Author Topic: Workflow does not work any more  (Read 5717 times)

Wothill

  • over the hills and far away
Workflow does not work any more
« on: 17 October, 2010, 08:13:05 pm »
For the last year I have been producing tracks for my Etrex Legend HCx using the following method (after Frankly Frankie's recommendation)
1 Map the route in Google Maps
2 Use Gmaps2GPX to produce a track (using the FULL option)
3 Copy and paste text into Editpadlite
4 Change text encoding to Unicode UTF8 in the Convert menu
5 Save As trackname.gpx
6 Open in Mapsource and filter the track to under 500 trackpoints
7 Send to GPS

These tracks have all worked - until now. The failure comes at step 6: when I try to open the file, MapSource says ...trackname.gpx is not a valid MapSource file and cannot be opened. All my previously saved tracks still open in the usual way so it seems to be the conversion to a GPX file which has gone haywire. I am stumped. Any ideas, anyone?

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #1 on: 17 October, 2010, 08:24:11 pm »
I've never needed to do step 4, BTW.


1 Map the route in Google Maps
2 Use Gmaps2GPX to produce a track (using the FULL option)
3 Copy and paste text into Editpadlite or any text editor
4 Save As trackname.gpx
5 In WinGDB3, use trackname.gpx as source, output to Mapsource, choose option "File conversion only"
6 Open in Mapsource and filter the track to under 500 trackpoints
7 Send to GPS

Has just worked fine for me. The WinGDB3 bit takes seconds.

Edit: no, I don't know why Mapsource does that either. I wonder if it is due to an update: mine is 6:16:2.

Wothill

  • over the hills and far away
Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #2 on: 17 October, 2010, 08:31:18 pm »
I used to have to change the encoding because Save As never included gpx as an option unless I did. But I have just noticed (in trying to find what I was doing wrong) that gpx was now an option without changing the coding so something has changed somewhere.

I just tried the process again but without step 4 and the same failure: Mapsource wouldn't open it. I am glad it is working with you, though. That must mean I am doing something daft and I should be able to put it right. Trouble is, I have done this so many times, it is all pretty automatic and I don't think I am doing anything different.

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #3 on: 17 October, 2010, 08:34:40 pm »
All I can suggest is downloading WinGDB3 and giving the above workflow a try. It's a very handy utility anyway.

I used to have to change the encoding because Save As never included gpx as an option unless I did

When you are saving, do you select the "all files" option for save as? I just use "all files" from the drop down list and add the .gpx to the file name myself.

Wothill

  • over the hills and far away
Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #4 on: 17 October, 2010, 08:41:00 pm »
I've never needed to do step 4, BTW.


1 Map the route in Google Maps
2 Use Gmaps2GPX to produce a track (using the FULL option)
3 Copy and paste text into Editpadlite or any text editor
4 Save As trackname.gpx
5 In WinGDB3, use trackname.gpx as source, output to Mapsource, choose option "File conversion only"
6 Open in Mapsource and filter the track to under 500 trackpoints
7 Send to GPS

Has just worked fine for me. The WinGDB3 bit takes seconds.

Edit: no, I don't know why Mapsource does that either. I wonder if it is due to an update: mine is 6:16:2.
That's interesting. I just tried my normal method for a route as opposed to a track. This involves WINGDP3 to convert to proper waypoints. Now I find WINGDB3 will not open the file saved from editpad either. It says it's a non-GPD file. Soemthing must be happening in Editpad, I think.

Edit: I just picked up your recommendation with WINGDB3 - file conversion only. I tried this and it works! Great - Many thanks. I still don't know what happened to my old routine but will change to this one - using WINGDB3.

Thanks again

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #5 on: 17 October, 2010, 08:42:18 pm »
I just use Windoze Notepad

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #6 on: 17 October, 2010, 09:45:39 pm »
WINGDB3 - file conversion only. I tried this and it works!

Good  :)

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #7 on: 17 October, 2010, 09:50:11 pm »
For the last year I have been producing tracks for my Etrex Legend HCx using the following method (after Frankly Frankie's recommendation)
1 Map the route in Google Maps
2 Use Gmaps2GPX to produce a track (using the FULL option)
3 Copy and paste text into Editpadlite
4 Change text encoding to Unicode UTF8 in the Convert menu
5 Save As trackname.gpx
6 Open in Mapsource and filter the track to under 500 trackpoints
7 Send to GPS

These tracks have all worked - until now. The failure comes at step 6: when I try to open the file, MapSource says ...trackname.gpx is not a valid MapSource file and cannot be opened. All my previously saved tracks still open in the usual way so it seems to be the conversion to a GPX file which has gone haywire. I am stumped. Any ideas, anyone?

That's one hell of a faff. I just wrote some software to do it all. From autoroute or google maps to mapsource to gps in a handfull of clicks. (I need to load maps too since my Vista C doesn't have enough memory for many, else I'd use send the data directly to the GPS) Trying to figure out how to get the data into the AUK DIY entry form now.


Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #8 on: 17 October, 2010, 09:51:59 pm »
BTW I suspect Google have changed something which causes GMap2GPX to do generate invalid XML (GPX)

Wothill

  • over the hills and far away
Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #9 on: 17 October, 2010, 09:54:10 pm »
BTW I suspect Google have changed something which causes GMap2GPX to do generate invalid XML (GPX)
Why would they do that, given that they don't do output to GPX themselves?

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #10 on: 17 October, 2010, 09:58:06 pm »
BTW I suspect Google have changed something which causes GMap2GPX to do generate invalid XML (GPX)
Why would they do that, given that they don't do output to GPX themselves?
GMap2GPX takes what Google does use (KML ?) and generates XML (which is what  a GPX is). Google probably have  a good reason for making changes, I don't know what it is though.

The way GMap2GPX works is quite cavalier though, the Google directions API, which is what I  use, is the way Google would like people to use their systems

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #11 on: 17 October, 2010, 09:59:54 pm »
BTW I suspect Google have changed something which causes GMap2GPX to do generate invalid XML (GPX)

No: if I make such a .gpx and open it with Memory Map it has no problem with it. It's a change that has occurred in Mapsource at some point.

That's one hell of a faff

I can do steps 2 - 7 in about a minute.

1 Map the route in Google Maps
2 Use Gmaps2GPX to produce a track (using the FULL option)
3 Copy and paste text into Editpadlite or any text editor
4 Save As trackname.gpx
5 In WinGDB3, use trackname.gpx as source, output to Mapsource, choose option "File conversion only"
6 Open in Mapsource and filter the track to under 500 trackpoints
7 Send to GPS


Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #12 on: 17 October, 2010, 10:14:06 pm »
BTW I suspect Google have changed something which causes GMap2GPX to do generate invalid XML (GPX)

No: if I make such a .gpx and open it with Memory Map it has no problem with it. It's a change that has occurred in Mapsource at some point.

That's one hell of a faff

I can do steps 2 - 7 in about a minute.

1 Map the route in Google Maps
2 Use Gmaps2GPX to produce a track (using the FULL option)
3 Copy and paste text into Editpadlite or any text editor
4 Save As trackname.gpx
5 In WinGDB3, use trackname.gpx as source, output to Mapsource, choose option "File conversion only"
6 Open in Mapsource and filter the track to under 500 trackpoints
7 Send to GPS


I am still not convince that Mapsource has changed, my version hasn't

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #13 on: 17 October, 2010, 10:18:03 pm »
Does yours open a Googlemap-derived .gpx ok without any manipulation? I am certain that I used to be able to with Mapsource, so something has changed, yet MemoryMap opens them as normal.

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #14 on: 17 October, 2010, 10:27:58 pm »
Does yours open a Googlemap-derived .gpx ok without any manipulation? I am certain that I used to be able to with Mapsource, so something has changed, yet MemoryMap opens them as normal.
What do you mean GoogleMap derived gpx ? I can't open ones generated by GMap2GPX 6.4 at present though I can generate GPX that MapSource will open, valid GPX according to the spec and furhtermore with my own extensions too.

I use the Google Maps Directions Web Service to get some data in XML format then transform it to GPX using XSL.


To be honest i never liked what GMap2GPX did, which is why I set about making my own so I haven't bothered with it, GMap2GPX much. I used BikeHike before I made my own but I don't like the way it does/doesn't do rubber banding

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #15 on: 17 October, 2010, 10:46:34 pm »
(one of) the problems is the xml generated by GMap2GPX is not valid. I just generated this first line

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8 http-equiv=content-type /> <meta http-equiv=X-UA-Compatible content=IE=EmulateIE7 /> <meta content="?>


if I change it to

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no" ?>


 the file loads in mapsource

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #16 on: 17 October, 2010, 10:50:07 pm »
Interesting. MemoryMap must not depend on that bit.

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #17 on: 17 October, 2010, 11:00:44 pm »
Interesting. MemoryMap must not depend on that bit.

You can find the XML 1.0 specification here  
Extensible Markup Language (XML) 1.0 (Fifth Edition) ;) and the GPX spec here
GPX 1.1 Schema Documentation

WinGDB3 looks like it converts to gdb which probably isn't xml so circumvents the strictness of Mapsource xml validation. Memory Map is being lenient and essentially guessing what format the document is.


MercuryKev

  • Maxin' n Audaxin'
Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #18 on: 17 October, 2010, 11:02:33 pm »
You could try:

1 Map the route in Google Maps Bikehike (bikehike.co.uk - Home)
2 Use Gmaps2GPX to produce a track (using the FULL option)
3 Copy and paste text into Editpadlite
4 Change text encoding to Unicode UTF8 in the Convert menu
5 Save As trackname.gpx
2 In the bikehike option menu filter the track to under 500 trackpoints
3 upload track to GPS


Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #19 on: 17 October, 2010, 11:06:23 pm »
You could try:

1 Map the route in Google Maps Bikehike (bikehike.co.uk - Home)
2 Use Gmaps2GPX to produce a track (using the FULL option)
3 Copy and paste text into Editpadlite
4 Change text encoding to Unicode UTF8 in the Convert menu
5 Save As trackname.gpx
2 In the bikehike option menu filter the track to under 500 trackpoints
3 upload track to GPS



Indeed but you lose fidelity with only 500 points. I prefer several tracks with 500 or fewer points each for a long route. You can have several tracks in the same gpx file. I generated a 337km route with 6 tracks and a total of 2729 points all in the one gpx document along with 11 waypoints, one for each control. The tracks are my preferred colour and the waypoints my choice of marker.

My input, aside from the programming, was the 11 waypoints when I checked the distances in autoroute. I import the autoroute file. My UI allows a route from Google Maps to be pasted in and it'll generate waypoints for the 'destinations' and other 'points' you create in the google map.

Wothill

  • over the hills and far away
Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #20 on: 17 October, 2010, 11:12:52 pm »
That's interesting about the XML. I will try that too. I just attempted to produce a route as opposed to a track, which is what I originally used WINGDB3 for. Now I find that WINGDB can't do any of the conversions to routes. It will convert a file (from GmaptoGPX) to what it thinks is a GDB file but it won't then convert via points to waypoints nor will it take a track file (which opens in Mapsource) and convert to a route with waypoints using option 21.

Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #21 on: 17 October, 2010, 11:19:39 pm »
Maybe I am being unfair to GMap2GPX, it uses Javascript so it's possible that the version of the browser and the embedded Javascript engine is affecting it too. Just a thought, I have no evidence.

Wothill

  • over the hills and far away
Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #22 on: 18 October, 2010, 11:01:51 am »
I have had another try at this using as many of the options as I can think of. Conclusions at present are as follows.
1 The procedure for producing Tracks as modified by Sergeant Pluck works.
2 There is no way I can find at present of producing a Route using GoogleMaps, GmapstoGPX and a text editor. WINGDB does not recognise the files (using any combination of output from editpadlite or notepad that I can think of) as GDB files. It gives an error message: 'options 1-15 not available for non GDB files' or words to that effect.
3 My attempts at getting a GDB file from WINGDB, starting from text editor output, seem to produce a 62 byte file which opens in Mapsource but is empty. This might be where my understanding of GPX and GDB file types is lacking, but it's an impasse for me at the moment.

frankly frankie

  • I kid you not
    • Fuchsiaphile
Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #23 on: 18 October, 2010, 11:20:02 am »
Mapsource is very fussy about how its GPX is formed.  As mentioned above, in truth it's simply being highly compliant, but the fact is that most other programs are more tolerant.

Well, out of interest I just now tried a simple track:
1: Plot track in Gmaps
2: Call GMapTo GPX, set to 'Full'
3: Select all, copy and paste into text editor.
4: REMOVE THE FINAL CARRIAGE RETURN, save as temp.gpx.
5: Open temp.gpx in Mapsource.

No problems.

This was a simple UK track so no need to take steps to remove special characters, accents etc - which I would have to in an overseas track.  Leave that final c/r in and it won't open - even GPSBabel won't have it.

I'm using Mapsource v 6.13.7 - I don't like the later versions.  However I do also have 6.15.6 installed and it opened OK in that as well.
when you're dead you're done, so let the good times roll

Wothill

  • over the hills and far away
Re: Workflow does not work any more
« Reply #24 on: 18 October, 2010, 12:35:13 pm »
Some progress!
Combining Frankly Frankie's note about the final Return with Mr Nesbit's replacement first line, I have managed to produce a Route. I am not sure why a Route should be more difficult than a Track - perhaps the WINGDB intervention for the Track did the trick in producing a file that is understandable by Mapsource.
So the procedure to make a Route from Googlemaps is now:
1 Map in Googlemaps
2 GMAPStoGPX set to Route
3 Paste into a text editor, change first line to <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no" ?> and delete the last Return
4 Save as: Routename.gpx (file type set to All Files)

The remaining problem is that I can't get anywhere with WINGDB in converting this file (which now opens in Mapsource) to proper waypoints. It still claims it is not a GDB file