OpenCPN Version 2.2 Beta Test

[bdbcat]

SailorF54.....

Can you give us a reference to the French forum reporting track import problems?

Can you describe your experience/failure with track imports more fully?

Thanks
Dave

[sailorF54]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

SailorF54.....

Can you give us a reference to the French forum reporting track import problems?

Can you describe your experience/failure with track imports more fully?

Thanks
Dave

Re Question #1 FWIW
Forums
(reported for Vista, not XP)

Re Question #2
My GPX tracks were in a folder on the desktop. My desktop path name contains François (with a non ascii ç).
Test: saving/importing directly under C: is OK.

That solves the riddle. Thanks Pavel and Dave....

[PjotrC]

It happens that selecting "Mark/WP Properties" on a waypoint opens up the dialog for quite another waypoint.

While preparing a database of lighthouses around the coast for uploading to handheld GPS I've seen perhaps 2 or 3 cases like that, but they are not easy to nail down. I hope this one is enough:

Example that is sufficiently reproducible for me in 2.2.1111:

- start with CM93 and no waypoints
- select in Vector Charts: Standard Level, CM93 Zoom Detail level 0
- move the map to around Lisbon, Portugal and zoom in just enough to see the lighthouse rings (TruScale ca. 550000)
- drop a mark at Cabo da Roca lighthouse (38 47N 009 29.9W) and enter a short name for it (e.g. "Cabo da Roca"). Close dialog with "OK".
- drop a mark at Cabo Raso lighthouse (38 42N 009 29.2W)

pointing the mouse only slightly to East of Cabo Raso waypoint triangle selects wrong WP... repeatedly... until "OK" is selected.

The misidentified waypoints need not be so close together, similar effect can be seen for Cabo Saao Vincente (37 02N 009 00W), interestingly, this location is not sensitive to East-West deviation, but not 100% reproducible...

Of course the chart system used is not relevant, raster or CM93 - same effect...

Cheers,

Piotr

[jonasaberg]

On the Swedish Association forum (Svenska Kryssarklubben, swedish only) there is a poster reasoning that bugs are not adhered to properly since night dimming still does not work for BSB charts.

Although I think this is really unfair considering all that has happened with OpenCPN, I see the point. This was reported in this forum and the old sourceforge tracker, but seem to have been lost in the transfer to flyspray until it was reported anew a few weeks ago...now as a feature request.

As long as the button exist in the menu bar, but does not dim the chart, only the menu bar, I do think it is closer to a bug than a feature request.

I am not sure about which way the time is best spent on this but I suggest to either:
-Fix this and make dimming work if that is "an easy thing to program"
-Remove the "dimming button" when using BSB charts, by doing so it is transferred from being a bug to a feature request...

What is the forums (or maybe mainly Daves...) take on this?

/J

[manimaul]

Originally Posted by jonasaberg

On the Swedish Association forum (Svenska Kryssarklubben, swedish only) there is a poster reasoning that bugs are not adhered to properly since night dimming still does not work for BSB charts.
...
What is the forums (or maybe mainly Daves...) take on this?

This is more of a bug in the BSB charts being used since proper BSB charts have the color dimming palettes built in to the chart. NOAA rnc charts do dim properly for example.

With that said, since many people are hand calibrating their own charts and converting to the BSB format without color palettes, this is a valid bug/feature request. Some sort of dimming for these charts is a good idea.

Will

[jonasaberg]

Will, Interesting info, I did not know that.

That means there's a feature that no (few?) of the official Swedish BSB charts has implemented in them.
Doing a quick test, no of my Swedish charts dim in OpenCPN, have not tested in other softwares. I have some Norwegian charts, they don't dim either.

However, from a users point of view, since it works in the other nav applications and not in cpn, it is some kind of shortcoming in the software regardless if we call it a lack of feature or a bug.

I agree with your point that it is and added benefit to be able to dim user-calibrated charts.

/Jonas

[BluegillBoy]

i hadn't noticed this before but it's the same (non-dimmable) for the USACE raster charts i've converted of the illinois waterway. i never run the river after dark (major drift, unlit can bouys, more) so hadn't had opportunity to try.

you mention a feature that isn't implemented in the swedish charts - what is that? maybe something i should addinto my river charts. i have to go back and redo them anyway - they're not north-up charts and i didn't enter a skew.

btw, they work great with OCPN, just won't quilt the way they are now.

[cagney]

Time to do something about dimming.
The US RNC dimming works well. OpenCPN reads all the BSB3 "extensions" regarding DAY, DSK, NGT and so on.
The Brazilean RNC Charts don't behave well with dusk and night mode.
There are a whole bunch of kap charts that do absolutely nothing in this area, and somehow OpenCPN needs to compensate for this.

If we look at our own chart conversions, for example Marco's kiwi charts I believe that we can do something.
Unfortunately the development of libbsb stopped about 5 years ago.
Looking at tif2bsb, I came up with a simple hack. See the result below. Note that I know next to nothing about RGB color palette etc. With some knowledgeable input we should be able to come up with a version of tif2bsb that handles dimming in the future.

This is RGB, DSK and NGT mode on a random tiff chart, using a slightly modified tif2bsb.






My conclusion from looking at bsb charts is that in ver 3 the following palettes are standard

RGB Default Color Palette
DAY Day Color Palette
DSK Dusk Color Palette
NGT Night Color Palette
NGR Night Red Palette


Thomas

[sinbad7]

SeaClear II has a very handy,chart format independent dimming feature which the user can even fine-adjust to his own taste.

Tore

[sinbad7]

Having checked several well known nav progs like Fugawi - SeaClear II - OziExplorer ,they are all map format independent in their map ilumination modes. All my .kap calibrated maps also work in this way. All proprietary Swedish and Norwegian .kap charts behaves the same. I think the majority of the nav prog authors are using percentages of screen dimming rather than embedded colour features of the various map types.

OpenCPN does not dim calibrated charts in .kap format,just the progs frame details.

No doubt this will easily be fixed in the next version.

Tore

[jonasaberg]

Cagney:
Excellent if tif2bsb can be made "dimable", but that does not help with all the official charts that do not have this feature built into them.

Tore:
Good with your testing.
I agree it needs to be put into the application. Otherwise we leave all the users that do not want to "recalibrate" and feed new palettes into their charts out in the cold. (Includes me for all the "official charts" I have, dont want to fiddle with those.)

I do not know whether it will be easy to implement or whether it is feasible to have it in the next version, let us leave that to the persons writing the code...

To use a general "screen dimming feature" sounds great but might work completely different in different OS's.

/J

[sinbad7]

As mentioned in my #342, many of the popular nav. progs. use a percentage screen dimming. They probably did this because of the great variety of palette systems in available charts. Making the dimming percentage settable by the user ensures that it will work with all systems.

Fugawi - SeaClear II - OziExplorer all work this way,also with our conversions.

Sorry if I am replying in the wrong area...

[Roger Hutchinson]

I am trying to use Open CPN on a Windows 7 operating system and not having little luck. The program seems to open OK but will not see any of the CM93 charts I placed in the path. Do you know if Windows 7 is capable as the 2.2 version only says Windows Operating Systems. I tried loading 2.1 and that didn't work on Windows 7. Any help would be appreciated.

[jonasaberg]

I have promised to translate beta testing by a Swedish user, same user that started the recent "night dimming" discussion on the Swedish forum.

His comments after a fresh look at OpenCPN 1111.

1 When AIS target are moving on a skewed BSB chart, the course line is correct, but the AIS ship icon is twisted. Se the picture. (Own ship is shown correct.)

2 Bearing and Distance, SOG COG etc font to small. Better to be adjustable.

3 The help text is shown for less than a second, it disappears every time the position is updated,

4 After changing the font in the pop-up help the text seem to linger longer, but still disappears occasionally.

5 Course up seem to work only for charts scale 1:50000 and up.

6 The test on the AIS alarm is hard to read. (Se picture)

7 Finally, quilted charts does not work...

My comment: 7. This is known for us that follows the development, but for all new users in transmerc areas it will be very frustrating to try quilting and experience that the cross you put in the box disappears every time you exit the dialogue.

My suggestion: Put a help text to the right of the "quilting box" saying: "Works for mercator charts only"

Also I tried to change fonts, the font change tab only seem to change the font of the pop-up help? How is this intended to work?
/J

[nohal]

Originally Posted by Roger Hutchinson

The program seems to open OK but will not see any of the CM93 charts I placed in the path.

Roger,
welcome! What exactly do you mean by placing the charts in the path? Did you follow the instructions at Installing Charts | Official OpenCPN Homepage?
OpenCPN 2.2 works on Windows 7 pretty fine as far as we can tell.

Pavel