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Setup: Difference between revisions
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The Setup process for Cumulus is briefly mentioned in the 'readme.txt', and
In addition to the help, there is a handy installation guide [http://sandaysoft.com/download/Cumulus%20basic%20installation%20guide.pdf here ]▼
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=== Dates ===▼
Cumulus does require your computer SYSTEM short date to use a format with a separator between day, month and year in whatever format suits your region e.g. dd/MMM/yy, dd-MM-yy, MM/dd/yy and dd-MMM-yy are acceptable, but ddMMMyy is not suitable as a short date format with Cumulus. Any change to your short date format later is likely to give problems.▼
== Configuration: Settings ==
=== When Cumulus is first installed ===
Configuration settings information for your particular Cumulus version/build is in the Cumulus Help. Most of these settings are fully explained in the help for each screen in the configuration menu. But there are two panels on the 'Station' screen that frequently lead to questions in the support forum - location and units - explained further below.▼
The Setup process for Cumulus is covered in detail in the help files that are installed with Cumulus. Once Cumulus is installed: Click Start, Programs, Cumulus and select the Help. Expand the Introduction section and begin reading at "Getting Started" until you have got everything working.
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=== Location panel ===
Pay attention to the box labels, enter ''unsigned integers'' for degrees, minutes and seconds, then add either N or S for Latitude and either E or W for longitude.
By far '''the biggest decision you will make''', and be held to, is the various units of measure. ''Select these very carefully when you are setting up.''
Remember ''if you try to change your old data later'' it probably has already been rounded and applying a single conversion factor would cause inaccuracy. For instance in rainfall you can't get back exactly to millimetres to 1 decimal place from inches to 2 dp. For example, 0.01 inches is 0.254 millimetres, which rounds to 0.3 mm, but 0.02 inches is 0.508 mm, which rounds to 0.5 mm rather than 0.6.
To minimise rounding error, you need to convert the old data first into whatever precision [[:Category:StationSpecific| your weather station]] works in (e.g. Fine Offset rainfall bucket is 0.3mm, its pressure measurement is in dPa (integer decaPascal), wind speed in tenths of metres/second and temperature in tenths of degrees Celsius), this may be different to how you have set its console display, and then convert into whatever future units you select for Cumulus before rounding. So devising suitable conversion tactics and applying to all old data could require hours of work. See discussions in support forum e.g. [http://sandaysoft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=10216&start=0 this Fine Offset rainfall thread], [http://sandaysoft.com/forum/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.
▲=== Dates ===
▲Cumulus does require your computer SYSTEM short date to use a format with a separator between day, month and year in whatever format suits your region e.g. dd/MMM/yy, dd-MM-yy, MM/dd/yy and dd-MMM-yy are acceptable, but ddMMMyy is not suitable as a short date format with Cumulus. Any change to your short date format later is likely to give problems.
=== Further changes to settings ===
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 will appear in [[Cumulus.ini_(Beta)]].
There are [[:Category:Cumulus Files|several configuration files]] and the others are for more sophisticated options such as how Cumulus communicates with particular external reporting systems.
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