I definitely hate code, so I don't think I'll develop plugins. But I've got some plugin ideas that may be useful for me and fellow BuzzTouchers! Here's one... A screen that could be used to show the user what's around him/her. Not as an Augmented Reality app displays it: the screen would just display a menu-like list of items. Useful e.g. if a user is looking for a restaurant around his/her actual location, or if he/she wishes to get info about what's worth to see around, and so on Tech specs 1. the list of items should have title, image, short description and 2 links: one to trigger the native Map app, one to load another screen in the app 2. this list could be set in the control panel or imported from the web 3. you set a default distance in the control panel, and the user is able to expand it with a cursor on the screen 4. universal iPhone/iPad (of course) That's all, folks! Who'll take the challenge?

I have an app that I'm working on at the moment, hopefully finished in a week or so that has an 'around me' screen. It's a map that pulls in all the data from other maps within the app (each with their own image instead of red pins) to show what is, well, around them. Just shows distance to the attraction at the moment and offers map directions. So what I think I am saying is you could easily do this at the moment. 1. You have multiple maps to local attractions, say hotels, museums, fitness centers. 2. A hybrid map screen that in turn pulls in all the data from the other maps. 3. When populated with loads of locations, each with own icon it looks quite neat. Something along those lines? Wouldn't take too much to turn it into what you are after.

It's a good workaround, but not exactly what I would need... The 'distance filter' is important, as the displaying of a short description. To find a restaurant, e.g., I need some info about their cooking style, and the 'distance filter' will be essential to see which interesting restaurants are within walking distance from me: if I don't find any, I'll broaden the scope and take a taxi! Maps with multiple pins (or images) are ok when displayed on an iPad, but on an iPhone they're somewhat overcrowded, hence the idea of getting a menu-like list rather than a map. Thanks for sharing your solution!

..... So, the idea is like the "check in" function of Facebook where a list of known points of interest/businesses show based on distance from you?

Right now I'm working with an app of locations. Basically you choose a category (restaurants, stores, sights, etcetera) When the category menu is 'tapped' all eligible subcategories pop up. (like, types of restaurants) Eventually, if a category has no subcategories the 'detail' results populate the menu with the name of the location on line 1, and a short description with the distance (1.3 miles, etc) on line 2. I'm not populating pins on a map (at least, not yet) but I do obtain a list of locations from nearest to furthest. It's mostly done in PHP for the moment; my Database has the info, and the category/subcategory buttons define what query to ask for. Your idea isn't exactly what I'm trying to do. But if you go for it, let me know if I can help a little... I don't want to 'do' it, but I'm happy to share what I've done, or areas of difficulty. Cheers! -- Smug

@ Red Dog: yes, exactly!

@ Smug: excellent idea! Achieving it with a plugin or with a webservice is not really important for me... What is essential is to achieve it :-) I have a MySQL database where all entities are geotagged with lat and long, but unfortunately I'm not a PHP developer. I can start from a basic PHP, guess how it works (more or less) and edit it to suit my needs, but I can't create it from scratch... Do you think your PHP, once edited to suit my own MySQL, could be used with URL Screens in any app?

@fusionsch It absolutely would work just fine. It sounds more complicated than it really is, and if you're not used to PHP, it can look a little daunting at times. But it's a fairly simple script; all it does it pull all the tables from a database that meet certain criteria, and use that to either populate another menu, or display detailed data in a custom generated HTML Document. Cheers! -- Smug

@Smug Sounds great! Are you ok with sharing it with me? And if I can help you in any way to return the favor, just tell me! Cheers! Jack

I have no issue at all sharing. If you make a million, buy me a Lexus. https://dl.dropbox.com/u/115208762/loadScreenObject.zip I threw in the category SQL dump, but not my POI dump. You'll have to swap out those fields for your own. The images included show how it looks in my demo. It's not as pretty as it will be, I'm just working on functionality for the moment, and thinking about iOS/Android Native Form Views.... Cheers! -- Smug

Many thanks, Smug, I won't forget you when I'll be a billionaire (in my next life)... I've already had a look... Yikes! I think I'll need some help from the guy who developed the basic PHPs for my website to adapt all this! My database structure is quite different from yours!

Well, the database is always going to be a little different... but if you just take a couple of fields and get it to work, then it's easier to expand more and more... Let me know if I can explain some of the logic in it. Cheers! -- Smug

Thanks, SmugWimp, but I'm afraid explaining me the logic won't be enough :-) My database is quite different, I don't use a separate table to define the categories. Don't ask me why, it's a long story! In my database, I have a 'keywords' field where I can put as many keywords as I wish. It's not a multiple-choice field, it's just a plain text field. To get a list, I send a query on one of the keywords. E.g., all 'towns and villages' entries have 2 or more keywords in this field. The query may be this one: http://www.fusions.ch/imontreux/apptownsplainlist.php?key=cantonvs (where I get all the entries situated in Canton of Valais, as 'cantonvs' is the predefined keyword for this 'State' of Switzerland) Or it may be another one, with a keyword relative to a predefined geographical area, or to towns/villages of this or that Canton featuring a photo gallery, etc. So... I can't just adapt your script, I have to integrate it in my own php. Moreover, I have to find a way to filter the distance: I can use a query to produce a list of all 'towns/villages'... but at the moment there are some 250! The list would be way to long! Anyway, thanks for the proposal!

Either Or... But I gotta tell you, it'll be easier than you think. Use the SQL query for keywords rather than categories, use the 'LIKE' operator rather than 'equals', and you're golden. Then sort them out according to distance, and just return the closest 5, 10 or however many... In any event, if you decide to pursue it, let me know. Cheers! -- Smug

I've relayed your script and this thread to my developer, he'll have a look this evening (CET), hope he'll be able to adapt it! I'll let you know!