OCPN Draw 1.8 available

[jongough]

OCPN Draw 1.8 is now available for use with OCPN. This version, the same as 1.6 requires OCPN version 5.0 or newer to run due to the use of multi-screen.


The main change in this version is the ability to install using the new Plugin Manager process. This will require OCPN 5.1 or newer. This version of OCPN is currently in beta testing but can be installed from:
https://cloudsmith.io/~david-registe...e/packages/?q=


OCPN Draw 1.8 can be installed on this version of OCPN by using the Plugin Manager Master Catalog, which is accessible from Options/Plugins.


If you are not using OCPN 5.1 or newer you can still use this version of OCPN Draw by downloading your installation package from:
https://cloudsmith.io/~jon-gough/rep...d/packages/?q=
You will probably need to provide a filter to help you find the file you want, i.e.'*MSVC*exe' for windows installation packages.



If you are using Linux you can add cloudsmith as an installation repository by visiting this page:
https://cloudsmith.io/~jon-gough/rep...l_formats=true
While it shows multiple installation capabilities only 'deb' and 'rpm' are available.


There are other minor changes in OCPN Draw including improvements to the use of Layers such that you can now add persistent layers from the Path and Points Manager Layers tab. The import of Layers and the rendering has been improved, mostly behind the scenes to allow selection, display and management of Layers.



If you are cruising in Australian Queensland waters there is now a set of files that can be loaded to show you all the marine park zones. These can be found here:
https://github.com/redog666/qld-coastal-zones

[bcn]

Jon..


1.8 installed under macOS OCPN 5.1 (managed) without issues.


Hubert

[nesop276]

Hi, so I am using this for a 3 point fix and for all __4X and 5X the draw tool fails to load. I get DLL errors using the 1.8 package and 1.6 package. I cannot make this tool work. Please help the packages on the Open CPN website do not work either

[Gilletarom]

1.8 installed under W10 and OCPN 5.1 without issues.


Gilletarom.

[jongough]

To look at this issue a bit more information is needed. Which version of OCPN are you running? This needs to be the full version and where you installed it from. Which versions of OD are you trying to run, again this needs to be the full version (for the latest 1.6 & 1.8 the file name will help)? If the plugin starts also you can get the version from 'Options/Plugins/OCPN Draw/Properties/About'. What are you trying to run on Windows/mac/Raspberry Pi/Linux and which version of this are you using?



I am not sure what you are doing or trying to do. OD does not do 'fixes' it is for drawing on the chart, so I am confused about what you are trying to do. Can you please provide a step by step process to get to the error you are seeing.

Originally Posted by nesop276

Hi, so I am using this for a 3 point fix and for all __4X and 5X the draw tool fails to load. I get DLL errors using the 1.8 package and 1.6 package. I cannot make this tool work. Please help the packages on the Open CPN website do not work either

[Gilletarom]

Jon,

I translated almost all the items of the Testplugin_pi plugin.

But, maybe I made a few mistakes because I don't really understand what this plugin does.

[jongough]

Thanks. I have just downloaded the translations as part of fixing up some other plugins. I will check to see if I got your stuff in that download.


If there are mistakes, well that happens, and that is no big deal, someone will tell us and it can be fixed up easily. I could not do ANY of the translation, so I am very grateful.


Regards
Jon

Originally Posted by Gilletarom

Jon,

I translated almost all the items of the Testplugin_pi plugin.

But, maybe I made a few mistakes because I don't really understand what this plugin does.

[Gilletarom]

Jon,

Explain to me what this plugin is for.

Thank you in advance.

[jongough]

This plugin allows the drawing of georeferenced objects on charts and the use of these objects by other plugins. Basically you can draw:

• Boundaries (closed, multi-sided areas)
• Boundary points (the points can be standalone or used to define a boundary)
• Text point (a point which can have axillary text that can be displayed)
• Electronic bearing line
• Dead reckoning line
• Guard zone (a movable boundary that is normally attached to a boat)
• Parallel Index Line (a line like an EBL but offset laterally from the centre of the boat)

The best way to see what it does is to use the objects and the documentation is fairly complete for this plugin and can be found here:
https://opencpn.org/wiki/dokuwiki/do...ty:odraw1.6_pi
.
Other plugins, watchdog, weather routing and squiddio use the API that this plugin provides to allow drawing of objects that they need/want. To see how this works you would need to install each of these plugins and use them.

[Gilletarom]

Jon,

Thank you for the explanations.

A few questions again:
- Why must you install this plugin separately from Draw?
- If I understand correctly, if this plugin is not installed, users of other plugins will no longer be able to use the objects created by Draw?
- Why is it not installed directly by OpenCPN, so that during the installation of other plugins, like WR for example, these can take advantage of it automatically?

[jongough]

Hi,
I am not sure what plugin you are referring to now. Draw works the same way as before it but can now be installed with Plugin Manager in OCPN. Draw provides an API to allow other plugins to use Draw objects, this is totally within Draw. The other plugins that can use Draw should continue to work without Draw but may not gain some of the capabilities that having Draw allows. It is up to the user if they want the Draw plugin installed/activated.



What plugin do you want installed by OpenCPN? Are you suggesting that Draw be one of the automatically installed plugins? If so that is up to Dave not me.


I am a little confused so I must have missed something. Sorry

Originally Posted by Gilletarom

Jon,

Thank you for the explanations.

A few questions again:
- Why must you install this plugin separately from Draw?
- If I understand correctly, if this plugin is not installed, users of other plugins will no longer be able to use the objects created by Draw?
- Why is it not installed directly by OpenCPN, so that during the installation of other plugins, like WR for example, these can take advantage of it automatically?

[Gilletarom]

Hello Jon,


I lacked clarity. So I try to explain my state of mind again.

I tried to put myself in the place of users unfamiliar with the functioning of OpenCPN, and its plugins.
Several plugins are concerned:
- Draw
- TestPlugin
- WD
- WR
- Sqdio

However, the full implementation of WD, WR and Sqdio requires that TestPlugin be installed. This adds complexity to the OpenCPN environment. Some users may not understand that TestPlugin must also be installed.

Hence the advantage of installing TestPlugin directly with OpenCPN.

Obviously, Dave will be on the front line on this.

[hoolie]

Maybe I'm confused as well.

What is the TestPlugin? I can find no reference to it on the OpenCPN website nor any need for it to be installed with other plugins.

There is a Debugger plugin to help with development but I can't find anything that says it's needed by other plugins?

[jongough]

Hi Gilletarom,
Just a quick clarification, testplugin_pi is a developers plugin which I built to help create the ODraw API as I needed something easy to test it with. This plugin has proved useful for building one of the new methods of generating plugins that can be used by the OCPN Plugin Manager. Again, being a developer plugin it allowed me to test multiple options and quickly fix them up without impacting any user plugin. The outcome of this you may see referred to as 'frontend2' and it is being used as the basis for getting some more of the plugins capable of being used by Plugin Manager.

ODraw is a drawing tool for putting various objects on charts and making some extra navigation tools available, i.e. Electronic Bearing Lines and Guard Zones. ODraw has an API that can be used by other plugins to make use of the capabilities of ODraw, in the first instance Boundaries for which the first API was created. This allows both Weather_routing and Watchdog to ask ODraw if there are objects of a specified type at a location, i.e. an Exclusion Boundary around a rock, and therefore deal with this issue. It allows the user to setup boundaries around rocks, shallow water, known uncharted obstructions, etc. and then have the other plugins take note of these. Recently Squiddio was updated to be able to use ODraw Text Points instead of OCPN Waypoints for placing markers on the charts. This was done to help reduce the number of waypoints that would be in OCPN but would not normally be used for navigation.

Watchdog, Weather_routing and Squiddio will all work without ODraw being available, but you may not gain the full functionality of these plugins.

From what you are suggesting I think you would want to see ODraw installed with OCPN by default. That could be done, but Dave would have to make the call on that. At the moment, particularly with Plugin Manager, it is not too difficult to install any of the new plugins and keep them up to date.

Does the above help at all?

Jon

Originally Posted by Gilletarom

Hello Jon,


I lacked clarity. So I try to explain my state of mind again.

I tried to put myself in the place of users unfamiliar with the functioning of OpenCPN, and its plugins.
Several plugins are concerned:
- Draw
- TestPlugin
- WD
- WR
- Sqdio

However, the full implementation of WD, WR and Sqdio requires that TestPlugin be installed. This adds complexity to the OpenCPN environment. Some users may not understand that TestPlugin must also be installed.

Hence the advantage of installing TestPlugin directly with OpenCPN.

Obviously, Dave will be on the front line on this.

[jongough]

Testplugin is purely a development tool used initially to help build the ODraw API and recently the files and processes needed by the consolidated build and deploy process for plugins using the new Plugin Manager. It is not intended for use by users only developers.


Jon

Originally Posted by hoolie

Maybe I'm confused as well.

What is the TestPlugin? I can find no reference to it on the OpenCPN website nor any need for it to be installed with other plugins.

There is a Debugger plugin to help with development but I can't find anything that says it's needed by other plugins?