VISUALWEATHER Weather Station Software

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1. What's new in VisualWeather 3.1?

   VisualWeather 3.1 includes the following enhancements from VisualWeather 2.3:

   • Compatibility with the ET107 and Toro T107

   • Enhanced station data screens

   • Improved web output compatibility

   • Improved FTP compatibility

   • Enhanced Station Status window

   • Changes to the database for faster report generation

   • Global Units option, which controls output units for reports and station data screens

   • Ability to set the units used for barometric pressure and wind speed
2. Where is there more information about setting up a website using the VisualWeather program?

   More information can be found by following these steps:

   1. On the main VisualWeather screen, click the Tools menu and select Web Output Options….
   2. Click the Help button at the bottom of the screen.
   3. The “Web Output Options” entry in VisualWeather Help will be displayed.
3. Can a trial version of VisualWeather be upgraded or unlocked to become a purchased version?

   No. The purchased version is separate from the trial version. However, any files created using the trial version are stored in the C:\Campbellsci\VisualWeather folder and will be available for use when the purchased version is installed.

4. Where can version information for VisualWeather be found?

   For all versions of VisualWeather, the version information is displayed during startup. As an alternative, version information can be viewed through VisualWeather Help:

   1. On the main VisualWeather screen, click the Help menu and select About (VisualWeather versions 2.2, 2.3) or About VisualWeather (VisualWeather version 3).
   2. On the About screen, the version and build information are displayed.
   3. For version details about the VisualWeather components, click the Versions button.
5. Using VisualWeather version 3.1, is it a bug if a remote computer cannot connect to the VisualWeather communications server?

   No, but this feature has been enabled with the release of the VisualWeather 3.1.3 patch. To view and download software patches for VisualWeather, go to the Downloads section of the VisualWeather product page.

6. Using VisualWeather version 3.1 and a remote computer, why does a Windows error appear when rolling over objects with hints?

   This is a bug caused by the Delphi development tools used to create VisualWeather. Campbell Scientific released a patch (VisualWeather 3.1.3) that added a control to turn off tool tips (Tools | Options | Show Hints) to work around this bug. To view and download software patches for VisualWeather, go to the Downloads section of the VisualWeather product page.

7. Where are available updates or patches for VisualWeather?

   If patches are available for VisualWeather, they are listed in the Downloads section of the VisualWeather product page.

   Note: Customers who do not have an online account will be asked to enter contact information to download the files. There is no obligation associated with this process, and this information is not shared with, or sold to, third parties.

   Follow these steps to install a patch:

   1. If not already logged in, log in to the Campbell Scientific Customer Center.
   2. If not already viewing the list of VisualWeather downloads, navigate to the Downloads section of the VisualWeather product page.
   3. Click the Download Now link to the right of the patch name.
   4. Save the file to a location that is memorable.
   5. When the download is complete, browse to the selected location where the patch was saved.
   6. Double-click the file to install the patch.
   7. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation.
8. What determines which information is displayed on the active and passive screens?

   When a station is created in VisualWeather, either a station is selected that VisualWeather knows about or VisualWeather is told about a custom station that has been created. Part of this process involves telling VisualWeather what data is being collected at the station.

   Based on the station information, VisualWeather maps the data from the station to controls that can display that data. This data is displayed when the station data is viewed by either of these methods:

   • Connecting to the station and looking at Current Conditions (active monitoring)
   • Clicking the Station Data link on the main screen (passive monitoring) 
9. If VisualWeather reports are filling up a hard drive, what can be done?

   If the computer’s hard drive is filling up, check the C:\Campbellsci\VisualWeather\sys\bin\ogs folder. This folder contains the communication logs created by VisualWeather, which can grow quickly. All of the files in this folder can be deleted. To delete the files, it may be necessary to stop VisualWeather temporarily to prevent some files from remaining open.

   If the VisualWeather Reports folder (typically C:\Campbellsci\VisualWeather\Reports) is filling up with old reports, delete any reports that do not need to be saved.

   To prevent automatic report creation, follow these steps:

   1. On the main VisualWeather screen, click the Reports menu and select Batch Reports….
   2. The Batch Report Schedule window will open. The batches listed here can be either manually run or run on a schedule. Batch reports are often used to add additional reports to a website generated by VisualWeather.
   3. The far right column of the table is labeled Next Report Time.
   • If there is a time stamp in the cell of this column, then the report is being run automatically.
   • If Manually Generated is displayed in the column cell, then the batch is only run when the Run button is clicked.
   4. For each listed batch report that is automatically run, select the report by clicking it.
   5. Click the Edit… button.
   6. The Batch Report Selection window will open. In the middle on the bottom, there is an area labeled Output As. These are the output options for the batch reports.
   • The batch reports that have the Web option checked are transmitted to the designated website.
   • The batch reports with the .bmp or .jpg boxes checked are created in the VisualWeather Reports folder. To prevent the batch from creating these reports when it is run, clear the .bmp and .jpg checkboxes.
   7. Click the Save Batch button.

   If all the .bmp and .jpg checkboxes are cleared, no reports should be saved in the VisualWeather Reports folder unless a batch is manually run.

10. Using VisualWeather, how can more reports be added to the website of a weather station?

    Add reports by following these steps:

    1. On the main VisualWeather screen, click the Reports menu and select Batch Reports….
    2. On the Batch Reports Schedule screen, click the New… button.
    3. On the Batch Report Selection screen, select a weather station.
    4. Select a Report Type option.
    5. Select the Generate According To Schedule option.
    6. In the Interval field, set an interval, such as 1 hour.
    7. On the right side of the screen, checkboxes are selected based on what data is available from the station. Select or clear reports by checking the boxes.
    8. In the Output As: section, check the Web box.
    9. Click the Create Batch button.
    10. Enter a name for the batch.

    When the batch runs, files are created in the web folder, transferred automatically via FTP to the website, and added automatically to the web page. They are listed as additional options on the drop-down report that is displayed after clicking the weather station name in the top left corner.