GPXTrackMap: "Roadmap"

Here are some thoughts and ideas i have to further develop the plugin. This is just a list, with no priority ordering - the plugin works fine for me as it currently is (V1.1.0).

Use the Forum if you have other suggestions, or want to see some of the stuff here sooner than others.

1. Compatibility

  • Install J3.0 and J1.5 and test if the plugin will work there! i guess it would...

2. Waypoints

  • My Garmin GPS keeps Track and Waypoints in two different files - add option to use those two files in two layers?

3. Markers

  • Write documentation on how to use custom markers
    The Photoshop file i used is available under Downloads, the markers there can be changed and saved with "Save for web & devices". There you have to set the output size to 10%!

  • Make it easier to use custom markers AND prevent them from being overwritten when a new version of the plugin is installed

You can use your own markers already, but to do this you have to replace some of the existing ones (in the folder /plugins/content/gpxtrackmap/markers). ToDo: Add in option for custom marker sets (in custom folder?)

Problem here: the pixel coordinates of the "pinpoint" of the marker depend on the size and layout of the marker graphics. To make custom markers really useful, this would need to be customizable, too. This may all get a little bit too complicated - the overall handling should remain simple for non-techies...

  • Freely definable Markers, and/or Markers on track waypoints, maybe with Marker popups

At the moment Markers can only be enabled at the start and end of the track. Maybe it would be nice to have additional Markers - either at any position, or "flagging" the Waypoints inside the track... 

4. Map controls

  • It would be nice to have a control on (or below?) the map to let visitors turn mouse wheel zoom on or off themselves
  • short invocation syntax: Allow to use "{gtm=track.gpx,preset=big}" instead of the current syntax. That may give some RegEx trouble, though...

5. No-track-mode

  • make it possible to use the plugin without a GPX file (just coordinates + zoom level, but start marker still enabled) - otoh, there are other plugins that will already do this (OSModul)
  • Make a template for this site. Otoh using the default one shows "plugin compatibility", or maybe not...
  • For people who just want to test the plugin, offer some "international" GPX tracks for download. Something like: Big Ben to Buckingham Palace, Jogging in Central Park or the like...
  • Add links to GPX editing software like Basecamp, Magic Maps
  • Write doc on how to merge Garmin waypoints into track files
  • Add links to sites that have GPX files for download (gpsies.com, other hiking & biking sites...)
  • Write a "GPX for dummies"-style, step-by-step doc on how to record GPX files, copy them to a PC, edit, upload and publish them

That's about all i can think of for the moment... more to come i guess :-)