What colors do you use for routes?

[Peobody]

I am working on routes for a 3 day ride with two friends. The general area of the ride has been determined. Route alternates are being proposed, reviewed, and discussed. I now have 5 routes in the list folder for this trip. I has always been frustrating that they all show on the map even when only one is selected. I have tried assigning different colors but many of them hide the map markings behind the route line. How do you experienced Basecampers deal with this? Have you settled on a select handful of colors? Something else that differentiates routes?

Hmmm, I think I recall wishing that the route name reflected the route color so I'm now wondering if I asked this question before without finding a good solution. If so, sorry about that.

[Oop North John]

In Basecamp if you right click on the routes name, then it opens up the routes information box, where you can designate the activity and colour of the route. Magenta is the default colour.

[rbentnail]

I have tried assigning different colors but many of them hide the map markings behind the route line. How do you experienced Basecampers deal with this? Have you settled on a select handful of colors? Something else that differentiates routes?

Yeah, as noted in a reply, double click route name to open properties box, change color. You say you "assign differnt colors", how are you doing it.

And please, tell me what "I have tried assigning different colors but many of them hide the map markings behind the route line" means. That makes no sense to me.

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[lkraus]

In Basecamp, I use one list folder per trip, one list per route, usually one route per day. Select the folder to display all the routes within, select the list to see only one route. Select with CTRL-click or SHIFT-click to see other combinations. You can also add subfolders if you have multiple routes per day (Trip/Day/Afterlunch/).

I've used color schemes to visually organize my routes. Red for completed trips, Green for possible routes "Someday", Brown for car trips, etc. In reality, my Basecamp database looks like a paint store exploded, because I forget the color code, or I think of some new characteristic (Orange? Why is this orange?), or I forget to change the color after I've completed the ride. So, I don't pay a lot of attention to colors, they all become magenta on the Zumo.

ALL of the colors for a selected route are bold and opaque - they ALL block highway markers, which are placed on the road. Text road names sit next to the road and usually peek out from under the color. Un-selected routes are muted and somewhat transparent.

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[jfheath]

If it is multiday - I cycle around the rainbow Red Yellow Green Blue Cyan Magenta and repeat. Its quite difficult to find a good orange on many colour charts. But usually I don't bother unless I need to see the entire route on the same screen. I use a List Folder for the entire trip and a separate list for each day or alternative route. Then I can turn them on and off as I like.

[Peobody]

Thanks All. I know how to change the colors per route. I was down to Green Cyan Magenta and sometimes Blue. I ruled out Yellow because it didn't provide contrast to the map road colors. Blue and water didn't mix so I avoided it for shoreline rides. Dark colors appear to obscure road markings. They don't in reality, it's just my perception, so I don't us them.

This comment by @jfheath gave me something to think about " I use a List Folder for the entire trip and a separate list for each day or alternative route. Then I can turn them on and off as I like." Creating a strategy around using List Folders, sub List Folder, and lists as switches for what routes I want simultaneous displayed is something I need to consider. If I have three alternate routes, they need to be in the same List Folder so that I can see them all on the map but in their own list so I can work on them individually without the others on the map. That List Folder may be a Day 2 sub List Folder of the trip List Folder. As it stands now, I look at the Basecamp folder structure from a data organization standpoint without consideration for map display consequences. Changing that mindset will help me.

Thanks all!

[jfheath]

Not that I ever use them - but you can have folders within folder within folders if you wish.

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There comes a point where it is so organised that you cannot find anything !

The Grand Tour Folder is way over the top and just for illustration.
Typically I have a few folders each with few lists in them. - Like the NPR and Day Trips folder.

It doesn't seem much for someone who has been using Basecamp for many years. That is because I start a new database each year. I can switch to the old databases if and when I need them. That is quite easy to manage too and it keeps old planned routes well away from the current ones.

[Peobody]

Yup. Below is the upper portion of my current Library list.

BTW, if anyone is frustrated by Basecamp always opening to routes displayed on the map, notice my first Library folder is named "_Blank Map Display". This is an empty folder. The leading underscore in the name sorts it to the top. I select it before shutting down Basecamp resulting in Basecamp always opening with an empty map. I'm sure some of you prefer it to open to the route last being worked on but if you like a clean slate from which to chose what you want to work on, this method works well.

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[lkraus]

Sounds like you use "_Blank Map Display" much like I keep a Temp folder, holding only an empty Temp list. That list produces a (usually) blank map and is my Basecamp workspace, where any work in progress resides. (I was tired of trying to do something and being told I need to create a new list first). When real trip plans are finalized, the contents are moved from Temp to one of the permanent folders, with appropriate renaming. For experimental "what if" routing, the Temp list contents get the Ctrl-A, Delete treatment.

[Peobody]

I keep a number of temp working lists going, deleting or copying content as needed, sometimes renaming and moving.

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