Welcome
Welcome to a little app that will try to convert an
Excel file (.XLSX) exported from RV Trip Wizard (RVTW) and converted to a .CSV format to a .GPX
file suitable for importing into a GPS device such as the Garmin 890.
The conversion process is described below along with
some RV890 hints after that.
· If you are doing this conversion for an
RV, you should make sure the destination GPS device that will supply the
routing knows about any special routing requirements of your RV. It is up
to you, the user, to assure you are taking a safe route.
· This
app (XLXStoGPX) does NOT create tracks. The Excel
file exported by RVTW does not contain track info. It is assumed that the GPS
device into which the converted file will be imported will do its own routing.
· You
must convert the Excel file exported by RV Trip Wizard into a Comma
Separated File (.CSV) by loading it into any spreadsheet app such as MS
Excel or Google Sheets and Save the file out in a CSV format suitable for importing
into this app.
· This
app does nothing to affect, create, or otherwise modify routing. Routing is
done in the destination GPS. The only thing this app does is to attempt to
convert waypoint information in the spreadsheet file (.CSV file) exported from
RVTW, into a GPX file with waypoints in
two forms: stand alone GPX waypoint, and waypoints embedded in a GPX route.)
· A
GPX Route (the <rte> element) will have route waypoints (<rtept>) in it. These end up in the Garmin RV890 Trip Planner.
· The
GPX waypoint collection (a set of <wpt>
elements) is separate from the route waypoints but can consist of the same
waypoint locations and names. These end up on the Garmin RV890 Where To --> Saved collection.
The design behind the following conversion process is to
completely avoid touching (editing) any of the data or entering waypoints,
names, places, lat/lon, numbers, etc.
The process is this:
1. Work with RV Trip Wizard to build your
Trip
with all the stops you want. RVTW is probably the best app in which to do this
planning. If you need to shape the route, do so in RVTW. No routing information
(nor tracks) is contained in the RVTW exported Excel file other than the Stops (waypoints)
you created.
2. Export your Trip
using the RVTW Wrench tool and the Export to Excel command. This will usually
place an .XLSX file in your “Downloads” folder.
3. “Convert” the .XLSX file to CSV.
The format in which RVTW saves the data cannot be read by any Excel libraries I
have been able to easily use and re-distribute. Thus, the file must be
converted to a CSV format by a spreadsheet program in order for this app to
read it. So convert the file by either:
a. Opening
it in MS Excel (if you have it on your PC, Mac or tablet), then saving the file
in the CSV format (select this option in the Save dialog) to a folder you want,
or
b. Opening
the .XLSX file in Google Sheets online or locally in the Sheets app on your
phone or tablet, and likewise save, export, or download the file in a CSV
format to a folder you want.
4. Run this app
online (http://www.FindWaterfrontBar.com/OtherStuff/WhoThere.aspx)
and:
a. Open
the CSV file you wrote out in the “Convert” step above
b. Observe
that it was read in and summarized at the bottom. If there is no summary, there
is probably an error in the log readout.
c. Select
which GPX sections to write out (by default all three are enabled). We have not
tested the resultant GPX file w/o the header section.
d. Click
on Create (download) GPX File and
select where you want the file saved (usually the default Downloads folder.)
e. Observe the results in the log window
f. Go
to your Android file app and locate the GPX file
5. Import this GPX
file into your GPS by following the device instructions.
To import into a Garmin RV 890 GPS device, this
following work flow is often successful:
1. Make
sure your android device has Garmin Drive installed and paired with your RV890
2. Get
the converted GPX file into that phone or tablet
3. Use
the MyFiles
Android app and find the GPX file on the device (probably in the Downloads
folder)
4. Click
on it and an option should pop up that includes “Garmin Drive”; choose that
option
5. The
GPX file should be sent to the Garmin Drive app where you can then select to
send it to the RV890 (assuming they are paired)
6. If
you are lucky and the God of Garmin Communication is smiling on you, you will
see a popup on the 890 saying the import is working. You may have to press Maps
to see this notice. If not, it may have imported some of the GPX file anyway.
Give the 890 a minute to regain its composure, and look at Where To --> Saved POI and/or the Trip Planner --> Saved
list for your waypoints.
7. You
can then see the imported route (if you selected route for conversion output) in the Trip Planner, and the waypoints
(if you selected waypoints f for
conversion output) will appear in the Where too --> Saved list.
8. If
the device seems to hang, you can re-boot it and sometimes the waypoints will
then appear.
Thus if this all works out, you have planned a great Trip in RVTW using its many features to select stops and POI, and then you copied a summary of this trip to a Turn-by-Turn GPS device mounted on your dash!
Some apps that can read the created GPX file:
· The
Android app GPX Viewer through Google Play (this is a very useful tool for
looking at GPX files)
· Garmin
BaseCamp; this may or may not be able to upload the
waypoints and/or route to the RV890, but may work for other devices.
· Some
marine navigation apps
· Maps.google.com
(see online help for GPX import)
· Many
other online maps
Good luck,
Paul
For any questions email me to p n s e a r s at gmail