See http://turboccc.wikispaces.com/Extra_POI_Editor

Hey Turbo!

Perhaps this has been mentioned earlier, but I think I may have found a small (?) problem using EPE 5.32 on a nuvi 3490.

I tried using EPE to "Open Garmin Favorites." I received an error message:

"Sorry. I could not find your Favorites. Be sure to...."

Upon examination of the USB storage, I found that the nuvi's default "current.gpx" file is indeed stored in directory \GPX. However, my Windows 7 computer thinks that the nuvi is a Portable Device rather than a disk drive.

You must change your GPS to Mass Storage Mode. The new Nüvi models (24x5,25x5,34xx,35xx) appear as a portable device to Windows (also called MTP mode).

See my post "Change From MTP To Mass Storage Mode" earlier in this thread on page 22 :
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/21156?page=22

Is anyone experiencing EPE changing their proximity distances?

A couple of times I looked, EPE changed the distances. For example, one POI I set at 1000 feet is now 3280 feet.

I have US/Imperial set at my unit preference.

Yes, in all three places of the Options ->Preferences -> Unit box

If you are setting a distance in the Excel file, then the editor is reading that as a metric value and converting it to feet. You can change the file read/write, but I don't recommend it. Turbo is Canadian and they measure distances using the metric system and the GPX standard is also built around metric values.

To use Imperial values, set the editor to Imperial and then use the replace function. EPE will convert the feet/miles value and convert it to meters/kilometers when it writes the GPX.

Nope, just GPX. I read in a gpx, set the proximity, then just save.

How did you set the alert distance? With EPE, or in the GPX source? (gpxx:Proximity>1000<)

If the 1000 was in the GPX file, EPE is displaying the value correctly. The GPX Proximity units are meters, not feet.

1000 meters are 3280 feet...eh?
http://developer.garmin.com/schemas/gpxx/v2/oxygen/index.htm...

EPE

Nope. EPE set to US (see first post). Always has been. I put in 1000 feet.

Now the POI says 163.7 feet.

I changed it to 50 feet, saved it and reopened it.
Changed to 49.9 feet.

I changed it again to 50 feet. Closed EPE and reopened it. Changed to 98.1 feet.

It's acting like it stores the numbers as metric, converting from the preferred units, then converts back to the preference units when you bring it up.

Apparently that function doesn't always kick in and it carries the numeric forward without conversion.

I wrote a FAQ on setting up EPE and the values I use in preferences. Take a look at the FAQ and see if your set up matches the values.

Yes.
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/28521

Sorry, thought I'd already said that.

jgermann wrote:

David King wrote:

I have US/Imperial set at my unit preference.

Yes, in all three places of the Options ->Preferences -> Unit box

It appears from your earlier post that you have US/Imperial for all your settings which is incorrect. Try the following EPE settings and see if they work for you.

UNITS
Editor: Imperial/US
CSV File Read: Metric
CSV File Save: Metric
@Speed Unis: Same as CSV

Is this a setting?

In the latest version 5.32 from the menu goto

Options -> Preferences

It is the 4th option in the UNITS box.
(It is spelled correctly in the program )

I don't have that version. I use 448 because 532 would not clear out it's processes after I ended it.

It takes 532 several minutes to come up when I invoke it.

That option isn't as important as the CSV read/write options These need to be left as Metric. It is a known problem the double conversion from Imperial to metric and back again has problems in EPE and Turbo stated it wasn't an easy fix.

As we don't know what happened to Turbo, it probably will not be addressed as only he has the source code for the program.

As to your problems with 5.32, it may be due to changes in the libraries used. Download the complete v5 install package and get the updated libraries. The 5 dot versions have capabilities the 4 dot versions don't have and if you haven't updated the libraries that can be your issue.

However, with those 2 changes my proximity is holding at 29.9. My problem is fixed. THANKS!