OpenCPN Beta Version 3.1.1105 Released

[bdbcat]

Ahoy, OpenCPN'ers...

After a somewhat protracted interval.....
OpenCPN Version 3.1 Beta Build 1105 will soon be available for download from opencpn.org.

Monitor the opencpn.org Downloads page to find and download the latest Beta version binaries.....

Source is available now on github at:
https://github.com/OpenCPN/OpenCPN
Branch: beta31_stable

Changelog
56. Add "A" hotkey for ENC anchor details. Thanks to nkiesel
57. Improve AIS icons for vessel NUC, anchored, RAM, etc. Thanks jesperwe
58. Correct message text in GRIB PlugIn.(FS#888)
59. Restructure Context Menus to "Focused Context Menus" JesperWe
60. Extend cm93 coverage to 80 degrees N.
61. Enable full object query for locations with S57 ENC overlay cells
62. Implement ownship sizing dialog, including GPS receiver offsets.
63. Complete redesign of Dashboard PlugIn graphics. Thanks, sethdart.
64. Implement new intelligent dynamic tracking algorithm.
65. Correct AIS target rendering on skewed raster charts.
66. Implement new DataSources architecture.
67. Expand PlugIn API Version 1.9 to include some useful cartographic functions
68. Render Euro Inland AIS targets with slightly different color ("Teal")
69. Add ConfirmObjectDeletion checkbox to Options->User Interface.
70. Convert OpenGL structure to new (wx2.9+) format.
71. Add basic support for Mac Retina display (FS#868)


Notes:
59. New Context menu structure, requiring no complicated two-step pull-downs.
60. For those needing cm93 coverage to =/- 80 latitude, this will require a manual database rebuild.
61. Test on Austrian ENCs, Edition 5
63. Check this out. Very nice and modern looking new graphics on Dashboard.
66. This is the big one for this Beta, and for 3.2. Complete redesign of NMEA message handling structure, including a new GUI and monitor window. This new scheme provides extensive NMEA management capabilities, including:
-Input message filtering, by TALKER ID and/or message type.
-Virtually unlimited input port multiplexing, with shared I/O and individual data rate settings.
-Selective message echo capability, similar to third-party mux applications.
-Programmable output port messages, for e.g. autopilot interfaces.
-Full Network input and output, including TCP, UDP, and GPSD services.
-GPSD client support for Windows platforms.

The key point to keep in mind as you work with this new setup is the complete orthogonality between message sources, message destinations, and transport media. All messages come and go from an internal "buss", and all internal modules have access to all messages. Any message can be received, and possibly re-transmitted according to the configuration established. If the messages get onto the buss, O will do the right thing, and we really don't need to be especially concerned about their internal disposition. For example, if it is an AIS message, the AIS module will get the message and act accordingly. PlugIns also get all messages.

The new Connections UI may be intimidating to new users. Any comments regarding the work flow and user messages in the dialogs will be most welcome.

As an assist to startup of this and subsequent versions, O will attempt to convert from a previous (3.0.x) GPS/AIS/Autopilot configuration to the new (3.2.x) internal format automatically. Simple one, two, or three port configs should be detected correctly, and the Connections dialog will be pre-loaded with the equivalent 3.2.x configuration. Please make note of any problems you see in this auto-upgrade logic, to help head off upgrade issues in the field by less experienced users.


Overall situation:
We are very close to "Feature Freeze" for OpenCPN Version 3.2.
We welcome comments regarding features that you may have been expecting in 3.2, but that somehow fell off the (huge) list. There is still time....

As you might realize, there is a large number of new translatable messages in the .po files. Please feel free to begin translations as you like. We will begin integrating the new translations on the next Beta.

Extra special thanks to jesperwe, sethdart, and nohal for their massive contributions to this Beta, and subsequent release. It is really amazing what can happen when we quadruple our development resources....


Thanks for your continued testing support!

Good Luck
Dave

[hoolie]

Obviously a huge step forward - thanks very much Dave and the team.

I look forward to playing with it when the binaries are up !

[sailorF54]

Here it is ....

[hoolie]

Thanks for the Windows version !!!

[JesperWe]

In addition to the points above there are also two new hot-keys:

Ctrl-R will start route creation (same as the Route Create icon on the toolbar)

"D" key will open the CM93 Detail Slider, if CM93 is displayed.

[deliopoulos]

You are doing a very good job in every release.
Even if I'm using this software for very long time, I haven't yet post a thank you message to all of you. So THANK YOU

With your guides I can build this software and some of the plug-ins (like voyage data recorder) using github repositories.

With the latest repository (OpenCPN version 3.1.1105 Nov 05, 2012), the replay on voyage data recorder crashes OpenCPN. My previous build (latest commit Oct 22, 2012 - Grib PI: Implement Hi Def Graphics for wind arrows/barbs.) works like a charm.

[brianalex]

Hi
Nice job on a major change.
Can you reinsert magnetic deviation from WMM to the RMC output?

[SethDart]

Originally Posted by deliopoulos

With the latest repository (OpenCPN version 3.1.1105 Nov 05, 2012), the replay on voyage data recorder crashes OpenCPN

Same here

This patch seems to fix the problem... Dave?

diff --git a/src/pluginmanager.cpp b/src/pluginmanager.cpp
index 9e1b5ad..2e01ef8 100644
--- a/src/pluginmanager.cpp
+++ b/src/pluginmanager.cpp
@@ -1475,10 +1475,7 @@ bool AddLocaleCatalog( wxString catalog )
 
 void PushNMEABuffer( wxString buf )
 {
-    OCPN_DataStreamEvent event( wxEVT_OCPN_DATASTREAM, 0 );
-    event.SetNMEAString( buf );
-
-    g_pMUX->AddPendingEvent( event );
+    g_pMUX->SendNMEAMessage( buf );
 }
 
 wxXmlDocument GetChartDatabaseEntryXML(int dbIndex, bool b_getGeom)

[bdbcat]

sethdart....

Not quite right. The root cause is that the message coming from the PlugIn does not really have a datasource associated with it, so there are some uninitialized class members being accessed by the Mux class..

I'll have a patch for master very shortly. Stay tuned.

Sorry
Dave

[SethDart]

Well, that's a two minute patch. I've not had time to look closely at the whole mux/datasource thing ;-)

Then, should such plugins register as datasource? That'd make it crystal clear in the interface where things comes from.

[bdbcat]

Folks...
VDR PlugIn NMEA injection patch is now available at github master.

sethdart...
Check the patch. The event now coming from the PlugIn system is identified by the string "PlugIn", so will show up in the NMEA Debug window as such, un-filtered. It will have no physical DataStream, so I guess that any PlugIns which inject messages should know enough to manage their own flitering, i.e. to send only what they mean to send.

Any Windows binary users critically need to use VDR PlugIn for testing? We could make a patched binary available somewhere if so, but I'd rather accumulate a bit more bug fixes before another real release....

Dave

[cagney]

Dave & JE

The dashboard, and trying to drag and change a few things, makes O unresponsive. It seems to get stuck here :



Thomas

[bdbcat]

Folks...

Another bug, this one related to AIS. Any AIS alert dialog will cause a crash.

Patch available in github master.
Please try to push through these bugs, and test as you are able. We'll move to a new Beta in a few days, I hope.

Dave

[cagney]

Dave

The "Pause" button in the NMEA debug dialog is not working. Testing with a VDR file.

Thomas

[bdbcat]

Thomas...

Pause button works only if Options dialog is closed, while NMEA Debug window is left open. It is a problem of focus, which I can't seem to resolve...yet...

Dave