Turn Smart Routing on/off

The Smart Routing button toggles whether Smart Routing is enabled or not. When Smart Routing is enabled, the markers on the button turn green.

NB: This feature may not be available on all websites. If the button is not visible, Smart Routing cannot be used.

See Add Route for description of how Smart Routing works.

Add Route or Marker

The Add Route button allows you create a line defining a new route or track.

• Each click on the map adds a new waymark point to the route.
• If Pan is enabled under Mapping Tools, the map automatically recentres on each point as it is added
• If the next point to be added is outside the map area currently displayed, repeatedly moving the mouse pointer over the boundary of the map in the desired direction will gradually move the map in that direction
  
  • Zooming out and in again using the mouse scroll wheel (if you have one) is another way to easily adjust the map area displayed while adding a route.
• If Smart Routing is available and enabled, each new point introduces an optimised route from the previous waymark point, which follows the shortest path on the map from the previous waymark point, following footpaths in preference to roads.
  • This feature works best with the OpenStreetMap mapping, as the Smart Routing uses path definitions from this source.
  • With practice, this feature allows complex routes to be defined with just a few waypoints.
• While Add Route is active, supplementary controls are displayed to the left of the button.
• Cancel abandons entry of the route, and deletes all the points added so far.
• Delete last point just deletes the most recently added point. This is useful if the point was added in the wrong place.
• To finish the route, either double click the last location or use the supplementary Finish control.
• While a route is being added, several of the other controls are disabled. When you finish the route or cancel it, these are re-enabled.

The Add Marker button allows you to create a marker, by left mouse clicking on the chosen location on the map.

• By default you will get a blue marker symbol displayed at the location.
• While the Add Marker control is active, a secondary Cancel control is displayed to the left of the button. Clicking on this cancels the operation.
• While a marker is being added, several of the other controls are disabled. When you finish adding the marker or cancel it, these are re-enabled.

Changing marker properties

• If you click on the marker you have created, you can edit its name, description and the symbol used to show its location. This can be done at any time, for any markers that have been added to the map.
• If you wish to use another marker symbol, you can edit the marker and specify an alternate image. Display of available markers
• Please note that the Ramblers-Webs software will display these marker symbols but other GPX viewers will not. There is no standard for defining marker images.

Edit Route or Marker, Delete items

The Edit Walking Routes and Markers button allows you edit existing routes or marker points.

• For a route, you can add or delete waypoints on it, or move them to new positions.
• For a marker, you can only move its position.
• The existing waypoints on the route are drawn as darker shaded squares.
• The mid-points of existing lines on the route are marked with lighter shaded squares.
• To move a waypoint or marker, click on it and drag it to the new location
• To delete a waypoint, simply click on it without dragging
• To add a new waypoint, click on one of the lighter coloured mid-line markers. This now becomes a new waypoint, and additional mid-line markers are displayed to either side.
• To extend a route, move an end point, then add and move additional internal waypoints as desired.
• Once you have finished editing, click on the supplementary Save control to save the changes, or Cancel to abandon the operation without changes.

The Delete Walking Routes and Markers button allows you to delete routes or markers by clicking on them.

• Once you have removed items, click on the supplementary Save control to save the changes, or Cancel to abandon the operation without changes.

Simplify Route (reduce number of points)

If you use the Upload option below and the track or route has too many points defining the line then you can use this option to reduce the number of points while maintaining the line shape and the elevation profile.

• After clicking on the button, a slider bar is displayed to the left of the button.
• To reduce the number of points on the route, drag the slider to the right. As you do so, the simplified route is displayed alongside the original route on the map, in a paler colour.
• If you oversimplify the route, the simplified route will exhibit excessive deviations from the original route. In this case, move the slider further to the left again.
• Click on the supplementary Save control to save the simplified route, or Cancel to abandon the operation without changes.

Reverse the direction of Routes

Upload (read) or Download (save) Routes

These options allow you to either upload a track or route that is stored in a GPX file or to download the current data as a GPX file.

Uploading will read a GPX file from your PC and display its contents and then allow you to edit the information.

• Uploading will accept either track or route format data as input.
• Any Information fields already present in the file will be populated automatically, see Edit Details below for the list of fields.

Downloading will save the data as a GPX file onto your PC.

When you click on the Download button, three supplementary controls are displayed to the left.

Edit Details displays a pop-up panel that lets you add or change several information fields associated with the route.

• File Name/Title, File Description, Author/Leader, Date and Links. These fields are saved with the GPX file for the route, and if your route is published on a website, these fields may be displayed with it.
• Links allow you to add one or more URLs to the route. These can be used to link the route to web pages that are related to the route, e.g. a route description, or web pages for points of interest along the route.
• Edit Details also provides a Save as GPX Track tickbox that indicates that the route should be saved as a GPX track rather than a GPX route, if you have a specific need for this format. For normal purposes, it is suggested that you leave this box unticked, in which case the route will be saved in GPX route format.
• Press Close button to exit editing details.

Save saves the route as a GPX file. If a File Name/Title has been specified, this is used as the GPX filename. Otherwise, the file is simply named "route.gpx".

Cancel abandons the download, and reverts to route editing. Any changes you have made in Edit Details are preserved.