Read Me for Weather Protocol

Read Me for Weather Protocol v0.3.3.2 Beta


*** NOTICE ***
Starting from v0.3.1.5, the ini's will not be included in the download package.  You must
download them seperately from the download page.



File Content

Features
Latest Changes
Files Included
System Requirement
Installation
Frequently Asked Questions



Features

 - Retrieve weather information and display them on your Miranda contact list.
 - Provide a contact information page for viewing the current weather conditions.
 - Display PopUp when information is retrieved.
 - Log weather conditions to a file or in history.
 - Quick links for viewing complete forecast and weather maps.


Latest Changes

Version 0.3.3.2 Beta		2004/07/14
 - Show error detail on update errors
 - Includes simple set of 16-colors weather icons in the dll file
 - Option to disable italic display for station with alert issued
 - Option to disable warning dialog if ini is not found at startup
 - Attempt to fix the black bar bug in brief info
 - Fix the bug that shows connecting as weather status

Version 0.3.3.1			2004/06/19
 - Minor change in the brief info dialog
 - More info items are now translatable
 - Case conversion in condition to make them translatable (use unit: Cond)
 - Save window size for the brief info dialog
 - Fix crash when invalid ID or ini file for the station is not found
 - Few minor changes
 - Document updated: sample_ini

Version 0.3.3.0 Beta		2004/06/12
 - A new feature that erase old data while updating for new data
 - A change in the brief information dialog (thanks micron-x for last seen plugin)
 - Double click a contact shows brief info dialog (thanks Matrix and JdGordon)
 - Add brief info title setting
 - Change in the weather, text, and popup options dialogs
 - Add reset to default and preview for all display text field
 - Change the way the plugin handles protocol status
 - Enable/disable auto-update from the main menu
 - Reconizes dust conditions and assign a fog icon (thanks Klenje)
 - Support the units "%" and "Deg"
 - Fix a crash if miranda32.exe is renamed
 - Fix crashes in between updating of 2 stations (thanks Targaff)
 - Update links in the readme and DLL to the new weather category (thanks lynlimz)
 - Other bug fixes and minor changes
 - Document updated: weather-translation, langpack_defweather, sample_ini

For a somewhat more complete but messy history, look here.


Files Included

 - plugins\weather.dll
    The core to the weather plugin.  Required component
 - langpack_defweather.txt	(stored in the documentation folder by default)
    Langpack for weather icon assignment, containing documentation for how to use
 - plugins\weather-doc\weather-readme.html
    Documentation and FAQ for Weather Protocol (this file).
 - plugins\weather-doc\sample_ini.ini
    Documentation of the format of the weather INI file.
 - plugins\weather-doc\weather-translation.txt
    A file that contains a translation of hopefully all string used in Weather Protocol.


System Requirement

 - Miranda IM  (v0.3.3.0 or later)
 - Weather icons - Numerous choices available in icon downloads.
 - PopUp plugin by Hrk or PopUpPlus plugin by zazoo (Recommended: latest version)


Installation

 For installation of weather protocol, it is recommended for installing it using Miranda
 Installer.  For manual installation, please following these steps:

   1. Copy weather.dll into plugins directory.
   2. Get the ini's from file listing and place them into plugin\weather directory.
   3. If you want external file for status icon selection, copy the content of
      langpack_defweather.txt into your language pack and (optionally) enable 
      "Disable internal icon selection" from the option page.

 IMPORTANT UPGRADE NOTICE
   Due to the changes made in this version, Weather 0.3.x is not compatible with older
   releases (v0.2.x).  Therefore, you should delete your weather contacts before 
   upgrading to this new version.


Frequently Asked Question

I have remove all the other sections for the readme and add this FAQ section that
contains all the necessary information.  These question are the one I think the most
important and the ones that has been asked in the forum quite a few times.

Setting Up Weather Protocol
For installation, follow the steps describe in the installation section of the readme.

Q1-1. How do I add new stations?
A. Use the find/add dialog box.  You can either search for station ID (see the readme
   for the ini file to see how it can be obtained) or search by city name by entering
   the name in either one of the Nickname, Firstname, or Lastname field.

Q1-2. I can't find my station! Any help?
A. Make sure you have installed the plugin and ini file correctly.  At least one INI
   file must exist in the plugins\weather directory in order for the plugin to funciton
   properly.  For more information, click here.

Q1-3. I have installed the plugin properly, and it still doesn't work.  I have
      noticed that there is no traffic generated by the plugin.
A. Check you proxy setting, some proxy does not work properly under Miranda IM 0.3.3.0.
   If your proxy is having problem connecting, you need to upgrade to Miranda IM 0.3.3.1
   or try the nightly builds (Note: They are experimental builds!)
   Also, if you are using traffic counter plugin, please make sure that you are using
   the latest version.  The old version stops Weather and some other plugin from working.

INI and Development Related Questions

Q2-1. What are those INI files for?
A. The INI files contain information for downloading and parsing weather information
   from a particular weather site.  At least one INI file must exist in order for the
   plugin to work.  For a list of available INI's, click here.

Q2-2. Can I install or modify the INI files without restarting Miranda?
A. Yes, choose: M (main menu) -> Weather -> Reload Weather Data

Q2-3. I want to retrieve weather information from a different source than those
      that are currently available.  How can this be done?
A. You can write your own INI file.  For more information, click here.

Q2-4. I wrote/downloaded an ini file that retrieve weather condition in a
      language that weather protocol doesn't seems to reconize and always
      display N/A. What should I do?
A. You can use translation string for assigning icons. For more information, click here.

Q2-5. How does weather assign status icons for each status?
A. 	Online		=	Sunny
	Away		=	Partly Cloudy
	NA		=	Cloudy
	Occupied  	=	Rain
	DND		=	Rain Shower
	Free for Chat	=	Snow / Wintery Conditions
	Invisible 	=	Lightning / Thunderstorm
	On the Phone	=	Snow Shower
	Out to Lunch	=	Fog / Haze
	Offline		=	No Data Available

Obtaining Weather Data

Q3-1. Does weather protocol retreve weather forecasts?
A. Support of this feature depend on the ini file you use.  If it is supported, the most
   likely variable you use for it is %[Forecast Day #] where # is the day you want the
   forecast for.  See the readme shupplied in the INI file package for more information.

Q3-2. How long should the time between update be?
A. This depend on the update interval on the website.  Generally, this field should set
   to a value between 10 to 30 minutes.  If the value is too small, a lot of traffics
   will be generated by the protocol.

Q3-3. How can I temporary disable weather procotol?
A. Switch the weather status to OFFLINE, but this will not work if you have "Do not
   display weather condition as protocol status" option enabled.  To enable the
   protocol again, switch it to a status other than OFFLINE.

Q3-4. Why are the name of some weather contacts italic on my contact?
A. There are weather alerts issued for those cities. To see the alert title, use the
   %[Alert] variable.

Q3-5. There are some status that the weather plugin doesn't seems to
      reconize and always shows as N/A on the contact list. What can I do?
A. If you encouter this problem, notify me (see Q5-2) and try use a langpack translation
   if you wish until the updated version is released.

Customizing the Weather Protocol

Q4-1. Can I hide Weather from status bar and protocol menu?
A. Go to Options->Plugins->Weather, enable "Hide Weather in status bar and status menu".

Q4-2. I can't find Weather in the icon option drop-down list.  How can I change
      weather icons?
A. Weather icon cannot be changed if "Hide Weather in status bar and status menu" is
   enabled. To change icons, disable the option (see Q4-1), make your change, then re-
   enable it.

Q4-3. I can't find the options for changing display text.
A. Go to Options->Plugins->Weather, then click on the icon beside "Change display texts"

Q4-4. How can I change the display name of my city?
A. Right-click on the city and select "Edit Settings".  Change the field "City name"
   to the new display name.

Q4-5. How can I change the default station?
A. Use the Edit Settings dialog (See A4-4).  Note that only 1 station can be default.

Q4-6. What is the %[..] variable for?
A. They are the custom variables.  Replace the ".." with a setting name that can be
   found in \Weather in the database.  For more information about the availability of
   the settings, use DatabaseEditor or refer to the readme of the ini file.

Q4-7. What are the "Extra Text" for?
A. The field has no use internally.  However, it can be useful for some other plugin
   to obtain a weather information string that is already parsed.

Q4-8. I want weather protocol to have the same status as the other protocols.
     Is such option available?
A. Enable the option "Do not display weather condition as protocol status", then you
   will be able to change the status freely.

More Questions...

Q5-1. Is there any beta version of Weather Protocol available?
A. Some beta version are posted in here occasionally.  However, please backup your
   database before trying those versions.

Q5-2. I have some question about the plugin that is not covered here, how
      can I contact you?
A. PM "noname" or post a message on the Miranda IM forum before I fix my sf e-mail ;)