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Cumulus.ini (preserving history): Difference between revisions
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=History of this page=
If you look at the history tab of this page, user '''Shamrockspider''' created this page at 12:55 on 27 August 2009 for the purpose of '''Documenting the cumulus.ini file content and its function.'''
This page was created for the legacy Cumulus 1 software (e.g. 1.9.4). When a beta version of Cumulus 1 was available, any parameters specific to that beta appeared in [[Cumulus.ini_(Beta)]]. That beta page was then briefly used for Cumulus 2. Finally, that beta page was used for Cumulus 3 (the MX beta). ▼
That is still the purpose of this page today, but the content of the file has changed dramatically, so this page had had to evolve too.
This was the position when Steve Loft ceased his involement with Cumulus. This page related to Cumulus 1 and the beta page was for MX.▼
==Steve Loft Era==
When Mark Crossley brought MX out of beta, MX was basically using a sub-set of the legacy parameters – so it was possible for this single page to cover both Cumulus 1 and MX.▼
This page was created for the legacy Cumulus 1 software (up to 1.9.4).
The rapid development of MX by the new developer, made MX start to diverge from Cumulus 1, and this page had to be redesigned to cope, by introducing sub-sections (Cumulus 1 only, MX only, and both).▼
▲
However, MX then started to diverge from earlier MX releases. It was impossible for this page to show information for the legacy software, for early MX releases, and for later MX releases. As MX diverged again, it was time to start splitting this page.▼
In beta MX:
The content relating to the legacy software (e.g. 19.4) has been moved to [[Cumulus.ini_(Cumulus_1)|this page]].▼
*Some of the parameters for Cumulus 1 were not used by MX
*Some of the parameters for Cumulus 1 were used by MX
*MX had only added 3 new parameters
The content relating to releases 3.0.0 to 3.7.x has been moved to [[Cumulus.ini(MX_3.0.0_to_3.9.7)|this page]] where it is hoped someone will document the various changes from 3.8.0 to 3.9.7, as currently they are not documented anywhere.▼
▲This was the position when Steve Loft ceased his
==Mark Crossley era==
To conclude, in the past the content on this page was arranged assuming people were editing the file directly.▼
When Mark Crossley brought MX out of beta, he started adding new features to MX:
(In earlier releases, "read-only" settings were made directly in the "Cumulus.ini" file, while "read-write" settings were made either in the file or via the interface. You will see in the two pages split off from this page, how the parameters had to identify themselves as read-only or read-write).▼
* Some used parameters that had been used for the legacy software
* For others he created new parameters
▲
▲The rapid development of MX by the new developer, made MX configuration start to increasingly diverge more and more from
From release 3.10.1, much of the information that was produced for earlier MX releases became invalid. MX 3.10.1 has added a lot of new settings, and it has made others redundant.▼
That design for this page started failing when new MX releases started to diverge from earlier MX releases. In other words, parameters that had existed at an early MX release, were no longer used by later releases. It was possible, but increasingly more and more difficult, to track new parameters to add that were added at particular releases, so the documentation got more and more obsolete.
Consequently, this page was emptied again, and made ready for new content to reflect how MX works from 3.10.1 onwards. PLEASE HELP TO POPULATE THIS PAGE WITH ALL THE RELEVANT CONTENT.▼
▲
==How this page was split==
▲*The content relating to the legacy software (e.g. 19.4) has been moved to [[Cumulus.ini_(Cumulus_1)|this page]].
▲*The content relating to releases 3.0.0 to 3.7.x has been moved to [[Cumulus.ini(MX_3.0.0_to_3.9.7)|this page]]
**Please note, the various changes from 3.8.0 to 3.9.7, are not documented anywhere, but should be documented on that page, if anyone can be bothered!
▲*From release 3.10.1, much of the information that was produced for earlier MX releases became invalid. MX 3.10.1 has added a lot of new settings, and it has made others redundant.
▲**Consequently, this page was emptied again, and made ready for new content to reflect how MX works from 3.10.1 onwards.
**This page is now only for release 3.10.1 onwards
==How this page was laid out and why==
▲
Therefore, the file was described by working through the sections on the file, and explaining the parameters that could go in each section. For the longer sections, parameters might be split into separate tables to make it easier.
Before release 3.10.1, there were two types of parameters in Cumulus.ini.
#"read-only" settings were made directly in the "Cumulus.ini" file, there was no way to adjust these parameters using the settings screens/pages
#"read-write" settings could be changed in two ways, either by editing the file with Cumulus stopped, or by finding the parameter on a setting screen (for MX, these are in admin interface).
▲(
==How does MX work now, and why has this page been given a new structure?==
#One big change in 3.10.1 is that all settings are now made via the [[MX Administrative Interface|Admin interface]].
#*Therefore it makes no sense
#*This page is now organised by how you change settings in the admin interface (i.e. similar to how settings have been explained in [[MX_Administrative_Interface#Changing_Settings]]).
#Another change is that some of the settings that used to be made on the “Station Settings” page, are now made on different pages in that interface.
'''Cumulus.ini''' is a text file containing initialization parameters used by the Cumulus MX software application.
The file is a simple text file. It is divided into sections with section names in square brackets (e.g. [Station]). These sections can appear in any order, by default new sections are appended after all previous sections.▼
Within each section, there are parameters. Each parameter is in format '''Attribute=Value''', and appears on a line to itself. ▼
The parameters, within a section, can be in any order, by default new parameters are appended at end of the relevant section.▼
If MX finds a parameter it does not understand, it ignores that parameter. This means a Cumulus.ini file created by the legacy software, or by an old release of MX, can still be read by the current release of MX, it just ignores all the obsolete parameters.
==
When Cumulus MX is run for very first time, the file does not exist, as it is not included in the release distribution.
So when you first use the software, you will need to enter all settings (some have defaults that might be right for you), and that will lead to creation of the main configuration file.
==
Whenever MX is restarted, it reads the ''Cumulus.ini'' that now exists.
The settings it finds tell it what options you have selected, and which sections of the MX code apply for your selections of weather station type (input) and for your selections of what processing it should do, and for where you want it to send weather data to (output).
If you go into any settings page, the settings that MX holds in the file determine what is shown on the page.
▲The file is a simple text file. It is divided into sections with section names in square brackets (e.g. [Station]). These sections can appear in any order, by default new sections are appended after all previous sections.
▲Within each section, there are parameters. Each parameter is in format '''Attribute=Value''', and appears on a line to itself.
▲The parameters, within a section, can be in any order, by default new parameters are appended at end of the relevant section.
== Add new parameters to file==
If a new release of MX adds new parameters, then they will be automatically added to Cumulus.ini when you
Some parameters have a valid default value. If you need to change that value, find the appropriate setting by looking in tables below.
Some parameters have an initial illegal value, and you are forced to give these parameter a valid setting before MX will allow you to save settings. In some cases, these ‘’’missing’’’ values will even stop MX doing any weather data processing.
==How to Remove
Best done after, not before, you [[Updating MX to new version|upgrade]] MX, as installing a new release might add/remove parameters to/from Cumulus.ini.
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