USLHS Enthusiasts Community Overview
This section of the USLHS website supports the use of a database that allows you to maintain your first and last visits to lighthouses in the United States and Canada as well as various methods for displaying your visit information. Additionally, you can display visit information for other lighthouse enthusiasts. You do not need to be a member of the USLHS to fully use USLHS Enthusiasts Community! We want all lighthouse enthusiasts to share on other's experiences. Here are some of the things you can do:
A navigation bar is always displayed at the top of any USLHS Enthusiasts Community page. The following navigation buttons are displayed:
Home - return to the USLHS home page.
Overview - display what you are reading right now.
Your Info - display and log your lighthouse visits and edit your personal settings.
Enthusiasts - display information on all enthusiasts who have created profiles in the USLHS Enthusiasts Community.
Good Stuff - access various features such as displaying previous North American USLHS tours and the lighthouses that were seen on them, displaying the aliases for lighthouses that are supported in USLHS Enthusiasts Community database, downloading a file in a GPX format that contains the waypoints (GPS coordinates) for selected states or provinces, and downloading a file in a GPX format that contains the waypoints (GPS coordinates) for all states and provinces.
Logout - logout of the USLHS Enthusiasts Community.
Contact Us - send an e-mail to the USLHS to note problems, request help, request changes to current features, or request additional features.
Some of the pages displayed may be lengthy, more than would be expected to be displayed without having to vertically scroll the page. However, the navigation bar will always remain at the top of the page to provide easier access to other features of the website in case the page needs to be scrolled.
On many pages a navigation sidebar is displayed at the left side of the page. The navigation buttons displayed are based on the page that is active. Some of the pages displayed may be lengthy, more than would be expected to be displayed without having to vertically scroll the page. The sidebar will always be displayed in virtually the same position on the screen even if the webpage is scrolled to provide easy access to the features presented in the sidebar.
Typically when one of the navigation sidebar buttons is clicked, it is displayed in a grayish color to indicate what is currently being displayed on the page.
The lighthouses supported by the USLHS Enthusiasts Community have been taken from the Lighthouse People and Lighthouse Friends lists; even the replicas and lightships are included. The Lighthouse Friends website takes a more broad view of lighthouses since they include more replica lighthouses and some modern replacements, particularly the minor light in Hawaii. Additionally, several of the 'lighthouses' may have buildings that still exist but the more classical tower no longer exists. The USLHS Enthusiasts Community takes the view that a truely visitable lighthouse either must have a more classical tower that still exists (may have been modified) or at least some form of tower ruins. While all of the U.S. lights listed on the Lighthouse Friends website are included in the USLHS Enthusiasts Community database, the following U.S. lighthouses may possibly not be thought of as visitable lighthouses in a more strict sense:
| # | Lighthouse Name | State | Reason |
| 1 | Point Sherman | Alaska | Only modern light exists |
| 2 | Point Arguello | California | Only modern light exists |
| 3 | Point Knox | California | No tower exists (never an official aid) |
| 4 | Cherry Island Range (Rear) | Delaware | Only modern light exists | 5 | Delaware Breakware Rear Range | Delaware | Tower no longer exists |
| 6 | New Castle Range | Delaware | Only modern light exists |
| 7 | Key Largo | Florida | Faux lighthouse |
| 8 | Hanamanioa | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 9 | Hanapepe | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 10 | Hawea Point | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 11 | Ka Lae | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 12 | Kaho'olawe Southwest Point | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 13 | Kahala Point | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 14 | Kahului Harbor Range (Front and Rear) | Hawaii | Only modern lights exist |
| 15 | Kaumalapau | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 16 | Kokole | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 17 | Makahu'ena Point | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 18 | Manele Bay | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 19 | Molokini | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 20 | Nakalele | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 21 | Nohili Point | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 22 | Pepe'ekeo | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 23 | Pohakuloa | Hawaii | Only modern light exists |
| 24 | Bethel Bridge | Maryland | Replica lighthouse |
| 25 | Blackistone Island | Maryland | Replica lighthouse |
| 26 | Lazaretto Point | Maryland | Replica lighthouse |
| 27 | Bishop and Clerks | Massachusetts | Only modern light exists | 28 | Mayo Beach | Massachusetts | Tower no longer exists | 29 | Cedar River | Michigan | Tower no longer exists |
| 30 | Tucker's Beach | New Jersey | Replica lighthouse |
| 31 | Olcott (Replica) | New York | Replica lighthouse |
| 32 | Montauk Yacht Club | New York | Replica lighthouse |
| 33 | North Brother Island | New York | Tower no longer exists |
| 34 | Shinnecock | New York | Tower no longer exists |
| 35 | Roanoke Marshes (Replica) | North Carolina | Replica lighthouse |
| 36 | Roanoke River (Replica) | North Carolina | Replica lighthouse |
| 37 | Paris Island (Rear) | South Carolina | Tower no longer exists |
| 38 | Boyer Bluff | Wisconsin | Only modern light exists |
While all of the Canadian lights listed on the Lighthouse Friends website are included in the USLHS Enthusiasts Community database, the following Canadian lighthouses may possibly not be thought of as visitable lighthouses in a more strict sense:
| # | Lighthouse Name | Province | Reason |
| 1 | Chatham Point | British Columbia | Modern light |
| 2 | Egg Island | British Columbia | Only modern light exists |
| 3 | Cox Point | New Brunswick | Only modern light exists |
| 4 | Deer Island Point | New Brunswick | Only modern light exists |
| 5 | Fanjoys Point | New Brunswick | Only modern light exists |
| 6 | Inch Arran Point Range Rear | New Brunswick | Only modern light exists |
| 7 | Robertson Point | New Brunswick | Only modern light exists |
| 8 | Bear Cove Point | Newfoundland/Labrador | Only modern light exists |
| 9 | Colombier Islands | Newfoundland/Labrador | Only modern light exists |
| 10 | Dawson Point | Newfoundland/Labrador | Only modern light exists |
| 11 | Fortune Head | Newfoundland/Labrador | Only modern light exists |
| 12 | Green Island (Fortune Bay) | Newfoundland/Labrador | Only modern light exists |
| 13 | Marticot Island | Newfoundland/Labrador | Only modern light exists |
| 14 | Point Verde | Newfoundland/Labrador | Only modern light exists |
| 15 | Saddle Island (Red Bay) | Newfoundland/Labrador | Only modern light exists |
| 16 | Salmon Point | Newfoundland/Labrador | Modern light |
| 17 | Tides Cove Point | Newfoundland/Labrador | Only modern light exists |
| 18 | Black Rock | Nova Scotia | Only modern light exists |
| 19 | Burncoat Head (Replica) | Nova Scotia | Replica lighthouse |
| 20 | Trenton Range Rear | Nova Scotia | Only modern light exists |
| 21 | Lamb Island | Ontario | Only modern light exists |
| 22 | Nancy Island | Ontario | Replica lighthouse |
The following lighthouses on both the Lighthouse Friends and Lighthouse People lists, while supported in the USLHS Enthusiasts Community database, may also possibly not be thought of as visitable lighthouses in a more strict sense:
| # | Lighthouse Name | State | Reason |
| 1 | Mystic Seaport | Connecticut | Replica lighthouse |
| 2 | Throgs Neck | New York | Only modern light exists |
| 3 | Vermillion | Ohio | Replica lighthouse |
There are some lighthouses that no longer exist, such as the West Rigolets Light in Louisiana, but are on the Lighthouse Friends or Lighthouse People lists. If a Google™ Map is displayed for one of these lighthouses, the message The lighthouse no longer exists! is displayed to let the user know the lighthouse can no longer be visited.
Please contact the USLHS if you find there are lighthouses missing in the USLHS Community database that are in the Lighthouse Friends or Lighthouse People lists or if you believe there may be lighthouses that should or should not be in the USLHS Community database. Please limit these to United States and Canadian lighthouses.
You can return at any time to the the USLHS home page by clicking the Home navigation button. This will not automatically log you out of USLHS Enthusiasts Community.
In order to log and view the lighthouse visitation information, you must gain access through the sign in page. However, if you have not already created a profile for yourself, you must do this first; you are automatically signed in after creating a new profile. In order to sign in on subsequent visits to the USLHS Enthusiasts Community, you must enter both the user ID and password you specified in your profile; both of these values are case-sensitive (i.e., enter exactly as specified in your profile). The Sign In navigation button, which is only displayed if your are not currently signed in, can also be used to gain access to the sign in page.
By clicking the Your Info navigation button, you can display and edit your lighthouses visits, modify your profile, change your password, and access other features that are mainly specific to you. A navigation sidebar is displayed on the left side of the page that provides the following features:
State Summary - display your state visits summary for the lighthouses in each state.
All Visits - display all of your visits.
Statistics - display statistics for all of your visits.
USA Map - access area maps which can graphically display the lighthouses that you have and have not visited on a selected United States area or state map. This sidebar button is only displayed if your Your Visit Area profile setting is set to either United States or North America.
Canada Map - access area maps which can graphically display the lighthouses that you have and have not visited on a selected Canadian area or province map. This sidebar button is only displayed if your Your Visit Area profile setting is set to either Canada or North America.
Trips - display your trips and view lighthouses seen on those trips.
Aliases - display your lighthouse aliases (i.e., the alternative lighthouse names that you would like displayed instead of the default lighthouse names on the website).
Profile - modify your personal settings, such as your name, e-mail address, etc.
Change Password - modify your sign in password.
Download Current visits - download a tab-delimited text file that contains all of the possible lighthouses that can be visited as well as your logged visits. An e-mail with a TXT file attachment is sent to you using the e-mail address you specified in your profile. If you did not supply an e-mail address in your profile, this button is not displayed.
Upload New visits - upload a visits file with new visits or updated visits already logged in the database. If you did not supply an e-mail address in your profile, this button is not displayed.
While displaying any information pertaining to yourself, the navigation sidebar is displayed. When one of the above navigation sidebar buttons is clicked, it is displayed in a grayish color to indicate what is being displayed. The only exception to this is for the USA map sub-pages; since some of the maps are fairly wide, the navigation sidebar is not displayed to conserve screen space.
The Your Info navigation button is only displayed if you are logged in.
You can display your state visitation summary by clicking the Summary navigation sidebar button on the left side of the Your Info page. The information is displayed on a state and province basis in a table format:
State/Province - name of the state or province.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the state or province is located.
Total LHs - total lighthouses.
Total Visited - total lighthouses that you have logged a visit for.
LH Friends Total - number of lighthouses on the Lighthouse Friends list.
LH Friends Obsolete - number of lighthouses on the Lighthouse Friends list that no longer exist.
LH Friends Visited - number of your visits to lighthouses on the Lighthouse Friends list.
LH Friends Percent Visited - percentage of lighthouses on the Lighthouse Friends list that you have logged a visit for.
LH People Total - number of lighthouses on the Lighthouse People list.
LH People Obsolete - number of lighthouses on the Lighthouse People list that no longer exist.
LH People Visited - number of your visits to lighthouses on the Lighthouse People list.
LH People Percent Visited - percentage of lighthouses on the Lighthouse People list that you have logged a visit for.
'View' Button - display the lighthouses in the state or province and your visit status for each lighthouse.
'Map' Button - display a Google™ Map of the state or province with your visit status for each lighthouse in the state or province.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
This State Summary sub-page is the default when the Your Info navigation bar button is clicked.
By clicking the View button on the right side of a row on your State Summary page, you can display the visitable lighthouses in the selected state or province and your visit to each lighthouse in a table format:
# - table row sequential count.
Lighthouse - name of the lighthouse.
LH Friends - status if the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Friends list. If the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Friends list, then the Yes status is displayed as a hyperlink that allows access to the associated individual lighthouse page on the Lighthouse Friends website.
LH People - status if the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse People list.
First Visit Date - date you first visited the lighthouse.
Within Date Order - order within the first day you visited the lighthouse.
USLHS Visit - whether or not you first saw the lighthouse on a USLHS tour.
Last Visit Date - date you last visited the lighthouse.
'Alias' Button - define the lighthouse alias that you want to be displayed while visiting the USLHS Community website. The button is only displayed if aliases have been identified for the lighthouse. If you hover your cursor over this button, the aliases are automatically displayed.
'Add' Button - log a visit to the lighthouse. The button is only displayed if you have not previously logged a visit to the lighthouse.
'Edit' Button - edit a previously logged visit to the lighthouse. The button is only displayed if you have previously logged a visit to the lighthouse.
'Delete' Button - delete a logged visit to the lighthouse. The button is only displayed if you have previously logged a visit to the lighthouse.
'Map' Button - display a Google™ Map for the selected lighthouse.
If either the Add or Edit button is clicked for a particular lighthouse, then the Edit Your Visit page is displayed. If the Delete button is clicked, you are asked to confirm the logged visit deletion. You can simply cancel the deletion, if desired, by returning to the previous page while on the deletion confirmation page or by clicking the Cancel button that appears in the bottom-left portion of the page.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
The Edit Lighthouse Visit page allows you to change the status of your first and last visits to a particular lighthouse. There are three areas on the form: 1) first visit date, 2) last visit date, and 3) all visit info (i.e., visit comments).
How you enter the date of your first visit is based on the selected date entry method radio button for the first visit. However, the date entry method radio buttons are only displayed if the lighthouse has been seen on a North American USLHS tour. The Date First Visited field allows you to enter the date you first visited the lighthouse (required if the Enter Date radio button is selected or the date entry method radio buttons are not displayed). The USLHS Tour field allows you to specify the USLHS North American tour on which you saw the lighthouse (required if the Select USLHS Tour radio button is selected). The Within Day Visit Order field allows you to specify the order within the day you visited the lighthouse (not required). This field allows you to order your visits if so desired. For example, suppose you visited the Point Loma (New) Lighthouse and the Point Loma (Old) Lighthouse on the same day. By specifying a within day visit order, your visits can be properly sequenced. There is no validation if you specify the same within date order for the particular day.
How you enter the date of your optional last visit is based on the selected date entry method radio button for the last visit. If you do not want to specify a last visit date, then the No Date radio button must be selected. The Date Last Visited field allows you to enter the date you last visited the lighthouse (required if the Enter Date radio button is selected). The USLHS Tour field allows you to specify the USLHS North American tour on which you saw the lighthouse (required if the Select USLHS Tour radio button is selected); this radio button is only displayed if the lighthouse was seen on a North American USLHS tour. The order within the day you last visited the lighthouse is not maintained. The last visit date cannot be the same as or before the first visit date.
The Comments field allows you to enter information that may be helpful to other lighthouse enthusiasts before they visit the lighthouse (not required). Please do not include journal-type information about your visit; instead, only enter information that may help other enthusiasts enjoy their experience more (i.e., directions, open dates and times, etc.). Tab characters are not allowed. You can add comments to all visits to the lighthouse.
If you have already logged a visit to the lighthouse, the fields are automatically filled with the information you previously logged.
IMPORTANT: If you specify visit information, other USLHS enthusiasts will be able to view your visit information. That is, there is no way to hide this information. Of course, other enthusiasts will NOT be able to edit or delete your visits!
The USLHS Community website uses a default list of lighthouse names that are displayed throughout the pages. However, you may be more familiar with an alias (alternative) name for the lighthouse. By creating a user alias for a lighthouse, you can have that alias displayed on all of the pages instead of the default name. You can define as many user aliases as you like.
The Select Lighthouse Alias form allows you to select the desired alias or revert to the default lighthouse name. A series of radio buttons is displayed. The first radio button is for the default lighthouse name (always indicated as such). Subsequent radio button(s) list the aliases that can be chosen. When the form is entered, the appropriate radio button is selected based on the current user alias, if any.
A user alias can only be assigned to one of the possible lighthouse aliases in the USLHS Community database. If you are familiar with a lighthouse name that is not listed as a lighthouse alias, you may contact the USLHS to request a new lighthouse alias be added to the USLHS Community database.
If you change your mind about editing the user alias, simply exit the select lighthouse alias form or click the Cancel that appears at the bottom-left portion of the page.
You can display your lighthouse aliases to see all of the user aliases that you may have assigned.
You can display all of your lighthouse visitations by clicking the All Visits navigation sidebar button on the left side of Your Info page. The following information is displayed in a table format for each lighthouse you have logged a visit for:
# - table row sequential count.
Lighthouse - name of the lighthouse.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the lighthouse is located.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the lighthouse is located.
LH Friends - status if the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Friends list. If the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Friends list, then the Yes status is displayed as a hyperlink that allows access to the associated individual lighthouse page on the Lighthouse Friends website.
LH People - status if the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse People list.
First Visit Date - date you first visited the lighthouse.
Within Date Order - order within the first day you visited the lighthouse.
USLHS Visit - whether or not you first saw the lighthouse on a USLHS tour.
Last Visit Date - date you last visited the lighthouse.
'Edit' Button - edit a logged visit to the lighthouse.
'Delete' Button - delete a logged visit to the lighthouse.
'Map' Button - display a Google™ Map for the selected lighthouse.
If the Edit button is clicked for a particular lighthouse, then the Edit Your Visit page is displayed. If the Delete button is clicked, you are asked to confirm the logged visit deletion. You can simply cancel the deletion, if desired, by returning to the previous page while on the deletion confirmation page or by clicking the Cancel that appears at the bottom-left portion of the page.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
You can display statistics about your lighthouse visits by clicking the Statistics navigation sidebar button on the left side of Your Info page. The information is displayed in three sections: 1) general statistics, 2) monthly/yearly statistics (tables), and 3) monthly/yearly statistics (graphs).
The following lighthouse visitation information is displayed in the general statistics for any lighthouse enthusiast:
Unique Visits - number of lighthouses for which the enthusiast has logged a visit.
First Visit - date of earliest visit logged into the database by the enthusiast.
Last Visit - date of latest visit logged into the database by the enthusiast.
Most Visits in a Day - highest number of new lighthouses visited by the enthusiast in a day along with the date.
Most Consecutive Days with a Visit - highest number of consecutive days in which a new lighthouse was visited by the enthusiast along with the first and last dates of the streak.
Total Days with a Visit - number of days in which a new lighthouse was visited by the enthusiast.
Lighthouse Friends Visits - number of lighthouses visited by the enthusiast that are on the Lighthouse Friends list.
Lighthouse People Visits - number of lighthouses visited by the enthusiast that are on the Lighthouse People list.
Monthly and yearly visitation information is displayed in tabular form immediately below the general statistics. Each row in the table represents a year in which the enthusiast may have visited a new lighthouse. Thus, the first row of the table contains the information for the enthusiast's first year in which a visit has been logged, and the last row contains the information for the last year in which a visit has been logged. Each row contains the following columns:
Year - year number.
Jan - new lighthouses visited in January of the applicable year.
Feb - new lighthouses visited in Febuary of the applicable year.
Mar - new lighthouses visited in March of the applicable year.
Apr - new lighthouses visited in April of the applicable year.
May - new lighthouses visited in May of the applicable year.
Jun - new lighthouses visited in June of the applicable year.
Jul - new lighthouses visited in July of the applicable year.
Aug - new lighthouses visited in August of the applicable year.
Sep - new lighthouses visited in September of the applicable year.
Oct - new lighthouses visited in October of the applicable year.
Nov - new lighthouses visited in November of the applicable year.
Dec - new lighthouses visited in December of the applicable year.
Total - new lighthouses visited in the applicable year.
Monthly and yearly visitation information is also displayed in graphs immediately below the monthly and yearly visitation table. The visits per month graph displays the enthusiast's visits for each of the twelve months of the year. The visits per year graph shows the enthusiast's visits from the first year the enthusiast visited a lighthouse until the current year.
IMPORTANT: When you are logging visits and you do not know the actual date of the visit, you might think it is useful to specify an unknown date such as January 1st of that year. However, if you do this, the monthly statistics will be skewed. Therefore, please attempt to log visits with at least the correct month.
By accessing the USA Map navigation sidebar button, which is only displayed if your Your Visit Area setting in your profile is set to United States or North America, on the left side of Your Info page, a map that defines various areas in the United States is displayed. You can then display one of these specific area maps by clicking within the defined area on the USA map to show your lighthouse visitation status in that area. For example, you may view a map of the Great Lakes, any of the individual Great Lakes, Oregon, southern Florida, northern Maine, etc. Additionally, a list of states that contain lighthouses is displayed below the USA map. By clicking any of the state links, you can display a map of that state which shows your lighthouse visitation status in that state.
By accessing the Canada Map navigation sidebar button, which is only displayed if your Your Visit Area setting in your profile is set to Canada or North America, on the left side of Your Info page, a map that defines various areas in Canada is displayed. You can then display one of these specific area maps by clicking within the defined area to show your lighthouse visitation status in that area. For example, you may view a map of the Great Lakes, any of the individual Great Lakes, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, eastern Quebec, etc. Additionally, a list of provinces that contain lighthouses is displayed below the Canadian map. By clicking any of the province links, you can display a map of that province which shows your lighthouse visitation status in that province.
While an area may be defined as an individual state or province such as Washington, Oregon, or Nova Scotia or a group of states such as the Massachusetts/Rhode Island area, lighthouses from bordering states may still appear on the area map. For example, if the Oregon area map is displayed, a few lighthouses in southern Washington and a few lighthouses in northern California are represented on the map. Additionally, if your Your Visit Area setting in your profile is set to North America, a few lighthouses from the neighboring country may be displayed. However, unlike the area maps, the state and province maps will not show the visitation status of any nearby lighthouses that are outside the selected state or province.
The area maps graphically represent your lighthouse visit status within that area. Maps are either displayed as outline maps or Google™ Maps. The Area Maps profile setting determines which method the maps are displayed. On outline maps, every lighthouse that is visitable appears as small red, blue, or yellow rectangles in the correct location on the map. On Google™ Maps, every lighthouse that is visitable appears as red, blue, or yellow pointer-type shapes in the correct location on the map. A blue indicator means you have logged a visit to the lighthouse. A red indicator means that you have yet to log a visit to the lighthouse that still exists in some form (could be in ruins). A yellow indicator means that you have logged a visit to the lighthouse that no longer exists.
IMPORTANT: Individual state or province maps (not area maps) are always displayed as Google™ Maps; that is, the Area Maps profile setting has no effect on these maps.
While viewing a map, you can move the cursor around and position it over one of the small blue, red, or yellow indicators that denotes the position of the lighthouse on the map. When the cursor is positioned over an indicator, the lighthouse name pops up; if the lighthouse has been visited, then your visit date is also displayed. If you click one of these indicators, the Edit Your Visit page is displayed that shows your visitation status of the lighthouse which you can then modify.
DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION: The lighthouse name and visit date popup box was developed using overLIB popup boxes. If you are a website developer and would like to show better popup boxes than the browser default, you can use this Javascript library free of charge.
By accessing the Trips navigation sidebar button on the left side of Your Info page, you can display the trips you have defined. A trip is basically a period of time that you identify; the lighthouses that you have logged visits for that fit within that date range are viewed as being seen on that trip. The following information is displayed in a table format for each trip you have entered:
# - table row sequential count.
Trip - name of the trip.
Start Date - trip start date.
End Date - trip end date.
'View' Button - display the lighthouses seen on the trip.
'Edit' Button - edit trip information (i.e., name and date).
'Delete' Button - delete the trip from the database.
IMPORTANT: Other enthusiasts do NOT have access to your trips.
IMPORTANT: If you delete your profile, all of your trips are deleted and cannot be recovered.
In order to add a new trip, you must click the Add Trip button that appears at the bottom of the table.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
By clicking the View button on the desired row on the Trips page, you can display the lighthouses for which you have logged a first visit during the selected trip in a table format:
# - table row sequential count.
Lighthouse - name of the lighthouse.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the lighthouse is located.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the lighthouse is located.
LH Friends - status if the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Friends list. If the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Friends list, then the Yes status is displayed as a hyperlink that allows access to the associated individual lighthouse page on the Lighthouse Friends website.
LH People - status if the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse People list.
Visit Date - date you first visited the lighthouse.
Within Date Order - order within the first day you visited the lighthouse.
USLHS Visit - whether or not you first saw the lighthouse on a USLHS tour.
'Map' Button - display a Google™ Map for the selected lighthouse.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
By clicking the Edit button on the desired row on the Trips page, you can access a form that allows you to modify the general trip information:
Name - name of the trip (required). If you name a trip the same as another trip you have previously defined, then an error is displayed if you attempt to submit the trip.
Start Date - trip start date (required). If you enter a date that is more than a year from the current date, then an error is displayed if you attempt to submit the trip.
End Date - trip end date (required). If you enter an end date that is earlier then the start date, then an error is displayed if you attempt to submit the trip. Also, if the trip is longer than 365 days, then an error is displayed if you attempt to submit the trip.
If you change your mind about editing the trip, simply exit the edit trip form or click the Cancel that appears at the bottom-left portion of the page.
NOTE: There is no validation that your trips may overlap. Thus, it is possible to actually have trips within trips if so desired.
By clicking the Delete button on the desired row on the Trips page, you can delete the selected trip from the database. You are asked to confirm the trip deletion. You can simply cancel the deletion, if desired, by returning to the previous page while on the deletion confirmation page or by clicking the Cancel button that appears in the bottom-left portion of the page. If you confirm the deletion, only the trip is deleted; this does NOT delete the visits that you may have logged during the trip's period.
By clicking the Add Trip button that appears at the bottom of Trips page, you can add a new trip. Adding a trip is virtually the same as editing a trip. The same form is displayed, and you must specify exactly the same trip information.
By accessing the Aliases navigation sidebar button on the left side of Your Info page, you can display the lighthouse aliases you have defined; that is, you can display the aliased names of lighthouses that you would like displayed rather than the default lighthouse names while on the USLHS Community website. The following information is displayed in a table format for each alias you have entered:
# - table row sequential count.
Choosen Lighthouse Alias - the alias that you choose to be displayed throughout the website in place of the default lighthouse name.
Default Lighthouse Name - the lighthouse name that would be displayed throughout the website if your alias was not assigned.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the lighthouse is located.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the lighthouse is located.
'Edit' Button - define the lighthouse alias that you want to be displayed while visiting the USLHS Community website.
New user aliases can only be defined while on a Your State Lighthouse Visits page.
You can always change the settings in your profile, which defines who you are within the USLHS Enthusiasts Community, by clicking the Profile navigation sidebar button on the left side of Your Info page. If you are new to this site, then you must create a new profile before you can access the lighthouse visitations information. The following information can be entered in your profile:
First Name - your first name (required). For couples, you might want to enter both of your names such as Jack and Jill.
Last Name - your last name (required).
User ID - a unique identifier (case-sensitive) for yourself (required). You can make it whatever you want and nobody will be able to see it. You must remember this value since it is required when you sign in.
Password - alphanumeric (a-z, A-Z, or 0-9) password (required). Your password must be at least 6 characters but no more than 10 characters. You must remember this value since it is required when you sign in. This field is only displayed if you are adding a new profile.
Confirm Password - the confirmation to verify against your password to ensure you entered your password as desired. This field is only displayed if you are adding a new profile.
Country - the country where you live (required). If you live outside the United States or Canada, you must specify Other for your country.
State or Province - the state or province where you live (required). If you do not live in the United States or Canada, you must specify [None].
Your Visit Area - limit the countries you are interested in where lighthouses are located to either the United States only, Canada only, or to North America (i.e., United States and Canada) on pages accessed through the Your Info button on the navigation bar. (required).
Enthusiasts Visit Area - limit the countries you are interested in where lighthouses are located to either the United States only, Canada only, or to North America (i.e., United States and Canada) on pages accessed through the Enthusiasts button on the navigation bar. (required).
Website URL - a URL that a site visitor can access which is closely related to you (not required). Do not include the URL header (e.g., 'http://www') in this field. Please be discrete when specifying the URL.
E-mail Address - your e-mail address (not required). In order to download visits or lighthouse waypoints (coordinates) or to obtain a new password in case you forgot it, the e-mail address must be specified.
Hide E-mail Address - determines whether other enthusiasts are allowed to send you e-mail (required). If you decide to hide your e-mail address, you still can download your current visits or lighthouse waypoints.
Skip Confirmations - determines whether a successful confirmation is displayed after modifying one of your logged visits, modifying your profile, modifying a trip, or changing your password. By specifying Yes, you should be able to edit information a little faster. Of course, you still are notified if an edit change fails. You are still notified for other confirmations such as downloading waypoints, downloading your current visits, and uploading your new visits.
Area Maps - determines whether outline maps or Google™ Maps are displayed when accessing maps from either the USA Map or Canada Map navigation sidebar buttons.
If you no longer desire to have your visits maintained on the website or access the Enthusiasts Community section of the USLHS website, you can delete your profile. The Delete Profile button is displayed at the bottom of the Edit Your Profile page. Click this button to start the profile deletion process. A profile deletion conformation page is displayed to ensure you really want to delete your profile. If you change your mind, simply exit the profile deletion confirmation page or click the Cancel button that appears at the bottom-left portion of the page. If you still want to delete your profile, then click the confirmation button. If you confirm the deletion, all of your logged visits and trips are removed from the database, your profile is deleted, and you are logged out. It is recommended that in case you change your mind in the future, you should download your logged visits before deleting your profile so that you can easily restore your visits in the database at a later time. The trips that you may have entered cannot be restored.
The Your Visit Area profile setting is used to limit the lighthouses that are displayed while on Your Info pages (i.e., displaying information about your lighthouse visits). For example, suppose you are only interested in lighthouses in the United States. In this case, you would set the Your Visit Area setting to USA. By doing this, all of the Your Info pages limit the display to only those lighthouses in the United States. If you set the Your Visit Area setting to North America, all of the Your Info pages display the lighthouses both in the United States and Canada. Additionally, the Your Visit Area profile setting limits the lighthouses that are sent to you either though downloading your current visits or downloading all waypoints in every state and province.
The Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting is used to limit the lighthouses that are displayed while on Enthusiasts pages (i.e., displaying information about other enthusiasts lighthouse visits). For example, suppose you are only interested in lighthouses in the United States. In this case, you would set the Enthusiasts Visit Area setting to USA. By doing this, all of the Enthusiasts pages limit the display to only those lighthouses in the United States. If you set the Enthusiasts Visit Area setting to North America, all of the Enthusiasts pages display the lighthouses both in the United States and Canada.
To change your password, you must click the Change Password navigation sidebar button on the left side of Your Info page and then enter the following information in the displayed form:
Password - alphanumeric (a-z, A-Z, or 0-9) password (required). Your password must be at least 6 characters but no more than 10 characters. You must remember this value since it is required when you sign in.
Confirm Password - the confirmation to verify against your password to ensure you entered your password as desired.
A confirmation message is displayed if you successfully change your password, and an error message is displayed if your password cannot be changed.
If you forgot your password, you can request a new password by accessing the Sign In page and clicking the link next to the Forgot Password? label. A form is displayed in which you must specify your e-mail address. After you submit your new password request, the USLHS automatically sends you a new password; you can then change the password as described above. If you did not specify your e-mail address in your profile, you will need to contact the USLHS to obtain a new password; in this case, the USLHS will take some steps to validate you identity.
By clicking the Download Current Visits navigation sidebar button on the left side of Your Info page, an e-mail is sent to you that contains an attachment that has all of the visitable lighthouses and your logged visits to each of these lighthouse. This attachment is a tab-delimited text (.TXT) file that has a row for each visitable lighthouse (no header line for the columns) and the following columns for each lighthouse:
1 - Lighthouse ID - ID of the lighthouse within the database.
2 - Lighthouse Name - name of the lighthouse.
3 - State/Province Code - abbreviation for which state or province the lighthouse is located.
4 - First Visit Date - date you first visited the lighthouse in mm/dd/yy format.
5 - Within Day Visit Order - the order within a day you first visited the lighthouse.
6 - Last Visit Date - date you last visited the lighthouse in mm/dd/yy format.
7 - Comments - your lighthouse visit comments.
The information in the text file is sorted first by the state code and then by the lighthouse name so you can easily find the desired lighthouse. If the e-mail is successfully sent, then a confirmation page is displayed indicating your visits file has been e-mailed to you; a button that appears at the bottom of this page may be clicked so you can return to the page you were displaying before you attempted the download.
IMPORTANT: The TXT file attachment is a text file that uses UNIX newline formatting. For Mac users, this should not be an issue. For Windows users, this may or may not be an issue; it depends on what application you use to view/extract the file with. For example, if the file is viewed using the Windows Notepad application, it appears as one very long line. However, if the file is viewed using the Windows Wordpad application, it displays as a series of lines as expected. If the file is imported into Windows Excel application, the import should be successful.
IMPORTANT: The user aliases that you may have assigned are not stored in the Lighthouse Name column of the TXT file that is sent to you. This was done as a website safeguard.
The Download Current Visits navigation sidebar button is only displayed if you specified an e-mail
address in your profile.
4.10 Upload New Visits File
In order to upload your new visits or your changed existing logged visits, you must first edit the file that was sent to you after clicking the Download Current Visits navigation sidebar button. However, you must follow the following rules or else the upload will fail:
1 - do not modify the lighthouse ID column.
2 - do not modify the lighthouse name column.
3 - do not modify the state code column.
4 - the first visit date must be specified in the appropriate format of your choosing.
5 - the within day visit order cannot be specified if the visit date is not specified.
6 - the within day visit order, if entered, must be between 1 and 70.
7 - the last visit date must be specified in the appropriate format of your choosing.
8 - the visit comments cannot be specified if the visit date is not specified.
9 - the visit comments cannot be more than 1000 characters.
10 - do not add any more columns or rows to the file.
You only need to modify those rows in the file where the visit status changed (i.e., first visit date, within first visit day order, last visit date, or visit comments). The upload ignores all rows in which the visit status is not changed. However, it will not delete first visits from the database; you will need to do this manually for each visit you want deleted. For example, if you had previously logged a visit to the Boon Island lighthouse then removed the visit date from the upload file, this will be ignored. However, you can delete the last visit date by simply not including it in the file you are uploading.
IMPORTANT: Do not put tab characters within your comments since the upload file must be a tab-delimited file. If extra tab characters are found on any line, an error is displayed and the upload is aborted.
Once you have finished editing the lighthouse visits file, you can upload it using the Upload New Visits navigation sidebar button on the left side of Your Info page. A form is displayed in which you can type in the file's full path name or browse your directories for the desired file. The file you upload must have the exact same name of the file that was previously sent to you. For example, if the file was named lighthouse_visits_1.txt, then the upload must use the same file name or the upload will not be allowed.
You must select the format used for the visit dates specified in the file to be uploaded. This allows you to import the downloaded visit file into an application such as Microsoft's Excel and use a different date format. You can choose one of eight formats:
mm/dd/yy (0-padding required) - leading zeroes are required for months, days, and years that are less than 10. For example, January 2, 2009 must be specified as 01/02/09. This option is the default since this is the format used when the visits file is downloaded (e-mailed) to you.
mm/dd/yy (0-padding not required) - leading zeroes are not required for months, days, and years that are less than 10. For example, January 2, 2009 could be specified as 1/2/9 or 01/02/09.
mm-dd-yy (0-padding required) - leading zeroes are required for months, days, and years that are less than 10. For example, March 30, 1999 must be specified as 03-30-99.
mm-dd-yy (0-padding not required) - leading zeroes are not required for months, days, and years that are less than 10. For example, March 30, 1999 could be specified as 3-30-99 or 03-30-99.
mm/dd/yyyy (0-padding required) - leading zeroes are required for months, days, and years that are less than 10. For example, January 2, 2009 must be specified as 01/02/2009.
mm/dd/yyyy (0-padding not required) - leading zeroes are not required for months, days, and years that are less than 10. For example, January 2, 2009 could be specified as 1/2/2009 or 01/02/2009.
mm-dd-yyyy (0-padding required) - leading zeroes are required for months, days, and years that are less than 10. For example, March 30, 1999 must be specified as 03-30-1999.
mm-dd-yyyy (0-padding not required) - leading zeroes are not required for months, days, and years that are less than 10. For example, March 30, 1999 could be specified as 3-30-1999 or 03-30-1999.
After you have selected the file and specified the appropriate visit date format option, click the Upload button. If the upload is successful, then a confirmation page is displayed indicating how many visits were added and how many previously logged visits were updated; a button that is displayed at the bottom of the page may be clicked to return to the page you were displaying before you attempted the upload. However, if there was a problem with the upload, an error page is displayed indicating the upload failed; additionally, a table is displayed indicating the detected error(s) found in the file that was attempted to be uploaded.
The Upload New Visits navigation sidebar button is only displayed if you specified an e-mail
address in your profile.
5. Lighthouse Enthusiasts
By clicking the Enthusiasts navigation button, you can access information about other enthusiasts who have logged visits on the website and detailed information about their visits.
An enthusiasts navigation sidebar is displayed to the left of the page that provides the following features:
Enthusiasts - display the enthusiasts who have created a profile in the USLHS Enthusiasts Community website.
State Summary - display state visits summary for each state and province then access more detailed information about the visits.
Visit Enthusiast Websites - visit the websites for which enthusiasts provided the URL in their profiles.
While displaying any information pertaining to the enthusiasts, the enthusiasts navigation sidebar is always displayed. When one of the above navigation sidebar buttons is clicked, it is displayed in a grayish color to indicate what is being displayed. There may be sub-pages that can be accessed for these upper-level pages. When this happens, all of the enthusiasts navigation bar buttons are displayed in their non-grayish, non-selected state to indicate you are no longer accessing one of the upper-level pages.
The Enthusiasts navigation button is only displayed if you are logged in.
By accessing the Enthusiasts navigation bar button or by accessing the Enthusiasts navigation sidebar button on the left side of the Enthusiasts page, you can display general information about each lighthouse enthusiast who has entered a profile on USLHS Enthusiasts Community in a table format:
# - table row sequential count.
Enthusiast - full name of the enthusiast(s) in 'last name, first name' format. The name is displayed as a hyperlink if the enthusiast entered an e-mail address in his or her profile. The hyperlink initiates the sending of an e-mail to the associated enthusiast when clicked.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the enthusiast(s) live. It is blank if the enthusiast(s) does not live in the United States or Canada.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the enthusiast(s) live.
Total Visits - total number of lighthouse visits logged by the enthusiast based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting.
First Visit - earliest first visit date of a lighthouse visit logged by the enthusiast based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting.
Last Visit - latest first visit date of a lighthouse visit logged by the enthusiast based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting.
Last Login - date the enthusiast last signed into the Community.
There are four buttons that may appear to the right on each row of the table:
Summary - display a summary of the enthusiast's visits to each state based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting. The button is only displayed if the enthusiast has logged a visit for at least one lighthouse.
Visits - display a list of the lighthouses the enthusiast has visited based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting. The button is only displayed if the enthusiast has logged a visit for at least one lighthouse.
Stats - display general statistics and monthly/yearly statistics about the enthusiast's lighthouse visits based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting. The button is only displayed if the enthusiast has logged a visit for at least one lighthouse.
Compare - compare the lighthouses that you have visited, based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting, with the enthusiast's visits. The button is only displayed if the enthusiast has logged a visit for at least one lighthouse.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
This Enthusiasts sub-page is the default when the Enthusiasts navigation bar button is clicked.
You can display a state visitation summary for a particular enthusiast by clicking the Summary button on the desired row of the table on the Enthusiasts page. The enthusiast(s) name is displayed above the table to denote whose summary is being displayed.The information is displayed on a state basis in a table format:
State/Province - name of the state or province.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the state or province is located.
Total LHs - total lighthouses.
Total Visited - total lighthouses the enthusiast has visited.
LH Friends Total - number of lighthouses on the Lighthouse Friends list.
LH Friends Obsolete - number of lighthouses on the Lighthouse Friends list that no longer exist.
LH Friends Visited - number of enthusiast's visits to lighthouses on the Lighthouse Friends list.
LH Friends Percent Visited - percentage of lighthouses on the Lighthouse Friends list the enthusiast has visited.
LH People Total - number of lighthouses on the Lighthouse People list.
LH People Obsolete - number of lighthouses on the Lighthouse People list that no longer exist.
LH People Visited - number of enthusiast's visits to lighthouses on the Lighthouse People list.
LH People Percent Visited - percentage of lighthouses on the Lighthouse People list the enthusiast has visited.
'View' Button - display the lighthouses in the state or province and the enthusiast's visit status for each lighthouse.
The states and/or provinces displayed are based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
You can display all of the lighthouse visits for an enthusiast in a particular state or province by clicking the View button on the desired row of the enthusiast's state summary. The following information is displayed for each lighthouse in the selected state or province in a table format:
# - table row sequential count.
Lighthouse - name of the lighthouse.
LH Friends - status if the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Friends list. If the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Friends list, then the Yes status is displayed as a hyperlink that allows access to the associated individual lighthouse page on the Lighthouse Friends website.
LH People - status if the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse People list.
First Visit Date - date the lighthouse was first visited by the enthusiast.
Within Date Order - order within the day the enthusiast first visited the lighthouse.
USLHS Visit - whether or not the lighthouse was first seen on a USLHS tour.
Last Visit Date - date the lighthouse was last visited by the enthusiast.
'Map' Button - display a Google™ Map for the selected lighthouse.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
You can display all of the logged visits for a particular enthusiast by clicking the Visits button on the desired row of the table in the Enthusiasts page. The enthusiast(s) name is displayed above the table to denote whose visits are being displayed. The following information is displayed for each visit in a table format:
# - table row sequential count.
Lighthouse - name of the lighthouse that was visited.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the lighthouse is located.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the lighthouse is located.
First Visit Date - date the enthusiast first visited lighthouse.
Within Date Order - order within the day the enthusiast first visited the lighthouse.
USLHS Visit - whether or not the enthusiast first saw the lighthouse on a USLHS tour.
Last Visit Date - date the enthusiast last visited lighthouse.
Only the lighthouse visits in the states and/or provinces based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting are displayed.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
This page lists all of the visitable lighthouses, based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting, and a comparison of your visits with another enthusiast in a table format. The enthusiast(s) name is displayed above the table to denote whose logged visits are being compared. The following information is displayed for each lighthouse:
# - table row sequential count.
Lighthouse - name of the lighthouse.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the lighthouse is located.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the lighthouse is located.
Match Status - comparsion status between your visit and the other enthusiast's visit which can be one of the following:
Both - both you and the other enthusiast have visited the lighthouse.
You - you have visited the lighthouse but the other enthusiast has not.
Enthusiast - the other enthusiast has visited the lighthouse but you have not.
Neither - neither you or the other enthusiast have visited the lighthouse.
Your Visit Date - date you visited the lighthouse.
Enthusiast Visit Date - date the other enthusiast visited the lighthouse.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
There may be times that you want to contact another enthusiast. If the enthusiast specified an e-mail address in his or her profile, the enthusiast's name is displayed as a hyperlink on the Enthusiasts page. Click the enthusiast's name to initiate the e-mail sending process. A form is displayed in which you can type in your message. Once you have completed the message, click the Send button.
The Hide E-mail Address field appears below the message section on the form. This field is initialized with the Hide E-mail Address setting in your profile when the form is first displayed, and it determines how your e-mail is sent.
If this form field is not checked, then your e-mail address is displayed in the From field in the e-mail the enthusiast receives.
If the this form field is checked, then the community@uslhs.org address is displayed in the from field in the e-mail the enthusiast receives. The message is 'blind' since the enthusiast cannot reply to you directly. In order for the enthusiast to reply to your e-mail, you can specify your e-mail address in the message; however, this defeats the purpose of sending blind e-mail. Your name, which you defined in your profile, is automatically included at the end of your message; thus, the enthusiast can look up your name on the Enthusiasts page and reply to your e-mail. Thus, you are really only hiding your e-mail address, not your name. Once you feel more comfortable with the other enthusiast, you may want to share your e-mail address for easier communication.
You can receive a copy of the message you are sending by checking the Send Copy to You checkbox that appears near the bottom of the form. The enthusiast who receives the e-mail will not know that you copied the message to yourself.
By clicking the State Summary enthusiasts navigation sidebar button, you can display the state and province visitation summary information for all lighthouse enthusiasts. The following information is displayed for each state or province in a table format:
State/Province - name of the state or province.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the state or province is located.
'View' Button - display the lighthouses in the state or province and the overall enthusiasts visit status for each lighthouse.
The states and/or provinces displayed are based on the Enthusiasts Visit Area profile setting.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
By clicking the View button on the desired row of the enthusiasts' State Summary page, you can display the visitable lighthouses in the selected state or province and the overall enthusiasts' visit summary to each lighthouse in the state or province in a table format:
# - table row sequential count.
Lighthouse - name of the lighthouse.
LH Friends - status if the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Friends list. If the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse Friends list, then the Yes status is displayed as a hyperlink that allows access to the associated individual lighthouse page on the Lighthouse Friends website.
LH People - status if the lighthouse is on the Lighthouse People list.
Total Visits - number of enthusiasts who have logged visits to the lighthouse.
'Visitors' Button - display all of the enthusiasts who have logged a visit to the lighthouse.
'Comments' Button - display all of the comments logged by the enthusiasts who have visited the lighthouse.
'Map' Button - display a Google™ Map for the selected lighthouse.
The Visitors button is only displayed if at least one enthusiast has logged a visit to the lighthouse. The Comments button is only displayed if at least one enthusiast has logged comments for a visit to the lighthouse.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
By clicking the Visitors button on the desired row of the enthusiasts' state lighthouse summary, you can display the enthusiasts who have visited the selected lighthouse in a table format. The lighthouse name is displayed above the table to denote the lighthouse for which the visits are being displayed. The following information is displayed for each logged visit:
# - table row sequential count.
Enthusiast - name of the lighthouse enthusiast in 'last name, first name' format.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the enthusiast(s) live. It is blank if the enthusiast(s) does not live in the United States or Canada.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the enthusiast(s) live.
First Visit Date - date the enthusiast first visited the lighthouse.
Within Date Order - order within the day the enthusiast first visited the lighthouse.
USLHS Visit - whether or not the enthusiast first saw the lighthouse on a USLHS tour.
Last Visit Date - date the enthusiast last visited the lighthouse.
Visit Comments - status on whether the enthusiast logged a comment for the visit.
By clicking the Comments button on the desired row of the enthusiasts' state lighthouse summary page, you can display the comments for those enthusiasts who have visited the selected lighthouse and logged comments for them in a table format:
# - table row sequential count.
Enthusiast - name of the lighthouse enthusiast in 'last name, first name' format.
First Visit Date - date the enthusiast first visited the lighthouse.
Last Visit Date - date the enthusiast last visited the lighthouse.
Visit Comments - comments the enthusiast logged for the visit.
By clicking the Visit Enthusiast Websites enthusiasts navigation sidebar button, you can display those enthusiasts in a table format who have specified a website URL in their profiles and then access these websites:
# - table row sequential count.
Enthusiast - name of the enthusiast(s) in 'last name, first name' format.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the enthusiast(s) live. It is blank if the enthusiast(s) does not live in the United States or Canada.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the enthusiast(s) live.
Website - each URL is displayed as a hyperlink. By clicking it, you can access the enthusiast's website.
By clicking the Good Stuff navigation button, you can access various features that do not apply directly to you or other enthusiasts. A good stuff navigation sidebar is displayed to the left of the page that provides the following features:
USLHS Tours - display the North American USLHS tours that have already been done and display the lighthouses seen on each of the tours.
Lighthouse Aliases - display the aliases for lighthouses that are supported in USLHS Enthusiasts Community database.
Download Waypoints (Selected) - download a file in a GPX format that contains the waypoints (GPS coordinates) for selected states or provinces that can be processed by such applications as Garmin's© MapSource®. If you did not supply an e-mail address in your profile, this button is not displayed.
Download Waypoints (All) - download a file in a GPX format that contains the waypoints (GPS coordinates) for all states and provinces that can be processed by such applications as Garmin's© MapSource®. If you did not supply an e-mail address in your profile, this button is not displayed.
While allowing access to these special features, the good stuff navigation sidebar is always displayed. When one of the above navigation sidebar buttons is clicked, it is displayed in a grayish color to indicate what is being displayed. There may be sub-pages that can be accessed for these upper-level pages. When this happens, all of the good stuff navigation bar buttons are displayed in their non-grayish, non-selected state to indicate you are no longer accessing one of the upper-level pages.
The Good Stuff navigation button is only displayed if you are logged in.
IMPORTANT: Currently there are some USLHS North American tours that are known to be missing. If you know of any of these missing tours and the exact dates of the tour and which lighthouses were seen in what order on each day, then please contact the USLHS. The USLHS tour will then be added into the USLHS Community database soon after.
You can display the USLHS North American tours that have been included in the database by clicking the Good Stuff navigation button or by accessing the USLHS Tours navigation sidebar button on the left side of the Good Stuff page. The following information is displayed for each tour in a table format:
# - table row sequential count.
Tour - name of the tour.
Start Date - date the tour started.
End Date - date the tour ended.
LHs Visited - number of North American lighthouses visited.
'View' Button - display all of the North American lighthouses that were visited on the tour.
'Visitors' Button - display all of the enthusiasts who logged a visit on the tour.
'Map' Button - display a Google™ Map with the lighthouses that were seen on the tour and your logged visit status to each of the lighthouses.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
By clicking the View button on the desired row on the USLHS Tours page, you can display the North American lighthouses that were seen on the selected tour in a table format:
Seq # - order in which the lighthouse was seen on the tour.
Lighthouse - name of the lighthouse.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the lighthouse is located.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the lighthouse is located.
Visit Date - date in which the lighthouse was best seen on the tour. For example, if the lighthouse was seen on one date but then actually toured on a subsequent day, the visit date is the day the lighthouse was toured.
Your Visit Status - your logged visit status of the lighthouse which can be one of the following:
This Tour - you logged a visit that was on this USLHS tour.
Other Tour - you logged a visit that was on a different USLHS tour.
Other Visit - you logged a visit that was not on a USLHS tour.
No - you have not logged a visit to the lighthouse.
If you have not logged a visit to at least one of the lighthouses seen on the tour, then the Add Yourself to This Tour button is displayed at the bottom of the page. By clicking this button, you can easily add visits for all of the lighthouses on the tour that you have not yet logged a visit for. The within day visit order for each logged visit is automatically updated for you based on the order the lighthouses were seen on each day. However, you will still need to use the Edit Your Visit page to add comments.
If you have logged a visit to at least one of the lighthouses seen while on the tour, then the Remove Yourself from This Tour button is displayed at the bottom of the page. By clicking this button, you can easily remove all the visits to the lighthouses you saw on the tour. You are asked for confirmation before removing those visits so you can cancel if desired.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
By clicking the Visitors button on the desired row on the USLHS Tours page, you can display the enthusiasts who logged visit(s) on the selected tour in a table format:
# - table row sequential count.
Name - full name of the enthusiast(s) in 'last name, first name' format. The name is displayed as a hyperlink if the enthusiast entered an e-mail address in his or her profile. The hyperlink initiates the sending of an e-mail to the associated enthusiast when clicked.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the enthusiast(s) live. It is blank if the enthusiast(s) does not live in the United States or Canada.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the enthusiast(s) live.
Total Visits - total lighthouses the enthusiast has logged visits for.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
By clicking the Map button on the desired row on the USLHS Tours page, you can display a Google™ Map that shows every lighthouse that was seen on the tour. Each lighthouse that was seen on the tour appears as blue, yellow, or red pointer-type shapes in the correct location on the map. A blue indicator means you have logged a visit to the lighthouse that you actually saw for the first time on the tour. A yellow indicator means that you have logged a visit to the lighthouse but it was was prior to the tour. A red indicator means that you have not yet logged a visit to the lighthouse.
You can display alias names for lighthouses that have been included in the database by clicking the Lighthouse Aliases navigation sidebar button on the left side of the Good Stuff page. The following information is displayed for each alias in a table format:
# - table row sequential count.
Lighthouse - name of the lighthouse used in USLHS Enthusiasts Community database.
ST/PR - abbreviation for the state or province where the lighthouse is located.
CTRY - abbreviation for the country where the lighthouse is located.
Alias - an alias for the lighthouse.
You can change the order on how the information is listed by clicking the Edit Sort Settings button that is displayed below the table that allows you to specify the sort settings. These sort settings are saved for you.
After clicking the Download Waypoints (Selected) navigation sidebar button on the left side of the Good Stuff page, a new page is displayed that allows you to select the states and provinces for which the coordinates of the lighthouses in the database are to be included in the GPX file. Check the desired states and provinces, then click the Create File button. An e-mail is immediately sent to you that contains an attachment that has the coordinates for the selected states and provinces. This attachment is a GPS Exchange Format (.GPX) file that can be processed by such applications as Garmin's© MapSource®. Thus, for example, you may be able to download the lighthouse coordinates to a GPS device you might own. You can abort downloading the waypoints file page by clicking the Cancel button that is displayed in the bottom-left portion of the page.
If the e-mail is successfully sent, a confirmation page is displayed indicating your waypoints file has been e-mailed to you; a button that appears at the bottom of this page may be clicked so you can return to the page you were displaying before you performed the download.
IMPORTANT: The states and provinces that you may select are limited by your Your Visit Area setting in your profile.
IMPORTANT: The GPX file attachment is a text file that uses UNIX newline formatting. For Mac users, this should not be an issue. For Windows users, this may or may not be an issue; it depends on what application you use to view/extract the file with. For example, if the file is viewed using the Windows Notepad application, it appears as one very long line. However, if the file is viewed using the Windows Wordpad application, it displays as a series of lines as expected. If the file is imported using Garmin's© MapSource® application, the import should be successful.
IMPORTANT: Any downloaded GPX file will not contain GPS coordinates for lighthouses that have been destroyed and have no ruins. For example, there are no coordinates for the West Rigolets Light in Louisiana since it was completed destroyed in Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
IMPORTANT: While it is believed the GPS coordinates contained in the downloaded GPX files are accurate, you should always verify the coordinates before attempting to visit the lighthouses based on these coordinates. Please contact the USLHS if you believe any of the GPS coordinates are invalid.
IMPORTANT: If you have assigned a user alias to one of the lighthouses being included in the GPX file, then the cmt and desc fields in the GPX file will contain the alias name. However, the actual waypoint name field is still based on the default lighthouse name and does not change even if a user alias has been selected.
The Download Waypoints (Selected) navigation button is only displayed if you specified an e-mail address in your profile.
By clicking the Download Waypoints (All) button on the left side of the Good Stuff page, you can obtain a GPX file that contains the waypoints (GPS coordinates) for all of the visitable lighthouses in the database. After the navigation bar button is clicked, an e-mail is immediately sent to you that contains an attachment that has the coordinates. This attachment is a GPS Exchange Format (.GPX) file that can be processed by such applications as Garmin's© MapSource®. Thus, for example, you may be able to download the lighthouse coordinates to a GPS device you might own.
If the e-mail is successfully sent, a confirmation page is displayed indicating your waypoints file has been e-mailed to you; a button that appears at the bottom of this page may be clicked so you can return to the page you were displaying before you performed the download.
IMPORTANT: The waypoints that are saved in the download file are limited by your Your Visit Area setting in your profile; that is, lighthouses not in your visit area are not stored in the download file.
IMPORTANT: The GPX file attachment is a text file that uses UNIX newline formatting. For Mac users, this should not be an issue. For Windows users, this may or may not be an issue; it depends on what application you use to view/extract the file with. For example, if the file is viewed using the Windows Notepad application, it appears as one very long line. However, if the file is viewed using the Windows Wordpad application, it displays as a series of lines as expected. If the file is imported using Garmin's© MapSource® application, the import should be successful.
IMPORTANT: Any downloaded GPX file will not contain GPS coordinates for lighthouses that have been destroyed and have no ruins. For example, there are no coordinates for the West Rigolets Light in Louisiana since it was completed destroyed in Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
IMPORTANT: While it is believed the GPS coordinates contained in the downloaded GPX files are accurate, you should always verify the coordinates before attempting to visit the lighthouses based on these coordinates. Please contact the USLHS if you believe any of the GPS coordinates are invalid.
IMPORTANT: If you have assigned a user alias to one of the lighthouses being included in the GPX file, then the cmt and desc fields in the GPX file will contain the alias name. However, the actual waypoint name field is still based on the default lighthouse name and does not change even if a user alias has been selected.
The Download Waypoints (All) navigation button is only displayed if you specified an e-mail address in your profile.
When you have completed logging and viewing the lighthouse visitation information, you may want to logout by clicking the Logout navigation button.
You can change the order in which information is presented in tables displayed in the USLHS Enthusiasts Community by modifying the applicable sort settings based on the page currently displayed; that is, different pages have different sort settings that are maintained for you. If sort settings are applicable, an Edit Sort Settings button appears below the table. You can specify up to three unique sort settings to achieve the desired order. You may specify [None] as a setting type to indicate that no setting is applied. Each sort setting must have a unique type (except where a [None] setting type is specified), and information can be sorted in either an ascending or descending direction.
You can temporarily override these sort settings by clicking on a column header in the table; information can only be sorted in an ascending order using this technique. The sort settings that you may have editing using an edit sort settings form are not changed. For example, suppose you clicked the Lighthouse Aliases sidebar button after clicking the Good Stuff navigation bar button. The information displayed on the page will be sorted using the sort settings that you may have specified (or to the default settings if you have not changed them yet). Next, suppose you click the Alias column header of the Lighthouse Aliases table; the information will then be sorted in ascending order by the alias. Next, suppose you reclick the Lighthouse Aliases sidebar button; the information will now be displayed as when you first clicked the Lighthouse Aliases sidebar button (i.e., using the setting you previously specified using an edit sort settings form).