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[[Category: Configuration_Files]] | [[Category: Configuration_Files]] | ||
= | {{TOCright}} | ||
The main configuration file is ''Cumulus.ini'' and located in the directory in which you installed Cumulus.exe. | = Introduction = | ||
== Creating Configuration File == | |||
When you download Cumulus 1 or MX, ''there is no configuration file included in the download''. So when you first use the software, either flavour of Cumulus, you will need to enter some settings, and that will lead to creation of the main configuration file. How to enter these minimum settings will be described next. | |||
=== Cumulus 1 === | |||
#If you start Cumulus 1, without a configuration file, then it will open at the [[Cumulus_Screenshots#Station|station settings screen]]. Follow the link to see what the screen looks like for old builds and newer builds. | |||
# At the very minimum, you must select a station type in the top left frame, and units in the middle of the screen. | |||
# Most other entries on the screen have defaults, but you might want to change some of these. Click the '''Help''' button at bottom right of the screen for guidance on what each choice means. | |||
# Optionally, move to other settings screens, accessed from the main screen using the [[Cumulus_Screenshots#Configuration_Menu_Screens|Configuration menu]]. Again click '''Help''' on each screen for more information. | |||
# Optionally create a [[Strings.ini]] file (look up the cross reference if you want to do this now, but you can leave it to later) where you can tailor a number of texts that Cumulus produces. | |||
# Back on the main screen, in the ''File'' menu click '''Exit'''. This is the action that creates the configuration file, the first part of the name is taken from the name of the executable, but the extension is '''.ini''' (instead of .exe). | |||
# Restart Cumulus 1, it will read the configuration file, and connect to your weather station. Note that on this run, it does not read any archive data, it just reads what the weather station holds from now on. See [[FAQ#I.E2.80.99ve_just_installed_Cumulus.2C_and_it_didn.E2.80.99t_download_all_the_old_data_from_my_weather_station|this FAQ]] for a way to change this behavoir. | |||
=== Cumulus MX === | |||
#If you start Cumulus MX without a configuration file, and you have a screen attached so you can see the output from the engine, it will show this: [[File:MX first start.PNG]] | |||
#As you can see, it is running, but it does not know what station type, so it cannot connect to it, and will not do anything more. | |||
#Open the user interface, and select the station settings if necessary: [[File:MX station settings.png]] | |||
#At the very minimum, you must select a station type and units (as shown in image above) | |||
#Optionally, move down the page, entering more settings, or move to other settings pages accessed from the menu seen in the image | |||
# Optionally create a [[Strings.ini]] file (look up the cross reference if you want to do this now, but you can leave it to later) where you can tailor a number of texts that Cumulus produces. | |||
# If you have a screen attached to the device running the MX engine, you can click in that screen and terminate Cumulus MX. Otherwise do whatever is needed to end the MX executable on your installation. This is the action that will create the main configuration file. | |||
#Restart Cumulus MX, it will read the configuration file, find the weather station, and start reading the weather data from it. On this first access to your weather station, it will not read any archive data, just the live data while MX remains running. | |||
== Swapping from Cumulus 1 to MX == | |||
If you swap from Cumulus 1 to MX, your Cumulus 1 configuration files can be read by MX provided the initial letter of the file name is a capital 'C' and the other letters are in lower case. Once it has been processed by MX, the ex Cumulus 1 main configuration file will gain a lot of new entries. | |||
== Minimum Content of "Cumulus.ini" == | |||
The minimum content of the main configuration file is an entry for every setting that can be defined in the software (whichever flavour you are using, there are more options in MX). | |||
== Configuration File names == | |||
=== Cumulus MX === | |||
Don't rename the CumulusMX.exe file name as it must use that mixture of upper and lower case. The main configuration file is always called ''Cumulus.ini'' (it must start with a capital 'C') and is located in the directory in which you installed CumulusMX.exe. All the characters used within the configuration file must be within ASCII range. | |||
Additional configuration files, also called Cumulus.ini, can be created by Cumulus 1 to store the position of the main screen and the NOAA parameter editing screen. As downloaded, the Cumulus 1 executable is called '''cumulus.exe''' and all in lowecase. If you renamed that executable file to say ''Cumulus1.exe'' it will still work, but the main configuration file then takes that name (i.e. ''Cumulus1.ini'') in the same folder lacking one section, although another configuration file will be created called ''Cumulus.ini'' in that folder, this second one will have the one missing section. The default name "cumulus.exe" results in only one '''cumulus.ini''' (all lower case) in that folder, containing all sections. | |||
'''For Cumulus MX''', both file-names must start with a capital letter, and a If you renamed your executable file, you may still find a "cumulus.ini" file created by Cumulus 1 containing a [[#Section:_MainForm|single section]] to record when Cumulus closes where you positioned your Cumulus main screen so next you start Cumulus 1 its main screen can start in same position. For example I have mine on a second screen, and it stays there! A second ''Cumulus.ini'' may be stored in the reports sub-directory, this only contains a [[#Section:_MainForm|single section]] and relates to the screen used for NOAA reports. | |||
It is a text file containing initialization parameters used by the Cumulus 1.x.x, or Cumulus MX, application; and is read '''only''' when Cumulus starts up. Cumulus (1 or 2 or MX) creates a new version of this file when it ''shuts down'', so you will see the file shows as 'modified date' the last time that Cumulus was shut down, the file that it creates includes the contents of the application's configuration screens and any parameters that were in the previous file that cannot be configured within Cumulus. Note this may change the order, or add lines, compared to any file that you manually edited. | It is a text file containing initialization parameters used by the Cumulus 1.x.x, or Cumulus MX, application; and is read '''only''' when Cumulus starts up. Cumulus (1 or 2 or MX) creates a new version of this file when it ''shuts down'', so you will see the file shows as 'modified date' the last time that Cumulus was shut down, the file that it creates includes the contents of the application's configuration screens and any parameters that were in the previous file that cannot be configured within Cumulus. Note this may change the order, or add lines, compared to any file that you manually edited. | ||