Skip to main content
Topic: Themes and choices for offline maps (Read 1611 times) previous topic - next topic

Themes and choices for offline maps

Hello everyone!

I am missing a feature in GeoohGo that other apps such as C: geo, Locus or Cachebox is now standard.

It's about the themes of the offline maps, which are included in Freizeitkarte or OpenAndroMaps. Here you can choose what you can see on the map.

As an actually insignificant example it is for the Freizeitkarte e.g. the benches. For some who are not too good on foot, this is not insignificant. You can display them via a selection menu. You can also select contour lines, special buildings or paths here.

Unfortunately this is currently not possible. You can only use one theme and cannot change it easy and use this features, that are included in the free themes.

Maybe you should include this functionality. I would be happy because personally I think that's good. And here the very latest maps and themes are always used, which are currently being improved.

I added a view screenshots, that you can see, what I mean.

1. Locus: Screen to switch between installed themes
2. Locus: Screen to switch between what to show on map or not
3. C:geo: Screen to switch between what to show on map or not
4. GeoohGo: Freizeitkarte offlline Map example, how it looks like, but there is no possible for choose, what to see or not.

The cards and themes can be found e.g. here:

Freizeitkarte:
https://www.freizeitkarte-osm.de/android/de/design.html

Open Andro Maps:
https://www.openandromaps.org/kartenlegende/elevation-hike-theme

I just think why not use the opportunities that others provide for us.

So I would like to put it up for discussion here as an idea for a feature in GeoohGo.

Maybe you can think about it.



Greetings
GeoLemmi





 

Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #2
That sounds good. Thank you for the your fast replay.

I will test your app more in near future. In former time I had a problem with offline use. But I recommended that this works now better with offline using.

Now in winter time I have more time to get in touch with the other features.




Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #3
Version 11.3.3 that was just released has improved support for choosing and configuring themes for offline maps. It's very similar to the other apps using Mapsforge maps and themes. Go into settings in the Alternative Maps section and after enabling offline maps there will be a chooser for the available themes found in the maps directory. Selecting a theme style will enable a button used to configure various settings for that theme.

This is a new feature so there may be additional issues to work out. Let me know of any problems.

Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #4
Thank you very much!

Just tried it on the current version of the app and it seems to work fine. The selection comes and I can choose everything.

But currently you can only have one theme in the directory. Choosing between different themes does not work.

Only the one theme that I have under "_themes" can be used.

If I have several themes next to each other under "_themes", then it no longer works. Can only put 1 theme in the "_themes" directory.

Perhaps you could improve or adapt this so that I can put several themes in their own directories under the "_themes" directory and the app will find the respective themes in the directory tree.

I hope you understand how I mean that. So that you could then choose between several themes.

The following directory structure:

Maps - _themes - freizeitkarte-v5 - theme with all data

Maps - _themes - fzk-outdoor-contrast-v5 - theme with all data

Maps - _themes - fzk-outdoor-soft-v5 - theme with all data

etc.

Currently it is like this:

Maps - _themes - theme with all data

Maybe that can be improved here. But it works fine with just one theme. When changing, you always have to delete and insert the data with a file manager.

Greetings GeoLemmi.


Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #6
Yes on my case it works well.

On first start of the map it takes a little time till the theme is there, but then it works.

If this multiple theme would work I can use my other directory that I use vor my other apps. There are all maps and themes and on a map update I have only to update one directory. Right now I have an extra directory with map data specially for geoohgo. Than I only need one for all.

Looking forward to test this feature.

Thank you for this.


Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #7
In the 11.3.4 version released today I added support for multiple themes in either a "_theme" or "_themes" directory under the folder for offline maps. It worked fine in my tests, but it would be good for someone like you who uses themes more to verify for me.

Due to limitations in the Mapsforge software related to Google's file security restrictions in the latest Android versions, Geooh has to move theme files around to an internal cache directory so the Mapsforge software can access them... which means with the first time use there will be a delay as that occurs, but subsequent map openings will used the cached files. Geooh confirms whether the number of files match between the theme directories you selected and the cached ones. If there is a difference, Geooh reloads the cached version... hopefully if you are sharing the maps directory between apps, none of those other apps will update the maps directory causing Geooh to reload the cache.

Mapsforge supposedly has updates in the works to address the new security issue (like all Android apps must do including c:geo and Locus), but I'm not confident they will fix it anytime soon so Geooh's solution is the best that can be done for now. Geooh is the ONLY geocaching app implementing Android's latest file security, but the other apps will have to eventually because after a certain date Google will not accept any app updates that don't abide by the new limitations.

Let me know how it works out for you.

Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #8
Hallo and thanks for the new update.

I took time for indoor tests this morning because we still have curfews due to Corona.

I also made a few screenshots that I simply attach after the text. I think you'll see what I mean there.

In the previous version everything seemed to be displayed as I had selected in the Map Theme Settings. I was able to deselect the highlighting of the footpaths and bike paths, because they mostly bothered me because they were drawn in different colors.

After the update, when I went to the other map directory, where the themes are now in their own folder, a problem appears.

I was able to switch between the themes without any problems. But in the themes there is a further selection of e.g. outdoor, bike or city. At first I couldn't seem to change the setting. The first shot always remained. But I found out later that this changed when I went out and went back into this setting. Only then do you see that it has changed. Is a visual problem during adjustment, but can be confusing.

Furthermore, it now seems to be ignored where the hooks are. Everything is simply displayed now. In other words, even if I remove hooks such as cycle paths or footpaths, they are still displayed.

That was not the case with the previous version, where there was no multiple topic selection. The selection seemed to work.

Everything is currently displayed that the theme can display, regardless of whether it is selected or not.

After starting the app, when I go to the live map, it takes about 20 to 30 seconds before it appears. Also, when you start it for the first time, only the map without theme appears for a long time. Sometimes this does not appear at all, sometimes only when I switch back to the main menu and back to livemap.

But then, as mentioned, it shows everything at the same time what is possible with the theme, no matter what the hooks are.

I reinstalled the app as a test and deleted the cache of the themes. But it didn't help.

I have installed the 3 themes of the Freizeitkarte Map (freizeitkarte-v5, fzk-outdoor-contrast-v5, fzk-outdoor-soft-v5) and OpenAndroMaps (Elements, Elevate). It seems to me that only the Freizeitkarte themes works in map view. OpenAndroMaps doesn't seem to work. The empty map remains without a theme.

Have tried this in all possible configurations. Always the same result. Freizeitkarte Themes work, OpenAndroMaps won't work for me with GeoohGo. But it works on most other Geocaching Apps I have installed.

What is also missing here would be a selection option for offline maps. Because I need a different basic map material for the leisure map than for the OpenAndroMaps. In other words, I have the Mapsforge Maps of the leisure map in the map directory and then the Mapsforge Maps of the OpenAndroMaps. However, there is currently no selection option for the map.

My suggestion would be that you can somehow select the card type when selecting the card in the map view. That there is no other there, but the names of the individual offline maps. I don't know if that would be possible somehow.

I'll attach a few screenshots then. I hope you can handle it. At the end there is also a view of the map, as it is displayed in various other geocaching apps and in Geooh Go with identical settings of the theme. You will see the difference I think.

Extra Info:
The map files with the theme files are in a folder on my SD Card and will be used for simmilar other apps there.
Smartphone is Samsung Galaxy S9 with Android 10.

Greetings GeoLemmi.

Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #9
I would just like to add that I experience almost all the problems that @GeoLemmi described, and in addition, going to Settings is now  very long (several dozen seconds until you can scroll down the settings screen).

I really miss quickly switching themes and their settings right on the map view.

For example, in the Elements theme, forests are visible only at certain magnifications, and in others, they disappear. Buildings cannot be seen at all. If you need, I can make a movie, but you can probably check it yourself. And I confirm that in other applications the themes work as expected.


Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #11
Looking into it... as I indicated I'm sure there will be issues as I work through things discovered. The delays on initial opening is the setting up of theme files because the Mapsforge software hasn't been updated to support the latest Android file security requirements that other apps will eventually have to deal with.

Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #12
I really miss quickly switching themes and their settings right on the map view.


Yes this would be best. I miss this too.

And yes when you open options it takes very long right now

Does this only happen on the shared directory? And are you opening the other apps in between uses? I'm concerned they are updating something in the directory causing Geooh to re-cache the themes again since it won't know whether it's a valid theme file update.

Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #13
It happens every time I open the options in this version. Most delay was, when I started the app new after I closed it before. Restart of the app.

I just use GeoohGo while testing today. And I used it like I wrote it down here.

Re: Themes and choices for offline maps

Reply #14
Try version 11.3.5 that was released today. It should fix the issues described with theme options and selections. This version also tries to speed up the configuring of map files due to Mapsforge not supporting Android's latest file security requirements. Remember though, if you have lots of theme files, it will take longer during the initial configuration setup to copy those themes to locations supported by Android's security.

Let me know how this version works.