cmt versus desc

Former Member
Former Member
I'm curious as to why exporting waypoints from a BaseCamp list causes the gpx file to have both <cmt> and <desc> tags with the exact same information. I do a lot of Waymarking. Waymarks are simply waypoints with fancy long descriptions and links, etc.

When I download a .gpx file from www.waymarking.com, it only has the <desc> tag with all of the description information. If I import the waypoint into BaseCamp, then later export the list, the waypoints have both <cmt> and <desc> tags with the same information, which bloats the exported .gpx file incredibly for no reason.

Seems like it should be putting the description into the <desc> tag only. Or if some application wants it in the <cmt> tag, then there ought to be an option to the effect: "Description in <desc>, Description in <cmt>, Description in Both" (or some such) somewhere in the BaseCamp options.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member
    BaseCamp has to cater to many... MANY devices. Some use one tag, others use the other. We don't know who gets the GPX after we dump it, so we try to prepare for as many possible scenarios as we can. While your device may not use <cmt> others do.
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member
    OK. But if I know which one my device or downstream program requires, how about an option to disable (or enable) one or the other. I have been a professional software developer since 1980, and I know that is not a big deal to program in. As it is, I get HUGE .gpx files from my Waymarking hobby. Fortunately, I can postprocess them to remove the unnecessary sections. But not everyone is a software developer. Give 'em a break and supply an option as to which (or both) tag to provide.

    Thank you.