Homeport and plotter limitations

Yep, great idea, I've suggested it last year...

It should also limit the icons available for WP's.

There was some discussion on this topic here.

The issue is that there are hundreds of different devices and device configurations out in the field. For example, the 6012 you mentioned might have a limit of 20 characters in the comment with the version of software you have now, but a month later it might get a software update which allows it to have a larger limit. Also, if HomePort had a hard-coded list of all devices that it supported, you can imagine how fast that list will get stale as more devices are released each quarter.

I'm not saying that your and @machria's idea is a lost cause. It is just not as easy to accomplish as it might appear at first brush.

Is that a problem?

If the software of the plotter gets updated to accomodate more characters, more icons or whatever, I see no big problem with issuing a new configuration file for Homeport at the same time. The parameters should of course not be hardcoded into the executable, they should be delivered as a separate file, for instance as an XML-file.
But ok, let's see what happens in the future.

An option might be to let the user manually enter limitations into HomePort for his or her plotter(s).

Under "options" or "prefferences":

Number of characters for route names
Turn limit per route
etc.

I think I mentioned this before, but as an example:

I create a route in HomePort on the ICW from Charleston, SC to Jacksonville, FL. I attempt to upload it to my 5208 plotter but get the message "route truncated".

I figure out that this is because there are more than 250 points or turns in the route.

I have to import the route into MapSource which will display the number of turns or points (if Homeport can do this, I haven't found a way).

In MapSource, I can break up the route into 250 point segments (it's not easy, but it can be done).

I end up with multiple 250 point routes; i.e. "ICW South_1", "ICW South_2", ICW South_3", etc.

If I could set up a 250 point route limit in HomePort, I would know then to begin a new route.

I think what we are saying here is that the hardware and firmware seem to be designed by one group and HomePort (and MapSource) by another group who don't share their direction and goals as well as they might.