HikeArizona.COM

We have a MAC user with an Oregon having trouble. I have zero MAC knowledge...

So...
When a .gpx file is downloaded the file extension is changed to .ychat

If I try to modify by changing the ending to .gpx it still shows up as a ychat icon

The only thing I can think of is that yChat (which appears to be a cross platform chat program) has .gpx as it's default or somehow has a super link that recursively overwrites a .gpx extension???

Anyhow, dropping a .ychat file into Garmin's gpx folder obviously isn't working

any help?

Select the file and right-click. Select "Open with..." from the sub-menu. If whatever Garmin software isn't in the list, select "Other..." and find it in the Applications folder. Select and continue.

It *may* ask if you want to open all files of this type with this application. Choose yes. In the future all .gpx files will associate with MapSource (or whatever the Garmin app you just chose is).

Alternative #2. Select the file. Choose File--> Get Info. Fourth option down in the window that opens is "Open With". Choose what to open it with (as above) and then click the "change all..." button below it. A confirmation window will appear asking you to confirm that you want all .gpx files on your computer to automatically associate with MapSource.

I might've misunderstood. The file extension isn't actually .gpx ... its .ychat?

If that's true, change it to .gpx.

A warning dialog will pop up to make sure you want to change the extension. Confirm.

It should work fine.

(Note: you *may* need to have administrator permission to change extensions)

Why its changing to .ychat when downloading is more of a mystery. Might be related to what application you're in while downloading. Is it Safari or Firefox? Then it shouldn't happen that way. But if its in another application, its possible there's something strange with the downloader aspect of the software.

A third follow-up ... when I download a GPX from HAZ on Safari, it adds a new extension (XML) so that the file is called "name.gpx.xml"

I have to manually remove the .xml (which requires confirmation) before it correctly associates.

In Firefox, it downloads as .gpx, with no xml addition. I don't have Chrome on my computer here so I can't test that. But it appears that it might be an issue with the way that Safari identifies the file type when downloading.

The nice thing is that there isn't anything wrong with the file itself. Just how its being identified. So manually changing the extension should solve everything.

gpx is an implementation of xml format, some browsers are "smart" and try to automatically convert it for you. I have no idea on "ychat", nor do I use a Mac.

If it's anything like Windoze, the program it is trying to open it with has likely manipulated OS settings. The easiest way to fix this is generally to uninstall that program...good riddance to bad coding.

Hi and thanks

I actually rectified the problem by removing ychat entirely from my Mac. Oddly, the gpx files from HikeArizona STILL downloaded with a Ychat suffix, but once the program had been removed, I was able to change the ending to .gpx, load the file properly on the Oregon 450 and access it without difficulty.

Just one more question though. I tried marking waypoints on the HikeArizona map before downloading as a .gpx. The file now appears on the garmin (for the flatiron route) but without any of these waypoints. Is there a way to transfer the file including waypoints or do I have to make them on the Garmin itself?

thanks!

I don't think Joe currently supports waypoints when uploading a track.

nonot wrote:I don't think Joe currently supports waypoints when uploading a track.

That is correct.... I keep pushing him. He keeps saying something like "I have the entire development staff working on This or working on That"
If he'd light a fire under them, maybe it'd get done

So there's really no point in marking and naming waypoints on the online map at H.A. at this point..is that about right?


(obviously, I'm very new to all of this and feel like the aborigine dude in The Gods Must be Crazy, with a GPS device having dropped from the heavens rather than a Pepsi can)

I believe to do that you'd have to mark them on a map, like the ones that have been created during the search for Joe. Putting them into a gpx file and uploading it will not keep the points (at present.)

I tried marking waypoints on the HikeArizona map before downloading as a .gpx. The file now appears on the garmin but without any of these waypoints.

This part is throwing me off... I'm not sure what/where you are referring to. So I'll explain the current options

Uploading/Posting to hike descriptions: currently does not support waypoints, it will in the future

TrailDEX Map -> Route Manager: here you can create routes with multiple tracks and waypoints. These may be downloaded, set public or private and shared with others. In the upper left there is a "Link" button you can use to get the link. Be sure to view the link before leaving the page to be sure the results are what you are expecting.