Multi-point Route Creation

Multi-point Route Creation

Summary: While setting up a Player tour, resembling an animated flip-book of Google Street view images, by specifying starting and ending points, is fairly straightforward, setting up a multi-point route is a bit more challenging. Multi-point route creation is supported by the Player’s “Advanced Options” > “Upload coordinates Choose File” function. The file is created in Google Maps “Create Map” function wherein the route way-points are specified & directions between them generated & saved as a file via the Player’s “Export to KML” function. The Kindle e-book "National Geographic Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Spectacular Trips", which offers both simple 2-point start/end & multi-point routes, provides a sample multi-point loop through England's picturesque countryside Cotswolds villages, characterised by thatched roof cottages, the route being "Chipping Camden, England > Cheltenham, England > Buford, England > Stow-on-the-Wold, England > Chipping Camden, England".

Detail: The specific steps to create a multi-point route are described in the following graphic user interface pathway drill down procedure:

Multi-point Route (via "provided file of a route" using "Advanced Options...Upload coordinates Choose File"): England Cotswold Villages

● Google Maps > (popup panel drop-down) Menu ( ≡ ) > Your Places > Maps > Create Map

● (popup menu panel, select) Untitled Map > (dialog) Edit Map Title and Description > (fill out fields) > Save

● (enter multi-point route way-point locations)

(search box, enter location) [location*] (press) Enter key (location popup, select) + Add to map

* = Chipping Camden, England; Cheltenham, England; Buford, England;

Stow-on-the-Wold, England; Chipping Camden, England

● (icon menu bar, select) Add directions > Untitled layer > (select transportation mode) Driving

> (enter location) A (Chipping Camden, England) (press) Enter key

> (enter location) B (Cheltenham, England) (press) Enter key

> (select) Add Destination

> (enter location) C (Buford, England) (press) Enter key

> (select) Add Destination

> (enter location) D (Stow-on-the-Wold, England) (press) Enter key

● (popup panel, top section, drop-down menu (︙), select item) Export to KML

> (\Downloads\filename = ) Directions from Chipping Campden, England, United Kingdom to Chipping Campden, England, United Kingdom.kml

> Note: If the KML file is further uploaded & stored as a Shared/Public file in a Cloud such as Apple iCloud or Google Drive, & a Shareable Link to the file generated, then the KML file can be downloaded & shared with other computer users running Player, as well as additionally accessed by a Smartphone browser or Android app version of the Player. For example the above KML file was uploaded to Google Drive & a Shareable Link generated (generally as follows: drag-drop the local exported kml file onto the Google Drive webpage file list, then, on that filename in the list, right-click & on the pop-up menu that appears, select the item "Get Shareable Link…", then in the "Link sharing on" pop-up that appears, select & copy the generated link), resulting in the following Shareable Link:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5QScGHlLC9OdjhmX1VwUGdFTlk

Then to get this file into Player to run its multi-point route, click the above link to access the file, then click the Download icon (V) to deliver the file to the local drive downloads folder, then follow directions at the last bullet point section following, "Google Maps Streetview Player > (check) Advanced Options" > "Upload coordinates (select button) Choose File"

● Google Maps Streetview Player > (check) Advanced Options

> Travel mode (Driving)

> Upload coordinates (select button) Choose File

> (\Downloads\(select) filename = ) Directions from Chipping Campden, England, United Kingdom to Chipping Campden, England, United Kingdom.kml

> (select button) Play

> Note: On the way out of Chipping Campden a number of the thatched roof cottages (some rentable) are seen (they appear at timecode 1.24 minutes into this Rick Steves > video).

Other multi-point route(s) to try

Sample from Facebook Group Villa St. Jean - Collège Français & Int'l School Member Alumnus Rene de Miscault share/post "Soirée festive pour l'émission 'Le Village préféré des Français [FR / EN]'", a new "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" member village Kaysersberg:

- Villages of Kaysersberg Valley, Alsace, France

Ammerschwihr, France Fréland, France Katzenthal, France Kaysersberg Vignoble, France Kientzheim, France Labaroche, France Lapoutroie, France Le Bonhomme, France Orbey, France Sigoslheim, France

- Villages in the region on both the lists of "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" & "Le Village Préféré des Français":

Riquewihr > Haut-Rhin > Alsace

Eguisheim > Haut-Rhin > Alsace

Ferrette > Haut-Rhin > Alsace

Kaysersberg > Haut-Rhin > Grand East

- Sample Cluster for multi-point route:

Kaysersberg

Kientzheim

Sigoslheim

Ammerschwihr

- Final multi-point route loop:

Kaysersberg, France

Kientzheim, France

Sigoslheim, France

Ammerschwihr, France

Kaysersberg, France