OpenCPN Version 1.3.5 Beta Technical

[cagney]

Testing on a WinXP box loaded with a pre 1.3.4 beta version, I upgraded to the latest beta. I had no general black screen or unexpected behavior, all .kap charts previously loaded came up, even after a rebuild of the chart database, but the background world wide vector database did not load. Outside the chart area loaded, there was indeed totally black, but still all the info in the status bar.

Later I also loaded the CM92_2 -09 charts without problems.

Dave: Is it possible to add the OpenCPN-version to the log file on start up?

Thomas

[Blongsea]

I love this program and unlike other nav-programs it is able to SOUND a warning when a ship approaches. I'm not sure, but it is quite possible this feature has saved my boat and my bacon already. This picture is taken in the night on my boat, so I say... thank you.

[Sarkis]

Hello,

How can I download open cpn 135 version 1120 for example?

Thanks

[Wester]

The latest are 1216 Black Screen Monster

Leif

[Sarkis]

Thanks.
I was wrong, but i would download an other version because, this version doesn't work with CM 93 (the other beta version i downloaded was good with these charts).

[oem]

If anybody can help (not me, but OpenCPN) I cannot make the 1216 do anything else but displaying black screens. The world map is OK (after a couple of attempts..), and for S57 maps I can make it display the map name in the chart name area. But still black screens.

I have attached the logfile and the ini-file. The logfile shows several attempts. At first I saw that the 1216 didn't accept the danish character 'ø' in the foldername (the former 1.3.5-version did, - does that have anything to do with the problem?). Then I moved the .kap files to a different folder, but no help. Then I downloaded with a San Francisco NOAA/ENC map, but I still got black screen however with the screen name as mentioned.

Before these attempts I uninstalled everything and reinstalled 1.3.4 and then updated 1.3.5/1216 to try to solve it. I'm running Vista home edition.

I'll have to go back to 1.3.4 since I didn't backup my old 1.3.5 version. It's no problem, my boat is on land for the winter

[cagney]

The XP I was testing with used the US lang setting

09:07:50 AM: opencpn_en_US

There was no problems with this box as reported earlier.
Oem had

22:13:30: opencpn_da_DK

and PeteCross had Swedish lang settings. These settings were introduced in the latest beta.
Can someone test, changing their computers language to US English and see if that helps bring the display back?
I have only seen problems reported on Windows. Has anyone on Linux experienced any problems with "black screen"?

Thomas

[idpnd]

That does sound like a plausible reason.. is it possible to switch winxp locale on an adhoc basis for testing?

[cagney]

There was a bell ringing in the back of my head.....
I think this may be an old problem from last June coming back again.
Then "fulup" found a solution see here http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...tml#post294834
and the posts before this one. A solution was found in that at the start of OpenCPN sets the lang numeric to C. The problem was that some languages use "," instead of "." as decimal separator.
I suspect that this fix gets over ridden later in the code with the new beta.
Thomas

[oem]

That's a wonderful bell ringing..

I changed the decimal point from ',' to '.' and the thousands_separator from '.' to ',' and then re-loaded all maps. And it worked. Both for S57 and for raster.

Thanks a lot..!

So that's it, - problem solved, or at least identified. I guess that's all that can be done for now..

[bdbcat]

Ahoy black-screeners....

This begins to make sense now.

opencpn Beta 1216 indeed sets the application locale to the current user default. This is new.

He further sets (but only for linux) the numeric format to be "C" compatible, which overrides any locale setting, and forces the use of '.' as the decimal separator. This is done to correct a bug in the wxWidgets/clib code for reading numeric values as are found in the config file.

So, the problem: On a windows box, the numeric format is whatever is specified for the user default locale. If the locale uses ',' instead of '.' for decimal separator, then opencpn mis-reads the config file values for initial lat/lon and other stuff, and there are no charts in outer space, or wherever it ends up.

Correct Solution: force "C" numeric format for all platforms. Duh..,

This will be in the next Beta, coming in a day or so.

Anybody see any flaw in this logic?

Sorry for the run-around on this, and thanks Cagney for the ringing bell.

Dave

[sailorF54]

Originally Posted by bdbcat

Ahoy black-screeners....

This begins to make sense now.

opencpn Beta 1216 indeed sets the application locale to the current user default. This is new.

He further sets (but only for linux) the numeric format to be "C" compatible, which overrides any locale setting, and forces the use of '.' as the decimal separator. This is done to correct a bug in the wxWidgets/clib code for reading numeric values as are found in the config file.

So, the problem: On a windows box, the numeric format is whatever is specified for the user default locale. If the locale uses ',' instead of '.' for decimal separator, then opencpn mis-reads the config file values for initial lat/lon and other stuff, and there are no charts in outer space, or wherever it ends up.

Correct Solution: force "C" numeric format for all platforms. Duh..,

This will be in the next Beta, coming in a day or so.

Anybody see any flaw in this logic?

Sorry for the run-around on this, and thanks Cagney for the ringing bell.

Dave

Vista Home, French locale: 1216 opens with CM93 without a hitch now, after turning decimal comma to decimal point and number grouping symbol from blank to comma
Glad to be rid of that black screen.

BTW, I did not backup the previous beta version (1120 ?), was forced to go back to 1.3.4 (no real problem as I am at home), but could you provide links to previous betas on bigdumboat for the lazy ones among us ?

[grietick]

Hello,


And thanks for this fantastic and incredible Job!
I just want to help, eventually, for a french traduction of OPEN CPN.

If somebody is interesting, please, contact me!

Thierry, on troll.

[cagney]

Dave

Anybody see any flaw in this logic?

No, not as long as it is done "late" enough, and before critical parts of the code. Maybe it has to be set more than once. Hopefully there is an "elegant" solution to this.

If I on my Linux box creates a wpt and change the decimal "." to a decimal "," in the "Properties" pop up, it is rather unpredictable where the wpt ends up when I click OK.

Thomas

[bdbcat]

Cagney....

re: "late enough".....
I set the LC_NUMERIC behavior after the default locale is set, but before anything happens concerning the config file, etc. Should be OK.

I wonder if it would be offensive to some if we simply declare that opencpn uses '.' for decimal everywhere?

I'm thinking of the case of importing GPX files created on "who-knows-where" system locale. Same thing could happen when we eventually learn how to import KML files.

Comments?

Dave