Display of Course Point Turn Arrow

Iq might not give you access to it but the info is there.

If the data is in the FIT/TCX file, but ConnectIQ doesn't give you access to the data, you still don't have access to the data.

the only way this could be implemented would be a standalone navigation app that interprets the contents of the loaded course file

You don't have access the data inside the loaded course file.

The only way you could do this with the current feature set provided by ConnectIQ would be to implement a web service that loaded a FIT/TCX file and made the data available to an app running on the Garmin device. You'd have to implement a full-blown app that would display all of the relevant bits of information... You wouldn't be able to rely on the built-in cycling app at all.

If the data is in the FIT/TCX file, but ConnectIQ doesn't give you access to the data, you still don't have access to the data.

That's what I said.

The person I was replying to didn't seem to realize that the information was in the tcx/fit file.

Once I pointed that out, he understood that the issue was IQ's access to the information.

Yes, TCX/FIT files can have embedded turn-by-turn/coursepoint information, but not all files have this information. Some devices (without maps) rely on this information for turn-by-turn directions, but I believe other devices (like Edge) can generate this information from on-device maps.

As a real-world example, if you use a certain 3rd-party CIQ app to import courses (from activities) into a non-mapping device like 935, you don't get turn-by-turn directions.

As another example, on my 935 when I navigate a course created in Garmin Connect, I get turn-by-turn info. If I navigate based on a normal activity (not course), I don't get turn-by-turn info.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I gather, mapping devices like Fenix 5X and Edge can generate coursepoints on the fly. I think these devices can dynamically generate the turn-by-turn info/coursepoints if they were not available in the file. In other forum topics, I've seen that Fenix 5X has two routing options: "Follow Course" and "Use Map". I gather that "Follow Course" would use the coursepoints embedded in the TCX/FIT, whereas "Use Map" would generate the coursepoints dynamically, based on the built-in maps.

So I think that you would want access to the type of the next coursepoint in CIQ, regardless of where the coursepoint comes from. I assume that's how the existing "name/distance to next coursepoint" functionality works.

Yes, TCX/FIT files can have embedded turn-by-turn/coursepoint information, but not all files have this information. Some devices (without maps) rely on this information for turn-by-turn directions, but I believe other devices (like Edge) can generate this information from on-device maps.

The Edge units that have maps can generate similar information (called "turn guidance") but it's separate from "course points". Most of these devices can use both at the same time.

As another example, on my 935 when I navigate a course created in Garmin Connect, I get turn-by-turn info. If I navigate based on a normal activity (not course), I don't get turn-by-turn info.

Garmin adds the course points to the files for some of the units. It doesn't add them for all units that support them (for example, it won't add them for the 800, which supports course points and turn guidance).

RWGPS always adds them to the tcx files it exports.

... and none of this matters until ConnectIQ exposes the data.

... and none of this matters until ConnectIQ exposes the data.

People might be better off understanding how it works.