Remembering that at the conclusion of our Tutorial #3 we created and SAVED a .kmz file named "Firefighters Museum.kmz. In case you didn't save the file, or you can no longer find your copy you can use THIS COPY OF THE "Firefighters Museum.kmz" file.

So how do you 'use' this copy of the .kmz file? Assuming all went well with your installation of GE, just a single mouse click on the above file link should cause the file to download itself, open GE (if not already open), AND place a copy of the file into your GE, in the PLACES panel, and into the 'Temporary Places' FOLDER, like this...

If all is well (meaning your GE did this too!) you see the "Firefighters Museum.kmz" located in the Temporary Places folder. And the 3D screen zoomed to the location of the placemark.

What if your GE did not do that? Lets experiment a bit. Open your Windows Explorer. NOT, REPEAT NOT the Windows INTERNET EXPLORER (your internet browser) but Windows FILE EXPLORER. What file explorer? (if your familiar with it skip on a bit down the tutorial)

THIS ONE from the Windows START Menu, which gives you THIS...

Or, just choose "My Computer" from your start menu. Sorry, any Vista or Mac users, I'm not sure what or how it is called in those operating systems. But in any case my intention is to get you to a FILE SELECTION tool, whatever it may be called on your system.

So, once in your Explorer, navigate to where you have saved a copy of the .kmz file we are after. Don't have a copy? Skip up the tutorial a little and RIGHT CLICK the "Firefighters Museum.kmz" link, and choose, "Save Link As...", and save the file to a location you can find again.

Assuming you have found the file with you file explorer of choice, you should see something similar to this...

We've navigated and found the .kmz file of interest. And if you happen to be viewing in 'Tiles' mode you MAY (or may not) notice that the .kmz file shows a small icon next to the file name the contains the Google Earth 'Earth' symbol, and at the bottom of the icon 'K M Z '. If your not viewing in Tiles mode you can do this...

... and choose 'Tiles' from the drop-down chooser subwindow.

Now if you DOUBLE CLICK the .kmz file on the right side of the Explorer window, you should see the same results as above, with the .kmz file ending up in the Temporary Places folder of the PLACES panel.

If your system still does not respond by 'installing' the .kmz file as described by any of the above, my suggestion would be to FIRST REINSTALL Google Earth. Then try this section of the tutorial again. Still not working correctly? Move on to Question 2 of THIS Tutorial.

In question #1, above, if GE reacted CORRECTLY to a new .kmz (or .kml) file your system has properly ASSOCIATED a files EXTENSION with the proper program on your computer to use it. And the fact that you could see the small 'Google Earth' icon is a good indication the your system is properly 'associating' a file with the proper program to use it.

But what if you did not see the small GE icon. Or what if you can't see the '.kmz' part of the filename in your file explorer. Then you need to read on, as this answer section may not only answer your questions about GE, but other computer system issues you may have as well.

Every file (data or software on your hard disk) on your computer has a NAME. The name has two parts, like... FirstPartSomeName.extension

Where the 'FirstPartSomeName' can be almost anything. And then a period (decimal point) '.' which is a 'separator' beween the firstpart and the extension.

Where the extension might be (for example)

• .txt - for a file containing TEXT only
• .doc - for a WORD PROCESSING file containg text AND formatting
• .xls - for a SPREADSHEET formatted file
• .kmz - for a Google Earth file containing geographic layout(s)
• ect. etc. etc. (there are LOTS of them)

Well isn't it a 'miracle' that when you use a file with a .txt extension it seems to use the Notepad program. Or that .doc files SEEM to use Word. Or .xls files SEEM to use Excel. Or .kmz files SEEM to use Google Earth.

No. It's not a miracle, its a computer SETTING you can control. And when it is set WRONG or DIFFERENT than you 'expect' you computer does not act like most others do. OR repeat OR, it acts differently AFTER you installed some piece of new software you thought you would try, only to discover that now your system NO LONGER acts as it used to. And you have no idea why, or if there is anything you can do about it.

So, how do I check these settings I referred to? Well we are going after what is called the FILE ASSOCIATION SETTINGS. They are not difficult to get at, although there are some details we to adjust that by DEFAULT (in Windows) are HIDDEN unless we UNHIDE them.

There are several ways (in Windows) to get at these file association settings.

From the system START MENU select CONTROL PANEL...

Then from the Control Panel dialog select 'APPEARANCE AND THEMES'...

Then from the APPEARANCE AND THEMES window select 'FOLDER OPTIONS'...

Or... From either the 'My Computer' or the 'Windows Explorer' choose TOOLS/FOLDER OPTIONS...

And you (finally) get the FOLDER OPTIONS dialog...

Continue on to the next question of this tutorial to discover the details of what to do with the dialog box...

The FOLDER OPTIONS dialog has settings for not only how the 'Windows Explorer' or the 'My Computer' operates, but also configuration of the AUTOMATIC OPENING of an application when "it's" file is 'clicked'. For example when you double click an .mpg (a 'movie' file) in the file browser usually the Windows Media Player opens to play the movie. But perhaps you would like WinAmp to play the movie instead. THIS DIALOG BOX has the settings you ALTER to affect that type of operation. If Google Earth does not open and use the file (a .kmz) correctly we will investigate here and see if we can discover why.

The FOLDER OPTIONS dialog has four tabs, 'General', 'View', 'File Types', and 'Offline Files'.

First choose the 'View' tab. We have two settings to adjust.

Scroll down a bit in the dialog and find the 'Hidden File and Folders' section. In the section are two 'radio buttons'. Check the 'Show hidden files and folders' button. This ensures we get to see 'everything'.

Next, right underneath is the 'Hide extensions for known file types' CHECKBOX. Make sure this checkbox IS NOT CHECKED. Making sure there is NOT a check in the box ensures the we will be ABLE TO SEE THE EXTENSION section of all filenames. Geez, we are smart enough to deal with this NEEDED information, why Windows 'folks' turn these two settings OFF by default does not make good sense. Unless they are trying to keep this information 'hidden' for some reason (like trying to SELL THIER software, hummm)?

Next, select the 'File Types' tab at the TOP of the dialog box. It may take a bit of time for the list of choices to fill in. Upon completion, it will list sorted ALPHABETICALLY by the EXTENSIONS for file names. You may scroll down to find you choice, OR just type the first letter of the extension you desire to immeadiately move to that portion of the list. For example, type a 'K', and you will move directly to the 'k's section. Then scroll until you find the '.kmz' extension.

If you CAN'T FIND A .kmz EXTENSION in the list that's a big clue why your GE won't open a .kmz file automatically, and we'll show you to fix that soon.

This is 'good news' look of the .kmz file type settings (AND the .kml directly above). If perhaps 'yours' looks like this, but still GE does not open the file correctly, you may click the 'RESTORE' button and see if the situation improves. You should also click the .kml file extension (above) and ensure its settings are correct.

I don't want the change the settings I already have, but we can still show you by example how you would 'fix' this. Lets say as a developer I create 'my own' style of .kmz files and I choose to give the ones I create a .kmx extension instead of .kmz. In that case I would need to have the .kmx in the list of registered file types also. Lets do it, remembering if YOU needed to add a 'real' .kmz extension everwhere I type kmx you'd type kmz instead. Got it?

So we need a new file type. Click the NEW BUTTON.

And you'll get this...

Enter kmx (you'd enter kmz if you were fixing THAT extension) click OKAY and you'd get this...

But notice that in the bottom half of the dialog box the 'Open with' section is blank. We have created a new file extension but it has NO associated program YET. Click the CHANGE BUTTON and you'll get this...

Click the 'Select program from a list' radio button, then OKAY...

Scroll down and find GOOGLE EARTH, select it and the click OKAY.

And, good, now we have created a new 'file type', and have properly associated it with the program we desire it to be used with AUTOMATICALLY.

You might want to 'inspect' the file types list if you happen to have any file types that don't open with the program you expect them to (or they USED to before 'something' else changed). This dialog is your PRIME SUSPECT for 'unexpected' operations. If you discover a 'suspect' file, you can adjust which program 'opens' the file by clicking the CHANGE button and then choosing the program you desire it to open with.

Sure. One way is to from your file explorer of your choice, RIGHT CLICK on the .kmz file you wish to open, then choose 'OPEN WITH', and the either select your program of choice if your shown an icon choice, OR select 'CHOOSE PROGRAM...', and pick the selection of your choise.

OR, within GE itself on the main menus select FILE then OPEN... and then navigate to wherever you have the .kmz file you desire and select it.

then..

In any case, we are now back at the beginning of answer #1 of this tutorial. We have the Firefighters Musuem.kmz file now located in the TEMPORARY PLACES folder of the PLACES panel. Good. Now what?

Well, lets see what happens if we try to QUIT GE without making out newly loaded files 'un-temporary'. If we EXIT we get this warning...

If you were to select the 'No' choice, the next time we open GE we would find that ANY new files we aquired would have completly disappeared from our GE. If we select the 'Yes' choice the newly aquired file(s) will have been MOVED to 'My Places' folder in the PLACES panel. And now each time we return to GE the files will still be there.

If you select the 'Cancel' option we will simply return to GE with things unchanged.

But, lets say you have aquired several new files, and you'd like to only have a few of them saved for the future. The 'warning box' option (above) is an 'all-or-nothing' choice. Either all or none of the files will get saved for the future.

You can select files of your choice by RIGHT CLICKING on those you desire and then select 'Save to My Places'...

Or, from the main menu FILE then SAVE, and then 'Save to My Places' will accomplish the same thing. However remember, its only the file you have highlighted that gets saved.

Let's save the 'Firefightes Museum.kmz' file to the 'My Places' folder of the PLACES panel, and should end up with something similar to this...

Notice, the file has moved from the 'Temporary Places' folder to the 'My Places' folder and now will be in GE permanently until you decide to make a different descision about it.

Perhaps the best way to see what folders can be used for is to open a .kmz file that has a few (or more) folders in it. Here is a link the the 'Massachusetts Fire Stations.kmz' file from our large collection in the 'EAATC International Fire Placemarks Warehouse for Google Earth^TM, our warehouse that hopefully, after completing these tutorials, YOU may contrbute to.

Click on the link to the 'Massachusetts Fire Stations.kmz', and let it load into GE. The 3D viewer window will move into the general Boston area, and show the new file in the 'Temporary Places' folder. Save the file to the 'My Places' folder. Notice that the small square checkbox of the file in this case loads as 'unchecked'. Other files you may aquire will vary as to whether the files checkbox is loaded 'checked' or 'unchecked'.

But, notice the the .kmz file loaded with a small 'earth' symbol with a 'plus/mius' box and a small set of lines attaching itself to the 'My Places' folder at the top. This indicates that this file is a part of a STRUCTURE. How 'large' this structure is depends on how many files you happen to have stored in the 'My Places' folder.

The PLUS sign in the box next to the file indicates there are MORE ITEMS HIDDING underneath the file. Click the 'plus sign' of the file. It EXPANDS and shows that it had a FOLDER underneath it. The folder named 'Massachusetts Fire Stations', also has a 'plus/minus' box, and an 'unchecked' checkbox, like this...

Let's click the plus/minus box next to the 'Massachusetts Fire Stations' FOLDER, and observe what happens...

Well, a whole BUNCH of stuff shows up. But, pay attention! There are a lot of 'unchecked', 'titled' placemarks AND, (repeat AND), at the top of the new list of stuff, ANOTHER FOLDER, titled 'Boston'. Also, notice that the 'plus/minus' box next to the 'Massachusetts Fire Stations' FOLDER, has changed from a PLUS (meaning things were hidding underneath), to a MINUS, indicating that nothing is hiding directly underneath. Lets click the plus/minus box next to the Boston FOLDER. Wow, now it expands into a lot more titled, but 'unchecked' placemarks. Like this...

Now click the 'unchecked' checkbox next to the 'Massachusetts Fire Stations.kmz' file near the top of the STRUCTURE. Notice that ALL the unchecked checkboxes become 'checked', as well as any subfolders that be in the file. Not only that but the 3D screen fills up with all kinds of different placemark symbols, like this...

Click the same checkbox as above several times. So, it is an ON/OFF control for the PLACEMARK SYMBOLS on the 3D map. I said the SYMBOLS because only the symbols are showing or not. The placemarks (a defined geographical location), are still there, and are still defined. We are only deciding whether to display their marker on the map.

Click the same chechbox as above until ALL placemarks symbols are turned OFF. Make sure the 'Boston' subfolder is also expanded. Then just click the checkbox next to the 'x-L4' placemark, like this...

Now, we have the ability to enable ONLY the symbol for a single placemark. But notice that the chechboxes for folders and files in the structure have changed from neither a plus or minus, but into a DOT MARK, indicating that SOME of the placemark symbols under them are visable.

Nope, they have several other important uses.

Folders also serve as 'organizers' or 'catagorizers' in that can logically subdivide a larger group of items into smaller sets or groups. As in the 'Boston' FOLDER', it logically subdivided the entire State of Massachusetts group of fire stations, into a subgroup for only the fire stations in the city of Boston.

Folders have titles that you can define as the user. Choosing a useful name for each folder is a task to be done wisely by you, the potential developer of a group of placemarks.

Folders also allow you, the developer, to choose some DEFAULTS during the making of a placemark file. For example, you could develop a set of 100 placemarks. And during the development you COULD choose the individual icon, size and color for each of these 100 placemarks. OR, you could add a folder, and set an icon selection, and size and color for ALL your 100 placemarks by choosing ONCE. That could save you a lot of extra work during your development.

But you don't want all your placemarks to be the same. Thats up to you, you can accept the 'default' for most, and then change only the ones you want to be different. There will be much more about this feature of folders (and others too) in upcomming tutorials dealing with the detailed development of placemark files. There's a lot more folders can do.

Lets go to a specific placemark, and get an answer to this. In the 'Massachusetts Fire Stations.kmz' file, and then in the 'Boston' folder, find the 'Museum (x-E39)' placemark. Double-click that placemark in the 'Places' PANEL. Your 3D map should 'fly-to' the placemarks location on the map. If it doesn't, double-click it AGAIN. You should end up here...

Now click the 'View in Google Maps' icon (the 'open-book') at the top of the 3D window in GE, to take us to the location in Google Maps, like this...

Once in Google Maps, click the 'Street View' icon, and the click just in front of the 'Museum'. Notice the 'small-hand' icons position in this view. You should then be placed in the 'Street-view' position of the map. Scroll the Street-View around until you see, the 'Boston Fire Museum', as in this view...

Okay, we're in the right place. 'Kill' the Street-View by selecting the 'X-in-a-box' small selector in the upper-right-hand corner of Street-View' sub-window. Now, zoom-OUT the map view (while in Google Maps and Street-View) until you get a view similar to this...

Now we have a zoomed-out general view of Boston and vacinity while in Maps Street-View. Notice the areas in BLUE. Those are the streets in this locality that have been photographed in Street-View. However, remember the number of streets covered in Street-View is an ever increasing number. The Street-View project only began in 2007(ish) so the 'blue' streets will change.

But this is for only in Boston area. What about other cities? Here is a link the Maps Help file that gives some information how Google in progressing in Street-View.

We learned about...

• How to open .kmz files in GE
• How to adjust the Windows Folder Options to set 'who' opens 'what'
• How to SAVE newly aquired .kmz files
• How to observe what FOLDERS do, and thier uses
• How to determine what street are available in Maps Street-View