Cumulus Support

Version 6.7.11 is online
See release notes (two bugfixes).

Version 6.7.13 is online
See release notes.

This release contains also the modifications for 6.7.12 which was packaged but not released.
So in total you get for this release:

1. Top10: Ecowitt registers rain with 0.1 mm precision. For the dry and wet period records in top10 a rainfall of 0.1 mm is ignored.
2. Graphs: Correction for the southern hemisphere for the temperature sum and seasons charts.
3. Extra Sensors: Addition for External Extra Sensors in beta.

Note that only the External Extra Sensors are in beta.

Version 6.8.0 is online
See release notes.

1. UserReports: Introduction of Cutils dedicated webtags. Currently only <#CUversion> (prior released as patch 6.7.14 on 28 march)
2. ExtraSensors: Bug fix to prevent reading the log for every sensor. Now read only once.
3. Logging: Created the possibility to switch logging completely off. Parameter: LoggingOn. See wiki.
4. Logging: Console Messages are regulated by parameter NormalMessageToConsole which is independent of LoggingOn.
5. ExtraSensors: ExternalExtraSensors are still in beta

Version 6.8.1 is online
See release notes.

• General: Overhaul of units and (internal) unit conversions because imperial units are being used now seriously (mi and inches).
• graphs: Wind graphs / Windrun chart - adjusted the tooltip to clarify better.
• ExtraSensors: ExternalExtraSensors remains in beta until (probably) end of may. Notice will be given when usable.
• Please note that the modified Wind Chart Wiki is also part of this release wrt the legend.

Version 6.8.2 is online
See release notes.

• Fix: some glitches in the handling of the low limit of the rainfall
• Change: for a clean install take care the FTP/UploadDir gets in the inifile on the first run so it is easier for the user to continue.
• Change: Now the defaults for DoLibraryIncludes & GeneratejQueryInclude parameters is false; When using CUtils in a modular fashion set these to true.
• AirLink: Created the possibility to use the module as a standalone page (just a html page with the data in current directory), no other context required).
• Wiki: important modifications wrt Language in Utils / Trouble in Paradise and Dependency of the ExtraSensors on the use of the ChartsCompiler.

Version 6.8.3 is online
See release notes.

Some items from the projected version 7 release have been pulled forward because version 7 apparently slowed down a bit but all .NET6 and SQLite (indirectly) related points will have to wait.

New:

• ChartsCompiler: Bug fix: when no or very little rain occurs over the whole selected period the max y-axis keeps too high value for e.g. inches.
• General: The usage message is now shown as a first action when no arguments are given (i.s.o. first initializing FTP and Dayfile)
• SysInfo: Added WLL statistics

Pulled from version 7:

• Sysinfo: Added inifile parameter ExtraStationInfo to enter free format information for non-Davis stations.
• Website: Multiple header images are now possible for each phase of the day: DAY, CIVIL twilight, NAUTICAL twilight, ASTRONOMICAL twilight and NIGHT. See the wiki, request by Patrick.
• Day records table has now possibility to scroll (configure UseScrollableTables=true (default)), section [General]). Request by Andy.
• DayRecords and pwsFWI modules now use thin scrollbar (which does not work in chrome).
• Map: Users will now always appear on the map, the link to their site is no longer compulsory (but highly appreciated).

Version 6.9.0 is online
See release notes

1. Cutils runtime library: one minute UpdateInterval (see CMX FTP parameters) is now acceptable
   NOTE: this is meant for local webservers and not for internet transfers.
2. ChartsCompiler: Changed keywords in the ALL/DAILY set of keywords to prevent conflicts with the RECENT keywords. Check the CDL Wiki (check your chart definitions!)
3. ChartsCompiler: fine tuned the rain and rainrate axis : the last label (highest number) is now shown and the rain/rate gridlines are only shown when not disturbing other gridlines.
4. AirLink: AirLink charts now too works with 9 am (and 10 am) rollover hour (phew...)
5. Map: If no link is given for the website it is now clearly indicated in the pop-up.
6. Website: Multiple header image selection at runtime now actually works
7. General: the software libraries have been upgraded

While taking my tour in the fields, I noticed some of you have problems, notably with the charts and/or ChartsCompiler.
If you find issues, especially in the ChartsCompiler, please raise an issue in the forum.
The only way to improve is through these notifications.

Also note, that apparently Cutils is increasingly used as a tool for local websites, as a kind of alternative to the standard interface. Please be aware, that support in this situation is very limited because it is simply impossible to interactively look at the output of CumulusUtils.

Version 6.9.1 is online
See release notes.

This is a fix for some issues in 6.9.0

Version 6.9.2 is online
See release notes.

This release is compulsory if you use the AirLink module.

1. Compiler: Added the optional language construct "Has WindBarbs [Below | Above]". See Wiki CDL. This feature is beta.
2. Fix AirLink: Reading the AirLinkLog required an additional condition for preventing an infinite loop (and running out of memory/swap).
3. Fix Airlink: The windbarb xAxis on top is now aligned with the xAxis below
4. Fix MeteoCam: Corrected the Upload for the MeteoCam output when the user does not use it.

NOTE: The Has WindBarbs construct shows the series differently when Below or Above. That is currently under investigation hence the feature as beta, otherwise it should function as specified.

Version 6.9.5 is online
See release notes.

1. Extra Sensors: Completed the External Extra Sensor functionality (see this post)
2. ChartsCompiler: Completed the Windbarbs feature in CDL (see this post)
3. General: Disabled the ALL commandline parameter to avoid the apparent confusion it being a partial website commandline parameter

Please NOTE.
This post is about future developments.

With the ChartsCompiler the user has easier control over the colours used in the charts. Backgrounds, gradients etc... can be defined in the file HighchartsDefaults.js which is available in the distribution (and must be on your server).

The first two items in the default file contain the definitions for the colours and some chart related properties. With the use of the compiler chart-things are either defined in CutilsCharts.def or in HighchartsDefaults.js, both modifiable by the user.

If questions rise about properties of charts, colour definitions or other things you wish to change in your charts, please discuss those in Colour settings, defaults and user modifications.

The default fallback for the charts will eventually cease to exist in favour of the ChartsCompiler. Please prepare yourself for this by starting to use the ChartsCompiler and get acquainted with the HighchartsDefaults.

When using the ChartsCompiler, all HomeGraph... parameters (e.g. HomeGraphTempColor) can be removed.
Eventually that will be done automatically at some time.

Released patch 1 to version 6.9.5
See release notes.

1. ChartsCompiler: bug fix - related to (EXTERNAL) EXTRA sensors
2. ChartsCompiler: bug fix - use CumulusRealTimeLocation when reading winddata for the WindBarbs
3. ChartsCompiler: bug fix - have the colour of the WindBarbs configurable to stand out against any chart background colour (implemented in CDL)

Version 6.9.6 is online
See release notes.

1. Website/General: Allow for images as background to charts. Note that this does not necessarily work when used modular.
2. ChartsCompiler: bug fix - allow for STATS function(s) to use EXTRA plotvars
3. ChartsCompiler: Small experiment => Removed the limitation on scatter series to be combined with other types.
4. General: some cleaning up of old code.

Note to point 1:
An additional parameter ChartBackgroundImage in section [General] has been added. If it contains the filename of an image, that image will be the background for all charts of CumulusUtils (I am not 100% sure this will work in modular use, it probably does). To create the parameter: run once for any module which would produce a chart (so CompileOnly would be faster than Website) or edit the parameter file manually.

The wiki has been adjusted

Version 6.9.9 is online
See release Notes.

1. Libraries: Updated FluentFTP.dll, ServiceStack.Text.dll and MySqlConnector.dll to their latest versions (38.0.0; 6.2.0 and 2.1.11)
2. Website/General: Technical update for signature files
3. InetSupport: Some minor changes in FTP/FTPS handling
4. ChartsCompiler/Windbarbs: Windbarbs are now (almost) equidistant for any nr of days plotted.
5. AirLink: The identification of the United Kingdom in the parameter ''CountrySelected'' (section ''AirLink'') has changed to UK iso GB to make it analog to CMX (see this thread from here).

The wiki for AirLink has been adjusted.

There seems to be an issue with Highcharts 10.2.1 which was released recently and percolated yesterday through the CDN used by CUtils.

The effect is twofold:

1) when you are not using the boost system of Highcharts the winddirection is not a scatter plot but lines. That is very confusing.
2) when you are using the boost system of Highcharts the plot will not be drawn at all and you will see a crash in the console.

Working on it.

[Edit:] Research showed that the winddir charts have an issue with version 8.2 and 9.1.0 - used by CMX - as well

[Edit:] The crash appeared to be a problem with Chrome version 104.0.5112.102. I updated (to version 105.0.5195.54) and the problem was gone. So the crash is definitely not a Highcharts issue. Point 1, the scatter/line issue remains though.

[Edit:] The plot of connecting lines between the point occurs for unknown reason, most likely because the lineWidth is not initialized as 0. This will be corrected in a next release. An anomaly with the boost system of Highcharts and some other minor problems will be fixed as well. New release on its way.