[mkgmap-dev] suppress street labels / set name=nil

Wed Dec 2 07:33:46 GMT 2009

Hi Ben,

On Wed, Dec 02, 2009 at 05:14:08PM +1100, Ben wrote:
> Is there a smart way to have mkgmap explicitly setting an empty name for 
> lines?
> - when I use [default_name ''] the name is filled with some odd content, 
> in my case "Castle Hill Police"...
> - when I use [default_name ' '] the name is filled with the expected 
> space, but this causes a black rectangle to appear instead of a label

When the name is missing, my Edge 705 usually says "Jälki" (the Finnish
for "Trace" or "Track") for cycleways, footways and highway=service.
I do not know of a way to assign a "null" name in mkgmap, other than
omitting the "name" or "default_name" action.

> background:
> the setting on Garmin devices (I am testing on a 60CSx) "Max Zoom: 
> Street Label"
> doesnt seem to work properly fro some ways: even if set to "off", some 
> street labels are still shown, e.g. steps and cycleways.
> This clutters up the map, so I want to suppress names for those types of 
> ways.

This is another example of it being impossible to satisfy everyone's
needs with a single map.  As a bicyclist, I very much appreciate having
street names on cycleways that are running next to a highway.  In that way,
the turn directions become more meaningful.

Would it be possible to hide names in a map overlay?  Say, have several
overlays on the base layer:

* contour lines
* highlighting of paths that are not for (motor) vehicle use:
 * hiking
 * mountain biking
 * horse riding
* routes and stops for public transportation
* motor vehicle overlay (hiding some names and the like)

If the Garmin routing subsystem could utilize data from map overlays
(can it?), the motor_vehicle=no stuff could be omitted from the base
layer and the desired overlays enabled by the user on a case-by-case
basis.  For example, mountain bikers and "normal" bicyclists would
prefer different routes and select different map overlays.

Best regards,

	Marko