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Category:Cumulus MX: Difference between revisions
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= Introduction =
This Wiki article was
At that stage, Cumulus 1 was still recommended for most users, and MX had limited functionality. Now with lots more functionality in MX, it is what most users will select, but whether you have used Cumulus 1 in the past, or are new to Cumulus, there are no instructions built into the package, and it is hoped that the update of this article will help people to understand MX sufficiently to use it usefully.
== Restrictions on who can use MX ==
=== Message from Steve Loft ===
Note: The graphs used in Cumulus MX are drawn using Highcharts and they are free for non-commercial use only, i.e. you may not use them on a company web site, see http://shop.highsoft.com/faq/non-commercial for clarification. '''For this reason, and others, use of Cumulus MX in a commercial environment is expressly forbidden.'''
== Documentation for MX ==
=== Message from Steve Loft ===
There's quite a lot to read before you start - please do read all of this page and all the references it mentions, most of it is very important.
If MX is your first encounter with Cumulus, you will be at a disadvantage regarding documentation of many of the features, while those who have previously been familiar with Cumulus 1 will find most aspects of MX easier to pick up. Before you read this article any further, read [[About Cumulus|the article that introduces Cumulus]] first, then you will be linked back to this page.
=== Update ===
If this page, and those other Wiki pages it links to (e.g. a new Cumulus FAQ), do not answer all your questions then see [https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=40 the support forum for current Cumulus MX] as that will let you see what other people have asked about, as well as giving you the opportunity to post your own query.
== Comparing Cumulus 1 and MX ==
Cumulus MX aims to be as compatible with Cumulus 1 as possible with 2 exceptions:
Cumulus MX aims to be as compatible with Cumulus 1 as possible. Initially MX, as written by Steve Loft, [https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=13298#p104138 lacked a lot of features] that were available in Cumulus 1, but subsequent developments headed by Mark Crossley have now added the majority of the missing features. There are also many features that have been added to MX that were either on the now lost list of enhancements for Cumulus 1 that never got implemented, or they are extra functionality to reflect recent changes in weather station features. All quotes are from the release notes issued by Steve or Mark.▼
* Like Cumulus 2, MX separates the engine (reads weather station, calculates derivatives, creates web server for user interface, and sends updates to various external web sites) from the user interface (displays basic information, allows you to vary settings, contains editors for highs and lows and for log files).
* Like Cumulus 2, MX runs on Linux and OS X as well as (like Cumulus 1) Windows.
=== Features and functionality ===
▲
*build 3023 - you can now control the output format of <#tomorrowdaylength> using an entry in '''strings.ini''' like this example:
<pre>[Solar]
*Version 3.4.5 - This release continues attempts to add some of the Cumulus 1 features that are missing from CMX.
** Build 3069 - Adds Editors for: Dayfile, Monthly Logs, Extra Logs
=== Accessing user interface ===
Cumulus 1 was an all in one application, it both read the data from the weather station and provided the user interface for you to see the derived data and change the settings. MX is different, it consists of a stand-alone 'engine' which performs the reading and logging of data, uploading to a web site etc. This 'engine' is a command-line/console application which has no user interface. The separate user interface is provided by virtue of the engine acting as a web server. Once the engine is running, you can view the user interface by typing the URL of the built-in web server into your browser, either on the same machine, or on a separate machine sharing the same local network. The default URL if the browser is on the same machine as MX is http://localhost:8998/ - substitute the machine's IP address for 'localhost' if the browser is on a different machine OR if "localhost" is already in use for another web server. For security reasons, the user interface should not be accessible via the public internet.
=== Operating Systems ===
Cumulus 1 only runs on Microsoft Windows operating system, MX is different as that in addition to running on Windows, it also runs on Linux and Mac OS X. To run MX on Windows, you need the latest '''.NET''' installed which means that it will only run on Windows 7 upwards. To run MX on the additional platforms, it requires a suitable version (see support forum for advice) of the '''Mono''' runtime, and you will need to install this, as described below.
=== Configuration and Log files ===
Both Cumulus 1 and MX both use the same basic files: [[Cumulus.ini]], [[dayfile.txt]], [[today.ini]], [[month.ini]], [[year.ini]], [[alltime.ini]], [[monthlyalltime.ini]]. Look up the Log Files index page or the individual file pages just referenced to see the differences between file content, and what you ''may'' need to edit to use Cumulus 1 files with MX. Both Cumulus 1 and Cumulus MX supply a number of ''templates that are processed into web pages'', although the end produce web pages are identical, '''the templates are not interchangeable'''. However, there are files that Cumulus 1 uses (for example it uses several image files and a weather diary in a XML file) that are not used by MX and also many files that MX creates (for example json files) that were not part of Cumulus 1.
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