Provided by: viking_1.10+git20250612.b98e55e-1_amd64 
NAME
viking - program to manage GPS data
SYNOPSIS
viking [-d | --debug] [-V | --verbose]
[--latitude degrees --longitude degrees]
[-z | --zoom ZoomLevelOSM] [-m | --map MapId]
[-c | --config-dir directory] [-e | --external] [-r | --running-instance]
[file...] | [-]
viking [-h | --help]
viking [-v | --version]
DESCRIPTION
Viking is a program to manage GPS data.
You can import and plot tracks, routes and waypoints, show OpenStreetMap (OSM) and/or other maps,
generate maps (using Mapnik), geotag images, add coordinate lines, make new tracks, routes and waypoints,
hide different things, etc. It is written mainly in C with some C++ and uses the GTK+ 3 toolkit. It is
available for Linux, other POSIX operating systems and Windows.
Homepage: http://viking.sf.net
Viking is licensed under the GNU GPL.
Viking also provides a more extensive manual accessible via the program that expands on some of the
concepts introduced here.
DETAILS
Details.sp
Table 1. File Reference
┌─────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Values │ Description │
├─────────┼───────────────────────────────────────┤
│ file(s) │ Read the specified files in sequence │
│ │ left to right │
├─────────┼───────────────────────────────────────┤
│ - │ Read input from standard in. No other │
│ │ files should be specified │
└─────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┘
Note that the ordering of files can be important depending on their file type. Subsequent non Viking
project files are loaded into the previous Viking project, with the files being processed left to right.
Some examples:
• viking file1.gpx file2.gpx file3.gpx
Here all GPX files are loaded into a new Viking project in one window.
• viking file1.vik file2.vik
Each Viking project file is opened in a new window.
• viking file1.vik file2.gpx file3.gpx
The GPX files are loaded into the Viking project in one window.
• viking file2.gpx file3.gpx file1.vik
The GPX files are loaded into a new Viking project in a one window and the Viking project is loaded
seperately in a seperate window.
Table 2. Command Line Reference
┌──────────────┬────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────┐
│ Short Option │ Long Option │ Description │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ -h │ --help │ Show the command line │
│ │ │ options and then exit. │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ -V │ --verbose │ Run in verbose mode. Some │
│ │ │ information about what │
│ │ │ Viking is doing is shown in │
│ │ │ stdout. │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ -d │ --debug │ Run in debug mode. Even more │
│ │ │ information about what │
│ │ │ Viking is doing is shown in │
│ │ │ stdout. This also enables │
│ │ │ some extra information │
│ │ │ features in the GUI itself, │
│ │ │ primarily of interest to │
│ │ │ developers. │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ -v │ --version │ Show the version and then │
│ │ │ exit. │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ N/A │ --latitude │ Set the initial position to │
│ │ │ the specified latitude in │
│ │ │ decimal degrees. │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ N/A │ --longitude │ Set the initial position to │
│ │ │ the specified longitude in │
│ │ │ decimal degrees. │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ -z │ --zoom │ Set the initial zoom level. │
│ │ │ The value is the OSM zoom │
│ │ │ level (0 - 22). │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ -m │ --map │ Add a map layer by │
│ │ │ specifying the map id. The │
│ │ │ value needs to match one of │
│ │ │ the internal ids or an id │
│ │ │ from the Map Source │
│ │ │ Extensions. │
│ │ │ Specifying a value of 0 │
│ │ │ will use the map layer │
│ │ │ default. │
│ │ │ Specifying any negative │
│ │ │ value e.g. -2 will not show │
│ │ │ a map (overriding the GUI │
│ │ │ preference that │
│ │ │ automatically adds one at │
│ │ │ startup) │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ -e │ --external │ The files specified on the │
│ │ │ command line will be loaded │
│ │ │ in as external files as per │
│ │ │ the External reference:??? │
│ │ │ method. │
│ │ │ Applies to GPX, FIT, KML │
│ │ │ or TCX types, thus has no │
│ │ │ effect on .vik files. │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ -c │ --config-dir │ Use an alternate location │
│ │ │ (which will be created if it │
│ │ │ does not exist) for the │
│ │ │ configuration directory. │
│ │ │ This is useful for │
│ │ │ using/trying specific │
│ │ │ configuration values for a │
│ │ │ particular session without │
│ │ │ changing ones normal │
│ │ │ settings. │
├──────────────┼────────────────────┼──────────────────────────────┤
│ -r │ --running-instance │ Opens the specified files in │
│ │ │ an already running instance │
│ │ │ of Viking. If no instance is │
│ │ │ available than the files │
│ │ │ will not be opened. │
│ │ │ Positional and map option │
│ │ │ parameters are not used or │
│ │ │ passed on to the running │
│ │ │ instance. │
│ │ │ .if n .sp │
│ │ │ Note │
│ │ │ │
│ │ │ This option is │
│ │ │ not available on │
│ │ │ Windows(TM) │
└──────────────┴────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────┘
Table 3. Internal Map Ids
┌───────────────────────────┬───────────────────────┐
│ Map │ Id │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ 4UMaps │ 801 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ Bing Aerial │ 212 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ Blue Marble │ 15 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ CalTopo │ 29 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ CyclOSM │ 65 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ pnvkarte Public Transport │ 101 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ OpenSeaMap │ 600 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ OpenTopo │ 901 (current default) │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ OSM Cycle │ 17 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ OSM Humanitarian │ 22 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ OSM Mapnik │ 13 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ OSM Transport │ 20 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ OSM GPS Traces │ 33 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ Waymarked Trails Cycling │ 702 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ Waymarked Trails Hiking │ 701 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ Waymarked Trails MTB │ 703 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ Waymarked Trails Riding │ 705 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ Waymarked Trails Skating │ 704 │
├───────────────────────────┼───────────────────────┤
│ Waymarked Trails Winter │ 706 │
└───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────┘
The current list of available Maps and their Id, including the built in ones listed above plus any
additional ones added by extended configuration, can be viewed in the main program by going to Help →
Maps Information
An example to open at a specified location with an OSM Mapnik map layer:
viking --latitude 51.4 --longitude -1.3 --zoom 12 --map 13
If a file is also specified on the command line, the command line location and zoom parameters will take
precedence.
Viking supports RFC5870[1], the 'geo' URI scheme. Every 'file' on the command line is checked to see if
in fact it is a geo URI. Thus the above example in geo URI format is:
viking geo:51.4,-1.3?z=12 --map 13
Note
As a special combination when both -V and -d are both enabled at the same time, Viking will not
delete some of the temporary files created during the program run. This is especially useful to
monitor results of download requests (which need to be interpreted) if they suddenly start failing,
as the file will have often more detailed information about the failure mode.
Viking being a GTK+ program means some options are processed by GTK+ itself such as --display. Use the
following to find out what they are for your system:
viking --help-gtk
EXTENDING VIKING
Extending Viking.PP
Overview.PP
Currently, Viking has some extension points based on configuration files. The file format is heavily
inspired by the GtkBuilder file format: you specify the class of the GObject to build and set its
properties. Technically, it is a XML file containing a "objects" root element. Inside this element, you
set a collection of "object".
Here is an example:
<objects>
<object class="ClassName">
<property name="property_name1">Property value</property>
<property name="property_name2">Property value</property>
</object>
...
<objects>
You can find more examples as installed on your system and in the documentation part of the distribution.
Typically these will be installed into one of the $XDG_DATA_DIR locations, such as /usr/share/viking/ or
C:\Program Files\Viking\data depending on the Operating System.
It is also possible to override the internal defaults e.g. to update any parameters should they change
over time, by adding the values into your configuration file. When you define object group that already
exists (and for Maps this means by a repeated Id key, but you may have to examine the source code to work
out what the relevant Id values are) then you need to define all the other keys as well, otherwise they
will be reset to the defaults.
Map Sources.PP It is possible to add new map sources. The file is maps.xml placed in your User
Configuration File Location.
An example of the file is in the distribution doc/examples/maps.xml. Further examples and values are
online in the Maps Wiki[2]
The VikSlippyMapSource allows declaration of any map source working like OpenStreetMap. It supports the
following properties:
id
this is an integer and should be unique as it used to identify the map source
name
a string (should be unique) that is used for the OSM style cache directory name when the Map Cache
directory is the default (~/.viking-maps)
label
the text displayed in the map's source selection dialog
hostname
the server's hostname (eg. "tile.openstreetmap.org")
url
the parameterised address of the tile, in the spirit of C printf format, with 3 "%d" fields for Z, X
and Y (in that order) (eg. "/%d/%d/%d.png")
Note
The full parameterised address can just be put in the URL field and the hostname field doesn't
need specifying.
e.g. "https://tile.openstreetmap.org/%d/%d/%d.png"
user-agent (optional)
Override the default user-agent used in the HTTP request.
custom-http-headers (optional)
Custom HTTP headers to be added to the download request. The default is none.
Multiple headers can be specified by separating each part with an '\n'.
The header allows of substitutions of values of the positional Z, X and Y (in that order) values, as
per the url option above. Using multiple and/or different ordered values can be acheived via printf()
positional argument specifiers. For example:
DNT: 1\nLine2: %d %d %d\nReordered: %3$d %1$d %2$d
copyright (optional)
The copyright of the map source.
license (optional)
The license of the map source.
license-url (optional)
The URL of the license of the map source.
zoom-min (optional)
The minimum Tiled Web Map zoom value supported by the tile server. The Default is 0 if not specified.
zoom-max (optional)
The maximum Tiled Web Map zoom value supported by the tile server. The Default is 18 if not
specified.
lat-min (optional)
The minimum latitude value in degrees supported by the tile server. The Default is -90 degrees if not
specified.
lat-max (optional)
The maximum latitude value in degrees supported by the tile server. The Default is 90 degrees if not
specified.
lon-min (optional)
The minimum longitude value in degrees supported by the tile server. The Default is -180 degrees if
not specified.
lon-max (optional)
The maximum longitude value in degrees supported by the tile server. The Default is 180 degrees if
not specified.
file-extension (optional)
The file extension of the files on disk. The default is .png
If the tile source is not a PNG file, then this parameter can be used to specify the naming to give
consistent extension filenames on disk.
This can also be useful in reading a tileset from other software which may name tiles in an
alternative form, e.g. for Mobile Atlas creator it names them .png.tile
Note
The file types actually usable are those supported by GDK Pixbuf Library, which includes at least
PNG and JPEG.
Note
Remember to include the beginning '.' when specifying this parameter.
use-direct-file-access (optional)
Only use files on disk. The default is FALSE
This can also be useful for tilesets already on disk as it will avoid attempting to download any
tiles.
Thus with this type the hostname and url parameters are not necessary and are ignored.
offset-x (optional)
The offset of the map in the x plane (towards east) in metres. The default is 0.0 if not specified.
Use negative numbers to adjust in a westerly direction.
Typical usage would be aligning differing maps, e.g. aerial imagery may be offset from cadastral
maps.
Currently this is a single value that applies to all zoom levels.
offset-y (optional)
The offset of the map in the y plane (towards north) in metres. The default is 0.0 if not specified.
Use negative numbers to adjust in a southerly direction.
switch-xy (optional)
Swap the X,Y values around in the URL parameterised ordering.
The default is false.
check-file-server-time (optional)
Sends the timestamp of the tile to the server, so the server can decide whether it should send a new
tile or not.
The default is true.
use-etag (optional)
Use and compare the ETag[3] value in determining whether to download a newer tile. The default is
false.
The ETag value is stored in a separate file in the same directory as the tile to enable checking the
value across multiple runs of the program.
referer (optional)
A URL to serve as referrer for the HTTP request (eg. "http://hostname/")
follow-location (optional)
The maximum number of redirects allowed. The default is 0, i.e. no redirection. Use -1 for an
unlimited number of redirects.
tilesize-x (optional)
The tile x size. The default is 256 pixels if not specified.
tilesize-y (optional)
The tile y size. The default is 256 pixels if not specified.
scale (optional)
The tile scale. The scale is 1 if not specified.
Note
Use a value of 2 to represent high res tiles. Don't change the tilesize as the internal display
size is still based on 256 pixels.
The VikTmsMapSource allows declaration of any TMS service. A TMS (Tile Map Service) is defined in Tile
Map Service Specification[4]. The configuration supports the following properties (as per
VikSlippyMapSource above):
id
label
hostname
url
custom-http-headers (optional)
copyright (optional)
license (optional)
license-url (optional)
check-file-server-time (optional)
follow-location (optional)
referer (optional)
user-agent (optional)
zoom-min (optional)
zoom-max (optional)
lat-min (optional)
lat-max (optional)
lon-min (optional)
lon-max (optional)
file-extension (optional)
scale (optional)
tilesize-x (optional)
tilesize-y (optional)
offset-x (optional)
offset-y (optional)
The VikWmscMapSource allows declaration of any WMS or WMS-C service. A WMS (Web Map Service) is defined
in WMS Tile Caching[5]. The configuration supports the following properties (as per VikSlippyMapSource
above):
id
label
hostname
url
custom-http-headers (optional)
copyright (optional)
license (optional)
license-url (optional)
check-file-server-time (optional)
follow-location (optional)
referer (optional)
user-agent (optional)
zoom-min (optional)
zoom-max (optional)
lat-min (optional)
lat-max (optional)
lon-min (optional)
lon-max (optional)
file-extension (optional)
scale (optional)
tilesize-x (optional)
tilesize-y (optional)
offset-x (optional)
offset-y (optional)
Go-to Search Engines.PP It is possible to add new new search engines for the "Go-To" feature. The file is
goto_tools.xml placed in your User Configuration File Location.
An example of the file in the distribution doc/examples/goto_tools.xml.
Currently, there is a single object class available: VikGotoXmlTool. This feature allows one to declare
any search engine using a XML format as result.
The related properties are:
label
the text displayed in the Go-To dialog
url-format
the parameterised address of the query, in the spirit of C printf format, with a single "%s" field
(replaced by the query string)
lat-path
XML path of the latitude (eg. /root/parent/elem)
lat-attr (optional)
name of the attribute (of previous element) containing the latitude
lon-path
XML path of the longitude (eg. /root/parent/elem)
lon-attr (optional)
name of the attribute (of previous element) containing the longiude
referer (optional)
A URL to serve as referer for the HTTP request (eg. "http://hostname/")
follow-location (optional)
The maximum number of redirects allowed. The default is 0, i.e. no redirection. Use -1 for an
unlimited number of redirects.
user-agent (optional)
Override the default user-agent used in the HTTP request.
custom-http-headers (optional)
Custom HTTP headers to be added to the HTTP request. The default is none.
Note that unlike custom-http-headers for Tile download requests, it does not perform any value
substitions in this string.
As a facility (or readability) it is possible to set both path and attribute name in a single property,
like an XPath expression. To do so, simply set both info in lat-path (or lon-path) in the following
format: /root/parent/elem@attribute. External Tools.PP It is possible to add new external tools. The
file is external_tools.xml placed in your User Configuration File Location.
An example of the file in the distribution doc/examples/external_tools.xml.
The VikWebtoolCenter allows one to declare any Webtool using a logic based on center coordinates and zoom
level value.
The related properties are:
label
the text displayed in the menu entry
url
the parametrized URL to open, in the spirit of C printf format, with 2 "%s" and a "%d" fields for X,
Y and Z (zoom level) (eg. "http://hostname/?lat=%s&lon=%s&zoom=%d")
The VikWebtoolBounds allows one to declare any Webtool using a logic based on bounds coordinates.
The related properties are:
label
the text displayed in the menu entry
url
the parametrized address of the tile, in the spirit of C printf format, with 4 "%s" fields for left,
right, bottom and top (eg. "http://hostname:8111/load_and_zoom?left=%s&right=%s&bottom=%s&top=%s")
Routing Engines.PP It is possible to declare new routing engines. The file is routing.xml placed in your
User Configuration File Location.
An example of the file in the distribution doc/examples/routing.xml.
The VikRoutingWebEngine allows one to declare a routing engine available via HTTP.
The related properties are:
id
a string, should be unique as it used to identify the routing engine
label
the text displayed in the menu entry
format
The GPSBabel format code to interpret the service response. By default a GPX response is expected and
processed internally. However if the service returns a different format then GPSBabel is used to
transform the text into something that Viking can understand. Only formats that GPSBabel supports can
be used: e.g. gtrnctr (for Garmin Training Center .tcx files), etc...
Use gpsbabel --help on the command line to find out the supported file types and their codes to
process them.
Some format codes are handled natively by Viking such as gpx and kml.
A special format code of viking-geojson-osrm is available for handling responses by OSRM[6] route
servers.
url-base
the base URL of the web service (eg. "http://hostname/service?")
url-start-ll
the part of the URL setting the starting point location, parameterised in the spirit of C printf
format, with 2 "%s" for coordinates (eg. "&start=%s,%s")
url-stop-ll
the part of the URL setting the end point location, parameterised in the spirit of C printf format,
with 2 "%s" for coordinates (eg. "&stop=%s,%s")
url-via-ll (optional)
the part of the URL setting via point location, parameterised in the spirit of C printf format, with
2 "%s" for coordinates (eg. "&via=%s,%s")
url-start-dir (optional)
the part of the URL setting the starting point location for direction based routing, parameterised in
the spirit of C printf format, with one "%s" for direction (eg. "&start=%s")
url-stop-dir (optional)
the part of the URL setting the end point location for direction based routing, parameterised in the
spirit of C printf format, with one "%s" for direction (eg. "&stop=%s")
url-ll-lat-first (optional)
The ordering of the lat/long terms in the Start, Stop and Via URL settings. By default this is TRUE.
For instance using Brouter services, the URL uses a pair of values which is longitude and then
latitude. Thus setting this value to FALSE ensures the value substitution is performed in the
necessary order.
referer (optional)
A URL to serve as referer for the HTTP request (eg. "http://hostname/")
follow-location (optional)
The maximum number of redirects allowed. The default is 0, i.e. no redirection. Use -1 for an
unlimited number of redirects.
user-agent (optional)
Override the default user-agent used in the HTTP request.
custom-http-headers (optional)
Custom HTTP headers to be added to the HTTP request. The default is none.
Note that unlike custom-http-headers for Tile download requests, it does not perform any value
substitutions in this string.
Remote File Datasources.PP It is possible to add web references expected to return a file which can then
be opened directly or converted via GPSBabel.
The file is datasources.xml placed in your User Configuration File Location.
An example of the file is in the source distribution doc/examples/datasources.xml.
The VikWebtoolDatasource allows one to declare any URL using logic based on coordinates.
The related properties are:
label
the text displayed in the menu entry
url
the parameterised URL to open in the spirit of C printf format, with up to 9 "%s" values. e.g.
http://hostname/getfile?lat=%s&lon=%s
The order and meaning of these parameters is given by the url_format_code below
url_format_code
A string describing the parameterised URL substitution parameters, each character represents how to
translate each term.
B = Bottom of the current view i.e. minimum latitude
L = Left of the current view i.e. minimum longitude
T = Top of the current view i.e. maximum latitude
R = Right of the current view i.e. maximum longitude
A = center lAtitude of the current view
O = center lOngitude of the current view
Z = OSM Zoom value of the current view. See Zoom Levels[7]
P = selected Point's latitude
N = selected poiNt's longitude
S = A user specified input string requested from the user via a dialog box
Thus for the url example above then the format code should be AO
file_type
This value is passed on for the -i parameter in interfacing with GPSBabel.
If it is not defined then the returned file is interpreted internally as a GPX file.
Possible values such as 'kml', 'mapsource' etc.. can be used. See GPSBabel File Formats[8] for the
full list.
babel_filter_args
This value is passed on for the filter arguments interfacing with GPSBabel.
E.g. "-x nuketypes,routes" can be used to filter all routes from the results.
input_label
This value is used when requesting input from the user.
It is the label of the text input box.
referer (optional)
A URL to serve as referrer for the HTTP request (eg. "http://hostname/")
follow-location (optional)
The maximum number of redirects allowed. The default is 0, i.e. no redirection. Use -1 for an
unlimited number of redirects.
user-agent (optional)
Override the default user-agent used in the HTTP request.
custom-http-headers (optional)
Custom HTTP headers to be added to the HTTP request. The default is none.
System Extension File Locations.PP Note that, on UNIX(TM) like systems, the extension files (maps.xml,
goto_tools.xml, datasources.xml, external_tools.xml, routing.xml) are also searched in /etc/viking and
/usr/share/viking directories (or related in your system).
The $XDG_DATA_DIRS environment variable can be used to change these directories.
The $XDG_DATA_HOME environment variable is also used (if set) to look for these extension files.
FILES
Configuring Viking.PP
User Configuration File Location.PP
Viking looks for its configuration files (viking.prefs, viking.ini, viking.ini and keys.rc) in a specific
directory, searching legacy locations first before trying new locations. Thus if you upgrade Viking it
will continue to use your existing setup.
For UNIX(TM) like systems:
Up to v1.8
~/.viking/
(typically /home/username/.viking)
From v1.9 onwards
XDG Base Directory compliant[9]
Typically ~/config/viking/
For Windows(TM) systems:
v1.8 or earlier
C:\Users\username\.viking
v1.9 onwards
C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\viking
For Mac(TM):
/Library/Application Support/Viking
Note
If you've upgraded Viking to v1.9 and want it to use the new location, you will have to manually move
the existing directory (when Viking is not running). e.g. in the command line: mv ~/.viking
~/.config/viking
Note
The User Configuration File Location directory can be overridden for the current session by
explicitly setting the configuration directory via the --config-dir command line option. See the
section called “Details” for more detail.
Primary Settings.PP Viking's primary configuration options are controllable via the GUI as previously
covered in Preferences:???.
These values are stored in the plain text file viking.prefs Miscellaneous Settings.PP Various individual
values are automatically saved between Viking sessions in the viking.ini file placed in your User
Configuration File Location.
This file is not intended to be manually edited, but since it is a plain text file it can be changed if
desired.
Some values in this file are non-GUI, in the sense that there is no way to set it other than by manually
entering in the keys and values (the key will not exist in the file otherwise). This allows some fine
tuning of Viking behaviours, without resorting to recompiling the code. However is it not expected that
these values should need to be changed for a normal user, hence no GUI options for these have been
provided.
Here is the list of the non-GUI keys and their default values.
• curl_cainfo=NULL
See CURLOPT_CAINFO[10]
• For UNIX(TM) like systems: curl_ssl_verifypeer=1
For Windows(TM) systems: curl_ssl_verifypeer=0
See CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER[11]
Note
If you encounter issues downloading from https sources, setting this to 0 should get HTTPS
connections to work. For UNIX(TM) like operating systems SSL Certificate management is typically
handled system wide and trusted certficate issuers updated regularly. Whereas for Viking under
Windows this is only done at installation/version update time and so may become out of date or
encounter unknown sources and thus more likely to raise verification failures. Hence this is why
is is turned off by default on Windows(TM) - especially to ensure the default Maps of OpenTopoMap
work without manual user intervention.
• curl_user_agent=NULL
Override the default HTTP User-Agent (which is otherwise generated automatically from a combination
of Viking's name, the version and curl information) set in all download requests with the value
specified.
Also see CURLOPT_USERAGENT[12]
NB The User Agent for individual downloads/requests can be set via the relevant user-agent property
when defining use of additional resources.
• export_gpsmapper_option=false
To enable the export to the little used GPS Mapper format option, set this to true.
• export_gpspoint_option=false
To enable the export to the little used GPS Point format option, set this to true.
• geoclue_accuracy_level=4
Set the integer value for the accuracy level request to the GeoClue service. Values to match the
GClueAccuracyLevel[13]:
• 0 = GCLUE_ACCURACY_LEVEL_NONE
• 1 = GCLUE_ACCURACY_LEVEL_COUNTRY
• 4 = GCLUE_ACCURACY_LEVEL_CITY
• 5 = GCLUE_ACCURACY_LEVEL_NEIGHBORHOOD
• 6 = GCLUE_ACCURACY_LEVEL_STREET
• 8 = GCLUE_ACCURACY_LEVEL_EXACT
• gpx_tidy_points=true
ATM Only attempts to remove a suspicious first point of a GPX track (as opposed to any points within
a track).
• gpx_tidy_points_max_speed=340
Over this speed (in metres per second) for the first pair of points - the first point is removed.
• layers_create_trw_auto_default=false
Create new TrackWaypoint layers without showing the layer properties dialog first.
• layers_panel_calendar_markup_mode=3
0=No markups. 1=Day marked. 2=Day marked and tooltips created. 3=Auto (timed tooltip creation, so if
too slow it reverts to 1).
If the following message is shown in the message log:vik_layers_panel_calendar_update: detail level
reduced as taking too longthen consider setting this value to 2 - although with the caveat that
calendar refreshes may introduce noticable delays.
• maps_cache_status_no_file_color=red
• maps_cache_status_expired_color=yellow
• maps_cache_status_download_error_color=darkred
• maps_cache_status_okay_color=teal
Note
maps_cache_status_*_color value strings are passed directly into the low level function
gdk_color_parse()[14].
The string can either one of a large set of standard names (taken from the X11 rgb.txt file), or
it can be a hexadecimal value in the form "#rgb" "#rrggbb", "#rrrgggbbb" or "#rrrrggggbbbb" where
'r', 'g' and 'b' are hex digits of the red, green, and blue components of the color,
respectively.
• maps_max_tiles=1000
• maps_min_shrinkfactor=0.0312499
• maps_max_shrinkfactor=8.0000001
• maps_real_min_shrinkfactor=0.0039062499
• maps_scale_inc_down=4
• maps_scale_inc_up=2
• maps_scale_smaller_zoom_first=true
• modifications_ignore_visibility_toggle=false
Particularly if one often views large .vik files, then changing the visibility of items may be
considered just part of the viewing process. Thus maybe you don't want to be notified on exit about
such things - in this case you can set this value to true.
• srtm_http_base_url=https://dds.cr.usgs.gov/srtm/version2_1/SRTM3
Allows using an alternative service for acquiring DEM SRTM files. Note that the layout on the server
needs to be split into Continent directories.
• mapnik_buffer_size=128 (in pixels)
• osm_basic_auth=false
Set to true to force the use of HTTP Basic Authentication even when OAuth is available
• background_max_threads=10
• background_max_threads_local=Number of CPUs
• window_default_tool=Select
Options are: Pan, Zoom, Ruler or Select
• window_menubar=true
• window_copy_centre_full_format=false
• window_move_scroll_timeout=5 (milliseconds)
Time to wait between move scroll events before redrawing
• window_zoom_scroll_timeout=150 (milliseconds)
Time to wait between zoom scroll events before redrawing
• window_pinch_gesture_factor=1.5
Sensitivity factor for pinch zooming. Best to use keep this value somewhere between 0.5 and 3.0 - a
higher value is more sensitive.
• window_mount_device_id=NULL
If your desktop environment doesn't automatically mount USB storage devices or you wish to also
manage it in Viking - then set this to a device's drive label e.g GARMIN or UUID value.
Viking will then put menu entries under Help so you can be manually perform operations as required.
This is provided as a very basic opt in feature, only allowing specification and management of just
one device via some additional menu entries. Presently no intention to make this a more fully fledged
feature; USB device management is left to other programs.
• version_check_period_days=14
• trackwaypoint_start_end_distance_diff=100.0
• gps_statusbar_format=GSA
This string is in the Message Format Code
• geoclue_statusbar_format=SA
This string is in the Message Format Code
• trkpt_selected_statusbar_format=KEATDN
This string is in the Message Format Code
• utils_nearest_tz_factor=1.0
• viewport_history_size=20
• viewport_history_diff_dist=500
In metres.
Go Back or Go Forward requests over this range from the last history location will move back to that
position. If within this range it will skip over this location and move on to the next saved history
location.
• viewport_scale=1
If Viking doesn't automatically detect a high resolution display, you can force the setting here -
typically by setting this to 2.
• viewport_popup_delay=200
In milliseconds
Viking should show a popup with the name of the current track selected. If it is not shown (perhaps
you have a slowish machine), try increasing this value.
• external_diary_program=rednotebook[15]
Or in Windows it uses C:/Progra~1/Rednotebook/rednotebook.exe - This string value must use Unix
separators and not have spaces.
• external_astro_program=stellarium[16]
Or in Windows use C:/Progra~1/Stellarium/stellarium.exe - This string value must use Unix separators
and not have spaces. Needs to be version 0.15.0 or greater (otherwise due to this Bug[17] means this
does not actually work).
• external_text_program=gedit
Or in Windows it uses notepad - This string value must use Unix separators and not have spaces.
• bfilter_simplify=100
• bfilter_compress=0.001
• list_date_format=%Y-%m-%d %H:%M
A date format description[18] as passed on to strftime(). Note that when displayed in tables sorting
by this column simply uses the text value, rather than the underlying date/time value.
• export_device_path=OS Specific
UNIX = "/media/user/GARMIN/Garmin/GPX"
WINDOWS = ":/Garmin/GPX"
• export_device_trackpoint_limit=10000 (Typical Garmin Edge limit)
Older Garmins limits are typically much lower - Etrex 20/30 is 500
• export_device_routepoint_limit=250
• kmz_default_maps_dir=Empty
You may want to use something like: "/media/user/GARMIN/Garmin/CustomMaps"
• geotag_photo_dir="/home/user/Pictures"
Override the base search location for photographs
A matching dated directory corresponding to the track is attempted of the format
/geotag_photo_dir/YYYY/MM/DD
• gpx_comment_time_format="%d-%B-%y %H:%M:%S"
The fallback format used in generating timestamps for waypoints from their comment
• use_env_browser=false
By default Viking uses the low level function gtk_show_uri_on_window() function to open URLs, which
typically results in opening a new instance of a web browser.
This can be overridden by setting this configuration value to true and setting the environment
variable BROWSER to invoke the desired browser, optionally including command line parameters to
invoke the desired behaviour; such as "firefox --new-tab".
One could even have a more complicated string to run a specific version with a specific profile, e.g.
BROWSER="/home/rob/Downloads/firefox/firefox -P 'Nightly' --new-tab" viking
Note that if you set BROWSER, other programs may also use this value.
This is not applicable on Windows as currently Viking uses the low level function ShellExecute()
method to open URLs.
Message Format Code.PP Currently for ease of implementation the message format code is a string of
characters.
Each character represents what should be inserted in relation to a Trackpoint.
One day it might evolve into something more user friendly with a frontend to control it, perhaps allowing
arbitrary text too. However for now at least some control is offered :)
Character Code
G = Some text to display at the start of the message - GPSD
K = Some text to display at the start of the message - Trkpt
A = Altitude of a Trackpoint
S = Speed of a Trackpoint
B = Vertical Speed (Climb)
C = Course of a Trackpoint
L = Location of a Trackpoint
T = Time of a Trackpoint
M = Time diff of a Trackpoint from the previous trackpoint
X = Number of satellites used in the trackpoint fix
D = Distance of the trackpoint from the start of a track (following along the track)
F = Distance of the trackpoint from the finish (end) of a track (following along the track)
P = Distance difference of the trackpoint from the previous trackpoint
N = Name of track to which the trackpoint belongs
E = Name of the trackpoint
Output Notes
If the output has * after it, then the value has been calculated via interpolation (such as speed
when the Trackpoint does not contain a speed value).
If the output has ** after it, then difficulties were encountered in trying to work out the value so
probably a default of 0 will be shown.
Keyboard Shortcuts (Accelerator) Settings.PP This is held in the file keys.rc in your User Configuration
File Location.
It is in the standard GTK Accelerator map format. Values are automatically read in and saved between
Viking sessions.
This file is not intended to be manually edited, but since it is a plain text file it can be changed if
desired.
ENVIRONMENT
XDG_DATA_HOME
Optional directory to look for extension files (maps.xml, goto_tools.xml, datasources.xml,
external_tools.xml, routing.xml).
XDG_DATA_DIRS
Path used to change the directories scanned for extension files (maps.xml, goto_tools.xml,
datasources.xml, external_tools.xml, routing.xml).
VIKING_MAPS
The path used for the default root location of maps.
AUTHOR
This manual page was originally written by Ralf Meyer <ranfyy@gmail.com> for the Debian(TM) system (but
may be used by others). Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the
terms of the GNU General Public License, Version 2 any later version published by the Free Software
Foundation.
On Debian systems, the complete text of the GNU General Public License can be found in
/usr/share/common-licenses/GPL.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2007 Ralf Meyer
Copyright © 2010 Guilhem Bonnefille
Copyright © 2021 Rob Norris
NOTES
1. RFC5870
https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc5870
2. Maps Wiki
https://sourceforge.net/p/viking/wikiallura/Maps/
3. ETag
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_ETag
4. Tile Map Service Specification
https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Tile_Map_Service_Specification
5. WMS Tile Caching
https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/WMS_Tile_Caching
6. OSRM
http://project-osrm.org/
7. Zoom Levels
https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Zoom_levels
8. GPSBabel File Formats
https://www.gpsbabel.org/capabilities.html
9. XDG Base Directory compliant
https://specifications.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-latest.html
10. CURLOPT_CAINFO
https://curl.haxx.se/libcurl/c/CURLOPT_CAINFO.html
11. CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER
https://curl.haxx.se/libcurl/c/CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER.html
12. CURLOPT_USERAGENT
https://curl.se/libcurl/c/CURLOPT_USERAGENT.html
13. GClueAccuracyLevel
https://www.freedesktop.org/software/geoclue/docs/libgeoclue/libgeoclue-gclue-enums.html#GClueAccuracyLevel
14. gdk_color_parse()
https://docs.gtk.org/gdk3/type_func.Color.parse.html
15. rednotebook
https://rednotebook.sourceforge.io/
16. stellarium
https://stellarium.org/
17. Bug
https://bugs.launchpad.net/stellarium/+bug/1410529
18. date format description
https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/007908799/xsh/strftime.html
Viking 2025-09-30 VIKING(1)