Release Notes for JMRI 3.3.3 release

Date: March 9, 2013

From: Bob Jacobsen

Subject: Test version 3.3.3 of JMRI/DecoderPro is available for download.

Notes:

This is a test release. Please post a note if you encounter any new or old bugs! And please back up your JMRI files before installing this, in case you want to go back to an earlier version.

This is the next in a series of test versions. We expect this series to end in a JMRI 3.4 production release at mid-year.

Some of the changes involved are quite extensive. They may require a certain amount of experience before they are working well. Therefore, this test version should be considered experimental.

JMRI is now only available under the GNU General Public License. For more information, please see our copyright and licensing page.

New warnings for this version:

This release and all future releases will not support the NCE serial interface running at 19,200 baud.

The decoder definition files have been extensively reworked for this release to reduce their size and allow them to be translated to other languages. Please keep an eye out for any inadvertent changes to the definitions that might have been introduced.

Older warnings

This release, and all other releases in this cycle, require Java 1.6.

Known problems with this release

None at the time of this release.

Download links:

Please use these links for downloading:

Changes since test release 3.3.2:

Updated the DCC Signal Head to work like the DCC Signal Mast and all known hardware. The NMRA Standard for addressing DCC Signal Accessory Decoders is poorly written and ambiguous. JMRI support for these is moving toward what the hardware manufacturers are actually doing, and away from NMRA DCC Working Group diktat.

Add LinkingLabel, a type of icon on the various panel editors that will let you move to another window or open a web page. Just a starting point for eventual web-server features.

Improvements to aspect-signaling docs.

Added a new LinkingLabel icon type to the three kinds of panels. This can be text or an icon. When clicked, it takes you to another JMRI window or an external web page or file. Steve Todd also built in web support for remote viewing.

Dick Bronson improved the NS-2008 signal set.

Removed the ability to run the NCE serial interface at 19,200 baud. This speed has been found to cause problems with the NCE command station. The default is now 9,600 baud. If you were running at 19,200 baud, you'll have to reconfigure your NCE command station to run at 9,600.

Dan Boudreau made the following changes to operations:

• Yardmaster and Conductor windows now show utility cars by their quantity rather than by road and number. Both windows now support the "Sort by Track" option. The Yardmaster window now uses the "Switch List" format rather than the "Manifest" format.
• You can now control which loads are allowed to ship from staging.
• Fixed a problem when swapping cabooses in a train's route. The code didn't check to see if there was the correct number of moves available in the route to do the swap. Thanks to Quintin Foster for finding and reporting this problem.
• Fixed a problem with a train's departure time when there was back to back locations using the same name. Thanks to Bob Byck for finding and reporting this issue.
• Improved the routing code to search for several interchange or yard tracks at a location when trying to find a route to a spur. The previous version didn't try find other tracks at a location when the first track tried was full. Thanks to Jim Elbe for finding and reporting this issue.
• Made some improvements to the build report with regards to car routing. Also improved how the program deals with routing a car into staging and which tracks in staging are appropriate.
• Improved on how the program deals with "car type and custom load pairs" for locations and trains when a car type is changed or deleted. Thanks to Inspector Dave for reporting this issue.
• Fixed an issue where the "Add" or "Edit" Track window size would revert to its previous size while modifying the track checkboxes.
• Improved how the program deals with custom loads and kernels. Now all cars in a kernel will get the same custom load if the the custom load is valid for the car.
• Improved the dialog window for a route comment. Now you can easily enter several lines of text.

John Crellin provided decoder definitions for the MRC 1619 through 1624 decoders, and updated the TCS X definition.

Updated the SignalMast Logic and Entry Exit (NX) to work with multiple protecting blocks for a single SignalMast located at the throat of a turnout.

Fixed an issue in the EntryExit (NX) not working correctly due to previous work done in improving the SignalMast Logic in 3.3.2.

Fixed an issue with the Signal Masts & Heads where if the username is changed, this is not reflected in the Editor Icons.

Fixed a number of issues surrounding the new basic Roster creation from the decoder selector window.

Added in a new style of edit window for blocks.

On MacOS X, change the script in the launcher icons to properly handle Oracle versions of Java.

Michael Mosher updated the SoundTraxx Diesel Tsunami definitions and provided a new BLI Light definition.

Paul Bender fixed a bug in the JMRIClient implementation that prevented the names of CBUS turnouts and sensors from being passed to the server.

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