goose chase for custom lists

Wow.

I'm surprised and not surprised.

Simulation Curriculum is messed up. Still messed up.

A key reason for coughing up funds for SkySafari 6 Plus today was to be able to receive custom observing lists from others, view them, use them.

So I went into the Search screen, swiped to the bottom, and I didn't see anything. 

I was certain that's what I used to do.

Right?

I was looking for "custom" or something like that... at the bottom... if memory served.

So I appealed to Google. It suggested a page from the online manual.

Topic: Observing Lists.

In the opening remarks:

You create and access observing lists at the bottom of the Search view, in the Custom Observing Lists section.

I was right. Or my faint memory was right or consistent with what the manual said.

Tried again.

Nope.

Killed the app. Restarted it.

Nope.

Rebooted the phone.

No joy.

Skimmed the manual page and noted at the bottom the section SD Card Import & Export.

If you're using SkySafari for Android, you can import and export observing lists to SkySafari using your SD card.

So I made a folder on my microSD as per the instructions and copied an old .skylist file there.

Checked the app.

Nothing.

Whiskey tango foxtrot.

I just paid money for this and it is not working right. Would I have to contact technical support and talk to a human? I loathed the thought of asking them for help. I'll do this on my own. Thanks for nothing.

Tried Google again this time indicating the "custom" option was missing.

Got a hit on CloudyNights.

DHEB, long-time user, had updated his SS6 Pro. Loaded a new list into the same ole' folder and it did not show.

Various people made suggestions but nothing worked.

So DHEB went to the Sim Curr community forum space for help. I read the thread.

Issues due to the Android, and the Android 10 security protocols.

But I wasn't on Android 10.

Still, I made a folder, in the internal memory this time, as prescribed by Ros.

Android/data/com.simulationcurriculum.skysafari6pro/files/Observing Lists

substituting for "pro."

Restarted the app?

Nothing!

Rebooted the phone again.

Nothing.

Scoffing shipwreckers! I was thinking I'd have to ask for my money back...

Then I selected an object, Achird from the Tonight's Best list, and tried to add it to an observing list.

Whoa, wait, what? A dialogue appeared saying it had been added to my observing list, the old one I had added! What? Where? How?

I looked at the bottom of the Search list again.

Nothing. N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

What now?

Fumbled around the Sim Curr web pages a bit. Noted a reference to Yahoo!Groups. What? Long gone, ya goofs!

Tapped the onboard help button, the circled question mark, in the Search screen.

At first, it looked like the same text as the online web page user manual that I had read already. 

Bottom of the onboard page sported a section Custom Observing Lists.

Yes.

Spotted this:

In SkySafari Plus and Pro, you can create a custom observing list. To create a custom list of objects, first tap the Action & Settings at the top of the list. 

What? Action & Settings? Where was that?

I checked the Search list. No...

Where was this Action & Settings for crying out loud?

What list?

That was confusing.

But then something clicked. From the Search list I chose the Messier list.

There it was! The Actions & Settings at the top of the Messier list (it was atop the Tonight's Best too but I had not noted it).

And inside the list's actions & settings screen, at the top, was the button to Make Into Observing List.

Crikey.

Tapped it.

A dialogue appear confirming the creation of the new list. Which I almost dismissed before readed the last sentence.

You can find it under "Observing Lists" after tapping the Observe button.

Observe button?! What's the Observe button?

Headed to the main screen.

Between Settings and Time, an eyeball, labelled Observe. Tapping it shows:

• Planner
• Observing Lists
• Observations
• Sessions
• Sites
• Scope Display
• Equipment

Uh huh.

So it looked like a big change, a big reorg, from version 5 to 6, with the new Observe button collating a bunch of related functions.

Excitedly, I tapped on Observing Lists and a familiar screen appeared. At last I saw my old 2020 observing list plus the new one just made based on the Messiers.

Finally.

Went back and checked the online manual on the web site. I'm not crazy. Mama had me tested. It definitely says observing lists are accessed at the bottom of the Search screen.

So old data on their web site. One of the easiest resources to fix. Online manuals were invented to replace paper manuals. Online manuals should never be out of date. Fix your web site! Fix your web site for your paying customers! You gave me an hour of grief.

Wasted my time.

Hey, Simulation Curriculum. Hire me! I'll fix your terrible web site.

So annoying.