Ever wanted to see all of your Moving Caches listed together on one page?
Even run a Moving Cache race and wanted to automagically update the distance travelled?
Ever been just a real geek with some webspace and a desire to show exactly how geeky you are?
If you answered yes to any of these questions (or wear red underwear on the outside of your pants) then do I have the software for you.
mctracker will allow you to display a small graphic containing your Moving Cache name and how far it has travelled.
How does this work?
www.geocaching.com.au provides a .kml file so you can see the travels of your moving cache in Google Earth. This software grabs that .kml file, parses the .kml file twice, once to get the name, once to get the co-ordinates, extracts certain information, prepares it for display and generates a small graphic.
Why doesn't the tracker update as soon as someone makes a new log entry
Dammit, it should !
How can I do this on my site?
Grab the zip file below. Extract it to your own webspace. Insert an image tag on the page you want, attach the waypoint and point it to the mctracker software. It's pretty much that simple.
What do I need on my site to allow this to work?
First of all you need a webhost that allows PHP code to run. You also need to have the GD library installed. That's pretty much it.
I don't have a webhost can I use your site to track my Moving Caches?
Yes, until my server gets overrun and then I may need to turn it all off. I don't expect that this will happen though as there are very few moving caches around.
OK, so how do I use your server?
Insert this text onto your webpage:
<a href="http://www.geocaching.com.au/cache/waypoint"><img alt="My Moving Cache" src="http://www.caughtatwork.net/geocaching/mctracker/mctracker.php?wpt=waypoint" height="50" width="200"></a>
Of course, you substitute your waypoint information.
I can't get your software to run, will you help me?
Simple answer, no.
Better answer, possibly. I don't get paid for this so you will be buying services worth almost exactly as what you will pay. Try contacting me and I will probably help, but don't get all pissy on me if I can't work out what your server is doing.
Is there an .asp version?
God no. If someone else wants to break into that space, knock yourselves out.
Can I make changes to the software?
Knock yourself out.
Can I make money out of your software?
You'd better not. Or better, if you do, send some of it my way.
Will www.geocaching.com.au get shirty with me for grabbing files off their site?
I don't believe so. They are generally pretty cool dudes as long as you are not pumping their server every few seconds to grab the data. Be reasonable. If they bitch at you, don't blame me.
Will you back up your assertions in a court of law?
No. You use the software entirely at your own risk.
Your software has a bug in it.
Only one. Woohoo! I code this stuff for fun. If it has a bug, please let me know and I'll upgrade the package. That way everyone will be better off.
Can I request enhancements?
Maybe. Again I do this for fun, not profit, so if it looks like a good enhancement, send it through and I'll see whether it can be incorporated.
Do I get money for enhancement suggestions?
Yes. Exactly the same amount as you paid me for using the software in the first place.
I am so impressed, will you accept a donation for this wonderful piece of software?
Why thank you very much. Please leave a tip. That's very nice of you.
A showcase of sites using this software.
If you use this software, drop me a line and I'll add you to the growing list of satisfied customers.
Download the Zip file containing all you need to get started.
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