Thread: Help with POI's and sound issues with Nextgen

Originally Posted by outlanddp

I have downloaded loads of POI KML files and I at first added them into the POI folder in content but they did not show up
then I read about adding them into Content\userdata\poi and they are now showing but I cannot get them to use the custom bmp icon that comes with them

I have put the bmp in the same folder, also in content\userdata\usericon
and even tried to edit the kml file adding the line
<metadata><igoicon><filename>content\userdata\POI\Aldi_PGPSW.bmp</filename></igoicon></metadata>

but again no joy, that's when I read that a skin may help so I tried the pongo skin but its exactly the same (but I have kept the skin as its much better)

so can anyone tell me how to get the custom icons for the poi's to work ?

It's all a matter of placement, path, and case/name of files.
First off, start over..create a blank folder named userdata as a sub-folder under /content. Within the userdata folder create two new empty folders named poi and usericon.
Put your KML files in poi, and your appropriately sized BMP files in usericon.
For ease of use, make sure your KML files and associated BMP files have the same name--such as Aldi.kml and Aldi.bmp. Capitalization (or not) is significant..this is Linux. If the icon name is listed in the KML file correctly, it should work..no need to have a path, iGo knows where to find them.
For example, this works:

Spoiler: KML-BMP

Aldi.kml:
-------------------------------
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-2"?><kml xmlns="http://earth.google.com/kml/2.0"><metadata><igoicon><filename>Aldi.bmp</filename></igoicon></metadata><Placemark><name>Aldi</name><description><![CDATA[Czerwionka-Leszczyny<br>Armii Krajowej 8<br>]]></description><Point><coordinates>18.669722,50.145277</coordinates></Point></Placemark><Placemark><name>Aldi</name><description><![CDATA[Sennfeld<br>August-Borsig-Straße <br>Aldi]]></description><Point><coordinates>10.248780,50.036840</coordinates></Point></Placemark><Placemark><name>Aldi</name><description><![CDATA[Sosnowiec<br>Grota - Roweckiego<br>ALDI]]></description><Point><coordinates>19.112360,50.288160</coordinates></Point></Placemark><Placemark><name>Aldi</name><description>
----and the file continues, of course.

In the usericon folder is Aldi.bmp.
If you have a long KML file and need to rename a lot of things (100 wrong filenames for the bmp, etc) use a notepad-like editor and do a search and replace.

Hope this helps.
Good luck.

Oh and by the way, with every correct KML file a new poi "category" is created in Settings>Navigation View>Map Appearance>POI Settings>Place Markers...you must specifically choose them-- each is a separate thing. It is possible to put each into specific existing categories, but that is a lot of work for little reward.