Guided Tour: RouteWriter
This guided tour shows you how to use RouteWriter and RouteReader. First we shall look at RouteWriter.
Exporting a Route
RouteWriter is designed to export a route's waypoints to Excel or a text file. Typically, a route is created from pushpins. After an optimum route has been found, it is often necessary to have a list of the waypoints with their estimated times and associated pushpin data.
MapPoint allows you to export the pushpins to Excel, but it does not take the route into account. Ie. the pushpins are sorted in an arbitrary and meaningless manner.
RouteWriter solves this problem by exporting the waypoints and any associated pushpins. The route order is maintained, and associated information (eg. distances and estimated travel times) can also be written.
This is what RouteWriter looks like when it is started. This particular example has been set to write the distances, times, coordinates, and pushpin data for each and every waypoint. Data will be written to an Excel spreadsheet, although these is also an option to write to a comma separated value (CSV) text file.
Street addresses (if available) can also be written. Note that when street addresses are available, they are usually also listed as pushpin data fields. This will result in duplicate data columns if both options are selected.
RouteWriter can also be set to automatically optimize the route before exporting it. This is a standard MapPoint option (see the Optimize stops button on the route panel), but inclusion here can simplify the use of MapPoint routes.
Other options such as rest stops and duplicate pushpins are dscribed later in this tour.
Press Save Route to export the route.
Here are the results. Note that each waypoint has its own row. The waypoints are written out in the correct order. Distances and times have also been written, as well as all the data fields for each of the matching pushpins.
It is that simple!
Next, we look at how to overwrite stop times and to set rest stops.
Buy RouteWriter Now!
