OpenCPN 5.6.2 Android. Chart Groups help needed.

[Portage_bay]

I could use some help with chart groups on two android devices. I'm new to using chart groups but not OpenCPN. I thought I'd go through the learning process with setting up a small group for my home port of Oak Harbor Washington. At some zoom levels when using raster charts an adjacent chart's title area will cover the entrance. The intended chart group will be two RNC charts and one ENC chart.

OpenCPN 5.6.2 is running on a Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 and a Samsung A12 phone
Android 11
I'm using NOAA RNC and ENC charts.

The base installation of OpenCPN on both runs fine and has been running fine on previous versions.

I've read through the threads here on chart directory locations in 5.6.2 on Android and the help on Chart Groups at https://opencpn.org/wiki/dokuwiki/do...art_groups_tab.

The process I've tried is

1 – Create a new folder for the charts in the group using X-plore file manager. Also attempted with File Manager +. Both apps are able to create the directory.

Charts are in OpenCPN's directory on the SD card to save space on the tablet's internal storage. 1FB0-E355 is the name of the SD card.

The main chart directory is:
/storage/1FB0-E355/Android/Data/org.opencpn.opencpn/files/Charts

In that directory are sub directories for all RNC and all ENC charts as well as the sub directory for the new group chart files.

/storage/1FB0-E355/Android/Data/org.opencpn.opencpn/files/Charts/RNC
/storage/1FB0-E355/Android/Data/org.opencpn.opencpn/files/Charts/ENC
/storage/1FB0-E355/Android/Data/org.opencpn.opencpn/files/Charts/OakHbrApproach

2 – Using X-plore or File Manager + copy the files for the new group to the new directory. I will note that for some reason X-plore fails on copying the .KAP files. Probably a setting within X-plore.

3 – Start OpenCPN.

4 – Options/Charts/Chart files Add the new directory.
Hit Apply
Options/Charts/Chart files/Force Full Database Rebuild.
Wait for the database process to finish.

5 – Options/Charts/Chart Groups
Highlight the new directory in the bottom pane “Chart Groups”
Hit “New Group”
Name the new group in the pop up dialog
Hit “Apply”
Hit “OK”

No charts appear in the new group just created. No method to add charts to the group.

I've clearly missed an important step somewhere and have no idea what it might be.

[bdbcat]

Portage_bay....
"No method to add charts to the group." ???


Select the chart folder listed in the top pane. Touch "Add" to add this folder to the selected group.
Same as OpenCPN desktop....


Dave

[Portage_bay]

Thank you! That is exactly what I needed to know. Perhaps I did not make myself clear in my original post. I'm not new to OpenCPN, I am new to using Chart Groups. Now that I know how to set up groups I will make more use of that feature.

Two more questions if you don't mind.

1. Using Chart Downloader to maintain charts. The 3 charts in the group folder I have just created are a subset of the All Charts folder. Will Chart Downloader keep both folders updated?
2. Is it possible to set up a Chart Group by referencing charts in a larger folder? This would eliminate the need to keep duplicate charts that are a small subset of a larger collection.

Again, thank you for the quick response and precise answer. And thank you and your entire team for creating and maintaining OpenCPN.

Originally Posted by bdbcat

Portage_bay....
"No method to add charts to the group." ???


Select the chart folder listed in the top pane. Touch "Add" to add this folder to the selected group.
Same as OpenCPN desktop....


Dave

[nohal]

Originally Posted by Portage_bay

Using Chart Downloader to maintain charts. The 3 charts in the group folder I have just created are a subset of the All Charts folder. Will Chart Downloader keep both folders updated?

Chart groups and chart downloader have nothing to do with each other, if you have the downloader configured to update all your charts, then it will update all your charts and groups showing a subset of those chart will see updated charts.

Creating a chart group does not copy the charts anywhere, it is just a view on a subset of your chart collection.

Is it possible to set up a Chart Group by referencing charts in a larger folder? This would eliminate the need to keep duplicate charts that are a small subset of a larger collection.

You would have to define both those subfolders you want to use in the groups in the list of chart directories. That is possible and OpenCPN does handle having to go through the same chart files on the disk mutliple times while scanning for charts just fine.

You can't reference individual charts in the group, they must be organized into folders.

Do not move the charts you want to keep up to date using the chart downloader to different locations on disk unless you are really sure you understand what that implies though, you will very likely end up having multiple versions of the same charts laying around, some of them outdated (= a mess).

[bdbcat]

"Is it possible to set up a Chart Group by referencing charts in a larger folder? This would eliminate the need to keep duplicate charts that are a small subset of a larger collection."


Yes. In the top pane, this is a chart folder tree structure. You can drill down into any defined chart folder, and select a subfolder, and add only that subfolder to a specific group. You can even select a specific chart, if you drill far enough.
The UI might be tough on a small touch-screen device....


Good Luck
Dave

[Portage_bay]

nohal thank you for the help!

Originally Posted by nohal

Chart groups and chart downloader have nothing to do with each other, if you have the downloader configured to update all your charts, then it will update all your charts and groups showing a subset of those chart will see updated charts.

Yes, I'm aware groups and downloader are separate. Good to know downloader can be configured to update all charts.

Originally Posted by nohal

You can't reference individual charts in the group, they must be organized into folders.

Also good to know. That will help me in setting things up.

Originally Posted by nohal

Do not move the charts you want to keep up to date using the chart downloader to different locations on disk unless you are really sure you understand what that implies though, you will very likely end up having multiple versions of the same charts laying around, some of them outdated (= a mess).

Excactly what I'm wanting to avoid.


I may have more questions as I move forward with this.

[Portage_bay]

Yes it's tough on the small screen. I'll be back home in a few days and try it out on the desktop.

Originally Posted by bdbcat

"Is it possible to set up a Chart Group by referencing charts in a larger folder? This would eliminate the need to keep duplicate charts that are a small subset of a larger collection."


Yes. In the top pane, this is a chart folder tree structure. You can drill down into any defined chart folder, and select a subfolder, and add only that subfolder to a specific group. You can even select a specific chart, if you drill far enough.
The UI might be tough on a small touch-screen device....


Good Luck
Dave

[Portage_bay]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

"Is it possible to set up a Chart Group by referencing charts in a larger folder? This would eliminate the need to keep duplicate charts that are a small subset of a larger collection."


Yes. In the top pane, this is a chart folder tree structure. You can drill down into any defined chart folder, and select a subfolder, and add only that subfolder to a specific group. You can even select a specific chart, if you drill far enough.
The UI might be tough on a small touch-screen device....


Good Luck
Dave

Home now with access to the desktop. Yes, I see how groups work now and am able to make groups work on the Android tablet. It would be nice if the tablet icons were a bit larger. I'm using a bluetooth track ball which is more precise than my finger tips but still a challenge. And it seems a bit quirky. The method found that usually works to add individual chart folders to a group is to:

• Create a group or activate the tab for a group.
• In the chart folder tree double click the folder I wish to drill down into.
• Click the folder below that one on the tree list.
• Back to the folder I want to drill into, it now opens it's chart list.

This may be a quirk of using a bluetooth trackball instead of the finger + touchscreen.