Cache Pages To Ipod

[Captain Chaoss]

Wife just bought an ipod bundle. An old thread says you can use gpsbabel program to put cache pages on an ipod for paperless caching.

 

Anyone doing this, or any newer programs available for it ?

[+sbell111]

I thought about conveting my pages to a txt file and loading them onto my iriver, but it wouldn't come close to being as handy as plucker has them on my pda, so I didn't.

[+racher]

I haven't looked into it, but I'm assuming they are using the iPods 'Notes' feature. Just a simple way of displaying text files on your iPod. Would be kind of handy if you liked going for walks with your iPod, then could look up local cache info.

 

-Eric

[+GeoLobo]

I use to put them on my 40 Gig IPOD, but then I needed to put the last couple songs on (8,243) songs.

 

I now use a PalmOne T5

[+Kealia]

Have you tried the search feature? I recall that somebody wrote an app to do just this.

[+LeBuckZoo]

Have you tried the search feature? I recall that somebody wrote an app to do just this.

 

That was me...

 

I use GSAK and export to HTML (up to about 800 locations) then convert it to iPod Notes (a sort-of HTML format) using a program that I wrote. The program is available (freeware) at http://www.topcats.net/Software/

 

The iPod can hold and interrelate up to 1000 4K text documents. The HTML listings are often bigger than 4K once converted, thus I typically keep about 750 listings on my iPod at any time. These listings have a master index and many sorted index files (all thanks to GSAK). In order to make it reasonable, I usually export no more than 3 logs per cache and select the checkbox that puts the hint on the same page (cutting the file count almost in half).

 

The program reads an HTML file directory and writes ".HPD" files into another directory, splitting and linking as needed. Then all you do is copy that folder to the "Notes" folder on you iPod (as a hard drive).

 

So, why don't I use the "vcf" format from GPSBabel that goes into the address book? Because GSAK's HTML export allows you to create all those neat indexes, including indexes based on bearing from center, distance from center, name, etc... and this seemed like a cool way to do it, and I'm a programmer who works insanely busy at some times, then no work at others... this was one of the "no work" periods.

 

Alan LeVezu

LeBuckZoo

 

PS this was discussed Here and starting Here

LeBuckZoo

 

edited for clarity

Edited April 24, 2005 by LeBuckZoo

[+heartstones1]

I've found it really useful having the cache details on my iPod.

Its a bit tedious getting them on.

What I do is:

On the cache page Save As then choose txt.

Unfortunately there are lots of blank lines in the txt file, and rows are indented, which takes up a fair amount of the 4k ipod filesize limit.

So, I open up the txt file in Wordpad, search and replace 6 spaces with a blank, delete empty rows and bits of text I don't need like the "Find maps..." bit.

Then Save.

Its not as bad as it sounds - takes around 30 seconds per page - its just mind-numbingly boring

Then copy into the Ipod Notes directory.

 

What would be really useful would be if we could download 4k txt files in just the same way that you can download waypoints 20 caches at a time. This would mean that it would be easy to keep up-to-date cache files on the iPod - I've been caught out a few times by having an out-of-date cache desription when the cache has been moved or disabled.

[+BigFurryMonster]

Would this work for other portable storage devices, too?

 

Wouldn't it mess up the HTML-like format found on many cache pages?

Edited April 27, 2005 by BigFurryMonster

[robertlipe]

GPSBabel's vcf module (for ipod) contains code to intelligently decompose HTML formatting as appears on cache pages. If the page creator didn't go nuts with formatting, it does a pretty good job of rendering.