iGeocacher

iGeoCacher User Guide/Videos

Note: put the above URL in iTunes (Advanced->Subscribe to podcast) download and synch to your iPhone/iPod Touch) They are sideways if you try to view them any other way. This is a FIELD guide optimized for display on your iPhone as a Podcast. Viewing them directly will not work well. Also, please note that the features described are for version 1.04 which is done but hasn't been submitted as soon as 1.03 changes to "for sale" status in the App Store (any day now.) In this case, I'm a bit ahead of the game with the documentation (a very rare situation to be sure.)

Version 1.11 Video (Quicktime)

Version 1.12 Videos:

iPhone Application Settings
Cache Tab
Groups Tab
Downloads Tab
GPS Tab
WPT Tab

Come join the Yahoo group for tips from the community.

Feature requests from users and status

Loading Geocache Data onto your iPhone/iPod Touch.

Check out the new HSI Compass Display

Locally serving files on your home network.

Mac Users:

Setting up your personal web server video on your home wireless network.

Note: Some MAC users get a "403 Forbidden" error having upgraded to Leopard from Tiger. See

http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306884

for the fix. (Thanks for the tip Steve!)

My notes on this fix.

Windows XP Users:

Setting up a personal web server video using shttpd on your home wireless network.

Firewalls and Other Security Software

Be aware that firewalls and other security software you might be running on your target PC may prevent your iPhone/iPod touch from successfully reading the GPX/LOC file with the inbound port 80 request. If you are having connectivity issues you may want to temporarily disable this software just to see if it is the culprit blocking you. Most such software has the ability to tailor access by authorized outsiders and you may have to so designate your iPhone if you find that it is being blocked.

Using the web portal server

First, to use the web portal translation server you need your own account. Just email me (d o n @ b a b c o c k . o r g) and I'll gladly set you up. I suppose I should work on some kind of automated impersonal self registration with "captcha" touring tests to foil spammers but I prefer the old fashioned personal touch. If this wasn't a niche product it might be a problem but the volume isn't that heavy (g).

If you use one of the other methods for getting your data imported to your iPhone/iPod Touch, you don't even need an account. This is just a free service I provide to make things as easy as possible for folks in terms of network setup.

Watch a Quicktime demo movie.

Existing web iGeocacher users can use their existing cache assets on the web portal by entering the following url in the igeocacher download URL in the settings for the app on the iPhone:

http://www.ayefon.mobi/geo/igeocacher3.cfm?id=<your current web portal id>

Notice that the only difference between this and the old web portal address is the "3". This one sends you your data as XML instead of HTML. The native app uses XML.

If you never had a web version account and would like one just email me. You're entitled as part of the purchase of the native app.

Using your me.com account

This from one user that uses his me.com account:

"Good news! I've successfully managed to load GPX files from my public iDisk. It took a little experimentation. URL of the form

http://public.me.com/username/caches.gpx

don't work but I suspect this is due to a redirect not being handled by the mechanism used by iGeocacher.

However, if you use the following format

http://idisk.mac.com/username-Public/caches.gpx

it works."

Using Groups

On iGeoCacher

Downloading to groups video demo.

Moving caches from one group to another video.

On the translation server.

Uploading to groups on the translation server (video.)

More coming.....

Known Issues Nov 15, 2008

(Note: If you are updating from a version prior to 1.11 you need to delete the app entirely from your iPhone/iPod as the DB has changed. By deleting the app and reinstalling it you will ensure that you get a fresh copy with the new fields.)

Apparently from searching on-line, there are issues with the XML parsing API with respect to memory leaks. I may not be able to do much about them but I'm working on it. The net effect is that you may find that you have to break your GPX files into smaller chunks (a couple of hundred caches or so) per download. You can still load 'em up but it seems that an individual download is limited.

MacCaching GPX exports are showing up with TraditionalCache icons regardless of type.

All GPX files are not created equal. It turns out that if you examine a GC GPX file and one exported from MacCaching, they are signficantly different. In particular, the MacCaching program happened to leave out the particular tag that I was using to determine cache type because the information is duplicated later in a GC file. I've fixed the parser on my server and I've fixed it in the code but the latter won't be out until the next release 1.03 in the next ten day cycle.

Tip to check connectivity:

To check your download URL for connectivity and service apart from the iPhone/iPod touch, just put the URL in your browser. Your browser should display the XML data from the cache file. If that works you know you got the connectivity and URL right.

Tips

Use screen shots for offline map access

For maps when you know you will likely be "off line" without the connectivity that the Google Map app requires, use the built in "screen shot" capability to just store the maps you think you'll need in your iPhone/iPod Touch photo album before you go. Then you can easily refer to them when you are out in the field. How do you take a screen shot? It's easy. Just bring up the screen you want, then hold the top button (the on/off button) and while holding it momentarily press the home button. The screen will flash and its image will be saved in your photo album.

Take advantage of the "Mark" button on the GPS display

When you need to enter ad hoc coordinates in the WPT display, chances are they aren't too far from where you are at the moment. Just hit the "Mark" button on the GPS display and your current location will populate the WPT fields. Then just tap the fields and back out the last few digits in the lat and lon as needed and change them to your target. Change the title also if you wish. That minimizes keystrokes and entry errors for the second and third stage coordinates.