When you first run HandMap it will load the first map module it finds (if any) and display it at an initial zoom level of x1. This is the outermost zoom level. Tapping the '+' and '-' command bar buttons zooms in & out respectively, doubling or halving the magnification.

The default options will be configured to only show major landmarks & roads at the outer zoom levels, showing more detail as you zoom in. Try setting the options yourself (View/Options menu). You can set eight different categories of features and what zoom level they become visible.

Below is a quick visual guide to the controls and display:

Navigation

When in 'Normal' mode (the default) you can re-center the viewing position by double tapping on the map then selecting the 'Re-centre' popup menu item. You can also tap on the scroll tabs to scroll in that direction (by half a screen). When in Drag mode you can hold your stylus down on the map and drag to pan the map. Release your stylus to complete the pan.

Searching

The view position can also be changed by searching for a street or landmark. Tap the 'Search' button, then tap on 'for Name...' from the popup list to popup the search dialog. Just start entering the name (usually the first 3 or 4 letters is enough) and select the street or landmark from the list. Tap on 'Go to' to move the viewport to the centre of the selected object (object will be flashing). Tap on 'Set as target' to keep the viewport the same, but have the arrow point to where the object is.

Tip: To quickly search for a street or landmark by name, simply start typing the letters of the name when viewing the map, and the search dialog will automatically pop up.

If there are multiple occurrences of the object (ie. with the same name), the item will be preceded with a '+' in the list. When one of these items is selected the main screen will have the following displayed at the bottom:

tapping the 'previous' and 'next' buttons selects the other objects with the same name.

Intersection Search

Tap the 'Search' button, then select the 'for Intersection...' item from the popup list. Now start entering the name of the first street and select it from the list. Tap on the second name input field and start typing the name and select the street from the list below. Tap on either 'Go to' or 'Set as target' to find the intersection. If the two streets intersect the dialog is dismissed and the map is centred exactly over the intersection (if 'Go to' was selected), or set as the target.

Displaying a Street or Landmark Name

Just tap (fairly quickly) on the street or landmark and after a slight pause the object should flash, the name being displayed in the box at the bottom of the screen. If nothing happens the tap was considered a miss - just try tapping again. A guide to getting better hit rates is to tap as follows:

Tapping near the mid-points of street segments will produce better hits, as tapping on the actual intersections (or bends) can be ambiguous.

When a park or body of water is bounded by streets, tapping on the streets can easily be confused with tapping on the park (or body of water). If you are mainly concerned with streets, check the 'Ignore areas' Check box in the Options dialog. When this is checked the area type objects are ignored when tapping.

In Normal mode you can also drag the pen around the map to get names of objects. A floating window should appear near the object displaying the name. If you are left-handed you can set an option (in the Options dialog) so that the floating windows are displayed to the right of the pen (easier to see).

Switching Maps

Select the View/Maps menu to get a list of currently installed maps. You can delete maps here when you no longer use them. To switch maps, just select it in the list then press the 'Show' button.

You can also traverse maps by using the 'Links'. Each map has an outer map defined, the outer maps having links to inner maps. Just tap on the link icons to switch to that map.
NOTE: This feature is not available on all maps. Many maps do not have an outer map defined.

Setting Options

Settings can be made to optimize map rendering and help with name querying. Select the 'View'/'Options...' menu to enter the options dialog. See below for a visual guide on the various settings available:

The pull down lists under the 'Show feature at:' label hold the zoom factor where the respective feature type becomes visible. So, if the first one (Freeways & Highways) is set to x2 then Freeways & Highways will only be drawn at zoom factors x2, x4, x8 and onwards (up to the greatest magnification).

Typically, you should set the smaller sized or more abundant features to only show at greater magnifications (otherwise you will have to wait for a long time each time the map has to be redrawn).

Below is a guide to what the various icons represent:

Creating Custom Markers (Places)

You can defines points of interest by double tapping where you wish to create the marker, then selecting the 'New Place' popup menu item. You will be prompted with the following dialog:

A custom 'Place' can either be displayed as an Icon, or as text (a Label). Icons are displayed using the icon of your choice, chosen from the group below.

Labels are any text (up to 18 chars), and divided into two types: major & minor. Major labels are visible at the outer zoom levels (x2 .. x8), and minor labels are visible at the more inner zoom levels (x8 .. x16).

Once you have finished entering the details tap the 'OK' button.

GPS Tracker

Select the 'G' button (near the bottom-right), then select "Settings.." to display the settings dialog for GPS tracking.

To start the tracking function select the communications port of GPS receiver from the pull-down list after the 'Port:' prompt. Now tap the 'On' button. If in 4 seconds, the connection could not be made or the proper initializing couldn't be done, then an error message is displayed.

Most receivers: You must set the connection options on the receiver to the following:

The current status of the receiver is displayed near the bottom of this dialog (after the 'Pos:' label). The Acquisition phase can take up to 2 minutes, and varies depending on problems with reception. When a longitude/latitude position is displayed the receiver has got a 3D fix. You can tap the 'Done' button at any time to see when the position is updated.

Initially, the map may be moved to a position off the edges of the map. When a 3D fix has been made, the position should jump to your correct position. If you don't want the map to move automatically set the 'View:' option in the GPS dialog to 'No movement'.

If all has gone OK, the position cursor should move in sync with your actual position.

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Planethome Designs

Copyright 2005 HandMap Co.