Release Notes for JMRI 2.11.4 release

Date: April 16, 2011

From: Bob Jacobsen

Subject: Test version 2.11.4 of JMRI/DecoderPro is available for download.

Notes:

This is a test release. Please post a note if you encounter any new or old bugs! And please back up your JMRI files before installing this, in case you want to go back to an earlier version.

This is the fourth in a series of test versions. We expect this series to end in a JMRI 2.12 or 3.0 production release in 2011.

It contains many new features, including:

• The release notes are arranged by contributor now. This not only gives credit to the hard work behind each individual contribution, but also helps provide a bit more organization, as each developer tends to have a particular part of the code they focus on
• Big news for those who find the standard JMRI font too big or too small. You can now change it via Preferences -> Display
• Numerous improvements to Operations
• The LocoNet monitor translates additional commands into plain English
• Fixes glitches in the CP290 and Insteon Powerline interfaces
• Fixes a timing glitch in the RobotThrottle3 script that allowed a train to effectively trip its own signal before it actually passed. With the fix in place, Walt our intrepid moderator has run 7 simultaneous trains under RT3 control for 4 hours without interruption
• The AutoDispatcher script now sports user defined track colors along with several new schedule commands
• Improvements to the JMRI installer allows the Windows Task Manager to properly display the names of the various JMRI applications
• Assorted bug fixes and improvements to the Layout, Panel and Control Panel editors
• JMRI throttles now feature icons for the throttle and function buttons (you can turn them off if you don't like them)
• The 1st pieces of the Aspect Signaling system are coming into place. With this release you can assign speeds in the block and turnout tables. These speeds are also available to the various automation tools such as RobotThrottle3 and AutoDispatcher
• Cleared out a couple big bottlenecks in the Mini-Web Server. Web based throttles and panels should should now have a lot more "snap" to them
• Various additions and corrections to the decoder files, with an especially large contribution of definitions for the newer Digitrax sound decoders

along with other changes. See the complete list below.

Some of the changes involved are quite extensive. They may require a certain amount of experience before they are working well. Therefore, this test version should be considered experimental.

JMRI is now only available under the GNU General Public License. For more information, please see our copyright and licensing page.

New warnings for this version:

Development Version 2.11.4 contains significant improvements to the Powerline Interfaces. Some of these improvements involved a complete restructuring of the underlying code. As a result, previously working Preferences may now show no connections for some of the Powerline Interfaces. If this occurs, go to Preferences and setup the Powerline Layout Connections again. Then save the Preferences and restart JMRI.

Older warnings

In Development Version 2.11.3 JMRI instituted a more robust and transparent system for handling missing panel icon files. If missing icon files are discovered during the panel loading process this system presents a dialog box that allows the user to either delete the offending reference or use the file browser to find the proper location. Older versions of JMRI didn't always fully remove the references to deleted panel icons. Panels which contain these stray references will present the dialog box during the first panel load. If the panel worked fine before, simply choose the delete option for each "missing" icon presented to remove the stray references. Once the panel has finished loading, save/store the panel file, quit JMRI and then reload. As a precaution, we recommend either making a backup copy of your panel file before diving in or saving the modified file under a different name

There have been extensive changes to the throttle code. If you have written scripts that use throttles, particularly multiple throttles, please check to make sure they still work.

The numerical values of "ON" and "OFF" for Lights changed in JMRI 2.11.2, along with some of the other constants in the class. This will have no impact on people just using the program. If you're using scripts with numerical values in them, please recode them to use the symbolic values.

Known problems with this release

None at the time of this release.

Download links:

Please use these links for downloading:

Changes since production version 2.11.3

Dan Boudreau:

• Users can now adjust font size. See Edit Preferences, Display GUI.

New operations features and bug fixes:

• Cars with a final destination will no longer wander if the destination track doesn't have space for the car.
• The edit schedule destination track menu now shows only valid tracks. Staging tracks are no longer shown in the edit schedule window.
• The program will now check the entire schedule in match mode when generating custom loads from staging.
• Fixed a minor bug with switch lists, the location status wouldn't become "Changed" when there were only car pick ups.
• The switch list "Print Switch List Changes" now only shows new trains since the last printing.
• New "Set Cars" tool. Now you can set the location, destinations, and load for a group of cars.
• You can also decide to not modify the car's load status when using the Set Cars Tool.
• New car sort in the cars window, by car's final destination.
• New build option, you can now optionally select the departure track from staging.
• New operations feature. You can now optionally create a Comma Separated Values (csv) manifest file. Now you can use Excel to create a custom manifest to your liking. Files can be found in operations->csvManifests
• A new capacity check has been added to limit overloading of a siding with a schedule in aggressive mode. Overloading a siding can still happen when using aggressive mode, but the overloading is now limited.
• Bug fix. A car in a kernel with FRED must be the lead (*) car. When editing car with FRED and in kernel, the program will automatically make the car the lead.
• Manifests and switch lists now block cars by kernel. The new blocking order is: first by road, then number, kernel, location and finally destination. This should keep cars in a kernel together on the manifest and switch lists.
• You can now change the loco and car manifest and switch list pick up and set out prefixes, i.e. " [ ] Pick up". See Setting->Tools Print Options.
• Users can now reset a train directly from the Trains window.
• You can now have operations windows close on save. See Settings Options.

Bob Milhaupt improved the LocoNet monitor to show system and user names, decode many more types of messages, and fixed some aspects of function and transponder messages.

Ken Cameron:

• Fixed Powerline interfaces for CP290 and Insteon.
• Improved the testing of the ports used for interfaces when saving the preferences. It now will log an error message on the console with the port and conflicting interfaces.
• With testing by Walt Thompson, found and fixed a significant timing bug that was causing a train to stop due to it tripping its own signals. Seven trains running for over 4 hours with no issues!!

Matthew Harris:

• Fixed a bug in the implementation of Reporters and updated the Javadoc.
• Added a new column to the Reporters table that shows the last known report.
• Added a new test case for Reporter objects.
• Updated documentation for Windows start-up scripts, giving more details of how the shortcuts are structured.
• Updated LaunchJMRI to correctly set the user.home variable which was incorrectly determined in some configurations.
• Allowed the use of environment variables to modify launcher behavior.
• Enabled the process name displayed in Task Manager to match the JMRI application being launched.
• Added a new object and test case that holds the current JMRI application name.
• Corrected the behavior of snapping JSliders by making them snap whilst dragging rather than after dragging by using the SliderSnap class provided by Michael Kneebone.
• Added support for general ID Tags and specific implementations for RFID readers that use the CORE-ID protocol in both stand-alone and MERG concentrator configurations.
• Added test cases for Audio and ID Tag support.
• Enabled default Speedometer settings to be saved.
• Corrected a few UI anomalies.

Pete Cressman:

• Fixed a bug where groups of icons copied and pasted into another panel had their attributes incorrectly modified.
• Updated Control Panel documentation.
• Added edit text menu item to Loco Marker popup when in operations mode.
• Fixed bug when removing Memory Input and Memory Spinner icons.
• Fixed bug for Memory Input popup menu to change column width.
• fix bug of multiple additions of items from Item Palette duplicating the rotations of the first.
• fix bug unable to select family type after selecting signal head row in Item Palette.
• The Path list on the Indicator Track and Indicator Turnout tabs of the Item Palette have been replaced with checkboxes. See the help page on the Item Palette.
• A help page has been added to the Item Palette.
• Warrant throttle command scripts editing improved. Commands may be added and deleted. Scripts can be edited to trigger an external sensor to operate additional animation.
• Internal improvements to Portals and OPaths
• Fixed bug that would hang scripts if Speed Table was not initialized.
• Fixed bug #3209940 Logix StateVariable for SignalHead Appearance and Mast Aspect did not report user errors.

Lionel Jeanson:

• Improved roster xslt files, roster.xml now better rendered in web browser when accessed through JMRI MiniWebServer.
• Added possibility to have function icons for throttles (defined via DecoderPro function labels pane).
• Function icons usage implemented in JMRI native throttles and inControl web throttles
• Added icons on buttons for JMRI native throttles control panel.
• Option available in throttles preferences to disable buttons icons for JMRI native throttles.
• Improved drag'n drop component for images, remove now on contextual menu.
• Improved Jynstrument on throttle window toolbar, Jynstruments now saved when window layout saved, and restored on load.

Kevin Dickerson:

• Add the ability to set speeds to Blocks and Turnouts for use with automation tools
• Catched an error that causes a High CPU Utilisation when an unexpected/abnormal termination occurs in a TCP connection.
• Add the ability to identify which signal mast appearance should be used for the following states in the signal mast appearance file
  
  • Danger
  • Permissive,
  • Held,
  • Dark.
• SignalMast appearance files expanded to include mapping of advanced signal mast appearance to multiple potential local appearances. See BR-2003/appearance-3.xml for an example.
• Added a set action in a signal mast icon, so that when it is clicked the appearance will change aspect, alternate held, alternate dark. In the same manner as the existing Signal Head Icon.
• It is now possible to select which set of icons are used for a signal mast in the editors where more than one set has been provided for.

Steve Todd:

• add handling for "route" and "panel" to xmlio server.
• xmlio server: handle read larger than default block size, minor error trapping/prevention

Nigel Cliffe:

• Changes to CT SL51/SL75 Decoder Definitions file: Added "alt" function key to function mapping, which opens up access to sound slots 9-16. Minor changes to labels and other function mapping details associated with this new discovery.

Jack Shall added the EMD 710G3C-T2 and GE Gevo-12 to the Tsunami decoder definitions.

Marc Fournier improved the wording in the reset section of the BLI Paragon decoder definitions.

Michael Greene updated the Lenz Ultradrive decoder definition.

Stephen Lowens provided an updated Digitrax SFX decoder definition that includes the most recent decoder definition coding techniques. The file includes definition for new decoders: SDN144PS, SDN144K0A, SDN144K1E, SDH164D & SDH164K1A, B & C, as well as legacy decoders SDH104K1A, B & C and SDH104T1. T he definition includes new CVs 60, 133, 134 & 154 and adds default values for all CVs where documented. He also compared the documented defaults with an actual decoder and corrected errors where Digitrax documentation is incorrect.

Alain Carasso add the latest version of Roco 10745 decoder, more sophisticated than Lokpilot Basic, but less than full Lokpilot one, and also a 10745 Roco decoder file (no long address settings).

Updated the NMRA manufacturer code list with values to March 8, 2011.

Giorgio Terdina released a new version of AutoDispatcher, supporting user-defined track colors and including new schedule commands to test the held state of signal heads and to operate turnouts and accessories like level crossings.

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