Copying data to/from BaseCamp

Former Member over 14 years ago

I noticed that when copying data from GPS (Montana) to BaseCamp library BaseCamp silently renames waypoints which have names already existing in the library (adding subsequent numbers to names). It is causing duplicates and a mess as, for example, point 003 from the GPS is now named 0031 in BaseCamp while point 003 from the library can point somewhere else.

I didn't found any config option that would control BaseCamps behavior when copying to/from GPS - I wish BaseCamp would ask me what to do if waypoint (route etc.) already exists in the library or GPS: overwrite library version with GPS version, overwrite GPS version with the library's, choose newer version or skip copying?

Pawel

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

That was just an example to highlight what we could possibly do.

We haven't even decided when to do it and how to do it.

Having several waypoint names with the same names is not currently possible with the design we have. That design might change in the future, but will be a major undertaking. I am not sure if our time isn't better used elsewhere at the moment.

I'll add this to our feature database, but I wouldn't count on a change coming very soon.

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

The ideas to copy waypoints (and possibly other data) in a Explorer-like way and to show additional details (with a map fragments possibly) are very good.

I would add one more: when offering a user to rename an item it would be good to let him choose whether to rename it only at the target or both at the source and the target. It would help keeping GPS and the library in sync.

By the way, I think most of the problems with names could be avoided if waypoints and other items used some sort of internal ID (like GUID). Wouldn't it be possible to rename BaseCamp names to IDs and add another name field (display name) to the database?

Pawel

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

Pawel, there is another problem with all of that. In order for it to be useful all of the devices would also need to be aware of the GUID and "Display Name".

I would bet everything I own that that will never happen. The device developers don't seem to pay any attention to what anyone else is doing. That is, they seem to ignore even the other devices as well as what is possible in Basecamp and Mapsource and POILoader.

I would be very happy for Basecamp to do the imports and transfers so that it properly recognizes that a waypoint in Basecamp's collection and one from the imported file or transferred from a device are:

1. Identical (same location and all other properties). If so, do NOT duplicate it with a unique name, AND

2. Not identical (a difference in at least one of the properties). If so, tell me what the difference is and ask me how to deal with it, e.g.

a. replace the one in the Basecamp collection with the incoming one, OR
b. make the name of the incoming one different, OR
c. skip it and do nothing with it.

That still does not resolve the issues created by the fact that items in lists really don't exist and are only pointers to the real items in the collection and the fact you can only have a single collection in the library. But that's not solvable with the current data model. The problems with importing files and transfers from devices can be solved fairly easily.

...ken...

0 daknudsen over 14 years ago

Thanks, FRENSICPIC. I was going to try that, but I wasn't sure if it would work or if BaseCamp was going need to write the data back to my device in a newer format after the update and so the old data wouldn't be readable. Otherwise, why go through the hoops, unless maybe the firmware update erases everything and this is their way of making sure they could say 'I told you so'...??

I'm probably not even going to bother with it until returning from my Canada fishing trip next week. Why screw up something that's working, eh?

0 Former Member over 14 years ago

How do I traceback a waypoint, route or track?

I've got a Collection with about 30 imported routes. It includes many renamed waypoints. If I want to correct this and use one waypoint named "Home" for example, how do I find where a renamed waypoint of "Home 31" is used? How do I traceback a route or track in my Collection to the List that references it?