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Configurable Default Waypoint Icon?

Steve L shared this idea 4 years ago
Completed

I am a new user migrating from Orux for bike navigation. Orux has a default waypoint icon that is easily visible at all map zoom levels for imported GPX track files. With bike navigation these need to be easily visible at a glance... Just like the GPS in your cars.

Locus also has a default icon for imported tracks. Unfortunately, it is a nearly invisible microscopic black dot - barely visible at the highest map zoom levels. This may be fine while hiking or walking out of traffic but is worthless for bike navigation!

Please consider adding a user configurable default waypoint icon that is easily visible at all map zoom levels. Locus has a large number of user choices for track styles. How hard can it be to do this for waypoints?

Thanks,

Steve

Replies (9)

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Hello Steve,

may you please attach small GPX sample so I may check icon we talk about on own device? I'm not 100% sure from where may come small dot and sample GPX may help me here, thanks.

Menion

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Hi Menion,

I think the feature request is a result of this topic.

A possible explanation for the small dot can you find in this post of that topic.

c.s.g.

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Hello Steve, c. s. g.

in next version will be improved icon for merged track waypoints as described here.

I would rather stay with perfectly working default icon without need to set manually. So please if in the next version, you find some icon really "wrong", share the same sample data or screenshot and we may discuss here replacement of this icon directly in the app. Thanks.

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May I ask, do I understand correctly ?

- So keep actual default Garmin "waypoint" Icon for unsupported <sym> represented by the mini black dot Icon = perfect ok.

- You probably do suggest a fixed (new) Locus Icon for that actually unsupported "RWGPS" <sym>dot" ? (BIG DOT or ..)

Btw. In Steves original gpx example track the waypoints are near to the track (= not on_track), so are free located poi wpt's.

Zoom in to see as these wpt's are very close located to the track. (Most are indicating nearby shops)

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I do not know exactly what problem Steve tries to solve because I miss his answer here. Anyway, my assumption was that the issue are RTEPT points with the colored down arrow in the current version. And this should be improved in just published 3.40 version.

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Steve is out now for a cycling tour. Internet ?

It is not about rtept's. What is the problem ?

Rwgps gpx output uses the unsupported and unknown sym "dot" for each waypoint (wpt), so it is only about wpt's !

Locus automatically generates the "mini dot" Icon for any unsupported sym ( "dot"). For Steve this default Locus Icon is too small and hardly visible at a track overview while cycling. (Not using navigate).

Request was: Let the user choose free "default" Icon. Ex a Flag of any other larger Icon from the available Icon range list. Roger ?

(mobile edit sorry for typo's)

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Thanks Willy.

I'm anyway a little bit confused now. Second topic where Steve and others discuss the probably similar issue is too long to read. So I'll rather wait till Steve returns from his trip and upload me here one trip that display mentioned small icons. So I'll be able to simply test it and offer some other icons in these cases.

Which I really really prefer. Option to choose default icon is doable anyway there won't be clear when this default icon will be used. You also know that it will be used only in cases when GPX contains an unknown (invalid) "sym" parameter. Which usually should not happen (at least not too often).

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I made it back from a record HOT Cycle North Carolina. Regarding the discussion at hand....

As I posted in another discussion I found a work around to make the small dot icon more visible. That is to change the track line color to something other than the dark blue default. Green at a saturation of about 30% works pretty good.

I have also noticed that the Locus default navigation markers are also hard to see mainly due to lack of contrast between the grey "intersection cross" and the faint blue directional arrow. Is there any way to increase the contrast on these icons?

In case you haven't figured this out yet you are dealing with a 60+ year old whose eyesight isn't what it used to be. Prescription is corrected to 20/20 but moving in closer no longer works! On the bike I have Bolle sunglasses with a prescription insert so the image has to go through 2 sets of plastic lenses.

I have attached one of the RWGPS output TCX files that shows the small dot icon for everything.

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Hello Steve,

thanks for the shared file and I hope you had a good time on the bike.

I'm checking hopefully precisely your shared file. Seems that track is covered by many <CoursePoint> objects, where all have defined <PointType> as navigation orders with values like "Left", "Right", etc.

These symbols are internally converted to the same navigation points that Locus generated for regular navigation and such points are usually not interested during common usage. That's why it's symbol is so tiny and hardly recognizable.

On the second side, points with higher importance, like the first and last point, has a different icon.

So my question here: why are you interested to see these navigation points also without active navigation? If you are interested to see some important points, isn't possible for you to define them a different icon in this <PointType> tag?

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@ Menion: Good to know.


The source is a RWGPS gpx exported file !


This gpx file transports a gpx (nav)track AND also additionally contains free positioned information wpt's.

These wpt's by RWGPS however do contain a sym text that is NOT corresponding with any of the (266) Garmin sym nor (98) Locus sym.


DEFAULT Icon is only to be displayed when the imported wpt sym text has not match, so is not corresponding with one out of the (266) Garmin + (98) Locus available ones.


Example:

Suppose wpt <sym> text is "akabadabra" or "dot" or "..any...."

No match found ? Than the DEFAULT Icon is shown.


DEFAULT Icon:

User selects his favorite Icon out of the 266+98 available ones, to REPRESENT unsupported unknown sym's.

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I just spent (NOW WASTED) an hour and a half to post a response. Hit comment and it DISAPPEARED!

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Let's start over... and this time in a separate text editor!


In this part of the world, at least, RWGPS is the 800 pound gorilla in the bike navigation room. Local clubs and state and national organizations generally use RWGPS to provide electronic POI/navigation to participants in their events.


Therefore it is highly desirable for other devices and apps (like Locus) to be able to effectively use this data. Note that the riders/participants have little control over how the data is generated other than the export options in RWGPS.


With Orux I could export a GPX file from RWGPS and view it in Orux. Although Orux wouldn't navigate it directly it would show your location on the map and the rest stops and POIs on the route. The default POI icon was big enough to see at any zoom level and tapping it would bring up details of a particular POI.


This is, at least, the functionality that I am trying to get from Locus. Actual turn-by-turn navigation would be nice as well as long as it doesn't use up battery life too fast.


Based on may hours of trial and error testing it would appear that the small "dot" icon is only part of the issue. As I mentioned previously the small dot icon can be made more visible by changing the default color of the track.


Here is the RWGPS route that I have been studying:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28040734

NOTE: zoom in the map to see more POIs that are on top of each other.


FIT -

Appears to be NAV info only; NO POIs shown on imported map. Does anyone know if the FIT file format supports POIs?


TCX -

Also Appears to be NAV info only; NO POIs shown on imported map. Looking at the XML file I don't see any of the POIs included. Does anyone know if the TCX file format supports POIs?


GPX Include POIs as Waypoints -

POIs show as the small black dot but at least they are there! XML file shows a single "dot" icon for ALL POIs. RWGPS specific icons don't appear to be output. Does anyone know if the GPX file format will support different POI icons?


Issues:

1. Pink navigation track COMPLETELY covers POI icons.

2. Pink navigation track obscures streets in urban areas unless zoomed WAY in. Can this navigation track width/style be changed?

3. Can Locus really turn-by-turn navigate without directional waypoints at each turn? No warning was given when I hit "navigate".


GPX Include POIs & Cues as Waypoints -

POIs show as the small black dot but at least they are there! XML file shows a single "dot" icon for ALL POIs. RWGPS specific icons don't appear to be output. Does anyone know if the GPX file format will support different POI icons?


Issues:

1. Pink navigation track COMPLETELY covers POI icons.

2. Pink navigation track obscures streets in urban areas unless zoomed WAY in. Can this navigation track width/style be changed?

3. Again, will Locus turn-by-turn navigate this time with waypoints at the turns? The XML has the NAV waypoints as directionals and Locus displays this on the map as well.


So this issue is complicated. It looks like RWGPS either doesn't support POI icons in some file format exports or the file type itself doesn't.


On the Locus side imported POIs only show as a small dot and are completly covered by the pink navigation track. However, if Locus can't navigate a GPX track then this is moot. It may be that navigation (must use FIT or TCX file) are mutually exclusive to displaying POIs (GPX files).


One thing that I did notice when looking at the TCX from my recent tour was that the rest stops and other POIs were encoded as a directionals. While they showed on the map they were completely lost in all of the "uninteresting" directional waypoints.


Does anyone have any other thoughts / suggestions?

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Thanks, Steve! This is a much needed enhancement for use with current RWGPS output to make waypoints, like rest stops, visible.

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Hi guys, Steve,

not sure about the exact state and need of this idea. It's been half of the year. The initial idea was also mainly about the icon for points that comes into the app over import.

Anyway, because it may be useful, I've added an option to choose point default icon into expert settings. So it will be available in the next version 3.45.

/f5e24cd07ffdeb9b602ca73c81114be8

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Menion,

I believe that the configurable default icon should apply to points that are IMPORTED with and merged with a specific TRACK.

It is unclear (to me) if and how this relates to your expert setting above. Don't non-track related points already have a default icon selection by folder?

Thanks,

Steve

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Steve I suppose will behave as:

The difference between "Default Waypoint Icon" action and Icons created by customisation.

"Default Waypoint Icon" display is triggered ONLY when a waypoint contains a sym text unknown by Locus.

"Default Waypoint Icon" represents ALL (by Locus map) unknown/unsupported sym's.

63b82a2cd813b4ce1eb950d2d27056ad

In the second case example, you the user operator, deliberately replaces existing (includes supported and unsupported) syms by a SUPPORTED sym Icon.

So the default Waypoint display trigger is not activated.

Roger ?

By the way:

In the actual version 3.44 the default waypoint is FIXED ! = The mini black dot Icon. (By the Garmin sym text "waypoint").

You can already have a test now by the attached file. Find the on map "mini black dots" ;-)

In version 3.45 test again with your preferred Default (Larger) Icon selection.

Attention !

By separating the waypoints and the track into a track database folder and a point database folder allows you to customise the waypoints Icons 'by folder".


But you can't do because than you are destroying the navigation functionality !


Only the superior method as described in the link, allows you to safely separate the poi wpt's from a route(rte) without destroying the navigation capabilities.

https://forum.locusmap.eu/index.php?topic=4178.msg50723#msg50723


Regards,

0709 alias "Don Quijote ?"

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This should be correct, thanks Willy.

"Default icon" is also used on many places in the app, like when you create a new point folder, new Preset, also some temporary points use it etc.

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V 3.44.3.2

Does not work.

The selected default Icon is not shown.

Import track with waypoints (merged).

Imported file is without any standard supported sym.

Nor by the Garmin nor the Locus range.

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Hello Willy,

you are correct, it does not work as expected.

Hmm not so easy to solve. Oki, another try in the next version. I had to add second settings to "Expert settings" menu for "Default waypoint icon" > icons for points attached to tracks.

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It works, thank you

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Uff, perfect, thanks :)

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Works like a charm! Thanks!

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Thanks to Covid it has been a while since I have put together any new routes. But recently I put together a new rather long route. Since I didn't want to collect any more "bonus miles" I decided to let Locus provide navigation / guidance.


Unfortunately, when I turned on either Nav or Guide the default waypoint icon reverted to the small dot. Actually I think that the guide/nav track overrode the original track. I can't say if this is an unintended consequence of the initial implementation or if something broke in an update. In any case it is not the expected behavior.

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