# Automatically Generate Routes

**URL:** <https://community.citystrides.com/t/automatically-generate-routes/25268>\
**Category:** Ideas\
**Created:** [August 26, 2022, 1:17am UTC](https://community.citystrides.com/t/automatically-generate-routes/25268 "2022-08-26T01:17:19Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 25

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**Author:** ![JamesChevalier](https://community.citystrides.com/user_avatar/community.citystrides.com/jameschevalier/32/2_2.png) [@JamesChevalier](https://community.citystrides.com/u/JamesChevalier)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2026, 12:07am UTC](https://community.citystrides.com/t/automatically-generate-routes/25268/25 "2026-04-02T00:07:43Z")

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@dean.disimone Do you have something that provides turn-by-turn directions while you’re out?  
Without that capability, I can’t comprehend how routes like these are feasible without staring at them the entire time. I thought the last one looked like something easily memorized, but then I zoomed in and saw that there are tons of greyed out streets in there that would add confusion.

* * *

I’ve been thinking more about generated routes lately, and it seems to me that the generation of the routes is the easy part (even though it isn’t 🤣). **_How_** we generate the routes is incredibly nuanced/specific and is where I really need the most feedback. It’s _very easy_ for me to build the wrong route generator.

I really need to hear people’s expected workflow. Take these 4 wildly different processes… if I build one, and everyone expect another then I just wasted my time. 😬 😅

- Full City Mode that doesn’t care about your legs or your soul 🤣
  - Click point on map to identify starting position
  - Click button to have some number of routes created that will complete the city, from starting position, regardless of individual route distance

- Right Now Mode that aims to get you out the door ASAP and doesn’t care about your city-scale efficiency
  - Click point on map to identify starting position
  - Specify distance
  - Click button to have a route created that will complete as many new streets as possible

- Finish Area Mode that doesn’t know or care how far you’re capable of running
  - Draw area on map
  - Click point within area to identify starting position
  - Click button to have a route created that will complete the area

- Helpful Assistant Mode
  - Click point on map to identify starting position
  - There’s an auto-updated display of a list of N closest incomplete streets from the last route addition (start point, manual route clicks, and additions from this tool)
  - There’s an ‘add’ button for each street in the list that updates your route to complete it
  - Manually build a route, while using the ‘add’ buttons to add generated segments

I’ve been at this long enough to know deep in my soul that the answer is “all of them” 🤣 😭 but there’s definitely one or two processes that’s going to cover _most_ people.  
Right Now Mode & Helpful Assistant Mode (assuming it’s actually helpful) seem like pretty close matches to the comments in this thread. It sounds like @dean.disimone effectively built Finish Area Mode.

I’m sure these few ideas of different “modes” aren’t the only versions of an automatic route generator … If you have other ideas for different workflows, please do share.

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