Release [Explorer's Application] Captain's Log

[Dante_C]

The first error looks like a badly formatted AppConfig.xml file.

The second error is not being able to write or create a database.

I suggest browsing to %LOCALAPPDATA% in windows explorer, then rename the existing CaptainsLog folder, and running/configuring CL. This will start with a clean setup. You can then move your existing DB files from the old folder to the new one.

Regards

p.s. Broken collar bone >.< I've had that 3 times now, twice when I was much younger and once a few years ago in Japan when I was snowboarding. All 3 times the same bloomin' left collarbone.

Ouch. >.<

It's back playing nice again, thanks Genar. Moved back my backed-up databases from Distant Worlds and it's all loaded correctly.

Both of mine have been cycling related, one training (2012) and one racing (last month) and both have involved surgery/metalwork!

 

[GoldenFowks]

Don't know if anyone else is having this issue. But i recently downloaded CL and setup exactly as listed on the download site. And no matter what i do i cannot get it to track any of my jumps at all. i have deleted it and the game and reinstalled it all and still no luck. Any help would be greatly received as i am trying to get his running before i head back out to the core. thanks All !!

 

[GoldenFowks]

ok so to add to my prev. statement. I have got it tracking what system i am currently in, and keeping track of the total planet count under stats, But it is just not displaying the jumps as it should in the list on the left hand side. Any ideas ??

 

[Jermus]

ok so to add to my prev. statement. I have got it tracking what system i am currently in, and keeping track of the total planet count under stats, But it is just not displaying the jumps as it should in the list on the left hand side. Any ideas ??

In the AppConfig.xml (in your Elite : Dangerous install folder) the network section should look like this:
<AppConfig>
<Network
Port="0"
upnpenabled="0"
LogFile="netLog"
DatestampLog="1"
RelayViaServer="1"
VerboseLogging="1">
</Network>
</AppConfig>

You can also store the above in a file called AppConfigLocal.xml, that way it won't be overwritten / reset upon program updates.

The line that is important is the "VerboseLogging="1", as without this line CL will not be able to detect the jumps. Oh, and did you configure CL to look in the proper directory for the log files? This can be done under:

"configure" button at the top of the screen -> "Misc Options" button at the top of the screen -> "Reconfigure ED/CL Directories" button.

Hope this helps,
CMDR Jermus

 

[GoldenFowks]

i have reinstalled the CL software since my last message again. Setup everything again the same way as before and it seems to work this time. Im just wondering if there was some sort of glitch in the previous install before?

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

Hi I think a number of things hit you.

The "not tracking your jumps" thing was probably that you hadn't let the change Captain's Log makes to enable verbose logging take effect - you need to start CL, then start the game.

The "no jumps appearing" is an odd glitch which I still need to try and track down. CL is in fact tracking your jumps, but for some reason isn't showing the jump table. A restart of CL shows the table.

It's probably a case of I haven't set the jump table widget to be visible when CL is started for the very first time - in fact as I type this I can picture the exact segment of code which is responsible for this so - haha! - I'll whack that into shape for the next release

Regards

 

[CMDR Texas Stu]

Trying out your app and it's great!
So, of course, I broke it.
I was trying to make another DB and import log files from my 1000 folder.. well, it can't see them. Okay, but now it won't let me do anything. I get an error and the app closes. I managed to get into it and change the dirs and save them but apparently the app was already crashed and did not save them? So I can't change back to the elite dangerous 64 log files. :-(
I even uninstalled it and re-installed it but it remembered (which, normally, is great) my directories.
Oh, yes, and here you go...

ADDED: I did manage to fix it by opening the directories (misc options) THEN closing the error window) THEN saving the directories again. So I'm done with trying to have a separate DB for historical and memorial value. ..at least for now.

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

Trying out your app and it's great!
So, of course, I broke it.
I was trying to make another DB and import log files from my 1000 folder.. well, it can't see them. Okay, but now it won't let me do anything. I get an error and the app closes. I managed to get into it and change the dirs and save them but apparently the app was already crashed and did not save them? So I can't change back to the elite dangerous 64 log files. :-(
I even uninstalled it and re-installed it but it remembered (which, normally, is great) my directories.
Oh, yes, and here you go...
http://i64.tinypic.com/110vcsp.jpg


ADDED: I did manage to fix it by opening the directories (misc options) THEN closing the error window) THEN saving the directories again. So I'm done with trying to have a separate DB for historical and memorial value. ..at least for now.

Hi o7

Glad you like CL

Well where do I start?

Okay so the import function will only slurp netlog files in your currently configured ED folder - so if you'd rightly configured CL to operate on the Horizons folder, that explains why it wouldn't see the netlog files belonging to the other, earlier ED installation. (That's if I understood you correctly).

If something's screwed up with CL, close it and using Windows Explorer browse to %LOCALAPPDATA%\CaptainsLog\ .

In that folder there will be a captainslog.ini file, which is where CL keeps its configuration. You can either edit that with notepad, or simply rename it and when you restart CL it'll be like you first used it - then you can reconfigure it.

Uninstalling CL won't make any difference as you found out, due to the existence of that folder and INI file

If you want to import the netlogs from this "1000" folder, simply (heh) exit CL, rename the existing CaptainsLog folder to something else (say CaptainsLog_BACKUP), then run CL, this time configuring for the logs folder residing in the "1000" folder.

Create a new DB and make that the active one. Highlight that DB and run the import - CL should import into that DB.

When complete, exit CL, and move the <whateveryoucalledit.db> DB file into the renamed folder, delete the new CaptainsLog folder, and rename the _BACKUP folder back to CaptainsLog.

Start CL, and then change to the DB you imported the "1000" netlogs into and you should be golden.

Note that there won't be any planet/star info in thie - it'll just be a list of all the systems you visited when you were playing the earlier version of ED - and even then that's if you had verbose logging activated back then.

Hope that helps - and stop breaking things

Regards o7

 

[CMDR Texas Stu]

VERY helpful! Thank you
As to not breaking things... no promises ;-)

I was honk-jumping out towards the core and had to stop to tell you GREAT JOB!

 

[newman1702]

Purely suggestions, here, after an extended use of CL all through distant worlds. The database is now approaching 6,000 systems so a few suggestions come to mind.

The first and more important one, loading up large databases takes a long time, even from an SSD. May I suggest some kind of a default limit of systems loaded when the program is first run, with options from within the app to load up the rest of the database (perhaps last week / month / all, but it loads up the last 500 systems by default?)

The other one is more of a convenience thing. Brown dwarves. What do you do with them? Star wannabes. Not exactly gas giants. Not exactly stars. Sometimes they're a system's primary, sometimes they act like yet another planet in a system. It would be handy if they were listed both as a star type and as a planet - that way if the system's brown dwarf acts as planet #7, when I add it it's added as planet 7 and not as a star, so I don't have a gap between planets 6 and 8.. if that makes sense. No big deal without it, just thought it'd make things nicer to manage.

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

Purely suggestions, here, after an extended use of CL all through distant worlds. The database is now approaching 6,000 systems so a few suggestions come to mind.

The first and more important one, loading up large databases takes a long time, even from an SSD. May I suggest some kind of a default limit of systems loaded when the program is first run, with options from within the app to load up the rest of the database (perhaps last week / month / all, but it loads up the last 500 systems by default?)

The other one is more of a convenience thing. Brown dwarves. What do you do with them? Star wannabes. Not exactly gas giants. Not exactly stars. Sometimes they're a system's primary, sometimes they act like yet another planet in a system. It would be handy if they were listed both as a star type and as a planet - that way if the system's brown dwarf acts as planet #7, when I add it it's added as planet 7 and not as a star, so I don't have a gap between planets 6 and 8.. if that makes sense. No big deal without it, just thought it'd make things nicer to manage.

Hi thar!

Okay so on the long loading times front - I am at this very moment solving this problem. Case in point:

I am now changing the way a database loads - text-only stuff first and foremost, so a couple of phases of the loading process...

1) Load jump date, time, system name.

2) Background process load and generation of the stars recorded for each jump

3) Background process for system and jump notes processing.

Step 1 is now complete as of yesterday. I tested this on a populated database of 4904 jumps and compared the OLD (current) method to the NEW method, and the results:

OLD method loading : 1 minute and 14 seconds

NEW method loading : 7 seconds

So a small improvement there

I am now working on the second phase. Threading is a tricky thing to get right, but I'm certain I can get this done nicely.

This work should mean that CL can get up and running and ready to accept new data much more quickly, whilst processing current data in the background.

As to the Brown dwarfs, I do see your point -but they're classed as stars in-game and I've been sticking to the in-game classifications from the start. I'll add this to The List, but it's pretty much at the bottom of the pile

Regards

 

[newman1702]

Hi thar!

Okay so on the long loading times front - I am at this very moment solving this problem. Case in point:

I am now changing the way a database loads - text-only stuff first and foremost, so a couple of phases of the loading process...

1) Load jump date, time, system name.

2) Background process load and generation of the stars recorded for each jump

3) Background process for system and jump notes processing.

Step 1 is now complete as of yesterday. I tested this on a populated database of 4904 jumps and compared the OLD (current) method to the NEW method, and the results:

OLD method loading : 1 minute and 14 seconds

NEW method loading : 7 seconds

So a small improvement there

I am now working on the second phase. Threading is a tricky thing to get right, but I'm certain I can get this done nicely.

This work should mean that CL can get up and running and ready to accept new data much more quickly, whilst processing current data in the background.

As to the Brown dwarfs, I do see your point -but they're classed as stars in-game and I've been sticking to the in-game classifications from the start. I'll add this to The List, but it's pretty much at the bottom of the pile

Regards

Fair enough, I mostly care about loading times anyway, the brown dwarf thing is more of a not-that-important convenience item, but as for loading times, so looking forward to that! Can't wait for the next version

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

Fair enough, I mostly care about loading times anyway, the brown dwarf thing is more of a not-that-important convenience item, but as for loading times, so looking forward to that! Can't wait for the next version

I may produce a "next version WIP" package as I go along to give people a preview of the progress. It won't have all the things completed in it, but it would include various bugfixes and enhancements and if you can live without star icons or notes summaries in this WIP version then I will produce the package.

Regards

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

Captain's Log 1.4.0 WIP (Work In Progress) Build 201604301212 Available to Try

I've made available a WIP build of Captain's Log. It's as fully functional as the current Stable 1.3.x versions but has bugfixes, improvements, and enhancements.

Download link is on the Captain's Log page, under the WIP download folder.

The main change is that CL should now load up and become operational much, much faster, and will load the star icons and statistics in background threads.

Another main thing is the window size has been reduced to fit into a 1366x768 laptop screen, which should make one or two people happy

Yet another main thing is the Overlay Mode window can now be repositioned and that position is saved.

Move the Overlay Window by dragging the current database label located on the lower left corner of the CL window.

(And yes, I've spelt "Formidine" wrong )

Changelogs for this current build...

Configuration Manager
-------------------------
- ENHANCEMENT : Added a logging console window which should catch bugs and exception messages (instead of the unwieldly and terrifying crash windows) <---- disabled in this build because I want to see any crash reports - currently debating this feature anyway.
- BUGFIX : Importing notes from EDD wasn't working anymore - this should now work as intended.
- ENHANCEMENT/BUGFIX : Made the creation of the default values database more robust. Recreating the DB Values database actually works now, also.
- ENHANCEMENT/BUGFIX : Made connecting to Imgur (access checker) more robust - connection errors or socket erros logged to the logging console instead of bringing up a crash window.
- NEW : Deduplication facility available for those who have tried to import all netlogs to an existing and populated DB


Main
-----
- ENHANCEMENT : Database loading method changed; Initial loading is MUCH faster. Star icons then loaded in a background thread/process.
- ENHANCEMENT: Added a check for a badly formatted AppConfig.xml file
- ENHANCEMENT : Overlay Mode window can now be positioned. Position is saved.
- COSMETIC : made various borders thinner - improves appearance somewhat.
- COSMETIC : made windows smaller to fit smaller screen resolutions.
- MISC : Ensure star icon generation thread is cleanly stopped if Quit or window close is selected during running loading.


Ongoing Work
----------------
Lots and lots and lots!

 

[Dr Who]

Another main thing is the window size has been reduced to fit into a 1366x768 laptop screen, which should make one or two people happy

AWESOME...thank you very much for this...I LOVE THIS APP.

 

[foxpur]

I have fried upgrading to the WIP version to fix a issue that started after the last ED Update...
When I open the Captain's Log... Elite crashed, and that is 100%
Ideas?

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

I have fried upgrading to the WIP version to fix a issue that started after the last ED Update...
When I open the Captain's Log... Elite crashed, and that is 100%
Ideas?

Nope.

It is not possible for CL to directly cause anything else to crash.

The problem lies elsewhere.

 

[Blairvoyach]

If I start CL when I am on my BT line, it loads OK but if there is a breeze the connection is dodgy at best and I have to use our satellite broadband. When I start CL on that it errors out 9 times out of 10 and I have to start it multiple times before it will start up. I presume it is doing some sort of update check and errors out when it can't connect? Any chance this check could be made optional (if that is what is triggering it, I'm naff at programming) or a longer timeout, satellite is fast but has an intrinsic delay of around .5 second before a response.

 

[Genar-Hofoen]

If I start CL when I am on my BT line, it loads OK but if there is a breeze the connection is dodgy at best and I have to use our satellite broadband. When I start CL on that it errors out 9 times out of 10 and I have to start it multiple times before it will start up. I presume it is doing some sort of update check and errors out when it can't connect? Any chance this check could be made optional (if that is what is triggering it, I'm naff at programming) or a longer timeout, satellite is fast but has an intrinsic delay of around .5 second before a response.

If you read the documentation (*wink*) you would see that there is an option to disable checking for updates.

It's in the configuration manager, under the Miscellaneous tab.

Regards.

 

[foxpur]

This is so weird... but reinstalling ED and CL and seeing what happens.