New to ORS Tools and impressed so far! But needing help understanding the input options. In version 1.3.0 I see ‘Advanced Directions’ which lets me input waypoints in any order ‘by hand’. Then there’s ‘Batch Jobs’ which reads waypoints from existing layers. These seem to be completely separate functions (ie options in one tab such as Travelling Salesman do not apply in the other).
What I’m looking for is how to specify the start and finish of a route without entering all waypoints by hand. Batch Jobs seems to take the first and last entries in a layer’s feature table. The only way I can see to specify the start and finish is to export the feature table, edit it and re-load it as a csv. Is there not a simpler way? This thread didn’t get an answer:
if you are using Directions → Points (1 Layer) and your layer consists of two points, these will be used as start and end points.
If you are using Directions → Points (2 Layer), you can specify a layer of starting points and a layer of end points. The plugin will then calculate routes matching the points in your start layer in order to the points in your end layer until it can no more (bc no start points or no end points are available anymore.
I hope that answers your question.
I’ll have a look at the other thread as well
Thanks. I think I understood that. My issue is this: I have a layer with lots of points (postcodes). I want to calculate a route between some points selected from that layer. ATM to specify the start and end points I have to make a new layer from the selection and order the points so that start and end are in the right positions. This needs some gymnastics which I’d like to avoid (or automate).
In an ideal world, one would be able to drag and drop data into the Advanced Directions tab and then re-order the waypoints so the start is at the top. A bonus for me would be I could then use the ‘Optimize End’ option which seems to be missing from the Batch processing.
you can click the Selected features only-option in Directions → Points (1 Layer) to route only via some selected points.
Note, that their order will still be determined by their QGIS-internal feature ID - compare this issue.
Anything more than that would mean using the QGIS-plugin to customize your data, which is not a primary goal of the plugin. In that case, you’d indeed have to do
Regarding your wish to
have a look at this issue for an overhaul of the Advanced Directions-tab. I think re-ordering the waypoints is feasible, but I’m unsure about populating the points list from a layer.
In any case, this borders on the aforementioned abuse of the QGIS-plugin to customize your data.
This is addressed in this issue and will hopefully come soon
