SMAPS surveyin-work

[Ken Grimes]

At 03:32 PM 16-03-2002 -0500, Karen Jensen wrote:
>... can convert and print individual surveys,
>even directory groups of surveys.I am stuck trying to link together
>surveys in different directories...
>
>Does anyone have a SMAPS 4.2 manual, or upgrade software that I can move
>SMAPS data into ??  
>

I will hope that someone in America can send you a 4.2 manual.

In the meantime some comments: 

SMAPS processes its files in a heirachical directory structure.  Starting at a node (directory) and working (recursively) down through files and subdirectories.

Your structure is probably not appropriate - not surprising if additional surveys and groups have been added after the original structure was created.

Fortunately it is possible to rearrange the structure by cutting & pasting items in the directory list.

What follows is based on version 5, but I think the directory system has been pretty stable since CP/M days (which is why it uses those funny file names rather than standard DOS directories - CP/M didn't have a built-in directory concept.  The shortcut keys and menus may have changed though.

In the files display, F3 is CUT (of high-lit file entry) and F4 is PASTE.  They work through a clipboard and behave similar to Ctrl-X and Ctrl-V in Windows & DOS programs.  To make a copy of a file to the clipboard, you use Alt-F3.  Best to make a backup copy (from Windows) of the whole SMAPS data area befor you start cutting & pasting!

To ensure a file (eg a set of control points) is processed, that file has to be somewhere below (in the heirachical sense) the directory you are sitting in when you issue the Make All, or Adjust command from the F1->Process, menu.

A problem you may be meeting is that a control-point file can only belong to its local set of co-ordinate data.  If you want to share it between several subdirectories you may have to create multiple copies.  Even if you get a manual, you will find that this area is poorly explained I am afraid.

You may have to experiment a bit to find the optimum arrangement.  I find it is best to have a Directory named after the cave and then all my C&T files and Control-point files at a single level below that.  For a large survey this could become crowded, but nesting subdirectories too deep below the point you are calculating from can cause problems.

Some other function keys (this is version 5)
F1	Activate the main menu
alt-F1	Show a function key help screen - TRY THIS !
F2	Show the clipboard
Alt-F2	Show the trash can
F4	Past from clip
F5	Toggle the exclusion flag
F6	Toggle the active flag
ALt-F6	Toggle teh Adjust flag
F7	Show extended file info
Alt-F7	Show file attributes
F8	Create a new file (of any type)
Alt-F8	Rename a file
F9	Find next occurrence of a file
Alt-F9	Find a specified file
F10	Go to root directory
Alt-F10	Quit SMAPS  (also works to exit from the editor & display modes)

Purging a directory (and its subdirectories) kills all co-ordinates and file links, but not the data.  Make-All, followed by Adjust will regenerate these.  Use this if you start getting errors such as "'x' is member of another subtree"
Probably best to use it also after cut & pasting directory structures and items.

You can print the directory structure (F1-File-Print-...) - which might help if it is complicated.

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I have yet to find a modern cave survey program that will correctly import SMAPS data.  The main problem I have hit is incorrect conversion from metric to footric, and all my inline comments got lumped together at the end...

But it is a couple of years since I last tried, so perhaps things have improved.


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Ken Grimes                               Phone +61 +3 5573 4503
Regolith Mapping,  PO Box 362,  Hamilton,  Vic 3300,  Australia
Cainozoic Geology, Geomorphology, Karst & Speleology.
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