Read Me for Weather Protocol v0.3.4.4
*** IMPORTANT NOTICE ***
Be cautious when choosing the "special status" selection for selecting the status
assign to contact whose current condition is unavailable. This feature is not
officially support by Miranda and may cause a lot of plugins to crash. Be sure to
backup your profile before you try this feature.
File Content
Features
Latest Changes
Files Included
System Requirement
Installation
Frequently Asked Questions
License
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 0.3.4.4 2004/12/28
- Load window list correctly, fix problem with brief info and edit dlg not showing
- Some internal changes with new service functions
Version 0.3.4.3 2004/12/26
- Minor change in INI loading
Version 0.3.4.2 Beta 2004/12/16
- Bug fix: Miranda cannot quit after forkthread is used
- Bug fix: The unit % does not work anymore
- Bug fix: No longer crash when the link settings is not set
- Update the weather ini download link to the new location
Version 0.3.4.1 Beta 2004/12/09
- ESC now works in weather dialogs
- More changes to forkthread
- Document updated: weather-translation, sample_ini
Version 0.3.4.0 Beta 2004/11/21
- Change the threading to forkthread
- New option: Custom status when condition is unavailable
- New option: Convert day/month string into 2 char or 3 char format
- Some internal changes
- Minor change in ini format
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 INI file
- Weather icons (Optional)
Numerous choices available in icon downloads.
- PopUp plugin by Hrk or PopUpPlus plugin by zazoo (Optional)
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.
4. In icon option, customize the weather icon or use the default one in the dll
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
Setting Up Weather Protocol
For installation, follow the steps describe in the installation section of the readme.
Q1-1. Weather Protocol does not do anything after I installed it, and it
cannot go online.
A. You need to add a new station before you can go online.
Q1-2. 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.
Q1-3. 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.
Q1-4. 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 #] or %[FD#] where # is the day you
want the forecast for. See the readme supplied 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. Automatic update of
weather condition can be disabled through menu and option page.
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. You can disable this function in option page.
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 the source of weather info is in a language other than English, please check the
INI package for instruction of how to install language pack. If the source is in
English, notify me.
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", post a message on the Miranda IM forum (preferably the "Weather 3"
thread), or e-mail me at noname2@users.sourceforge.net.
License
This plugin is released under GPL.