Trouble Shooting

There are some situations where the editor does not work correctly or you have difficulty doing particular operations. Sometimes this is due to anomalies in the data. Other times, it is due to the way editor works or the way Windows works. Here is a list of common problems people have editing or entering cave data:

1. When I Change The Data And Save The File, The Changes Are Lost. Click here for detailed information about problems saving or retaining changes.

2. The Editor Gives The Error Message: 'File Too Big For Editor'. The editor can handle surveys with a maximum of 500 shots. This is more than the any survey party can survey in one day in one passage. Sometimes, however, you will encounter a survey that is bigger than this. It usually happens when data is converted from some other cave survey program that doesn't maintain the same kind of survey separation that Compass does.

Surveys with more than 500 shots can still be compiled and viewed, but they cannot be edited as a whole. If you encounter a file that is too large for the editor, you will probably want to split it into two or more smaller files. At this point, the only way you can split a survey larger than 500 shots is to use a text editor. To do this, you will need to understand the file format of Compass survey files. It is also recommended that you use a programmer’s editor to do this. Word processors leave special codes that can corrupt the data. Fountain Computer has a shareware editor that can directly edit survey data at: https://www.fountainware.com

3. Dealing With Very Large Surveys. If you want to enter a survey that is larger than 500 shots you have to enter it as two or more separate surveys. It is hard to imagine anyone surveying more than 500 shots in the same cave, in the same passage, on the same day with the same personnel. Normally, in Compass, you are encouraged to create a new survey when you change passages, dates or personnel. For example, if you spend two days surveying the "C" survey, the first day should be called "C" and the second something like "C+".

There are several reasons for creating lots of separate surveys and keeping your surveys small. First of all, this gives you a more accurate record of the survey history. Second, it allows you to zero in on specific parts of the cave for editing, analysis and viewing. Combining large blocks of data into single surveys makes many of the most powerful features of Compass useless.