Automatic naming of exported images, more export options ideas, maybe bugs

Features Discussion
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Automatic naming of exported images
When I export timeline or map images and save them to the Files app, I end up with a bunch of “arc-map #.jpeg” and “arc-timeline #.jpeg” files with a bunch of numbers. It would be useful to include in the filenames automatically the category/type of map/timeline (daily/weekly/monthly/yearly or even the activity type for the map of a selected activity from a daily timeline) and the time of it to make it easier to organize the exported files and find the relevant ones later on. For example there could be an “arc-map-yearly-2021.jpeg”, “arc-map-daily-2021-10-30.jpeg” or “arc-map-daily-2021-oct-30.jpeg”, “arc-map-monthly-2021-10.jpeg” or “arc-map-monthly-2021-oct.jpeg”, “arc-map-daily-walking-2021-oct-10.jpeg” or “arc-map-walking-2021-oct-10.jpeg” maybe the start and end time of the activity could be included or just the start time, same with timeline files where it fits. (Or could be similar to the exported .gpx and .json file names with not including the type/category, just the time of it.)

Maybe bugs?
Also there seems to be a bug with certain export image buttons, I can’t export weekly timeline images (“Export timeline as image” button in weekly timeline view) and can’t export separate activity images (“Export as image” button in the details view for an activity timeline item) because the buttons don’t do anything when I press them. In other places the very same buttons work correctly.

Export options for activity menu items + more options for timeline items (places/activities details)
Export options for the map and graphs or the whole data sheet both from place/visit/activity timeline items and the summary sheets of each activity in the activity menu would be also useful similarly to the already existing ones in other menus.

Pdf exports
Also it would be great if everything that can be exported as image could be exported as a searchable .pdf file as well (if it can be done).

Map+timeline / full screen exports
I think an export image (or pdf too) option for both the map and the timeline (or other info for timeline items and activity data sheets) together (map+timeline, like inside the app with probably just the visible part of the map above the timeline/sheet and the complete timeline/sheet from start to end) would be useful too. (Maybe support for iOS full screen screenshot pdfs/images like in Safari and other apps if that can be done?)

Csv exports?
Plus, maybe .csv exports where it fits (raw and plain text data)?

All in all, even more export options (I know, there is already a lot) would be useful and welcome for sure for even more parts/elements of the app where a simple screenshot of the app on its own isn’t enough.

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Great write up! Thanks :smile:

I’d added this one to the todos. It should be straightforward to get this done.

I’ll look into these. I haven’t been using image exports myself for a long time, due to not having a use case personally.

Though I am aware of one specific bug: exporting the timeline can produce an empty image if the timeline view is long and/or has a lot of images in it. This is presumably due to a memory issue in iOS’s UIKit layer. The image exports are done simply by telling UIKit to create a bitmap image of the view tree. That request sometimes produces a blank image, but with no error reported. So it’s a hard one to deal with. But I do have a plan for working around it.

I’ll look into the other potential bugs too. Thanks for the heads up!

Aside: I’ve long wanted to provide better map export options. But exporting maps of different sizes / scales / content is a troublesome one, limited somewhat by the Mapbox SDK. Though perhaps that’s improved in recent years, and I’m due to update Arc to the latest Mapbox SDK soon, so hopefully I’ll get a chance to look into it then.

I suspect this one won’t be possible. Or at least, would be prohibitively complex. But I’ll check what’s available/possible.

It might be worth adding this one to Arc’s Changemap site (if it’s not already there), to get votes for it.

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