Guided Tour: RouteWriter
This guided tour shows you how to use RouteWriter and RouteReader.
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.
Other options that are not used here, include route optimization, rest stops, and street addresses. Stop times can also be over-ridden if necessary.
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 use RouteReader to create a route from pushpins in a pre-determined order.


