Help Docs

MacENCx64 Online Documentation

Using Chart Manager

MacENCx64 provides flexible methods to manage charts:

  1. Manual installation from 3rd party online chart sources for supported chart formats.

  2. NavStation Chart Account - Automated update, download, and installation of your NavStation chart purchases and Free NOAA ENCs. (See NavStation Chart Account help topic)

Supported Chart Formats

See the Current List of Supported Chart Providers online.

Managing Charts Overview

MacENC now defaults the chart location (via the NavStation Chart Account and the Free Download Manager) to your ~/Documents folder in a folder named Charts. Earlier versions, when charts were installed exclusively manually, the recommended folder would be ROOT (based on chart type, ENC_ROOT and RNC_ROOT). Many zip files still contain ROOT directories in them.

The best method is to create folders for charts by type and then by region and then unpack catalogs or folders beneath those.

Here is an example directory setup:

(your user home directory)/Documents/Charts

chartFolderLayout.png

If you manually set up ENC and RNC directories, Download Manager will unpack charts in named region folders beneath them automatically.

If you create region directories for your manually installed charts in the same fashion, you will have a neat and organized chart catalog. Much more manageable this way.

Using Chart Manager

Chart Manager is accessed from the File menu. File -> Chart Manager or from the keyboard Command F .

Some uses are described in Opening ENC Vector Charts (add ENC Catalog) and Opening Raster Charts (Add Chart Folder) sections of this help. What follows is usage of the other features of Chart Manager.

Chart Manager Screen

chartManager-en

  1. Select Name or Objects view
  2. Object type (folder for RNCs, Catalogs for ENCs)
  3. Name of chart or folder on disk containing the chart pack
  4. Show (on/off) selector. Allows selecting among installed charts for active display.
  5. Twistie triangle to expand active charts and view object detail
  6. Object detail
  7. Add ENC Catalog button
  8. Add ENC Permits (used for S-63 encrypted charts)
  9. Add Chart Folder (for RNCs)
  10. Scroll to the selected object
  11. Remove (un-install) a chart package.
  12. ENC User Permit (used to purchase S-63 encrypted charts)
  13. Show All button (sets all “show” column items to on)
  14. Hide All button (sets all “show” column items to off

ENC Permit Usage:

S63 Encrypted ENC files are available online from a number of sources. One popular source that directly supports MacENC is ChartWorld . There are two parts needed to use these charts:

  1. ENC User Permit. This code is generated by MacENC for you and is displayed in the Chart Manager window. You will need this key code to create your vessel profile at any vendor (including Chartworld) that uses S-63. As you go through the purchase procedure, you will be asked for your User Permit. Copy and paste the permit code from Chart Manager to fill out this value. That Permit is specific to your installed MacENC software and the hardware of your Mac. If you upgrade to a new mac, this value will change and you must authorize a new “vessel” for the new code.

  2. ENC Permit. This is the vendor provided chart permit file. You will need this file and your purchased charts to install. Install is two steps: Unzip the charts to a directory and Add ENC Catalog then unzip the permit file and Add ENC Permits... . MacENC will add this file to your permits file and thus unlock the encrypted charts. Detailed, end-to-end steps using Chartworld as an example can be found in this knowledge base article: Chartworld.com how-to guide

Chart Manager usage:

Chart manager defaults to the Names view. Also available is the Objects view. Those are selectable via radio buttons at the top of the window. There is a search window that allows you to drill down in the catalog of installed items in either view.

New to MacENCx64 is the Show column. On the far left you will find a show column and each catalog or folder entry will have a drop-down selection for either On or Off. By default, most new entries are set to ON. Selecting On will tell MacENC to load the folder or catalog contents with all the chart files in the directory. MacENC maintains this index of all “On” chart folders/catalogs in memory. The fewer items loaded the faster MacENC will render, zoom, and scroll the installed charts.

Best practice is to only turn ON just those catalogs/folders that you intend to plan with or navigate on at any given voyage. You can turn them on and off at will. Keep only the ones you need turned on to get the job done.