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

I like it. It gives a better purpose to the temp file and you do not have to search for it.

EPE deletes the temp file when you quit EPE. When you restart EPE, you won't have the possibility of reloading the temp file. This temp file will be there only if EPE crashes, but then you will have lost the last 10-15 minutes of work. When EPE starts, it looks to see if the temp file is there and offers you to re-open it or discard it.

Turbo, I've got another potential bugfix.

On the screen that emulates the list of favorites (upper left screen), pressing the down or up arrows on the (Windows provided) scrollbar, and NOT the down or up arrows that you include as part of the emulated screen, causes the screen to skip an item.

Example (from my Historic Ships POI): The first three ships are listed as shown below.

"HMS" Surprise - Frigate
"USS" Nightmare - Dustpan Dredge
A. J. Meerwald - Schooner

Assuming I start on "HMS" Surprise, when I press the down arrow at the bottom of the scrollbar, the expected behavior should be that the highlight disappears from "HMS" Surprise and reappears on "USS" Nightmare. What happens instead is the highlight reappears on A. J. Meerwald.

Note: Pressing the down or up arrow buttons that you have emulated in the display functions properly and displays the next page. Those buttons work properly. Pressing the down or up arrows on the keyboard also function properly, moving the highlight up or down one item. Only with the scrollbar up and down buttons does the highlight move up or down TWO items.

Hi Strephon_Alkhalikoi,

I reproduced the issue. I understand what is happening. Not sure how to fix it though. I am under some type of scrollbar curse in this program since the beginning... I'll get it eventually and post back soon.

Thanks,

Turbo

I HATED(!) that scrollbar....

I've been looking around the web for a tool like this and have spent far too long! I've finally found it! Thanks! I'm going to try playing with it tonight and will leave any feedback as I continue to plug away.

Thanks for a stellar tool!

If you are new to EPE, you may not know that I am trying to improve it all the time. Let me (us) know here what you think is missing or not as expected. I make frequent updates and you may end up having what you want just by mentioning it.

Turbo

Turbo,

I think I came across another editor anomaly. I decided to build a file with proximity alerts depending on if the file had certain characteristics. My options are set to Imperial for the editor, metric for file read/write.

Distances set in the M Column field I designated for the distance were input as metric rather than imperial.

I just made a test with the same settings. One column was Proximity=100 and the other was Speed=100.

Since you have units set to metric for read/write, this means EPE will assume you'll have 100 meters for the proximity and 100 km/h for the speed in the CSV (metric units).

Since you set the Editor units to Imperial/US, EPE will convert both to Imperial/Units and you'll get Proximity = 328 feet and Speed = 62 mph.

This is a normal behavior. Can you tell me what you see?

Edit: if you want EPE to assume Imperial/US in the CSV, set your input units to Imperial/US.

Note: careful. POI Loader assumes metric for all GPX files. Make sure to read a couple posts in page 4 of this thread.

Edit2: Since v4.86, GPX units are always set to metric units, but you can edit the CSV (only) input/output units in the Preferences. This should simplifies things.

As my input was from a file it should interpret the value as metric.

Edit:

I have no problem converting from one system to another, so I wasn't thinking of how I had the options set and just assumed... And we all know what assume means!

Where is version 4.86 at?The download page shows 4.85.Are you holding out on us Turboccc?

Oups! Good question. I may have been waiting for something else and completely forgot about it.

There was a big discussion on page 4 about units and everything. I think I was supposed to do something else. There is also that @speed thing I was supposed not to play with. I think I do not extract it anymore. Not sure.

Let me a couple of days to check this. I am crawling under requests and things to do. I'll post soon.

I am completely happy with what you have now.It does a great job for what I want it to do and then some.Seems like I always find something new to try with it.

turbo-
Maybe this will help clarify what I found with the units-

As long as EPE reads a gpx thinking it's metric (which it should always be), and always writes a gpx as metric, life is good.

This does NOT apply to the @xx value in the filename. EPE should NOT convert that number at all. It's only used by Garmin software, and when they use it (POILoader only I think) they ask if the values are Metric or Imperial. It's the same prompt that lets POILoader know if the speed or proximity values you type in Manual mode are Metric or Imperial.

EPE does not (and has never) used the @speed in the filename. I got that part.

Before the latest version (which I think I did not release), EPE used to extract the @speed from the POI name, convert it according to the units Preference and move that number in the Proximity field.

With the latest versionm EPE stopped doing that. The @speed in the POI name stays there and EPE simply ignore it. I hope this is still what you want.

Also with the latest version, the Input/Output units in the Preferences are only for the CSV files which I think it makes sense.

I hope I am still on the right track.

Turbo

Great program, thanks!

I have the same problems during installation, I´m using v4.70 and installing it as Admin. The errors I get are:

C:\windows\system32\expsrv.dll
An access violation occurred while copying the file

IGNORE

C:\windows\system32\vbajet32.dll
An access violation occurred while copying the file

IGNORE

C:\windows\system32\iframe.dll
An error occurred while registering the file

IGNORE

Then installation ends as "successful", bur EPE shows nothing in its 4 windows.

I have win7 for 64bit in a Core2Duo desktop PC.

I´ve read wonders about EPE and I’d really like to use it, can you help me?

Thanks for the software and helping out

Turbo.. sorry. filename was my typo. I meant POI name.

It's ok (even preferred I think) to use @xx in the POI name, remove it from the name display, populate your 'Speed' box with the number, and to write it back to the POI name in the gpx when it's saved .. it just shouldn't be converted to/from any system, either Imperial or Metric.

And yes, both reads & writes for gpx only should be in Metric and I think probably not user-changeable to avoid any future issues.

I already disabled all @speed processing in the POI name... I do not put it anymore in the Speed field. Also, I would not know for which POI Name I should put it back in the POI Name when saving. Once it is extracted, I can't know the difference between one I added automatically or if a user entered it directly in the Speed field.

Oh boy! I could not figure it then, I cannot figure it now. I have no clue why this is happening. It works on my Win7 64-bit.

If I were you, I would open the .cab coming with the installer and try to put all the file in error directly in the EPE folder. Try to run EPE again.

You ran the installer as Admin, right?

Did I miss something? Has this temp file already been implemented into the current version of EPE or is it still in the works? I've replaced my UPS so hopefully I won't have a pressing need for this feature short of some other PC related calamity.

As always, thanks for all your efforts to support us with this excellent application.

I just gave up trying.

You did not miss anything. It is not implemented yet. Thanks for bringing up the issue again. Lately, I have been busy with a tool to convert/create RGN files and a GIR/Bitmap editor. With all the action, I forgot about this.

That probably won't go over very well with users that use "Replace Field" to populate the "Speed" field in bulk.

I'm not sure what you're saying here. Does that mean you also removed the "Speed" field altogether, including from M-column csv?

btw- is this maybe the problem the last couple of posts are referring to? http://support.microsoft.com/kb/236281

I know you said you ran the installation as Admin, but the errors still sound to me like a Win7 privledges issue.

I would try 2 things - 1) right-click on the EPE installation file and select Run as Administrator. If that doesn't work, 2) temporarily disable UAC in Win7 and try again.

I have EPE on my Win7 x64 laptop, installed & running with no problem.

I like that.

Each of these files pops up regardless of whether UAC is on or off and regardless of whether "Run as Administrator" is chosen. On my Windows 7 install, UAC is off, and I still get the errors. For each one, I get a prompt with three options: Abort, Retry, Ignore.

I select Ignore, get a dialog box that says (paraphrased) "The file won't be copied.", and hit "OK".

I did this for each file, and EPE still worked perfectly afterward. But reinstalling using the 4.70 installer is annoying, so I went back to the 4.02 installer, which prompts me to replace a different set of files. I just select "no" and let the installation continue. Not nearly as annoying.

Plus, the Start Menu group is a bit more neat with it saying "TurboCCC Tools" instead of "Extra_POI_Editor".

I just randomly picked the expsrv.dll and searched for it on my Win7 x64 laptop. It's part of the Visual Basic Runtime and on my PC, it's in the C:\Windows\SysWOW64 subfolder, not the system32 subfolder.

Why would the installer be trying to put it in the system32 folder on your system? It shouldn't be trying to copy it there, that's why you're getting those errors. Something else is not installed right.

I have EPE 4.85 installed.

Gary A, you probably have the Visual Basic .NET installed on your computer. Maybe VB .NET is a 64-bit application. Remember I am using VB6 which is a 32-bit application. It may explain why it is trying to install files in the System32 folder...

I'm not sure if this is what you are refering to or not... I got this laptop the end of July and it came with Visual C++ 2005 already on it. In the first few days of having it, MS Updates added some updates to the 2005 version and then installed the 2008 version (x86 & x64) plus updates.

Here is my current Visual C++ list: http://i52.tinypic.com/34hxpp2.jpg

turbo- did you catch my link about expsrv.dll & MSDAO?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/236281
..which leads to
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=...

JD4x4, yes I checked the links, but I felt like it was not the problem. I will read it again.

In the meantime, I made a new package directly on my Win7 system. I hope it will prvide better results. You can find it here:

http://turboccc.wikispaces.com/file/detail/Extra_POI_Editor_...

Let me know if this is better.

Turbo

Thanks for the new version, Turbo. I take it's still backwards compatible with XP?

Version 4.85 is also installed on my WinXp Pro SP3 desktop PC and runs fine.

Dunno! I found a way to install VB6 on a Win7 system. I just recompiled my last version which was v4.85. It is intended for Win7 users, but you can simply extract the Extra_POI_Editor.exe from the .CAB and use it as usual. Not sure about using this installer on a Win XP though. I will release v4.85 notmally soon.

Thanks, Gary. Good to know for us XP die-hards!

That describes me, too. I skipped the Vista experience and still deal mostly with XP systems. XP just plain works, for me.

This Win7 laptop (I hate moving to a new OS!) has been a real learning experience for me. I think I've been bitten by every Win7 oddity there is. I now spend more time on various Win7 forums, trying to figure out, why... this, and what... that, and how do I... something else.

UAC, file/folder/user permissions and NTFS security have taken up most of my time and I still don't really understand most of it. All these changes were made in the name of 'security' I get that. But it's made installing a simple program or copying data files a 3 day adventure.

One of the first things I did when I got this laptop was to copy all the 'My Documents' files and folders from the XP desktop over to it. I couldn't access them! WHAT!! The error was something about the file being blocked because it came from another computer!?! Well, duh... of course it did. Then I found this which explained what was happening and how to fix it: http://www.windows-stupidities.com/This_file_came_from_anoth...

I even went so far as reformatting one of my external HDD's back to FAT32 from NTFS to get around some of these file copy problems.

Like I said, every day has been an adventure.

I did the Beta and RC testing for MS with 7, and I have to say, it is what Vista should have been from the git-go.

While I haven't used the public release yet, I would expect it was bettered.

You're braver than I would have been.

It was a great experience. I loved the OS, but love XP more... I really don't need the eye candy, as I'm fairly hard-core as far as users go.

I still got the error referring to iframe.dll, but the error occurs at the very end, and as it's the ONLY error in the install it's far less annoying than the 4.70 installer.

Installing it also advanced the version number to 4.86. So the zip file needs to be renamed.

Strephon_Alkhalikoi,

Does EPE runs now on your Win7 computer?

I just tried to upgrade to this latest version on XP Pro. After a few errors, I still have 4.84...

PS - That extractor was like a Win 98 vintage. I was like whoa... time machine or what!

I just ran the version on my Win7 computer. It is really 4.86. The character font looks weird, but I am on Remote Desktop. I'll check at the office tomorrow.

The good thing is that the maps a 75% full size as reported by other users. This will give me the opportunity to solve that problem.

I apologize for any inconveniences with the installer on Win7 computer. As it happens often in my everyday's work at the office, it is very difficult to solve a problem you cannot reproduce. Once reproduced, it is so much easier to solve.

Sorry for the late reply Turbo. EPE ran on my computer perfectly fine even with the 4.70 installer. I just had to click "ignore" on everything that came up during the installation. Now with the new v4.86 installer only the iframe.dll refuses to copy. I click ignore, and all is well.

Do you know if they are going to be coming out with a version that runs on OS X, or if someone else has a program that does the same thing as turboccc that runs on a Mac?

Turbo created EPE, so I'm sure he'd know.

But, you could always run Boot Camp.

I did as Turbo said and manually copied dll files to system32 folder and finally could try EPE, it really is an awesome piece of software Turbo, many times better than any other poi manager I’ve seen!!

Today I updated it with improved installer and I got same results as Stephon, so I have v4.86 maximize map window is a huge improvement.

Thanks again Turbo and Gary A for your advices and support

I installed this EPE (http://turboccc.wikispaces.com/file/detail/Extra_POI_Editor_...) and its great, but it lacks something that v4.70 (the only other version I’ve tried) did have.
Let me explain myself: At the upper left window, you can see 4 POIs, and using the “down” arrow you can see more pois, in v4.70 I could see the fifth POI just after saving it, but in v4.86 the down arrow doesn’t work. I have to input and to save other 4 POIs in order to see the next “page”. I need to save 12 POIs in order to see the 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th and so on.
Obviously English is not my first language, so If I couldn’t make myself clear let me know so I can elaborate further.

thanks

You're almost there with gpx units in v 4.86.

I don't want to confuse you so I'll just tell you what happens-
-Edit pref = Imperial, csv open pref = Imperial.
-Open two csv records with @45 on end of poi name.
-Record edit box correctly shows Speed 45 mph, prox is blank.
-Add 500 ft prox to record one, do not touch record two
-Save as gpx. Close EPE.
-Open EPE and file just saved. Record one Speed is 28 mph, Prox is 1640.4 ft. Record two Speed is 28 mph, Prox is blank (and it should be).
.
.

My take- (just to confuse you )
@ Speed values should never be converted, and they are not part of the gpx spec. (schema) anyway

-Proximity IS part of the schema, and should only be converted from the input file value (metric) to the display value (if Imperial), and from the display value (if Imperial) back to metric when the file is written.

You got bit by the same feature I did on proximity entries. If you enter a proximity in the editor it is as per your preferences. If proximity is read from a file it is in meters. The program is operating correctly.