Locus Map 4, discussion (alpha)

[Tapio]

I didn't follow the whole discussion. As for the bhttons and toolbars, I'm all for maximum flexibility, ie every function can be everywhere. A good default setup for newbies, a good UI for configuration, maybe Ui presets. just my preference.

I agree, stable version is in a good shape, quite perfect.

[john_percy]

My one concern over the increasing complexity of what can be done with and to Locus is simply that it presents a large raft of perplexing options to any new user.
I think you need an initial simple interface, and as @tapio says, maybe some ui presets.


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[Saturo]

The top panel ist completely missing. Only the title is shown.

[Saturo]

Okay, after new installation i found out two things.
Renderthemes are now shown correctly.
The top bar is shown at the bottom.

[Tapio]

Hey what about allowing to share the user defined UI buttons? As easy as possible, maybe via copy/paste of a string? As far as I can see every possible button/function needs a distinct number, hex 00 to ff is maybe enough,or ffff to be safe. Or better use more characters than hex in order to make string smaller.

We have 4 areas afaics (main menu, top, right, bottom toolbar) where user defined functions just start from some index 0..n

Just to think about, I love those shareable preset systems via a simple string. Which you can easily distribute. E. g., The Long Dark, a computer game, has it.

See what I mean? So whole UI settings could be shared with a string like 72mjJNUMJzCawEWoWqLaDoI3NPub4t9NHKnh2xGt

Especially good for helping friends and new users.

[Menion]

Hi,
so second alpha version with various UI/UX improvements that should solve most of the problems we discuss here. The main difference you may notice is hidden top panel & zoom buttons. It may be re-enabled over map-screen content settings.

Please just keep in mind, that what I try to achieve here with your help, is basic universal settings suitable for most of the users. Because you use the app for so long, you have specific needs, that I'm sure we will solve soon or later as well .

Known problems to solve (not yet always sure how or "if")

• Too much icons in bottom panel (functions below centering button)
• Missing "Scale lock" feature
• Configurable number of items in main menu
• Configurable position of zoom buttons

Download here.

[Menion]

And some answers ...

@Žajdlík Josef
Understand. Partially may help better autozoom feature that will be able to zoom even closer in case, you are coming to any turn (planned).

Anyway, understand your use-case. I'll have to think about it ...

@tapio
Is it really so useful? Share it as the simple text may be quite complicated as it's not just about the single number, but also about possible "picked" app from the system. Anyway, it is a doable request (maybe rather over a small shared file), but still ... isn't it better to share preset with a setup that may be easily restored or even basic "Backup of settings" that set all necessary to your friends?

And again ... for most users, I really need to set app defaults to most useful setup. So such sharing of bunch of settings should really made sense only for a friends where you known exact needs they have.

[Andrew Heard]

Please just keep in mind, that what I try to achieve here with your help, is basic universal settings suitable for most of the users.

@menion - if I perform main menu > Settings > Miscellaneous > Reset preferences - will this affect my Pro settings too? It would save me doing a Backup/ Restore. For Locus4 testing I should be using default settings rather than my current Pro settings.

Off topic sorry (slack), but when I do a Back Up All from Locus Pro 3.42.0 to non-existent folder because I renamed the folder, there is no error message, just immediate return to screen. The Miscellaneous > Default Directories screen used to display invalid directories in red, but now there is no indication.

[Menion]

If you used Free/Beta version before, the best is to simply uninstall it and install from APK again.
"Reset of preferences" should partially affect Pro version as well, so rather not do it (without a backup).

And thanks for the info about missing warning, I'll check it.

[Žajdlík Josef]

Thank you Menione. If I may ask, don't exclude features that aren't working 100% out of the app. Often these are the features that make Locus unique and differentiate it from many apps on Google Play. I suggest moving these functions to a separate "experimental" menu, where experienced users will be able to activate them knowing they may not be completely reliable. Thank you.

[john_percy]

For me, with top, bottom and right panels set to disappear after 10 seconds, the top panel never appears, the bottom and right panels never disappear.
Setting the panels to never disappear, the top panel never appears, the bottom and right panels never disappear. Exactly the same.

Edit: ok, I've found there are two sets of settings for this. The new one in the new map content menu, the old one in Settings: Controlling: Panels and they clearly don't work together.

[Andrew Heard]

Oops - I reset preferences already. Do you recall which Pro settings are shared? I also did a backup just in case.

It was good that I reset preferences because the view is quite different to what I was commenting on.

I like the new control of top/ right/ bottom/ zoom visibility.

What does Map-screen content > Aux graphics > Show view do? Other settings in this panel (except magnifier) has explanatory text except Show view.

The only way I can find to toggle the magnifier is with Map-screen content > Aux graphics > Show magnifier. At least add main menu > Settings > Controlling > Panels & buttons > Set function panels > magnifier?

I notice the main screen has an accuracy circle around the current position by default, or maybe only after experimenting with the magnifier. Seems to be visible sometimes, or not.

main menu sometimes auto hides itself even while I am actively tapping.

main screen compass - sometimes not displayed in center of the white circle. Can't reproduce. Sometimes main screen not rotated even while compass is displayed; compass also stuck, but GPS > Compass rotates OK. Sometimes the main screen rotates smoothly, really nice, other times it is stuck or really slow/ jerky. I have no other app running in background/ no problem with Pro.

When track recording (Pro too) one of the two REC buttons is redundant.

main menu drag & drop > long tap - selected > drag > nothing happens. Eg LoPoints drag towards bottom left. Not until while still dragging back to top right does anything happen. And then after release, the Change screen is displayed instead. It appears this behavior only affects the two  buttons on right. If dragging should the Change screen be displayed? I would think either drag OR change, but not both.

Hold map center not working - enabled > drag map > wait more than 5s > map not moved back. Lock icon on this button not always displayed correctly.

[john_percy]

With the current functionality of the current location and rotate map buttons, I think they could be combined into one. As far as I can see, once the compass appears it doesn't matter which of the two I tap, the same thing happens.
So, you could have a hollow circle, a circle with a central point, a compass with a central point, a compass with a central hollow circle and cover the for possibilities of undefined location, North up / current location, North up / current location, current direction / undefined location, different direction.
The fourth possibility might perhaps be better as undefined location, current direction. Because if I have map set to current position, current direction and change the zoom by using two fingers, I invariable shift the centre of the map slightly off the current location and lose the map's free rotation to the current direction.

Edit: I now realise that as I had turned off manual panning and rotating while zooming I was missing some combinations of states that having two buttons addresses. Nonetheless, with my settings, two buttons seem ungainly.

[Tapio]

Do I have to reset settings? In the options, Locus writes "top bar" and means the bottom one. I already mentioned "inverse order" - , the top entry of the side bar is the bottom entry in the toolbar configuration screen. It is in inverse order.
So either I am not flexible enough in my thinking or it looks different for all of you.

ps didn't find where to increase # of main menu entries.

[Menion]

@Žajdlík Josef
Except for this "scale view", I'm currently not removing any features. Understand that some features make the app unique, on the second side, the same features may complicate life to lot of new users, so it's not so easy to decide. Mainly in case of this function, that needs to have a special button on the screen.

@john_percy
yes, sorry, have to remove settings > controlling section.

About center & rotate: I spend on this many hours trying to find out a useful solution, but I'm really not able to find out a solution for a single button. Mainly because in Locus Map is not only a center & rotate, but also a combination of center & hold center & rotate, which complicates this a lot. With a single button you often and in a situation that you are not centered, but rotation is still enabled so you have to firstly center to disable rotation, which is crazy.

Anyway, I'll gladly listen for suggestions if you have any idea how to do it better. I'm also partially inspired by Android Google Maps if this info helps.

@Andrew Heard
ah sorry, I'm checking code  and "Reset of preferences" should really only reset private app settings so no influence to Pro version should happen.

"Show view" ... display the cone of where you are currently watching (pointing with your device). To enable it, enable GPS and you should see it right around your current GPS location.

Magnifier: as I wrote to John. My idea is to put settings tightly related to the main screen and content on the map, closer to map screen and "Map screen content" is ideal I believe. If there won't be any serious complains, I'll then remove this old setting> Controlling section.

"Accuracy circle", yes it's enabled by default. And sometimes not visible? Try to zoom in, maybe you have a really precise location .

Problems with map screen compass ... have not noticed yet, but thanks, I'll be watching it.

Drag & drop in the main menu ... starting drag causes some problems on my device as well, not sure why. Anyway drag it little more up & down and it will then work. Drop on the same place where you started to display "Change" dialog.

Hold map center ... maybe you have your own defined timeout in config.cfg higher than 5 seconds? Anyway if hold map center is enabled, once you move with the map, the centering button should still have the black dot in the center.

@tapio
Please use settings in the "Map-screen content" to set panels, not the one in the app settings.

The number of entries in the menu > I did not write this is implemented.