So, there is a relatively simple way to adding multiple features based on ESRI shapefile. It is very useful especially when we have for example large number of points and every point has some attribute which we would like to ‘export’ to openstreetmap. Nice example are points with buildings numbers.
First, we need Quantum GIS with GPS plugin. We could download it from http://qgis.org). After install we must go to main menu and choose Plugins → Manage Plugins and find GPS Tools. Then we need to select checkbox for this plugin to make it active (if this plugin is active we can skip this step).


Now we can add our shapefile. From main menu we choose Layer → Add vector layer and we set encoding and path to the file. After that in layers manager (on the left) our shapefile appers.



From the main menu we choose → View tab, then → Select and then → Select features by rectangle. We must select all points (or other features) using bounding-box and use combination of key - CTRL + C.


Now it’s time to create gpx layer. We must go to main menu, choose Plugins → GPS - > Create new GPX layer and set path where file should be saved. Our gpx file will be added to the layers manager on the left as three layers: waypoints, routes and tracks. We have point shapefile in this example so waypoints layer is interesting for us.

Right mouse click on this layer (newgpxlayer, waypoints in my example) and choose Toogle editing. From now this layer is editable so we can add some features using CTRL + V key combination.

After that just right mouse click on this layer again, unset Toogle editing and save changes. If we click right mouse on this layer and choose Open attribute table we could see some columns with attributes which has been copied from our shapefile.

Note that gpx file has few column: name, elevation, symbol, comment, description, source, url, url name. After copy of our points every column of this file will be filled with some attributes from shapefile table - first column of gpx file (name) will be filled with attribute from first column of shapefile but types of columns must be compatible (number can be copied to number column or text column; string can be copied only to string but not number column).
Finally we need to open our gpx file using for example Notepad and change names of columns.

This step is not neccessery but is very useful. GPX file has few column name, elevation, symbol, comment, description, source, url, url name, but for example in the column url are now storing buildings numbers (automatically copied from shapefile). We can change name of this column to for example xxxnb. After uploading gpx file to the openstreetmap we will be able to multiple select our points and change this column name to addr:housenumber and saving. Using this method we won’t need to fill housenumber field anymore.
Tips: When we choose name for the column, for example xxxnb, this name should be unique as much as possible. This guarantees that after uploading and changing column name (xxxnb) to osm tag (addr:housenumber) other users features will be not changed.



We must to do last thing. When we want to upload gpx file to openstreetmap we must use Upload trace option (http://www.openstreetmap.org/trace/create). But if we have only waypoint gpx we need to add some text to this file. Open the gpx file in a text editor (for example Notepad) and paste after
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
the following text in
2009-06-21T15:34:01Z
MYLAT and MYLON can be copied from any of the following waypoint. So finally our gpx file might looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
2009-06-21T15:34:01Z
.
.
.
.
.
.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Question: How to select in Potlach ver. 2 all waypoint that i uploaded as a trace? I use CTRL + left mouse button but not all points are selected.