WXforum.net
Weather Software => Station Software Development => Topic started by: Josiah on November 14, 2014, 04:12:45 PM
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New Thread For Add-InWx.
Visit the web page: www.addinwx.com (http://www.addinwx.net)
UPDATE (10/8/2020):
This software application is now open-sourced under the MIT license! The GitHub repo can be found here: https://github.com/Josiah-B/Addin-wx
It was a good run while I was actively working on it. However, I've gotten to busy with life to continue development. So I'm turning this over to the software development community. Thank you to all for the testing, and beta work! You guys made this possible!
Add-InWx is a Weather Program I've been working on for close to 4 years now.
I'm a self-taught programmer and have been using this program as a project to teach myself. I'm still learning, and I know I have a long way still to go, but its been fun (and sometimes frustrating, LOL) so far.
Excerpt from the older forum thread here: http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=22605.0 (http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=22605.0)
About 4 years ago we purchased our first real weather station (an Ultimeter 2100 from PeetBros with pro sensors) and shortly thereafter started looking at software to interface to it. What we were looking for was something that would display the data in a nice/easy to read way while still having a few good features. We started with the "WeatherText Tools" software that came with the Station then moved to software (Of which i don't remember the name of) that was originally available at N3FJP's website back in 2012. We then tried "Weather Display" and "Cumulus" neither of which we liked. After that we tried 3 or 4 other pieces of software before finally giving up. Our biggest complaint with the existing software was that they either didn't display the Station data very well or the configuration was at best a complete mess.
Being relatively new to programing at that time I started working on my own software to interface to our Station and since then it has evolved into this.
(http://i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag274/Ben_J/MainScreen_zps3a8a6f26.jpg)
Options Window:
(http://i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag274/Ben_J/OptionsWindow_zps11073623.jpg)
Its still a work in progress, but currently as of (Version 1.0.0.5 Beta) here is a list of features:
Supported OSes
Windows 7 x32, 8 and 8.1 x64 are confirmed to work
Windows XP and Vista have not been confirmed but should work
Supported Stations
Davis Vantage Vue, Pro and Pro2. via USB, Serial and TCP Dataloggers.
PeetBros. Ultimeter models 2100, 800 and 100 (2005 and later)
I would like to add more, I just need Suggestions and someone who is willing to help debug the connection to a new type of Station.
It supports Connecting to Multiple Weather Stations Simultaneously
You can pick what units the data is displayed as Fahrenheit/Celsius, Mph/Kph, InHg/mbar etc.
Plugins: Add-InWx is Designed around supporting Plugins, Meaning that if you want to add something to it, you can do so. I've tried to keep everything simple so its easy to work with.
Tentatively planned Plugins / Features: (These are in no particular order)
SQL DataBase Connectivity for Data Logging / Graphing
WUnderground Radar and Forecast
USB / TCP/IP Webcam Support
Ocean Tide Forecasts
Re-hosting of Weather Stations over TCP/IP (ie. if you have a Serial Connection to the WX Station, then this would allow TCP/IP Connections to be made to the Station)
Weather Alarms
Uploading to WUnderground and CWOP.
Previous versions can be seen on this forum thread: http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=22605.0 (http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=22605.0)
The Old Version can be downloaded here: https://app.box.com/s/1wmunmzt5awgyu18tl9w (https://app.box.com/s/1wmunmzt5awgyu18tl9w)
A Special Thanks to Forum Members: dean.martin and Beaudog for their help with debugging the Connection to the Davis stations. Thanks Guys!
I appreciate any and all questions and comments about Add-InWx. If you would like to report a bug, request a feature, or just send a comment, you can post them here on the forum thread or email me directly at Bennett_J@aol.com.
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Hi,
I've confirmed the software works on Win7 32bit using a Davis VP2 with serial data logger. It started pulling data as soon as I added the station. Looks good!
-Scott
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Thanks Scott.
Just curious, What do you think of the Full-screen mode?
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Seems to work well, although I personally wouldn't use it since I have other software running that I monitor. But good to have as an option.
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Alright, Thanks.
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Add-InWx Version 1.0.0.4 Beta is now ready for download.
Its mostly minor changes, the only big one being the user can now select what units the data is displayed in.
For those who are so inclined the full change log can be viewed here: https://app.box.com/s/8ee1i6hqmrg2kcurhv27 (https://app.box.com/s/8ee1i6hqmrg2kcurhv27)
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I have it running on win7 via tcp.
I can't find the files. How do I delet the peet bros station and a couple of other stations I accidently made while trying to set it up.
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All the setting files are located in your "Documents" or "My Documents" folder under a sub folder called "Add-InWx".
The folder path for the Station Settings files is "Documents\Add-InWx\Stations".
The station files are labeled with the station Name a " - " then the name of the Plugin Type they use, so a "Peet Bros" station named "My Station" would have a settings file labeled "My Station - Peet Bros.txt".
Sorry about not posting where the files are located.
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Josiah,
I noticed you are using a file share site for distribution. You could perhaps generate more interest and traffic for your program by moving to a site like SourceForge or even starting your own web site.
SourceForge is free and you'd have more exposure to folks looking for weather software, but you would need to make your source code available.
If you want to keep the source code proprietary instead, then for as little as $10-20 a month you can grab a domain name and get a web site up and running with a hosting service.
I'm glad you're having fun; that's what it's all about!
Drop me a pm if you want more info on any of this.
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Add-InWx Version 1.0.0.5 Beta is now ready for download!
Look in the "Download links" section of the original post for the links to the change-log and to download it.
aweatherguy,
Thanks for the tips.
For now the file share site seems to be working fine. I will admit that gaining more interest and traffic for Add-InWX would be nice, but at this point i'm not sure if i want to release the source code. By not releasing the source code it leaves me with the ability to (If i decide to) start asking for donations or selling it.
Once I have more time and have expand Add-InWx more, then I'll start thinking about putting up a website.
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So I've went and spent the last 2 hours creating a webpage for Add-InWx.
The url for it is www.addinwx.net
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Very nice, good work!
I forgot to mention that with SourceForge you can setup to accept donations....but they will always be optional and you would not be able to require a donation. Probably not what you're after so the web site is probably a better choice.
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Very nice, good work!
I forgot to mention that with SourceForge you can setup to accept donations....but they will always be optional and you would not be able to require a donation. Probably not what you're after so the web site is probably a better choice.
Thanks!
Its amazing what you can do with Drag-And-Drop these days... :lol:
There's a couple of reasons that I decided to go with a website, one of them is the Open-Source / Saleability thing. Another is that it gives me a place to post plugins once i start completing them. A third is that I've wanted to mess around with putting up a website anyway. And, I decided that even if I don't spend much time making the website Really, Really good, having the experience setting one up + working on it provides, would be useful.
And, Thinking about it now, it will give me a place that i can upload Weather Data to.
BTW, When I said 'Ask for donations', the idea would be that people could donate if they wanted to. In my book, requiring a donation to get a product, is the same as selling it.
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So I've went and spent the last 2 hours creating a webpage for Add-InWx.
The url for it is www.addinwx.net
Looks like the change log link for 1.0.0.5 is actually pointing to the program zip file... Not sure if it's because I'm on my iPhone, but but I am able to see the change logs for the previous versions.
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So I've went and spent the last 2 hours creating a webpage for Add-InWx.
The url for it is www.addinwx.net
Looks like the change log link for 1.0.0.5 is actually pointing to the program zip file... Not sure if it's because I'm on my iPhone, but but I am able to see the change logs for the previous versions.
Thanks, Its Fixed now.
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Great product......is it possible to change the background or just leave it empty?
Thanks
Steve
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Great product......is it possible to change the background or just leave it empty?
Thanks
Steve
You can't change the background right now, but I am planning on adding a 'Background Selection' Option later. Probably in the next release.
EDIT: When you say 'Leave it empty' do you mean something like a solid/gradient background, or more of a completely/mostly transparent background?
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gradient
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gradient
Ok, Hmm... Trying to figure out how to save a 'Key with multiple values' to the hard disk. I may need to update the 'Settings Manager'.
Aha! I've just the idea...
BTW: For those who are using Add-InWX, I've just identified a Major bug.
When you remove a station, the background thread it was running on does not stop until you close Add-InWx.
I have fixed it, so it won't be a problem starting with the next version [1.0.0.6].
There's also a problem with the Peet Bros. stations which I'm working on now. EDIT: Fixed
I'm also finishing-up a CWOP upload, and a WUnderground upload Plugin. So those should be available soon.
EDIT: and... I'm going to make a few performance optimizations for 1.0.0.6 as-well.
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Wouldn't the Background Option be a perfect plug-in? :) Kinda lke the screensavers where you can do patterns, pictures, gradients etc.
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Wouldn't the Background Option be a perfect plug-in? :) Kinda lke the screensavers where you can do patterns, pictures, gradients etc.
Hmm.. Interesting idea... :-k
That would fit in with some of my ideas as well. :-k
Its really the best idea for background options so far...
I think I like the idea of opening-up the background as a 'Blank Canvas' of sorts to plugins. :grin:
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Question about Add-InWx
I am using Virtual VP with Weather Link and Cumulus reading data from a Vantage Pro 2....works great
Trying to add Add-InWx to the mix and Comm Port 6, 7, 8 or 9 to display in the setting tab on Add-InWx. It only shows Comm 1, 2 or 4
Any ideas
Thanks
Steve
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Steve,
I'm thinking it's probably the way I've setup the program to get a list of the Serial port names. It may not be searching past ports 4-5.
Looking into it now...
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Which of those ports are virtual, and which are 'real'?
Edit: and what program are you using to create your Virtual Serial ports?
Also, check the serial ports list in the 'Device Manager' and see which ones show up there.
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I know what's going on.
What's happening is the Virtual Serial Connectors and Bridges are not showing up in the 'Device Manager' for some reason. So Add-InWx doesn't see them.
I have a third idea at getting a list of valid serial port names. If it doesn't work then I'll have to do what you see in older programs, where your presented with a list of serial names ranging from COM1 to COM255.
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Thanks for your help!
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Steve,
Until i release another update, one thing you can do is open the Station Config file and edit the Serial name.
The Station Config files are located in your "Documents/Add-InWx/Stations" folder.
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Thanks I will try that
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I tried that but it still did not work
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Try this Version.
The Sub-folder labeled 'Plugins' needs to replace the 'Plugins' folder in your 'Documents/Add-InWx' Directory.
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I could not get this version to display the station info
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Is the screen blank? Or are all the data values -9999?
Can you provide a little more details, please?
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Does not show the weather station display just the background of clouds
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Ok try this.
1.) Start by Deleting the entire contents of the 'Documents\Add-InWx' folder. Delete Everything including all sub-folders.
2.) Then Create a new folder labeled 'Plugins' in the 'Documents\Add-InWx' directory. Case is important.
Next:
3.) The contents of the attached .zip file labeled 'View' needs to go into the newly created 'Documents\Add-InWx\Plugins' folder.
4.) The second zip file labeled 'Latest Program' contains the main exe and other required files. Those can be extracted anywhere.
Once you get the above done, try running it, Setting up the station Comms, Then giving it at least 10 seconds to connect.
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still the same
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Its still not showing the main databoxes?
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correct
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Ok, It sounds like it may not loading the 'MainView_V2.dll' from your 'Documents\Add-InWX\Plugins' folder.
The easiest way to check if Add-InWx is loading it, is to open the Options window and look under the 'Views' Tab. If the file has been loaded then there will be an item in the to the left labeled 'MainView v2'. Reference the Attached Image.
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its not loading
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Ok,
Double check to make sure that the MainView_v2.dll file is placed on the correct folder. The complete file path should be something like 'C:\Users\name\Documents\Add-InWx\Plugins\MainView_v2.dll'. Substitute the 'name' with your user name. Also, If your using Windows XP your Documents folder may be labeled 'My Documents'.
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everything is right just not loading
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The next thing to try is to run Add-InWx with Administrator privileges.
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tried 2 different laptops same results
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hmm...
I'm thinking that maybe the files got corrupted while being uploaded.
Trying them now...
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Yep, Something happened to them. Try these.
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That's odd, those didn't work either.
Lets try this again.
EDIT:
For some reason the plugin doesn't like being uploaded.
Going to try posting to my Box account.
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still no go
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I'm still having the issue on this end.
It may be a problem with 7zip.
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For some reason its not working right.
I don't know what's going on, but It's definitely something with the Download, unzip process.
I've tried posting them here, uploading to my box account, and emailing them to myself, none of those have worked.
I know its a problem on the download/unzip side because I emailed someone a copy of Add-InWx just yesterday afternoon and they said it was working just fine.
My next thought was to try the files that I emailed to the guy yesterday, and surprisingly those did not work.
This is very strange.
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I've tried everything i just did but from a different pc and its not any better.
I have a couple of other plugins that I'm working on, So Just for fun I tried emailing them to myself. I get the same problem. Before I send them off to the 'Cloud' Add-InWx loads them and they work just fine. But once I send them off and then go retrieve them, they quit working.
Anyone have any ideas? Because At this point I really have no idea what it could possibly be.
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I've finally figured out what is happening.
For some reason Windows decides that This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer. Until I figure out how to sign the file so windows doesn't do this anymore, the plugin needs to be 'Unblocked'. You can do this by opening the properties for the file, then clicking the 'Unblock' button that's near the bottom.
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Ok so I followed your direction and now the display finally shows up. But......No matter what I do I can not get it to connect to my Davis VP 2 either directly or using VPLive with Cumulus and Weatherlink running
Anymore ideas??
Thanks
Steve
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That's odd. It sounds like we are back to the second from original issue.
It shouldn't make a difference, but I would check to make sure that your anti-virus software is not blocking it.
Just out of curiosity, what Version of windows are you running?
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Windows 8
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hmm... That's the same OS we are running over here.
Ok, What program are you using to create your Virtual Serial Ports/Serial bridges?
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VirtualVP with the N8VBvCom Drivers
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I was using Eterlogic's VSPE and wasn't having any trouble, but let me try those.
Another thing to look at when you have everything setup, does VirtualVP show activity on the port that Add-InWx is setup to use?
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no it does not. I even switched it to a port that has been working with either cumulus and weatherlink
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Can you try setting up VVP to allow a TCP/IP, then configuring Add-InWx to connect via that?
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Not to sure how to do that...can you contact me via email
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Sure, PM me with your email address. Or send me an email.
EDIT: never mind. I just remembered that you have sen me emails before, so i do have youre email address.
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Version 1.0.1.1 Beta is now available for download!
To view the change log and download the latest version, goto www.addinwx.net (http://www.addinwx.net)
Also now available are the first 2 plugins. A Wunderground uploader, and a Station List view. Check them out here: http://addinwx.net/plugins.html (http://addinwx.net/plugins.html)
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where do you download the plugins to
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The Plugins Get put into your "Documents\Add-InWx\Plugins" Folder.
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Hey guy's!
I know its been awhile, But I'm back!
I'm REALLY excited to show you this one!
Here's a Screenshot Preview of the Wunderground Forecast plugin that I've been working on.
It's not ready for download yet... but it will be soon.
Check it out...
(http://i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag274/Ben_J/WundergroundForecastPreview_zps3034c5ac.jpg) (http://s1370.photobucket.com/user/Ben_J/media/WundergroundForecastPreview_zps3034c5ac.jpg.html)
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Impressive!!! 8-)
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And its now available for Download!
EDIT: By the way, you will need to get your own API Key from Wunderground to use this plugin.
Along With it, Version 1.0.1.2 Beta is ready.
Version 1.0.1.2 Beta Is back to targeting .NET 4.0, so for those who which to give it a try on XP it should run.
Notable changes are:
> Window Size, Location and Style (FullScreen, Maximized, Windowed) information is now stored when Add-InWx is Closed.
> Fixed Add-InWx not loading if a background Image was not selected.
> Units types are now set once for the entire program instead of individually for each view. (This required a Update to all the View Plugins)
Head over to www.addinwx.net (http://www.addinwx.net) to access the download links.
Impressive!!! 8-)
Thank You!
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It seems that both Wunderground dll's are the same....
Can you talk about the api needed from Wunderground
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There is difference between the 2 Wunderground dll's. One is for Uploading while the other is for getting and displaying a Forecast.
Oops.. I posted the wrong Link, again. Its fixed now.
If you don't have a Wunderground API key already, you can sign up for one here: http://www.wunderground.com/weather/api/d/pricing.html (http://www.wunderground.com/weather/api/d/pricing.html)
Since the Wunderground Forecast plugin uses the "10-day forecast summary", you will need to get the "Cumulus Plan".
In the "How much will you use our service?" Section I would go with the "Developer" Option so its free, unless of course you want to pay $150 a month.
Once you have one, Open the Options window in Add-InWx. Under the "Views" tab select the "Wunderground Forecast" item on the left. On the right there's an "API Key" Textbox, and that's where the "Wunderground API Key" gets entered (Or pasted if you do a 'Copy/Paste').
To view the forecast (Or any "View" Plugins for that matter) in Add-InWx there's 2 tabs located half-way down the right side of the main window. Clicking on the one titled "Views" will expand a list that you can select a View plugin to display.
The second tab you don't need to worry about, it's not used for anything.
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Hey everyone!
No updates yet, just a few thoughts on Development.
I haven't received any bug reports lately so out of curiosity, Has anyone had any issues of any kind?
Also if you have any suggestions for something (even if its a change to something that's already in Add-InWx) please send them. At this stage in development your input can have a large impact on the program.
By the way: If you would like me to send you an email when a new version is available, mention it in an email.
For those reading this as a guest to this site, your input is valued just as highly so feel free to contact me at: Josiah@addinwx.net
A couple of side notes:
I've been thinking about starting an OpenSource version of Add-InWx for Linux. If you have any thoughts, insights or suggestions feel free to share.
I'm also thinking about bringing on other people to help with the project, for now they would be working for free (well, other than their name in the credits section). If you would like to help, let me know.
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Add-InWx Version 1.0.2.1 is now available for download.
I've also made a few changes to addinwx.net.
The contents of the Change logs are now a portion of the text on the Download Links page, and all the .zip files for the different versions of Add-inWx are now stored on the webserver instead of my Box.com account.
The plugins however are still located in my box account, but they will probably be moved later this week or when I update them.
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I am trying to figure out how to install this program and upgrade. Kinda confusing.
Thanks,
Chuck
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Chuck,
Right now I'm distributing Add-InWx as a "Stand Alone" program, Meaning that there is no Setup/Install file to run.
To get it setup,
1.) Download the .zip file
2.) Extract it to a folder somewhere
3.) run the 'Add_InWx.exe'
If you have done that already and it still doesn't work, your antivirus might be blocking it.
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I have already done that. I can get 1.0.1.1 running. I have tried 1.0.1.2 and 1.0.2.1 they do not start up.
Chuck
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I'm Looking at the change logs and just had an "Aha" moment.
If you look at the change log for version 1.0.1.2, one of the changes are:
Units types are now set once for the entire program instead of individually for each view.
This I do remember having an effect on the config files. So I bet if you empty your "Documents\Add-InWx" folder the new versions will startup.
Edit: Also make sure to have the latest versions of the whichever plugins your using, because that change required me to update those as well.
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Not using any plugins as of now. I will try again. Will let you know.
Chuck
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So I bet if you empty your "Documents\Add-InWx" folder the new versions will startup.
Tried that and still will not start up.
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What OS are you using, and is it 64 or 32 bit?
Never mind,
Found the problem with version 1.0.2.1. If you manually create a Directory called "Station Data" then it should run.
Still looking into the problem with Version 1.0.1.2...
Edit 2: The folder called "Station Data" that you create needs to be in the "Documents\Add-InWx" folder, so the directory path would be "Documents\Add-InWx\Station Data".
I'm still not sure what the problem with Version 1.0.1.2 is, but I got an error the first time i tried running it. I emptied the contents of my "Documents\Add-InWx" folder, tried it again and it ran.
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Would I put the Station Data under Documents\Add-InWx. It is running but not updating.
Chuck
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Ok, Progress so far.
What type of station are you trying to connect to?
And are you using Virtual VP?
Does your setup happen to be a Davis VP2 via Serial port through Virtual VP?
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yes to all your questions. VVP shows it is updating but the program is not.
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Ok,
So Does VVP show activity on the port that Add-InWx is setup to use?
If it is, try restarting Add-InWx.
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It is working now. I restarted VVP.
Thanks for the help.
Chuck
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Great!
If you need anything else, give me a shout.
I will be posting an update to 1.0.2.1 with the bug fix, probably in the next couple of hours.
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Hey guys!
I've uploaded the bug fixed version So now when you download version 1.0.2.1 you will get the version that has the fix.
I've also setup an email account with my webhost, the new email address is: Josiah@addinwx.net
I've changed my account settings for this forum to use the new email and I've updated the email address in the Original post and the email on www.addinwx.net. So If you find yourself looking for it, those are 3 places you can find it.
The only reasons for this is to help keep the support emails separate from my regular emails, (They are starting to clutter each other) and to help bring all the Add-InWx stuff to one place. (That's also one of the reasons why I've moved the .zip files from the box account)
I've tied the new account to my email client so that I will receive notifications when an email is sent. This means that responses will be sent just as promptly as they have been.
Please try to use the new email address for anything related to Add-InWx.
Edit: 2/8/2015
The new email I had setup with my webhost was working very unreliably so I'm going back to the AOL Email address: Bennett_J@aol.com.
/Edit
Thanks,
Josiah
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With the intensified research into a TFT based Console returning results that indicate that the best option is to use a SBC similar to a Raspberry Pi, I'm also thinking harder about bringing Add-InWx cross platform.
As it stands now the plan is to port the API and plugins to allow cross platform Development, then build Different GUIs for each OS. I think that this would allow me to keep both the WPF UI on Windows and the Plugin capability while adding support for Linux, Mac OS X and potentially Android. not sure about the Android part, but I've been digging around and it appears that it would allow for it.
So would you like to see Add-InWx go cross platform?
Let me know via the poll!
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The new email account has been working very unreliably, So I'm going back to the old one: Bennett_J@aol.com
For anyone using the Wunderground Forecast Plugin, and In case anybody else has the same problem.
I've discovered that for some reason on my weather PC (and just my Weather PC) Add-InWx doesn't like to load the Wunderground API key. The simple temporary fix to get it running again is to clear the "API Key" field in the "Wunderground Forecast.txt" file. Leave the quotes though, So the new line would look like this: "API Key",""
I'm planing on redoing the format of the config files so that they are even easier to read, which should also fix this.
And here's an update on the Cross-platforming, I have Good news and Bad news.
Bad News:
Windows, Linux and MAC OS X are desktop OSes while Android is a Mobile OS. What this means is that I can't get all four with one UI. I would have to build a second UI for Android.
But the Good News is that Since Android IS a mobile OS, the second UI would run on not just Android, but Windows Phone and IOS (eg. iPads and iPhones) as well.
Man... I would LOVE to get Add-InWx running on all the major OS, (Windows, MAC, Linux, IOS, Android and Windows Phone). Its been driving me crazy knowing that its within reach too.
Since I'm thinking about cross platforming, I've already started the process.
The API + Background operations have been ported to MONO and seem to be functioning properly.
What helped was WPF being XAML instead of VB.net or C#, which basically forced me to keep the UI code and "Background Task" code very cleanly separated. As a result, the time spent on porting so far is only upto 12 hours.
I need to figure out the GTK# window drawing stuff and then rebuild the entire UI. Fortunately, the UI isn't that complex and has been rethought and redone a few times.
Depending on available time and how quickly I can pickup GTK#, it could take awhile to rebuild the UI. So don't expect a new version for some time.
Anyway, Wish me Luck!
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Version 1.0.2.2 Beta is now available!
Along with a CWOP Uploader plugin.
It occurred to me that since I'm going to be busy with the porting, I should pack-up my latest work and put it up for download. So its uploaded now.
Not a whole lot has changed since version 1.0.2.1 Beta, The big thing though is the CWOP plugin that I have been sitting on. Add-InWx still doesn't calculate the "5 Min Wind Peak" or "1 Min Wind Average" so the CWOP and Wunderground Plugins don't upload any gust information.
Porting is going well so far. I think that I've gotten GTK# figured out, so now all I need to do is rethink/re-implement the GUI.
I've been mentally breaking apart the Add-InWx UI into small pieces to help figure out the best way to recreate it in GTK#. The things that I planed on changing, like the Views selector, I have left out. The Main View I've been generating as an image, which is easy to recreate. And that leaves basically a few buttons and the Options window for the rest of the UI.
The Options Window should be easy to recreate with the same behavior, I will just need to manually create the "Bindings" for the secondary lists, which should also be relatively straightforward.
Oh, and the Station List and Wunderground Forecast Plugins will need to be recreated as well. But those will be done later.
With the dedicated Touch Screen device that I'm planing on, I'm also thinking about giving Add-InWx a "Touch Friendly" option. For the most part it would just enlarge buttons, but might also change the layout of the Settings. Still thinking about it though, so its still got a ways to go. The only reason that I'm thinking about it now is for implementation sake. It will be easier to add Later if I keep it in mind now while I rebuild the UI.
Edit: 2/10/1015 @ 7:40 PM
I have just re-uploaded Version 1.0.2.2 with some major bug fixes. So if you downloaded Version 1.0.2.2 Beta either earlier today or yesterday, I recommend that you download a new copy.
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Hey guys,
After spending the entire day yesterday trying to get access to a Serial Port on my Ubuntu Linux Virtual machine, I can say that Porting (actually, that should be cross-platforming) is going really well again, and I now have a very, very basic version running on Ubuntu Linux.
I'm really liking the way I redesigned the code the last time I rewrote it. Its making this process go really quickly and easily.
So far all the backend stuff is working with almost no code changes. \:D/
And last but not least, here's a screen shot of it running on Ubuntu:
(http://i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag274/Ben_J/Add-InWx%20on%20Ubuntu%20Linux_zpsjnputawi.jpg) (http://s1370.photobucket.com/user/Ben_J/media/Add-InWx%20on%20Ubuntu%20Linux_zpsjnputawi.jpg.html)
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Hey guys,
Its been 2 weeks since my last "news" update, so here's where I'm at now.
For the most part I've figured out how to use the Cairo drawing operations, So now I've got the background image and gradients working.
As it is right now, Its running on Windows 8.1, Ubuntu 14.04 Linux, and on my Raspberry Pi 2. GUI is the same on all the operating systems that I've tried it on.
Here's a screen shot of it running on the Pi.
(http://i1370.photobucket.com/albums/ag274/Ben_J/Pi%20Screen%20Capture_zpssf4g2vxx.jpeg) (http://s1370.photobucket.com/user/Ben_J/media/Pi%20Screen%20Capture_zpssf4g2vxx.jpeg.html)
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Very impressive! =D> I am jonesing for the RPi version!
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Thanks,
and I am too. I also discovered that the RPi 2 is more than overkill for running Add-InWx. :lol:
I'm planning on getting a 10"+ touchscreen for my Pi a little later, so the interesting part is going to be in adding touchscreen support. ;)
The challenge being in optimizing it for both mouse + keyboard use and touchscreen use, while at the same time minimizing compromises, including the layout. It may be tough, but it should be doable.
The great part about using Mono is that there won't be device or OS specific "versions". What you see and how it works on one platform will be the exact same for any others that it runs on.
And the same goes for the plugins / add-ins, they won't be platform specific either.
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Wow, Its been 3 weeks already. Time goes by so quickly.
Last week my free time was spent building another 60 Open Stub J-poles for upcoming Hamfests so programming was put on a 1 week "hold".
What I have now does run well on my RPI 2, but GUI-wise is still in its infancy.
I've found that GTK# really sucks when it comes to building GUIs. It wouldn't be so bad if there was accurate, complete and up-to-date documentation. But what can I say, GTK is designed for Linux and Linux is not known for its GUI. :roll:
Anyway, when it comes to designing and building GUIs, Microsoft's WPF has really spoiled me. WPF made it really easy to create GUI elements exactly how I wanted them, both in the way they looked and in the way they behaved. On top of that WPF was also designed to use hardware acceleration when possible allowing it to run many varying types of animations smoothly. On the other hand GTK and most of the other GUI toolkits that can run cross-platform (except java, maybe) are designed for creating very "static" UIs, so they don't support animations or customization very well.
If I had continued to use WPF I would have been able to implement the ideas for stuff like "scrolling" or "marque" text, Lightning flashes, falling snowflakes/rain on the background and animated forecast icons all without putting a strain on the system. But such is programming, weigh different options and pick the one that will do the top items on your "Wanted Features" list.
One other GUI tool kit that I'm looking into now is QT: qt-project.org
The only issue there is that (to my knowledge) if I used it the entire plugin system would have to be dropped. Which is not something that I want to do.
An idea that I'm toying with now is to split Add-InWx into 2 programs, the "back-end" one would connect to the stations and support plugins (the Background and Station type) while the second program would be just the GUI.
I'm considering this approach because I would like to eventually create a cell phone app for configuring the back-end and stations. So i would need to write the code to handle setting Station and program configuration from TCP connections anyway. Also by splitting the program like that means that it could run "headless" and on possibly a larger variety of devices. Plus one could setup more than one "display" for viewing station data. An example setup would be a RPI acting as the main "Weather Server" by handling all the Station connections, uploading station data to CWOP, Wunderground etc. Then having any number of "Displays" whether they be PCs, Macs RPIs with attached screens, android tablets or anything else that can run the GUI located in various places around the house, garage and/or workshop.
If it turns out that QT can't do what I would like it to do, then I will probably go back to Winforms for Cross-Platform GUI development. At least then I will be working with something familiar. :roll:
So that's where I'm at right now.
I would really like to see Microsoft release a cross-platform version of WPF. That would really make my day. :grin:
Here's a final thought,
I can't be the only one to think this, but it seems like the major difference between Open Source and Proprietary "closed source" software is speed and quality of development. Its like what happens when a project is open sourced (if the project doesn't die) development slows to a crawl and nobody knows where to go with it. So it doesn't go in any defined direction, but just "Goes".
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Hi...just to say that...
dloaded it...
installed it...
configured it for Davis port 1
took less than 5 minutes
and up and running AT FIRST TRY (that is the most important thing ) =D>
Mainscreen is big,clearly visible, so thats a good start
if you ever need help for translation to french,id be glad to help you....the software is young so
now il try some plugins ;)
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Add-In is now running along with WD...
WD on com2 and yours on com3.
I had to delete my first station config cuz pop up showed up saying add-in stopped working du to com port already in use (i think)
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Hi...just to say that...
loaded it...
installed it...
configured it for Davis port 1
took less than 5 minutes
and up and running AT FIRST TRY (that is the most important thing ) =D>
That's a couple of the things I'm after, Quick Easy setup, Intuitive UI, works on the first try.
Mainscreen is big,clearly visible...
yep, even though I have good eyes that's they way I like it. Apparently other people like it that way as well because your not the first one to complement me on it.
And the main reason for the large Size is Readability from across the room. I have it running on a 22" monitor and can clearly read it from 25 plus feet away.
I had to delete my first station config cuz pop up showed up saying add-in stopped working du to com port already in use (i think)
I'll make a note of that bug.
One thing you can do instead of deleting the Station Config file, open it in a text editor like notepad and then Edit the settings. You will want to close Add-InWx before modifying the file.
if you ever need help for translation to french,id be glad to help you....
Thanks! I will probably add Language/Text customization later on so that would be helpful.
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yuppp...ididnt thaught about this one #-o :lol:
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While I'm thinking about it, here's another "Status" update.
I've decided to put the GUI work aside for now and work on the back-end stuff. Since there's plenty of things there that I want to do and the code will be the same no matter which GUI toolkit I windup using.
What I'm doing now is working on adding support for managing Davis' Console settings from Add-InWx, so that's something you guys can look forward to.
I've also been playing around with my web hosting account and have discovered a lot of interesting things I can do with that, so now I have even more ideas.
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Welllll..... :?...Look at the graphs on the right side hehehe
ive lost an hour of data on WD while running with Add-in via VSPE hehehe
Dunno why it does that with add inwx cuz when running with VWS,i dont have that problem
(http://www.soudurelacalacroix.com/weather2/uploadWD/Hebertville.gif)
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hmm...
how do you have the multiple weather software programs configured to connect to the Station?
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I use VSPE...a virtual com port software...
VSPE is reading com1 and create a virtual port
WD is connected to com port 2
Other software on com3 is reading from com port 2
;)
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OK,
Just to make sure I understand what is going on, When WD is connected to com port 2 and VWS is connected to com 3, everything works correctly. But when you switch VWS for Add-InWx you start losing graph data.
Is this correct?
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yes my friend...thats what happened....Now WHY :?:
i really dont have any clue to give you :???:
just to be shure,ill reboot my system and give it another try ;)
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Both are up and running now...
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Ok, thanks for confirming that.
I don't think rebooting your system will help.
What I think might be going on relates to how Add-InWx retrieves station data.
As I'm typing this I just had an "doh" moment.
Here's what I believe is going on and how to fix it.
VSPE doesn't marshall traffic between programs, so if one program requests station data then the other requests station data while the console is responding to the first request, something has to happen. I would think that one request would not get filled and thus the one program doesn't see valid station data.
Here's how you fix it,
Switch VSPE for VirtualVP, VirtualVP is designed to handle multiple programs requesting data from the station at the same time. That should fix the problem.
EDIT:
I'm glad that they are both running now, But I still think you should use VirtualVP instead of VSPE. Come to think of it, this might also solve the problem you had earlier with WeatherLink.
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i wanted to try virtual vp but...expired licence..... :???:
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i wanted to try virtual vp but...expired licence..... :???:
That's a Bummer...
I suppose it isn't possible to put it into a Demo mode then.
Or you might want to take a look at this (http://www.softwx.com/purchase.html) page.
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Hey Guys,
News Update,
I've finally put up a dev blog. Check it out here (http://blog.addinwx.net).
I was holding off publishing the blog site until I had something on it. After all, there is no sense in putting up a website that has no content. :grin:
I've also got a status update for Add-InWx, you can find it on the new dev Blog.
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It's hard to believe that it's been almost a month since something was posted here. Time goes by so quickly.
Anyway, I Just added a new Blog post to the Dev Blog. You can find it here. (http://blog.addinwx.net/dev-blog/)
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Wow, Its been quite awhile.
Here (http://blog.addinwx.net/dev-blog/) is another update on development.
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Another (http://blog.addinwx.net/addinwx-dev-update/) update,
It looks like its turning into monthly dev status updates. :-(
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Well... Here's another update. This time its a Software Update.
Version 1.0.2.3 Beta is now available!
You can find the Download link on the website - AddinWx.net (http://addinwx.net/download-links.html)
Change Log:
- Settings are now saved when the Options Window is closed instead of when the program is closed.
- Stations are now setup to Re-connect and use the new settings when the Options Window is closed.
- Fixed a bug that was causing the Station settings to be loaded after the Stations were told to open a connection.
- Changed how the station's Update method is called. Instead of keeping a thread in a constant Loop, its now setup to create a new thread at a specified interval. This will help prevent threads remaining open when the program has been closed.
- Window State (Windowed, Fullscreen, Maximized) is no longer remembered when Add-InWx is closed. Window location however is and you can still set the Window Startup mode in the Options.
This is a Hold-Over update to fix a few things while I'm getting ready to start a Beta for the new Windows 10 based version, which should be ready within the next couple of months. When its ready I'll announce it here and on the Dev Blog along with more details.
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For those that are watching this thread,
I am not dead nor have I abandoned the project. In fact, I have just released a new version of AddInWx, this one is for Windows 10.
Seeing as it is a completely new rewrite, I decided to start a new forum thread for it. That thread is located here: http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=28176.0 (http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=28176.0)
I've also posted the announcement on the dev blog, which is located here: http://www.blog.addinwx.net (http://www.blog.addinwx.net)
And one more thing...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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Hi guys,
I've recently started to receiving requests from people to resume supporting this program. Although It has been a few years since I’ve touched the code for it, it occurred to me that I never found out how much of an impact this software has made.
If you can spare 5 to 10 minutes of your time, I would really appreciate you filling out this survey. The survey is not designed for just those who have used the software. But anyone who meets one or more of the following:
- You are currently using the software.
- You have used the software in the past.
- You looked at, or thought about using, the software and decided not to use it.
- You attempted to install or use the software and decided not to use it.
Here is the survey: https://forms.gle/FMpfM9zMsZLUsTtm6
Thank you!
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Hey all!
After some consideration, I have decided to open-source this software application! The Github repo is located here: https://github.com/Josiah-B/Addin-wx
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or if you would like a meeting to go over the source code.
Thank you!
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I am using it and really like it. I am working on a project that will use it.
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Hey all!
After some consideration, I have decided to open-source this software application! The Github repo is located here: https://github.com/Josiah-B/Addin-wx
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or if you would like a meeting to go over the source code.
Thank you!
I went to the link and it's not there.
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Hey all!
After some consideration, I have decided to open-source this software application! The Github repo is located here: https://github.com/Josiah-B/Addin-wx
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or if you would like a meeting to go over the source code.
Thank you!
I went to the link and it's not there.
Whoops, had the repo set to private... Try it now.
What kind of project are you working on?
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Will send a pm about it.