Support bounding box based XAPI request in download dialog

[Aleksandr Dezhin]

Please add the ability to specify the macro #BBOX# in the box URL, which appears when you run the command File|Open location ...

For example, if you opening URL "​http://www.informationfreeway.org/api/0.6/node[amenity=hospital][bbox=#BBOX#]", the request should be sent to the "​http://www.informationfreeway.org/api/0.6/node[amenity=hospital][bbox=-6,50,2,61]" "-6,50,2,61" - is the current viewport.

If possible, add the same macro #CENTER# with the center of the current viewport.

It will be very useful when working with XAPI and other OSM-oriented services...

[stoecker]

I don't like this idea. Suggest improvements to Open URL or download objects instead. This suggestion is something like a one user idea and never would reach broader audience.

[sim]

I think I understand the idea and it seems useful for projects where people are working on certain class of objects and quickly moving from one location to another. For example we've just released a large populated areas layer and it would make sense to work with it like that (not downloading all the data, but needed only. The equivalent would be adding tags selector to Bounding Box tab or as a separate tab to Download page.

But, as I understand Download goes only through API not XAPI, so keeping possibility to use URL with macros would be handy.

[Aleksandr Dezhin]

It seems to me that this is not a question of achieving a wider audience. Rather, it is a question of usability, which consists of a set of handy tools.

Here's an example: Suppose I need to load into JOSM all hospitals (or bus stops - no matter) wich are in the current editing area. I know that I can do it through XAPI, but he needs bbox.

Now the only way to see the bbox is go to the window "Download from OSM", but it is a modal window, and you have to copy coordinates to the intermediate field (eg to URL field). This is not handy..

You can certainly adapt the "Open location" window to work with XAPI, but I think it is the task for a separate plug-in. At the core of the same should be more versatile tool, which will also be useful in some other use-cases, as sim wrote above.

[stoecker]

You don't understand me. I have no problem with supporting XAPI and bounding box. But your solutions means nobody would use use. Hidden unknown patterns in URLs are no way to support something.

A decent XAPI-download tab in download dialog would be another thing.

[Aleksandr Dezhin]

Do not bring it to an absurdity. As I wrote above, this problem is related not only to XAPI.