need a PAUSE button

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the ability to pause any and all data collection is so logical, it seems odd it 
was not included.

prime example - out doing a long run and 2 hours in, you stop just to relax, 
eat, take some photos, 
stretch, chat with running buddies, etc... I don't want to keep collecting data 
while I am just 
messing around. plus, it would save battery power.

Original issue reported on code.google.com by gillotti@gmail.com on 13 May 2010 at 3:11

• Blocked on: #178

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I think this would be a very useful feature and i am interested in developing 
it  but i think there are some aspects of the functionality that need to be 
pinned down before someone could go and implement this.

1. Does the total time of the track include the paused period? My guess is no.

2. What happens if after pausing you forget to unpause, when you remember your 
mistake you are 3 miles up the road. In this situation What does the track look 
like? -> draw a straight line? Would this distance count towards total distance?

3. When paused do anouncments still happen?

I'm sure there are more situations that need a little more thought, but these 
are all i can think of now.

Original comment by Fergus.N...@googlemail.com on 31 Aug 2010 at 4:38

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1. I would say no.. that is part of why you pause.
2. if you forget, your bad. What if you forget to turn on MyTracks to even 
start? Point is, if you remember to "pause" it is on you to remember to 
"unpause". And NO distance should not count. if it should, no reason to pause. 
Part of the point of pause is to stop the accumulation of time and distance, 
etc.. if not, why pause?
3. no way. your not collecting data, so no need to announce.

again - pause is to stop the tool from collecting data of any kind, BUT not 
stop or end the actual "track", while you fuss around. then unpause to start 
collecting data again. it just freezes the track from collecting data while not 
stopping the track and ending it like you currently have to.

Original comment by gillotti@gmail.com on 31 Aug 2010 at 4:45

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These questions and some about UI have been why I have avoided trying to 
implement this.  I'll take a stab at answering your questions:
1. I would say no. => This should be relatively easy to add to the code.
2. I really don't like this case.  I would say the distance is not included and 
no line is drawn. => Not doing the drawing is easy.  We have a special location 
that encodes that the GPS reception was lost.  Add one of those and drawing 
will stop.  Not counting the distance is a little bit harder since we always 
include the distance between stopping points.
3. I think all scheduled events should be paused.  This includes announcements, 
signal strength markers, split insertions, etc.

I am not really sure what the UI should be.  Is it a pause/resume button next 
to record?  I don't really like that as it crowds up the menu.  Also it seems 
like more prominent placement is warranted.  Perhaps we could add buttons at 
the bottom of the map that float over the map like the drop down menu?

Original comment by sandordo...@google.com on 31 Aug 2010 at 4:48

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position of the pause button needs real consideration.. for example, I NEVER 
watch the actual default map page of MyTracks. I watch the secondary stats page 
that has speed, time, miles, etc.. so, I would want it on that for example.

Another reason for that is that while running or riding, you might  not have 
airplane mode on so your not getting a cell signal so your not seeing the map 
draw the terrain so no reason to stay on the actual map page. Whereas the stats 
page is always collecting real time data it makes sense to MAKE SURE that pause 
button is accessible from that page.

thus.. it kind of seems reasonable to make it a button within the "settings" 
pop up where you have the stop/start button as opposed to on the actual data 
screen.

Original comment by gillotti@gmail.com on 31 Aug 2010 at 4:57

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or have it a floating button on the screen which displays in all the three
screens. kind alike the current change screen buttons work.

Original comment by pravee...@gmail.com on 31 Aug 2010 at 5:01

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sure.. that could work BUT those buttons only show when you touch the screen, 
so that functionality needs to be considered.

point is.. pause is a key feature, but not one where I would want the screen 
cluttered, unless it can be done in a way I am not envisioning, with another 
object.

Original comment by gillotti@gmail.com on 31 Aug 2010 at 5:06

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In my view, "My Location" or "Satellite Mode" could be replaced by the 
Pause/Restart toggle. Those two items could be moved to the "More"/"Settings" 
options. 

I ride about 100mi/week, do 60mi and 100mi group rides, and have created more 
than 100 tracks since I put My Tracks on my phone. I have never used "My 
Location" and have only pressed "Satellite Mode" a couple times after a ride 
was over to show someone what my ride looked like.  If it had existed, I would 
have used a "Pause"/"Restart" toggle from the main menu countless times. Those 
are my two cents.

Original comment by donso...@gmail.com on 1 Sep 2010 at 12:11

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I didn't realise that i would get such i response. This is obviously a feature 
that people care a great deal about and therefore these details are of 
tantamount importance. 

It sounds like we have a quorum on the 3 issue i raised and it remains to be 
decided where the pause / restart button should be placed. My own opinion that 
it should be given an equal precidence to the stop button and therefore shown 
as a menu item. On a cd player you would not expect to see the pause button in 
a completely different position to the play /stop buttons. I know myTracks is 
different to a cd player, but this is only my opinion.

I have another functionality question. When rendering a graph by time of a 
track that had one or more paused periods what should the graph look like?

Original comment by Fergus.N...@googlemail.com on 1 Sep 2010 at 3:11

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Re where to put the Pause button.  

right now, there's a Record Track button in the menu.  When you start recording 
a track, the button changes to Stop Recording (IIRC).  

with the implementation of a Pause Recording feature, once you've started 
recording, the text could instead change to Pause Recording.  If you press that 
button, you get a dialog box asking whether to pause or to stop.  this is 
similar to the behaviour in EveryTrail. 

Original comment by stewart....@gmail.com on 21 Sep 2010 at 6:24

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Doing it this way would be very annoying to people who might pause several
times. Modal dialogs are irritating.

Original comment by pravee...@gmail.com on 21 Sep 2010 at 6:29

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I agree that the menu would the better place for the pause button. I'd imagine 
that a lot of people will use pause occasionally, but not many people will use 
it often. However, once the application is paused, I think there should be some 
very clear indication on every screen that it is not currently recording. 
Perhaps it would be best to have the pause button in the menu and show a 
restart button on the screens when it's paused.

Original comment by keith.le...@gmail.com on 22 Sep 2010 at 7:14

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Is adding a pause button of equal prominence to stop really a big-deal?
My use would be as per my Garmin, i.e. I'm out running and I unexpectedly get 
held up at a crossing - in this scenario I don't want to have to fumble about 
with menu's either pausing or unpausing. Indeed I'd say the requirement for 
Pause functionality calls for a button more prominent that stop if anything; a 
smaller or menu-located stop button could at least be hit once paused. I find 
it frustrating enough trying to unlock and stop the phone at the end of my run 
with sweaty hands.

Thanks,

Tom

Original comment by thomas.h...@gmail.com on 23 Sep 2010 at 11:52

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Thanks for the interesting feedback.  Is there actually anyone actively working 
on this feature?  If not, I may take on it soon.

I think the pause use case is well understood, however there is a disagreement 
on the UI part. We don't necessarily want to clutter the existing UI, but it's 
also important to make sure that the "pause" mode can be easily accessed.

Pausing during recording a track should essentially end the current segment and 
turn off data collecting. From this point, the track can be either resumed (in 
which case we will start a new segment and resume data collecting) or stopped, 
which ends the track (same as now).  A track can be paused/resumed multiple 
times during a recording session.

Original comment by ba...@google.com on 1 Oct 2010 at 3:43

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I like the floating button on the side concept for the button, visible only 
when a track is being recorded.  That would put it right up front when you're 
using it.

Flashing pause bars noting that it is paused would be useful to remind the user 
it is paused.

Original comment by FlyingsC...@gmail.com on 7 Oct 2010 at 6:21

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I am completely ignorant on the programming/implementation of a pause feature. 
That being said, would it be possible to have an auto-pause feature instead of 
a button? Where the user can set the minimum pace/speed, below that the unit 
will pause.

Original comment by imdaddyf...@gmail.com on 6 Nov 2010 at 2:44

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I think another good feature that goes hand in hand with the Pause is to add 
data recording on the exact location you pause.

The data records should include:
1. Geo coordinates
2. Comment / Note box
3. 2 or more textboxes.

It would be good to records in sqlite database, it not then just CSV text.

Rignt now, Mytracks does not have the ability to collect data that would be 
useful for the tracks recorded.

Original comment by nsi...@gmail.com on 18 Dec 2010 at 5:37

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Would be nice to have a (possibly configurable) audible/vibrate cue when in 
pause mode to remind you to unpause... e.g. a beep every 30 seconds. That would 
go some way toward avoiding the frustration of forgetting to unpause...

Original comment by nzli...@gmail.com on 9 Feb 2011 at 8:49

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When it comes to skiing pause function would be very welcomed as well, 
especially auto pause as taking off gloves every time to start/pause recording 
is quite irritating.

When skiing it would be great to have auto pause when:
a) speed is 0mph or less then some low value, ie. 2mph (example: stop at some 
point to enjoy landscape or to decide which slope to take...). It would be best 
if users could define themselves minimum speed below which auto pause will be 
activated.
b) when gaining altitude (going up in chairlift, as it really doesn't have any 
sense to have that part taken into calculation).

Auto pause can be within settings, and even better would be if auto pause 
behavior could be preset in advance for each activity. For example, when I 
choose "skiing" it automatically turn on auto pause function with auto pause 
parameters I defined for skiing (ie. auto pause when speed < 3mph and auto 
pause when in climb).

Original comment by marko.ni...@gmail.com on 21 Feb 2011 at 3:44

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First, I know nothing about programming, so, as much as I'd be willing to help, 
I can't be of any assistance there.  Moving on...

The "pause" function is essential to a true cycling computer (or any 
sports-tracking computer), and, quite truthfully, needs to be added to MyTracks 
as soon as possible (although, as others have pointed out, it should have never 
been left out to begin with).  When implemented correctly, it should be no 
different than any other pause button, and should temporarily stop recording of 
all data, but, unlike a "stop" button, when "pause" is activated, it enables 
the user to re-start the recording of said data from the exact point where it 
was paused.

Likewise, "auto-pause" which, essentially, does the exact same thing, but with 
one slight difference, also needs to be added.  With auto-pause, which is also 
a feature (almost) always included in cycling computers, it is designed to 
automatically detect the lack of movement for a set period of time (usually 1-3 
seconds), and automatically restarting itself as soon as it detects movement 
once again.  The problem with auto-pause in certain devices, as well as all 
Android apps that I have read up on, is that, if you go through a tunnel, and 
up under heavy tree coverage, or anything else that is almost guaranteed to 
disrupt the receiving of a GPS signal, the "auto-pause" enables itself, as if 
you had stopped.  For this reason, all devices, as well as Android apps, that 
include auto-pause provide the user the ability to disable the auto-pause 
function.

The inclusion of both features is, what I, and many others, would consider a 
necessity, and really needs to be added as soon as possible, if the goal is to 
produce an app that truly does turn an Android phone into a cycling (or other 
sports-activity) computer.  As an added benefit, in regards to the "auto-pause" 
function, I think it would be an excellent idea to include the ability to 
enable/disable it while MyTracks is running.  This way, if someone is 
cycling/jogging/etc, and they see they are approaching a tunnel, heavy tree 
coverage, or anything else that might disrupt the GPS signal, MyTracks wouldn't 
pause, incorrectly thinking that the person had stopped.

Being that I have yet to actually try out MyTracks (I will be doing so within 
the next few days, as long as the weather cooperates), I don't yet know if 
MyTracks has "coverage" problems, using the tunnel as an example.  If one does 
go through a tunnel, or other GPS signal-blocking area, does MyTracks continue 
functioning, and recording data, picking up GPS coverage once satellite link is 
re-established, the same as car-based GPS units do, or does it lose track of 
what's going on, and, for lack of a better way of putting it, "forget", as 
happens when auto-pause is accidentally enabled?  If MyTracks is already 
programmed to "continue where it left off" (ie. similar to car GPS units), that 
is how it should be, but, on the other hand, if it doesn't, then that is 
something that should also be addressed.

Finally, as for button location, i would recommend placing the "enable/diable" 
portion of the "auto-pause" function into the menu.  As for the "Start", 
"Pause", and "Stop" buttons, they are best placed along the bottom of the 
screen (accessible from all screens).  Once the "Start" button is pressed, it 
changes to a "Pause" button.  For obvious reasons, "Start" is green, and "Stop" 
is red, but as for the "Pause" button, it should use two different colors, one 
indicating MyTracks is ready to be paused, and a different color indicating 
that MyTracks is ready to be un-paused (de-paused?).  Using the screen of my 
HTC Hero as an example, the two (or three, depending on how one chooses to look 
at things) buttons would cover the lower 3/8"-1/2" of the screen, from left to 
right, split right down the middle, with the left button being the 
"Start/Pause" button, and the left button being the "Stop" button.

Original comment by robbryan...@gmail.com on 25 Feb 2011 at 7:19

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Since it's so easy to forget to press 'pause' and 'unpause' at the right time, 
wouldn't it be easier to click on a 'remove pauses' button at the end of the 
trip?
Then you can enjoy the hike/run/tour/whatever, and when you're done and notice 
the long duration and remember the nice restaurant, you could just click on a 
button to get rid of it.

Original comment by ch...@niekel.net on 15 May 2011 at 12:56

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One drawback of a 'remove pauses' functionality is that you'd probably need to 
identify and remove pauses on the phone which (compared to PC-based 
tools/Google services) may get tedious in case you have many pauses (especially 
if what comment #33 claims is true that obstacles above the device may easily 
create false pauses). You could compensate for the somewhat cumbersome phone UI 
by means of having extended app features (like "ignore pauses shorter than x 
seconds") but this would add to the cost required to fulfill this issue's 
requirement.

Original comment by ttr...@googlemail.com on 15 May 2011 at 8:02

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Wouldnt be easier to give an option to insert pauses in the recorded tracks 
afterwards? (From x to x time...or from x place to x place) Also an option to 
change the end point of the track (If you forgot to stop recording earlier). 

This would resolve the "forget to pause or stop track in correct time 
problem"...

Original comment by ase...@gmail.com on 16 May 2011 at 7:09

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Issue 514 has been merged into this issue.

Original comment by rdama...@google.com on 13 Jul 2011 at 6:09

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I wonder, in the event a pause button is unworkable for whatever reason, 
perhaps the ability to merge maps might take its place. This way the stop 
function can still operate as a pause and we could have separate data sets for 
different legs of a particular trip. This kind of functionality would be 
especially useful on trips that last over a number of days. While I would like 
to preserve daily logs on my activity, it would be really great to be able to 
see the whole thing together. Issues like difference in position relative to 
ending one track and starting the next could just be ignored.  My apologies if 
I should have posted this in another thread, but I do see it as related to the 
issue of a pause button.

Original comment by afsheen....@gmail.com on 27 Jul 2011 at 3:32

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That's exactly what I am looking for. A pause function would be great, a 
function to merge maps would be awesome. I am doing a long road trip next month 
and are looking for a way to record my whole travel.

Regarding the "what if someone forget to resume after pause" discussion: In my 
oppinion this can be unattended. You could also argument, what if I forget to 
start mytracks.. Then also no data is collected ;-) So I think if someone uses 
a pause function, he/she is aware of the risk not resuming again :o)

Original comment by casperkl...@gmail.com on 18 Aug 2011 at 8:38

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I really want the Pause feature as soon as possible.  In turns of button 
placement, I would say replace the My Location/Current Track/Chart Settings 
button for the 3 modes where they appear.  The My Location button is 
particularly unneeded, since the map continuously tries to keep the current 
location in the center of the screen.  I have never used the current track 
button and Chart Settings are not changed very frequently, so I would move 
those 3 buttons.  If people really like the current track and chart settings 
buttons, then I would vote to replace the Sensor State button instead since I 
would guess that only a small percentage (<5%?) of My Tracks users have a 
sensor.  

I think the earlier discussion in comments 24, 31 and 33 about "Auto Pause" is 
not needed since it is already implemented in My Tracks as the Moving Time 
versus Total Time and Moving Speed vs Average Speed.  

For me, the Moving Time feature is useless so I would love to have a way to 
DISABLE Moving Time for the reasons explained here:  
http://groups.google.com/group/mytracks/browse_thread/thread/9069cae71822347f/df
04a42ae550af85?lnk=gst&q=frankh#df04a42ae550af85 .  But a disable Auto Pause 
feature would really not make much sense, it would be better to have the choice 
between Moving and Total Time in the widget and the voice announcement.

My $0.02....

Original comment by fbh1...@gmail.com on 8 Sep 2011 at 4:58

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I used this app for the first time today and pause would have been nice for the 
break taken.  perhaps I don't understand "auto pause" that is referenced in 
comment 43.

With regard to the questions I saw from earlier:

Location of pause button:  floating on each page would be great for easy access.
What if I forget: tough luck, I agree with the other, you paused it you are 
responsible for it
Does the distance count: I agree the distance shouldn't count
Draw line: would it be possible to do a dashed line if the points are not 
"close"?  

Regarding comments in 41 & 42, having the ability to merge wouldn't be bad 
either since the break was done with a start/stop and new track.

Original comment by konce...@gmail.com on 11 Sep 2011 at 10:48

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i was reading all the comments from the first one till the last one. and i know 
guys you are all right someway. the most important, pause button should be 
added, how come all this comment? you can use it or leave it, it s up on you . 
as for the place of the button, i dont care about it, just put it guys put it. 
does anybody look at the map after sending it to google or even on the screen 
of the mobile how the map look? while hiking you have to stop while hiking to 
drink or to look around. you fo home u look at the map and you say oh my God 
what is that. just like zik zak , you understand nothing and you cant imagine u 
ve done that. see map ayyached , look at the statistic point in the middle so u 
can understand what i am talking about

Original comment by jihad.ab...@gmail.com on 24 Sep 2011 at 9:35

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I agree. This is exactly why I switched to using GPS Essentials a few months 
back. You can pause and resume any recorded track, even if it isn't the most 
recent one. But the main thing I use it for is tracking business mileage. I 
pause the track when I get to a job, and then resume again when I leave and am 
driving back. Works awesome. In my opinion, this is the main reason for wanting 
to pause a track, and I guess the dev team doesn't understand that, since 
adding the feature would be easy for them. I'm no programmer either, and 
wouldn't have the first clue how to do it, but it obviously can be done since 
GPS Essentials already does it.

I would love to see this added to MyTracks though, because I love how it 
uploads to Google Docs, keeping a spreadsheet of my business miles.

Until then, unfortunately I'll have to keep using GPS Essentials, which is 
still a great tool.

Original comment by jpkuba...@gmail.com on 13 Oct 2011 at 2:05

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Here are my comments on this really needed feature

1. Does the total time of the track include the paused period?
No. But it should include two special points for when the track was 
paused/restarted.

2. What happens if after pausing you forget to unpause, when you remember your 
mistake you are 3 miles up the road. In this situation What does the track look 
like? -> draw a straight line? Would this distance count towards total distance?
If you forget, too bad. The distance/time would not count towards total.

3. When paused do announcements still happen?
No announcements when you paused.

As for the button. If the recording is stopped, when you click on the "This 
track" button you should have the Resume option. If the recording is on, when 
you click on the "This track" button you should have the Pause option.

Alternately having in the menu a button Resume/Pause would be nice.

Min time auto-pause option. You should have this option in the recording 
settings and be able to select a time after which the recording will be 
automatically paused if there is no movement. "Off" possible value should also 
be included.

Auto-resume option. It should be a simple checkbox, enabled iff "Min time 
auto-pause option" is not "Off". If this is checked, the current track will be 
automatically resumed, when movement is registered again.

You should also be able to resume any track. Just simply go to My tracks, 
select the track (or Show) and you have the Resume option in This track button.

Original comment by beradrian on 28 Oct 2011 at 4:20

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