Release Notes for JMRI 5.7.3 release

Date: Jan 12, 2024

From: Bob Jacobsen

Subject: Test Release 5.7.3 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 5.7.* test releases. It requires Java 11 to work. (See our page on downloading Java 11) We expect this series to end in the next JMRI 5.8 production release in June 2024. (See the tentative release schedule)

Some of the changes involved are quite extensive. They may require a certain amount of experience before they are working well. Therefore, this test release should be considered experimental. We would appreciate your feedback on it.

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

Update From Older JMRI Versions

If you are currently using a version older than JMRI 5.0, please follow these instructions carefully:

1. Is your current version older than JMRI 4.12? If so, then update to JMRI 4.12 first, and ensure everything works correctly: check start-up, check things you need to be working, and check the JMRI log as well) before doing anything else. Store your configuration and panel files under a new name and use those from now on. Then continue with step 2.

   If you are currently using JMRI 4.7.3 or earlier on Linux or macOS (Windows doesn't need this), then it's very important that you update to JMRI 4.12 and carrying out the migration process described in the JMRI 4.12 release note before updating to any later release.

2. Is your current version older than JMRI 4.20? Then update to JMRI 4.20 first, and ensure that works correctly (check start-up, check things you need to be working, and check the JMRI log as well) before doing anything else. Save your preferences again. Store your configuration and panel files under a new name, use those from now on, and go on to step 3.
3. Is your current version older than JMRI 4.24? Then update to JMRI 4.24 first, and ensure that works correctly (check start-up, check things you need to be working, and check the JMRI log as well) before doing anything else. Save your preferences again. Store your configuration and panel files under a new name and use those from now on.
4. Is your current version older than JMRI 5.0? Then update to JMRI 5.0 first, and ensure that works correctly (check start-up, check things you need to be working, and check the JMRI log as well) before doing anything else. Save your preferences again. Store your configuration and panel files under a new name and use those from now on.
5. You can then install this release.

Following this multi-step order of updating via stable major releases safeguards you against possible migration issues that can arise from skipping these versions.

New problems with this release

• MRC serial connections do not work in this release.

If that affects you, please either wait for JMRI 5.7.4/a>, due out shortly after this one, or pick up a JMRI development build installer from Jenkins.

New warnings for this release:

• None Yet

Older warnings

See the JMRI 5.6 release note for more warnings predating the 5.7 development series, including pointers to various migration issues. These may be relevant to you if you're updating from an earlier version; we strongly recommend you update to at least JMRI 5.0 before installing this test release. See instructions above.

• Since JMRI 4.99.1 This test release, and all subsequent ones, require the use of Java 11 or later. Java 8 is explicitly not supported. There's more information on this migration on the JMRI Tech Road Map and JVM Capabilities pages.
• Since JMRI 5.5.3 Scripts that output Logging statements with log4jv1.x ( org.apache.log4j ) imports will stop working from JMRI 5.5.4 and should be updated to use SLF4J logging.
  See here for some examples on how to do this.
• Since JMRI 5.5.4 Custom default.lcf Logging Control Files will cease to take effect from JMRI 5.5.4
  To create a custom default_lcf.xml in the new Logging Configuration format, see JMRI Debugging and Logging
• Since JMRI 5.5.5 XML files with table contents and panels have been changed in JMRI 5.5.5. It's therefore not possible to load an xml file with tables and panels that has been created with JMRI 5.5.5 or later with a JMRI version pre 5.5.5.
• Since JMRI 5.5.5 MQTT Connection - Throttle loco address and function placeholders in MQTT topics have changed from $address and $function to {0} and {1} for consistency with other objects.
• Since JMRI 5.7.1 Several systems have had extensive updates to their serial support. If you have trouble connecting to your layout hardware after installing this version, please contact us on the JMRIusers list for assistance.

Download links:

These files are located in the JMRI 5.7.3 GitHub release.

Changes since Test Release 5.7.2:

The list of included changes is available from our GitHub code repository.

Hardware Support

OpenLCB / LCC

• Monitor now decodes clock messages
• Switch String input fields to mono-spaced font, and limit their content length to the length of the underlying configuration field.

New / Updated decoder definitions

MD Electronics

• New decoder definitions DRIVE-S, DRIVE-XS

Trix Modelleisenbahn

• The Trix/Marklin mLD/3 and mSD/3 decoder definitions now have 31 functions

Uhlenbrock

• Small corrections and improvements to the IntelliDrive2 decoder definitions. New decoder definition Tillig 66036 Decoder

DecoderPro

• The CV table columns now expand to fill their complete pane. This is to make the table more readable when it contains long value or CV name strings.

LogixNG

• The LogixNG table now shows whenether the ConditionalNGs of a LogixNG has Startup enabled or not. The Startup checkbox in the LogixNG table can have three states: Checked, unchecked and partially checked. If the user checks/unchecks the checkbox, all the ConditionalNGs will have the Startup enabled/disabled.
  The column Startup is at the far right in the LogixNG table. You might need to resize the table to see the new column.
to see the new column.
Note: Due to a bug, this feature didn't work as it should in JMRI 5.7.2 but it's now fixed.
• A couple of bugs in the LogixNG formula parser have been fixed.
• The action Program On Main has been added. It lets you program CVs on the main.

OperationsPro

• Fixed a routing bug that was introduced in JMRI 5.6

Virtual Sound Decoder

• Use block values (restored from blockvalues.xml) to get a feasible start block for automatic start.

Miscellaneous

• The JInput library used to access certain non-serial USB devices has been updated to version 2.0.9. This adds support for Apple Silicon and fixes some buffer overflows on Windows.

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