The POImaker application has been retired because the functionality (converting CSV to GPX files, and finding coordinates using addressses) has been incorporated into JaVaWa RTWtool. Whereas POImaker required the use of Garmin POI Lader, JaVaWa RTWtool can create POI files on its own.
However, POImaker came with some handy templates for Excel and OpenOffice, and they can still be used with JaVaWa RTWtool (it has a preset for these files). On this page you can find the templates and a description of how to use them.
With a spreadsheet program like Excel you can easily create CSV files that can be converted to a POI file with Garmin POI Loader, but there are some limitations.
An annoying one is that POI Loader expects the coordinates are written with a decimal point and a comma as the list separator. For a lot of users however, Excel uses the comma and semicolon for this.
Another limitation is that you can use only four fields (and speed as a fifth item), while POIs can contain way more different items!
To use the full potential of POIs you will have to use GPX files, or better yet, create the POI file directly with JaVaWa RTWtool !
POImaker_en.xlt for Microsoft Excel | last change: 14-10-2014 |
POImaker_en.ots for OpenOffice | last change: 14-10-2014 |
Comma-separated text (. csv)
(Mac) of CSV (separated by list separator) (*. csv)
(Windows)Text CSV (.csv)
; then you have to choose the proper parameters. These can be found here.Below is a list of possible items:
Longitude | Longitude in decimal format (hddd.ddddd°). |
Latitude | Latitude in decimal format (hddd.ddddd°). |
Name | Self-explanatory. |
Address | |
Suffix | |
City | |
State/province | |
Country | |
Postal code | |
Telephone 1 | |
Telephone 2 | |
Fax | |
Comment | Both can be used, but whether they are visible depends on the version of POI Loader, (use the latest version!) And your GPS. So just experiment. It's also possible to use (limited) HTML for e.g. a different text color. |
Description | |
Speed | Speed limit in kmh or mph. |
Proximity | Distance in meters or feet at which the (first) warning should be given. |
File 1 | File name of an attachable sound file (mp3) or image (jpg or bmp). Note: JaVaWa RTWtool does not support MP3 files (yet). If you really need them (and your device supports them; most don't), you will have to convert the CSV file to GPX with JaVaWa RTWtool and the GPX file to POI with Garmin POI Loader. |
File 2 | Same as File 1 (they are interchangeable) |
Category | Note: This item is not used by Garmin POILoader. When you use JaVaWa RTWtool to create a POI file, the category is used for grouping POI's into subitems. |
Character set: | On the Mac: Western Europe (Apple Macintosh) / On Windows: Western Europe (Windows-1252/WinLatin 1) |
Field delimiter: | semicolon (;), or comma (,) when you use a period (.) as a decimal separator. |
Text delimiter: | double quotes (") |