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Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 4:51 pm
by dane
Cumulus Realtime Gadget updated to Version 2.3IH (6. March 2011)
- accept https:

Update 2011-01-05:
Do not use the local realtime.txt version "for real": the gadget will run fine for a while, but will hang after an unpredictable lapse of time - no matter what I do in the code :(

Cumulus Realtime Gadget updated to Version 2.2IH (21. October 2010)
- accept new additional fields (up to 58) in realtime.txt
- display "not updating" in red if date/time in realtime.txt does not change over 10 intervals

Update 2010-07-16: (version not changed: still called version 2.1IH):
- modified code to handle local realtime.txt. New code uploaded.

Update 2010-07-12: Version 2.1IH:
new optional settings.ini parameter: usdate = "/" causing US-date format in output, with the specified separation char.

Update 2010-07-09 18:45: Code updated. Version no. not changed.
New: site name (the url/path minus the 'realtime.txt' bit) may be shown above the temperature (in color: lime)
Controlled by a new paramter in the settings.ini: sitename = 1. Default: anything else = no site name
(this was an old request (Janter?))
For info: the latest code has been running flawlessly against a local file for about 24 hours now....

Update 2010-07-08 23:00: Code and document updated.
Do not use the local realtime.txt version "for real": the gadget will run fine for a while, but will hang after an unpredictable lapse of time - no matter what I do in the code :(

Change in Version 2.0IH: (8. July 2010)
- modified the code to allow reading a realtime.txt file from your local system (without a web server)
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I have created a small document describing the gadget:
Cumulus Realtime Gadget.pdf

Cumulusih.gadget version 2.3IH for download:
cumulusih.zip
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Requires fairly recent Cumulus 1.8.9 (or later).

Download, change filetype from .zip to .gadget, and double-click to install.

The settings.ini file (and the changes.txt) is in:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets\cumulusih.gadget

Sample screen output below.
Day.JPG
Night.JPG

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 6:14 pm
by sjukmidlands
Hi, I've just tried out your modified gadget based on the original one, which I like others had problems with.

However, even with this one it doesn't seem to work. The gadget installs OK, and I altered the settings.ini file as you explained above.

My website is www.imagearchitect.co.uk and Cumulus is installed in a folder called weather, there is a realtime.txt file in that folder, and going direct to www.imagearchitect.co.uk/weather/realtime.txt opens the text data in a browser window, i.e. it is there and is ok.

Unfortunately the gadget sits there with a blank screen other than displaying the labels: Humidity, Rainfall, Wind speed, Direction, Pressure

I've double checked the address in the gadget settings and the .ini file and they do point to http://www.imagearchitect.co.uk/weather/realtime.txt

I have a PC running Windows 7 Home Premium.

Any advice or help would be appreciated!

Steve

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 6:50 pm
by akasonny
Does the same here (again like earlier versions)...no data populated and no icon on the top half. But nobody promised me icons either.

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 7:14 pm
by M1DUL
I am also having problems, I can not get it to install I have renamed the file name to cumulusih.gadget and when I double click on it it does nothing. I have tried to open it with Windows gadget and nothing happens as well.

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 9:35 pm
by dane
sorry about the problems you're having :!:
I am not familiar with javascript or http-request coding :?

I have done some debugging and found that the gadget returned a 'method not allowed' for the http://www.imagearchitect.co.uk/weather/realtime.txt (many thanks for providing the link for testing!).
A change to the code seemed to make it work - at least for this URL.

If you still want to try, the changed version 1.5IH can be downloaded from the first, updated post.

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 10:06 pm
by sjukmidlands
Brilliant! It works!

Thanks for sorting that, and it all works fine now. Just installed it on my mothers laptop too.

Between you both, you've developed a brillant Windows Gadget!

Steve J

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 11:08 pm
by dane
Steven and Michael:
this is what the gadget shows for your realtime.txt:
cactus.JPG
M1DUL.JPG

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 11:21 pm
by akasonny
Notice there's no F to C conversion ? Both my temps are in F or is that the Low/High for the day?
dane wrote:Steven and Michael:
this is what the gadget shows for your realtime.txt:
cactus.JPG
M1DUL.JPG

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 11:31 pm
by sjukmidlands
Hi again,

Thanks for that!

Yes mine is working perfectly now, and so was the one installed on my mothers laptop when she tried it earlier.

It is interesting to see how it shows different data on your screenshot to mine - yours shows hPa for pressure whilst mine shows mb, as on my weather station and Cumulus and the website page. Out of interest, how does it know to, or is able to show data in different ways on the gadget? I am interested to understand how it can do that.

See attached image.

So I am VERY pleased with this gadget! Thanks!

Steve
gadget_screenshot.jpg

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 11:34 pm
by dane
how does it know to, or is able to show data in different ways on the gadget?
Because the realtime.txt contains information about your settings for wind, pressure, temperature, and humidity.

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 11:43 pm
by dane
Notice there's no F to C conversion ? Both my temps are in F or is that the Low/High for the day?
The 2 temperatures are the current temperature and wind chill. (Sorry: may not be too relevant to you...)
They are both F because that's what they are in the realtime.txt. No conversion done.

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 11:46 pm
by sjukmidlands
Yes, I realise that, but your screenshot of the gadget pulling my information from my webserver to your gadget displayed it differently, i.e. hPa rather than mb as I have it set in Cumulus and on my weather station - and presumably as it uploads it in the realtime.txt file? So I was just curious to know how it therefore shows it as an hPa value in your gadget? Do you see what I'm getting at? Just curious to understand it!

Steve

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Sun 10 Jan 2010 11:53 pm
by dane
:?:
I didn't append a screenshot of the gadget showing your realtime.txt, did I :?:
But I can:
Steve.JPG

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Mon 11 Jan 2010 12:00 am
by sjukmidlands
dane wrote:Steven and Michael:
this is what the gadget shows for your realtime.txt:
cactus.JPG
M1DUL.JPG

Sorry! Am a bit confused then about your earlier post on the previous page where you showed a screenshot of the gadget with the text, as quoted above.

Steve

Re: Cumulus Realtime Gadget

Posted: Mon 11 Jan 2010 12:06 am
by dane
Sorry! Am a bit confused then about your earlier post on the previous page where you showed a screenshot of the gadget with the text, as quoted above.
Ah - that was Steven aka akasonny, Cactus Junction, not Steve!