Adding the shaping points

[Fxwheels]

I'm trying to add shaping points in-between ones already there. So starting between say A and B. All goes fine and the string pulls between these points and I click on the road between them.
Now, I want to reposition and add shaping points between say D and E s-points, but the string is still at the previous last locations. I have to set a dummy point which will mess up the route rerouting back to the previous ones. Then I need to UNDO and only after, it will connect the string between D and E and set points between these.
Is there a way to avoid dummy shaping point with the undoing it, or it's a BC bug? Hope I making myself clear.

[lkraus]

I think you are using the Insert (Pencil ) tool?

I find it easier to use the Pan (Hand) tool.

Hover over your route where you want to add a point. When the info box pops up with the route name, hold down the Alt key, left click, drag the route to the side and put it right back. This will create a via point where the route is dropped along a road, or a shaping point in an intersection. Open the route when you are done and check for proper placement on the road when you are done and change between alerting/non-alerting as you wish.

It is even easier if you go to Edit>Options>General and uncheck the box for "Use ALT while dragging..." Then you can just click and drag.

That is how nearly all of my routes are created. "New Route", click start point, click end point, let Basecamp calculate any route at all, drag and drop to put it on the roads I prefer, and add points to make sure it can survive a recalculation by the Zumo.

[Peobody]

Hit the Escape key between each segment. So, using your example, you would enable the Insert tool, click the route between points A and B, then click the interim point that you want to add. Now hit the Esc key, then click the route between points D and E, click the interim point that you want to add, repeat.

Using the hand tool in conjunction with the Alt key is easier. I am not a fan of disabling the "Use ALT while dragging..." option. I found myself modifying the route instead of moving the map because the hand landed on the route line. There is a warning when this happens that can be disabled but after it happened a couple of times I thought it best to go back to the Alt + drag method.

I prefer the Insert tool when I want to change the route between two specific points but will use the Alt + drag method when I'm working on the first draft of a route.

To be clear, neither method assures you that the inserted points will be shaping points. If the spot on which you drop a point has an address or POI in map, it will be added to the route as a via point. You will need to check each point for shaping vs. via status.
Via Point = an alerting waypoint
Shaping Point = non-alerting waypoint

[Fxwheels]

Thank you both! The Escape worked! Yes I use the pencil.

I'll check others options mentioned as well. I sometimes too use first and last point and then shaping the route, but even after it's done, you can decide sometimes to add points between. Or what if it's a round trip?
Sometimes I start a route and drag the string from point to point but if the string is lost for some reason (disconnected from pencil) I pull the last point (using icon between pencil and Delete). This method is not efficient, but I'm not sure how to continue to move the route ahead otherwise.

[Peobody]

Here is my preferred method, especially for a long route.

I use Google Map to plan the route; not every detail, but enough so that I have a good idea of the roads I want to traverse.
I then open Basecamp and set the starting waypoint. I double-click and give the name a prefix of 01_.
I then toggle between the Google Maps screen and the Basecamp screen, strategically dropping waypoints in places that I think will force route calculation along the roads I want. Each time a drop a point I prefix its name with the next sequential number.
Once I get the ending waypoint created I select them all and tell Basecamp to create a route. The sequential numbering helps me by listing the waypoints in the order they will be encountered in the route and helps Basecamp calculate the route following the waypoints in my order.
I then start rubber-banding to correct calculation deviances, adding letters to my numbering scheme (eg: 01a_, 04a_, 04b_)
I then add in POI's (coffee stop, lunch stop, hotels, tourist attractions, etc).
I finalize by making sure each route point is properly positioned (not off a road), and selectively set points to non-alerting.
I have Basecamp make a track of the route.
Route and track are ready to be transferred to the device (an XT in my case).

Or what if it's a round trip?

The trick is to never have the start and end points the same. Your start point should always be at least a couple of hundred yards away from your end point. I have two via points that I use repeatedly, one set on my street about 100 yard to the west of my house and one on the street about a hundred yards to the east of my house. When I first start planning I will decide whether I want to leave my driveway heading east or west. That will determine which one of those two points I will use as my starting point. I will then set the ending point as my house.

Setting a starting point that is a little ways away from your physical position is a good habit to get into. Say you spent last night at a hotel and your starting point for today is that hotel. When you ride out the the parking lot the device may try to route you back to the hotel. This happens because your physical starting position was too far away from the map co-ordinates of the hotel POI for the device to detect that the hotel is where you started. Setting your starting point down the street from the hotel will eliminate this potential issue.

Edit: One other thought about round trips. You should have at least one via point in addition to the start and end points otherwise the device might calculate a route to the starting point and then back home if that is the ending point. I have experienced this with the XT. It ignored all of the shaping points, calculating the fastest route to the start point then to the end point, a 200 yard route.

[colirv]

A bit late to the party I know, but I simply click edit/undo and I then get the thick grey line back to insert the new via point.

[sussamb]

It's very easy when you know how, simply right click the mouse when you have finished a section and want to move to another

[Peobody]

It's very easy when you know how, simply right click the mouse when you have finished a section and want to move to another

Oh geez! That's too easy.
It is indeed all in the knowing.
Thanks @sussamb.

[Fxwheels]

Yes, I know that for the round trip we shell put the starting point a bit farther away (BTW in the older models if you starting to ride farther away from the starting point, it would realize it and ask if you want to go back or to continue). If using the method which @Ikarus described when you place a start and end points then shaping up with the rubber band, this would be good for one way trip. On a loop ride the starting point is not far from the ending so to drag the band between them is probably possible, but can be little messy I guess.

@Peobody, I also use google maps in conjunction with BC. It is good to know the terrain, check what the road/street looks like and ease of navigation etc... However I think that Ikarus's way is simpler (maybe besides the R/T).

How do you normally continue (extending) the route after the last point? I just use "move point" tab to continue it, but are there different options exists for doing it?
And who knows the difference between Copy and Duplicate?

[Peobody]

I also use google maps in conjunction with BC. It is good to know the terrain, check what the road/street looks like and ease of navigation etc... However I think that Ikarus's way is simpler (maybe besides the R/T).

I agree that the method described by @lkraus is simpler. I like that in Basecamp, the list of route points in the left pane is in the order they will be traversed. More importantly, I just find that while doing it my way I am being more attentive to trying to outsmart the XT should it recalculate. I believe that extra attention helps me to spot discrepancies between the Basecamp map and Google Maps, which Google satellite or street view quickly proves Basecamp wrong. Finally, I'm an attention-to-detail guy. I enjoy the effort. I hate surprises on a ride. I can use the rubber band method to knock out a route when I have to but its not my preferred method.

How do you normally continue (extending) the route after the last point? I just use "move point" tab to continue it, but are there different options exists for doing it?

I will only use the Move function to precisely move a point onto a road or into the correct lane. I won't move one any distance because it changes its coordinates but not its name. To extend a route I drop another point at where I want the new end point to be and then add it to the route as the last point.

And who knows the difference between Copy and Duplicate?

When working with a Copy, any changes you make to it also affect the original and any other copies. So, if you move it in one route, its coordinates will be changed in every instance or a name edit in one of them will be applied to all them. Thankfully, if you delete it in one place it won't delete all of the others provided you don't right-click > delete and then confirm deletion from all lists.
Duplicate gives you a new waypoint that stands alone from the original. Its name will be suffixed with a number. For example, if you make a duplicate of a waypoint named "Home", the duplicate will be named "Home1". Another duplicate will be named "Home2"...