[mkgmap-dev] Problem with newer garmin device text labels not appearing

Mon Dec 2 10:20:10 GMT 2024

Hi Scott,

I'm not a mkgmap developer but making my own .img maps for quite some 
time now and have just recently significantly reworked a scripted 
workflow to generate .img maps from (multiple) .gpx files with tracks 
and waypoints. Although I'm parsing .gps to .osm and feed that to 
splitter and then mkgmap.

Together with a friend of mine we are targeting Garmin headunits for 
cycling (Edge series) mostly and have been facing device specific 
firmware changes impacting our maps more than once. Basically Garmin 
more and more seems to individualize their device (line) capabilities in 
regard to what and how they display content (p.e. sports devices differ 
from outdoor devices...) We have repeatedly used testmaps to evaluate 
firmware specific behaviour by device and type

  * POI visibility (at all and text visibility)
  * draw priority of lines
  * line visibility (at all and text visibility) and compliance to the
    respective settings on device

Just recently (when introducing the 1050 series) there has been 
significant impact on line rendering (maimed border type lines, in the 
meantime mitigated) and label behaviour for lines. Basically only 
0x01-0x1c line-types (and some looners in the 0x1 and 0x2 range) behave 
as expected.

I've not dug into your website much, but maybe you could either 
experiment with different types yourself (to find some common ground) 
and/or give your users the option to choose from different types. And 
maintain a list of what works on which devices.

Nice website. If I had know before, I may have saved some work. I have 
bookmarked it and plan to look in detail, but only after an upcoming 
longer (several month) travel.

//Felix

On 01.12.24 22:06, scott taggart wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Please forgive any missing information and clarity - my first post here.
>
> I have a (free, primitive) website ("TrickTracks 
> <https://mapmaker.tricktracks.org/server/trick_tracks/file_uploader.php>") 
> that allows users to "drop" a gpx file onto a webpage and receive a 
> garmin .img map file as a download.  Under the covers my My web server 
> converts the gpx file to an MP file and then feeds mkgmap (currently 
> r4000) to produce the .img file.  I've had this website live for about 
> 5 years and it's been well received by my users.  The users are 
> primarily motorcycle and bicycle riders who create tracks for their 
> rides and use the maps on their various Garmin devices.  My software 
> does a bit of "special" processing on the gpx files in that certain 
> waypoints are converted to large polygon targets and the gpx track 
> lines have mileage marker polygons added at the user requested 
> intervals. There are various web-page configuration options, etc. that 
> let users specify map line width, etc. This has worked well on almost 
> all garmin devices for many years.
>
> I now have a problem with some of the newer garmin devices (XT2 and 
> Treads) where the labels for the polygons are not showing up. I'm 
> looking for ideas on where to start with this issue.  I have a few 
> ideas and would like ideas on how to proceed:
>
>   * First, is this a know problem in this community? Have the
>     mkgmap/OSM developers already tackled this issues and has mkgmap
>     been changed in some way to deal with it?  I will admit I have not
>     upgrade my server yet to the latest mkgmap.
>   * I am assuming garmin changed something in their rendering software
>     to now show labels that used to work (I suppose that's obvious). 
>     I have tried to see if there was a device setting that affected
>     this but have not been able to find any that work.
>   * Is there some limitation with using MP file input to mkgmap that
>     will, in the future, hinder generating .img file for these newer
>     devices.  I do not generate and JOSM and have not researched that
>     as it seems like overkill for my application.
>   * Is there perhaps something in my TYP input to mkgmap that could
>     cause this (I self generate TYP files on the fly but they have
>     worked for years and still do on the XT, Montana, etc.).
>   * As a side-note, the labels on my MP polylines do display correctly.
>   * I can provide the MP file contents I am generating for the failing
>     waypoint labels if that would help.
>
> Thanks you for any input and help you can give me.
>
> Scott
>
>
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-- 
Greets, Felix
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