Frequently Asked Questions

Why does RouteWriter fail to write all the field data for my pushpins?

This can happen for a number of reasons. The most common reason is that the pushpin must exist and have all the expected field data.

RouteWriter will only report a waypoint's pushpin data if MapPoint can find a unique matching pushpin for the waypoint. The pushpin's name has to match the waypoint's name exactly.

Multiple pushpins with the same name can also result in blank field data. See Why does RouteWriter sometimes match the 'wrong' pushpin to a waypoint? below for information on fixing this.

It is also strongly recommended that the pushpin Name2 field is avoided when importing pushpin data. MapPoint will usually concatenate the Name and Name2 fields. Although this should be okay in theory, practice has shown that MapPoint then has trouble matching the resulting waypoint and pushpin names. Set Name2 (if detected) to 'ignore' when importing or linking input data.

Corrupt, null, or missing field values will also be written as empty cells. RouteWriter will report the presence of such data fields with a warning message after processing has completed. It is also possible to have pushpins which have not been located (eg. if a data link has been refreshed). These are reported with empty location fields.

Why does RouteWriter sometimes match the 'wrong' pushpin to a waypoint?

This can happen because you have multiple pushpins with the same name. These pushpins might be in different datasets. Pushpins with non-unique names are controlled with the Resolve duplicate matching pushpins checkbox on the main RouteWriter panel.

The default is for this checkbox to be cleared. This is the fastest option, and results in RouteWriter reporting the first pushpin with a matching name. It will not compare duplicates. You should ensure that your pushpins have unique names, if you use this option.

Setting this checkbox will cause RouteWriter to find all pushpins with a matching name. It will then choose the pushpin that is closest to the waypoint. Note that this option can take a few minutes, especially if you have a lot of pushpins on your map.

How are rest stops detected?

Rest breaks are set in MapPoint's driver profile. You can switch them on or off, set the interval between breaks, and the length of the breaks. These rest breaks appear in the route directions. RouteWriter can detect these and include them in the route output. Do this by setting the Output Rest Stops check box on the RouteWriter panel.

Each geographic edition marks the rest stop with a different set of words. RouteWriter uses these same words in the output data. These words are:

How do I create a route from pushpins whilst specifying a particular order?

This can be performed using the RouteReader panel.

Why are some of the times negative? / Why do the times occasionally reset to zero?

This is because some versions of MapPoint report a waypoint's time as simply a time without any day information. When your route spans a day (or the daily driving period that you have set for MapPoint), the travel time reported by RouteWriter will reset back to zero. The time will reset to a negative value if the second day's start time is after the start time on the first day.

This is only a problem if your route spans multiple days. Add 1440 minutes for each day that is in error.