Understanding BC Lists vs. MapSource Files

How about: ... ...
Will that work?

I'm not certain because I'm still not entirely sure what happens with "Delete list and contents" versus "Delete list" and I have not tested.

Assuming that will delete from the collection anything that is named in the list, plus any routepoints that Basecamp creates while messing with the route -- and that's a big assumption -- your suggestion will work in a limited way.

Here's the problem... When I mess with a route, I'm likely to want to use some existing waypoints in the mix in order to force portions of the route to go where I want rather than where Basecamp otherwise routes it. Your method doesn't accommodate that without a whole lot of work, e.g. doing the same thing with the waypoints I want to use that you suggest for the route itself ... making uniquely named copies in the collection first, then dragging the copies into the list so they'll be deleted afterwards without destroying the originals.

It gets really messy really quickly to do anything other than the most trivial stuff. So far, it appears that the Basecamp data model is designed to pretty much prevent temporary, disposable, planning activities.

I don't mean the design was intended to produce that result. Just that it's a direct consequence of the design. Perhaps it's an unintended consequence but certainly predictable if anyone had been paying attention to what customers actually do with such tools (e.g. Garmin Mapsource, Microsoft Streets&Trips, DeLorme Street Atlas to name the most popular). These programs have been around and evolving for many years so there's really no excuse for some of the most basic features being left out and a design that may prevent some of them from ever being implemented.

...ken...

tag for interests.



I also am having trouble with basecamp. I use either mapsource or easygps for my vista. I like to save data in appropriate files and reload them when neccasary.

What good is 5000 waypoints and 200 tracks if you can't organize them? I've already had the problem with duplicate names and I don't even know how it happened!

I thought there was a file somehwere on my computer but I have to hook up my oregon to see them, leading me to believe they are all on my oregon.

I'm not sure if basecamp does what I need it to do but unfortunatly it seems to be the only program that will work with my oregon.

But that's one of the most significant problems with Basecamp for those who like to do complex route planning, like for motorcycle trips. You can't ever just play with a route to see what some variations will produce and then just NOT save it so that the next time .

Hey Ken - of course you are correct. Here is what I do when planning complex trips (like for a motorcycle trip).

- create a new list - I usually name it "Draft - west colorado trip" or something
- import into the list
- muck around with them, have fun, delete, view in google earth etc.
- view them alone, just by clicking on the list
- view them with other tracks by clicking on the collection

When I am done, I often download them to my GPS. Then go on my trip. When I get home, I always create a new list and upload the actual track. (that's the gold!). Then I might delete the draft list, or mayeb rename it for it to become a "real" list.



Then when I am done

I also am having trouble with basecamp. I use either mapsource or easygps for my vista. I like to save data in appropriate files and reload them when neccasary.

What good is 5000 waypoints and 200 tracks if you can't organize them? I've already had the problem with duplicate names and I don't even know how it happened!

Basecamp can do this organization - it just that you need to understand that it does it differently than map source. I have 100s - maybe even 1000s of GDB files from mapsource, and bascemp was at first confusing to me, but I spent some time with it, and now understand how it works.

Create a new list in the way you would create a new GDB in mapsource. Import your GPD tracks & waypoints into each list.

I mostly organize my lists by "trip". Which was OK in basecamp but it required my to have a master GDB file if I wanted to see mutiple backroad trails for an area. But now with basecamp, I just click on the collection, and voila - they are all there.

As I play with basecamp more, I am starting to like it more and more. Sure it has a few weaknesses, but now that I have sat down and started to learn it, I am really warming up to it.

Database vs files

Isn't it time that you software developers at Garmin realized that you made a bad decision with BaseCamp? Its high time that developers give the customer what they want rather than what you think we should have!

I personally find the new system impossible and will continue to work with Mapsource.

Hey Ken - of course you are correct. Here is what I do when planning complex trips (like for a motorcycle trip).

- create a new list - I usually name it "Draft - west colorado trip" or something
- import into the list
- muck around with them, have fun, delete, view in google earth etc.
- view them alone, just by clicking on the list
- view them with other tracks by clicking on the collection

When I am done, I often download them to my GPS. Then go on my trip. When I get home, I always create a new list and upload the actual track. (that's the gold!). Then I might delete the draft list, or mayeb rename it for it to become a "real" list.

You lost me at "import into the list". What do you import into the list and where do you import it from?

...ken...

You seem to be a pretty smart guy, and you've been around here a while - are you just trying to be argumentative? Do you really want to *really* try and use basecamp or just want to complain about it?

That was uncalled for. You said to import something into the list. I have no idea what that means in the context of your instructions.

I'm a literal guy so here's what has gone through my head in trying to follow your instructions ... and left me completely confused.

In Basecamp, "import" has a very specific meaning. It means to import data from an external GPX or GDB file. But when you import an external file into Basecamp, Basecamp creates a list for the imported file and creates the list name from the filename.

That conflicts with your first step, which is to create a new list.

Why would you do that if you are then going to import a file which will end up in its own list?

If you are not using "import" exactly per its meaning in Basecamp, then I have to try and figure out, from the context, how you might actually mean it. My only guess that makes any sense (to me) is that you actually mean to [move/copy/drag/whatever] something from the collection into the list. But what and how?

Do you already have a route in the collection? Does it use waypoints that are already in the collection? If so, are you duplicating the route and the waypoints that you copy into the new list so you can delete them all later without losing the originals in the collection?

So, back to my question, which was dead serious because I have no idea what the answer is and I am serious about trying to find ways to wean myself from Mapsource: What are you "importing" and where are you "importing" it from ... e.g. are you really importing an external file or are you dragging/copying some stuff from the collection?

...ken...

There seems to be a basic flaw in the design of BaseCamp in that it wants to transfer all of the data in the file. MapSource let you choose to transfer (export) maps, routes, tracks, waypoints or some combination of them. Probably 80% of the time I want to transfer only waypoints--either new points I have created from online data and want to visit in person, or points created on the fly which have been revised with better names, street address, etc.

Under no circumstances do I ever want to transfer every route and track I've ever created. If I want to transfer a particular track, Mapsource lets me easily save that track in a separate file, and transfer just that one track.

I'm not going to jump through hoops trying to figure out how to make BaseCamp do these very basic things. I'll keep using Mapsource until Basecamp lets me decide exactly what I want to transfer.