UK postcode finder for TomTom 2 and 3

Nomada · Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 1:58 am Post subject:

Hi nej

Nomada · Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 2:02 am Post subject:

Hi Darren,

Nomada · Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 2:07 am Post subject:

Hi nej

Nomada · Posted: Sat Feb 05, 2005 2:37 am Post subject:

Hi all

Over the weekend I will try to finish a new release with a new feature: Route A to B to ... that will work only with TTN 3. Up to my knowledge TTN has not on the SDK a function to do that. So it will work through the itinerary system, that's why it only will work with that version and not in earlier versions.

The new release will have too a new look and corrected a bug that affected to postcodes that where not in the database, they were given a false coordinates instead to advise you.

Corrected too a flickering effect just starting the first form of the program, just a cosmetic correction.

Plans for the future:
1.- Given a serie of postcodes to put them in a "best way" order. A similar feature to the one in Microsoft Autoroute and Route 66. But it could be no very exact for close points.
I don't intend to get a PDA working half a day just to say you the best way to go between points in London that are away each other a few hundreds of yards and making calculations with TTN.
Far away my idea is to get the distances between them through the coordinates then put them in order and create an itinerary.

To illustrate the problem think you are in the south side of river Thames at London as departure point. You have two more points. One in the same side, lets say 400 yards away and a third point just oposite in the north side, 200 yards away.
Getting distances through coordinates the program will send you first to the oposite side and than back to your actual river side. That's why it will be worth only for points that are really separated.
The proper way would be to send couples of points to TTN and get the distances. That means 6 calculations to get the best way between 3 points, and 24 for 4, 120 for 5... I think no body will have enough patiente to let TTN finishing it.

2. To learn to make installations, of course, but that will take longer... sorry...

3. Whatsoever you say...

Nomada

Nomada · Posted: Sun Feb 06, 2005 9:34 am Post subject:

Hi all,

Sorry that yesterday I hadn't time finally to make the corrections on the installation issues. The company I work for gave me some jobs can't be refused.

There is now 4 files to be downloaded. if some of you already have some of them skip it.

Data: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.adell/ukpc/data.zip
Library http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.adell/ukpc/library.zip
Program http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.adell/ukpc/program.zip
TTN library http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.adell/ukpc/TTNControl.arm.CAB

Data contains the database
Library contains the needed OCX controls and runtimes
Program contains the program itself and a How2install.txt file with instructions
And finally the TTN library contains the TTN OCX controls. If you have already installed Checkpoint (last version) you don't need it.

I hope this workaround will eliminate the installation problems. The instructions file I think is enough clear, but if someone needs more help let me know. Also it will be a better way to introduce new releases or modifications just downloading one or two files instead the full lot.

Nomada

samriley · Occasional Visitor Joined: Nov 05, 2003 Posts: 23

the postcode library ive managed to obtain currently has 2,118,051 postcodes, and know there are some missing.

nej · Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2005 10:24 am Post subject:

Nomada · Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2005 7:41 pm Post subject:

Hi nej,

To avoid those problems with folders the new release I linked has the paths omitted, so as far as you install the ukpc2ttn.nsb file together with the "DAT" files it should work fine.

Nomada

Nomada · Posted: Mon Feb 07, 2005 7:57 pm Post subject:

Hi samriley

Nomada · Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2005 7:58 pm Post subject:

Hi all,

I'm very sorry to say that trying to allow a free folder installation I did a encoding mistake. Now is corrected.

Just download the following link,

Program http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.adell/ukpc/program.zip

And don't worry for trial time, it's newly extended, you don't need to pay for my mistakes.

Nomada

Nomada · Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2005 12:09 am Post subject:

Hi all

A new release, now with a function to create Itineraries from Postcodes. And you don't need even to have TomTom running in your device. It works only for TTN 3.xx

You will see now two new buttons: "Send to itinerary" and "Finish itinerary"

After you get the coordinates for your 1st point (departure) tap on Send to itinerary. Use the second button for your last point.

The itinerary wil be saved as ukpc2ttn. So now you only need to open TTN, go to itinerary an open that file. It will show you the itinerary naming each point with the correspondent postcode and a flag with the position, so you can identify the point in the map. You will notice that the 1st point is not in the list. Don't worry, when you tap on "Plan" you will be asked to use that point as start.

To download use the link: http://homepage.ntlworld.com/j.adell/ukpc/program.zip

Nomada

Fuego · Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 2:32 am Post subject:

I checked your link but couldn't really see what this was offering over the existing Niels Thomsen postcode finder program (other than the PC itinary feature added afterwards) that was significant.

Yes, I realise a smaller optimised database would be slightly quicker and that if the database were later updated that would be useful too, but both these things could be accomplished whilst still using the Niels software, I would have thought.

Didn't really want to waste time installing something without knowing whether it's worth the time spent evaluating it.

PS. You might be letting yourself in for a problem by charging for someone (the PO) else's copyrighted material without getting a license. Trouble is that the license cost is probably uneconomic for these types of apps.

Nomada · Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2005 7:55 am Post subject:

Hi Fuego,

alnero · Occasional Visitor Joined: Jan 26, 2005 Posts: 6

Postcode data is crown copyright. You can compile your own database and it is still crown copyright. Technically you could overwhelm this copyright in court if you had the time,money and good lawyers present. But you will always find that the bigger the company the more steadfast the copyright or patent. I think soon with the phenomenol rise in people using mobile gps systems there will be a watershed on this issue. The problem is then keeping upto date with newbuilds and postcode adjustments.

	PocketGPS
	Web