Current Application Beta:
(scroll down for release notes)
V2.0b74 (Saturday, February 6, 2010)

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When will V2 be released?
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Known Issues (last updated: 14 Oct 2009 )

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Application
Mac OS X
Windows
AstroPlanner V2 application
V2.0b74 (Saturday, February 6, 2010)
DMG Image
+/– 50 MB
Installer
+/– 15MB
Zipped installer
+/– 15MB

Release Notes

A complete list of user-reported bugs and enhancement requests can be found here.

All release notes for the current version can be found here.

2.0b74 Release Date: Saturday, February 6, 2010
Fixed
2/6/10
image displays
 

image shows: cannot open image xxxx, I tried several images same result.
V73

Resolution

Fixed.

Fixed
2/6/10
DSS images no longer show up
 

Paul - just loaded b73 and now all my DSS images won't show. In all plans I just get an error in the window saying cannot open image #[number]

They were there in 72

This is with Windows 7 64

Developer
Analysis

This is an internal compiler framework problem (reported). Fortunately, there's a workaround.

Resolution

Fixed.

Fixed
2/5/10
Debugging code left in Focus Star script
 

Executed Focus Star and a window opened re debugging code left in script

2
HR2199

Resolution

Fixed. V1.1 uploaded.

 
2.0b73 Release Date: Friday, February 5, 2010
Implemented
2/5/10
Help system
 

Implement a help system.

Resolution

Implemented. Help→AstroPlanner Help brings up a searchable, context-sensitive help system. It also has "live" links that will perform actions in the application.
Currently there's limited content, but that should change...

Fixed
2/3/10
ObsFilesContainer.Initialise: Stack Overflow Exception
 

Exception Type: Stack Overflow Exception

1: Sub ObsFilesContainer.ObsFilesContainer.Initialise( ObsFilesContainer.ObsFilesContainer )
2: Sub ObsFilesContainer.ObsFilesContainer.Event_Resized( ObsFilesContainer.ObsFilesContainer )
3: Sub Window.Width.Set( int32, int32 )
4: Sub MainWindow.MainWindow.ResizeStuff( MainWindow.MainWindow )
5: Sub MainWindow.MainWindow.Event_Resized( MainWindow.MainWindow )

User description of above error trace:

i did a update to V2.0b72. under Vista 32bits and after that i started atroplanner and i got this error.
When select [Continue] the program stops.
Installing a lower version of astroplanner everthings works ok.

Resolution

Fixed.

Fixed
2/3/10
ObsGeneralContainer.Event_Resized: Stack Overflow Exception
 

Exception Type: Stack Overflow Exception

1: Sub ObsGeneralContainer.ObsGeneralContainer.Event_Resized( ObsGeneralContainer.ObsGeneralContainer )
2: Sub Window.Width.Set( int32, int32 )
3: Sub MainWindow.MainWindow.ResizeStuff( MainWindow.MainWindow )

User description of above error trace:

I tried to continue after my previous bugreport, but have no luck apparently

Resolution

Fixed.

Fixed
1/22/10
MainWindow.ResizeStuff: Stack Overflow Exception
 

Exception Type: Stack Overflow Exception

1: Sub MainWindow.MainWindow.ResizeStuff( MainWindow.MainWindow )
2: Sub MainWindow.MainWindow.Event_Resized( MainWindow.MainWindow )
3: Sub Window.Width.Set( int32, int32 )


User description of above error trace:

Minimizing the window with Windows Key +M.

In that E-mail I couldn't trace the error, but I was trying to get to the desktop when it happened.


User description of above error trace:

I was opening CCDNavigator 2 in Vista 64

Resolution

Fixed. Hopefully.

Fixed
1/19/10
Spelling checker doesn't seem to handle hyphenated words
 

I'm not sure if it doesn't have any in the dictionary, or just not very many. If it doesn't have any, it might be best just to pass them in as two separate words.

Anyway, it's currently tripping up on things such as:

well-condensed
semi-stellar
crown-pleaser
well-defined

(Note that separating the input into two words won't catch where someone uses a hyphen and shouldn't, such as "non-descript". Perhaps you could pass the word in first with the hyphen, and if one of the suggestions is the same text without the hyphen, then present those. If not, then throw out the results and re-run it as two separate words?)

Developer
Analysis

Problem is that I'm using third-party code. However, I will lean on the vendor for this and other fixes (or ways of overriding existing functionality).

Resolution

Fixed. Vendor made change so that hyphenated words are treated as two (or more) separate words. The "non-descript" problem is a trickier one to handle.

 
2.0b72 Release Date: Monday, January 18, 2010
Implemented
1/18/10
Scripting: Random class
 

Access to the Random class. Particularly as the Random class now supercedes the Rnd function.

Resolution

Implemented.

Fixed
1/17/10
Windows 7 Aero Snap on Screen Sides Destroys Layout
Windows
only

If you drag the main window to the left or right sides of the screen in Windows 7, Aero Snap will automatically make the window take half the screen. This currently works on the main Astroplanner window, and it completely destroys the layout. Many fields disappear (can't be accessed), even those that should be visible.

Since you can't change the size of the Astroplanner window below a minimum threshold and shape, I'd guess that Astroplanner is not intended to be used with Aero Snap.

Resolution

Fixed. The minimum width is enforced.

Fixed
1/16/10
Adding double-star object does not work
 

When adding a double-star object (e.g. hj1000) by clicking the [+] button at bottom left, the only possibility is to add empty object. Adding an empty object, then looking up the object you were looking for in the first place does work.

Developer
Analysis

This is because double star observer IDs are not "true" IDs.

Resolution

Fixed. If any of the WDS catalogues are present, and the ID is a valid double star observer ID, then those WDS catalogues will be searched.

Fixed
1/15/10
Slew to park for LX200GPS still not working properly.
 

Slew to park (and disconnect) no longer freezes AP, but it still does not work. When I clicked on it in the Telescope Palette, I got a message saying it could not slew to park position (alt = 0deg, az = 180deg) because it was below the horizon. I then used to handbox to park the scope in that very position.

I am polar mounted. Could that confuse AP2? It does not confuse AP1.6.1.

Developer
Analysis

What is probably happening is that there's a small difference between the lat/long/gmtoffset/date/time for the mount and AP settings. AP computes the RA/Dec for the Alt/Az, but the mount thinks it's below the horizon (probably by a very small amount) and refuses to slew.

Resolution

Fixed. For Meade Autostar and Celestron NexStar mounts I have implemented the "slew to Alt/Az" commands, and these will be used in preference to the "convert to RA/Dec and slew" method. I also "force" the altitude target to be, say, 0.5 degrees as a minimum if the alternative method is used, which should work better.

Fixed
1/14/10
Nexremote export .hct file missing "+" sign.
 

File--export--Nexremote tour... generates a .hct file which I use for my Nexremote software to choose and slew to the selected objects.
But any objects that are located in a "plus" DEC the scope slews somewhere else than the correct target. In V1 the .hct file (via a script) has the DEC printed out as a "+" or a "-"
like the Dec column in Objects. V1 works just fine.
In V 2.0b71 the exported .hct file has a "-" but no "+" in front of the value for DEC.
When I put a "+" in front of a positive value the scope slews to the proper position.

Resolution

Fixed.

Fixed
1/14/10
Can't change parameters in minor planet-orbital data screen
 

When all data from JPL are downloaded (or displayed from the cache), you can choose which parameter you want to change, but you can't enter any values. Upon trying the AP no longer corresponds and turns grey or white. It doesn't crash, but when returned to speaking terms nothing has changed.

Resolution

Fixed. (a) If no magnitude info is available (e.g. JPL COMET) then related display restrictions are removed. (b) A single click will allow editing of the display restriction numeric fields.
Bonus: There's now a "In FoV at current date/time" display restriction that will restrict display to those objects that fall into the current FoV and the current local date/time.

Fixed
1/13/10
Cannot add text into Object notes in Observations tab
 

Cannot add text into Object notes in Observations tab

Developer
Analysis

This is by design (field is read-only), although I suppose it doesn't need to be.

Resolution

Fixed. A help tag has been added to make it clear that this field cannot be changed.

Fixed
1/13/10
Printing Order for Session and Observation Data
 

I have the following sessions:
20091229
20100105
20100108
20100109
20100112

In the Observation Database I select File → Print. The Printing script is Default and the Task is Session and Observation data. When I print this out, I get all the data but it is not in order.

20100109
20100108
20100105
20091229
20100112

Finally, attachments are not being printed.

Resolution

Fixed. Sessions and observations are always ordered by date/time. Attachments (images) will now be printed.

Fixed
1/13/10
Time of Night image suggests all day darkness during summer
 

Changing the x-axis to the Time of Night in the Long Term Visibility Indicator (lovely feature!) produces a black band during the period that in reality there is no astronomical darkness anymore at my site, which would mean all day darkness.

Resolution

Fixed.
Bonus: a. The graphic background is now computed by a thread, so there isn't a 10 second delay during which tha app freezes. b. Fixed some other problems with circumpolar objects, etc.

Fixed
1/12/10
More info on spell checker add-to-dicitonary problem...
 

I reported earlier that clicking the "+" button in the spell checker window effectively ended the spell checking. Turns out this is only true if you have in-line spell checking turned on; without it everything works fine.

Resolution

Fixed. The Check Spelling... feature is removed if in-line checking is enabled. I have reported this to the vendor.

Fixed
1/12/10
MagicSpeller.addWord: Out Of Bounds Exception
 

Exception Type: Out Of Bounds Exception

1: Sub MagicSpeller.addWord( string )
2: Sub MagicSpellerInterfaceWnd.MagicSpellerInterfaceWnd.addBtn_Action( MagicSpellerInterfaceWnd.MagicSpellerInterfaceWnd )

User description of above error trace:

Added a new word to the spell checker dictionary, then quit app.

Resolution

Fixed.

Fixed
1/11/10
No user images for IDs with spaces in them
 

I think I logged this before, but it was probably in a long list of things, so it may have gotten lost.

Add an object to a plan for C/2007 N3 Lulin. Give it the ID "C/2007 N3" (with a space between the 7 and the N), and the name "Lulin".

Add an observation and a user image. Note that you don't get an image icon in the Objects list.

Change the name to "C/2007N3" (delete the space).

Now you get an image icon.

Switch to Observations tab.

While the list says it still has 1 observation, you don't see it listed in the Observations list. If you put the space back in the name, your observations come back but your image is gone again.

Resolution

Fixed. Cannot reproduce the image problem, but removing the blank from the ID no longer "loses" the observations made on the object.

Fixed
1/11/10
Can't see downloaded images
 

When I download an image I don't see the image in the downloading-window, only later in the objects-window.

Resolution

Fixed. Added a "Show last downloaded image" checkbox to the Status tab of the download window.

Fixed
1/11/10
Image display window and image manager display issue
 

The image display window does not recognise the "invert image colours" contextual menu item. Neither does the image manager window, and does not have the contextual menu item.

Resolution

Fixed.

Implemented
1/11/10
Sharing an installation between two OSes
 

Add the ability to share an AP installation (i.e. resources, images, etc.) between two OSes (in this case either a 32-bit or a 64-bit Windows boot).

Resolution

Implemented. Preferences→Other has a checkbox. Setting that option will ask you to find the Application Data folder of a previously-used instance of AstroPlanner. i.e. if you want to connect instance B to the application data of instance A, then (a) run instance A and use Help→Where's My Stuff to find the location of Application Data, (b) run instance B and use this feature to select instance A's application data.
NOTE: Instance B _must_ have read/write access to instance A's folder. This might be a problem in both Mac OS X or Windows.

Fixed
1/11/10
MagicSpellerTA.Event_ContextualMenuAction: Type Mismatch Exception
 

Exception Type: Type Mismatch Exception

1: Function MagicSpellerTA.Event_ContextualMenuAction( MenuItem ) as boolean
2: Sub Delegate.Invoke()
3: Sub Application._CallFunctionWithExceptionHandling()

User description of above error trace:

a. Trying to cut text from Observation notes and paste into Object notes in Observations tab

b. When trying to do a spell check under Observation Notes under the Observation tab.

User description of above error trace:

I'm trying to create an object (minor planet) - to find another approach to the JPL import using the catch.
I could create an empty object and past in the ID number, but trying to paste in the name gives this exception


User description of above error trace:

right-click EDIT in Notes don't work

Resolution

Fixed.