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How to store map data to external SD card ?

John Deer shared this question 11 years ago
Answered

Does the Locus has an option to select external SD card and folder for storing map data ? If not please can you implement this function ? I have 64 GB external Micro SD card in my mobile.

Replies (14)

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Hello John,


you may include maps already stored on external SD card by this method http://docs.locusmap.eu/doku.php/manu... (button for adding external directories with maps)


there is currently no possibility to store downloaded maps to different then default place, but as I wrote above, there is possibility to move then maps somewhere, and add them to Locus. Check it and let me know if this helps you

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Not so brilliant solution. How about just a setting of default path for storing maps. I also have only 3GB free space in tablet memory, but 32GB in external SD-card storage.

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Hello Juha,


don`t understand what`s bad on this solution. If you want to have maps in different directory, you just use this feature to add this directory into Locus search list.


Second solution is to take WHOLE locus directory from your internal card and place it on your SD card. This should also work. Locus will after start try to find new directory automatically

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Hi Menion, thank you for your fast response. I tried the second method and it seems to work. However, not so obvious. Could it just ask on first start where to put all those caches and things and then offer an setting to change that if needed? Well maybe there is this windows background and I`m really not so fluent with this android yet.

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agree, some first-time settings should be useful for this case. i`ll keep it in mind, thanks for idea

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Sorry but it doesn't work as Locus does not recognize SD path, it thinks that it already is but it's on the phone internal memory...

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Hi, I had the same problem too and found a lot of information about this

problem in various forums, but most of this information seems to be

outdated and the link in Menion's comment above does no longer lead to

useful info.

For those who have still the same problem here is a solution that works reliably with Locus V3.10.3 under Android 4.4.2.

Please note that this description is for using offline vector maps (as they can be downloaded for free from OpenAndroMaps.org). For non-vector maps use maps instead of mapsVector.

1.

Install Locus (Free or Pro version) from Google Play Store. By default

it will be installed in the internal memory and will create the folder

"Locus" in the internal memory. This folder contains several

sub-folders, including folders for maps.

2. Using the Android file manager, create a directory mapsVector in the root directory of the external SD card.

3. Create a subdirectory _themes in mapsVector

4. Start Locus, open the main menu (button in the upper left corner), go to settings - Miscellaneous - Default directories.

5. Assign the mapsVector directory to /mnt/sdcard2/mapsvector/ (sdcard2 refers to the external SD card).

6. Close Locus.

7. If you have already downloaded vector maps move them from the internal memory (Locus/mapsVector) to the new mapsVector directory on the external SD card.

8. If you have already downloaded themes for vector maps move them from the internal memory (Locus/mapsVector/_themes) to the new mapsVector/_themes directory on the external SD card.

9.

Restart Locus. The app will complain that the new directory is write

protected. Click "Don't show this message again" and confirm. Now all

maps in the new directory should be available in Locus.

The drawback

of this solution is that the integrated download function of Locus

doesn't work with directories on the external SD card. This means that

you need to download maps and themes by the internet browser and unpack

the zip files into the correct directories. Please note that the files

are normally extracted into a new subdirectory that has the name of the

zip file. If so, move the files directly into the mapsVector or _themes directory.


I know that the solution described above is a bit inconvenient, thus if somebody knows a better solution I appreciate to learn about it.

@Menion:

I can't believe that it should be really impossible for an app to write

on the external SD card under Android 4.4.2. Many applications like

Oruxmaps, Apemap and Nokia Here generate their own directories on the

external SD card under /mnt/sdcard2/android/data immediately when they

are installed, and they are able to write data into those directories

without problems. All the above apps can download map data directly to

the external SD card under Android 4.4.2 without any problems. Thus I

think that Android 4.4.2 allows apps under certain conditions to write

to the external SD card, so this should also be possible with Locus.

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hi bro i have got new Samsung galaxy tab s 10.4 android 4.4.2,

i have installed locus in tab , but tab had integral memory of 16 GB

i later bought micro SD card of 128 GB

Now the issue is that i want to transfer downloaded offline maps to SD card or maps folder to SD card so that integral memory of device can be saved ,

pls guide me step by step as i m new to locus ...

thx bro for help

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hi Jafar again,


move your downloaded maps to a folder on SD card a tell Locus where it should find it. Detailed procedure is described here: http://docs.locusmap.eu/doku.php?id=manual:user_guide:maps_external. And for the future - please don't use already answered or closed topics - open your own new topic instead, Thanks.

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i have locus pro version 2.12.0 and using on Samsung galaxy tab s 10.5 .

I have few maps from external sources and want to use them on external memory card as there size is big but I could not found fetch Add external maps , pl guide

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version 2.12.0 managed maps in a completely different way, please install newest version 3.14.

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i cant change it , if u can advice me on same version i will be obliged....

there must be some solution with locus admins

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We're sorry jaffer. Versions older than 3.x.x. are completely outdated and we don't provide support for them. The only way is upgrade - either from Google Play or from Amazon (free version only)

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hi guys , I have already asked question about how to transfer my map data from internal storage to ext card but unluckily couldn't makeup.

I followed both links given by gynta and michal but couldn't succeeded. i have installed locuspro ver 2.12.0 in Samsung galaxy tab s 10.5 . it gave me remarks of either close locus or restore.

simply stating pls reply me about

1. how i can transfer my personnel maps already downloaded from online maps to my external storage card.

2. how i can use maps obtained from external source but want to keep it in ext storage due to bigger size.

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I have just copied all my maps to some directories in external storage, then used Settings>Miscellaneous>Default directories to point to these directories.

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Hi, why not mention possibility of moving specfific folders (eg. my 13GB mapsVector) to external storage? In faq (https://docs.locusmap.eu/doku.php?id=manual:faq:use_sdcard_on_kitkat) you say about not recommended possibility of changing the whole root directory. Alternatively you describe some complicated hacks, where rooting device is necessary, but there exist very simple solution: you may copy specific folder to external storage, point this folder in Locus settings, and exerything works fine, when location on external storage is INSIDE directory /storage/<id>/Android/data/menion.android.locus.pro/ On such condition there is no problems with writting to this directory - I've just checked it by buing few maps (and downloading them to this directory via Locus itself).

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Hi Jaroslaw,

I never have rooted my devices. Following the description found here it is really an easy way how to move vectormaps to external sd card without the neccessary using a rooted device.

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But putting mapsVector directory on external card anywhere outside Android/data/menion.android.locus.pro/ means that you Locus can't write to this directory - may use old map files but you can't upload new map.

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Thats wrong.

Downloading LoMaps from Locus Store are stored without any problem on external sd card when downloading them from Locus Store into the directory you have specified in my link.

And other vector maps (I am using OpenAndroMaps) can easily be copied in that directory when using solid explorer or any other file explorer which has the permission to write to external sd card. I download the new vectormaps on an usb drive and then connect the usb drive via OTG to my smartphones for copying.

And updating a vectormap is the only thing you or Locus have to have write permission on the external sd card considering vectormaps.

I am doing it that way for several years now.

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Exactly, vector maps, backup files and SRTM data are the only data for which we managed to "hack" the writing access on the SD card.

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I've checked it just now and you are wright - now it works on any directory on external card. When I've checked it previously (half year ago?) it was not possible. Nice.

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It has been possible since Android 5 which is a few years back... Nevertheless, we're happy you found that out too.

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OK, I got it: previously I've checked it for "maps" folder and result was as on attached image - directory was readonly, so I couldn't buy any raster map after this change. Solution for this problem is using directory inside Android/data/menion.android.locus.pro/. I've assumed that the same happens for mapsVector folder, but as you wrote - it it treated in different way ("hacked")

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Ok, old thread but I found it first while searching and like to add a hint.

Although I already had the mapsVector set to sd card I couldn't download LoMaps to it and internal memory was too small. Locus would always try to download to internal memory, although directory said sdcard/LocusExt/mapsVector.

Solution: I set this default directory again (last did it some years ago) and now it says something like storage/0123-4678/LocusExt/mapsVector. That seems to be an ID of the SD card? Hate Android for not being generic here...

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yes, /sdcard/ is not the external SD card - on the contrary, it's Android's title for the internal storage. A few years ago Android implemented code names for SD cards like e.g. 1234-5678.

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