General FAQ > Palm OS Products > CacheMate

- I can't load a LOC file saved with EasyGPS. What's wrong?
- I have a waypoint name, but need to find the cache record for it. How?
- When I import a LOC/GPX file, the description and hints aren't there. What happened?
- How can I keep from having duplicate records when I import LOC/GPX files?
- When importing multiple converted LOC/GPX files, I'm only seeing records from the last file. Why?
- Can the CacheMate database be installed on a memory card?
- Importing data takes a long time. Can anything be done to speed that up?
- Is there any chance of a desktop companion program?
- Is there any way to import the "Found" flag from a GPX file?
- Will record view navigation with left/right buttons be supported?
- Is it possible to add a sort option for the "found" date/time?
- Is it possible to download cache data directly into CacheMate from (insert site here)?
- How do I transfer waypoint information into CacheMate?
- Can CacheMate display images in cache descriptions?
- I can't run CMConvert... it says something about a missing component or DLL. What's going on?

I can't load a LOC file saved with EasyGPS. What's wrong? (back to top)

This is due to a confusion of the LOC file format between Geocaching.com and TopoGrafix (maker of EasyGPS). The former is an XML format, while the latter is a binary format.

The CacheMate file converters, as well as EasyGPS, can load the Geocaching.com LOC XML format. The only LOC files that EasyGPS saves, though, are the binary format. EasyGPS data can be imported into CacheMate, though, by saving it as a GPX file, and using the CacheMate file converter on that. You will need version 1.01 or later of the converter, though, because a bug is fixed in that version for dealing with GPX files without Geocaching.com extensions.

I have a waypoint name, but need to find the cache record for it. How? (back to top)

Use the Palm OS Find dialog (generally activated by tapping a magnifying glass icon in the Graffiti area). CacheMate supports this part of Palm OS with a full text search of its database, including name, description, waypoint ID, coordinates... everything except for the date/time and the "Found?" checkbox in the "Log" part of the record view. Just enter the waypoint ID in the Find dialog, and the results will include the corresponding CacheMate record.

There seems to be problems with this in Palm OS versions earlier than 4.0, though, considering the search feature relies heavily on certain OS functions. An alternative way, in CacheMate 2.3 or later, is to go to the list view, select the waypoint sort order, and start entering characters in the waypoint name (with Graffiti or an attached keyboard). The list will scroll to the first matching record as you do that.

When I import a LOC/GPX file, the description and hints aren't there. What happened? (back to top)

LOC files from Geocaching.com don't include cache-specific information such as terrain/difficulty ratings, descriptions and hints. All that they contain are the cache name, owner, waypoint name, and coordinates. GPX files that are obtained from Geocaching.com, though, have all of this information, and are also supported for import. However, they are not freely available. You will need to get a paid membership at that site, and create a pocket query to generate those files.

In some cases, an imported GPX file may not have this information either. Generally, it's due to taking a Geocaching.com-generated file, then editing and saving it in a third-party program that ends up wiping out the geocaching-specific information. EasyGPS is a typical culprit of this, but there are other programs that may do it as well. For best results, use the original GPX file, unless you're using a program that you're sure does not have this effect on the file.

How can I keep from having duplicate records when I import LOC/GPX files? (back to top)

There is an option in the Preferences dialog to merge imported LOC/GPX records by waypoint name. Everything in the Log page of the record view (your personal cache log) is preserved, and everything else is replaced with what is in the imported record.

Starting with version 2.1, record merging will be enabled by default for new installs. People upgrading the copy of CacheMate they have will find their current settings preserved, including the state of the merge option.

In case you need to clean out the cache list, versions 2.1 and later also support deleting records by category. Selecting the "All" category and using the option will cause all records to be deleted from the database.

When importing multiple converted LOC/GPX files, I'm only seeing records from the last file. Why? (back to top)

The import files all have the same database name, according to Palm OS. Because of that, whenever you transfer one to your PDA, you overwrite the one that was previously there.

There are two ways around this. If you are using the Windows version of the file converter (or version 1.4 or later for Unix), you can load multiple LOC/GPX files before creating the resulting PDB file. The other method is to convert, transfer and import each file separately.

With version 1.5 or later of CMConvert, though, this problem almost goes away. The issue with database names still exists but, starting with that version, the database name is based on the output filename instead of being fixed.

Can the CacheMate database be installed on a memory card? (back to top)

Yes... and no. The main database must be kept in the device's main memory. This database, though, can contain entries referencing files on a memory card, where the actual description and past logs text (the bulk of the data in most cases) are stored. Read the Memory Card Support section of the documentation for more information.

Importing data takes a long time. Can anything be done to speed that up? (back to top)

Upgrade to 4.0.3 or later, which includes a fix that greatly speeds importing of records. If you have the ability to use standard memory cards, you may be able to get an even greater performance boost by using CacheMate's memory card support.

Is there any chance of a desktop companion program? (back to top)

No, but there is at least one third-party solution that works well in that regard, and has nearly full integration with CacheMate through its file conversion tools. It's called GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) and is written and maintained by Clyde England.

Is there any way to import the "Found" flag from a GPX file? (back to top)

No, mostly because most of the fields on the Log page (including that one) do not exist in the import databases that CMConvert produces. Those are added during the import process that CacheMate performs. The following is a good workaround, if you need to be able to do this:

1. Use CMConvert's filters to create an import file for all found caches, and another for all those that haven't been found.
2. Install both import files to your PDA.
3. Run CacheMate... the import files will be found and you'll be prompted for a category for each one.
4. Switch to the category containing the caches you've found, and select Mark Recs As Found from the Record menu.

Will record view navigation with left/right buttons be supported? (back to top)

Support for this has been added into the 4.1 release, at least for recent PalmOne and Treo devices. If it doesn't work for you, let us know! Specify what device model you're using, and we'll see what we can do.

Is it possible to add a sort option for the "found" date/time? (back to top)

This is something that was brought up and debated before, and it was decided that an option that was easier to manage and just as useful was to add a timestamp to exported memo pad records. When they are sorted alphabetically in Memo Pad, they will come out sorted by that timestamp. This sort option has always been requested in order to facilitate logging finds in the order that they were found, and the memo timestamp can be used for that.

Is it possible to download cache data directly into CacheMate from (insert site here)? (back to top)

No, and there are no plans to do this either. The main thing that stands in the way is porting CMConvert to Palm OS and, from prior experience porting desktop software, I can almost guarantee that the resulting performance if all of the features are kept will be very disappointing.

Nearly half of the conversion process itself is involved in distilling HTML descriptions and hints down to plain text, for the purpose of displaying in CacheMate. This has to be done on a character-by-character basis, to account for all of the invalid HTML used in cache descriptions. Is it any wonder why very few, if any, Palm OS web browsers actually parse HTML directly on the handheld?

How do I transfer waypoint information into CacheMate? (back to top)

There are a few good tutorials around the web on this subject, written by various people and oriented toward using different combinations of software with CacheMate. Take a look at the list and pick one :-)

Can CacheMate display images in cache descriptions? (back to top)

No, but CMConvert (1.8 and later) can generate an HTML index of images and other links garnered from HTML cache descriptions. This HTML file can be imported, along with the images, into any viewer that you might want to use.

I can't run CMConvert... it says something about a missing component or DLL. What's going on? (back to top)

Most likely, it's that you extracted only the CMConvert.exe file from what you downloaded, or tried running it directly from the ZIP file (which has the same effect). What you need to do is extract all files from the ZIP file that you downloaded as they are, then run the program where it is.