What macros do you like to use?

[brdad]

There is not much GSAK does not do, but when there is, there are macros. Hopefully sometime in the future we can have a 'macro school' event, but in the meantime I thought it might be nice for those of us who use macros to mention the ones they like to use a lot. Hopefully this will help everyone see what is possible and available with macros.

Knowing what macros people are using will also help determine what to include in any class.

All macros submitted to the GSAK web site can be found at: GSAK Macro Library Index.

[Fins_Up]

I use findstatsgen to generate all my statistics.

[brdad]

I currently have 70 macros installed on GSAK. Many of them I do not use, I only installed to test or to help someone out with.

I use the Findstats macro as well. I originally installed it to help someone out but I like looking at the numbers still after many versions. I'm currently using the FindStatGen40Beta beta version and have about every feature available enabled for the fun of it. You can see the output on my profile page.

Part of the FindStats is stats pertaining to your hides. in order to have accurate stats for that, you need every log from all of your hides. you can get most of the logs by getting regular PQs of those caches (or you can download the individual GPX from the web site to get the last 20 logs), but for the times when you can't get them all there is the AddLogs macro. This will only work on caches you own and even then you have to be careful not to abuse it. Don't use it on your 230 hides all in one sitting!

I like the CacheRoute macro for planning some cache trips. It only allows for 24 caches, but if you pick out the 24 you really want to do, it will plan the best route to do them. If you want to do more, you can export a GPX of the route and, using the caches along a route PQ, or export to CSV for the GSAK arc/poly filter

I use the CompareDBs macro to compare a database of my finds VS Lees, so we know which caches one of us has found but the other has not.

The only macro I have created and posted on the GSAK site is the Copy_to_clip macro. It's what I use to post the fancy cache links in the forums, for example:

The Fort Williams Cache (GC128) by Richard Amirault (adopted by kayakerinme) (1/1.5)

I use the MapDelorme macro not so much for the maps; instead I use it to populate one of the user data columns with the Delorme map grid. That way, I can tell at an instant which map any cache is on.

I recently posted a macro to the Most caches in a given town Version 2 thread which does pretty much the same thing the MapDelorme macro does, only it populates one of the user data columns with the name of the town the cache is in. This only works for Maine caches, however. Look for the MaineTowns.gsk file in the thread I just posted - it is not listed on the GSAK site.

I have several macros I have made but keep for my personal use. The biggest is the one I use for the stats I post on this site. I have several others, including one that generates hider stats like this:

Maine hide stats for pjpreb
Owner ID Number: 138162
Caches hidden under 3 aliases: Adopted By: PJPreb, pjpreb, Three Dog Night
Date joined: 7/1/2003
Number of active Maine caches on that day: 331
Longest lived cache hide: (GCHXNY) - Apatite Rock - 6.67 years
Total number of hides: 18
Minimum elevation: 4.7 feet.
Maximum elevation: 3757.4 feet.
Average elevation: 623.4 feet.
Minimum distance between caches: 0.1 miles.
Maximum distance between caches: 126.5 miles.
Average distance between caches: 67.5 miles.
Cache Container Counts:
Micro - 7
Regular - 6
Small - 4
Not chosen - 1
Cache Type Counts:
Traditional - 15
Event - 1
Multi - 1
Unknown/Mystery - 1
Difficulty/Terrain Counts:
2.0/5.0 - 4
1.0/1.0 - 2
1.5/5.0 - 2
2.5/2.5 - 2
2.5/5.0 - 2
1.0/1.5 - 1
1.0/5.0 - 1
1.5/2.0 - 1
2.5/3.5 - 1
3.0/4.5 - 1
3.0/5.0 - 1
Caches placed in 6 counties: Androscoggin, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Oxford, Piscataquis

There is little that can't be done with a macro!

[4ccnhikers]

And I thought a macro was a camera lens!

[JustKev]

I primarily use two macros. One to load my Nuvi and one to load my Oregon. Then I just load Pam's eTrex from the GPS pulldown menu since she doesn't need bells and whistles. She doesn't need a paperless enabled GPS because, why? Well why else, she has me. We get near GZ and can't find the cache, what does she do? Asks me questions that I have stop and look up the answer for using my GPS while she keeps looking. Then, having adequately distracted me with trivial, mundane tasks she continues to search so that she can find it before me.

[JustPJ66]

I primarily use two macros. One to load my Nuvi and one to load my Oregon. Then I just load Pam's eTrex from the GPS pulldown menu since she doesn't need bells and whistles. She doesn't need a paperless enabled GPS because, why? Well why else, she has me. We get near GZ and can't find the cache, what does she do? Asks me questions that I have stop and look up the answer for using my GPS while she keeps looking. Then, having adequately distracted me with trivial, mundane tasks she continues to search so that she can find it before me.

Naw I am just better at finding them than he is hehe

[Mainiac1957]

I always make sure I am using the latest versions of them as well. I load my Oregon with unfound caches, my finds as well as my hides from one macro. I retrieve my field notes from my Oregon which allows me to write my logs and then send them to GC.com as a field note file. Move my finds from one database to another with one click. Just found another that checks for archived caches that seems to work real well. Thanks to Brdad I can now do the events for this site much easier than before with a modified copy macro. There is one to plan and send an itinerary to my Tomtom for a caching route of the day. I also use the find stats generator to post on GC.com. With most macros you will still need to figure out a little on the settings, but they really do automate many complex abilities of GSAK. Yes maybe later this winter we will have a couple macro seminars.

[brdad]

Naw I am just better at finding them than he is hehe

Sheesh! The excuses Kevin will make to hide his limitations! I'd hate to see what he says about [comment removed by moderator]!

Thanks to Brdad I can now do the events for this site much easier than before with a modified copy macro.

Thanks for the reminder, I need to get that tidied up and submit it to the GSAK site. I'll see about the issue you mentioned as well before I do so.

[EMSDanel]

And I thought a macro was a camera lens!

Well, I thought it was a word you can use in church - as in: Holy Macro!

[Mainiac1957]

Nope, both wrong... It a fish of course!