posted
I have written a small Windows program that pulls your latitude and longitude from the registry and updates your position on the user map here on this site. It is available for download by clicking on this link.
It's quite easy to use; just save it to your desktop (or elsewhere) from the link above, and double-click it to run. Click the Retrieve button to load your position, then the Submit button to update the map.
A few notes:
To retrieve the lat/lon, it must be run on the computer where you run the dish positioner software. If you only have one computer, that's it; if you run clients and a server, this means the server computer.
It uses the cookies set by Internet Explorer for this forum to identify you to the map. If your server computer is not also your browsing computer (or you don't use IE), simply log into this forum once from IE on your server. This should set the cookie and enable the Locator.
If you don't want the map to show your precise location, check the Approximate box in the Locator to randomly move you by 5-10 miles.
One more important note: The current DataStorm software has a bug whereby it doesn't always write your location to the registry. The best workaround for this seems to be to use Windows' Services console to shut down DSServer, rather than Task Manager. Here's how to set up a shortcut to do so:
Open your Control Panel
Open the Administrative Tools section
Right-click on Services and select Copy
Right-click on your desktop, and select Paste
Any comments on the Locator, please feel free to post them here!
posted
Several of us have beta tested this thing, and it really is very easy to use. If the registry lat/long were perfect this thing would be foolproof. I can update my position in about 3 seconds without opening a browser - click on the program, click retrieve, click submit. The 3 seconds are mostly spent making sure the lat/long are correct. It will accept manual entry of the lat/long also, if the registry is wrong.
It even counts down 30 seconds for you, and you can open a browser to the map directly from the program.
I have a problem. I downloaded your new utility. It is neat. However, when I opened it up and hit retreive, it pulled up funny numbers. So I pulled up Administrator (it was running the entire time, along with the positioner) and compared. The utility pulled up the data from Tampa. To be sure, I told your utility to update - sure enough it put me back on my lot at Lazy Days.
Comments?
Don Smucker
Posts: 111 | From: San Angelo, Texas and mobile | Registered: May 2003
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This probably has to do with Datastorm not updating your location in the registry. You can check the registry by going toStart Menu --> Run --> regedit --> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE --> Software --> MotoSAT --> Satellite locator and see what values are set for lat & long.
Here is what Sterling sez about the issue:
The current DataStorm software has a bug whereby it doesn't always write your location to the registry. The best workaround for this seems to be to use Windows' Services console to shut down DSServer, rather than Task Manager. Here's how to set up a shortcut to do so:
Open your Control Panel Open the Administrative Tools section Right-click on Services and select Copy Right-click on your desktop, and select Paste
You missed my point. My understanding is that if the administrator is closed, then the issue is did it write the latest info to the register. But I purposely left my administrator running, with the current data in it. Prior to that, to cover Sterling's issue, I had closed Dsserver by Sterling's method, so my register should have been updated, either by closing dsserver with administrative services, or because dsserver was still open (I reopened it). Then I got the utility, and then it entered the old data.
My point is that Serlings's utility is great. But if there is a data error, it needs to be fixed.
Don S.
Posts: 111 | From: San Angelo, Texas and mobile | Registered: May 2003
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posted
My testing indicates that the only time that Datastorm writes lat/long to the registry is when the DSServer is closing. That is not the way Ed thought it worked, and I don't think it should work that way - it should write after any successful pointing. Hopefully that will be addressed in a future Datastorm release. Leaving the Administrator running has no effect on Sterling's app, but perhaps it should.
Sterling, what about first checking to see if the Administrator is running, and pulling the lat/long from it if it is, then going to the registry as second choice?
posted
I have found that shutting down DSServer from the Services console is the only reliable way of making it write the lat/lon to the registry. It will occasionally do it by itself at other times, but not with any pattern I can discern.
I have never seen DSServer fail to update the registry when "asked" to shut down from Services, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. The registry updating is pretty flaky, so nothing would surprise me at this point about it.
This is why I have separate Retrieve and Submit buttons - to allow the user to verify (and, if necessary, correct) the lat/lon before submitting it. If it were reliable, one button would suffice. Hopefully we can move to this at some point.
quote:Originally posted by DonB: Sterling, what about first checking to see if the Administrator is running, and pulling the lat/long from it if it is, then going to the registry as second choice?
posted
Originally posted by Sterling Udell: I have never seen DSServer fail to update the registry when "asked" to shut down from Services, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. The registry updating is pretty flaky, so nothing would surprise me at this point about it.
I have never seen it fail when it does shut down from services. I have seen it fail to shut down from services, with the only thing I could do at that point being to crash it.
quote:Originally posted by DonB: Sterling, what about first checking to see if the Administrator is running, and pulling the lat/long from it if it is, then going to the registry as second choice?
I'd love to. How?
Enumerate the toplevel windows, looking for one with a caption starting with "MotoSAT DataStorm Administrator" and if it exists then enumerate the child windows of that one. Look first for one titled "GPS Longitude" and the next immediately following window will be the value. Look next for "GPS Latitude" and the next immediately following will be the value. The window list does not follow the order in which they are displayed, so latitude actually comes after longitude.
I haven't looked at what you are programming in, but I can supply VB source code to do that.
posted
Silly me, I was thinking you had the inside track on DLL calls or something... hadn't even considered screen-scraping.
I'll get right on it. Might be a little while, we have a lot of driving to do in the next couple of days - not to mention work - but it's certainly doable.
It first looks to see if the DataStorm Administrator application is open, and if it is, gets the lat/lon from there. This seems to be pretty close to foolproof, if DSAdmin is open and its GPS is locked on.
If it's not open, the Locator looks for the lat/lon settings that DSServer is supposed to write to the registry. "Supposed to" is the operative phrase here - see notes above about shutting down DSServer from Windows' Services console, not from ctrl-alt-del.
I have also added a link to MapQuest which should allow you to verify your location before submitting.
As usual, feel free to post any questions or issues here. And my thanks go out to the folks who have beta tested these releases.
Don, maybe we should have an Article posted here about the map and this program?
posted
Originally posted by Sterling Udell: Don, maybe we should have an Article posted here about the map and this program?
Yes. I will also put up a copy on this site for download. I'm still adding things (see one of the other active threads), so I will wait a bit before doing the article.
posted
There is now an article (in the articles section, click the logo above left to go to the main DatastormUsers.com page) about the map and how to use it.
posted
I have just put another release of the Locator program out for download, from the same location as before. Only change is the addition of a Minimize button.
Don, if you'd like to put a copy for download here that's fine, otherwise I don't mind hosting it where it is.
quote:Originally posted by DonB: There is now an article (in the articles section, click the logo above left to go to the main DatastormUsers.com page) about the map and how to use it.
DonB,
With the latest Beta version of Opera 7.50 the map functions perfectly, including updating and logging in. No more IE cookie issues.
The new version can be downloaded here, still in Beta, be sure to install in a separate directory from any existing copy of Opera you may have on your computer.
posted
George, I have been playing with Opera (7.5 and 7.23) for the last few days. I cannot find that it does anything better or faster than IE. What is your reasoning for Opera and what are the advantages that I am missing?
-------------------- Bill Adams Winegard Company Posts: 15695 | From: Traveling the Western US | Registered: May 2003
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