Can't create new maps

[Doug Schwartz]

Marko,

The following error message appears whenever I try to make a new map, regardless of how small it is:  "The selected map could not be loaded as it was too large."

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CEWVCET8LJX6idPCA

Xiaomi Mi 9T   6GB RAM

This has been going on for a couple of weeks or so, and I assume it relates to the update.  Any size image, including ones under 400k, triggers the same error.  Please DO NOT bother with this if it only applies to my phone, as I am about to acquire a new one anyway.  I only mention this in case others are experiencing the same issue.  

Thanks,

Doug Schwartz

[Marko Teittinen]

Doug,

That is really curious. You are indeed the only one reporting this issue. Did the upgrade manage to keep your existing maps available on your phone?

I know that the map image file selection changed, as I had to switch to using the OS file selection dialog. I'm wondering if there is some failure in the system getting the image file properly delivered to the app. Or more likely that the file selection API works some small way differently in the Xiaomi Mi 9T phone than in Pixel and Nokia phones (which are the ones I test with), and the app fails to use the provided reference to open the selected file. It would be interesting to see a stack trace.

Have you tried completely clearing data for Custom Maps from the system "App info" dialog? I'm not sure if that helps, but it could be worth a try. Maybe it might help to give the app permission to access the external storage. The app no longer asks for that permission, but uses it to move the existing map files to internal memory if it has the permission when it launches the first time. Maybe your phone needs that permission also for reading the files selected from the system file selection dialog?

If you can figure this out, I'd like to hear what worked.

Marko Teittinen

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[Diana Todd]

Repeating my earlier message, sent before I officially joined this group.  Not sure if messages go through if you're not a member. 

I have the same problem.  I load a jpg to my custom Maps folder on my phone, and Custom Maps seems to let me load it, but when I try to add a point to georeference it, I get the "file too big" message, even after I reduce and reduce down to 750 Kb.

I have a Samsung Galaxy 21s phone which does not have the option of installing an SD card.  After the upgrade I couldn't access any of my dozens of maps.  Following Marko's advice on another thread, I uninstalled and reinstalled CM, and granted permission to access my files.  That worked - Custom Maps now finds my existing maps and works fine.  But I can't generate a new map.  I can find the newly loaded jpg in my phone's Custom Maps folder, but when I try to add a tie point, I get the error message.

- Diana Todd -

[Diana Todd]

I'm having the same problem.  After the upgrade Custom Maps couldn't access any of the dozens of maps loaded on my phone.  Using Marko's advice in another string, I uninstalled and reinstalled, giving permissions for accessing my files, and now can access my old maps.  But I can't create a new map, even after making the files size quite small, 750 Kb.  I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S21 that doesn't have an SD card.  I load the jpg for the new map from my computer to the phone, into the Custom Maps folder with all my other maps.  Custom Maps finds it, but when I try to add a point to get it georeferenced, I get that "file size too large" message.  Doug, Marko, anyone, if you can figure this out, please post!

- Diana Todd -

On Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 9:21:53 PM UTC-5 markote...@gmail.com wrote:

[Diana Todd]

Hi Marko, Hi Doug -

I converted my jpg to pdf, and Custom Maps worked fine with that file.  That's a workable solution.

- Diana -

[Marko Teittinen]

Diana,

I'm really sorry this is happening to you. And considering you have a new phone like Galaxy S21 this is really baffling.

Something is not working right in Custom Maps when it receives the selected file from the OS. The "file too big" message is basically a guess of the most common problem, but if your map image file is small, the error message must be incorrect.

I don't have any very good suggestions for you. But you could try placing the map image file into the Downloads folder, and selecting it from there. Or uploading it to Google Drive and selecting it from there. These might result in the phone giving a different "reference" to the map image to the Custom Maps app, and it might make things work.

But I think we should take this troubleshooting discussion off the users group, since at this point I don't have very good suggestions. Can you try the things I mentioned above and send me a response to my personal email address? Also, let me know what version of the Android operating system is on your phone (I would guess it is Android 11, but I want to make sure).

Marko Teittinen

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[Doug Schwartz]

Marko,

I uninstalled and reinstalled, but the same error message appeared.  I then also cleared all data and enabled storage access, which did not work.  Then rebooted, same issue.  I can add that the phone has no external storage and it is Android 10.  Diana's workaround of using PDFs works for me as well.  I tried retrieving an image from my Google Drive, but that generated the same error message.  Here is the weird thing: I had uninstalled my original app and then reinstalled, but it did not transfer all of my 1,100 maps (9 years worth; 6GB) into internal storage.  But I just repeated (uninstalled and then reinstalled) the process, and upon first startup it did take a moment to accomplish the objective, which makes me very happy to avoid having to individually open all the maps so they would appear on the list.  Others experiencing this issue may want to just uninstall and reinstall until it works.  My original CustomMaps folder is reported as 5.92GB, but the app info now says the app consumes 3.37GB.  

This relates to setting up a new phone: 

1. With the new version is there a way to paste existing maps into a folder - wherever they reside now appears hidden?  
2. Is there a way to bulk import maps in such a way that a folder can be pasted into internal storage when the phone is cabled into a computer and you are able to manipulate files/folders between the two?  
3. I take it that if a folder named CustomMaps was pasted into internal storage, it should work, and this might need to be done prior to installing the app?  
4. If, after installation, a bulk paste of additional maps is made into the folder will they appear on the list of maps?  
5. If the app is uninstalled does the folder of .kmz files remain behind?  

I could answer these questions by experimentation, but you might already know the answers and everything is working smoothly for me now and I don't want to risk a bad experience.  I suspect the answer is yes to 2,3,5, but it is not clear if this is true for #4.

THANKS,

Doug Schwartz

[Marko Teittinen]

Doug,

Wow, you have a lot of maps. I personally keep my maps stashed away in a Google Drive folder, so when I get a new phone, I can just open the maps I need from there and they get copied onto my phone (one at a time). But if you need most or all of them available to you immediately, that is a bigger problem and one that I haven't anticipated. But I'm glad you were able to get all your maps transferred.

Then answers to your questions. Unfortunately, they are not what you expected, and my hands are tied by the Google Play Store rules. Sorry.

1. There is no way to mass import maps into Custom Maps. Google Play Store now requires that only file manager apps (and similar) can request and use full storage access permission. All other apps have access only to their own encrypted storage area that the user (or other apps) cannot access. The goal of that rule is to increase security of the devices, which it does, but it also makes it more difficult to deal with large sets of data files like you have. The new rules would still allow the app to request permission to manage (read and write) a user selected directory somewhere under the Downloads folder, but I didn't implement that option at this point, since not all users will agree to it, and I needed to get the new version out before the final deadline that even allowed Custom Maps to access the files in their old location outside of Downloads folder. Knowing your situation, I will probably implement the option of keeping the maps in a user-selected folder under Downloads in the future.
2. There is no way to bulk import maps, and as explained in the answer to question 1, the app's internal storage area is not user accessible. Implementing the option of storing the maps somewhere under the Downloads folder would solve this issue.
3. The current version of Custom Maps is (and will be) the only one that can move the map files from CustomMaps folder to internal memory. And it does it only on the first launch. After that, Custom Maps never even tries to access the old storage directory and it can be erased or moved somewhere else. If you have important maps in your directory, I would recommend copying them to safety somewhere, so that if it becomes necessary, you can restore them. The next version of the app will be limited to new storage access methods (by Play Store rules) and they give no way for a non-file-manager app to read or write data from outside the Downloads directory.
4. As the previous answers have mentioned, the copy of the maps happens only on the first launch of version 1.8.1. Note that you don't necessarily need to uninstall and reinstall the app. You could just "clear data" from the Android's app info screen for the Custom Maps app. Of course, that deletes all maps already transferred, and all the maps need to be transferred again.
5. When the app is uninstalled, all of its data files are erased to release the space the app occupied. So none of the maps will remain on the app's internal storage area. This is an important reason to keep a backup of your maps somewhere else, and the reason why I implemented the "export all maps" feature in the map list.

Marko Teittinen

Author of Custom Maps

[Marko Teittinen]

Diana,

Thank you very much for the sample files. I have found the reason why some jpg, png, and gif files don't work with Custom Maps version 1.8.1. The issue seems to be that all the failing files have spaces in their file names. PDF files with spaces in their file names work because they are processed differently from jpg, png, and gif files.

So, the simple workaround is to rename any jpg, png, or gif file with spaces in the file name by replacing the spaces with for example underscores (or dashes or something else). So while an image file named "ABC recommended hikes.jpg" does not work, the same file will work if it is renamed to "ABC_recommended_hikes.jpg". That is a pretty simple workaround.

I will still investigate where the error comes from, and how I can avoid this issue in the future versions of Custom Maps.

Marko Teittinen