Understanding the Basics

I'm no expert but this is what I have learned thus far. A CSV file is an excel file that is saved in the csv format. When creating a POI, you must get the coordinates and enter them in the first two columns.

column A = longitude
column B = latitude

You can obtain the lon/lat from http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/geocoder/

column C = may contain title, description, location, phone number... (one or two of these)
column C uses bold text
column D = may contain any information thats not in

Here is a website that might explain it to you more clearly
http://www.gpsinformation.org/penrod/poiloader/poiloader.htm...

You should find a lot of basic information under "getting started" and under "FAQs"

I did just that and learned allot from the FAQ sections..and also a topic called CSV vs GPS or something like that...I found what I needed and have already created my first POI csv file..

to create poi files. you can create simple ones using points around your neighborhood. they are close so you can drive by or simulate a drive easily. you can use notepad or excel which ever you prefer. then upload the file using poi loader.

you can search for info on this site, check out the getting started and faq tabs at the top of the page.
you might also want to book mark the proper csv format page for a quick reference until you have a good grip on the format.

Proper csv format

Garmin's format is:
Longitude, Latitude, Name, Comment(optional)
-98.8766,45.8769,POI File,"Address, Phone"

Common errors to watch out for:
1. Missing negative sign in longitude field.
2. Incorrect Longitude and Latitude coordinates.
3. More than 4 fields. Since the comma separates the fields, any field containing a comma which isn't enclosed in quotes will create another field.
4. Multiple leading and ending quotes. If using Excel, don't insert a leading or ending quote. Excel puts these in automatically if they are required.
5. Multiple trailing commas (when using Excel). This can happen when you clear a field instead of deleting it. A way to eliminate this is to highlight several fields following the last field and delete them.
6. Duplicate entries.
7. Numbers or @ in the file name when alerts are not desired.

Remember that although Excel makes creating csv files easier, it many times formats the file differently than you expect. Always check it with a text editor.

You can use POI Verifier to check the file after you create it. It will find many of the problems listed above.

Hope this will help.

RT