GSAK question

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 12:58 pm

Having not used GSAK before, I'm finding it difficult to get any useful info from it since I don't know what I'm doing. Hopefully that will change. What I'm trying to do is populate the "county" field so that I can see if I qualify for certain challenge caches.

I've added the county column, uploaded my 3,000+ caches from a myfinds pocket query, but the county column remains blank. How do I get that column populated?

To simply say "run a macro" won't do it for me, because I don't know how to run a macro, or even where to find them, or what they look like.

Any help for this GSAK newbie would be appreciated, thanks. Wacko

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:26 pm

To start : on the top toolbar, click "macro", on that screen "online Macro index". That is where you can find every macro that you could possibly use to manipulate your database. I use CountrystateCounty.gsk for county.

May I suggest the GSAK101 info on basic functions of using GSAK. You can also find instructions on downloading and running a macroon the GSAK forums.

J

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 2:28 pm

Opps, on the Macro dropdown,click Run/manage, then online Macro.

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 3:39 pm

That did it, thanks!

I'll obviously have to read or watch some tutorials to get up to speed with this program. Thanks again!
Cool

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 4:12 pm

Even after poking around with GSAK for 4-5 years, I am just beginning to uncover what it can do. I thought it was only useful for downloading pocket queries but that hardly scrapes the surface.

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 5:12 pm

GSAK PDF Help file is very informative.

Advanced part starts at page 55

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2015732/GSAK%20Cache%20U%20Nuts%2020120121.pdf

Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2012 7:47 pm

It's a very powerful tool that's for sure, but it can be a bit overwhelming to get your head wrapped around. I've been working with it more and more trying to figure out different challenge caches, making routes for cache runs, etc. I'm starting to feel like I'm slightly beyond beginner finally. Smile

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 4:51 pm

Even though I have been "using" GSAK for over 3 years, it is still educational for me to find out how others are utilizing it to get more out of it.
J

WGA Member Joined: 2009-08-17 Posts: 126

benny7210 wrote:

GSAK PDF Help file is very informative.

Advanced part starts at page 55

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2015732/GSAK%20Cache%20U%20Nuts%2020120121.pdf

The PDF contains a lot of good info, but I have some questions:
1) The $30.00 charge - if this a one time charge or yearly charge?
2) Do they provide updates to the software?
3) How good/responsive is their technical support?
4) Do you need to know atleast a little about SQL/HTML?
5) What do you really use this for?

Thanks

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 7:45 pm

grandpa_r wrote:

The PDF contains a lot of good info, but I have some questions:
1) The $30.00 charge - if this a one time charge or yearly charge?
2) Do they provide updates to the software?
3) How good/responsive is their technical support?
4) Do you need to know atleast a little about SQL/HTML?
5) What do you really use this for?

Thanks

When we first got GSAK we started with V.5 we recieved a free upgrade to V.6 as it was released about a month or two after we got V.5. also got a free upgrade to V.7 but had to pay again for V.8 so it has cost us $50 bucks for like 6 years of using the program.

There are many updates to the program, usually at least monthly.

Tech support is great, and the forums are very helpful.

I know nothing about SQL/HTML. I think that is used for writing Macros, Never had to write my own, there are many good ones allready written.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:07 pm

GSAK is a very powerful program, but my disclaimer is that I'm a programmer. As a programmer using a tool written by another programmer I've found many of the features to be fairly intuitive and some others not so much.

I'm constantly finding new features / functionality in it to allow me to chop/slice my data in different ways. All together this is a great application for $30 and the upgrade charges are very reasonable.

The tool stand alone is very powerful, but the ability to use macros really makes this powerful. I've dabbled with writing a few of my own macros and it's fairly easy. The challenge is making it efficient so it runs quickly with large datasets.

I've actually thought about picking up my blog and writing some articles for GSAK. I'm not going to guarantee anything, but if anyone has ideas send me a PM. I'm don't have time to be a full time support guy for GSAK, but I would be willing to provide solutions to common use questions from the WGA members.

Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2012 9:09 pm

What Sweetlife said.

There is no need to know or learn SQL to use GSAK, but if you already know it, you have more options.

What you can do with it depends mostly on what you want to do with it. At it's simplest, you can plan a day of caching by setting the center point near where you are planning on caching, then filtering out the caches you don't want to do. For example, you can easily filter out anything over T4 and D4, and caches that haven't been found in the past month, and mystery types, and anything else you don't want to see. Then upload to your GPS. That's all without using macros.

DeeJay uses it to find the 500 caches in the state with the oldest "last found" date for the Lonely Cache Game. A GSAK macro creates the map. We also use it to map upcoming events and COTM winners.

Updates are very frequent (weekly), but you will only be notified of major updates which happen a few times a year.

Online support is great, but with the exceptional help file, you will probably never need it.

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:12 am

I haven't upgraded to v. 8 so far, but have been using it for years now. During this time, I've had computers die and needed to re-install it to the new one. It does so seamlessly. I've only ever had one macro I used not make it through the transitions and that one is no big deal. Installing them is simple and they work right out of the gates. I know there are many other things I can be doing with it, and keep discovering another cool thing as time goes along.

It's wonderful for planning our caching. I would not hesitate to try it out. I think the only downside, and correct me if this is no longer true, is that the Apple users aren't supported by the program.

I am, unlike CJ, an absolute non-tech person in all respects. I see the computer as a necessary evil for modern life and don't have my own cell phone. Tech-hater, as it were. So if *I* can figure this out, anyone can!

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:21 am

Trekkin and Birdin wrote:

I think the only downside, and correct me if this is no longer true, is that the Apple users aren't supported by the program.

True. I cannot use GSAK on my Mac. I use MacCaching for organizing, etc., but does nowhere near what I hear GSAK can do. There's probably some parallel thing that some people use to access GSAK, but I am not that tech-savvy.

Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2012 7:35 am

Non mac user here (Left the tribe in tears when the Apple IIe was left in the dust.) But something like this might work....... and probably a hundred options like it..... anyone a Mac user that can speak to this? http://www.winehq.org/ Smile

(And the official word in the GSAK FAQ page is what likely sent you to MacCaching.....: '
17. Will you be creating a GSAK version for the Macintosh?

In a word, NO. Windows is my native platform and is as much as I can handle. Note: GSAK has been known to run quite nicely under "Virtual PC", "Parallels", and "Boot camp" on the Mac. If you are looking for a native OSX GeoCaching application try MacCaching.' http://www.gsak.net/v80/hs1070.htm )