You can modify the PCMSERVE.INI file to set default trip options so that these options are active each time you use PC*MILER Connect or PC*MILER Spreadsheets. The .INI file is in your Windows or Windows NT folder, and can be opened using Notepad, Wordpad or another text editor.


Please note that an option set with a Connect or Spreadsheets function takes precedence over both the .INI setting and the setting in the PC*MILER user interface. The order of precedence is:

  1. Options that are set using Connect or Spreadsheets functions prevail over the default options set in PC*MILER and the .INI file.
  2. Options set in PCMSERVE.INI prevail over those set in PC*MILER.
  3. An option set as the default in PC*MILER takes effect only in the absence of settings 1 and 2, and only when a key for that option exists in the PCMSERVE.INI without an assigned value. For example, the Distance Precision setting in PC*MILER would only take effect when the line DistancePrecision= is included in the [OPTIONS] section of the INI. (See below.)


About Connect

Note also that the same defaults are used for all clients that connect via PC*MILER Connect at the same time. You have to shut down all client applications to unload Connect before any changes to the .INI file will take effect. Settings in the .INI that can be added or edited are listed below. If any key doesn’t have a value or is not found in the .INI file, it assumes the default value or the value set in the PC*MILER user interface. These defaults are used to initialize each new trip. After creating a trip, you can change the options for that trip through function calls.


About Spreadsheets

Excel must be closed and reopened for .INI file setting changes to take effect.


.INI Settings

Key

Valid Values 

(Defaults are Underlined)

Description

[Logging]

 

 

Enable=

0

1

Should log files be generated (1) or not (0).

Default = 0

File=


Path/file name of log file.

Append=

0

1

Append to old file (1) or write over (0). Default = 0

MaxStrLen=

Any integer up to 254

Assign number of characters to truncate log messages to (optional)

DisplayTime=

0

1

When DisplayTime = 1, date and time are shown at the beginning of each line in the specified log file.

MultiThread=

0

1

When set to = 1, the log will contain thread IDs to show the API’s executed on each current running thread.  Default = 0.

[Defaults]



CalcType=Practical
Shortest
National
AvoidToll
Air


Set the default routing type: most Practical, Shortest by distance, favor State + National Network, avoid tolls, or Air (straight line).
Default = Practical

Note: Toll-Discouraged and National routing are based on Practical miles.

Units=Miles
Kilometers

What unit of measure should distance be shown in.
Default = Miles

ChangeDest=TRUE
FALSE

When optimizing the route, should the trip’s destination be optimized also (T).
Default = False

Borders=

TRUE
FALSE

Should the engine try to keep routes within the United States (F), or can they cross and recross the borders at will (T).
Default = True

HubMode=

TRUE
FALSE

Calculate the routes from the origin to each stop (T), not through each stop (F).
Default = False

AlphaOrder=

TRUE
FALSE

List the states in the State Report in alphabetical order (T) or in the order driven (F).
Default = True

FerryMiles=  TRUE
FALSE

Use ferry distances in mileage and cost calculations (T), or don’t use (F).
Default = True

AvoidFerries=
TRUE
FALSE
Set to True to avoid ferries for all routes. (Available in PC*MILER 35 and higher)
LightVehicle=TRUE
FALSE
Should the DLL use Light Vehicle routing (available if Streets data is installed with PC*MILER).
Default = False
MAPPING=TRUE
FALSE
(AS/400 parameter)
Default = False
EXPMAP=TRUE
FALSE
(AS/400 parameter)
Default = False
[Options]

CustomRoute=

TRUE
FALSE

Should PC*MILER Connect use Route Modifiers in routing. Route Modifiers are roads to avoid or favor as well as road closures created in Content Tools and synced with PC*MILER.
Default = False

HazRoute= 
(only with the Hazmat
add-on)

None

General*

Explosive

Inhalant

Radioactive

Corrosive

Flammable

HarmfultoWater

 

Hazardous material routing types for North America are: none (hazmat routing disabled), general, explosive, inhalant, radioactive, corrosive, or flammable.  For Europe or Oceania, hazmat route types are: none, general, explosive, flammable, or harmful to water.
Default (all regions) = None

*NOTE: “General” = “Other” in the PC*MILER UI, they are the same route type and algorithm.

PartialCityMatch=

TRUE

FALSE


Enables the return of a city match on a partial match of up to 28 characters.

Default = False

HistoricalRoadSpeeds=

TRUE

FALSE

Toggles activation of traffic data. (You must be licensed for traffic data.)

Default = True

UseUSPostCodes=

TRUE

FALSE

When set to TRUE, if a 5-digit postal code might be a U.S. or a Mexican code, the U.S. code will be used.

Default = True (see note below)

 

UseMexPostCodes=

TRUE

FALSE

When set to TRUE, if a 5-digit postal code might be a U.S. or a Mexican code, the Mexican code will be used.

Default = False

NOTE: If UseUSPostCodes and UseMexPostCodes are both FALSE, or not in the INI, the default U.S. code will be used. Also see IMPORTANT NOTE for PCMSLookup in section 3.7.

UseStreets=

(only if Streets data is installed with PC*MILER)

TRUE
FALSE


Should street-level (T) or highway-only (F) routing be used when stops are city names or postal codes.

Default = False

UseSites=

(only if Streets data is installed with PC*MILER)


TRUE
FALSE

Should Site information be used when
PC*MILER calculates distances, travel times
and driving directions for a route.
Default = True

UseNLAbbrevInMX

TRUE

FALSE


When set to TRUE, the “NL” abbreviation geocodes to Nuevo Leon in Mexico.

CountryAbbrevType=

FIPS

ISO2

ISO3

GENC2

GENC3

For PC*MILER Worldwide, this option sets the country code format that will be accepted when using city name/country abbreviations as locations in regions other than North America.

Default = FIPS

DistancePrecision=

Whole Number

Tenths

Hundredths

Thousandths

Sets the number of decimal places that will be returned when distances are calculated.

Default = Tenths

RouteSyncJSONFormat=

TRUE
FALSE


For RouteSync users, sets the format of RouteSync blobs to JSON (v3) when True.

Default = False

[ConnectOptions]



Anglicize=

TRUE

FALSE

Turns on the global conversion of diacriticals (e.g. “Montréal, QC” into usable/displayable text strings.)

Default = False

AvoidFavorAutoSave=TRUE
FALSE

(PC*MILER Connect)  This option can be set to TRUE to autosave avoids/favors on shutdown.

Default = False (Note: when this line is not present, default = false)

GeofenceAutoSave=TRUE
FALSE

(PC*MILER Connect)  This option can be set to TRUE to autosave geofence data on shutdown.

Default = True (Note: when this line is not present, default = false)

LatLonFormatDecimal=

TRUE

FALSE

Pertains to the function PCMSAddressToLatLong (deprecated in PC*MILER Connect 29),  causing the function to return lat/longs in decimal degrees (e.g. 40.348848N,74.662703W). 

When this line is not included in the .INI or is included but =FALSE, the function returns degrees, minutes, seconds (e.g. 0402056N,0743946W).

Default = False (Note: when this line is not present, default = false)

[Default]



Region=NA
SA
Africa
Asia
Europe
ME
Oceania (version 32 and below)
OC (version 33 and higher)

Default region is NA (North America).  Other regions are available worldwide with  PC*MILER Worldwide.

ProductName=PC*MILER
ProductVersion=XX.0

Current version of PC*MILER.

DLLPath=

Usually
C:\ALK Technologies\
PCMILERXX\app

Path to the current installation of PC*MILER.