Setup: Difference between revisions

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The Setup process for Cumulus is briefly mentioned in the 'readme.txt', and of course you did read that when it was displayed as part of the Cumulus installation process, but in case you did'nt this article covers some key setting-up issues.
'''IMPORTANT: Cumulus 1 is no longer supported, its source code is not available, and its development environment is obsolete. Consequently, the installation package is hidden away on an obsolete page in this Wiki ([https://cumuluswiki.org/Downloads/CumulusSetup.exe Downloads/CumulusSetup.exe]). After installing that version you need to apply a patch available on [[Software#Cumulus_1|Software page]]. It is not very user friendly now! These instructions remain to simply have a record of how it used to work.'''
 
 
The Setup process for Cumulus is briefly mentioned in the 'readme.txt', and of course '''you''' did read that when it was displayed as partshown ofhere during the ''Cumulus installation process,''. butFor inthose case youwho did'nt not read that, this article briefly covers installation and some key setting-up issues.
 
[[File:Install_read.me_screen.JPG]]
 
== Installation of Software ==
 
As the picture shows, in ReadMe.txt it is suggested that Cumulus is installed directly below the root on your C drive, but if you have more than one drive available, installing it below the root of a drive other than that containing the operating system allows you to either upgrade the operating system or do system restores without affecting Cumulus.
 
The Microsoft Windows Installation set up file creates a folder structure as shown here. [[File:Cumulus folder structure.PNG|right|500px]]
 
There is a handy installation guide [httphttps://sandaysoftcumuluswiki.comorg/downloadDownloads/Cumulus%20basic%20installation%20guide.pdf here] that describes how the requirements vary for each make of weather station.
 
=== Upgrading to a new release ===
The executable file in the release is the windows installer for the new version.''' Your data and settings are not affected, but it is still best if you back up your data (sub-folder 'data') and any settings files (e.g. cumulus.ini and strings.ini) before you run the installer.
 
You can install the new version where you like, but the Cumulus 1 installer will offer the same place as the previous version as the default.
 
''Occasionally, there may be actions you need to perform before or after the upgrade.'' Required actions usually appear in the announcement of the build you are installing, and for Cumulus 1 may be documented in the readme.txt file that will appear as you run the installer. Read such announcements for every release since your existing build in case any of the in-between changes affect you.
 
The Cumulus 1 installer will always upgrade the following files (replacing them, ignoring whether same or different to existing versions):
# "cumulus.exe"; - the latest build executable (do not confuse with the installer, CumulusSetup.exe)
# "unins000.exe";
# "libeay32.dll";
# "ssleay32.dll";
# "readme.txt"; - advice for you to follow at installation time
# "licence.txt"; - reminder about restrictions on use
# "alert.wav"; - default alarm sound
# "web\originals\*.*"; - Cumulus will always install the HTML template files here
# "webfiles\*.*"; e.g. weatherstyle.css, wz_jsgraphics.js
# "webfiles\images\picture.jpg";
# "Help\Cumulus.chm"; - the latest help including lists of log files and web tags
 
There may be extra files automatically upgraded by particular builds - see announcement for whichever builds are between your current one and the one you are trying to install.
 
During the install, you will see a '''Select Components''' screen , if you tick the ''HTML templates'' (the default) it will also upgrade the HTML template files in the web folder.
 
*So tick this option, if you have a standard Cumulus implementation and then you can be sure to upgrade the standard templates.
*Untick this option if you have [[Customised_templates#Creating_Your_Own_Templates|customised the existing pages]], so that if your customised versions are in "web\*.*" they don't get overwritten. It is recommended that you store any customised pages in a directory outside the Cumulus folder, as you can specify up to 10 such files on the local side of the files tab in the Configuration menu Internet settings screen and (if you are not using standard files) untick ''Include Standard Files'' on the same screen. (100 such files can be specified in [[Cumulus.ini_(Cumulus_1)]]).
 
=== Dates (and separator requirements) ===
 
Cumulus does require your '''computer System Short Date''' to use a format with a separator between day, month (in digits) and year. This separator will be used in the [[:Category:Log_Files|log files]].
 
There is a handy installation guide [http://sandaysoft.com/download/Cumulus%20basic%20installation%20guide.pdf here] that describes how the requirements vary for each make of weather station.
=== Dates ===
Cumulus does require your '''computer System Short Date''' to use a format with a separator between day, month (in digits) and year.
You may need to go into the 'region' settings in the Windows ''Control Panel'', and change the 'short date' format settings to use something valid for the date separator. Cumulus doesn't really care what you use, but certain third party routines in [[:Category:WebTools]] that work on your server or in a user's browser may need to be told what your PC uses in a 'date separator' parameter.
 
Some characters (like space or comma) will cause problems, and not just in Cumulus. Slashes, full stops, and dashes are the ones usually used. e.g. 'dd/MM/yy', 'dd-MM-yy', 'MM/dd/yy' and 'dd.MM.yy' are acceptable, but 'ddMMyy' or 'dd MM yy' are not suitable as a short date format with Cumulus. Any change to your short date format later (e.g. by [[Moving_cumulus]] to a different machine) is likely to give problems.
 
'''Note for USA:'''
 
Cumulus uses the Windows date formats in most places where it displays a date. This means that it can handle 'MM/dd/yy' as system short date. However (as at version 1.9.3), in the [[:Category:Log_Files|log files]] the date always appears with day before month, and consequently any screen showing timestamps taken from those log files will show dates in that format. Also on the main screen where the month appears in full, it is always between day of month and 4-digit year. On your web pages, the date format in all timestamps can be configured to your preference using 'format=mm/dd' [note: dates are in 'recent', 'month', 'year' and 'monthly' timestamp webtags, but not included for 'today' and 'yesterday' observation timestamps (as these only contain time use '<#today format=mm/dd/yyyy>', '<#metdate format=mm/dd/yyyy>' '<#yesterday format=mm/dd/yyyy>', '<#metdateyesterday format=mm/dd/yyyy>' where the '/yyyy' is optional in all cases)].
 
== Configuration: Settings ==
 
To minimise rounding error, you need to:
#First convert each old observation into whatever precision [[Supported_Devices| your weather station]] works in <span style="color:#009000"> (e.g. a Fine Offset rainfall bucket is 0.3mm as per illustration above, its pressure measurement is in dPa (integer decaPascal), wind speed in tenthsinteger ofdecametres per metres/second and temperature in tenths of degrees Celsius; the full details are given in the memory map referenced from [[Fineoffset_Memory_Map]] Wiki page)</span>. You probablywill have set its console display to different units (because 'deca' prefix units not available), but those units are irrelevent.
#Next convert each figure into whatever future units you now want to use in Cumulus
#Finally apply rounding.
 
So devising suitable conversion tactics and applying to all old observations could require hours of work. See discussions in support forum e.g. [httphttps://sandaysoftcumulus.com/forumhosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=10216&start=0 this Fine Offset rainfall thread], [httphttps://sandaysoftcumulus.com/forumhosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10327&sid=653dc1eceb1c5a0591512b84578680bd this Vantage Vue wind speed thread] or search (specify ''station make'' or ''units you wish to change'') forum.
 
'''If you do need to change a unit''', here is a suggested approach:
#Changing just after a new month has started simplifies the process
#Exit Cumulus
#Amend the appropriate parameter line in [[Cumulus.iniini_(Cumulus_1)#Section:_Station]] to a value representing the new units.
#Apply conversion tactics (see above) to figures that need to be in the new units in [[yesterday.ini]], [[today.ini]], [[month.ini]], [[year.ini]], [[monthlyalltime.ini]] and [[alltime.ini]].
#Apply conversion tactics to figures in the (preferably) just started [[Monthly_log_filesStandard_log_files|current monthlyStandard log]].
#Restart Cumulus
#This procedure has ensured that all lows and highs can continue to be tracked by Cumulus, while preserving history of past extremes without being affected by change of units (e.g. a new observation of 31 kph is not higher than a past observation of 30 mph).
You may find the [[Cumulus_Screenshots]] help you to find what can be edited where, although note the screens may relate to a different software version/build to that you are using. Most of the settings are fully explained in the help for each screen in the various different menu. Not all settings can be set using screens in '''Configuration''' menu, you may need to use a screen in the '''Edit''', or '''View''', menu or to directly edit the appropriate [[:Category:Cumulus Files|configuration file]].
 
The information in [[cumulus.ini]] describes the configuration settings for the latest live Cumulus release, whether set via screens or directly by editing that file. If there are extra settings for a beta build, these will be covered in the build announcement, but once established should appear in [[Cumulus.ini_(Cumulus_1)_(Beta)]].
 
#Some settings affect how information is read from your weather station; in general changing these may cause a discontinuity in your observations, as the changes only affect subsequent readings, and have no retrospective consequence. The exception is a change to units of measurement as this directly affects updating extremes see instructions above.
## Now recalculate the highs and lows, again using first 4 options of '''Edit''' menu, this time loading all [[Monthly_log_files]] (and the [[Dayfile.txt|daily log]] if you have updated that) and then selecting '''Copy''' buttons as necessary.
##Finally, compare the lows and highs for monthly, annual and all-time against the ones in your preserved backup, this will allow you to pick up extremes at times inbetween those observations recorded in the monthly logs.
#Other settings that relate only to output preferences can be changed at any time without worrying about your log files, ''even usually the setting changes needed when you change your weather station type''. To keep this article simple, no further details of possible setting changes and consequences are given, but you may find (or seek) further help in the support forum.
 
There are [[:Category:Cumulus Files|several configuration files]] and these include more sophisticated options such as how Cumulus communicates with particular external reporting web sites. In general these settings can be updated to meet your requirements as they change, without worrying about the past. However, some external sites may pick up on certain changes and could disconnect subsequent observations from past observations at the discontinuity, so check in their guidance or you may find (or seek) further help in the support forum.
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