SteelSeries - 1.6.x Discussion

[mcrossley]

Let's start a new topic for the 1.6.x release, the old thread was getting a bit unwieldy.

First off I have v1.6.5 planned already - I have spotted a few minor problems with 1.6.4 (mainly with WD) that need patching. So far I have:

• The barometer trend text is not localised
• The barometer trend value for WD is 3x what it should be
• I've put a flag to indicate the weather program Cumulus/WD which will be useful in lots of ways, not least...
• I've added a 'default' graph image array for WD
• Fixed some of the Dutch translations

Cheers
Mark

[Weather Display]

which custom tags are being used for baro trend?
also how do you mean by not localised?

[KB5BFA]

Hi Mark,

First, thanks for all your work.

Is it possible to add an additional gauge that will display the total rain for the year? If so can you give me some idea whats involved?

[mcrossley]

which custom tags are being used for baro trend?
also how do you mean by not localised?

Brian, at the moment I use two tags for the baro trend. %pressurechangein3hour% and %pressuretrendname3hour%.

%pressuretrendname3hour% will always be in the language used on the station, for the next release I will drop this tag and just use %pressurechangein3hour% and derive the 'name' in the script, this will allow the page to dynamically switch languages which was always one of the design goals. So where ever possible I use numeric values and derive strings. One I have not been able to do with WD is "today's max gust direction" which only appears to be available as a compass point and not as a degree value? Compass point names are obviously language dependent.

Mark

[RayBer]

Hello again Mark.

Just a quick introduction. I have been using Weather Display since version 10.00 (that would be more than 7+ years) - WD has been reliably producing the data for my main weather pages at Tzouhalem-Maple Bay Weather.

I do hope the use of the word 'Cumulus' will be tolerated in the forums here... 

A few years back, as I was 'honing' my programming skills, I decided to install Cumulus on my 'development' (programming) computer (that was at the end of 2009) - I liked the software although it was (still) missing a lot of the historical data produced by WD. I was able to adapt a few of the WD specific script to Cumulus.

Then, I met Mark Crossley (online through the Cumulus forums). I have been working with Mark on the project since version 0.1 of the SteelSeries gauges (that would be a bit more than 7 months). Mark has been an incredible patient tutor giving constructive advices when I felt like banging my head on the wall (or desk)... 

I have been playing (read, experimenting) with the gauges a bit more than most Cumulus forum members - I have been updating my experimental SteelSeries Weather Gauges page (I do hope my server will be able to handle the extra traffic... ). As you will quickly notice, the data used to produce the pages comes from Cumulus (and WXSIM with a script adapted for Cumulus) - I am also using (a bit more limited) linear gauges.

For the past couple of days, I have tried installing and running the gauges under Weather Display (using the 'customclientraw.txt' data file) but have failed miserably...    ...I really do not know where and why I failed - from previous experiences, the error message I get (ie: 'Downloading...') usually indicates some tags in the data file are not properly defined - but will keep persevering until I get the gauges going. 

[RayBer]

Brian, would it be a good idea if a list of all the Cumulus tags used for gauges (including their definitions) was sent to you - this way you would could possibly suggest equivalent WD tags ... or even develop replacement tags?

[mcrossley]

Hi Mark,

First, thanks for all your work.

Is it possible to add an additional gauge that will display the total rain for the year? If so can you give me some idea whats involved?

Anything is possible! I won't be adding it to the base script without lots of persuasion though. The scripts were always meant to be a demo for people to run with and customise to their needs rather than a finished product. Lots of people have used them as-is (or virtually so) and that is fine as well, but I think the core product is complex enough now!

I think what I will do is to tidy up my 'test' page that I use for developing the core SteelSeries library and post that as an example. It just has a single gauge and no ajax 'stuff' and the script is all in the single HTML file so it makes understanding how to implement a gauge pretty easy to understand. Give me a day or two and I'll post that.

Would that be OK?

[jacg]

Brian, would it be a good idea if a list of all the Cumulus tags used for gauges (including their definitions) was sent to you - this way you would could possibly suggest equivalent WD tags ... or even develop replacement tags?

Brian, would it be a good idea if a list of all the Cumulus tags used for gauges (including their definitions) was sent to you - this way you would could possibly suggest equivalent WD tags ... or even develop replacement tags?

Ray,

The power of the script is that anyone can use the tags he or she wants and make a dashboard he or she likes. I am sure WD has 10 times more tags as Cumulus and all is working fine at hundreds of users. Why you want to make exactly the same thing as for Cumulus?

And as i read from your email, you have years of experience of programming and the steelseries from 0.1, and now you can't get it running? 

@Mark

You changed the code in steelseries.js to change the font colors for the avarage winddir en the current winddir.
Is it possible to make it an option? Sometimes the fonts aren't readable by the color. example: http://www.hetweerinruinen.nl/flash/gauge3/gaugeshwir2.php.
UseFontColor (true or false)

Jacco

[mcrossley]

You changed the code in steelseries.js to change the font colors for the avarage winddir en the current winddir.
Is it possible to make it an option? Sometimes the fonts aren't readable by the color. example: http://www.hetweerinruinen.nl/flash/gauge3/gaugeshwir2.php.
UseFontColor (true or false)

Sure, I'm not convinced by that change anyway.

[jacg]

Sure, I'm not convinced by that change anyway.

Well at first the font color was black, suddenly it changed in "automatic" colors of the pointers because one person asked for.
In my opinion you say, ok i will add that as an option, but you don't remove the standard value.

For example If Brian adds an extra option to WD, he does't remove the previous option, i hope i am clear.

Jacco

[mcrossley]

Absolutely, this was a mistake, I have already made the change the default is now (or will be in the next release) label colours = false.

Though of course I will make some unilateral changes now and then - otherwise the base release would never move forward

[SpireWeather]

Does anybody know whether it's possible to get a weather forecast in the ticker for those of us not fortunate enough to be using a VP2?  I believe that Cumulus creates a forecast based on recent conditions - how easy would it be to include a similar feature in WD?

I guess only Brian can answer this.

Cheers,

[Weather Display]

the Oregan stations produce a forecast icon
but I guess you are refering to the zambretti forecast

re the max speed wind direction number instead of word, I can add that custom tag

[SpireWeather]

Yes, would it be feasible for WD to produce a '%forecast%' using the Zambretti alogorithm, that could be used in the SteelSeries ticker display?

Thanks,

[Weather Display]

what station type do you have?
as it might already be producing a forecast icon
does anyone know a link to how to produce a zambretti forecast?

I have added %maxgstdirectiondegree% to the latest .zip update