Have prob with Custom POI file and how it displays in Garmin nuvi 775

Just a couple of things to start with. What are you using to build your source file? Is it Excel or another spreadsheet program?

If you are using a spreadsheet you don't need the quotes if each of the 4 fields is in its own cell. Quotes are added when the sheet is saved in a text format. Look at the file using just a text editor after saving it in CSV format. You will see the quotes even when none are in the file when it is saved from the spreadsheet.

Secondly, there are some limits as to how much data is displayed on a line in your GPS. Different units handle display data differently, so do a little experimenting and find out how yours handles the display remembering the font size changes depending on the field being displayed.

The way the GPS handles a CSV file and a GPX file is also different. This includes the data displayed when viewing the GO TO screen.

Kevin
I just copied and pasted your example into notepad, save as a temp.csv then opened it up with EPE and I got the same results with incomplete address and something like this ]OLYMPIC HWY GROC] ]4601 OLYMPIC HWY]. I then switched this ”OLYMPIC HWY GROC”,”4601 OLYMPIC HWY, ABERDEEN, WA 98520-6924, 000-000-0000” to this "OLYMPIC HWY GROC","4601 OLYMPIC HWY, ABERDEEN, WA 98520-6924, 000-000-0000" and resaved and reopened in EPE and it looked normal. So I think your problem is with what you are using for the quotes.

I am using notepad as well as excel to build the file.
The version w/o quotes displays as you note - one line (with comma's) in notepad and 4 cells in Excel (no quotes shown).

Right - I understood that... and that is what I see when I open the file.

I'll mess around a bit more - Thanks for the ideas...

Kevin

I'll look into that and see what happens.
I have found EPE as well - GREAT tool...
Thanks again folks -
Kevin

See the FAQ -

http://www.poi-factory.com/garmin-csv-file-format

dobs108

You'll find it is a very useful tool.

If you are fairly competent using Excel and understand string manipulation you can break down almost any CSV file into separate fields and then construct a full-feature GPX file.

As the unit you are building the files for is Bluetooth capable, you can set up the GPS to dial locations. Your sample you posted here has 8 GPX fields - lat/lon, POI name, address, city, state, post code and phone.

Use the Options and M Column CSV drop down to describe your CSV. After loading the file, reset the M-Column options to write each field separately and then save it as a spreadsheet, not a CSV or text file. Saving it as a spreadsheet will keep all the formatting such as leading zeroes.

You can now start to play around more with the file building in speed and proximity alerts. Having the alerts built into the file mean you don't have to remember settings when you run POI Loader in manual mode, everything can be done in auto. Keeping the source data as a spreadsheet keeps the simple editing of a CSV without having to wade through the HTML tags in a GPX.

I think as you get more familiar with POI and using EPE to create GPX versions you will enjoy the features and capabilities of your unit better. Good luck.

d-moo, I agree with you. I cut and pasted Kevin's example into a one-member .txt file in Notepad, renamed it to .csv and loaded it into my 1450. It failed exactly as he describes. Then I deleted and retyped just the quote marks, reloaded it into my 1450 and it now displays correctly.

Kevin is using curly quotes. He must have pasted them into the forum. They must not act the same as straight quotes.

Kevin, turn off "curly quotes." If your custom POI file has them, each one should be replaced by straight quotes. Use the "search and replace" function.

dobs108

I'm scratching my head....
I've rebuilt my .csv file from scratch (and never used quotes at all).
File displays correctly in EPE
Load file in my unit.... Still as before...
I have to select the 'more' screen for showing the content I have in the fourth column of my file.

It works fine for my purposes - I guess...
But it would be nice to have the preview screen show what it should.

Any ideas are welcome.

I'm gathering you are talking about what you see when you bring up a location from doing a look-up. You only get enough information to identify the point, not the complete entry unless you do the MORE screen. CSV files normally only display the POI Name while a GPX will display the name and address field.

I believe part of the problem is the CSV format itself. You only need 3 columns for a CSV, Lon, Lat, and Name. The fourth column or field is "Comment" or "Description" and is not handled as address info in the POI loading. In a GPX, each field is identified so the POI Loader knows exactly what each piece of data represents and how to handle it on the display.

I make my POIs using Excel and save them as CSVs. One free add-in for Excel is ASAP which is a great tool. One thing I have found is that often times there are "invisible" spaces preceding a line that messes up the end results. ASAP can remove leading, ending and even excessive spaces as well as extraneous characters. The other thing I always use on a finished file us CSVed (free on the Internet). I load the file into CSVed and simply re-save it with parameters set to put quotes around each segment. When I view the finished file in Notepad, it always shows double quotes whereas straight out of Excel, the quotes are rarely there for all segments. If you use CSVed, be sure to set the options for double quotes for numbers and characters. Also be careful when saving the file because the default name will be the last file saved, not the existing file to be saved. And yes, it does create a backup of the original file as you save it.
Good luck

Thanks for everyone's help -
What I finally did was open the CSV file in EPE then save as GPX format.
I then loaded that into the unit and all is good in the world.

I guess this is a good learning experience for me -

Thanks again

I think we all learned from your problem. I know I both learned and relearned some things about the file formats.

Personally myself I make GPX files in EPE and then save to CSV

Same thing here.Less trouble.

Now that you are using Extra Poi Editor you may want to build the alert distance into your gpx files.That way you can run Poiloader in the express mode.See http://www.poi-factory.com/node/28521

Another display difference when using the gpx format is that on most nuvi's the street address field will also show up on the 'list' screen as well as the 'more' screen. .. and dialable phone numbers if your device supports it.

See the last screen shot here for an example:
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/21281

JD, I'd have to agree. Plus, just having the numbers available is a very handy thing to have as well, even if your phone doesn't support it. No 411 calls!