Showplaces
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Importing Places from a File

Showplaces can add a whole list of places at once, from a CSV file made in Numbers, Excel or Google Sheets. In the app, go to Settings, then Import from a File. You’ll see every place before anything is added, and you can tag them all or put them in a group.

The file is read on your device and isn’t uploaded. Only the places you choose to add are saved, like any other place.

The Quick Version

  • The first row names the columns.
  • Every place needs a name, and an address or a latitude and longitude.
  • Separate tags with semicolons: Hiking; Views.
  • Save or export the spreadsheet as CSV.
name,address,latitude,longitude,tags,notes
Circuit of the Americas,"9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd, Austin, TX 78617",,,Racing; F1,Turn 1 is the climb to watch from.
Grandfather Mountain,,36.0947,-81.8326,Hiking; Views,Cross the bridge early.
Biltmore Estate,"1 Lodge St, Asheville, NC 28803",,,History,

The app’s intro has a Get a Template button, which gives you this file to start from.

Columns

Column names can be in any order, and capitals and spaces don’t matter, so Postal Code and postalcode both work. Columns Showplaces doesn’t know are skipped, and the app tells you which.

  • name (or title): Required. The place’s title.
  • address: The whole address on one line, such as 1 Lodge St, Asheville, NC 28803.
  • street, city, state, postal code, country (or zip, province, region): The address in parts, instead of one address column.
  • latitude, longitude (or lat, lng, lon, long): Decimal degrees, such as 36.0947 and -81.8326. Used exactly as given, which is the fastest way to import.
  • near: For a place with only a name: a city or area to look near, such as Lexington, NC. Places found by name are marked so you can check them.
  • subtitle: A second line under the title.
  • notes (or description): Anything else about the place.
  • tags (or tag): Separated by semicolons. A tag you already use keeps your spelling.
  • group: A group to put the place in. If you don’t have a group with that name, one is made.

Finding Each Place

Showplaces uses coordinates when a row has them. Otherwise it looks up the address with Apple Maps, and for a row with only a name, it searches Apple Maps for that name. Rows Apple Maps can’t find are listed so you can fix them.

Apple Maps answers about 50 lookups a minute, so a file of hundreds of addresses can take a few minutes. Coordinates make it instant. A file can hold up to 1,000 places.

Places already in Showplaces, with the same name and address, are shown but not added again, so importing the same file twice is safe. A place listed twice in a file is added once.

Saving a CSV

  • Numbers: File, then Export To, then CSV.
  • Excel: File, then Save As, and choose CSV UTF-8.
  • Google Sheets: File, then Download, then Comma Separated Values.

Save it to Files or iCloud Drive, or AirDrop it to your iPhone, then choose it in the app.

The JSON Format

Showplaces also imports its own JSON format. It holds the same fields as the CSV columns, with tags as a list and address as one line or as parts. The top-level name becomes the suggested name for a new group.

{
  "version": 1,
  "name": "F1 Circuits",
  "showplaces": [
    {
      "name": "Circuit of the Americas",
      "subtitle": "United States Grand Prix",
      "tags": ["F1", "Racing"],
      "address": {
        "street": "9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd",
        "city": "Austin",
        "state": "TX",
        "postalCode": "78617",
        "country": "United States"
      },
      "latitude": 30.1328,
      "longitude": -97.6411
    }
  ],
  "tagStyles": [
    { "title": "F1", "color": "#E10600", "symbol": "flag.checkered" }
  ]
}
  • tagStyles gives tags a color (as #RRGGBB) and an SF Symbol. A style is used only for a tag you don’t already have a style for, and never changes one you do.
  • mapItemIdentifier is an optional Apple Maps place ID, which lets the place open its Apple Maps card.