Bonii-Prep update

[Homefire]

Bonii-Prep, the spread sheet app for rally planning, has been updated to v1.12 with an important fix and two new features. The fix corrects a problem with incorrect symbol assignment when there were more than 56 locations. It now works correctly with up to 500 locations and includes instructions for increasing this. If you are using or evaluating Bonii-Prep, you should get this update.

The new features are small unless they are important to you. First, suffix codes can now be used to change both the symbol and symbol color on individual locations. Second, lat/long values can be entered using either a dot or a comma as the decimal character. This is important if you are in a location where a computer expects a comma as a decimal character. Either way, the exported GPX file uses a dot in lat/long values.

There are versions for both Excel and the free LibreOffice spreadsheet that work in both Windows and Mac computers. Bonii-Prep is free for use and available for download at <turnlink.net/rally/>.

Please contact me with questions or problems.
-Charles Turner
[email protected]

 

[John Huval]

Thank you for posting this, Charles. I'm going to download the new LibreOffice version today.

 

[Homefire]

It's good to know that there are folks using the LibreOffice version. It's features are identical to the Excel version.

 

[Homefire]

It’s been a busy week. Thanks to all who tried v1.12 and told me about its problems. These have been fixed in v1.12a now available at <turnlink.net/rally/>. Please try it again.

The symbol assignment and sorting problems came from increasing the number of rows available without properly adjusting the formulas and macro codes. I’ve increased the number of rows to 750 and eliminated the instructions for adding more. If you need help with more (and God help you if you do), let me know and I’ll extend a copy for you.

It has also come to my attention that Excel in Mac Office 2011 (Excel v14) does not properly open the files needed for export and import, so I have to drop support for that version of Excel. The inexpensive alternative is the free LibreOffice with the LibreOffice edition of Bonii-Prep which is reliable and has the same features as the Excel edition.

My apologies to all who tried v1.12 and found it screwed up.

Again, pease contact me with questions or problems.
-Charles Turner
[email protected]

 

[Homefire]

Bonii-Prep v1.13 is now posted.

There are two notable changes–one fix and one new feature. The fix is for the additional Route boxes on sheet 3 (Routes). They now sort properly, each independent of the others. These boxes can be useful for comparing different routings. Other lesser bugs have also been squashed.

The new feature is optional Extended Content in exported files. If the export selection area is extended over into the yellow area to include the Leg column or the Leg and Suffix columns, those values will be included in the exported waypoints and combo tracks to the GPX and TXT files. This extra information is ignored by BaseCamp when importing, but is recognized when importing the GPX file back into Bonii-Prep. This provides a convenient way to preserve your Leg and Suffix information outside of the Bonii-Prep program.

The TXT file format has been expanded to include the Extended Content, and reorganized so it is a straight copy/paste into Bonii-Prep columns. Content is in tab delimited format.

As always Excel and LibreOffice versions that work in both Mac and Windows are available free at <turnlink.net/rally/>

Contact me with problems or questions. [email protected]

-Charles
[email protected]
SuperSherpa

 

[Homefire]

Bonii-Prep v1.13a

This small change offers a feature modification and revised guidance on file paths for importing and exporting.

The symbol assignment option that allows for substituting symbols using suffix codes has been revised to optionally keep or remove the previously assigned color. This allows for changing a “pin, green “ symbol to “blue, green” or changing it to “heliport” using a single code. Details are in the drop comments.

The revised guidance for entering file paths for export and import applies to Mac users of Excel. Excel v14 (Office for Mac 2011) will work if the disk name is included in the file path. Mac Excel v15 will work with or without the disk name in the file path.

Mac users of LibreOffice must continue to specify a file path without the disk name.

As always Excel and LibreOffice versions that work in both Mac and Windows are available free at <turnlink.net/rally/>

Contact me with problems or questions

-Charles
[email protected]
SuperSherpa

 

[Chuck35]

Thank you for your efforts and generosity

 

[Homefire]

Bonii-Prep v1.14 is now posted at <turnlink.net/rally>. As always, Excel and LibreOffice versions for both Mac and Windows are free.

Version1.14 has two new features: links to Google maps for each location, and scanning for bad characters during the export. When a bad character is found, a popup appears showing where the character is, and providing options to change it to ^, no change, or cancel the export (allowing manual change in the input block).

A couple of user errors are now identified and corrected to keep the process moving. Popup notes, and the info sheet have been edited, hopefully for the better. The Routes sheet has simplified loading and sorting, and new clearing buttons. Lat/Long values in deg/min/sec now work properly. The visuals have been ‘smoothed”.

Finally, the sample locations and coding setup have been changed to show how the traditional use of icons and colors can be implemented to assign symbols to locations based on point values and modified for individual location factors such as timing constraints. This isn’t a new capability, just more explicit samples.

Thanks to all who have taken a look at Bonii-Prep since the last update (nearly 2000 downloads, many duplicate people I assume). Also thank you to all who have contacted me about using Bonii-Prep, especially the 10 riders who subsequently rode the Minnesota IBR (very satisfying).

I’m always happy to take questions or problems.
-Charles Turner
[email protected]
703-822-3167
Inver Grove Heights, MN

 

[Homefire]

Bonii-Prep v1.15 is now available at <turnlink.net/rally>. Again, Excel and LibreOffice versions for both Mac and Windows are free.

As a reminder, Bonii-Prep accepts bonus location information, assigns symbols based on the point values, and exports them in a .gpx file that is a direct import into Basecamp for routing. The web site describes lots of additional rally related features.

The v1.15 update’s primary new feature is support for custom symbols. Basically, when there are multiple groups of symbols, an assigned symbol can be changed from its position in the first group to the same position in another group. Much like Bonii-Prep changes the flag, red symbol to circle, red using suffix codes.

A description of how this works with groups of symbols, is in the Info sheet of the program, including a link describing how custom symbols need to be made and where to install them.

Also added to the site is a download of 60 custom symbols to experiment with.

A secondary new feature is an expanded option to add points + comments to the waypoint name for export. Previously the only options were name only and name + points + suffix. I’ve had some requests for this.

So that’s it for v1.15. I’m always happy to take questions or problems, and look forward to the first bug report.

Thanks to all who have checked it out, reported problems, used it, and suggested it to others.

Download the version you need and the sample custom symbols at <turnlink.net/rally>.

-Charles Turner
[email protected]
703-822-3167
Inver Grove Heights, MN

 

[Homefire]

Bonii-Prep v1.15b is now available at <turnlink.net/rally>. Again, Excel and LibreOffice versions for both Mac and Windows are free.

This is a small update but important if your rallies have combo bonus points that total more than 32767.

Specific changes:
- Fixes a show stopping error condition when the combo point totals are greater than 32767.
- When the name has combo points attached to it for export, the total points for each location in the combo is now also exported (although not shown in the spread sheet export block).

Thanks to Kurt Worden for reporting the error condition to me. I'm always happy to receive questions or problems.

Download the version you need at <turnlink.net/rally>.

-Charles Turner
[email protected]
703-822-3167
Inver Grove Heights, MN

 

[armour783]

Charles, love the spreadsheet.

I think it would be an improvement to add a page that allowed you to copy and paste route details directly from basecamp. As opposed to having to mark them individually each time. This would greatly speed up comparing routes and their point totals.

 

[JON12A]

Forgive my ignorance but how do you guys use a spreadsheet when planning a route.
From reading several comments it appears you can also use these in your GPS ?
Do you have time to do all this given we are only handed the Rally Book a few hours before the start ?

 

[Russ Black]

It allows you to quickly manipulate the various data (Location, Points, Time available) given to you by the Rally Master of a Bonus Seeking Rally such as the 11 Day Iron Butt Rally into a form that you can import into a routing program such as Basecamp where you plan your route trying to accumulate the maximum points you can within the rules given and then transfer that into your GPS. Whomever accumulates the maximum wins. It is not used for Cert Rides.

 

[EddyC]

Forgive my ignorance but how do you guys use a spreadsheet when planning a route.
From reading several comments it appears you can also use these in your GPS ?
Do you have time to do all this given we are only handed the Rally Book a few hours before the start ?

Imho I see it as follows: one is given a variety of data (rally book) which at first may seem overwhelming.
It is up to the contender to bring a logical order in that data as he/she sees fit, given the circumstances of the ride/rally.
The spreadsheet is merely a (very smart) tool to help one to oversee the data so one can apply the random data into a useable/optimal route.
Of course one could do all the calculations oneself, which eventually might lead to an acceptable result, but as you said yourself: there is little time before the start.
So, the spreadsheet presents not only a workable solution, it is also a h*ll of a timesaver.
Good luck and stay safe..
Ed.

 

[JON12A]

Can anyone point me in the direction of this software.

 

[BigLew55]

He included addresses in the info above that are still functional. If you paste them into your browser, you should be taken to his page where you can download the most recent version.