GSAK & Archived caches

[leek]

Not sure if this belongs in this this section or not, but here we go:

I have recently been on a couple of wild goose chases due to a combination of issues:
- because GSAK doesn't fully recognise archived caches
- because I haven't read the cache pages before getting there...

As far as I can see, the GPX files generated by gc.com and therefore GSAK seem to pick up disabled caches, but not archived caches. Disabled caches seem to be included in the GPX file (and are therefore marked as pink in GSAK), but archived caches don't register, so all you see is an active cache and the last log before it was archived...

Questions:
1. Is there any way of improving this so that GSAK can pick up all archived / disabled statii on caches
2. Is it worth proposing a general protocol to be followed by cachers / reviewers whereby they first disable their caches rather than archive them and then archive them a couple of weeks later...
3. Is there a better solution?

Any suggestions welcome...

[maccamob]

1. Is there any way of improving this so that GSAK can pick up all archived / disabled statii on caches<br>
2. Is it worth proposing a general protocol to be followed by cachers / reviewers whereby they first disable their caches rather than archive them and then archive them a couple of weeks later... <br>
3. Is there a better solution?

At this stage, there doesn't seem to be a way that GSAK can 'automatically' identify archived caches. The best approach seems to be to sort the GSAK database in order of Last Update after each update. All the active and disabled caches will have the date of the most recent GPX file, while archived caches will have an older date. You can then manually toggle the archived status of those caches if you haven't picked them before. You can also optionally verify the ones you identify by checking each one on-line, but that can take a while. This method is fail-safe because if you make a mistake and wrongly identify a cache as archived, the error will be corrected at the next update in the same way that GSAK now identifies archived or disabled caches coming back on-line.<br>
If caches were disabled first then archived, it would help, but the better solution would be for the secondary site to include archived caches in GPX files. I understand the gpx file has this capability (the necessary flag is already built in), and Jeremy has said in the past that this will happen eventually. Just don't hold your breath ....

[Webguy]

I have no problems with that, well, now I don't.

Previously, I was only getting a gpx where the cache had been updated in the last 7 days to save on the size of the gpx file I was sent, gc.com was not always including arcived caches by the looks. I switched to every cache coming down in the gpx and GSAK has no problems with that now.

I have seen the number of archived caches in the last 2 months go from 4 to 26 or something now.

[Richary]

I haven't run into that problem, but thinking about it I know why. I simply get the full list each week and allow it to overwrite the old database in GSAK. So any archived caches will simply disappear, as will ones I have found. It's nice if the download gets smaller each week means I am finding them quicker than they are being put out!

[ClydeE]

In my opinion Maccamob has this best take on this.

The crux of the problem is that Groundspeak just won't send you archived caches in any Pocket Query - so GSAK has no way of knowing the cache is archived.

This has been asked of Jeremy, but as yet it just hasn't happened.

[leek]

I've come up with another solution - I have a watch on most caches in my area, so now I've set up a rule within Outlook to save Archived messages to a separate folder - I'll review the unread messages in this folder periodically and adjust the archival status in GSAK accordingly...

[The Ginger Loon]

I'm in the process of building a GSAK database of archived caches which I'm willing to distribute (as a one time mailout) if anyone wants it.

This will be for NEW SOUTH WALES caches only.

I can't guarantee when I'll have this finished as there are currently 166 archived caches in NSW and I'm downloading the GPX files for each individually but I'm hoping to have the info together by next weekend.

Actually I just did a recount and there are 197 archived caches in NSW and I'm about halfway though gathering the GPX files...

[ideology]

hi loon
we are developing an automated method of listing archived caches.
it basically does what maccamob is suggesting: look at which caches have ceased coming through the feed from the secondary site and assume that the ones that have disappeared have been archived. there's a couple of failsafes, one being that if the cache does reappear down the track, it automatically gets unarchived.
interestingly we have 26 fewer caches than you do. we are likely to have missed a few of the early ones which never came through in a feed.
here's our list: (snif sniff, there were some good ones there!)

Code: Select all

 waypoint |                      name
---------+-------------------------------------------------
 GCH8F3   | !!Rock and Roll!!
 GC90D3   | "DERRINGULLEN REST"
 GCDCD    | #10 Call Of The Ocean
 GC1543   | #13 !!BUCKET!!
 GC1542   | #14 !!Forest Arcade!!
 GC1836   | #16 !!FATHER'S DAY!!
 GC1FE5   | #23 !!A VERY PURPLE PLACE!!
 GC2081   | #24 Sweet Sixteen
 GC362E   | #34 !! FISH + CHIPS !!
 GC37FB   | #35 Dee Cee
 GC3937   | #36 !! HAVE A HEART !!
 GC3B73   | #39 Troll's Delight
 GC3D53   | #41 Leafy
 GC401E   | #42 !! HANDLE LIKE EGGS !!
 GC45C5   | #43 Heifer Heifer Land
 GC4BE2   | #45 Snow Pine
 GC66B8   | #57 'owyagoin'
 GC900    | #6 The Wombat Stash
 GC8657   | #63 !! Jocks n Sox !!
 GCA522   | 12-Monkeys
 GCHBWK   | A  #$@#%$ Curly One
 GCD450   | A Kiss from a Rose
 GC11EA   | A Momentary Lapse of Reason
 GCD67    | A Saucerful of Secrets
 GC1F15   | A! got a ras?
 GCGH0W   | ACME
 GCBD87   | AE2
 GC2957   | APC Cache
 GC188E   | Achilles II: iliad
 GCGHCE   | Alec - Etched in Stone
 GCAC63   | Back to Basics
 GCGZ3F   | Banger<E2><80><99>s Bend
 GCC4EF   | Bees Knees
 GCH9PK   | Beni #6 - Beni Treasure Challenge.
 GCH78C   | Beni Trophy Challenge - 13/14 Dec (Dubbo)
 GC1357   | Berry far away,Nowra you see it!
 GC651C   | Binalong time since I found a cache here
 GC79FD   | Black Stump
 GC1F67   | Blackboy
 GC3CD7   | Bowen's Bounty
 GCGCEY   | Bugger! Reloaded - EcoTeam #10
 GCA8B6   | Bushpushers Cool Comeback Cache
 GCGWMY   | Catharsis - The Reckoning.
 GCH9FQ   | Caves to Caves 4x4 Event Weekend
 GCA55F   | Chain Gang
 GCHQ54   | Cleanup Australia (cache sites) Weekend
 GC5215   | Comedone
 GCD453   | ConSEALed!
 GC1716   | Cook's Place
 GCG1TZ   | Cottage Point Lunch Cache
 GCD0F4   | DC-3 C47A N2-23
 GCAC44   | Desert Drive-by
 GC81BD   | Don't wake the neighbours!
 GC9189   | Doug
 GCH42D   | Down in a Burra
 GC2C3B   | Dunny Hill
 GCA47B   | ELEPHANTINE
 GC8015   | Elvis has Left the Building
 GCH0YA   | Enigma 2
 GCJ1MX   | F.R.E.D
 GCAC2B   | Fantails Bluff (Hawkes Bay)
 GCC428   | Fellowship of The Ring - lord of the rings
 GCB69C   | First Fleet
 GC956A   | Flatypus Pat
 GCFE51   | Flynns and Needles
 GC4511   | Geocachers Weekender
 GC3FB6   | Geocachers Weekender #1
 GCABD0   | Get Off Your Butt...
 GC7169   | Goosey Lucy
 GC2009   | Grounds for Pleasure
 GCC99C   | Hairless
 GCGP83   | Hidden History 1 - Aqua
 GCGR03   | Hidden History 4 - Sandstone and Marble
 GCHV7A   | High country caching
 GC2606   | Hunter Valley Vista
 GC507C   | It's a Twister!!!
 GCHKX8   | Jerry's view
 GC15F8   | Just For Her
 GC6A5F   | Kidz Korner
 GCGRKT   | Loco at Colo
 GCH42G   | London Bridge
 GCE38    | Lotto in the Grotto
 GCCE47   | MS-03: Hawkesbury Hangout
 GCG1V5   | MacGyver - The return of Murdoc
 GCHK8N   | Maitland Cache Event. Mission:IMPROBABLE
 GC2D80   | Mean Green
 GCD63    | Micro Cash Cache
 GC1412   | Mission 11: Tallow's Sand
 GCDD11   | Mountian Goat
 GCHBF4   | Muggle Buddy
 GCHJ6M   | NOISE
 GCGG2E   | NSW Cachers Dinner - Bear_Left Farewell
 GCGH9P   | NSW Camp Burralow
 GC9625   | NSW Weekend Cache Nov/Dec 2002
 GCG98X   | NSW Winter Conflabulation
 GC8339   | New Amsterdam
 GCH97K   | Newcastle Event Cache - 3rd Jan 2004
 GCC80B   | On The Nose
 GCHPTH   | Our First Letterbox
 GC3052   | Our Park
 GCD821   | Out West - Way Out West
 GC17DE   | P.U.L.S.E.
 GCCE4C   | Pass the Parcel
 GCGQAC   | Pass the Parcel II
 GC935    | Passing Thru
 GC40E5   | Phoenix
 GCH1N1   | Photogenic
 GCHF62   | Pittwater Panorama
 GCG2N2   | Powerhouse Hill
 GC5914   | Prado Hill
 GCGDFR   | Queanbeyan
 GCBED7   | Radar
 GC64B1   | Red Cedar Retreat.
 GC16F5   | Relics
 GCGF9M   | Row Row Row Your Boat
 GCB3E3   | Seven Mile Secrets
 GCHT7T   | Souvenirs
 GCE9D    | Sphinx
 GCC45B   | Stop Revive Survive - I (reloaded)
 GC155F   | Strange Items
 GCADE0   | Sydney / NSW Geocachers' New Year Picnic / BBQ
 GCD2DC   | Sydney Cache Clean-Up
 GC5E16   | Sydney Live! Webcam
 GC90D5   | TUCKER BOX
 GCGZKD   | The Back Nine
 GCGRD4   | The Bronx Park Zoo
 GCHG0K   | The Cicada Trail
 GCHAF3   | The Colossal Claustral Canyoning Event
 GCC6BF   | The Dune
 GCC1B2   | The Grand Vizier's Garden Party (pt 1)
 GC39AE   | The Great Walls of Hassan
 GCABDA   | The Main Attraction
 GCD082   | The Main Attraction 2
 GC2961   | The Mascot Micro Cache
 GC3184   | The Men of Trees
 GC1021   | The Numbers Mystery Tour
 GC2A59   | The Other Bay
 GC1B8A   | The Promised Land
 GCC499   | The Regent's Park Mystery Cache
 GC652F   | The Time Machine
 GCGQ8A   | The Two Bay Blues
 GC8D21   | The blue lagoon
 GCJK5Z   | The house on the hill
 GC990B   | Thermal Imagining
 GCC8B3   | This little piggy..( Geo-piggy's cache adopted)
 GC6245   | Three Sisters, One Wedding
 GCB1D3   | Tidal
 GC383C   | TimTam & Freddo Frenzy
 GC40E4   | Timber
 GC4266   | Time Capsule
 GCGY1P   | Tooms
 GCJ5VV   | Topo
 GCHFMM   | Town Talking Footy
 GCCE29   | Toy Story
 GC7589   | Tree
 GC10A8   | Turtle Nest 1
 GC80FB   | Two Suns in the Sunset
 GC4651   | Under a waterfall...( re-vitalised)
 GC637D   | Vales Vault
 GCG89F   | Vanilla Custard
 GCCCFC   | Warlock
 GC8F51   | Wasting time in Waratah
 GCGT5E   | Yoda's Hideout
 GCGTN7   | ZEBRA
 GC1F51   | axillaris
 GC38CA   | emily
 GCBF05   | hand gliders leap
 GC469F   | i!007
 GC779    | i!3: Bullseye
 GC91A    | i!4: Metro (Return Ticket)
 GC9733   | i!8: GET SMART

note "emily" in norfold island. we think that was once classed as a NSW cache, so make the difference 27 instead of 26!

clyde, if you want, we could automatically create a gpx file of archived caches for people to wash against their GSAK databases. they could load the active gpx from the secondary site, then load the "archive" gpx. which would set the appropriate flag. for simplicity's sake, we could make it the bare minimum, ie just the wpt and cache archived tags.

[The Ginger Loon]

I note there are a couple of anomalies in your list.

Yes, "emily" was once listed as a New South Wales cache even though it is on NOrfolk Island. It is an active cache however.

Not sure why "Fantails Bluff" appears on the list. It is still active but it's in New Zealand.

F.R.E.D. has been renamed "In The Loop" but is actually archived.

I've sent the georges a copy of my archived caches GPX file for their reference.

[The Ginger Loon]

And for your education and entertainment here's my list of NSW archived caches. See how many of them you've done...

GCH8F3 :: !!Rock and Roll!!
GC90D3 ::"DERRINGULLEN REST"
GC4D91 :: "Ploddy" the B.Y.T
GCDCD :: #10 Call Of The Ocean
GCD0A :: #11 Cachers Sausage Sizzle
GC1543 :: #13 !!BUCKET!!
GC1542 :: #14 !!Forest Arcade!!
GC1836 :: #16 !!FATHER'S DAY!!
GC1D78 :: #20 !!FERN GULLY!!
GC1FE5 :: #23 !!A VERY PURPLE PLACE!!
GC2081 :: #24 Sweet Sixteen
GC2573 :: #27 !! TRICK or TREAT !!
GC66A :: #3 Bovine Patella
GC2AF3 :: #30 FETCH
GC2C49 :: #31 !! HAPPY CACHEMAS !!
GC362E :: #34 !! FISH + CHIPS !!
GC37FB :: #35 Dee Cee
GC3937 :: #36 !! HAVE A HEART !!
GC3935 :: #37 Hop To It
GC3B73 :: #39 Troll's Delight
GC3D53 :: #41 Leafy
GC401E :: #42 !! HANDLE LIKE EGGS !!
GC45C5 :: #43 Heifer Heifer Land
GC4BE2 :: #45 Snow Pine
GC668B :: #57 'owyagoin'
GC900 :: #6 The Wombat Stash
GC8657 :: #63 !! Jocks n Sox !!
GCA522 :: 12-Monkeys- re-sized
GC2422 :: 2nd NSW Geocachers Picnic Day
GC2736 :: 60000 Years
GCHBWK :: A #$@#%$ Curly One
GCD450 :: A Kiss from a Rose
GC11EA :: A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
GCD67 :: A Saucerful of Secrets
GCA78 :: A Wise Man's Folly
GC1F15 :: A! got a ras?
GC188E :: Achilles II: iliad
GCGH0W :: ACME
GCBD87 :: AE2
GCGHCE :: Alec - Etched in Stone
GC2957 :: APC Cache
GC1F51 :: axillaris
GCAC63 :: Back to Basics
GCGZ3F :: BangerÂ’s Bend
GCB09 :: Barrel-O-GeoMonkeys
GCC4EF :: Bees Knees
GCH9PK :: Beni #6 - Beni Treasure Challenge.
GCH78C :: Beni Trophy Challenge - 13/14 Dec (Dubbo)
GC1357 :: Berry far away,Nowra you see it!
GCC21 :: Between the tunnels
GC1A95 :: Big Green Thing ( desecrated-again)
GC651C :: Binalong time since I found a cache here
GC1F67 :: Blackboy
GC3CD7 :: Bowen's Bounty
GCBAC :: Burke & Wills
GC123E :: Bushpushers Bonza Bush Bash
GCA8B6 :: Bushpushers Cool Comeback Cache
GC2A16 :: Cache on the Bay
GCGWMY :: Catharsis - The Reckoning.
GCH9FQ :: Caves to Caves 4x4 Event Weekend
GCA55F :: Chain Gang
GCHQ54 :: Cleanup Australia (cache sites) Weekend
GC5215 :: Comedone
GCD453 :: ConSEALed!
GC1716 :: COOK'S PLACE
GCG1TZ :: Cottage Point Lunch Cache
GCD0F4 :: DC-3 C47A N2-23
GC7CD :: Diggers camp
GC81BD :: Don't wake the neighbours!
GC9189 :: Doug
GCH42D :: Down in a Burra
GC2C38 :: Dunny Hill
GC16EE :: EcoTeam Challenge #1 - Schaffers Dolphin
GC1F8F :: EcoTeam Challenge #3 - Seeds of Life
GCA47B :: ELEPHANTINE
GCH0YA :: Enigma 2
GCC428 :: Fellowship of The Ring - lord of the rings
GC304D :: Fire Proof
GC956A :: Flatypus Pat
GCFE51 :: Flynns and Needles
GC4511 :: Geocachers Weekender
GC3FB6 :: Geocachers Weekender #1
GCABD0 :: Get Off Your Butt...
GC64B4 :: Goodie Goodie Gum Drops
GC7169 :: Goosey Lucy
GC2009 :: Grounds for Pleasure
GCC99C :: Hairless
GCBF05 :: hand gliders leap
GCGP83 :: Hidden History 1 - Aqua
GCGR03 :: Hidden History 4 - Sandstone and Marble
GCHV7A :: High country caching
GC2606 :: Hunter Valley Vista
GC469F :: i!007
GC779 :: i!3: Bullseye
GC91A :: i!4: Metro (Return Ticket)
GC9733 :: i!8: GET SMART
GCJ1MX :: In the Loop
GC1860 :: Island View
GC507C :: It's a Twister!!!
GCHKX8 :: Jerry's view
GC15F8 :: Just For Her
GC6A5F :: Kidz Korner
GCGRKT :: Loco at Colo
GCH42G :: London Bridge
GCC20 :: Lost on the edge
GCE38 :: Lotto In The Grotto
GCG1V5 :: MacGyver - The return of Murdoc
GCHK8N :: Maitland Cache Event. Mission:IMPROBABLE
GC2D80 :: Mean Green
GCD63 :: Micro Cash Cache
GC1412 :: Mission 11: Tallow's Sand
GC29B0 :: Monkeys - Junk
GCCE47 :: MS-03: Hawkesbury Hangout
GCHBF4 :: Muggle Buddy
GC8339 :: New Amsterdam
GCH97K :: Newcastle Event Cache - 3rd Jan 2004
GCHJ6M :: NOISE
GCGG2E :: NSW Cachers Dinner - Bear_Left Farewell
GC9625 :: NSW Weekend Cache Nov/Dec 2002
GCG98X :: NSW Winter Conflabulation
GCC80B :: On The Nose
GCHPTH :: Our First Letterbox
GC3052 :: Our Park
GCD821 :: Out West - Way Out West
GC17DE :: P.U.L.S.E.
GC935 :: Passing Thru
GCCE4C :: Pass the Parcel
GCGQAC :: Pass the Parcel II
GC40E5 :: Phoenix
GCH1N1 :: Photogenic
GCHF62 :: Pittwater Panorama
GCG2N2 :: Powerhouse Hill
GC5914 :: Prado Hill
GCGDFR :: Queanbeyan
GCBED7 :: Radar
GC64B1 :: Red Cedar Retreat.
GC16F5 :: Relics
GCGF9M :: Row Row Row Your Boat
GCB3E3 :: Seven Mile Secrets
GC52AE :: Shipwreck
GC1F6C :: Solo Man
GCHT7T :: Souvenirs
GC2BA7 :: Sparkle
GCE9D :: SPHINX
GC3D32 :: Stop Revive Survive - I
GCC45B :: Stop Revive Survive - I (reloaded)
GC155F :: Strange Items
GCADE0 :: Sydney / NSW Geocachers' New Year Picnic / BBQ
GCB7 :: Sydney Cache
GCD2DC :: Sydney Cache Clean-Up
GCE516 :: Sydney Live! Webcam
GC6DFD :: Sydney Winter Picnic
GCGZKD :: The Back Nine
GC8D21 :: The blue lagoon
GCGRD4 :: The Bronx Park Zoo
GCHG0K :: The Cicada Trail
GCHAF3 :: The Colossal Claustral Canyoning Event
GC3922 :: The Curse of the 3 legged dog
GCC6BF :: The Dune
GCC1B2 :: The Grand Vizier's Garden Party (pt 1)
GC39AE :: The Great Walls of Hassan
GCABDA :: The Main Attraction
GCD082 :: The Main Attraction 2
GC2961 :: The Mascot Micro Cache
GC3184 :: The Men of Trees
GC119E :: The Monkey Cave
GCD15 :: The Monkey Trail
GC1021 :: The Numbers Mystery Tour
GC2A59 :: The Other Bay
GC1B8A :: The Promised Land
GCC499 :: The Regent's Park Mystery Cache
GC652F :: The Time Machine
GCGQ8A :: The Two Bay Blues
GC990B :: Thermal Imagining
GCC8B3 :: This little piggy..( Geo-piggy's cache adopted)
GCB1D3 :: Tidal
GC40E4 :: Timber
GC4266 :: Time Capsule
GC383C :: TimTam & Freddo Frenzy
GC1451 :: TOM THUMB
GCGY1P :: Tooms
GCJ5VV :: Topo
GCHFMM :: Town Talking Footy
GCCE29 :: Toy Story
GC7589 :: Tree
GC90D5 :: TUCKER BOX
GC10A8 :: Turtle Nest 1
GC80F8 :: Two Suns in the Sunset
GC4651 :: Under a waterfall...( re-vitalised)
GCGH9P :: Upper Colo Campout
GC2D43 :: Urban Bushwalk
GC637D :: Vales Vault
GCG89F :: Vanilla Custard
GCGF9R :: Wailing wall
GCCCFC :: Warlock
GCG1BP :: Warlock Reanimated
GC8F51 :: Wasting time in Waratah
GC36C3 :: Wetland Wonder
GCJQH8 :: Winter Out West - Warrumbungles
GCGT5E :: Yoda's Hideout
GCGTN7 :: ZEBRA

[ideology]

loon, thanks for the list. we've merged them into the database. it's great to see some old favourites!

the automated archiving and unarchiving is now working. from tomorrow, the cache updates will indicate whether any caches have been archived or unarchived.

[calumphing_four]

Apologies for bumping an old topic;
but is there still no easy way to update my GSAK database with caches that have been archived?

[diesel69]

There is a macro written by Cached that will archive all caches , if you run a filter first to find caches that have not been updated since a date of your choosing then run the archive macro it will solve your problem and if they are not archived they will simply change back next time you get a gpx with newer info.

Check the GSAK forums for more info on macros .

ps. the're not as hard to implement as it sounds once somebody has written them( ie I'm no computer guru but can get them to work).

[calumphing_four]

There is a macro written by Cached that will archive all caches , if you run a filter first to find caches that have not been updated since a date of your choosing then run the archive macro it will solve your problem and if they are not archived they will simply change back next time you get a gpx with newer info.

Check the GSAK forums for more info on macros .

ps. the're not as hard to implement as it sounds once somebody has written them( ie I'm no computer guru but can get them to work).

Thanks for that. That makes perfect sense.
<br><br>
Cheers

[Richary]

I still stick with my sort by date method, anything that hasn't been updated in the last couple of weeks I manually tick then delete.