Topo Maps 2 :: GPX Files for Waypoints, Tracks and Routes

Files & Folders

Your waypoints, tracks and routes are organized into files, and these files are organized into folders and sub-folders. Tap the

Files

button to browse these in the Files screen. This shows the hierarchy of folders, files and the content of the files; tap on the

and

buttons to move around.

Initially the Files screen shows three top-level folders: This Device, iCloud Files, and Recently deleted items.

Local vs. iCloud files

Your files can be stored either locally on the device, or in iCloud. You need to choose which to use for each file. If you have multiple devices then iCloud files are accessible from all of them and are kept synchronized if the devices have an internet connection. Local “on this device” files are not synchronized in this way.

iCloud also provides a form of backup, i.e. your files are not lost if your device is damaged or stolen, and they may be preserved if you delete and re-install the app, but it does not guard against unintentional deletion.

Files and Folders

Tap on one of the top-level folders to view its contents - which will initially be empty, apart perhaps from a Default file created by the app.

Note the buttons to create new folders and files,

New Empty File

and

New Folder

. This example shows a number of files and folders that have been created. The files with a diagonal line through their symbol are currently hidden. The file with a red star next to it is the current default file for new items.

Consider creating new files or folders for each trip, for different locations, or for different types of activity. It’s preferable not to have huge files with lots of items.

In particular note that importing and exporting (described below) is done at the level of files, not individual waypoints, tracks or routes. The same is true of showing and hiding.

When you create a new folder, you simply need to give it a name. Files have additional optional metadata including a description and default style that you can set when creating them. Read More about Styles.

Selecting files for new items

When you mark a new waypoint using

Mark

, start a track recording using

Record

or draw a route using

Draw

, you will be asked to select the file to add the item to. This list matches what the Files screen shows. The currently-selected file is indicated in the Files screen by a red star.

These are GPX files

The app uses the GPX file format; the files you work with in the Files screen are GPX files. This is a standard file format understood by many apps and websites, so you should be able to share GPX files created in this app with others. Wikipedia on GPX.

Generally the specific metadata associated with files and items within files are set by the GPX spec, not chosen specifically for this app.

GPX files contain a collection of waypoints, tracks and routes.

Waypoints are single points, which may also be referred to as dropped pins, markers or placemarks. In this app, waypoints are created using the

Mark

button.
Tracks are sequences of recorded GPS locations, called “Track Points”, that record a trip. Tracks may sometimes be divided into “Track Segments”, though this app has limited support for that. In this app, tracks are created using the

Record

button.
Routes are sequences of “Route Points” that describe a planned trip. In this app, routes are created using the

Draw

button.

(Tracks and Routes are very similar and it’s not unusual to find that a Track has been used for a planned route in an imported file, or vice-versa.)

Content of Files

Navigating to a file in the Files screen shows the file’s metadata and its contents.

At the top of the screen, the

button exports the file (see below) and the

DELETE

button deletes it. You should assume that this deletion is permanent, though if you are lucky it might be recoverable from the Files app (see below).

File Metadata

At the top of the screen, the

EDIT

button presents a form where the file metadata (i.e. its name, default style, description and so on) can be changed.

Showing and Hiding files

Not all files need to be shown on the map at all times; hiding ones you don’t currently need may make the map less cluttered. Tap on the

HIDE

and

SHOW

buttons to toggle visibility.

Re-ordering the contents of a file

You can manually re-order the items in a file by dragging them in the list.

The

SORT

button presents a menu where you can select various ways to sort the contents of a file.

Note the “Reverse” option at the bottom of the menu. Use this if you want to sort, for example, from North to South: first sort by “Latitude (S-N)” and then invoke Reverse.

You may want to sort by two criteria, for example first by Type (i.e. Waypoint / Track / Route) and then by Name within each Type. To do this, first sort by Name and then sort by Type. This works because the second sort preserves the ordering of the first sort when possible.

Adding Waypoints

There is an

Add Waypoint

button at the top of the file content list. Use this only if you want to add a waypoint whose coordinates (e.g. latitude and longitude) you are entering manually. Otherwise, find the location on the map and tap

Mark

Viewing Items

Tap on an item in the list to view its details. In each case, the item’s metadata (name, description, etc.) is shown and can be edited by tapping the

EDIT

button. Tap the

VIEW

button to center the map on this item.

Tracks and routes also show derived data, possibly including duration, average speed, total climb and so on.

The

ACTIONS

button presents the same menu of modifications as the

Actions

button on the main screen. The

GRAPH

button adds the track or route to the Graph Screen. Read More about Graphs.

This is followed by the list of track or route points. Tap on a point to show its details, which can be edited.

Details for a Route Point or Track Point

Importing and Exporting

Importing files

To import a file from elsewhere on your device, navigate to the folder where you want to put it and tap

Import File

. This presents a standard iOS file selection popup. You may be able to import files from cloud storage providers (e.g. DropBox and similar) and from other apps here, depending on how they are configured.

To import a GPX file from a website, download it in Safari, then use

Import File

and locate the downloaded file in the “Downloads” folder of the iOS file selection screen.

In other cases, you may be able to transfer a file from another app by using an export or share feature in that app to send a GPX file to Topo Maps 2. These files will appear in the “This Device” folder. Look out for a message at the bottom of the screen telling you that a new file has arrived.

Exporting (Sharing) files

To export a file to another app, to send it as an email attachment, etc., tap the

button. This will present a standard iOS popup to select the destination. This should list other apps that claim to be able to receive GPX files, as well as general actions such as AirDrop and Mail.

AirDrop

AirDrop is the recommended method to transfer files between devices if you are not using iCloud, i.e. if the devices don’t both belong to the same account or if you have no good internet connection. (AirDrop makes a WiFi connection directly between the two devices, so should work even if global internet connectivity is not available; but you probably need to turn WiFi and Bluetooth on, and turn Airplane Mode off, for it to work.)

To transfer a GPX file using AirDrop, use

on the sending device, Choose AirDrop, and then choose the recipient. On the receiving device a popup should appear asking how to open the received file. Choose Topo Maps 2.

The Files App

Some actions, such as moving files between folders, cannot be done from within the app’s Files screen. Use your device’s main Files App in these cases. Within the Files app, you should find separate folders in “On My iPhone” and “iCloud Drive” each with a Topo Maps 2 icon, corresponding to the app’s “This Device” and “iCloud Files” top-level folders.

You may also be able to use the Files app to recover recently deleted files. Please don’t rely on this always being possible. Note that recently-deleted individual waypoints, routes and tracks, rather than entire files, may be recovered from the “recently deleted items” section of the app’s Files screen.

Copy and Paste

It is possible to move waypoints, tracks and routes between files using copy and paste.

You can copy items by selecting them on the map and then tapping

Copy

, or by locating them in in Files screen and tapping

COPY

on the item’s details screen.

When items have been selected, clipboard information is shown at the bottom of the screen.

Note that unlike most copy-paste systems, in this app copying a second item adds to the selection rather than replacing it. You need to tap the

CLEAR

button to clear the clipboard.

To paste, navigate to the file where you want to paste the items in the Files screen, and tap the

Paste

button at the top of the file content list.

Note that the pasted items are likely added at the end of the list where you may not notice them until you scroll down.