Locus Map 4, discussion (alpha)

[Michal]

@0709
regards issue with hiding of panels, please check app settings > Panels & buttons, there is option "Panels and screen orientation".

Aha. Tnks for info.
Sorry, my misunderstanding of the description text?
I wrongly expected this was only to prevent automatic hiding by timeout.
Descriptions in the menu text:
- Hide (top/bottom/right) panel when inactive. Double tap on the map to display it.
- Panels and screen orientation. Both or Landscape or Portrait. 
Panel hiding by timeout =  When inactive. No ? (Double tap = active)

Hi Willy,
there is not "panels hiding by timeout" but just "panels hiding timeout". So just the setting of the time for which the panels are visible before disappearing. Nevertheless, I slightly have rewritten the text before so that it is a bit more understandable.

[john_percy]

It's not easy to rearrange the buttons in the new main menu. To swap positions of two buttons, I have to reassign button A to a dummy value, assign button B to the previous value of button A, assign button A to the previous value of button B.
How about a drag and drop functionality? Or at least a long press functionality?

Sent from my moto g(6) plus using Tapatalk

[balloni55]

1 the side panel width and the bottom panel height is too large and covers too much map.
Suggestion, if the panels should be displayed permanently, they should be narrow, if the panels are displayed temporarily, they can be displayed larger.

2 with shifted map center the zoom buttons cover the previous route

3 when track record is on, the buttons overlap

merry christmas to all

[Henk van der Spek]

Quote from Menion: ..."And "Pro is almost perfect now": well, sure. We all use it for many years and once people get used to something, it is always easier to use. I personally have to find the best compromise for all users & attract new users and the current layout is simply too complicated & too outdated for modern devices. We see it daily on our support web ... "...

As a long time user, I forgot how a new and virgin install of Locus looks like. But in the old days when everybody had to learn how to handle (car) navi's, most started up in a "basic" setting. And maybe after a week or a month some of us found out about an "advanced" setting and discovered more and more possibilities.
I believe that for new users, Locus should deliver a basic start with a nearly clean screen and a nearly empty menu with at the bottom of that menu the choice to go "advanced" . And then supply all the possibilities that make up the present Locus Pro.

That "split-up" in basic and advanced should be based upon most used features offcourse.
Which I believe still is following a track (visible in OSM maps or an imported one), by looking at it on the screen or with guiding activated.
My "noob" wife hikes alone in Europe for days with just that. She manages to import a gps track found in the internet. She can set an intermediate point, she takes photo's from within Locus and we sometimes use buddy tracking. All through the right side panel configured by me.
She tried street bike navigation ( I did the Brouter setup) but she switched to Gmaps after she got a data plan.
So, in my opinion, everything related to themes, recording, navigation, route-planning and sports-tracking should be invisible for a newby. Off course you have much more insight in most used features (by newbies).
Sorry, it's a bit af a rant, but we love Locus and the team does an amazing job and the poll did not ask all the questions. And let's start with a sound on/off button in the right side panel for newbies. That will save us one click when we are straying on purpose.

[Menion]

@Andrew Heard
thanks, I know. My idea is to remove settings tightly related to the main screen from the "Settings" screen and put them directly into "Map-screen content" only. They will be on an easily accessible place compare to the current settings system.

@Saturo
and it all works correctly in the current Pro version? What about the selected map, do you have selected the same map as in your stable version?

@john_percy
I was just thinking about the same today. Drag & drop in the main menu > added to "todo" list. I just first have to get rid of "More functions" button. Thanks

@balloni55
1. Its width was increased by 25% from the original 48dp to the new 56dp. Reasons are two:
a) you may notice that all other panels (mainly top toolbars) are for a long time 56dp (even in stable version). It is based on recommendations for mobile apps. So ... use recommendations.
b) I personally even with my quite slim fingers, from time to time incorrect tap on buttons in function panels, so I believe that this increase in width will be a benefit for easier usage.

2. Interesting problem. It is even a little more visible in your case because you use some center icon that is not centered as default app icon. Suggestion?

3. Yes, I know about this. Still not sure how to deal with this if best will be to completely remove this green button (preferred) or just shift it a little higher.

@Henk van der Spek
I believe that the current UI in Free/Pro is for new users as simple as it was possible to do. It may be even more, but it should affect current users, which I do not want to do. LM4 gives me a nice chance to create it completely new, even simpler and hopefully even more customizable (in the end). So exactly as you wrote: "nearly clean screen and nearly empty menu".

And the switch to "advanced mode", well ... hope this won't be necessary. Because in the end, such split only increases complexity. Such settings itself can't clearly define what is included in "basic" and what in "advanced" mode and this is a problem.

[Žajdlík Josef]

@Žajdlík Josef
finally someone . I started to worry that really no-body use this feature. Well, it is removed in LM4. It belongs to the most problematic features that the app has and with a new map core that does autoscale for raster maps, I believe it is no longer necessary.

I feel sorry for you.  I consider this function for cycling to be one of the best in Locus.  It's great when I can see a clear map with a single click and then quickly return to the route detail.  I have to hope that version 3.x will work for a long time.

[Menion]

Hmm ... why exactly are you using this function? Raster maps should be perfectly readable on all devices without this function or without "Magnify all maps" settings. Isn't a lot better just tap zoom in and later zoom out back to the previous?

[Saturo]

b]@Saturo[/b]
and it all works correctly in the current Pro version? What about the selected map, do you have selected the same map as in your stable version?

Same map as in Pro Version. Extern themes are not shown.
Furthermore i can not see the selected  icons in the top panel.

[Žajdlík Josef]

Hmm ... why exactly are you using this function? Raster maps should be perfectly readable on all devices without this function or without "Magnify all maps" settings. Isn't a lot better just tap zoom in and later zoom out back to the previous?

I use zoom lock on vector maps.  Typical situation.  I am leading a group of cyclists on unknown roads, the route is highlighted on the map.  There will be a long descent down the hill and I know it will be turning somewhere.  Because of the high speed I need to scale as easily as possible and see how far the turn is.  Then quickly switch back to the detailed view so as not to confuse the turn with another.  Wouldn't you be able to leave the zoom lock in the sidebar as an option?  Apparently not many people use it, but it is very practical.

[Andrew Heard]

b) I personally even with my quite slim fingers, from time to time incorrect tap on buttons in function panels, so I believe that this increase in width will be a benefit for easier usage.

@menion - also remember/ please don't remove the functionality of config.cfg dev_gui_main_rescale_value setting. Maybe migrate into expert settings. It allows function panel buttons to be increased in size for this purpose.

Also, more importantly, merry Christmas & happy new year to Menion & all the incredibly hard working Locus team, and wishing you all great success in 2020.

[tramp20]

Hi,
How to change the overlapping of the two icons on the left side down Rec and maps?

[freischneider]

@freischneider
- hiding of the zoom buttons: map-screen content > Panels & buttons
- always visible menu: you mean the button in the bottom left corner? Correct, it will be visible always without an option to hide it. The left menu will be removed (it is still there, I know)

I have turned the switch off. But the zoom buttons were still there. Then on again, restarted and then off and on again. Then they were gone.
Yes i mean the buton in the left corener.
The content of the menu is better than before. Now there are 2 more in it. Switching (everything in the menu) is also good.
The map-screen content button is also very good. Everything you need is in it. Now I need less in the sidebar.

[freischneider]

Hi,
How to change the overlapping of the two icons on the left side down Rec and maps?

That was already written by balloni55. Menion has already responded here.
I am in favor of placing the button a little higher up. Possibly only as a red dot (without rec.) Then it becomes narrower and less hides the map

[Menion]

@Saturo
I do not know how to help here. You have to use some custom setup for vector maps directory.
And "i can not see the selected icons in the top panel" > do not understand as well, sorry. Some screenshot or better description of what you miss needed.

@Žajdlík Josef
ah so you use it not to see map in bigger detail, but to zoom out a step to 50% of map scale?? Even in case of vector maps, why not simply zoom out by single tam and then zoom in again?

@Andrew Heard
"dev_gui_main_rescale_value" is parameter I found during rework as a very nice troublemaker . Currently, it may not work and we may discuss later if this will really be needed (hope not).

And thanks for the wish , it will be needed next year. Hope I'll meet all of you (at least) here on the forum next year as well as it's a very pleasant experience

@freischneider
The problem with zoom buttons will be fixed in the next Alpha version. And thanks for confirmation of the usefulness of the map-screen content menu.

[Žajdlík Josef]

@Žajdlík Josef
ah so you use it not to see map in bigger detail, but to zoom out a step to 50% of map scale?? Even in case of vector maps, why not simply zoom out by single tam and then zoom in again?

Because the autozoom returns the scale back after a short while.  I actually use the zoom lock to turn off the autozoom function for a short time.  For example, at a speed of over 30 km / h, the autozoom shows a map at 1000 m. Most of the time it suits me, but if it is necessary to turn somewhere, it is difficult to find a turn at this scale.  So I use a zoom lock to temporarily lock the scale at 100 m. And just one click is enough, when going downhill on a heavy bike, it is very important.