Flexible map center

I take it that you have "hold center method" disabled? (it is just below "shift map center" in the menu).

And then you can easily pan the map to the desired cutout and it stays there, so am I missing the problem?

Glad you ask this question - teels me I should have been more specific, maybe add an example:

My request is about setting the cneter to an arbitrary place - and STAY there, until changed. Example: if your overall direction you are going/riding/driving, you want the map center representing your current GPS location be where ??

In the left lower corner, of course !

I did not find a way to achieve that, except frequent manual intervention.

Ok MIchael I get it. With my suggestion your GPS location would "walk" of the srceen eventually.

So a long press anywhere on the map screen should give you the option to make that spot your "sticky" gps-location (till you cancel it) and this all with the map "north up.

And still no (battery consuming) map rotation, only automatic map panning just like now when the gps/red cross is in the screen center.

+1 from me.

Absolutely, and you gave another good argument.

Hopefully Menion agrees, too ;-)

Hmm ...

if I understand correctly (still not 100% sure), currently is map centered on GPS on center. When is map shift enabled together with rotation, it`s centered to horizontal center and vertical 3/4.

And you want to manually define this center point right? So you for example select center as top right corner and when you`ll have enabled centering, then your GPS location will still be in this top left corner right??

Ok, then may someone tell, on what is this crazy feature usable?? :)

Example: if your overall direction you are going/riding/driving is North-East, then you want the map center representing your current GPS location to be where (North = Top) ?? In the left lower corner, of course !

And many people prefer North = Top ... see the point ?

This feature is not so crazy :)

Usually, people are more interesting in what will be farther on their road, not behind. So when I can set gps marker on the edge of the map (I prefer when maps are with north on top, not rotating - but I`m not always travel in the north direction :)), I can see twice as much info about my way, compared to gps marker in center position.

In example, it is well implemented in very popular in Russia "Yandex.Maps" mobile app.

Now in Locus, when you move, your position can be in center (or 25% off), or moves and can enough fast go out of the screen, and I have to manually scroll to it. And again, and again, especially on lage zooms.

In Yandex solution is very simple - when you manually scroll your current position, it begins to move map, not the position on map. Locus have more capabilities, so it should be just third mode for button in the down left corner - let user scroll gps marker. To return to center, just tap on it once more.

I am 100% with you, wolodik !

oki guys. From my personal point of view, I don`t think this feature is necessary, but I agree it may be useful in some rare cases. So I`ll leave this topic open and we`ll see how much people will like it

If you say this is not necessary - can you then pls. explain how to efficiently handle wolodik` scenario ? Mind: north up is preferred by many professionals.

Also mind: neither wolodik nor henkvanderspek normyself are hostile towards Locus - very much to the contrary. It is about an easy improvement with obvious benefits.

We can start asking people if this is what you propose ...

problem is simple. I have one kind of use case of locus, you have another and there exist 100 different kinds ...

I never ever though about such feature. I want to know that I have center in center and not search for it somewhere on screen. Also in case I need to see what is before me, I just rotate a screen. But as I wrote, this is just my usecase.

Anyway in cases, there is any feature, that I don`t see as important, best for me is when I see that many people also like it. Fact that we discuss about it, help. Anyway 7 votes is still to low compare to topics around 50 votes ...

so we`ll see.

This reply was created from a merged topic originally titled

<a class="notranslate" href="http://getsatisfaction.com/locus/topics/shift_map_center_mode_while_north_up_map_view" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Shift map center mode while north-up map view</a>.

Shift map center mode gives more map view to the direction you are actually going to. I would like to have this benefit even in the north-up map view.

The basic idea is simple.

- automatically shift the position of the navigation cursor to the opposite direction of the current movement.

- if current speed is almost zero, the navigation cursor stays at the screen center as usual.

Advanced ideas are:

- navigation cursor smoothly move on the screen according to the bearing change.

- shift length can be changeable according to the current speed.

Here is a short description of the image. (probably unnecessary to explain...)

1) Driving on the road to south-east, the navigation cursor shift to up-left.

The road curve to the right.

2) Driving to south-southeast, the navigation cursor shift to up-up-left.

3) Driving almost to south, the navigation cursor shift to up

4) Driving to south-west, the navigation cursor shirt to up-right

I`ve wrote the word "shift map center" in the topic title. But, in fact, I think it is enough to shift the "navigation cursor" to achieve the purpose.

i would find a changable map center on long-click quite useful as well. map rotation and the 25% thing as an alternative is just not something i can get used to. if you have been growing up with paper maps, north will always be on top. also, raster maps dont really rotate nicely.

an even "smarter" way of map center handling might involve locus doing it automatically by identifying the "general direction" (n, ne, e, se, ...) that a user moves in and moving the center automagically. that might prove to be a bit too complex though, since it mustnt jump around wildly on switchbacks. so letting the user set it manually might be simpler and preferable.

I think there is a little bit incorrect understanding of this feature - better to talk not about "moving of map center", but just about scrolling map instead of moving gps position marker. Now I already can move gps position marker where I want, and all we here need - just have an option to let map scroll, keeping marker`s position on screen.

In recent days I spent 170km on the bike with extensive use of Locus, which again was painful in regards to see the relevant track ahead.

The argument to use "Turn map" misses the point:

1) the Mapsforge directory does NOT turn the text labels to stay readable

2) depending on the exact angle of the Smartphone (that may change), Locus does not keep the direction you are heading towards, on the top of the screen

Again - to make it short - this is my proposal:

- a long press on any point of the screen puts the "red cross" in this place (that may interfere with Address finding - which could just be a second choice for the long press then)

- alternatively, the "Turn Map", "Show View" menu can get a third function called "Set current position on screen" (I'm sure there can be better wording)

TXs and kind regards

Michael

- alternatively there can be

For my surprise, this idea has quite a lot of feedback. Nice.

Unfortunately

1) it's not so easy to create this

2) our main priority is now new Store

Anyway stay tuned (nice sentence which developers write in case, they not plan to do it, but don't want to say it - anyway it's not this case) :).

Hi Menion, used Locus for some 1000 km of France trip, hence had a lot of time to manually exercise this function (which is real annoyance), and also think about the claim that this would be hard to implement.

Look at this this way, pls.:

1) with GPS active, you have an arrow showiong your position

2) manually you can move the map, so this arrow e.g. then sits in the left lower corner. I.e. Locus knows where the GPS position has to be drawn

3) now, while moving on foot, bike or car, Locus would recognize GPS position changes and hence move this arrow on the map

So, you have all ingredience for this function and this can be how:

1) when you get the event to move the GPS position arrow, you simply do NOT move the arrow, BUT

2) rather "emulate" a move of the map by hand. Let us assume the arrow had to move 1 cm to North-East, then what you would really do instead is to move the whole map 1 cm to South-West - as if I did that by hand.

And this is easy, because if I do that by hand and it works in Locus, then you can do that in Locus, too, without re-architecting your architecture or modules.

You simply have two modes then, that will be evaluated in the event of GPS position change:

IF map-mode = MOVE-GPS-MARKER

THEN proceed as in the past (same code, to move the marker)

ELSE move the map instead in the opposite direction

Good luck and kind regards

Michael

Be aware there is a bug with distance ring not displaying the actual distance number if you move the position away from the center of the screen. It would be nice if a solution to this bug was found at same time as this suggestion is implemented.

Store is done now, Menion ... :-)

Did you digest and assess the solution I outlined above ?

Crazy idea + crazy hot evening = done.

Check it in next beta version. I'm worried that if in Locus are some incorrect calculations, tap on map items or whatever may not work correctly.

Activating is done by long click on centering. We will see how this feature will work in practice.

activating: long tap. ok - and now?

...what's goin' on?

...and how to reset to default?

sorry for stupid question :)

1. what you expect that this feature will do?

2. how you expect to achieve it?

May own answers:

1. it will hold GPS location on certain place place on screen (not in center like now), till centering will be enabled

2. when GPS is enable, I expect to move GPS location on required place on screen and confirm it's position

Well and it's how it works. If something is not clear after minute of play, write me, because it needs to be improved then

This is quite a good feature. Navigation modes and rotating maps are hardly used outdoors, so the ability to manually move the map center allows to see more of what lies ahead.

I believe that with a bit of careful design, setting the gps position on screen could also be automated. When you're out on a trip, you are basically moving towards "a general direction", like north east or something. Locus could calculate that and then center the gps in the south west corner automatically. Obviously, determining the "general direction of moving" is a bit tricky and mustn't be messed up by switchbacks on a trail or something.

For example... I normally set a guiding arrow to the place I want to reach next... like the next mountain pass or the next important trail junction or sth. This basically indicates my "general direction of movement" for the next hour.

If Locus would (optionally) move the GPS position to the opposite direction of the guiding arrow, 20% towards the screen edge, that could be quite handy.

If I change the guiding arrow to another point, GPS center goes with it. If I turn off guiding, it goes back to default in center of screen.

Just brainstorming ideas to free the user from having to manually move the GPS position... when most of the time Locus would know a good spot by itself.

Setting for this option would be a percentage slider somewhere in guiding options:

GPS position on screen adjusts to guiding: 0%....100%.

0% means off, gps stays in center. 100% means it moves all the way towards screen edge on opposite side of guiding arrow. 50%... half way... you get the idea.

TXs Menion, for the 'crazy' feature :-)

Omly yesterday night Inwas able to test it.

The function as such works nicely, keeping the currrent position in the place you shift it to. Zooming in and out works well, too.

Setting the new map center is a bit tedious, though.

Why not work with two long taps.

First to activate the setting process, then a long tap to the place where the new center shall be. It is faster and more intuitive.

Currently you move the map as if youbwant to locate a specific place. But in reality this feature is about managing thebuse of the visible screen space.

So a long tap to the lower left corner simply tells: I want the center HERE from now.

BTW:the semantics ofbthe checkbox that is offered after long tap on center button I could not yet figure out. Too little time.

Cheers from Madrid

Michael

There is one more benefit: the move of map center setting is no longer dependant on availability of GPS.

So you can do it at any time.

And another klick on the buttom brings you back to default center at any time. So you are never lost, in case.

@joeloc: sorry, this is far behind what I'm willing to do here now

@Michael: not sure I fully understand. So your suggested steps:

1. long tap on center button (as now)

2. click on "Set custom map screen center" (as now)

3. long click on any place on a map

4. tap on small popup to set this place as map center

Am I correct?

Not 100% what I meant to say, Menion.

Let me try to be more precise:

1. long tap on center button (as now):yes

2. click on "Set custom map screen center" (as now): in fact not needed, as the long tap already tells what you want to do. If possible offer the 'keep center button' here. If that is not possible, just assume 'keep center'. If you want to stop the mode, a quick tap on the centet button brings you back to default center anyway.

3. long click on any place on a map: yes, and the center goes there (regardless of GPS, if latter is possible).

4. tap on small popup to set this place as map center: not needed. A long tap is not by accident. Wehn long tap finished, ypu just move the center. It is all about easy handling and simplicity. Two long taps, and you are done. Which is important because people will use that on the run, bike, car,...

So far my 2 c.

Cheers

Michael

PS: had another test over 60km yesterday. The functionality once set works 100% correct.

Oki, thanks Michael, understand.

I've discuss this feature with Michal and Petr and for both, system how to setup this "Set custom GPS marker position" is quite clear. Because I really do not want to invest more time into it, feature stays as is in current beta version (just with improved name and description).

You already confirmed that it worked fine, which I always like to hear. Thanks.