📱 PokeFind User Guide

Your Complete Guide to Real-Time Pokémon Tracking

🚀 Getting Started

Accessing the App

  1. Open your web browser
  2. Navigate to the PokeFind app
  3. The app will load with the Pokémon Radar as the default view
Main Interface

Main Interface

Navigation Bar

At the top of the screen, you'll find:

  • 🗺️ Map - View nearby Pokémon spawns
  • ⚔️ Raids - Find active raid battles
  • 🧭 Routes - Plan your Pokémon hunting routes
  • 📍 Location Button - Change your search location (top right corner)

🎯 Main Features

1. Pokémon Radar (Map View)

The Map view shows all Pokémon spawns within your selected radius.

What you'll see:

  • 🔵 Blue marker - Your current location
  • 🎨 Colored circles - Pokémon spawns (color indicates rarity)
  • Large circle - Your search radius area
Pokemon Map View

Pokemon Map View

Rarity Colors

🔘 Common 🔵 Uncommon 🟠 Rare 🔴 Very Rare 🟣 Legendary

2. Search Radius Control

Located at the top of the map:

🎯 Search Radius (km): [5]
  • Default: 5 kilometers
  • Range: 1-20 km
  • How to adjust:
    1. Click on the number input field
    2. Type your desired radius value
    3. Press Enter or click outside the field
    4. The map will automatically update with new Pokémon

The radius persists - When you search a new location, your radius setting is maintained!

3. Location Information

Below the radius control, you'll see:

📍 Location: 40.4412, -79.9973 🎯 Found: 2 Pokémon nearby

This shows:

  • Your current latitude and longitude
  • Number of Pokémon spawns detected in your radius

📍 Finding Your Location

Method 1: Search by Address

  1. Click the 📍 Location button in the top-right corner of the navbar
  2. The Location Search modal will appear
Location Search Modal

Location Search Modal

  1. Under "Search by Address", enter any location:
    • City name: Pittsburgh, PA
    • Full address: Times Square, New York
    • Landmark: Eiffel Tower, Paris
  2. Click the 🔍 Search button
  3. The map will automatically center on your searched location

Method 2: Enter Coordinates

If you have exact GPS coordinates:

  1. Open the Location Search modal
  2. Scroll to "Or Enter Coordinates" section
  3. Enter:
    • Latitude: Between -90 and 90 (e.g., 40.5000)
    • Longitude: Between -180 and 180 (e.g., -79.9959)
  4. Click 🔍 Search
Pro Tip: The modal shows your current location coordinates, making it easy to fine-tune your search!

🔍 Searching for Pokémon

Viewing Pokémon Details

  1. Click on any Pokémon marker (colored circle with Pokémon sprite)
  2. A popup will display detailed information:
Pokemon Details Popup

Pokemon Details Popup - Gengar

Information Shown

  • Pokémon Sprite - The actual Pokémon image
  • #Number & Name - Pokédex ID and species name
  • Rarity Badge - Color-coded rarity level
  • IV Stats - Individual Values for Attack, Defense, and Stamina
    • Shows as values (e.g., ATK: 15 | DEF: 2 | STA: 0)
    • Total: XX.X% - Overall IV quality
  • Spawned - When the Pokémon appeared
  • Despawns - When it will disappear
  • Accuracy - Reliability of the spawn data (88%-100%)
  • 🗺️ Get Directions - Opens Google Maps for navigation

Example Reading

#94 Gengar Rarity: Rare IV Stats: ATK: 15 | DEF: 2 | STA: 0 Total: 37.8% Spawned: 1:05:02 AM Despawns: 1:31:02 AM Accuracy: 88%

This Gengar:

  • Is a Rare spawn with an orange border
  • Has max Attack (15) but low Defense and Stamina
  • Will be available for ~26 minutes
  • Location data is 88% accurate

🔎 Filtering Pokémon & Raids

PokeFind includes powerful filtering options to help you find exactly what you're looking for!

Filter Panel

Click the Show Filters button at the top of the Map or Raids view to reveal the filter panel.

Filter Panel

Filter Panel

Map View Filters

Available Filters:

  • 🔤 Name Search - Type a Pokémon name to filter (e.g., "Pikachu", "Charizard")
  • 🎨 Rarity Levels - Toggle checkboxes to show/hide:
    • Common (Gray)
    • Uncommon (Blue)
    • Rare (Orange)
    • Very Rare (Red)
    • Legendary (Purple)
  • ⚔️ IV Stats - Set minimum and maximum values for:
    • Attack (0-15)
    • Defense (0-15)
    • Stamina (0-15)
  • 🎯 Accuracy - Set minimum accuracy percentage (0-100%)

How it works:

  1. Click Show Filters to expand the filter panel
  2. Adjust any combination of filters
  3. The map updates in real-time showing only matching Pokémon
  4. The counter shows "Total Found: X | Showing: Y Pokémon"
  5. Click Reset Filters to clear all filters and show everything

Example Use Cases:

  • Find all Legendary Pokémon: Uncheck all rarities except "Legendary"
  • High IV hunting: Set Attack, Defense, and Stamina all to 10-15
  • Specific species: Search "Dragonite" in the name field
  • Reliable spawns only: Set Accuracy minimum to 95%

Raids View Filters

Available Filters:

  • 🔤 Boss Search - Search by Raid Boss name
  • 🏆 Raid Levels - Toggle levels 1-5
  • 👥 Minimum Participants - Filter by number of trainers (0-20)
  • ⏱️ Time Remaining - Set minimum time remaining in minutes (0-60)

How it works: Same as Map filters - adjust settings and see real-time results. Perfect for finding specific raid bosses or filtering by difficulty level!

Routes View Filters

  • 🔤 Route Search - Filter your saved routes by name
Pro Tips:
  • Filters persist while you browse - change locations without losing your filter settings
  • Combine multiple filters for precise results (e.g., "Legendary + 95% accuracy + ATK 15")
  • Use the Hide Filters button to get more map space while keeping filters active

⚔️ Viewing Raid Battles

Switching to Raids View

  1. Click ⚔️ Raids in the navigation bar
  2. The map will reload showing raid battle locations

Raid Levels (indicated by marker color)

  • 🔘 Gray - Level 1 Raid (Easiest)
  • 🔵 Blue - Level 2 Raid
  • 🟠 Orange - Level 3 Raid
  • 🔴 Red - Level 4 Raid
  • 🟣 Purple - Level 5 Raid (Legendary)

Raid Details

Click on any raid marker to see:

  • Gym Name - Where the raid is happening
  • Boss Pokémon - Which Pokémon you'll battle
  • Raid Level - Difficulty tier (1-5)
  • Time Remaining - How long until the raid expires
  • CP Range - Combat Power range of the boss
  • Coordinates - Exact latitude/longitude

💡 Tips & Tricks

Maximizing Your Hunt

  1. Start with a larger radius (10-15km) to survey the area
  2. Narrow down to 3-5km for targets you want to reach
  3. Check Despawn times - Prioritize Pokémon that are expiring soon
  4. Focus on high IV totals - Pokémon above 80% total IV are worth catching

Time Management

  • Pokémon typically spawn for 30 minutes
  • Raids last 45 minutes after they hatch
  • Use "Despawns" time to plan your route
  • The 🗺️ Get Directions button opens in Google Maps for real-time navigation

Search Strategies

Urban Areas:

  • Use smaller radius (3-5km)
  • High spawn density means frequent updates

Rural Areas:

  • Use larger radius (10-20km)
  • Spawns may be spread out

Finding Rares:

  • Legendary (Purple) and Very Rare (Red) Pokémon are the most valuable
  • Check high-accuracy spawns (95%+) for reliability
  • Use the Raids tab for guaranteed Legendary encounters

Interface Tips

  • The radius persists! Change locations without resetting your search distance
  • Zoom controls are on the left side of the map (+ and -)
  • Click the blue marker to verify your current search coordinates
  • Refresh sensitivity - The map auto-updates when you change radius or location

Troubleshooting

"Failed to load Pokémon data"

Solution: Make sure the backend server is running on port 8080

No Pokémon showing up

Try:

  • Increase your search radius
  • Search a different location (urban areas have more spawns)
  • Check that the database has been seeded with Pokémon data

Map not recentering after search

Fix: The map should automatically recenter with the RecenterMap feature. If not, try:

  • Closing and reopening the location modal
  • Refreshing the browser page

📝 Quick Reference

Feature Location Action
Change Location Top-right button Click → Enter address or coordinates
Adjust Radius Top of map Type number (1-20) + Enter
View Pokémon Info Map marker Click colored circle
Filter Pokémon Show Filters button Toggle filters and see live results
Get Directions Pokémon popup Click "Get Directions" button
Switch Views Navbar Map / Raids / Routes
Zoom Map Map controls +/- buttons or scroll

🎮 Happy Hunting!

You're now ready to catch 'em all with PokeFind! Remember:

  • 🔍 Search any location worldwide
  • 🎯 Adjust your radius to match your area
  • 🔎 Use filters to find exactly what you want
  • ⏰ Watch despawn timers
  • 🌟 Prioritize rare and high-IV Pokémon
  • 🗺️ Use Get Directions for real-time navigation

Need help? Check the troubleshooting section or report issues on the GitHub repository.