Cart Route Editor Tool

Overview

Note

This documentation is maintained for reference and for environments where the Cart Route Editor is enabled.

The Cart Route Editor Tool is a specialized transportation planning and route management system designed for comprehensive cart route creation, documentation, and analysis. This advanced tool integrates sophisticated geometric editing capabilities with detailed route information management, supporting both point and line geometries for complete route planning, hazard documentation, communication channel assignment, and comprehensive route analysis with integrated mapping and reporting capabilities for professional transportation planning workflows.

Quick Reference

For experienced users who need a quick reminder of the workflow:

1. Click the Unified Map Editors icon (pencil) on the right toolbar to open the Unified Map Editor panel, and choose Cart Route Editor.
2. In Cart Route Name Selection, pick a route in Cart Route Names or type a new name in the Cart Route Name box.
3. Use point and line tools to draw route elements on the map.
4. Save your route information and geometry.
5. Generate maps and reports as needed.

Complete Workflow

Follow these steps to create and manage cart routes:

1. Create new cart route information.
2. Select a cart route name from the dropdown.
3. Draw point or line geometries on the map.
4. Select the existing cart route name in the panel for printing cart route maps and reports.
5. Print cart route maps and reports.

Getting Started

1. Click the Unified Map Editors icon (pencil) in the right toolbar, then select Cart Route Editor from the editor dropdown at the top.
2. The tool will initialize and load existing cart route layers.
3. The editor panel opens with three accordion sections:
   • Cart Route Name Selection — set the active route name and use the Filter by Name toggle
   • Cart Route Information — create or view cart route metadata (hazard, UHF, route description)
   • Geometry editing tools and Save Cart Route — draw, edit, delete, and save geometry

Cart Route Name Selection

The Cart Route Name Selection accordion at the top is where you set the active name before drawing:

1. Use Dropdown: Select an existing cart route name from the Cart Route Names dropdown — type in it to filter a long list; it refreshes each time you open it
2. Type New Name: Enter a new cart route name directly in the text field below the dropdown, then press Enter or click away from the box — that is when the Cart Route Information form switches to the new name
3. Wait for Activation: Drawing tools and style icons become enabled once a name is set

Which routes the dropdown lists

The Cart Route Names dropdown lists the cart routes that have saved Cart Route Information. A new route appears in it once its information has been saved — until then, type its name in the text field.

Selecting a Feature Sets the Route

When you select a point or line on the map, the panel moves to that feature's cart route:

• the Cart Route Name text field shows the feature's route name;
• the Cart Route Information form loads that route's information (if you have unsaved changes in the form, Horizon asks first);
• the Cart Route Names dropdown moves to the route too — but only while Filter by Name is off, and only to a route with saved Cart Route Information (the only routes it lists). With the filter on, the dropdown stays where it is, so the map keeps showing the route you chose.

Features shown with the Unknown style are the exception: selecting one leaves the name unchanged.

With Multiple Mode on, clicking the same spot again adds the next feature underneath, and one that is already selected is never added twice. Once every feature at that spot is selected, Horizon says so and the panel stays as it is. See Selecting and Saving Existing Features.

Filter by Name

The Filter by Name toggle restricts the map display to features belonging to the currently selected cart route:

1. Select an existing name from the Cart Route Names dropdown
2. Toggle Filter by Name on
3. Both point and line layers immediately filter to show only features with that name
4. Toggle off to show all cart route features

WARNING

The filter only responds to names selected from the Cart Route Names dropdown. Typing a name in the text field activates the editor for drawing, but does not apply the filter.

TIP

While the filter is on, changing the dropdown selection automatically re-applies the filter to the new name — no need to toggle off and back on.

INFO

The filter is automatically cleared after printing to prevent stale filter states.

Zoom to Route

Click Zoom to Route, below the name field, to zoom the map to every feature of the name chosen in Cart Route Names — its points and lines together.

• It works even when the layers are not on the map or are filtered to another name. Turn on Filter by Name to show only that name's features.
• It is disabled until a name is chosen in the dropdown. A name without features says so, and the map stays where it is.

Cart Route Information

The Cart Route Information section allows you to create and manage detailed information about cart routes.

Managing Cart Route Information

1. Choose the cart route — pick it from the Cart Route Names dropdown, type its name and press Enter, or select one of its features on the map. The form loads that route's saved information.
2. A route that has no information yet shows an empty form — that is normal, not an error. Fill it in and save to create it.
3. The Last Updated chip shows when the information was last saved.
4. The Cart Route Info Name field is automatically synchronised from the Cart Route Name — it is read-only and cannot be typed into directly. It always shows the route that Save will write to.
5. Enter or edit the following optional information using the rich text editor:
   • Hazard information
   • UHF channel — usually just the channel number, for example 40
   • Route description
6. Use the rich text editor to format text with:
   • Bold formatting
   • Bullet lists
   • Numbered lists
7. Use the same name to update existing cart route information.

Typing before choosing a route

If you start typing information before any route is chosen, it is kept for the first route you choose — nothing is lost and nothing is asked.

Switching Routes With Unsaved Changes

If you have changed the information in the form and then move to a different route — from the dropdown, by typing another name, or by selecting a feature of another route — Horizon does not throw your changes away silently. The Discard Unsaved Cart Route Info? dialog appears and lists what you changed, field by field:

• Keep Editing — stay with the route you were editing. The form keeps your changes, and Save still writes them to that route (the Cart Route Info Name field shows which one).
• Discard and Switch — drop your changes and load the other route's information.

Saving Cart Route Information

1. Enter all required information.
2. Click the Save button.
3. For a new route, or when nothing visible has changed, Horizon saves straight away and a success notification appears.
4. When saving would change information that is already stored, the Confirm Cart Route Info Changes dialog appears first. It lists each changed field — Hazard, UHF Channel, Route — with the stored text marked − Saved and your text marked + Edited. Click Save Changes to save, or Cancel to go back to the form.
5. Use the Clear button to reset all fields.

Someone else changed it since you opened it

The dialog compares your text with the information as it is stored now, not as it was when you opened the route. If another user saved this route's information in the meantime, the dialog says so — "This route's information was changed by someone else after you opened it. Saving overwrites their changes too." Read the Saved lines before you confirm: they show the other person's version, which Save Changes replaces.

Formatting-only changes

Changes are compared by their visible text. If you only changed bold or list formatting, the field is marked "Only the formatting changed (bold or list style)."

INFO

The Delete button in the Cart Route Information section permanently removes the complete cart route (all geometry and information). This button is only visible to users with the Cart Admin role.

INFO

Cart Route Information is stored separately from the geometry. You can create information records without drawing routes on the map.

Geometry Types and Styles

The Cart Route Editor supports two geometry types with various style options.

Geometry Types

• Point: Used for marking specific locations such as departure points, destinations, UHF channels, or labels
• Line: Used for drawing the actual route directions

Point Styles

When working with Point geometry, you can choose from the following styles:

#	Icon	Style Name	Description
1		UHF Channel	Mark UHF radio channel locations
2		Coupe	Mark coupe (harvest area) locations
3		One Lane	Indicate single-lane road sections
4		Narrow Bridge	Mark narrow bridge locations
5		Steep Road	Indicate steep road sections
6		Soft Shoulder	Mark soft shoulder areas
7		No UHF	Indicate areas without UHF coverage
8		Railway Crossing	Mark railway crossing locations
9		School Zone	Indicate school zone areas
10		Winding Road	Mark winding road sections
11		Slippery When Wet	Indicate slippery road conditions
12		Phone Coverage	Mark mobile phone coverage areas
13		EMP Location	Mark Emergency Management Point locations
14		Text Point	Add custom text label at a location (choose the font size when saving)
15		Load Check	Mark load check locations
16		Bus Stop	Mark bus stop locations
17		Sharp Corner	Warn of a sharp corner
18		Restricted Sight Distance	Warn of limited visibility ahead
99	—	Unknown	Display-only fallback — drawing is disabled when selected

TIP

Each point style is represented by a unique icon on the map, making it easy to visually distinguish between different types of route features and hazards.

Line Styles

When working with Line geometry, you can choose from the following styles:

1. Planned Cart Route - Default route line style for planned routes
2. Route to Coupe - Line style indicating a route leading to a coupe (harvest area)
3. Unknown - Default/unclassified line style

Drawing and Editing Operations

Before You Start

1. Set a cart route name (from the dropdown or by typing in the Cart Route Name Selection accordion)
2. Choose a geometry type (Point or Line)
3. Select a point or line style

INFO

Drawing tools and style icons are disabled until a cart route name is set.

Multiple Mode

The Multiple Mode toggle controls whether the drawing tool stays active after each feature is placed.

Multiple OFF (Default):

• The drawing tool stays armed, but only your latest unsaved shape is kept — drawing another one replaces it
• Click the draw button again to stop

Multiple ON:

• The drawing tool stays active after each feature is completed
• Keep clicking on the map to rapidly place many features
• Click the draw button again to stop

INFO

Regardless of Multiple mode, every point is saved as a separate feature. Line segments you draw in one go are joined into a single new route line when you save. Existing lines you select are never merged — each is saved as itself.

INFO

Switching geometry type while Multiple mode is on will reset the toggle to off when you next click the draw button. Turn it off manually if you no longer want continuous drawing after switching types.

Line Style — Straight or Arc

Below the Multiple Mode switch, while Geometry Types is Line, is a Line style row with two icon buttons that control how the line tool reads your clicks:

• Straight (default) — every click is a vertex, joined by straight segments.
• Arc — the first click starts the line, then each pair of clicks is a point to curve through followed by the curve's end point. Repeat for each further curve; a reminder line appears under the row while Arc is selected.

Useful for cart routes that sweep around a curve rather than turning at hard angles. The curve appears live as you click, and a finished arc is stored as closely-followed vertices, so length measurement, saving and the cart route report behave exactly as they do for a straight line. Points and polygons are unaffected. See Line Style for the full explanation, including when a curve deliberately stays straight.

Selecting Existing Cart Routes

1. Click the Select button (tooltip: Select Point / Line).
2. Click on an existing cart route geometry (points, lines) on the map.
3. The selected route will be highlighted and available for editing, and the editing button will be enabled.
4. The panel loads the feature's style, Display Label and (for UHF Channel, Coupe and Text Point) Font Size, and moves to the feature's cart route — see Selecting a Feature Sets the Route.

Drawing Point Features

1. Select "Point" from the Geometry Types dropdown.
2. Choose a point style.
3. Click the "Draw Point" button.
4. Click on the map to place the point.

Drawing Line Features

1. Select "Line" from the Geometry Types dropdown.
2. Choose a line style.
3. Click the "Draw Line" button.
4. Click on the map to place vertices of the line.
5. Double-click to complete the line.

Editing Features

1. Select a feature using the selection tool.
2. Click the "Edit" button.
3. Click and move if point type or change vertices if line geometry.
4. Click away from the geometry or click "Edit" again to finish.

Deleting Features

1. Select a feature using the selection tool.
2. Click the Delete button (trash icon, tooltip: Delete Cart Route). It deletes only the selected features — every one of them, when several are selected. To delete a whole route, use Delete in Cart Route Information (see Delete Cart Route Dialog).
3. The feature will be removed from the map and the database.

Resetting the Editor

1. Click the "Reset" button.
2. All current selections and unsaved edits will be cleared.

Using the Advanced Editor

Below Save Cart Route is the Advanced Editor button (available once a cart route name is set). It opens a floating dialog whose main use is to build cart route features from shapes that are already on the map in other layers — for example a road, or an uploaded planned route:

1. In the Target (and, for two-input operations, Ref) dropdown, pick the map layer that holds the shape. The dropdowns list every visible queryable layer, the editor's own layers included.
2. Select the shape(s) on the map, and run an operation if you need one.
3. Click Save in the dialog. The Target shapes are merged and saved under the current cart route name with the Unknown style and no label.
4. Select the new feature in the Cart Route Editor, choose its style (and Display Label), and save it again.

See the Advanced Editor guide for the full set of operations.

Delete Cart Route Dialog

When you delete a cart route, a confirmation dialog appears to prevent accidental deletion.

Dialog Details:

• Heading: "Delete Cart Route?"
• Kind: Danger (red indicator)
• Modal: Yes — you must respond before continuing
• Content: Displays the cart route name and lists everything that will be permanently deleted:
  • All feature layers (points and lines)
  • Cart route information (hazard, UHF, route details)
• Warning: "This action cannot be undone."
• Footer Buttons:
  • Cancel (left) — closes the dialog without changes
  • Delete (right, red) — permanently removes the cart route and all associated data

The dialog prevents closing via the Escape key or clicking outside, ensuring you make an explicit choice.

Saving and Managing Cart Routes

Saving Cart Routes Geometry

1. Ensure a cart route name is set in the Cart Route Name Selection accordion at the top.
2. Draw or edit geometry on the map.
3. Open the Save Cart Route accordion panel.
4. Enter a Display Label if you want one — it can be saved with any feature type. On the map, the label is drawn for Coupe and UHF Channel points (a UHF Channel label is usually just the channel number, for example 40); the other symbol styles keep the label with the feature without drawing it. It is required for Text Point: a Text Point shows only its label, so one without a label would be invisible, and Horizon will not save it.
5. For UHF Channel, Coupe and Text Point, choose a Font Size for the label: 8, 10, 12, 15, 20 or 30 (default 12). The selector appears beside the Save button only when one of these styles is selected; every other style uses the default size.
6. Click the Save button.

Editing several features at once

When you select existing points or lines (with Multiple Mode on), each one keeps its own cart route name, label, style and font size when you save. Only a control you actually change — typing or picking a cart route name, typing a label, clicking a style, or picking a font size — is applied to all of them. Selecting a point loads its font size into the selector.

To move features to another cart route, select them first, then type or pick the new name, then save.

Print Cart Routes Map and Reports

1. Open the Print panel and choose a standard layout (A4, A3 or Map Only) — the cart route options are hidden on FPP layouts.
2. Switch on Cart Route Map.
3. Select the desired cart route from the Cart Route Name dropdown.
4. Optionally switch on Show Print Area to preview the print extent.
5. Click the Print button. The map and a cart route report are downloaded. See Cart Route Reports.

WARNING

A cart route name must be set before geometry can be saved. Set the name in the Cart Route Name Selection accordion — either select from the dropdown or type a new name in the text field.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Cannot save cart route	Set a cart route name in the Cart Route Name Selection accordion first
Drawing tools not working	Set a cart route name first; ensure no selection or edit mode is active
Cannot edit a feature	Select the feature first using the selection tool
Cannot see saved cart routes	Make sure you have cart route point and line layers on the map
Draw button disabled after style pick	You may have selected the Unknown style — it is display-only; pick a named style
Report not showing in print	Switch on Cart Route Map in the Print panel and pick a route — on a standard layout, not an FPP one
Filter by Name shows nothing	Select a cart route name from the dropdown before enabling the filter toggle
Delete button not visible	The Delete button in Cart Route Information is only available to Cart Admin users
"A text style renders the display label and nothing else…"	A Text Point in the save has no label. Enter a Display Label, or change the style. The message names any existing feature by its ID
"Cart Route can only save points or lines, one type at a time"	The selection contains both points and lines. Click Reset, then select only points or only lines
Font size change does not show on the map	Font size applies only to UHF Channel, Coupe and Text Point labels. Save, then check the map again once the layer refreshes
A point's Display Label is not drawn on the map	Only Coupe and UHF Channel points draw their label beside the symbol (and a Text Point is drawn as its label); other point styles keep the label with the feature without drawing it
Cart Route Info Name not editable	The Info Name field is automatically synced from the Cart Route Name — it is read-only
A route is missing from the Cart Route Names dropdown	The dropdown lists routes that have saved Cart Route Information. Save the route's information, or type its name in the text field
Typed a name but the information form did not change	A typed name applies when you press Enter or click away from the text field
"Discard Unsaved Cart Route Info?" appears	You changed the information and then moved to another route. Keep Editing to go back and save it, or Discard and Switch to load the other route
The save dialog says someone else changed the information	Another user saved this route's information after you opened it. Check the Saved lines — Save Changes replaces their version with yours
Filter not clearing after print	The filter is cleared automatically after printing; toggle it on again if needed

Video Tutorials

The following video tutorials demonstrate key workflows for using the Cart Route Editor Tool. Each video provides step-by-step visual instructions to help you master different aspects of the tool.

Basic Workflows

Tutorial	Description
Creating and Saving Cart Route Information	Name a new route, save its information, then draw and label its first points and lines
Editing Cart Routes Geometries	Select, reshape or move features and change their labels
Deleting Cart Routes Geometries	Select features and delete them one at a time
Advanced Edit Cart Routes Geometries	Turn a planned road route into cart route lines with the Advanced Editor
Printing Cart Routes Maps and Reports	Print the map together with its cart route report

Creating and Saving Cart Route Information

This video demonstrates how to name a new cart route, enter and save its Hazard, UHF Channel and Route information, and then draw and label its first points and lines.

Editing Cart Routes Geometries

Learn how to select existing cart route lines and points, reshape or move them with Edit, change their labels, and save the changes.

Deleting Cart Routes Geometries

This tutorial shows how to select cart route lines and points on the map and remove them one at a time with the Delete button.

Advanced Edit Cart Routes Geometries

Learn how to plan a route with the State Growth Routing tool, export it as KML, upload it to the map with the Upload tool, and save it as cart route lines with the Advanced Editor.

Printing Cart Routes Maps and Reports

This video demonstrates how to generate printable maps and reports for your cart routes.

See Also

• Road Analysis - Road network analysis and route distance calculations
• Print Panel - Print cart route maps with custom layouts
• Unified Map Editors - Overview of all unified editors

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