Better UI to export tracks

[rdorsch]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

I often use qmapshack to create a route. Sometimes I would like to store it as a gpx and import it to other tools like osmand or share it with friends before we start a tour together (e.g. by email).

I order to do that, I currently

1. create a route with routino, which works very well. I save the route.
2. transform the route to a track using the context menu of the route in the project.
3. create a copy of the track in an otherwise empty export project.
4. use save in the export project as a gpx file
5. open the gpx file with another tool to ensure that enough points are in the track and not just the ones I specified for routino
6. remove the copy of the track in the export project again that I can use the same procedure with another track

Describe the solution you'd like

Right click on a route and get an option "save as gpx track" (i.e. don't just save the points I specified for routino)

Describe alternatives you've considered

Maybe there are already better ways than the one I use today, but I don't know it.

Since I use the gpx export not very frequently (also because it is such a complex procedure), in the first attempt I typically get gpx file with just the points I specified for routino.

But I took now notes from the procedure I described above, so maybe I can save next time at least one iteration.

Give a reason why someone else should spend time on that request

I think it would be useful for more people than me :-)

Additional context

If there is any additional information I could provide, please let me know.

Many thanks for providing qmapshack, it is an impressive and powerful tool

[frankystone]

I think the idea is not that bad, e.g. i create projects and tracks (not routes) in the database and sometimes i want also to send it by e-mail. Without creating a new project and saving the new project as a gpx-file this is not possible. Having a new option "Save as GPX file" for a track, beside "Copy to", would save some clicks for me.
But solving both situations, saving a track as a new gpx-file and convert a route as a gpx-track-file, might need two new menu entries.

AFAIK most users of QMS do not work with routes. Just because it can't be ensured a route is calculated the same way on the device, or other tool, as it is calculated with routino or brouter within QMS. You described the additional work because of that. So why do you work with routes at all? Especially because you send a track to your friends?

[rdorsch]

I realized that sending routes is not a good idea. In particular, since I ran into that problem accidentally in the past, when I was hoping that a track like gpx is generated when I use save as for a project.

I was not aware that I could directly create a track, but I have seen that now and at least for a quick track generation that is the better way, since it saves the conversion to a track. Thanks for the hint.

In a quick test, I had the impression that editing a route is easier than editing a track though. I tried to convert back a track to a route, then I got the initial points back, I used for creating the track, but they were all connected with a straight line. Enabling Autorouting only helps for newly added segments not for the existing one.

After pressing optimize, routing was done again, but the route was different than the original track. Which was initially surprising, but when I looked closed, I think qmapshack/routino then also reorder the points, potentially solving a traveling salesman problem (?).

But maybe there is a better way to edit a track.

[frankystone]

A Route consists normally just about few points, probably with a distance of some kilometers from point to point. The used router (routine e.g.) just calculates the route along those few points. When creating a route in QMS the router shows you what this router calculates. But when saving a route as gpx only those far away points are saved, not the intermediate points the router has shown you.
If you use another router the calculation between those far away points may differ. From my experience e.g. the router of my old garmin device calculates always another route than on my computer (i use brouter in QMS). Sometimes the resulting route on my device was partly terrible.
Saving a track saves a lot more points in the gpx file, say the distance between each point is round about 10 meters. In result the routing is independent from the used router because there are no much possibilities a way can vary between 10 meters.
When using tracks on your device there is only one downside: You don't get notes for turning points (at least with my device). I have to look more often at the device to follow the shown track.

I do not have any trouble when editing a track. It's just the same like editing a route?

[rdorsch]

Many thanks for the explanation.

I understood that a track has many more points and the route has just the ones I define. A track was for me a "trace" like I get it from a GPS tracker. Also when I import such a gpx file, I get a track in QMS.

I have "Edit Route" and "Edit Track Points", I understood that with "Edit Track Points" I can edit each an every point in that track, e.g. sometimes tracks from GPS trackers have glitches and I would have expected that this feature is for fixing these glitches.

What was entirely new for me is that a track still contains the points which are the input for the router and not just the output with many points. So compared to the GPS tracker tracks, they are somehow special (?).

Many thanks for sharing that information. Indeed creating a route then seems to have no benefit.

I am wondering what is the difference between "Save as..." and "Save as GPX1.1 w/o ext..." for a project. Is the later one removing the point which were used for routing?

[kiozen]

Yes tracks in QMS are special. As long as you stay in the QMS world routes and tracks store the same meta-data enabling them to be edited the same way.

There are also two ways to edit a track. Each one with a different purpose. The track/route editor is used to create new artificial tracks. To edit a real recording you use the range selection tool (three green dots with an arrow above).

GPX is a well defined format. However it allows extensions. And that is where nothing is well defined. Extensions can be evil defined, excessively and disturbing for other software. QMS does not make an exception to that in any respect. If you need a simple well defined GPX you export it as GPX 1.1. This will stick 100% to the specification and remove all information stored in extensions. Such a file should be loaded by any device or software.

If you need GPX and want to preserve as much information as possible you use GPX. If you want to preserve all information QMS attaches to GIS items you have to use the QMS proprietary binary format.

[rdorsch]

Many thanks for the explanation.

I did not expect that tracks in QMS are special. If that would have been visually signaled (like routes and tracks use different symbols, QMS tracks with routing meta-data and imported tracks could use different symbols), I would have at least gotten an indication that these are not the same things.

But overall the Save as options for tracks in projects (w/o creating a separate project just for the purpose of saving a track as gpx) would at least be useful for me to get that done efficiently w/o getting lost in all the other options :-)

[kiozen]

did not expect that tracks in QMS are special. If that would have been visually signaled (like routes and tracks use different symbols, QMS tracks with routing meta-data and imported tracks could use different symbols), I would have at least gotten an indication that these are not the same things.

There is no difference between tracks. You can edit an imported track as well as one created with QMS. The only thing missing is information about routed segments. For obvious reasons. But you can remove a range of points and replace it by a routed segment.

Therefore distinguishing between a "normal" track and one edited by QMS is just confusing. In my honest opinion: Reading the documentation about tracks is the best practice. There are tons of interesting features to explore. QMS is a full featured software. Naturally this is more complex than any other simple single purpose tool.

But overall the Save as options for tracks in projects (w/o creating a separate project just for the purpose of saving a track as gpx) would at least be useful for me to get that done efficiently w/o getting lost in all the other options :-)

As you say: "for me". If we add buttons, menu and toolbars for all of these "for me" interests even more users get lost in options.

I have the same use-case. Plan a route and share it. Often this is an iterative process, therefore I need the track in the workspace for further planning. When done I save the GPX to share it. And if the planning process is finished I clean up by pressing F8. This will close all projects in the workspace.