I would like to add some mountain-path names and numbers to the map, but I don’t understand the difference between the tags “ref” and “name”. Is it correct that only “name” is rendered? Or does this depend on the renderer?
I think ref should be the path number and name be the path’s name, if any. But with mountain paths, most of the time you will need the number, because this is on the signs. So in this case it would be good if both, number and name, would be rendered.
So yes, path numbers in ref, the name of the path in the name. In some cases in Britain paths have official names of the form 'Lambley Footpath Number 5", but most people dont know or use these names. From time to time they do get added to OSM.
I am using the mobile phone application “Sports Tracker” as a tracker and also as a hiking map. As far as I can see the mapnik renderer is used. Would it be the apps task to display the path-numbers (refs), as an overlay?