Sync local "computed" coordinates to geocaching.com profile

popescu shared this idea 10 years ago
Gathering feedback

Hi,


I would like Locus to sync the changes I make in a cache's coordinates back to my geocaching profile.


It is possible to change the coordinates of a cache at the GC site - when you for example solve a mystery cache - so it is displayed in the map on its final position. These changes are recognised by Locus which retrieves the new position and marks the cahce as "computed" (the little red star).


BUT it doesn't work the other way round. When I change a cache's coordinates in Locus (mark it "computed" or not), it has no effect whatsoever on the geocaching.com site. Could the coordinates updates done in Locus be synced back to the GC site as well?

Replies (22)

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and please add also the original coordinates as waypoint ;-)

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I would like to sync my notes from Locus to GC (as sync from GC to Locus works).

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Yeah, the notes sync would be also awesome. Forgot about that in the original post.

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Agree it should be useful.


Idea for notes is already here http://help.locusmap.eu/responses/geocaching_note_upload_also_to_sever

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If you are going to implement this, I realised it would be a good idea to add a choice whether to upload the new coordinates / notes:


1) immediately after editing it in the phone

2) later when on wi-fi

3) only after manual update of the respective cache

4) add a manual batch command to upload all changes done on phone.


Updating a cache can cost several MBs of the precious FUP which is not always desirable...

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Also, in the case of a collision between existing note / coordinates on server and in phone, Locus should be able to show what is already on server and ask whether I wish to keep the data on server, overwrite it with the data from the phone or keep it both and somehow merge (notes only I guess)

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Hi,

your requests make completely sense, unfortunately it's not so simple. I'm very limited by API provider by Groundspeak.

Because I yesterday did at least uploading of 'Notes' back to their server (because in their API is function 'UpdateCacheNote'), I was searching for another possibilities.

Unfortunately there is no 'UpdateCacheCoordinates' or any other way to update coordinates of cache on server based on changes in Locus. They still improve their API (but very very slowly), anyway if this possibility appear, I'll do something with it.

For now, this idea can't be implemented

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I'll bother Groundspeak and beg for a support of this feature on their support then! :) Thanks for your work, Menion, you are awesome ^^

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c:geo is able to update coordinates at gc.com I don't now the way they do it, but it works. It would be nice to see this funcionality in Locus as well.

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c:geo doesn't use the GC API as they are at war with Groundspeak. c:geo doesn't like Groundspeak for being the corporation that wants to make money on something that should be free and Groundspeak doesn't like c:geo for allowing people to do geocaching without paying. Locus, or better say the G4L addon, was forced to comply with Groundspeak terms and limit the non-paying non-PM members to 3 caches a day and many other restrictions according to Groundspeak's terms. Remember when it was possible to use G4L for downloading geocaches for free? History long gone... Point being I don't believe Locus as a commercial product could - unlike the free and recusant c:geo - afford to defy Groundspeak by bypassing their official API.

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Hello guys,


I've just merged new question from Maros Valach to this idea. Unfortunately as I know, upload of corrected coordinates "back" to geocaching.com profile is still not yet possible with Groundspeak Live API. To be true, for me it looks like their API is stuck three years back without any progress.


Anyway @Arcao (to others - he's geocaching Live API master :) ), do you have any news, that should help with this task? Thanks

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What about not using API, but somehow implement that feature like c:geo did. Well, if c:geo can do it without API, Locus should/could do it too. Don't you thing?

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Funny answer Maros ... use unofficial method to be banned for violating their "terms of use"? No thanks.

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Hi,

as an optional feature final coordinates added to a cache locally could automatically be copied to the "Note" of the cache and thus uploaded back to the geocaching website. This would save the user from having to do this manually on a mobile device where this is always painful.

A work-around for the missing groundspeak api feature would then look as follows:


  • When downloading a cache that has no calculation on the mobie device, locus could parse the cache notes and look for coordinates. These would be added as "user" waypoints to the cache. The first coordinate in the cache notes would be considered to be the caches final location.
  • Vice versa, waypoints calculated on the mobile device could be copied to the cache notes, thus making sure they don't get lost and can be ported to any other mobile device using Locus.
  • Synchronizing back could be made automatic (maybe a user setting) or something triggered by a menu item.

I've seen other applications do this and it was very, very practical. Unfortunately that app is not being developed further.

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Note: Geocaching4Locus already support creating waypoints from personal note. And if the waypoint name starts with final (regular expression pattern fin[a|á]+[l|ł] ), it's marked as a final waypoint.

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That's great. So we only need that waypoints in Locus can automatically be added to the Cache Note for saving the information back to the Geocaching web site.

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and what about this: right after I change the coordinates to Corrected coordinates (red star) it automaticaly write these coordinate to the note with the final: prefix and automaticaly upload the note to the geocache listing?


I try to write to groundspeak directly, if they are at least considering the option that the corrected coords could by changed through api in the listing as well..


but until then, is it possible to make at least the automatic sync to the notes?

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Great idea!

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This is why I'm sometimes still using c:geo - would be great if locus is able to change final waypoint on the website.

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Hello Menion,

just for you information - some months ago, they finally added a function for saving corrected coordinates:

PUT /v{api-version}/geocaches/{referenceCode}/correctedcoordinates

I think, that in LM4 would be nice to have at coorected coordinates three dots (like at original coordinates) with function "Save to server".

Off course, it will be great, to save also multiple caches at once. I think, that there can be a function "Save updates to server" (in Point manager), that can save Notes, Corrected coordinates etc.

Thanks

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Please add this feature also in LM3.x Pro 😉


Thnx

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Hello,

A quick question or a reminder about this topic.

I do not find it in LM4 (Silver).

Do you plan to implement it or not ?

Thanks a lot

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Hello Olivier,

option provided by Groundspeak to upload coordinates to GC server is quite new. We are currently focusing on features we planned fo a long time. Geocaching improvements will most probably come next year. As I see, this is one of most wanted geocaching feature ... hmm

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Thanks for the answer.

Sure. LP (and add-ons) is doing everything except this for geocaching. This is a pleasure to use it. 👍

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There are two functions, that are missing in Locus (but such as c:geo has it years ago):

Uploading corrected coords to web,

Online checking of friends logs in geocache logbook.

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It's next year now. Any news on this?

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