Tidal Current plugin for European Waters Again

[Rasbats]

Here is the prototype for a European Tidal Current plugin. Windows only. Tested with XP SP3 only.

Lots of work was copied from other parts of the OpenCPN source code, especially the work done by SethDart with his KML plugin.

Attached is the EUTidalCurrents plugin and also "libexpat.dll". If you have not installed the KML plugin you will need to put this latter file in your main OpenCPN installation folder. Plugin file goes in the plugins folder as normal.

The zip file TSDemo contains the folder 'TS Demo'. This contains the KMZ files for Tidal Currents in South West England. These are examples only. Place the folder somewhere on your system where you can find the folder after starting the plugin. The KMZ files can be viewed with Google earth as well as the plugin. Transparency of the KMZ files is set to 50%. This could be adjusted if you make your own files.

The MAPC2MAPCNET program and Google Earth were used to create the KMZ files. There are many paper sources of Tidal Current data.

This plugin is a work in progress. Saving the folder path/name when closing down OpenCPN does not work. There may be other anomalous behaviour that I have not noticed, which could affect your opencpn.ini file. There is work to be done with relating the time displayed in the dialog to the Tidal Current displayed at that time.

Comments are always welcome.

Mike

Here is the link for the files. Sorry, Google Drive is needed.

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B4...wwN2ZvcmM/edit

[Rasbats]

The EU Tidal Currents plugin has been updated.

The plugin no longer walks all over the 'opencpn.ini' file. Location of the folder containing the KMZ files is saved in it's own section of the 'ini' file. When the plugin is re-started this folder is written into the Tidal Atlas box.

Work still to do on the size of the dialog box and the link between date/time and the tidal atlas.

Attached is the updated plugin file. Please remove the .doc extension and unzip to access the .dll.

Mike

[sailorF54]

The plugin doesn't appear in the toolbox/plugin window, nor in the ini file.
EUTidalcurrents_pi.dll in the pluging folder
Libexpat in the main OpenCpn folder.
TSDemo folder on the desktop
Windows7 with OpenCpn 3.0.1
???

[Rasbats]

sailorF54

Appreciate your attempts at using the plugin.

I am using OpenCPN 3.0

Back to the drawing board. First step will be building the plugin with v3.01. Watch this space!

Did you try using the KMLOverlay plugin from SethDart?

Mike

[sailorF54]

Here is the log file for the EUTidal and KmlOverlay (hoping I got the latest version for the second one)


-----------------
09:17:15: PlugInManager: Loading PlugIn: C:\Program Files\OpenCPN\plugins/EUTidalcurrents_pi.dll
09:17:15: Error: Failed to load shared library 'C:\Program Files\OpenCPN\plugins/EUTidalcurrents_pi.dll' (error 14001: l’application n’a pas pu démarrer car sa configuration côte-à-côte est incorrecte. Pour plus d’informations, consultez le journal d’événements d’applications ou utilisez l’outil de ligne de commande sxstrace.exe.)
09:17:15: PlugInManager: Cannot load library: C:\Program Files\OpenCPN\plugins/EUTidalcurrents_pi.dll

.....
09:17:15: PlugInManager: Loading PlugIn: C:\Program Files\OpenCPN\plugins/kmloverlay_pi.dll
09:17:15: Error: Failed to load shared library 'C:\Program Files\OpenCPN\plugins/kmloverlay_pi.dll' (error 14001: l’application n’a pas pu démarrer car sa configuration côte-à-côte est incorrecte. Pour plus d’informations, consultez le journal d’événements d’applications ou utilisez l’outil de ligne de commande sxstrace.exe.)
09:17:15: PlugInManager: Cannot load library: C:\Program Files\OpenCPN\plugins/kmloverlay_pi.dll

[Rasbats]

Thanks for the log file information.

Installed OpenCPN 3.0.1 on WinXP SP3.

OpenCPN running.

Copied the EUTidalCurrents plugin to the plugin folder. No sign of the plugin.

Closed OpenCPN and re-started and then the plugin was seen and found working.

Win7?

Mike

[sailorF54]

Originally Posted by Rasbats

Win7?

Mike

Who knows ?
Time and other users may tell !

[Rasbats]

Good day,

I have re-read the KML overlay thread. SethDart solved the problem of that plugin loading, for some people, by providing 'zlib1.dll'. This is copied to the main OpenCPN folder. I have attached a copy of 'zlib1.dll' to this post. Just remove the '.doc' extension. On my machines other programs are already using their own copy of 'zlib1.dll', which perhaps explains my lack of a problem.

One bug for me to eliminate is when a KMZ file is loaded for an area far away from the chart you are viewing, especially a 'KAP'. This causes OpenCPN to crash on my machine.

Mike

[sailorF54]

Originally Posted by Rasbats

Good day,

I have re-read the KML overlay thread. SethDart solved the problem of that plugin loading, for some people, by providing 'zlib1.dll'. This is copied to the main OpenCPN folder. I have attached a copy of 'zlib1.dll' to this post. Just remove the '.doc' extension. On my machines other programs are already using their own copy of 'zlib1.dll', which perhaps explains my lack of a problem.

One bug for me to eliminate is when a KMZ file is loaded for an area far away from the chart you are viewing, especially a 'KAP'. This causes OpenCPN to crash on my machine.

Mike

I still get the same error with zlib1 present
----
19:49:48: PlugInManager: Loading PlugIn: C:\Program Files\OpenCPN\plugins/EUTidalcurrents_pi.dll
19:49:48: Error: Failed to load shared library 'C:\Program Files\OpenCPN\plugins/EUTidalcurrents_pi.dll' (error 14001: l’application n’a pas pu démarrer car sa configuration côte-à-côte est incorrecte. Pour plus d’informations, consultez le journal d’événements d’applications ou utilisez l’outil de ligne de commande sxstrace.exe.)
-----
Could you post here the version of the KMZ plugin you are using ?
I also get an error for it

[Rasbats]

SailorF54

The version number shown for the KML Overlay plugin is 0.2.

The same version number appears for both versions (normal and test) that were available from Jean-Eudes and found in the KML Overlay Plugin thread.

Mike

[jimseng]

good work!
I have it running on 3.0 on Windows 7. It crashed when zoomed in outside the region (I was zoomed in on Exmouth, just east of the tidal stream area) but if I have some of the plugin area visible when I click on one of the HW Dover +/- buttons it is fine.

[Rasbats]

Thanks for the test.

Work on the plugin will have to stop while I go sailing for a couple of weeks. I will look at issues such as this when I return.

Mike

[Rasbats]

For machines where the plugin 'EU Tidal Currents' will not work I found an interim solution.

A messy workaround. Install Visual Studio 2008 Express Edition for C++. No need to register (I think!).

Visual Studio 2008 Express | Microsoft Visual Studio

Use the Visual C++ link.

The only dll needed in the OpenCPN main program folder is 'libexpat.dll'. Plugin 'EUTidalCurrents.dll' in the plugins folder as normal.

Many issues to resolve.

The plugin needs a lot of work on it to make it more responsive and take up less of the screen. Also I have to work on the VC9 compiler problem. OpenCPN and the plugin itself are compiled with VC10. Components used to make the plugin use VC9. Attached is a summary of the errors found before installing Visual Studio 2008 C++ Express. Need to compile the components with VC10 but this may take some working out!

Attached is an extract from the OpenCPN.log file when the plugin would not start and also the error text from 'Event Viewer'.

Where people have experienced problems with the KML Overlay plugin (from SethDart) the workaround described above may help.

[Rasbats]

Made some changes to the plugin code. This included recompiling URIPARSER with VS10.

EUTidalCurrents_pi.dll does not SEEM (!!!) to need any workarounds on WinXP SP3. Just 'Libexpat.dll' in the main OpenCPN folder.

Updated plugin is attached. Just remove the .pdf file extension. Tidal current folder from the previous post.

Mike

[sailorF54]

Seems OK now with 3.1.714 running W7.
(The icon won't show though, nor the AIS radar: let's wait for Jesperwe next release)