Mario_Advisor_Short_Guide.pdf

Version 0.61

Introduction

Mario Advisor was written to render Garmin maps in a java phone, using a memory

card as storage. Information about the file format used by these maps (.img) is freely

available, that’s why there are many resources around the world with custom made

maps, most of them compatible with this program.

Valid Maps

Mario advisor supports the Garmin "classical" .img file, either unlocked or locked. It

will work with these Garmin products:

• WorldMap

• Metroguide: Australia, Canada (and discontinued North America, Europe).

• City Navigator: North America, Europe, Australia, Middle East, Southern Africa

Maps compiled with cGPSmapper are valid too.

It won’t work with City Navigator NT. NT products use a new and different .img

format, not public at the moment. Also unsupported are the charts with several maps

compiled into a single file (like the gmapsupp.img stored in GPS receivers).

Normal/Overview Maps

A map set is generally composed by one overview map and several detailed maps. This

way, drawing a wide area is done by opening a single file instead of many little maps.

Map

...

Map

Overview Map

Normal maps usually have 3 levels of data:

• Level 0: It’s the most detailed. It contains streets, all kind of roads and points of

interest.

• Level 1: Composed by small cities, main streets.

• Level 2: Main roads and big cities.

When zooming out, the requested detail level increases. There is a Settings value called

“Overview Map Detail” which defines when to switch to overview map (level 3 by

default).

Overview map files are easy to find in Garmin map sets. They are a little bigger than the

rest, and their name is composed by letters, not numbers.

Internal/External Maps

There are two different ways to store map files. External storage in a memory card is the

natural way. Old img files where designed to fit minimum space, and a simple 1Gb card

may contain hundreds of them. BUT java security system is designed to restrict access

to external files if you haven’t signed (paid) the midlet. So an annoying prompt will

arise any time a file is accessed. Signing Mario Advisor is not an option at the moment.

To avoid this confirmation request you can either make a firmware update or installing

an extra java certificate like Halmer. A signed version of Mario Advisor signed with

Halmer certificate is available in ed2k networks.

The third way to avoid the prompts is to store the map files inside the midlet. Security

problems disappear, but the midlet size increases easily and there is a limit of a few Mb,

depending on manufacturer and model. Besides, in Sony Ericsson models, reading

internal data is extremely slow, only suitable for small/low detailed files.

External maps usage

Just copy img files to a data folder in the memory card, run Mario, go to “Settings” and

mark the “External File Access” checkbox. Then select “Change” in “External Data

Folder” and select the map directory (only first 255 items are shown in the list).

Save and restart to use the maps.

Internal maps usage

Open the jar file with a compression tool and add the img files inside the “maps” folder.

Then, edit the “map_list.txt” file adding the name of the new files (including .img), one

name in every line. The lines must be ended with CR/LF (0d/0a). Many text editors use

0x0a only and this won’t work. Windows notepad works fine.

Java Permissions

If you are having trouble with external file access, check midlet permissions, specially

“Read User Data”. Some mobiles forbid access to unsigned applications by default.

Even in some branded phones there is no way to change it.

Map Screen

Appearance

Longitude, latitude

GPS Status

Speed

Elevation

Scale

Heading

The bottom line is used to display a status line. Possible status: “Generating Map...”

means that there is a valid map file for the current coordinates and it is being rendered.

“No Map Data Available.” is shown when there is not a valid map in the displayed area.

Controls

• Up (2), Down (8), Right (6), Left (4): Panning

• Fire (5), short press: Zoom In

• 0, Fire (5), long press: Zoom Out

• *: Center view in actual position, when GPS is ON

• #: Full label processing On/Off

Label data may appear in two different sections of the map file. The one with basic data

(city/region names) is fast to parse, and the other (POI and road names) is a bit slower.

That’s why full label processing is Off at startup.

Backlight ON/OFF

Backlight control tries to keep the screen illuminated. It has been made to work with

Nokia S40, S60 and Sony Ericsson mobiles only, so it may fail with other brands.

GPS

Mario Advisor is able to use either an internal GPS using JSR179 or an external one by

means of Bluetooth (JSR82). BT GPS unit must send data using NMEA protocol.

Bluetooth GPS

A device URL is needed to establish a connection. This value is obtained by the BT

GPS Finder form.

BT GPS Finder form

Will detect nearby Bluetooth devices. Selecting a device will set “GPS_URL” in

Settings.

Internal GPS (JSR 179)

If GPS_URL is set to jsr179 , then internal GPS is used. There are two midlet versions:

one supports JSR82+JSR179 and the other only supports JSR82. If you are using an

internal GPS, make sure you have the right version.

Search Form

Performs a point search. There are three parameters:

• Search String: Letters to find in point’s name. Can be left blank.

• Element Type: Category or Any (quite slow).

• Search Options/Find Nearest: When checked, the search is restricted to a

<100km radius and results are ordered by distance to actual position. When left

unchecked, search is done in all the valid files except general maps, and results

are ordered alphabetically (very slow).

Pressing on one item will jump to its position. To avoid crashes (mainly with Sony

Ericsson mobiles) only first 255 results are showed in the list.

Maps Info Form

Shows a little info about the maps loaded. Files that couldn’t be opened are marked with

the label “failed”. The rest are completed with its map name. Comment “(g)” means

general (overview) map.

Selecting one map will jump to its center coordinates.

Settings Form

GPS URL

Connection string to a Bluetooth GPS, usually selected by the BT GPS Selection form.

There are two special values: jsr179 will select an internal GPS (works only in the

midlet with jsr179 support) and hge100 to select the GPS enabler accessory by Sony

Ericsson (needs some testing).

MAP SIZE FACTOR

The map displayed in screen is a bitmap, whose size is wider than the screen. The ratio

between the real size and the visible one is the Map Size Factor. That way, the map

hasn’t to be generated every time we pan. A value of 2 for a 320x240 mobile means the

bitmap size is 640x480. Bigger values allow panning a wide area without accessing

files, but will be slow to generate and will consume a lot of memory.

OVERVIEW MAP DETAIL

Zoom detail level used to switch to overview map. Usually 3 for Garmin products.

Open street Map and topo files may have more zoom levels. In this case, it is

recommended to rise. If set to -1, there is no change to overview map. This is useful

when working with a few map files.

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