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FreeWX Revisions
FreeWX-Wi Revisions

FreeWX Revision History

 

Version 2.04 released on 5th June 2005

  • Added Javascript graphs.
  • Added trends and rates of change.
  • Implemented rain in 0.5mm increments (requires a hardware modification).
  • Added menu item to allow editing templates from within FreeWX.
  • Added menu item to backup all program folder files.
  • Added wind run in additional window.
  • Allowed configuration of email 'from' description via .ini file.
  • Added Weather Notes and editing with display linked to the almanac search.
  • Auto reset time now tied to 9.00am/midnight and first or last day almanac rollover.
  • Added simple language pack support.
  • Added the ability for client to re-sync with server from the menu.
  • Added wind direction offset of + or - 20 degrees via .ini file.
  • Main log is now rolled over and archived at the same time as the almanac.
  • Serial port is now reset after an FTP error.
  • Added code to sync Wunderground/APRS and FTP uploads if interval is the same.
  • Added right click to toggle Beaufort/normal wind speed display in text boxes.
  • Added InterProcess control and code to allow third-party programs (VB) to obtain near real-time data from FreeWX.
  • Icons for moon phase & forecast can now be uploaded via web tags.
  • Icons for wind direction can now be uploaded via web tags.
  • Numerous small fixes and code optimizations made.

 

Version 2.03 Build Date 29th March 2004 (290304) the following were added/changed

  • Corrected several minor bugs identified since the initial release of version 2.03.
  • Improved FTP and serial data code and error handling.

Version 2.03 released on 6th March 2004

  • All times and dates in FreeWX are now taken from the computer and not from the weather station.
  • FreeWX will now store all the "Since Reset" values in the program itself instead of relying on values stored in the weather station memories. Users can edit the values stored by FreeWX from within FreeWX.
  • Added a facility to auto reset all records at 00:00 on 01 January.
  • Added support for rain in last 24 hours in UI-View and APRS beacons.
  • Added experimental support for LOGIN type email authentication.
  • Email subject line is now user configurable.
  • FreeWX will close correctly if Windows is shutting down.
  • Added moon rise, set and phase data as well as web tags to support these.
  • Added a facility to search the main log and the almanac by date/time.
  • Serial communications code updated.
  • LAN client/server code re-written.
  • FTP code and error handling re-written.
  • Numerous additional web tags have been provided.
  • The minimum APRS upload interval has been restored to 5 minutes instead of 10 minutes.
  • The average wind speed and average wind direction are now calculated by FreeWX and are based on a true average over the past 10 minutes.
  • The "Maximum wind speed in last hour" has been replaced throughout the program with "Maximum wind speed in the last 10 minutes". Note that the associated web tags have been changed ... ~~WEBWINDGLH~~ has become ~~WEBWINDGLT~~ etc.
  • To avoid possible confusion the description "peak rainfall rate" has been changed to "Rainfall Rate" throughout the program. The "Using FreeWX" section of this help file explains the rainfall rate and the rainfall graph.
  • The option to minimize FreeWX to the system tray or the task bar has been removed. FreeWX will now ONLY minimize to the system tray..

Version 2.02 Build Date 25th October 2003 (251003) the following were added/changed

  • Corrected a bug where alarm for dew point  = temperature would trigger incorrectly.
  • Corrected a bug which prevented the freewxUI.txt file from always being written.
  • Added ~~WEBLATITUD~~ and ~~WEBLONGITD~~ web tags for station latitude and longitude.

Version 2.02 released on 4th October 2003

  • Email messages are now generated from templates and can use existing web tags.
  • Conversion "pop-up" windows are provided for most current weather conditions, activated by holding the mouse cursor over the appropriate text box.
  • Added more than 50 new web tags supporting data in different units.
  • Changed the FTP timeout timer so that for frequent upload intervals (less than 5 minutes) the timer is about 80% of the upload interval. The total upload time for a complete FTP session is still limited to 5 minutes.
  • All menu items on the main FreeWX window are disabled during a FTP session to prevent data or settings being changed during upload. 
  • Cosmetic changes to the various menu displays.
  • Minor bugs and issues identified since version 2.01 have been fixed.
  • Many sections of the program re-written to facilitate possible support for other weather stations in the future.

Version 2.01 Released 20th July 2003

  • Added a menu item to minimize FreeWX after startup and a menu item to control whether FreeWX minimizes to the system tray or the task bar.
  • Added a secondary auto-fallback APRS server facility. Secondary server and port settings are stored in the freewx.ini file.
  • Restored the minimum upload interval for Weather Undergound and Weatherforyou/Hamweather to 5 minutes. The minimum upload interval for CWOP/APRSWXNET remains at 10 minutes. If an upload interval of 5 minutes is selected, the CWOP/APRSWXNET upload will take place every other upload.
  • Added a "once only" FTP upload facility to support third-party programs. See the help file (FTP settings section) for details.
  • Fixed a bug where holding the mouse cursor over the rainfall graph shows the values from the last graph displayed instead of rainfall.
  • Fixed a bug where location data is not transferred to a FreeWX LAN client until the FreeWX server has been stopped and started at least once.
  • Fixed a bug where time zones that had an offset from UTC that was not a whole number of hours would have the offset rounded to a whole number of hours causing errors in sunrise/sunset times.
  • Fixed a bug where using "force upload" for Weather Underground, Weatherforyou/APRSWXNET/CWOP would incorrectly indicate that not all fields were complete even if the particular feature was disabled.
  • Modified LAN client/server synchronization code and program exit code for better performance and stability. 

Version 2.00 Released 6th July 2003

  • Uploads directly to APRSWXNET/CWOP on the aprswest.net server.
  • Now supports up to 100 auto-uploading web page templates and 100 non-uploading templates.
  • Added numerous new web tags including a second webcomment tag and a tag that gets its data from a text file.
  • Added a 1 hour offset .... changeover at 10.00am instead of 9.00am. (for UK users).
  • Added a user configurable cyclic display to the large text screen.
  • Added sunrise and sunset calculation plus new web tags to suit.
  • Wind gust graph changed from lines to points.
  • Added a new wind gust in last hour gauge.
  • Rainfall rate graph now uses a scheme similar to Weather Underground.
  • Added rainfall in last hour to display and UI-View data.
  • Added the facility to upload additional files (user selectable) when FTP uploading takes place.
  • User can select to upload additional files at every "N" normal uploads.
  • Generates a text file (not auto-uploaded) from a text file that contains any web tags.
  • Will run a batch file (freewxco.bat) at changeover time if it exists.
  • WU/HamWX/CWOP upload minimum interval changed to 10 minutes.
  • Numerous code improvements with many sections being completely re-written for improved performance and stability.

Version 1.12 Build Date 12th April 2003 (120403) the following were added/changed

  • A menu item to reset the graphs was added (at the request of some users).
  • Changes made to the error trapping and handling in the FTP routines to improve FTP reliability.

Version 1.12 Build Date 16th March 2003 (160303) the following were added/changed

  • Selecting the "Supress ONLY Cold Climate humidity sensor pop-up messages" option now also prevents program log entries from being continuously written.
  • Fixed a bug where negative dew point values would be uploaded to Weather Underground/Weatherforyou as a positive value.

Version 1.12 Build Date 3rd March 2003 (030303) the following were added/changed

  • An option has been provided to allow rolling over and archiving the almanac on either the first day of the month or the last day of the month to suit varying standards in different countries. This only affects those users who have selected a 9.00am to 9.00am daily record and does not affect those using midnight to midnight.
  • Fixed a bug in the "FTP only when sending email" routine which could cause the program to hang.
  • Fixed a number of minor bugs in various areas.

Version 1.12 Released on 15th February 2003

  • A new installer has been used in this version. This provides a much safer and more configurable installation. The new installer also adds a program group entry, a desktop shortcut icon and an uninstaller.
  • Abandoned saving program settings in the Windows registry in favour of an .INI file.
  • Changed the wind indicator so that plot point colours now indicate the wind speed over the past hour.
  • Added an alarm for "Rain amount since changeover more than ....".
  • Changed startup and serial communications code for greater reliability.
  • Modified FTP code for greater reliability.

Version 1.11 Build Date 26th January 2003 the following were added/changed

  • Added indoor temperature and humidity to main log.
  • Added units of measurement to the graph captions.
  • Added a "Log Responses" check box in FTP setup to enable logging of all host responses from the remote FTP server for troubleshooting purposes. The log appears in the FreeWX folder and is called FreeWXFTPLOG.txt.
  • Added code to detect if another application had a FreeWX file open and had locked it. FreeWX will now wait until the other application releases the file. This was a possible problem with UI-View and the freewxUI.txt file.
  • The FreeData.txt, FreeData.csv and freewxUI.txt files are now also written to the local save folder.
  • The "Supress sensor error pop-up messages" menu item has been changed to "Suppress ALL sensor pop-up messages" and the setting status is now saved instead of being on a per-session basis only.
  • A new menu item, "Suppress ONLY "Cold Climate" humidity sensor pop-up messages" has been added to cater for users who live in cold climates and experience frequent humidity sensor errors due to very low outside temperatures. This item will suppress such messages but still allow regular sensor error pop-up messages to appear.
  • Weather Underground and Weatherforyou/Hamweather will now continue to upload if there is a sensor error, but without the affected data.
  • Changed the GenUIview routine so that if any sensor has a fault it will put nulls into the freewxUI file value and continue instead of just exiting the routine without writing the file.
  • Alarm emails now include a line showing the reason the alarm was triggered.
  • Changed the FTP code to provide more reliable error reporting and handling.
  • Changed the code which checked for the existence of files to a simpler and more reliable function.
  • Changed the code so that both the complete almanac and complete log file are written to the local save destination at changeover and updates to both files are written at the FTP upload interval. Previously, only updates to both files were written to the local save destination at the FTP upload interval.
  • Added improved error trapping and handling in the COM port setup code. Users should now be forced back to the COM port setup window if an inappropriate selection is made.
  • Fixed a bug in the freewxUI.txt file where an extra minus sign would appear in the file if the temperature was below 0 °F (-17.8 °C).
  • Fixed a bug where the temperature data in the freewxUI.txt file would be missing if the temperature exceeded 100 °F (37.8 °C).
  • Fixed a bug where if average wind direction was exactly 0 degrees the direction in the web tag would show (W) instead of (N).
  • Fixed a bug where FTP upload would stop working after some local save errors until the program was restarted.
  • Fixed a bug where the almanac rolled over for December would have the wrong year in the filename. For example the December 2002 almanac would be rolled over and saved as alDecember03.csv instead of alDecember02.csv
  • Fixed a bug where the FTP upload when sending email function would not work unless local save was also enabled.
  • Fixed a bug where dew point in both the monthly summary and the summary HTML page would have a leading "+" sign whether the value was positive or negative.
  • Fixed a bug where FreeWX running as a client on a LAN would not correctly pick up the settings from the FreeWX server.
  • Corrected some issues involving generating monthly reports for non-English Windows users whose regional settings use a comma instead of the point as the decimal delimiter.
  • Updated the help file including a new section on action to be taken at times such as start or end of daylight saving, end of year and February 28th in a leap year.
  • Updated the help to include details about installing/running FreeWX under Windows NT, 2000 or XP with multiple users/accounts on the target computer.

Version 1.11 Build Date 23rd December 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Fixed a bug where "Force FTP" upload would not work unless either "Enable timed FTP ...." or "Save files locally ...." was ticked.
  • Fixed a bug which inadvertently introduced a requirement to have the VB5 runtimes installed. This was due to the inclusion of a third-party component which had been compiled under VB5. The component has been removed and replaced with API code. Most users will not have experienced any problems as the vast majority of computers will have the VB5 runtime files installed.
  • Fixed a bug which produced an "Error 13" message on program start when FreeWX was run with certain non-English Windows regional settings. This bug only affected those counties using the comma as the decimal delimiter character.
  • Modified the code so that if a shortcut icon to FreeWX was configured to start the program minimized, it would correctly start the main FreeWX window minimized and not just the splash screen.
  • Added a "storm" icon and value which is shown if the forecast is "Rain", the barometer is falling and the dew point is greater than 16 degrees Celsius. (This was actually in build 151202 but I forgot to metion it).
  • Added a "snow/sleet" icon and value which is shown if the forecast in "Rain" and the outside temperature is less than 1 degree Celsius. (This was actually in build 151202 but I forgot to metion it).

Version 1.11 released on 15th December 2002

  • Replaced all the FTP code with new code allowing full asynchronous FTP operation.
  • Program settings are now saved to the Windows registry instead of using configuration files. This makes version upgrading a much easier process.
  • Added an option to allow local saving to a user-defined folder of the log file, almanac, and all files normally sent by FTP.
  • Added a large font, high contrast, text-only display to enable viewing important conditions from a distance.
  • Provided the option to use the "new" wind chill formula or the value directly from the weather station.
  • Uploads to Weather Underground / Weatherforyou now report 100% humidity if the humidity recorded by the weather station reaches 97% and an over-range condition exists.
  • Removed the decimal point value present in the barometric pressure data from the weather station. This is known to cause problems in the UI-View text file with some models of the weather station which erroneously produce a non-zero value after the decimal place.

Version 1.10 Build Date 7th September 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Fixed a bug in the rollover and archiving of the almanac when midnight/midnight was selected.
  • Changed the HTML monthly summary from a user editable header to full template and tags scheme.
  • Changes made to the configuration files to facilitate auto-updating of configuration files in future releases.

Version 1.10 released on 1st September 2002

  • Added support for Weatherforyou. http://www.hamweather.net/weatherstations/
  • Added support for WAP capable phones/devices with an automatically uploaded, user editable .WML format file.
  • Weather Underground/Weatherforyou can now have up to 60 minutes between uploads.
  • Added buttons to "force" FTP upload/email to assist in setting up and testing.
  • FreeWX now calculates, displays and uploads Days Since Rain and Last Rain.
  • Added two new web tags to support Days Since Rain and Last Rain.
  • The monthly report is now auto-generated at changeover and an HTML version is generated and uploaded if FTP is enabled.
  • Added a menu item to prune the program log to the last ten entries.
  • The almanac file is now transferred to client machines on a LAN and clients can view the almanac and generate reports.
  • Added an automatically uploaded (if FTP enabled) "raw" data file to allow web client software to view weather data. (A compatible web client is available for download from the FreeWX home page as well as mirror sites).
  • The help file has been completely re-written.

Version 1.09 Build Date 6th July 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Fixed a bug in the Bcc (Blind Carbon Copy) function in email sending.
  • Added an automatically generated comma delimited (.CSV) file which can be used by other software (notably home automation) to obtain weather data.
  • Removed extraneous leading zeros in some on-screen, web page and log values.

Version 1.09 released on 23rd June 2002

  • Added a wind direction graph.
  • Modified the FTP code for improved reliability.
  • Added modified code for the detection of Internet connections to overcome possible difficulties with permanent connections such as ADSL.
  • Fixed several minor (and very obscure) bugs.

Version 1.08 Build Date 25th April 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Fixed a minor bug with the "monthly report" if no valid heat index readings existed in the almanac file.
  • Added a small glossary of meteorological terms to the help file.

Version 1.08 Build Date 15th April 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Fixed a bug where Error 6 messages would appear after the program had been running for between 11 and 22 hours.
  • Improved the formatting of the "SMS" header attached to the start of all email messages.
  • Changed the password encryption algorithm.
  • Fixed a bug in the Weather Underground rainfall upload data which could result in the reported rainfall being significantly overestimated.
  • Changed the client/server file transfer code.
  • Added improved error handling code to several routines.

Version 1.08 Build Date 9th April 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Modified the code to improve "internationalisation".
  • Passwords are now encrypted before being written to configuration files on disk.
  • Re-wrote much of the serial communications routine to make it more robust.
  • Added an "SMS" header of abbreviated data to the beginning of all email messages
  • FreeWX now also uploads VidCap.png as well as VidCap.jpg if found in the installation folder.
  • Corrected the rainfall upload format for Weather Underground.
  • Corrected several minor bugs in various parts of the program.

Version 1.08 Build Date 1st April 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Fixed a bug in the "monthly reports" when midnight/midnight operation was selected.
  • Minor changes to the help file.

Version 1.08 released on 31st March 2002

  • Added support for Weather Underground personal weather station project. (http://www.wunderground.com/weatherstation/index.asp)
  • Added ~~WEBUTCTIME~~ and ~~WEBUTCDATE~~ web tags to provide UTC time and date.
  • Fixed some minor bugs with temperature/dew point displays.
  • Improved the "monthly report" code.
  • Removed the "no graph redraw when main window minimised" code ... it was a pain!

Version 1.07 released on 17th March 2002

  • Added the ability to generate a monthly report from almanac files.
  • Added the ability to turn the graph display on or off (mainly for users with slower computers).
  • Added the ability to upload two individual web pages from two separate template files.
  • Added the compass direction to the wind gust and wind average direction web tags.
  • Added cc (carbon copy) and Bcc (Blind carbon copy) recipients in email.
  • Fixed a bug with the column headers in the almanac files.
  • Fixed a bug with some readings in the "additional" window when Farenheit units were selected and temperatures were near or below freezing.

Version 1.06 Build Date 22 February 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Fixed a bug with Farenheit display of dew point, wet bulb temperaure and wet bulb depression and fixed a potential problem with alarms when the program was running as a client on a LAN.

Version 1.06 Build Date 16 February 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Fixed a bug with the display of dew point, heat index and wind chill when Farenheit units were selected.

Version 1.06 Build Date 9th February 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Added a new window which displays max/min indoor temps, max/min dewpoint, minimum wind chill and maximum heat index for both the current day and the previous 24 hours. These are also included in the almanac file and email messages. The new window also displays current wet bulb temperature,
  • wet bulb depression and base height of convective cloud.
  • Added 15 new web tags for the above new items. (Details are in this help file under Web Page "TAGS")
  • Fixed a bug with file validity checking when FreeWX was closed down for an extended period and started up again after the expected changeover time.
  • Fixed a minor bug where a FreeWX client would default to 9.00am - 9.00am operation regardless of what the server was set to.
  • Added the FTP port as an entry in the main configuration file so that it can be altered by editing the file. (Intended for advanced users with special requirements only).
  • Fixed a bug where the archived main log file would be incorrectly named if FreeWX wasn't running over midnight on the last day of the month.

Version 1.06 Build Date 28th January 2002 the following were added/changed

  • Added the ability to choose active or passive (default) FTP transfer mode.
  • Modified the code so that the email component is not initialised if FreeWX is running as a client.

Version 1.06 released on 26th January 2002

  • Added the ability to toggle the graphing of indoor values on or off.
  • Wrote new FTP code to avoid using a third-party OCX for FTP functions.
  • Added Wind Gust Speed and Gust Direction to the main log.
  • Added the forecast to the web "Tags". Returns "Fine", "Partly Cloudy", "Cloudy" or "Rain".
  • Added the ~~WEBCOMMENT~~ user editable web tag.
  • Added the ability to suppress email success and FTP success pop-up messages.
  • Modified the code to make it more tolerant of being off over "changeover" time as well as correctly re-loading any valid "extremes" data when the program was restarted after being off overnight.

Version 1.05a Build Date of 12th January 2002 the following were added

  • Added a menu item (under Settings) to allow sensor error messages to be supressed on a per-session basis.
  • Added new web "Tags". See the Tags section of this help file for details.

Version 1.05a Build Date of 4th January 2002 the following were also fixed

  • Fixed a problem in the "Yesterday" extremes file when running under some non-English Windows versions.
  • Modified error handling to prevent users making repeated retries from an error condition.
  • Fixed a rounding problem with rainfall in the UI-View file (a UI-View/APRS format issue, not mine!).
  • Modified code to prevent writing of extremes data and graph data on program exit if an error condition existed. This avoids possible corruption of the graph and data files.

Version 1.05a released on 17th December 2001

  • Added the ability to send an email on alarm conditions.
  • Added the ability to select whether FTP and email success events are logged.
  • Fixed a bug where Wind Chill temperatures below freezing were incorrectly displayed when Farenheit units were selected.
  • Fixed a bug with multiple email recipients.
  • Client machines now receive and use the weather units selected on the server.
  • Allowed FTP uploads down to 1 minute intervals instead of 2 minutes.
  • Modified the format and content of the freewxUI.txt file. (The UI-View file).
  • Modified the program to improve running under some non-English versions of Windows.

Version 1.05 15th November 2001

  • Barometer graph replaced with selectable graphs for a variety of functions.
  • Wind indicator changed to a new style which includes a history plot.
  • Network functions changed to full client-server using TCP/IP.
  • Many sections of code re-written for improved efficiency and stability.

Version 1.04a 9th July 2001

  • Version 1.04a is a bug fix release. Some minor bugs with temperature displays were fixed.
  • Added a trend indicator for indoor and outdoor temperatures and humidities.
  • Changed the barometer graph from 12 to 24 hours.
  • Program now retains the barometer chart values for up to 15 minutes if the program is stopped and re-started.

Version 1.04 3rd May 2001

  • Re-wrote the section of code that deals with handling sensor errors. FreeWX will now continue to log and display data using the still functioning sensors instead of halting all processing until the error condition was cleared. To reduce sensitivity to transient errors, the program also now needs two consecutive data packets with a sensor error before an error message will be generated.
  • Added titles and column headers to the log files to facilitate using them in spreadsheet applications.
  • Added automatic monthly archiving and rollover of both the main log and almanac log files.
  • Fixed a bug in FTP upload error handling where FreeWX could lock up under certain circumstances if the remote server couldn't be connected to.
  • Calculate the Dew Point temperature rather than use the value from the weather station. This extends the range down to -11° C (12° F).
  • FreeWX now assumes (and displays) 100% relative humidity if the reading reaches 97% and an over range condition occurrs. (Applies to outside humidity sensor only).
  • Re-wrote a section of code which tested the validity of the freewTDay.log and freewYDay.log files.
  • Removed seconds from the times in both display and log to avoid clutter.
  • Added direction of maximum daily wind gust to the extreme conditions wind speed display box and log entry.
  • Cosmetic changes to main window to improve readability.
  • Fixed a minor bug where a remote computer would fail to correctly recover from a sensor error in early release of version 1.03 (Corrected in later builds of version 1.03).
  • Included the freewx.wav file in the distribution. The file managed to get left out of the installation executable in earlier versions.
  • Updated the help file.

Version 1.03 11th April 2001

  • Added Web page (HTML) page generation.
  • Added FTP upload capability.
  • Added email sending facility.
  • Added 'UI-View' file generation (for ham radio use).
  • Added "Low Battery" indicator.
  • Added program log file and log viewing to main menu.
  • General clean up of main code.
  • Several minor cosmetic changes to forms.
  • Updated the help file.

Version 1.02 15th March 2001

  • Fixed 'Error code 53' which occurred when trying to change from 9.00am to midnight changeover before the program had actually gone through a changeover.
  • Changed some code related to gathering daily temperature extremes when Farenheit units were selected.
  • Cosmetic changes to the display for 'temperature falls below dewpoint' alarm condition.
  • Really fixed the heat index calculation problem. Heat index is meaningless below about 25°C (about 78°F) and the formula used in FreeWX didn't calculate correctly at much below that temperature so the program no longer attempts calculation below 20°C and instead puts 'n.a.' in the display.

Version 1.01 13th March 2001

  • Fixed bug with incorrect minus character in temperature displays when Farenheit units were selected and temperatures were below freezing but above 0°F.
  • Fixed faulty heat index calculation with low temperature ranges.
  • Minor updates to help file.

Version 1.0 11th March 2001

  • First Public Release.


 

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