Note: This page describes an obsolete version of GPSBabel that may substantially differ from the current or development version.

Garmin MapSource - mps (mapsource)
Prev Chapter 3. The Formats Next

Garmin MapSource - mps (mapsource)

This format can...

  • read and write waypoints

  • read and write tracks

  • read and write routes

This format has the following options: snlen, snwhite, mpsverout, mpsmergeout, mpsusedepth, mpsuseprox .

This format supports the Garmin Mapsource™ product family.

This format is based on significant reverse-engineering and guesswork. GPSBabel's output appears to be compatible with the various versions of MapSource. Icon mapping is attempted between different MapSource versions. Altitude is supported, but proximity and depth are not.

Naming files *.mps will allow file->open in Mapsource to find the files more easily.

Versions 3, 4, and 5 of the Mapsource data format are handled automatically on input. By default the output is version 5. (Until 3/2004, it was version 3, but since Mapsource updates are free, the convenience of having modern icon sets outweighs the backward compatibility concern. Users of other versions can either upgrade or specify the switches to get output in a compatible format.) Waypoints, routes, and tracklogs are all handled, but map sets are ignored.

Information on the Garmin Mapsource format was provided by Ian Cowley and Mark Bradley. The code was implemented by Robert Lipe and Mark Bradley.

snlen option

Length of generated shortnames.

This option specifies the length of generated short names on output. The default is 10 characters.

snwhite option

Allow whitespace synth. shortnames.

This option specifies whether to allow whitespace (space, tab, etc.) in generated short names on output. The default is to not allow whitespace.

mpsverout option

Version of mapsource file to generate (3,4,5).

This option specifies the format version for the output file. The default is version 5, as noted above. Supported versions are 3, 4, and 5.

mpsmergeout option

Merge output with existing file.

This option causes the output to be merged with a pre-existing output file. This allows MapSource sections that aren't handled by GPSBabel (e.g. map sets) to be preserved.

mpsusedepth option

Use depth values on output (default is ignore).

This option causes GPSBabel to write depth values for waypoints. Most input formats do not support depth values, so the default is to not write them.

mpsuseprox option

Use proximity values on output (default is ignore).

This option causes GPSBabel to write proximity values for waypoints. Most input formats do not support proximity values, so the default is to not write them.

Prev Up Next
Garmin MapSource - gdb (gdb) Home Garmin MapSource - txt (tab delimited) (garmin_txt)