How do I read exported tcx files?

[Ron.R]

I'm new to the fitbit, exercise, community and am not  up on all the little things.  I have a Surge and wanted to export some data to show my cardiologist but have not found a way to read the data I exported.  I opened the file w/ notepad++ and it was just an empty HTML shell with no data.  I only have the Surge and my laptop, no smart phone, so how do I access this HR data in a useful form? 

TIA, Ron R.

[SunsetRunner]

the tcx is empty where no localization exists.

the tcx format file is from Garmin.

no localization, no HR data

[Ron.R]

Thanks for the quick reply.  I took a walk this afternoon and now have a TCX file with data in it.  Still have no way of looking at the data in a useful manor.  Is there a windows application that can open the file and give me some meaningful data or something that I can use to import the data into Open Office Speadsheet. 

Ron R.

[bbarrera]

---

@Ron.R wrote:

I'm new to the fitbit, exercise, community and am not  up on all the little things.  I have a Surge and wanted to export some data to show my cardiologist but have not found a way to read the data I exported.  I opened the file w/ notepad++ and it was just an empty HTML shell with no data.  I only have the Surge and my laptop, no smart phone, so how do I access this HR data in a useful form? 

---

Fitbit has a *bug* with TCX export, it only works if you have tracked a GPS activity using the Surge, or MobileRun, or Blaze with ConnectedGPS. That is unfortunate and I reported a year ago, it still hasn't been fixed.

Fitbit TCX export exists to share an activity with another fitness app like MapMyRun, MapMyRide, Runkeeper, etc, etc.

What exactly do you want to show cardiologist?

[SunsetRunner]

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@bbarrera wrote:

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@Ron.R wrote:

I'm new to the fitbit, exercise, community and am not  up on all the little things.  I have a Surge and wanted to export some data to show my cardiologist but have not found a way to read the data I exported.  I opened the file w/ notepad++ and it was just an empty HTML shell with no data.  I only have the Surge and my laptop, no smart phone, so how do I access this HR data in a useful form? 

---

Fitbit has a *bug* with TCX export, it only works if you have tracked a GPS activity using the Surge, or MobileRun, or Blaze with ConnectedGPS. That is unfortunate and I reported a year ago, it still hasn't been fixed.

---

in my opinion, it's no a bug.

the .tcx schema links the heart rate value with  position values

http://www8.garmin.com/xmlschemas/TrainingCenterDatabasev2.xsd

i didn't found information in the schema showing it's possible to have heart rate value without position

i can be wrong, of course.

do you know applications generating .tcx with only heart rate values ?

[bbarrera]

You don't understand TCX. The documentation includes an example without gps data. Read this:
https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Web-API/TCX-export-without-GPS-data/m-p/786005

And yes I have TCX files from Wahoo and Garmin with only HR, or HR/cadence, or HR/cadence/power. And the TCX import into other apps like TrainingPeaks, MapMyFitness, Strava, etc.

[SunsetRunner]

in the examples you talk about

There are two examples without any GPS info:

- TCX Fitness History Directory  : I don't see heart rate values

- Forerunner 50 #1 : ok, no gps data. but a distance

can you link an example of a Garmin and Wahoo generated TCX file with only heart rate values ?

[bbarrera]

Basically looks like this:

http://www.garmindeveloper.com/schemas/tcx/v2/samples/device/forerunner/50/Forerunner50FirstExample....

where each trackpoint includes only timestamp and heart rate. 

[SunsetRunner]

there is also a distance

in the tcx schema, there is no definition with only a time stamp and a heart rate.

<Trackpoint>
            <Time>2007-09-15T12:28:05Z</Time>
            <DistanceMeters>2.6250000</DistanceMeters>
            <HeartRateBpm xsi:type="HeartRateInBeatsPerMinute_t">
              <Value>90</Value>
            </HeartRateBpm>
            <SensorState>Present</SensorState>
            <Extensions>
              <ActivityTrackpointExtension
                xmlns="http://www.garmin.com/xmlschemas/ActivityExtension/v1" SourceSensor="Footpod">
                <Speed>0.3125000</Speed>
                <RunCadence>39</RunCadence>
              </ActivityTrackpointExtension>
            </Extensions>
          </Trackpoint>

[bbarrera]

Please try it yourself, with some other fitness tools. It works. Here is an example https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Surge/TCX-Export-not-working-for-Treadmill-activity/m-p/785171

[SunsetRunner]

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@bbarrera wrote:
Please try it yourself, with some other fitness tools. It works. Here is an example https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Surge/TCX-Export-not-working-for-Treadmill-activity/m-p/785171

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i will not register to fitness tools i don't need

once more, in your example, HR is not alone, we have a cadence, and it's part of an activity, this definition exists

<Trackpoint>
      <Time>2015-05-12T23:43:53Z</Time>
      <HeartRateBpm>
       <Value>115</Value>
      </HeartRateBpm>
      <Cadence>71</Cadence>
     </Trackpoint>

this definition only doesn't exist

<xsd:complexType name="Trackpoint_t">

   <xsd:sequence>

      <xsd:element name="Time" type="xsd:dateTime"/>

      <xsd:element name="HeartRateBpm" type="HeartRateInBeatsPerMinute_t" minOccurs="0"/>

      </xsd:element>

   </xsd:sequence>

</xsd:complexType>

[bbarrera]

I really don't understand your question, or your point. You want me to prove something to you? Why do you want to see an example? You have the schema:

<xsd:complexType name="Trackpoint_t">
<xsd:sequence>
<xsd:element name="Time" type="xsd:dateTime"/>
<xsd:element name="Position" type="Position_t" minOccurs="0"/>
<xsd:element name="AltitudeMeters" type="xsd:double" minOccurs="0"/>
<xsd:element name="DistanceMeters" type="xsd:double" minOccurs="0"/>
<xsd:element name="HeartRateBpm" type="HeartRateInBeatsPerMinute_t" minOccurs="0"/>
<xsd:element name="Cadence" type="CadenceValue_t" minOccurs="0"/>
<xsd:element name="SensorState" type="SensorState_t" minOccurs="0"/>
<xsd:element name="Extensions" type="Extensions_t" minOccurs="0">
<xsd:annotation>
<xsd:documentation>
You can extend Training Center by adding your own elements from another schema here.
</xsd:documentation>
</xsd:annotation>
</xsd:element>
</xsd:sequence>
</xsd:complexType>

Source: http://www8.garmin.com/xmlschemas/TrainingCenterDatabasev2.xsd

The schema states that within a trackpoint, only Time must exist (minOccurs defaults to 1). Thats it, a trackpoint must have Time but all other elements are optional, because minOccurs=0.

Therefore you can have a trackpoint with:

- only Time

- Time and HR

- Time, HR, Cadence

- Time, HR, Cadence, Distance

etc.

etc.

There are even tools on the Internet to merge HR-only TCX files with TCX files containing GPS data. Here is one:

http://gotoes.org/strava/Merge_Heart_Rate_TCX_With_Position_TCX.php

And since you keep insisting, here is an example:

     <Trackpoint>
      <Time>2016-03-05T03:35:56Z</Time>
      <HeartRateBpm>
       <Value>86</Value>
      </HeartRateBpm>
     </Trackpoint>

I sincerely hope we can stop discussing this, as the TCX schema is explicit that only Time is required element within a trackpoint, and all other elements are optional. Therefore you can have a TCX file with only Time/HR data points, or one with Time/HR/Cadence, or anything else I've previously stated. And I routinely use those files to exchange activities between other fitness apps and websites.

[bbarrera]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

in my opinion, it's no a bug.

the .tcx schema links the heart rate value with  position values

http://www8.garmin.com/xmlschemas/TrainingCenterDatabasev2.xsd

i didn't found information in the schema showing it's possible to have heart rate value without position

i can be wrong, of course.

---

As I explained above, the TCX schema clearly shows that trackpoints are only required to have Time. All other fields are optional. Therefore a trackpoint can have Time and HeartRate. 

[SunsetRunner]

ok , you're right

[SunsetRunner]

you can export your tax file and open in google earth.  you can then right click the track and see all your data in a graph format