Release Notes for JMRI 2.7.4 release

Date: July 24, 2009

From: Bob Jacobsen

Subject: Test version 2.7.4 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 2.8 production release in December 2009.

It contains many new features, including:

• Improved support for the ECoS command station
• A much better method of storing panel files so they can be moved from one computer to another (but see warning below!)
• Improvements to Signal Head editing, Logix and Conditionals

along with lots of 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:

JMRI 2.7.4 changes the way filenames for icons, etc, are stored in XML files by JMRI. The advantage is that this new method will make it much easier to move panel files from one computer to another, even of a different type. So long as you keep all your files in the JMRI preferences directory on both machines, the files should just move over without trouble. The warning is that files written in this format will not be properly read by JMRI versions before 2.7.4. This includes files from earlier versions that are read by JMRI 2.7.4 and then written out again, as the program will update them to the new format upon storing them.

Warnings from older versions:

(None)

Download links:

Please use these links for downloading:

Changes since test version 2.7.3

Kevin Dickerson updated the ECoS support for better turnout operation, and to add initial support for throttles to run locomotives through the ECoS.

Kevin Dickerson fixed a problem what would sometimes result in improperly disabled Logix and Conditionals.

Kevin Dickerson added turnout monitoring to the ECoS support.

Support for "Lunar" appearance has been added to signals.

A new "Four Output Signal Head" is available. It uses a 4th lamp (bulb or LED) to show a Lunar or Flashing Lunar aspect. The Logix/Conditional support has been updated to work with this.

Pete Cressman improved the memory spinner icon.

In preparation for new Signal Mast support, we've changed the interface to talk about Signal Heads instead of just Signals.

Fix a problem with PowerLine initialization that would prevent certain Light configurations from working.

Pete Cressman improved the Memory spinner icon support, allowed the Light icon to be edited, and added methods for better control of the icon editor.

Fixed a problem that prevented TwoOutput and ThreeOutput signal heads from being edited from the Signal Head Table.

Dan Boudreau added fields for RFID to the operations code.

Sakae Akanuma provided a Japanese translation.

Fixed a problem that prevented panel files from JMRI 2.7.3 from properly showing certain icons. (More detail: If the file specified an icon location that started with "resource:resource", JMRI 2.7.3 would not locate the icon)

Pete Cressman fixed a problem that prevented the format of panel editor Sensor Icon text from being properly stored and reloaded.

Kevin Dickerson added initial support for managing the locomotive information in an ECoS command station.

Pete Cressman added a "Memory Input Icon" to the panel editor.

More fixes to the portable filename support.

Pete Cressman fixed a problem where a panel editor sensor icon would be triggered when you opened its popup menu.

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