Release Notes for JMRI 3.3.6 release

Date: June 6, 2013

From: Bob Jacobsen

Subject: Test version 3.3.6 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 3.4 production release at mid-year.

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:

For users of JMRI on Microsoft Windows, the installer will now request Administrator permissions if the user running the installation is not a member of the administrators group. Users of Windows Vista or later may receive a UAC (User Account Control) pop-up message when installing.

The TCS decoder definitions have been extensively reworked. You'll notice that they list different families and the models are organized differently. This is to make the automatic identification work much better. Please let us know if you encounter any problems with this.

Older warnings

This release and all future releases will not support the NCE serial interface running at 19,200 baud.

The decoder definition files have been extensively reworked for this release series to reduce their size and allow them to be translated to other languages. Please keep an eye out for any inadvertent changes to the definitions that might have been introduced.

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

Known problems with this release

Download links:

Please use these links for downloading:

Changes since test release 3.3.5:

• Decoder definition for the MPM RRR cars and advanced light functions decoder from Wekomm - Alain Carasso
• Improved internationalization for the About dialog - Jens E Christensen
• Improvements to JSON server and protocols:
  • JSON clients can now add, edit, and delete consists. - Randall Wood
  • Begin versioning the JSON protocol so clients can use an explicit JSON protocol version. - Randall Wood
  • Include the JSON protocol version in the ZeroConf advertisement for both network services that support the JSON protocol. - Randall Wood
  • Allow the JSON socket connection hello message to be read using an HTTP GET to /json/hello - Randall Wood
  • Allow the JSON hello message to be requested by JSON clients through the socket connection. - Randall Wood
  • Add a JSON method to enumerate all advertised ZeroConf services; this is intended to allow a client outside the ZeroConf boundary with only knowledge of the Web service to request a JSON-formatted list of all network services (WiThrottle, SRCP, LocoRMI, etc...) with ports and connection information. - Randall Wood
• Improved web server performance with a large number of clients or large number of requests per client. - Steve Todd
• Dan Boudreau made the following changes to operations:
  • Added the ability to print out a car's final destination and return when empty to the car roster print function.
  • In the "Set Car" window, the return when empty and final destination fields are now disabled if you turn routing off. Both features require routing to work properly.
  • The program no longer shows an error in the train build report if you delete a schedule item for a car that was assigned that item in match mode. The program now tries to find another match for the car, and will report a problem if there isn't a match available.
  • The program now shows the train, departure and arrival locations if the prompt to or from staging is selected.
  • Fixed a bug where a train wouldn't build after deleting a car or loco type that the train used to carry. Restarting the program would clear the error in previous releases.
  • Fixed a bug in the cvs files when user had commas in their comments.
  • Fixed a bug where a train wouldn't terminate if the first location in a route was deleted in a built train.
• Request administrator rights when installing - fix for bug highlighted by Suzie Tall
• Updated the routes window to allow it to contain scroll bars if the window is too small for the information contained - Kevin Dickerson
• ESU ECOS - Fixed an issue with the way that the throttle speed changes are handled - Kevin Dickerson
• Blocks/LayoutBlocks - When the layoutblock useExtraColor is changed, propagate this down to the "block" so that it can fire off a propertychange event of "allocated" to all its listeners. The "block" itself does not keep track or store the allocated setting. This saves any objects having to listener to both the block and layoutblock states. - Kevin Dickerson
• SignalMast Logic - React to LayoutBlocks being allocated to sections. This only occurs if the Logic has a section associated with it, and the dispatcher has been loaded. - Kevin Dickerson
• SignalMast Logic - Identifies Signal Masts that can be classed as intermediate. Intermediate Masts are classed as those that only have a single destination mast, with no turnouts in the path.
• SignalMast Logic/Sections - Flag sections as being intermediate where they go to or from an Intermediate Mast.
• SensorIcon - Fix an inconsistency issue with the setting of sensor text colors. - Kevin Dickerson
• Text Properties - Fix the font size selection list in text properties to work correctly - Kevin Dickerson
• Loconet Simulator - Initial states of sensors can be set via the preferences, rather than using the default of UNKNOWN - Kevin Dickerson
• Debug Throttle - Add 14 & 28 Speed step settings to those that are available
• LocoNet Throttle - Fix issues where certain speed steps were being skipped over in 14 & 28 mode. - Michael Mosher & Kevin Dickerson
• Entry/Exit - Add the option to set an alternative colour for the layout blocks while the Entry/Exit route is being set up. Colour is defined in the Entry/Exit Options
• Entry/Exit - Allow extended NX routes to be set eg A-D, rather than A-B, B-C, C-D
• Entry/Exit - Can now extend the transit of an Active Train in the dispatcher
• Dispatcher/AutoDispatcher changes:
  • Fix an issue where turnouts are not correctly being set in the last section, (when continuous running isn't selected) or the previous block is not picked up if the active train is starting in the transit and is not in the first block of that section.
  • Add the ability to delay the start of a train based upon a sensor going active.
  • Add to the memory icon, the ability to reset an Automatic Active Train once it has completed.
  • Add a text label with the actual speed(percentage)/direction as seen by the associated throttle to an auto active train.
  • When using SignalMasts and Auto Allocate, the mast at the end of the last allocated section is set held, so that the approaching automatic auto train does not simply read what the logic has calculated. When allocating the next section, set the mast at the end of that to held and then release the previous one.
  • Update the auto active train terminate option, so that it waits until the loco has stopped before finally disposing of it.
  • If allocating a section that this flagged as intermediate test all subsequent sections that are also flagged as intermediate to make sure that we do not end up with trains meeting face-to-face.
  • When a section that is waiting to be allocated goes from an occupied to an un-occupied state force the dispatcher to do a rescan of sections waiting to be allocated.
  • Extend the Entry/Exit interlocking so that it can extend the transit of an active train.
  • Add the option to allow the dispatcher window to be opened when the panel file is loaded.
  • New Train Window - The starting block combo box will automatically select the first occupied block in the list
  • New Train Window - When called from the panel with a known Roster Entry and block, the transit combo is populated with transits that either contain the block past or have it as an entry point.
• The TCS decoder definition files have been realigned with great help from TCS. All old definitions are still there, but three new families have been created from which only the one with the latest firmware (called Jan 2012) is always visible. If you identify a decoder on the programming track the correct decoder definition file will be called. The decoder files now also leverage the unique decoder type ID provided by TCS. When identifying the decoder not only a large family will populate but only the right decoder featuring its correct firmware will be shown.
• There's also a new feature in the tool allowing to replace obsolete decoder definition files with their current replacement. To do this, select "Update Decoder Definitions" from the "Debug" menu. In this release, the only decoder definitions that are available for update at the TCS ones. If you have TCS decoders and want to use the most recent decoder definitions, please back up your files and then go ahead with doing this update.
• An initial decoder definition file for the soon to be released WOW sound decoder is included. So far only the NON sound related CV's are supported, as the sound CV's require additional rework of the code base.
• Peter Ulvestad improved the Atlas 342 and 345 decoder definitions
• Nigel Cliffe improved some CT Electronik decoders.
• David Heap improved the Help Locations window.
• Dave Sand contributed a new ManageBlocks.py sample script