Release Notes

[Fix] = Bug fix, [Chg] = Feature change or interface revision, [New] = New feature

Version 1.1.3 (14 Sep 2002)

[New] Special installer application added to the CD-ROM (if/when you pay for one...) to make life easier when installing.
[New] Objects->Sort Objects... allows the sorting of up to three different columns (similar to Excel sort).
[Chg] Added Alternate Catalogue folder/directory setting to Preferences->General. If this folder is defined it will also be checked for catalogues as well as the usual "Catalogues" folder. This enables you to keep, say, larger catalogues on another hard disk or (for the very, very patient) a CD-ROM. Note: if a catalogue with the same name as one in the Catalogues folder is found in the alternate folder, the alternate one will "override" the one in the Catalogues folder.
[Chg] Tweaks to enable use of catalogues with non-integer IDs (in order to be able to import lots more catalogue data and fill your hard disk...)
[Chg] Preferences->General option to remember open documents on quitting. This was previously not an option and the application always remembered open documents and attempted to reload them when restarting. Some folk like to start with a fresh slate each time, hence the option.
[Chg] Updated Telescope preferences to include other supported NexStar telescopes.
[Fix] Added "Catalogue" field to Import dialog.
[Fix] Sorting in both Observation and Planning lists should now work properly (both single column and multiple column sorting)
[Fix] Fixed a problem when searching for an item that looks like an ID but is actually a name.
[Fix] Fix to stop documents from demanding to be saved every time you open them. Well, it should be better...
[Fix] If you drag a document onto the application icon or double-click a document in the Finder (Mac only) and the application was previously quit with no documents open, the Open/Create dialog does not pop up and annoy you.
[Fix] Added close box to Windows dialogs (has the same effect as the Cancel button).

Version 1.1.2 (17 Aug 2002)

[Fix] N5 and N8 telescopes should now be supported correctly (thanks Carl).
[Fix] Meade scopes will now reset Long Format when you disconnect. This might resolve some problems people have been seeing with third-party software such as Starry Night Pro, and some problems with Autostar hand-controllers.
[Fix] Fixed a problem that would cause slews never to complete near the poles.
[Chg] When you have Fix Date on, the "Connect to telescope" check box now reveals why it is disabled.
[Chg] Select from catalogue dialog now includes a "Description contains" option for selecting objects containing given text in their Description field.

Before I fixed the first three problems mentioned above, I added the features below to see if they would alleviate the problems. Since the problems have been fixed you don't really need to concern yourselves with these settings. Just leave them as they are (defaults) unless you feel an urgent desire to tinker.

[Chg] Added a "Don't use Long Format on Meade telescopes" in Preferences->Telescope. This will avoid setting the long format. This means your display resolution is restricted to about 1 minute of arc. However, most Meade scopes aren't that accurate anyway. Long format displays a resolution of seconds of arc.
[Chg] Preferences->Telescope now has a "Slewing accuracy" setting (default 0.5 deg). This is not how accurately your scope is going to point. When slewing is in progress the app assumes you are still slewing until the coordinates from the scope are within a certain distance of the target. Some scopes are more accurate than others and you may need to adjust this upwards if your slews are not completing properly (i.e. the progress bar never goes away). If it's working fine for you, leave it at 0.5 deg.
[Chg] Added a warning message about slewing problems in "short mode" on Autostar controllers (a firmware bug I suspect).

Version 1.1.1 (12 Aug 2002)

[New] GMT Offset field in Sites resources now has an "Obeys US DST rules" checkbox. If this is set then DST will be taken into account when computing actual GMT offset during US daylight saving time.
[New] Save As Text... in the File menu allows you to save the objects in your plan to specially-formatted text file, with an attached name and description. This enables easy distribution of plans without messing with Export and subsequent Import.
[New] The Open... item in the File menu will also open text files in the format saved by the Save As Text... command (above).
[New] Added an Air Mass column to the Observing list. This number represents the relative thickness of the atmosphere for the object you are viewing, with a value of 1.0 at the zenith (the lowest air mass) and increasing towards the horizon. A rough idea of the light-loss effect of atmosphere is to multiply air mass by about 0.2 magnitudes. Hence straight up you lose about 0.2 magnitudes from the atmosphere. At 20 degrees from the horizon the air mass is about 3, so you lose 0.6 magnitudes. This mainly of use to folk observing variable stars and doing photometry.
[New] Auto checkbox under the Get Scope... button. If this is checked, then when the scope is connected the FOV will update to the scope's RA/Dec whenever the scope moves (more than 5 minutes of arc). You can still click the Get Scope button if you feel it's necessary.
[New] New column on observing list shows "Difficulty Index" for double stars. Based on fuzzy logic principles, it gives a numeric index (0=easy to 100=very difficult) that you can use to see just how good you are at splitting those close doubles. Based on work done here.
[New] Ability to convert epoch of imported data (checkbox and from-epoch field in Import dialog).

[Chg] "Save data" checkbox at bottom of Telescope Data Flow window saves the raw data flow data to a text file for further analysis if necessary.
[Chg] You can now reorder the observing list by dragging rows. The order will be remembered (as long as you don't subsequently re-sort by clicking a column header).
[Chg] Modified the splash screen to make it bit more legible.
[Chg] Resizable columns in a number of lists that were not resizable before.
[Chg] Added ODM and Diff. Index to Custom Highlighting dialog.
[Chg] If magnitude only is being displayed on the FOV chart then it will be displayed in the "approved" chart fashion, with one decimal place, but without the dec. point (e.g. magnitude 10.7 would be displayed as 107).
[Chg] If your scope fails to connect, the alert that appears now gives you the option of Auto searching for the telescope on all available ports. Saves you a trip to Preferences.
[Chg] Select from catalogue... dialog can now select multiple object types.
[Chg] Select from catalogue... dialog only shows constellations visible from the current site.
[Chg] Added a bunch more eyepieces to the resources eyepiece list (thanks Scott).
[Chg] Added a bunch more telescopes to the resources telescope list. (thanks yrs truly and Carl)

[Fix] Should now correctly remember sorted column and selected object in observation and planning lists, and resuscitate them on reopening.
[Fix] Opening second plan file should show correct alignment star list and not require opening and closing preferences window.
[Fix] If AstroPlanner puts a Meade scope into Long Format it will now hopefully reset that mode on disconnecting. I suspect this is causing problems with Starry Night on the Mac using InfoGenie.
[Fix] Not being able to enter a negative declination twixt 0° and -1° (e.g. M2). Also, if you selected such an object in the planning list, the declination sign would be changed to positive.
[Fix] Telescope Data Logging window no longer causes crash if it is open when app quits.
[Fix] No longer crashes if you hit the Connect to Telescope checkbox without having set up preferences correctly beforehand (Windows version only).
[Fix] On computers where the default date is not the (peculiar) US format (MM/DD/YY), Meade scopes will return an incorrect date from the telescope. This has been fixed. This is typically not a problem if you use the (default) "Only retrieve RA/Dec from the telescope" option in Preferences->Telescope. If you have it cleared then you could be seeing strange stuff in countries outside the US.
[Fix] Fixed some bugs with ODM and Difficulty Index calculation (being calculated when they shouldn't)
[Fix] (in progress) suspected crash associated with Celestron scopes.
[Fix] Added more bug trapping code (you shouldn't see this!). This will make it more likely that if there's a crash, AstroPlanner will create an Error Log.txt file.
[Fix] A bunch of printing bugs fixed (all platforms, but particularly Win 2000, where printing was completely screwed up for some reason)
[Fix] Fixed some minor bugs related to the resource-hog improvements in V1.1.1b3
[Fix] Fixed a problem with displaying incorrect Alt-Az when Celestron scopes are connected (hopefully...)
[Fix] Get Scope... button on FOV tab should now work consistently, without needing to flip to the Observing tab each time.
[Fix] Fixed another (!) bug with certain Celestron scopes returning ridiculous Declination readings.
[Fix] A lot of changes (hopefully not noticeable) that should significantly reduce resource usage on Windows 95, 98 and ME, and generally improves performance on all platforms.
[Fix] Fixed stuff that made most Celestron scopes "unavailable" to AstroPlanner. All supported Celestron scope types should (?) now be both Auto... detectable and connectable to. This is difficult to debug without Celestron hardware to connect to, but I have a patient user who has helped a lot. Thanks Paul G.
[Fix] Fixed an obscure crash that occurs when creating a new file under certain circumstances.
[Fix] Memory leak when adjusting column widths should go away with newest version of compiler (not that anyone has probably noticed this). (Sorry, this one is not fixed yet, but will be when the compiler vendor brings out the next version soon. Hopefully for the 1.1.2 release, assuming there is such a thing)
[Fix] [Windows] Menu text now more easily readable in night vision mode.
[Fix] The telescope Auto... button should now detect Celestron and Astro-Physics scopes
[Fix] Folks with the new Celestron GT controllers should have more joy connecting to their scopes.

Version 1.1 (30 July 2002)

[New] Fix Date dialog now allows date/time entry as Julian Date.
[New] Move Up and Move Down buttons in Columns... dialog replaced by ability to drag rows around.
[New] Added "nag" dialogs to "advanced" features for non-paid-up users (sorry :^). Makes you wait for 10 seconds while you read a message. Sort of like a commercial break, I guess. If you want "PBS", support the AstroPlanner cause (and PBS for that matter). Paid-up users shouldn't see this. If you are paid up and you do, please let me know.
[New] Completely rewrote the Windows night vision code. This should no longer be video-card-dependent. The night vision "test" dialog also goes away since it is now redundant. There are still a few inconsistencies, but they are largely cosmetic and will get fixed soon.
[New] Tick marks on the "crosswires" in the Field-of-View chart, together with a scale. Might help to get an idea how far apart objects are.
[New] Support for Astro-Physics GTO computer-controlled mounts. There's no way I can afford to test AstroPlanner on one of these myself. However, at least one AstroPlanner user has access to a 1200GTO, so the testing task will be all yours...
[New] Refresh Objects from Catalogues (Objects menu). This will go back to the original catalogues and refresh all object fields from there. Useful if there has been a catalogue change or new data fields.
[New] User definable columns (currently 4) in the planning/observing list. You can do with these what you wish (object rating, # of people who said it was great, etc.). You can edit the data in these columns directly on the lists by clicking and editing (both Observing and Planning). The columns can be text or numeric. For numeric you can (optionally) supply a range of valid values. You can import them and export them too. See Edit-->Columns... to enable and set up these columns.
[New] Export can now export all columns, including computed ones. Also a checkbox to ouput a header line to make your exported files more readable.
[New] Current Telescope popup menu that allows you to specify a particular telescope for observing, which allows...
[New] ODM column in observing list shows Optimal Detection Magnification (if applicable) for each object when viewed with the Current Telescope.
[New] New menu (Observation) to handle some new observation stuff. New Observation and Delete Observation have moved there from the Object menu.
[New] Observation date/time can be input in either Local Date/Time as before, or Julian date if you so desire. Either way, one flavour will compute the other.
[New] User-definable observation fields. Two (extra) fields to hold whatever data you desire. What I had in mind was stuff like variable star magnitudes or photometer counts, comparison star information, etc. They can be text or numeric (in which case you can define min and max values). See Observation-->User-Defined Fields...
[New] Charting of observed values (user-defined fields). If you have one or more numeric user-defined observation fields (see previous item) and an object selected in the observation list with two or more observations, you can plot a chart of those values vs. time. Useful if you're collecting, say, variable star magnitudes and want to visualise the cycle. (chart includes options for julian date, inverting the scales and plotting the difference between two collected values).
[New] Ability to Lookup multiple items at once (either add them in the ID or Name fields separated by commas, or click Lookup with a blank field to get a convenient dialog)
[New] Ability to Lookup without having to create a new object first.
[New] Added in support for second magnitude value (for double or variable stars). Note: This will reset your column settings in existing documents (assuming you changed them from the defaults)
[New] Can now adjust column widths by dragging. The planning and observation lists will remember their widths when you close the document.
[New] Holding down Shift key on startup optionally allows current preferences to be ignored.
[New] Added some shortcut buttons in the Telescope Communication window for ease of communication debugging in the dark (more for me than you...)
[New] Can now select more than one constellation at a time in the "Select from catalogue..." dialog.
[New] For an observation, if you have a telescope specified, the ODM (optimum detection magnification) will be reported, together with the optimum eyepiece (and/or combination of eyepiece and aid - e.g. 9mm Plössl + 2X Barlow) from your defined collection.
[New] Transit time shown for objects that (in theory) never rise above the horizon.
[New] Catalogue and search results now indicate total number of objects and number of objects selected.
[New] Polar Drift Alignment Helper (Special menu). Helps choose those pesky drift alignment stars near the equator and does the slewing back and forth for you.
[New] Computer/Telescope comparison feature (Special menu). Requires a Meade telescope that has been connected and is on-line. Shows all the setup and current values for your computer and from your telescope (Date, time, Lat, Long, etc.) and which ones AstroPlanner is using for its calculations. Useful for detecting setup anomalies.
[Change] Moved the observation "New" (Observation) and "Delete" buttons underneath the list of Observations in order to make room for...
[New] "Create New Object" button creates a new object in the Observation/Planning lists, with the current RA and Dec if the telescope is active. Useful if you are "sky surfing" and spot something you want to log.
[New] Can select Telescope resources from a list, á la eyepieces (at the moment the current offerings from Meade and Celestron. If anyone feels like filling me in on others, feel free to do so).
[New] Preferences item allows specification of # of catalogue items displayed per page (50 to 5000) rather than the fixed 100.
[New] Page slider on catalogue display allows more rapid access to other areas of the catalogue.
[New] Combination tab in Resources window shows table of magnification, etc. when combining eyepieces, telescopes and viewing aids (e.g. barlows)
[New] "Automated" iterative polar alignment (see this document for the manual technique). AstroPlanner chooses choice, visible alignment stars, and does all the slewing for you (N and S hemispheres) and measures the current error so that you can repeat the procedure until that error is small enough.
[New] Sites (see Resources window) now have a user-defined horizon. You can define where the trees, buildings, hills, etc. are. The defined horizon is taken into account in visibility computations and Best Pair alignment star rejection. The horizon is also displayed on the Sky chart (there's a new "Horizon" check box). You can also use your telescope to define horizon points - if the scope is on-line then the Horizon dialog shows the current position of the scope. You can then manually slew it using the hand-controller and click a button to enter the points on the horizon. Try it and see...

[Fix] Fixed a crashing problem if Catalogues were read-only (common problem on Windows when files are dragged from a CD-ROM)
[Fix] Fixed problem with updating object info if Magnitude was unknown (999.0).
[Fix] Removed bug that caused a crash if you had the "Remember Night Vision mode" checked in preferences and quit while night vision was in force (next time you ran the app: splot!).
[Fix] Moving a number of internal data sources to a new AstroPlanner Data file makes the app more stable
[Fix] When you add a new item to the planning list (or modify an existing one), the observation list will be resorted in the current order so that the new item does just get added to the end of the list.
[Fix] Also recognise catalogue files with the ".apcat" extension, since some users are having problems with the current ".cat" extension conflicting with Windows.
[Fix] Inconsistent moon rise/set time problem fixed.
[Fix] (Windows) Multiple application instances now detected and stopped.