Physical Keyboard - shortcut to mark waypoint?

[Tablas]

Hi everyone,

I use physical keyboard and mouse to handle Locus Map Classic when I travel by vehicle and record different information about cycling routes. While doing that, I need to react quickly to mark a waypoint so that the driver doesn't have to fully stop the vehicle,

Thats why it would be really suitable If I could initiate waypoint marking via a keyboard shortcut, but so far I didnt find a way to do that.

If this is possible can someone please direct me to a solution, that would be highly appreciated.


Greetings

[Menion]

Hello Tablas,

currently, there is no method to add points over the keyboard quickly. What I may suggest is using a method called "Quick new point" that allows quickly adding points without the need for additional setup and confirmations. When placed into the side functions panel, it is then a two-tap action to add a new point.

[freischneider]

For a point embedded in a track, I use an external BT button. The whole thing is then addressed via Tasker.
Tasker can also place a button over Locus to trigger this task.
Whether this works with a normal point needs to be checked.

[Menion]

It isn't. It is only a feature of track recording. I've rather double-checked this, but common points can't be added over tasker for now. But these is still a small chance I may be wrong, there already is so many combinations and creativity

[Tablas]

Thank you for the answers, Menion and Freischneider

@Menion: I know the "Quick new point" (QNP) method and use it for years exactly the way you described. [The only thing is that for me it is not a two-tap action because I defined  in Locus
about 20 different types of waypoints (junctions, changes of surface types, viewpoints, accommodation, springs, traffic intensity..) initiating QNP, I need to choose one of them.]

That way I don't have to type any additional comments for most points, as basic info is programmed in their QNP definitions.

It functions perfectly on bicycle, while in a vehicle I was always hooked on a Windows notebook with OziExplorer, mainly for just one reason: I could add new waypoint by nice, efficient and _quick_ keyboard shortcut "ALT+Tab".

But the notebook recently ended it service life and I decided to change my vehicle combo to Android+Locus too, as I adore Locus for many reasons (one of the main ones being my sistem with waypoint types )

Now, my field experience on 4 wheels improved as I expected, and it would be perfect if it weren't for one thing: I am too slow in vehicle even with the "QNP" method. Today for example I missed to register precisely a ton of waypoints, and couldn't torture the driver to stop and go back every time (which can also be dangerous on many roads). Not to mention bad gravel or dirt sections where the vehicle jumps and shakes as crazy and where it is much, much easier to hit two buttons on a light bluetooth keyboard, instead of trying to hit&tap several times these tiny areas on display (and good luck with even trying to do the same with a mouse).

So, I had hope that something could be done here... maybe even through messing with Locus ini file. (For example, I remember that guy who took a small joystick for music control and used its code sequences to control Locus map movement and zoom on his bicycle. And I see here that Freischneider also mentions an external BT button - that could be solution for me too
, the only thing is that I don't - can't - use it for points embedded in tracks, I need to have regular waypoints.

I would even sacrifice  (in vehicle) the system with numerous wpt types and go with just opening a new wpt popup (on time!) and then typing necessary info about that point every time. This would mean more work later, at home, but I wouldn't mind doing that.

[Menion]

Thanks for the description. Understand.

Only solution I currently see, is to finalize support for so-called "Actions tasks". With this, you should be able to add points over intent (Android mechanism for how apps communicate between them), probably best over an app called Tasker.

Few notes
1) Tasker is a more advanced tool, so it will be necessary to spend some time and learn the basics
2) I'll have to implement it in the app, which will take also some time (I tried adding QNP to Actions tasks some time ago, but gave it up because of some technical problems)
3) and lastly, it will be available only in the Locus Map 4, because I no longer add new functionality into Locus Classic.

If you are ok with 1 and 3 above, I may look at.

If you will have any other ideas, please let me know.

[Tablas]

Tasker would be ok for me, but I will stay on Locus Classic for now.

Anyway, thanks a lot for the answers and your time

[alang]

If you don't mind not seeing real-time display of point on map, then you could probably do this using tasker and save the points data to a file, then import to Locus at home, or periodically when convenient when on road.

(ie. detect key strokes in tasker (various ways of doing this) with different key/letter (or combination) for each point type,  get lat/lon via locus/tasker plug in or from tasker itself(slower), then write/append gpx format waypoint line to file, alert (e.g. beep) on success/fail).

On the other hand...   "finalize support for so-called Actions Tasks"  .....  Yes Please!!   
e.g. QNP, export currently navigated route, import/export track or points, 'navigate to' with auto start nav, Nearest Point when navigating,  etc        
Currently have to use tasker Autoinput (screenscraper) which is far from ideal.