How to make a GPI file

Also have a look at

http://s131.photobucket.com/user/rc818/media/Screenshots-Gar...

All you have to do is put it in the folder where all your other poi files are by hooking the gps to the computer. You do use need poi loader.

I think you are asking how to turn a file of points of interest (which, for Garmin, are usually in a .csv or .gpx file) into a .gpi file. Is that what the question was?

If so, then POI Loader, as mentioned above, is the way to do that. See http://www.poi-factory.com/node/85

I know how to load it onto the GPS, this file has lots of text in it, it has photos, so is there a easy way to produce this file? I like to have the photo's/BMP's in it.

What you are looking at is a full-featured Tour Guide file. They can be built using Extra-POI-Editor and they are a lot of work. Garmin also has a set of tools they sell that makes the task simpler, but hose tools are not inexpensive. If you really want to get started from scratch, then you will need to become very educated on building GPX files. The information is available on the web, but it is akin to visiting the library and asking the Librarian for all the information you have o a subject.

There probably are some tutorials, and the quality probably runs like the advice you get here - from good to great with a of of bad and poor thrown in for good measure. When I played with the idea a couple of years ago, the best information came with the documentation included on a few English sites, but I couldn't tell you which sites or if they are still up. Begin by looking for GPX editors and creating TourGuides.

I take it you're talking of The Garmin Content Toolkit, GPI Creator, Voice Creator; which cost $500.00 a year. That's a bit rich for me.

Looks like I need to have a closr look at TurboCC's Extra-POI-Editor. Never needed it before so here goes,here's hopping the learning curve isn't too steep and I had forgotten about it.

Thanks

Hope TurboCC's enjoying his new position.

It's easy to wave a hand in the general direction a person may need to follow, but I will provide some caveats regarding EPE. First of all, it will get you to about 60% of where you wanted to go. There are a lot of great features in the program and it has a first rate user interface, but there are a lot of things in the file you referenced that are beyond the capabilities of EPE.

EPE can, and will teach you about structure. Not only how a GPX file is structured, but how the source file has to be structured as well. You are essentially dealing with an interpreter, not a compiler with EPE. It will take a file and convert it from one format to another and essentially that's all it does. There are a lot more structures within the GPX format Turbo didn't include but then his goal wasn't to build a compiler either. Turbo wanted a program that was fairly simple to use that could take what was essentially a limited comma separated variable format text file and convert it to a file format that provided much more functionality in his Garmin. The GPX format does that as it allows the unit to do things such as dial phone numbers using an interface into its Bluetooth routines. The majority of us users here on PoOI-Factory just use the program to convert CSV files to GPX adding in certain fields such as proximity alerts.

Personally, I've played with it enough that I did, for a while, break down the Wal-Mart file so it would play one alert for a Wal-Mart and another for a location with fuel but stopped doing that about two years ago because it was too difficult handle the frequent updates and format changes between versions of the file. Now, about the only thing I do is use it to convert the majority of CSV files to GPX so I can manipulate how the data is displayed on my unit's initial screen and add proximity alerts as needed.

Box Car, what do you mean by "how the data is displayed on my unit's initial screen?"

Phil

Look at the Mobil station files. I provide both a GPX and a CSV. The GPX version displays if diesel is available on the initial screen while the CSV can't. If you download the file from Exxon, all it displays is (D) in the station name which causes the name to be announced as "Station D" rather than "Station."

Is there another compiler other than Garmins?

This is what I'm trying to do ----

I am a member of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association Inc. (NZMCA). We have in our club what we call a Travel Directory, at the moment it comes out in printed form and as a CSV file and a file on the internet. The CSV file only contains coordinates and site number which refers you back to the book.

At the moment I cut and paste the text in the description off the web site and then put it into my own CSV or GPX file, this has been OK up until now. There are about 2500 sites in the travel directory.

In the book and on the web site there is a lot more information by way of BMP/Photo's, which I would also like to include. Also it would be nice to be able to have the phone numbers connect with the cell phone for ease of dailing.

You can look at the public part of our web site at --- http://www.nzmca.org.nz/travel.

Tell us what you want in the file and perhaps we can tell you how to do it using EPE. As long as you don't want some of the more esoteric features such as directional alerts and multiple JPEGs it can probably be done but first YOU need to look into the program and see what fields Turbo defined.

I've cut and pasted some of the text, tried a couple of photo's, looks good. The layout is a little different, but it's still great. I'm sold, well done Turbo, it's only taken 3 me years for me to have a good look it.

With the images, make them JPGs, size them relatively small (pixel wise), and try to keep their size small as well. Play with them until you find a good mix. When you finally compile the final project with 2500+ sites and images, that sucker is going to be HUGE, and that will slow down whatever it's loaded on a bunch.

Don't make them highly detailed as that all adds to the size of the file and the speed at which it can be searched.

I've tried different size photo's, the first was 20kb on the disk, it wasn't good, the next was 40kb on the disk and it was OK, then I thought lets go the whole hog and loaded a 3.5mb photo and when I looked at it on the GPS I couldn't see any difference in quality between the 40kb and 3.5mb photo.
I'm using my nuvi 2455 for this project, it's the one I like best at the moment, the EPE layout looks really good on it, the photo's are quite small on the first screen, but I can touch the photo and it then enlarges to take up the full screen. I have to find out how to display more than one photo for each POI.

Which file support photos, understand they support text.

Garmin GPX (*.gpx)

M-Column CSV (*.csv)

4 Column CSV (*.csv)

Garmin CSV (*.csv)

TomTom OV2 (*.ov2)

Google Earth KML(*.kml)

Mio CSV (*.csv)

Navman CSV (*.csv)

Navigon CSV (*.csv)

Magellan CSV (*.csv)

Magellan MGLN (*.mgln)

How much text will the other GPS's load, if fits on a Garmin will it fit on the rest

This is probably the wrong group to ask that question as the majority of the users here are Garmin and we know only the GPX allows the specifying of a photo. Tom-Tom's OV2 may allow it but I'm not certain. I do know the CSV format doesn't support a photo for individual locations nor will it support a sound file for an individual location as those have to be associated with the file name. The one thing to remember - you are creating a GPI file and ONLY Garmin uses GPI files.

Phil Hornby used to be active on this site and he has a GPX program also that predates Turbo's. His site is http://geepeeex.com/homepage.aspx.

As to fields within a GPX for text, you will need to search for those. I think it is safe to assume something like 256 character limit. But Turbo allows field concatenation as well. If you tell the Editor your fields include multiple Definitions, it will add the second to the end of the first. I have used it a couple of times but it was pretty early in the testing and haven't done it for quite a while.

Play with the Description and Comment fields. They both are text fields but I don't remember exactly how they display. One thing to remember though, printed material is just that whether it is displayed on a GPS or in a book. The driver has no business reading long descriptions while trying to operate the vehicle. The old adage applies "Keep is simple, stupid."

From the description of what you are attempting you need to remember that the GPS WILL NOT replace the book. It should tell the person the name of the campground, the number of spaces, amenities and other pertinent information along with a picture of what to expect. that's about all you are going to get without Garmin's tools. When units played MP3 files, you could have the unit "read" the description or give information as an MP3 could be linked. I don't know if that's possible with the new units - without Garmin's tools.

For the record: No, the OV2 file format doesn't support images for individual locations, only an associated .bmp icon for all locations in the OV2 file.

The OV2 file format used by TomTom does not support including a photo associated with a specific address. It is possible to associate a single *small* image as the icon for ALL of the locations in the POI file, but I don't think that this is what is desired.

With best wishes,
- Tom -

[Edit]
PS
I see that VersatileGuy already answered this.

After reading all comments, I have decided not to include the photo's, I'm back to keeping the description small. Title, address and contact details.

As camerabob said, with all the images the file would be huge.

As Box Car said, it shouldn't be like a book.
I have to agree with both of them.

Although I'm looking at GPI I've already had requests from people with a TomTom and Navman

In the past I have always used excel to make my CSV files, this program is easier to get a nice format with text, it lays the text out well, and between the different models the layout is still good. I never found away to add more than one photo because by then I was changing my mind

Thanks for all help, the photos, lots of text was a way of providing all the details which are included in our travel directory, then maybe would be able to print less books. We have a membership of about 50000, about 80% would be couples so that's a lot of books. The cost would be huge. I would think they would be about $8.00 each, just guessing.