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[[Category:Ini Files]] | [[Category:Ini Files]] [[Category:Cumulus 1]] [[Category:Cumulus MX]] This Wiki page previously only covered Cumulus 1; it still covers the legacy software, but has been updated so it focuses on MX. | ||
= Introduction to tracking of Daily Extremes/Totals/Averages = | = Introduction to tracking of Daily Extremes/Totals/Averages = | ||
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Cumulus 1 has a [[Downloads#Resources|Help file]] that is part of the Cumulus 1 installation package; that provides a simple explanation for each file. | Cumulus 1 has a [[Downloads#Resources|Help file]] that is part of the Cumulus 1 installation package; that provides a simple explanation for each file. | ||
David Jamieson created this Wiki page on 27 August 2009, to cover "today.ini" and "yesterday.ini" files. His introductory text simply stated these files were for tracking extremes in the two days and new files were created at 9am or midnight rollover | David Jamieson created this Wiki page on 27 August 2009, to cover "today.ini" and "yesterday.ini" files. His introductory text simply stated these files were for tracking extremes in the two days and new files were created at 9am or midnight rollover. David also included a listing of a typical "today.ini" file. | ||
Since the initial creation of the Wiki, it has attempted to become reference documentation that answers questions that arise frequently in the support forum. This does mean its pages have become harder to read, and thus there is now an attempt to split "essential" facts that give a basic understanding (as in following subsections) from "technical" facts (later on this page with more complex instructions on how to cope with problems). | Since the initial creation of the Wiki, it has attempted to become reference documentation that answers questions that arise frequently in the support forum. This does mean its pages have become harder to read, and thus there is now an attempt to split "essential" facts that give a basic understanding (as in following subsections) from "technical" facts (later on this page with more complex instructions on how to cope with problems). | ||
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Apparently when version 1.3 was released (18 January 2005) it did not include "today.ini" nor "yesterday.ini". An attempt to track the history of the "today.ini" file appears [[Changes to this file at particular releases|below]]. Unfortunately, Steve Loft lost some of his notes, and the Cumulus 1 version history in his [[Downloads#Earlier_Versions|changes.txt]] is incomplete. So it is pure guesswork that version 1.4 resolved the problem of losing daily information on closing Cumulus by introducing a '''today.ini'' file to hold the daily extremes and total records. | Apparently when version 1.3 was released (18 January 2005) it did not include "today.ini" nor "yesterday.ini". An attempt to track the history of the "today.ini" file appears [[Changes to this file at particular releases|below]]. Unfortunately, Steve Loft lost some of his notes, and the Cumulus 1 version history in his [[Downloads#Earlier_Versions|changes.txt]] is incomplete. So it is pure guesswork that version 1.4 resolved the problem of losing daily information on closing Cumulus by introducing a '''today.ini'' file to hold the daily extremes and total records. | ||
Steve Loft did document that at rollover, the daily extreme/average records were "transferred" (there are some differences) from "today.ini" to [[yesterday.ini]] | Steve Loft did document that at rollover, the daily extreme/average records were "transferred" (there are some differences) from "today.ini" to [[yesterday.ini]]. That second file was not vital, but made it easier to display yesterday's extremes on the main screen of the legacy software. | ||
When you close Cumulus, it will write the final values for highs and lows and their timestamps to today.ini as part of the close down process. | The sub-section below covers end of day actions in more detail, subsequently explaining actions might happen twice a day! | ||
When you close Cumulus, it will write the final values for highs and lows and their timestamps to ''today.ini'' as part of the close down process. | |||
==End of day actions== | ==End of day actions== | ||
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Steve Loft never shared his souce code, so what follows is just a guess at how the update might work. The frequency at which data is read from a weather station varies depending on the type, but is at least every 30 seconds. | Steve Loft never shared his souce code, so what follows is just a guess at how the update might work. The frequency at which data is read from a weather station varies depending on the type, but is at least every 30 seconds. | ||
The indications are that Cumulus 1 has an internal one minute timer that triggers the logging of readings (after conversion to units selected) to an internally held | The indications are that Cumulus 1 has an internal one minute timer that triggers the logging of readings (after conversion to units selected) to an internally held [[Recent history|recent history database]] and the comparison of those readings against existing internally held extremes/totals. The file is updated immediently afterwards, each update only changes those lines (within sections) where the extreme/total/count/time has changed, and other lines retain the same content as before the update. | ||
Whilst you are strongly advised not to manually edit the file with Cumulus running, because access to the file cannot be shared, if you are able to complete the edit between one real-time interval and the next, any change you make is retained. | Whilst you are strongly advised not to manually edit the file with Cumulus running, because access to the file cannot be shared, if you are able to complete the edit between one real-time interval and the next, any change you make is retained. | ||
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<hr> | <hr> | ||
<br> | <br> | ||
=Non-essential more technical information= | =Non-essential more technical information= | ||
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During that catch-up of historic data, internally held daily extremes, and the "today.ini" file, will be updated with revised highs and lows as Cumulus processes the historic data from the station's memory; and if necessary Cumulus will do a roll-over (see [[#End of day actions]]) as it processes the readings for the relevant time. | During that catch-up of historic data, internally held daily extremes, and the "today.ini" file, will be updated with revised highs and lows as Cumulus processes the historic data from the station's memory; and if necessary Cumulus will do a roll-over (see [[#End of day actions]]) as it processes the readings for the relevant time. | ||
On restart Cumulus writes a backup of today.ini (and some of the other Cumulus files) into the [[Backup_folder|backup folder]] found below the folder with the cumulus.exe (or CumulusMX.exe). With Cumulus stopped, you can copy the today.ini file in either a restart backup, or a daily backup (see [[#Where are the files stored?]]), | On restart Cumulus writes a backup of today.ini (and some of the other Cumulus files) into the [[Backup_folder|backup folder]] found below the folder with the cumulus.exe (or CumulusMX.exe). With Cumulus stopped, you can copy the today.ini file in either a restart backup, or a daily backup (see [[#Where are the files stored?]]), also copying the other files in that backup folder into their original folders (mostly [[data_folder|data sub-folder]]) overwriting the files in those destinations. When you restart Cumulus, the tracking will begin again as if the time has been rewound back to the date those copied files were last updated. This rewinding works best if historic data can be read from your weather station. One example of when this might be useful is if you spot a rogue value very soon after it has been recorded, the rewinding often brings in correct data for the recent period. Another example is if your computer on rebooting initially shows the wrong time and so Cumulus records some data against that wrong time; a rewind can eliminate the wrongly timed records and replace them with records timed correctly. | ||
You are strongly advised not to stop/restart Cumulus close to either midnight or your rollover time. Steve Loft defines "close" in this context as within whatever time you have set as interval between logging of spot values (e.g. 10 or 30 minutes). The potential problems were significantly worse for earlier versions of Cumulus 1, but restart problems have been reduced in newer builds of C1. In general, MX is more tolerant over restart timings, but the way its code works you will encounter more problems with accuracy of output if MX is stopped for more than the few minutes needed for an upgrade (or computer reboot). | You are strongly advised not to stop/restart Cumulus close to either midnight or your rollover time. Steve Loft defines "close" in this context as within whatever time you have set as interval between logging of spot values (e.g. 10 or 30 minutes). The potential problems were significantly worse for earlier versions of Cumulus 1, but restart problems have been reduced in newer builds of C1. In general, MX is more tolerant over restart timings, but the way its code works you will encounter more problems with accuracy of output if MX is stopped for more than the few minutes needed for an upgrade (or computer reboot). | ||
== Editing rainfall in today.ini within Cumulus == | == Editing rainfall in today.ini within Cumulus == | ||
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If your weather station reports a rogue value, an incorrect update to a High, Low, or Total, may get stored in this file. At end of day, it will then be stored in [[dayfile.txt]]. Cumulus developer advice is that instead of manually editing "today.ini", you should wait until the day has been stored in "dayfile.txt" and then use the editor for that log file to make the desired changes. | If your weather station reports a rogue value, an incorrect update to a High, Low, or Total, may get stored in this file. At end of day, it will then be stored in [[dayfile.txt]]. Cumulus developer advice is that instead of manually editing "today.ini", you should wait until the day has been stored in "dayfile.txt" and then use the editor for that log file to make the desired changes. | ||
The rogue value may also affect extreme records held for this month, this year, monthly-all-time, and/or all-time. Cumulus does provide editing functionality for most (not all) entries in the files holding | The rogue value may also affect extreme records held for this month, this year, monthly-all-time, and/or all-time. Cumulus does provide editing functionality for most (not all) entries in the files holding those extreme records and you can read instructions on [[Correcting Extremes]] Wiki page. Here it is sufficient to say it is worth looking in the diagnostics, to see if you can spot when the problem occurred, because that helps you work out what may be affected: | ||
* [[File:Badge vMx.png]] [[MXdiags folder]] | * [[File:Badge vMx.png]] [[MXdiags folder]] | ||
* [[File:Badge v1.png]] [[Diags_folder]] | * [[File:Badge v1.png]] [[Diags_folder]] | ||
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=== Manual editing of "today.ini" === | === Manual editing of "today.ini" === | ||
The developer advice to wait until next day has a flaw | The developer advice to wait until next day has a flaw; every process that happens in the meantime sees wrong data, and that might include sending data to several external sites, and a number of extra custom processes you might have in your system. | ||
Therefore this Wiki page will now give some advice on how to manually edit the file: | Therefore this Wiki page will now give some advice on how to manually edit the file: | ||
# You must stop Cumulus (please see earlier in this page for details as reason depends on flavour you are running) | # You must stop Cumulus (please see earlier in this page for details as reason depends on flavour you are running) | ||
# | # Always take a back-up of existing file, or (if you decide it is easiest to create a new file rather than edit the existing one) rename it; your corrections may cause problems, so you must be able to revert | ||
# Any plain text file editor can be used (that includes coding editors like Geany, Notepad++, NoteTab, and many others) | # Any plain text file editor can be used (that includes coding editors like Geany, Notepad++, NoteTab, and many others) | ||
# Be careful to ensure any change maintains existing format (integer, decimal,time, date/time, text) paying attention to any punctuation (including decimal commas or decimal points, direction type of any slashes) | # Be careful to ensure any change maintains existing format (integer, decimal,time, date/time, text) paying attention to any punctuation (including decimal commas or decimal points, direction type of any slashes) | ||
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Other derivatives like "maximum hourly rain", "highest rainfall rate", or "highest 24 hour rainfall", all will have to be guessed or recalculated manually, there is no easy way to work these out as past values for the day are not logged anywhere. | Other derivatives like "maximum hourly rain", "highest rainfall rate", or "highest 24 hour rainfall", all will have to be guessed or recalculated manually, there is no easy way to work these out as past values for the day are not logged anywhere. | ||
==Cross-references for explanations of key parameters== | ==Cross-references for explanations of key parameters== | ||
