I’m really happy to announce that EasyRoute 1.4 has hit the App Store!
I’m particularly excited about this release because I feel it is one of the most solid EasyRoute releases so far. I added one major new feature, but made lots of little fixes and enhancements that I think just make the overall experience with the app better.
GPX Import and Export
I said I was going to prioritize features based on user feedback and this feature came directly from a user request. I see two major uses for this feature:
- Open a route created with EasyRoute in other apps.
- Share routes via e-mail. The recipient can open the GPX file with EasyRoute or a multitude of other mobile, desktop and web apps.
This is why, if you think EasyRoute could be better, you need to contact me. I’m listening.
Tweaked Add Route Process
It just works better and you may not even notice the difference, but I feel like explaining it.
Previously, on the iPhone, when you pressed the Add Route button, it brought up a view with a Cancel and Done button. This was different than the buttons you got when you were editing an existing a route, but I set it up that way because I thought it would be simpler. The route didn’t fully exist until you were finished and hit the Done button, making it easily cancelled. The problem was, it was a little too easily cancelled. I did not get any user complaints about this, but on a few occasions, I personally accidentally hit the cancel button and lost a route I was making.
I patched this by adding a confirmation message, but I don’t like message box-style user interaction and having an explicit save isn’t really preferred on iOS anyway. So now, regardless of how you conclude adding a new route, EasyRoute will do the right thing.
Out and Back and Reverse Crash
I have about a half-dozen people on my TestFlight team look at EasyRoute before it goes to the App Store and I comb through it myself. Even after it is submitted, testing continues in case a bug is discovered during the few days while it is in Apple’s review queue.
So, I was very surprised to discover that these functions caused crashes. The fix was really simple, but still very embarrassing for me. I received no complaints about it, but I still apologize to anyone who may have encountered this problem.
Distance Marker Improvement
This version of EasyRoute shows fewer distance markers in proportion to the map zoom level, so you won’t have dense line of them obscuring your route if you make a long route.
Selection Indicator on iPad Fixed
Since the route list and the map can both be visible at the same time on the iPad, I now ensure the current route is highlighted in the list. This was always the intent, but did not work in all cases previously
No Town Names
Fixes a problem where town names might not appear on the main list.
Route Info
The route info button is now visible even when not editing a route. Now you can view and change the route’s name and notes without having to enter editing mode.
There are still lots of great features coming to EasyRoute. Stay tuned!
