Chart Downloader/Updater Plugin

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by wdkester

I did a copy and paste. It still fails. I'm thinking my CGD 01 file is corrupted. I'm going to delete and download it again using the NOAA downloader or maybe just delete all the charts in this folder.

If you cannot download the xml file then you won't get to the part where charts download.

One thing I strive to do is not have long paths with spaces and - symbols. While it should work there are still lots of tools that barf on paths with spaces and -.

This is my add chart source dialog that works perfectly:

[transmitterdan]

I doubt your files are messed up. Try pasting the URL of the chart catalog (xml file) into a web browser. Will it load? If so, then it should work from the plugin. If not, then it won't from the plugin either.

[wdkester]

I've been using the same url for all the downloads; changing 01 to 05 to 09 etc. Its not the download url.

I just deleted the BSB-ROOT folder for CGD 01 (and removed it from the destination file name as well) and it still fails.

I'm stumped. It could be that the PI is remembering my past mistakes. Tomorrow I'll populate the folder with charts and try again.

I get the same error for any ENC for any district that I tried.

[wdkester]

I just used the NOAA site to download CGD 01. The PI still doesn't like it.

When I first tried the PI I didn't know about the documentation, so I screwed up. From what I remember, I made the destination folder the 01 folder not the BSB_Root. What I remember happening was the PI filled the 01 folder with charts and a chart directory. Either I ran the PI again pointing at the BSB_ROOT directory or the PI, on it's own previous execution, updated the Root directory with charts and a chart directory. What I did next was to delete the charts and directory form the 01 folder. The next time (and every time after I try to update 01) I get the no Internet message.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by wdkester

I've been using the same url for all the downloads; changing 01 to 05 to 09 etc. Its not the download url.

I just deleted the BSB-ROOT folder for CGD 01 (and removed it from the destination file name as well) and it still fails.

I'm stumped. It could be that the PI is remembering my past mistakes. Tomorrow I'll populate the folder with charts and try again.

I get the same error for any ENC for any district that I tried.

Maybe there is a misunderstanding about the PI purpose. It will download the charts for you. Populating the folder yourself is going to be problematic I think. Why do that? Simply add a catalog using any empty folder as the "Chart Directory". Give it the URL of the chart catalog xml web address. Update the catalog then download the charts.

Below is the chart source dialog for Coast Guard district 01. After filling in this dialog I just click "Update" which downloads the catalog into the target folder. Then click "Download Selected Charts" which downloads each chart. No need to manually unzip files or anything like that.

Note that there is no "magic" to the folder names ENC_ROOT or BSB_ROOT. You don't have to use folders by that name. Any folder will work. You can even use the same folder for multiple catalogs. So for example, you could put all coast guard districts into the same Chart Directory. The plugin will work with that scenario.

Did you try to open the URL

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/ENCs/01CGD_ENCProdCat.xml

in a web browser? If so what did it look like?

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by wdkester

I did a copy and paste. It still fails. I'm thinking my CGD 01 file is corrupted. I'm going to delete and download it again using the NOAA downloader or maybe just delete all the charts in this folder.

There is no GCD 01 file. There are no files on your computer that the plugin cares about except the ones it downloads from the internet. If it cannot download the chart catalog (xml) file from the internet that is not because of any file corruption on your computer. There is something wrong either with your particular internet connection or the URL you are giving the plugin.

You can verify both of these problems by simply pasting the exact URL from the chart source dialog box into your favorite web browser. If you get an XML file back then all is well. If not, you need to figure out what is wrong. The URL is case sensitive. If even one letter has the wrong case the government server will reject it.

[wdkester]

transmitterdan

I just tried it again with the URL I had been using (without success) :

url=http://wwhttp://www.charts.noaa.gov/RNCs/01CGD_RNCProdCat.xml

Notice the damaged URL. I wasn't seeing it in the tiny box. I fixed it and it worked. Now I have RNC's under control.

I had a similar problem with ENC's; bad url due to cut and paste.

Sorry about all the trouble. All is good.

[wdkester]

I was thinking maybe we ought to add "or ill formed or unknown URL" to the error message we get when we have an ill formed or unknown URL.

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by wdkester

I was thinking maybe we ought to add "or ill formed or unknown URL" to the error message we get when we have an ill formed or unknown URL.

We will look into that. When I looked into this a couple weeks ago I found that the government server doesn't tell us what is wrong with the URL. We either get back a 404 not found or a 505 server error. Neither of which tell us what is wrong with the URL. We can add something to the dialog message saying to double check the URL. It has to be precisely correct including all punctuation and upper/lower case.

Glad you got it going.

[nohal]

Hi all...
I think we are basically feature complete for what can be done with OpenCPN 4.0 and it is time for another, hopefully last, beta release...

The packages for Linux are ready in the beta PPA
Installers for Windows and OS X are available for download.
Detailed list of changes in version 0.6:

• Update translations
• Remind user to configure chart dirs and update the database.
• Implement URL validity check.
• Remove the default flag from the Download button.
• Fix default chart directory path on Windows
• Brutalize wxCurl to use std::string instead of wxString to hopefully fix the crashes with wx2.8. I'm particularly interested in testing this one with extensive downloads - it should resolve the occasional crashes observed on Windows
• Improve the handling of release timestamps.
• Properly select charts for download according to user's preferences on catalog update.
• Keep the path for the charts in case it was manually changed by the user, use the defaults for chart catalog otherwise.
• Replace the default data dir with user's document directory to avoid problems with hidden data dirs.
• Implement the download of uncompressed charts and extend the format to accomodate weird download systems so we can use CZ IENCs as a testing dataset. Closes Do not report download failure for every single file, but cumulatively at the end of the download not to stall the process while unattended.
• Resize the chart source editor dialog to the same width as the parent panel.
• Implement opening the chart source for editing by double-click.
• Fix enabling/disabling of the edit button
• Implement chart catalog deletion confirmation.
• Adjust the default column sizes not to force panel too wide on KDE.
• Make the panel fill the window properly on OS X.
• Get rid of the double directory separator in default chart path

If you have ideas for usability improvements, it is the last opportunity to bring them up.

Good luck

Pavel

[transmitterdan]

Pavel,

Thank you for working so hard on this little plugin. I think it is working pretty well.

For other readers of this thread you may be wondering how to create a custom chart catalog for a particular state. Below is a custom catalog for the state of California (CA). All the states with ocean or great lakes shoreline have their own chart catalogs. The states within the Pacific Ocean use the 2 letter abbreviation PO.

This example is for CA ENCs. To get CA raster RNCs change ENC to RNC in the catalog URL. Also, you probably want to change the chart directory as well.

[Gilletarom]

Hello Pavel,

Originally Posted by nohal

Hi all...
I think we are basically feature complete for what can be done with OpenCPN 4.0 and it is time for another, hopefully last, beta release...
.....
Detailed list of changes in version 0.6:
.......
If you have ideas for usability improvements, it is the last opportunity to bring them up
....
Pavel

This morning I install ChartDownloader 0.6.
First, I downloaded 3 charts. No problem. Then I downloaded all the other charts. No problem. (RNC raster Brésil, 365 charts)

Is it possible to add a feature. After downloading charts, indicate OpenCPN to update the database of the charts.

Is it possible that after the download is complete, a message appears asking if we want:
- 1. Update the database
- 2. Update texture data for those who work with OpenGL ON.

Indeed, an alpha user who installs three charts first, trying them as I did, will be surprised if other load charts do not use them. He must think to update the database.
And I can say without a mistake, given the bizarre questions put currently on the French forum, this would be a good thing to automatically trigger the update of the database.

Best regards, Gilletarom.

[Gilletarom]

Hello Pavel,

I download 62 ENC charts, without problem.

Two other ideas:

It takes a long time to download 365 charts RNC Brazil. Also it takes a long time to download 100 ENC charts the USA.

Would it be possible to indicate before downloading, what is the approximate download time?

Would be possible that after updating the list of charts in the lower part of the window of this plugin, you display:
1 the number of charts of the list (selected or not)
2 the number of selected charts
3. the number of new charts, (never downloaded)
4. the number of charts that can be updated.

Best regards. Gilletarom.

P.S. : I'm usually stingy with compliments. But here is a nice plugin.

[Gilletarom]

Pavel,

You know, perhaps, that link. It allows the website VNF (Waterways of France), free download charts of some French rivers and canals.
VNF - Voies navigables de France - Cartes Ecdis

How should he do with the plugin, to download these maps?

[Gilletarom]

Pavel,

A bug ... Sorry.

I try to download the charts that I speak in my previous post. Impossible. Perhaps, this is normal

BUT

See 3 screen copy.

Thirst I said the URL, the name, the folder. This Ok. See screen copy 1 and 2

Second, I use button "Mettre à jour" (Updated) And then , no crash, no freeze but, the name of my own list is replaced by the name of the previous lits (ENC USA). See screen copy 3.

B.R. Gilletarom.