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10 | <center><img src="images/gpxview.png"></center> |
11 | |
12 | <h1>GPXView - Geocaching with Maemo</h1> |
13 | |
14 | GPXView is a <a href="http://geocaching.com">geocaching</a> |
15 | application. Its main purpose is to work with <a |
16 | href="http://www.geocaching.com/pocket/">pocket queries</a> in GPX |
17 | format (hence the name GPXView). GPXView allows you to conveniently |
18 | read the information stored in these files and navigates you to |
19 | geocaches using your devices built-in GPS. GPXView features many |
20 | advanced features including full HTML rendered cache descriptions, GPS |
21 | based voice navigation and a built-in map viewer.<p> |
22 | |
23 | <h2>Obtaining it</h2> |
24 | |
25 | GPXView is available for three different plattforms: |
26 | |
27 | <ul> |
28 | <li>Maemo4 (codenamed Chinook/Diablo) on Nokia N800 and N810 |
29 | <li>Maemo5 (codenames Fremantle) on Nokia N900 |
30 | <li>Desktop Linux |
31 | </ul> |
32 | |
33 | The latest N810/N800 version is available from the |
34 | <a href="http://maemo.org/downloads/product/raw/OS2008/gpxview/?get_installfile">Nokia repositories</a>.<p> |
35 | |
36 | <center><img src="images/maemo4.gif"><h5>GPXView on N810</h5></center> |
37 | |
38 | The N900 version is available from the extras repository and can be |
39 | installed from the Navigation section in the Application Manager on |
40 | that device. However, since there's a review process involved in |
41 | getting software into the repective repositories and since the review |
42 | process for the N900 is rather slow, it may take some time for the |
43 | latest version to show up on your device.<p> |
44 | |
45 | <center><img src="images/cachelist.gif"><h5>GPXView on N900</h5></center> |
46 | |
47 | There is no pre-packaged version for the Linux desktop. In order to install |
48 | GPXView on a desktop PC you'll have to download the <a href="http://repository.maemo.org/extras-devel/pool/diablo/free/source/g/gpxview/">source code</a> |
49 | and compile and install it yourself.<p> |
50 | |
51 | <center><img src="images/desktop.gif"><h5>GPXView on Ubuntu Linux</h5></center> |
52 | |
53 | <h2>Getting started</h2> |
54 | |
55 | GPXView comes ready-to-run and even includes some little "welcome" |
56 | demo file. You can use this to learn about the basic usage of GPXView and |
57 | check out the various program features.<p> |
58 | |
59 | <center><img src="images/welcome.gif"><h5>First start of GPXView</h5></center> |
60 | |
61 | However, to start hunting geocaches near your location you |
62 | need to get the appropriate pocket queries in GPX or LOC format either |
63 | from geocaching.com where you have to be a paying member to be allowed |
64 | to download them. Or you check free services. Sources known to work |
65 | with GPXView are: |
66 | |
67 | <ul> |
68 | <li><a href="http://www.geocaching.com/pocket/">Pocket queries</a> from geocaching.com, available to paying customers only |
69 | <li>LOC files from geocaching.com are available for free, but contain very limited information only |
70 | <li>GPX files from <a href="http://www.opencaching.de/">Opencaching.de</a> |
71 | </ul> |
72 | |
73 | <h3>Installing GPX files</h3> |
74 | |
75 | Once you got your GPX files you might install them anywhere on your |
76 | device like e.g. the memory card on your N900. Files being downloaded |
77 | in ZIP format from geocaching.com can be left compressed. GPXView will |
78 | uncompress them automatically.<p> |
79 | |
80 | <h3>The GPX list view</h3> |
81 | |
82 | To import such files into GPXView you need to start GPXView and |
83 | and select "Import file" from the main menu. The GPX file will then |
84 | be included into the main screens list of GPX files. The following |
85 | session has two active GPX files and a closed one installed.<p> |
86 | |
87 | <center><img src="images/gpxlist.gif"><h5>GPX list</h5></center> |
88 | |
89 | These GPX list will be loaded whenever you restart GPXView. Since |
90 | these files may contain plenty caches, loading them may take a few |
91 | seconds. While loading you'll see a progress bar.<p> |
92 | |
93 | <center><img src="images/loading.gif"><h5>Loading ...</h5></center> |
94 | |
95 | You may wish to temporarily disable certain GPX files from this list |
96 | in order to speed up loading. In order to do so, just click the |
97 | <img src="images/delete.gif"> icon (on N800/N810 and desktop use the |
98 | Import->Close in the menu instead). A dialog will pop up to ask you |
99 | whether you want to remove that entry completely from the list or |
100 | whether you only want to close it.<p> |
101 | |
102 | <center><img src="images/close_remove.gif"><h5>Close or Remove?</h5></center> |
103 | |
104 | If you choose to close the file it will be displayed in "disabled" style |
105 | as visible in the GPX list screenshot above. These files will not be |
106 | opened at startup and thus don't affect the startup time of GPXView. The |
107 | containing cache files are not imported and are e.g. not found when using |
108 | the Search function and are not displayed on the map. To reenable a closed |
109 | entry just select it.<p> |
110 | |
111 | <h2>Main Menu</h2> |
112 | |
113 | The main menu can be reached from the main screen (and e.g. not |
114 | from the map screen). It exact contents vary with the state of the |
115 | main screen and e.g. some menu entries may only be visible if the |
116 | main screen is in "GPX list" mode.<p> |
117 | |
118 | <center><img src="images/menu.gif"><h5>The main menu</h5></center> |
119 | |
120 | <h3>Tools Menu</h3> |
121 | |
122 | The tools submenu is reached via the main menu. It can be used |
123 | to invoke various geocaching related tools. The tools act as |
124 | if they were seperate programs but are tightly integrated into |
125 | GPXView and typically import or export data to or from GPXView.<p> |
126 | |
127 | <center><img src="images/tools.gif"><h5>The tools submenu</h5></center> |
128 | |
129 | <h4>Geomath</h4> |
130 | |
131 | <center><img src="images/geomath.gif"><h5>The Geomath tool</h5></center> |
132 | |
133 | The geomath tool allows very basic geocoordinate calculations. |
134 | Two coordinates can be entered into it as well as a distance and |
135 | a direction angle.<p> |
136 | |
137 | Clicking the "Calculate" button calculates the distance between |
138 | the two given coordinates and projects the first coordinate (on the |
139 | screens left) by the given distance and direction. The resulting |
140 | projected coordinate is then be displayed in the bottom row.<p> |
141 | |
142 | The resulting coordinate can be used within GPXView from the |
143 | coordinate selector tool using the geocalc icon |
144 | <img src="images/pos_geomath.png">. This icon also shows up in the map |
145 | if a valid geomath result is present. |
146 | |
147 | <h5>Usage example: "Go 120m in 65°" from the given start coordinate</h5> |
148 | |
149 | The cache description tells you to walk a certain distance into a certain |
150 | direction from a given coordinate. First you select the caches main position |
151 | <img src="images/cache_type_traditional.png"> from the coordinate selector |
152 | tool <img src="images/pos_get.png">. The start coordinate should then be |
153 | displayed in the left column. Now enter the requested distance and direction |
154 | into the appropriate fields (on Maemo5 using the picker tools). When done |
155 | just click "Calculate" and the "projection" row will contain your target |
156 | coordinate. This coordinate can now be selected in the caches "goto" view |
157 | and is also being shown in the map. You can even re-select the projected |
158 | coordinate in the Geomath dialog for further processing and to e.g. walk |
159 | another distance in another direction. |
160 | |
161 | <h4>Geotext</h4> |
162 | |
163 | <center><img src="images/geotext.gif"><h5>The Geotext tool</h5></center> |
164 | |
165 | The geotext tool allows two simple text operations often required to solve |
166 | a geocache. Many geocaches ask you to calculate the letter sum of a certain |
167 | text or word. Just enter this word into geotext and the character sum |
168 | is being displayed while you type. Another common operation is the "shift" |
169 | letters. If you shift the letter "a" by one you get the next letter "b" (and |
170 | "z" becomes "a" again). If you shift by two "a" becomes "c" and so on. This |
171 | is the so-called cesar encryption. A special case is a shift by 13. This |
172 | encryption of shifting letters by 13 is named rot13 and is for example used |
173 | on the geocaching.com website to encrypt hints and spoilers. |
174 | |
175 | <h4>Precise Position</h4> |
176 | |
177 | <center><img src="images/precise_position.gif"> |
178 | <h5>The Precise Position tool</h5></center> |
179 | |
180 | The Precise Position is more for the hider than for the seeker. It is |
181 | supposed to be used when standing still. It allows you to average the |
182 | current position over some longer period of time. The tool will also |
183 | show you graphically how far all the positions received so far are |
184 | apart to give you an impression how precise the position really |
185 | is. The more coordinates you get and the smaller the radius of the |
186 | circle containing them all is the more precise is the resulting |
187 | coordinate. You can then copy the resulting coordinate to the |
188 | clipboard for further processing in other applications. |
189 | |
190 | <h4>GeoToad</h4> |
191 | |
192 | GeoToad is not part of GPXView itself but has to be installed |
193 | seperately. GeoToad is written in the ruby language and as of this |
194 | writing has to be installed together with the ruby interpreter from |
195 | the extras-devel repository when using Maemo5.<p> |
196 | |
197 | <a href="http://code.google.com/p/geotoad/">GeoToad</a> allows you to |
198 | download geocache information directly from the <a |
199 | href="http://www.geocaching.com/">geocaching.com website</a>. In order |
200 | to comply with the terms of that site, GeoToad intentionally runs |
201 | rather slow to prevent to overload that site with automated requests.<p> |
202 | |
203 | To use GeoToad you first have to enter your account information (you |
204 | don't need a premioum account!), the location you want to get geocache |
205 | information from and the size of the area you are interested |
206 | in. Please, start with an area of ~1km (0.6 mi) radius. Otherwise the |
207 | download may take rather long. You also have to select a place to |
208 | store the resulting file. You can choose any location, but it's |
209 | preferred to use a memory card to save precious root file system space |
210 | on a mobile device like the N900.<p> |
211 | |
212 | <center> |
213 | <img src="images/geotoad_setup.gif"> |
214 | <h5>Setup of GeoToad</h5> |
215 | </center> |
216 | |
217 | GeoToad is then invoked using the parameters you just entered.<p> |
218 | |
219 | <center> |
220 | <img src="images/geotoad_run_1.gif"> |
221 | <h5>Running GeoToad</h5> |
222 | </center> |
223 | |
224 | After a few seconds the first information should be returned and |
225 | GeoToad starts reporting what it receives from geocaching.com.<p> |
226 | |
227 | <center> |
228 | <img src="images/geotoad_run_2.gif"> |
229 | <h5>Search results are coming in</h5> |
230 | </center> |
231 | |
232 | Once geotoad is done it reports some statistics about its work and |
233 | GPXView tells you that the GeoToad job is done.<p> |
234 | |
235 | <center> |
236 | <img src="images/geotoad_run_3.gif"> |
237 | <h5>GeoToad download is done</h5> |
238 | </center> |
239 | |
240 | You can now close the window and return to the main screen. You'll find that |
241 | the download has been added to the list of GPX files.<p> |
242 | |
243 | <center> |
244 | <img src="images/geotoad_result_1.gif"> |
245 | <h5>The resulting file</h5> |
246 | </center> |
247 | |
248 | You can now use this file like any other GPX file you might have downloaded |
249 | from geocaching.com or similar sites.<p> |
250 | |
251 | <center> |
252 | <img src="images/geotoad_result_2.gif"> |
253 | <h5>Caches downloaded by GeoToad</h5> |
254 | </center> |
255 | |
256 | </body> |
257 | </html> |
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