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Nic Hubbard

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Posts posted by Nic Hubbard

  2. Posted · Report reply

    No problem. When you are on a map view, tap the current location button on the bottom right of the map. It looks like an arrow and has a white background. Tapping that again will take you through the different follow modes, the last being "follow with heading".

     

    Let me know if this works for you.

  3. Posted · Report reply

    Could you email me the .gpx file for this PQ?

     

    You mentioned the cache radius feature is enabled, and I have a feeling you are running out of memory. Basically, you are loading 1000 map annotations (caches) onto the map, as well as drawing an overlay (circle radius) around many of those caches. That is quite a lot of memory for iOS and it likely maxes out and the app gets killed. But, I can test it more when I see the file.

  7. Posted · Report reply

    One other thing I noticed is an issue about offline usage. I downloaded a section of caches for an area with very weak cellular signal. Once I was out in that area I opened the downloaded section of caches from the offline lists section of the app and found that it was taking quite a while to load caches. When I turned my cellular data off (I still had a very weak signal) on my device it suddenly sped up. Apparently, even if you are using an offline list the app still tries to load the caches from the server over the celluar network and not locally. I’m not sure it this is intentional, but it would be nice if loading caches from an offline list, it defaulted to loading them locally and not from the sever. Also, I was sure I downloaded the map tiles as well, but I was not able to get them to show up offline. I noticed only one map is available to download locally (opencycle I believe), so it would be helpful if when loading a list of saved offline caches it defaulted to this map (since it is the only one that could be available offline anyways).

    You devs are the best! Thanks so much for being so open to suggestions from users. It’s really the best.

     

    When opening an offline list while still online, it won't make any requests to the server, it will load those caches locally. However, it will try to load maps while you are still online.

     

    Offline map downloading should work, just make sure to download the adequate zoom level so you will have enough resolution when offline. We are working on a simplified offline map downloader were you won't have to worry about zoom levels or map type. :)

  8. Posted · Report reply

    I am not talking about geocaching.com  friends. I am talking about the one and only cachly friend I have created... my wife.  The web site shows her as a friend but the iPhone app says I have no cachly friends. I just checked again a few minutes ago and she still does not show up.  I show up as her friend on the web under her cachly web account and she shows up as my friend in my cachly web account.

     

    Sorry for the confusion.

     

    Are you meaning in these support forums when you said Cachly web account? If so, the support forums are not linked to the Cachly app. The friends within Cachly are only accessible within the app. Let me know if I didn't clarify or if you have any other questions!

  9. Posted · Report reply

    This is something that we are looking into doing, the major issue here is that the Groundspeak/geocaching.com API that Cachly users does not provide DNF data. So we will have to figure out a way to store this data on our own server, and it wouldn't be retroactive.

    MooDeux reacted to this

  12. Posted · Report reply

    Ah, OpenCycle Map. That one I have noticed is slow to load and it seems it is that way on Wifi too. I think that the map provider just has a slow server.

     

    I will be emailing Julie back in a few about her questions.

     

    Strange about the freezing. I will be looking into that issue.

     

    Could you email our support email address so that I can ask a few more questions? Thanks!

  13. Posted · Report reply

    The map tiles seemed to take a while to load, I had 4G for most of the time and 3G otherwise, this is why I chose a semi rural location on outskirts of city so I'd have a strong wifi if I couldn't work out things in app. I'm not sure why they are quicker in the Groundspeak apps but I suspect there may be some preloading/caching going on. I wonder if there might be an option in Cachly to download tiles in background when you are on navigate to cache so that when you zoom in its a smoother experience, rather than having to wait for tiles to load.

     

    What map provider were you using? Map tiles will be downloading directly from their providers, so I am not sure what the slowdown would be. Have not seen this issue myself.

    On a side note whilst I've done loads of programming development work in C# on GIS systems and thus I knew immediately what the tile levels referred to, your average user might not have a clue. Perhaps a help button to explain what the tile levels are would be useful for those users.

     
    Absolutely. In an upcoming version this screen will be completely changed basically making it a one tap download that users won't have to think about. It will also download all zoom levels as we are changing the algorithm to only download tiles in a radius around caches.
     

    When I was navigating to the cache the only real frustration I had was I couldn't find out how to get the map to orientate to the direction I was facing. On the Groundspeak apps there is an option where you can be navigating to the cache on map view and as you turn on the spot the map turns with you so you can orientate yourself on the map. On Cachly I couldn't work out how to do this so I found my self switching to compass view then going back to map view and manually orientatng the map then navigating.

     
    This feature can be turned on by tapping the current location button to toggle its "modes". There is No Follow, Follow and Follow with Heading. 

    When caching I love the ability to write short logs with a note about anything I saw etc. A few words as a reminder for my proper write up later. I do this as a found it log and save for later. One thing that I've always thought would be an improvement to a geocaching app would be if these locally saved found it logs then marked the icon on the map to indicate I'd found it. This is particularly useful when doing a lot of caching in an area seeing the icons change as you cache is very helpful. Perhaps a green tick icon to indicate it's found but not a "found it" logged on website.

    I appreciate that if I actually sent the log then the icons would change however I prefer to write longer more interesting logs when I get home. So having the map update as I go is helpful so I can see if I've missed any when trying to clear out an area.

    Similarly seeing a DNF icon as an option whether from a past visit or this one would be handy. Perhaps a standard blue sad face for a logged DNF and a red cross for one logged but not submitted?

     
    Both these have been requested by other users as well and are something we are working on. Showing that a cache has been found, but not yet submitted the log wouldn't be hard. The DNF feature is something a bit harder since Groundspeak doesn't support this in their API. So we will need to use our own server to handle the DNF's for all users.
     

    I do a fair bit of caching where I drive round an area stop get out and clear the caches there then move on. Driving solo point to point like this I put the phone in a holder on the dashboard and navigate so it works a bit like an in car sat nav. On the other apps I could have it so that it shows my location and cache location with the line on the map Cachly does this already.

    What the other app does too is to zoom in as you get that bit closer, thus as I drive closer and closer to goal the screen resizes to keep the line occupying the majority of the screen. This makes it very easy to see when you are getting closer and most importantly it means it's a hands free operation navigating closer. Thus I get to see the maps zoom in when I am getting close and can glance to see how far it is any turn offs etc. without taking my hands off the wheel. Again I assume that whilst navigating it's downloading the next level of tiles in the background so that the zooming in is very smooth.

     
    Great idea about the zooming. Will get this added to our feature list.
     

    I couldn't work out how to tell the accuracy level of my GPS in the app. I've since learnt this morning that I can do that by tapping on the coordinates in the compass which is nice but again I use the map navigation, any chance of seeing accuracy figure say perhaps at top where is has cache name and Xm from your current location Ym accuracy?

     

    Absolutely. Working on some additional ways to show accuracy throughout the app. Should be included in our next release.

     

    Anyway many thanks for the App I'm very confident I'll make it my default app. I've heard great things about how keen you are to hear from users about their experiences and get ideas for improving the app. As a fellow developer (I've written desktop apps for Family History use) I know how getting feedback from users can be a great incentive to do more and improve the app although I also know it can be a challenge too when they start demanding things  :) I look forward to hearing your thoughts on my feedback and I've no doubt I'll be an advocate for people to use your app in future, especially at this period when Groundspeak seem to have lost their way.

     

    Thanks for using Cachly! I highly value user feedback, so I really appreciate all of your comments and questions. My goal is to make the best Geocaching app out there, and this can't be done without users help!

    ShammyLevva reacted to this

  17. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks for downloading Cachly!

     

    If you tap on the More tab, then go to Bookmarks, and to a bookmark list, you will see the ... button on the top right. This will allow you to download it as an offline list with maps. Is this what you were hoping for?

     

    Yes, live maps are coming, but first we are making some changes to offline map downloads that will make things much easier and faster.

     

    Let me know if you have any other questions!

  21. Posted · Report reply

    Hi Louise,

     

    Cachly has been tested with a number of GCA GPX files and everything was working correctly. I would be more than happy to use your file and fix those issues ASAP and have the fixes in Cachly 1.0.7. I will email you too so that I can get the file.

     

    Very sorry about the issues that this caused. I have every intention of fully supporting GCA caches, so I would like to fix this.

     

    Thanks!

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Is it currently possible to search along a defined route within the app? maybe by importing a route from another app or in cachly? if not, are there plans to implement this? i understand a lot of features are defined by groundspeaks own limitations.

     

    No, this isn't currently possible. However you could create a Pocket Query along a route and then import this into Cachly.

    also, is it possible to display more than 50 caches in an area at once? ive done this using pocket queries from the groundspeak website and displaying them within the app, but not sure if its possible in cachly itself.

     

    Yes, after you have loaded some caches you will see that the refresh button (top right of the caches map screen) has a ... inside. This means that there are more caches to load. Tap that to continue loading more and more.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    Thank you for the response :D

     

    You were correct, I was using an account that was not premium. Do you have plans to change the icons (not a big deal, just wondering).

     

    I've got two more--

     

    Is it possible to save your current waypoint, for example if I wanted to place a geocache. I see that if you can touch your icon to bring up a bubble with your current geos, but I don't see a way to save those. If not, i guess i could always take a screenshot.

     

    Is it possible to place a geocache from the app itself, or is that limited to the official website?

     

    No, there are no plans to change the map icons at this time.

     

    In the upcoming 1.0.7 version of Cachly, tapping the current location will copy the coordinates into the iOS clipboard, which can be very useful.

     

    It isn't possible to place a Geocache from any app out there, even the official Groundspeak app. They want everyone to go through the website. However, we are working on a feature to be able to pre-create a cache using Cachly. So you would be able to compose an email with all the details you would need to create a cache once you are able to go to geocaching.com to do so.

     

    Hope this helps.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Thanks!

     

    There currently isn't a way to change the map pin icons. Cache types are represented by their color, but you can see the geocaching icons when you tap on the pin, or view them in list view.

     

    If you are seeing only Traditional caches then you must be a geocaching.com Regular user. Just like the Geocaching official app, Groundspeak limits us to only showing Traditional caches unless you are a Premium member of geocaching.com.

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