Different icons for different GPX file caches: possible?

[Albany Canucks]

I'm using a Garmin device here (Dakota 20), and have made several different queries to create different GPX files for different types of caches, e.g. moveable, traditional, trig points only etc. Is there a way to make these show up on my maps or geocache lists with different icons? e.g. a way to edit or tag a specific GPX file in some way to make all the caches inside it show up with a different icon.

I notice that my GCA caches show up on my device with a different icon than my geocaching.com caches, so I suspect there must be some way to make a cache show up with a different icon on a GPSr? Or are these the only two possibilities?

[Zalgariath]

Not Sure with the Garmin... with the TomTom all my caches have different icons on them, even a different one for micros as opposed to small and bigger trads. It's all about what 'type' of POI the garmin stores it as... I dare say GSAK has a way of exporting the caches in the manner you seek. Hopefully someone can elaborate how...

[Team Wibble]

Going from an Garmin Oregon 300 perspective, I use a GSAK macro to export both my GC.com and my GCA cache GPX files to the unit (the Colorado export). This works for Oregons, not just Colorados, not sure about the Dakota.
This provides specific cache icons for both databases (so I get little traditional, multi, mystery, etc icons on my map screen), except for moveables and trigs, which which the export doesn't recognise and instead puts as little closed treasure box icons instead.
This is good enough for me (although, in GSAK, trigs come up as benchmarks, so I would have thought the export would recognise that, but apparently not).

Perhaps either the Colorado export macro or an equivalent macro for the Dakota might provide a solution?
If you were really picky about getting a separate icon for every cache type, you could convert all moveables to a recognised cache type in GSAK, such as a CITO, and trigs as a mega event or such.

[Albany Canucks]

I compared a few GPX files and found that the code used to designate the icon is: <sym>

For example, GC files use:

<sym>Geocache</sym>
<type>Geocache|Traditional Cache</type>

<sym>Geocache</sym>
<type>Geocache|Multi-cache</type>

GPX files from GCA simply use the following, which generates a different icon:
<sym>Geocache</sym>
<type>Geocache</type>

The found geocache icon is generated with the following:
<sym>Geocache Found</sym>

There are many other possibilities, including:
<sym>Waypoint</sym>
<sym>Parking Area</sym>

Do the GPX files created by GCA queries all use the following as default, rather than distinguishing between different cache types, and hence result in the same icon?
<sym>Geocache</sym>
<type>Geocache</type>

I'd love to figure out a way to make Trig Points show up with a separate icon, for example.

[Zalgariath]

Nope! The GPX from GCA definately already have the designation separate (otherwise they would all show up in GSAK the same!) The only one GSAK doesnt like are moveables (OH! and the new B&W's type), which come up as the "other" geocache icon (a question mark in a white bubble) all other cache types have an associated icon, including Trigs!

So the issue isnt the GPX data, or GSAK, its the exporter macro you are using for the Garmin, or possibly the unit itself... but my guess is the exporter. If you are any good at coding and cant find a macro that does what you want, why not try jumping in an editting the closest one yourself to do the job?

[caughtatwork]

http://www.topografix.com/gpx_for_developers.asp
The <sym> says what type of symbol to display.

From there, it's open slather.
The <type> says what type of geocache it is, not what symbol should be displayed.
The GC files have <type>Geocache|Traditional Cache</type>
The GCA files have <type>Traditional</type>

The Garmin series of GPS receivers ONLY handle the Groundspeak name spaces in terms of geocaches.
Unfortunately, the Groundspeakl GPX format is NOT standard (as seen by the inclusion of the groundspeak namespaces in the file).
So Garmin are using a non standard GPX format to display icons.
If Garmin were to use the proper, open GPX format, the GCA files would work and the GC ones would not.
But as Groundspeak are in bed with Garmin, they went proprietary and blocked the rest of the world from using the standard GPX format.

So, transform the GCA GPX files through GSAK and they should show the symbols according to the botched, proprietary GPX file format that Garmin expects.

[Albany Canucks]

I haven't installed or used GSAK as yet. Would there be a way to do this manually? I'd early tried adding this line, in order to try to get it to show a red block icon for these caches, but it didn't change anything:
<sym>Block, Red</sym>

Here's something I tried instead: using a text editor I opened up the GPX file generated by GSA. I had done a query to include only moveable caches. It looks like the key line of code in the GPX file is this one:
<groundspeak:type>Other</groundspeak:type>
This seems to tell the GPSr what type of cache it is and thus what icon to use. Other possibilities include Traditional, Multi-cache, Unknown Cache (for puzzle caches), and more. Since I had no Earthcaches on my GPSr, I did a search and replace so that the above line would instead read as follows throughout the document:
<groundspeak:type>Earthcache</groundspeak:type>
Bingo, that did the trick, now all the moveable GCA caches showed up with the Earthcache icon.

Now to find a way to get them to show up with the icon or symbol of my choice... Any ideas about what line in the code to change in order to accomplish that, and how?

[caughtatwork]

The "send to" function includes the groundspeak namespaces for compatibility with your GPS.
The standard GPX files from GCA do NOT have that namespace.
Without knowing the tech specs of the Garmin devices, I doubt that anything other than trial and error will show you the way.
There is a send to garmin macro in GSAK which I think let's you set custom icons, so you could look at that macro and see what it does.