Release Notes for JMRI 2.99.3 release

Date: Feb 20, 2012

From: Bob Jacobsen

Subject: Test version 2.99.3 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 next in a series of test versions. We expect this series to end in a JMRI 3.0 production release, probably in Summer 2012.

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:

None

Older warnings

This release, and all other releases in this cycle, require Java 1.6.

Known problems with this release

None at the time of this release.

Download links:

Please use these links for downloading:

Changes since test release 2.99.2

Dan Boudreau made the following changes:

• Removed accessory address restriction from NCE USB. Early versions of the NCE USB and PowerCab/SB3 were limited to 250, now they can support the entire accessory address range.
• Fixed localization issue where some of the menu items weren't displayed in the selected language.
• Improved the NCE command monitor by making the data captured human readable.
• Fixed the NCE turnout lock

Operations bug fixes and enhancements:

• Fixed an intermittent problem when departing staging in aggressive mode and generate custom car loads was enabled for that track
• Now in aggressive mode, tracks in staging can be made available for an inbound train as soon as an outbound train is built. This allows a train to also depart and return to the same staging track. You need to enable this feature to use it, see Settings->Tools->Options select "Make departure track available after train is built".
• When a train departs from staging and also terminates into staging, the program will if needed generate a load for a car that will terminate into staging as long as one of the two "Generate custom loads ..." from staging is selected.
• New car feature "utility". This feature helps mimic prototype car movements of coal or other commodities. When a car is specified as a utility car, its road and number will not be displayed on the manifests or switch lists. Instead the program will list the required number of cars of a given type needed for the train. See the "Edit Car" window under Type for this feature.
• Enhanced the operations "Edit Car" window. Now when you select Caboose, Passenger, Hazardous, or Utility, the program asks if you want to change all cars of that type.
• You can now edit the "hazardous" warning message, see Settings->Tools->Print Options.
• Improved the train build report for several build failures
• Improved the "Set Cars" window, the program now remembers which "ignores" you previously selected.

Kevin Dickerson made the following changes.

• Add a notification if an error occurred during a panel store, rather than it previously failing silently.
• Updated the throttle window, so that when it is closed, any active throttles, no longer set the loco speed to 0 or turns off all the functions
• Added a delay option into the SignalMast code to allow the simulation of manually operated signals ie Semaphore Signals
• Fix an issue when an NullPointerException could occur when changing between signal mast driver types when the signaling system name does not match the directory that the signal mast are held in
• Added an Experimental DCC accessory controlled SignalMast for the RR-Cirkits LNCP module.
• Updated the status bar font size in DP3 to hopefully make it clearer for some users.
• Added the ability to save and recall the order in which column headers appear in DP3s roster table
• Add the ability in the Layout Editor to control a second turnout from another one on the layout panel. This is ideal for situations where the user has two physical turnouts operating from one DCC Address and has to put onto the panel an Internal turnout to represent the second turnout. Changes made to either turnout are reflected on the other.
• ECOS - Improved he handling of adding locos to the roster from Ecos database.
• (Windows Only) In the preferences when you select a new connection, they system will try and match the correct comm port against the selected system
• Fixed an issue in the "Add/Edit Routes" window that could cause panel files to load slowly.
• Fixed an issue with the Start-Up Wizard that could cause the system to hang when doing the final connect
• Fix potential NPE that would stop the Sprog command station from working if a null packet was queued.
• Fix a number of XML validation errors.

Randall Wood made the following changes:

• Fix issues preventing DP3 roster and roster group windows from consistently working correctly.
• Add a roster group selector to the Throttle windows.
• Remove all use of the Active Roster Group.

B. Milhaupt made the following changes:

• Updated the configuration tools to provide more reliable OpSw accesses to Digitrax BDL16x, DS64, PM4x, and SE8c boards. Some users reported that previous versions of these tools would abort during the middle of a Read or Write, when the addressed board would not provide the required response to the OpSw read or write message. These tools will now attempt up to three accesses to an OpSw before aborting the OpSw operation, instead of making only one OpSw access attempt.

Steve Todd made the following changes:

• Added default robots.txt file to ask webcrawlers to NOT index any content from miniserver.

The OpenLCB support has been updated to version 0.4.1 of their specification and libraries.

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