General

The General tab allows you to select settings and preferences that apply to observations taken in the field. These options remain set from job to job.

• Prompt for Total Station Setup: This option determines whether or not the software will display the current setup and orientation values each time the user enters a Survey routine.
• Always show job settings when opening a job: When enabled, the Job Settings interface is presented when a different Job is opened.
• Prompt for Height and Description: When this option is enabled, you will be prompted after each shot to enter the target height, description, and the option to attach photographs to points/lines. Though this adds an extra prompt screen to each shot, it can reduce errors, as you no longer have to anticipate the shot and get the correct information entered ahead of time. When this screen appears, you will have the option to enter a point description and change the point number and the target height. Also, if you enter the first character of a code (for example, "I" for IP), the first field code starting with that character will be highlighted, allowing you to arrow key to the one you want, or accept the highlighted option. This entry is not case-sensitive.
• Prompt for Point Notes: Point Notes are additional descriptions that can be stored with a point. A regular point consists of a point ID (number or alphanumeric), northing, easting, elevation, and description (up to 256 characters). Point Notes are a way to add an unlimited number of lines of text to a point. With this toggle enabled, you will be prompted for notes after collecting a point. The notes are stored in a file with the same name as the coordinate file, but with a .NOT extension. For example, a job called Topo.crdb would have a note file called Topo.not.
• Prompt If Duplicate of Backsight or Last Reading (TS): This option allows for the user to be alerted if a Backsight or Last reading is duplicated.
• 3D Mode (record elevations): This option allows you to toggle between 2D or 3D data. In 2D mode, all elevations will be stored as 0.0 and there are fewer prompts on many screens such as the backsight screen (no instrument height and target heights).
• Use Virtual Keyboard: This option provides a software keyboard for PCs without keyboards. SurvPC offers a soft-button version of the arrow keys when the virtual keyboard is selected in the robotics screen. This allows some tablets and PCs without arrows to use the total station joystick feature.
• Use Virtual Joystick: This option provides a software Joystick for PCs without joysticks.
• Use Graphic Icons in Survey: This option toggles between the traditional letter icons (e.g. S, A, O, C, etc) used in versions prior to SurvPC 2.0 and more modern graphic icons as used in commands such as Store Points and Stake Points.
• Use Line Details: This option has two effects. When enabled:
  1. Linework will "auto-draw" any time a feature code is changed or new points with codes are added to an existing point list.
  2. The option enables selecting of lines (by clicking on them), leading to options that permit further customization.

     Note: The line can be clicked within the Map Screen without issuing any command and the Line Details screen will appear. If you tap too close to a point ID, then Point Details will appear. You can also click lines within the command Store Points.

• Use Layerized Points by Feature Code: This feature allows the user to use point layers.
• Use Ctrl Pts for Map Selection: This allows users to use Control Points for Map Selection.
• Force Unique IDs for Linework: This will impact the meaning of the Start Line special code. When enabled, the use of the Start Line button will not only append the start line code (such as "ST") to the feature code, but will increment the code number by 1 (i.e. EP2 ST). If the last line was EP2, then using the Start Line button on another EP code would create EP3 ST. In this way, there is no need for an End Line code, since each distinct EP has its own numeric identifier (e.g. EP1, EP2, EP3, etc).
• Upload station setup to Instrument: When enabled, the occupied point information is sent to the instrument and is commonly used when the instrument is also being used with machine control software.
• Show Advanced Backsight: This option applies to Total Station work and allows for multiple reference backsight points, each one of which can be sighted and measured multiple times. Then, based on Least Squares analysis, the program will compute a "best fit" backsight for purposes of zeroing the total station. The command can be likened to a special Resection for purposes of zeroing the instrument (or setting it to a backsight azimuth). The feature has some built-in error checking to prevent improper calculation if the coordinates for the backsight reference points are not correct or not in proper relation to each other.
• Show Slope Info in Stake Points: This option will display slope information from your current reading to the target point to stake.
• Visual Alert in STK for GPS not Fixed: This will alert the user when in a Stakeout routine the current position mode is not Fixed.
• Show Codes/Desc as Buttons: This will allow the user to show Feature Codes and Descriptions as buttons.
• Magnified View in STK Points/Direct TS: When enabled, information presented in the Stake Points routine is enhanced for readability.
• After Store/TEXT Highlight Desc: When enabled and upon the measurement of a point, the Description text for the point will be selected permitting the complete replacement of the description via a button press.
• Internet Failures Warning: When enabled, an alert will be presented if the Internet connection of the data collector (controller) has failed.
• Prevent OS sleep when SurvPC is running: When enabled, SurvPC will attempt to prevent the operating system of the data collector (controller) from switching into sleep (also known as hibernation) mode during periods of lengthy inactivity.
• Review target settings on backsight: When enabled, the total station target settings will be presented for review/edit when pressing the backsight button.

Additional controls include:

• Coding Style: Indicate the preferred method that governs how Feature Codes are exposed during measurement commands:
  • None: A button that lets you pre-select a Feature Code is not shown within measurement commands.
  • Classic: A button that lets you pre-select a Feature Code is shown within measurement commands.
  • Classic/One Touch (Store Pts): A button that lets you pre-select a Feature Code is shown and within the Store Points command, points will be collected upon the tapping of a code.
• Auto-Detect Code Pattern: With the option selected, the program will look for patterns of cross-section style coding, particularly applicable to roads and ditches and attempt to pre-select the next logical code based on the predicted sequence.
  More Information

  In the simplest example, consider a road being surveyed:

  • EP1 for Edge of Pavement
  • CL for Centerline Line
  • EP2 for Edge of Pavement on the opposite side

  So, consider the Left-to-Right pattern of surveying below:

  EP1, CL, EP2
  EP1

  At the instance of entering the second EP1, the program will detect a pattern and will assume the next point is CL and the point after that is EP2, and will default to prompting for that coding resulting in the following pattern:

  EP1, CL, EP2
  EP1, CL, EP2
  EP1, CL, EP2
  EP1, CL, EP2

  Similarly, consider a Left-to-Right then Right-to-Left survey:

  EP1, CL, EP2
  EP2

  In this case, the program will prompt next for CL and then for EP1, and then EP1 again, CL and EP2 resulting in the following pattern:

  EP1, CL, EP2
  EP2, CL, EP1
  EP1, CL, EP2
  EP2, CL, EP1

  This same pattern recognition applies to five-point cross-sections such as SH1, EP1, CL, EP2, SH2 and any number of pattern-based cross-section examples.

  Note: You can survey points outside the pattern by simply entering a different code. The program will then resume auto-assigning the code based on the recognized pattern.

  Note: Whenever Auto-Detect is on, it is advisable to review the automated code to be certain it matches what is intended.

  The button "1.2.." that is presented when Prompt for Height & Description is enabled gives you the option to:

  • turn ON/OFF auto-detect pattern.
  • check the codes that are making the pattern.
  • skip a code.
  • clear the codes that are making the pattern.
• Num. of Readings to Avg: Specifies the number of readings that will be taken and averaged on each observation.
• Hide Graphics: When enabled, the graphics associated with the statistical analysis of the measurements will be suppressed.
• Enter Key: Since the Enter key is a convenient and popular way to initiate measurements, SurvPC allows you to specify the effects of this key:
  • Store & Read: This option is similar to the effects of the Read key. After a backsight, the first time Enter is used, it will take the shot and display the results. Then when you foresight the next point, Enter will "Store Last, Read Next." This procedure is best used when Prompt for Height & Description is disabled.
  • Read & Store: With this option, the Enter key takes the shot and stores the point. This option works very well when Prompt for Height & Description is enabled, in which case Enter key takes the shot, then displays the results and provides an opportunity for editing information related to the point.
  • Read or Store: The first Enter key takes the reading and the second Enter key stores the reading.

  Note: Most users choose Read & Store.

• After Reading (RTS): For Robotic Total Stations, indicate the preferred behavior to occur after a reading has been initiated:
  • Standby: The instrument goes into standby mode and will need to search for the target the next time a reading is initiated.
  • Lock: The instrument will lock onto the target but not actively track it.
  • Tracking: The instrument will switch into active tracking mode.
  • Previous State: The instrument reverts to the prism/tracking state that was in effect prior to the reading.