Trixology

WeatherCat => WeatherCat Releases => Topic started by: Administrator on October 24, 2013, 05:39:10 PM

Title: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Administrator on October 24, 2013, 05:39:10 PM
We are very pleased to announce the release and immediate availability of WeatherCat version 1.2.3.

A few customers were seeing high CPU usage on Mac OS X 10.9 - this update fixes the issue.

[Edit: This build has been updated to build 16 to fix an issue with years with commas in stats - if you have build 14 please download again to get build 16]


Requirements
Mac OS X 10.6.8 or later (Intel only)
An older release that supports PowerPC machines is available to download from our WeatherCat page: http://trixology.com/weathercat/


Download:
http://data.trixology.com/downloads/WeatherCat.zip (19.0MB, build 16)

SDK
A software development kit is also available for WeatherCat, documentation and example project included (Xcode 4)): http://data.trixology.com/downloads/WeatherCatSDK120.zip
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: JosBaz on October 24, 2013, 07:16:48 PM
Thanks Stu.

Up and running on my 2012 Mac Mini with 10.9.

Checked the CPU usage with 1.2.2 and it was in the 40%-50% range often. Guess that was a bit 'high'...  ???
Anyway, now it is around 2% with peaks into the 20's while updating.

Regards,

Jos
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on October 25, 2013, 10:05:43 PM
Good to know  [tup]

V1.2.3 is an important update for Mavericks users - tell your friends, spread the word!

Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on October 26, 2013, 01:54:18 PM
The build has been updated to fix a build issue. If you have build 14, please download again to update to build 16.

http://data.trixology.com/downloads/WeatherCat.zip (http://data.trixology.com/downloads/WeatherCat.zip) (19.0MB, build 16)
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: JosBaz on October 26, 2013, 03:25:44 PM
I was just troubleshooting an issue where the Pressure gauge (Live weather using SteelSeries Gauges) was not updating properly. Instead of showing the actual measured value, it was stuck at 950hPa (see screenshot).

Installing Build 16 seems to have resolved it. Could that be the case?  [interesting]

Jos
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on October 26, 2013, 04:14:33 PM
I wouldn't have thought so, the issue was with the app meta-data which tells the OS stuff about the app (which is why the OS was formatting numbers differently). There were no code changes between the builds.

[Edit - thinking about it, it could have been actually. Build 14 affected number formatting so it may be the gauges script was seeing data in a format it wasn't expecting]

Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Tailspin45 on October 26, 2013, 09:55:50 PM
WeatherCat log isn't showing any issues, but Console shows almost continuous stream of problems similar to this:

Code: [Select]
10/26/13 1:40:06.006 PM WeatherCat[265]: AppleEvents/sandbox: Returning errAEPrivilegeError/-10004 and denying dispatch of event misc/curd from process 'osascript'/0x0-0x8e08e, pid=1154, because it is not entitled to send an AppleEvent to this process.
And WeatherCat is chewing up 10-20% of CPU, but at least it doesn't spit it up as fur balls!
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on October 27, 2013, 02:10:00 PM
WeatherCat log isn't showing any issues, but Console shows almost continuous stream of problems similar to this:

Code: [Select]
10/26/13 1:40:06.006 PM WeatherCat[265]: AppleEvents/sandbox: Returning errAEPrivilegeError/-10004 and denying dispatch of event misc/curd from process 'osascript'/0x0-0x8e08e, pid=1154, because it is not entitled to send an AppleEvent to this process.
And WeatherCat is chewing up 10-20% of CPU, but at least it doesn't spit it up as fur balls!

Apologies for the delay in getting to you - had an early night for the grand prix this morning.

I can't reproduce this here, but it might be you have a copy of build 14 hanging about which is screwing something up (especially as this appears to be Apple event related).

Could you check if you still have a copy of build 14 on your hard-drive and if so, either delete it or zip it up then delete it. Once done,  reboot the machine and check if the problem has gone away.

Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Tailspin45 on October 27, 2013, 03:25:50 PM
Had a half dozen prior releases on drive, so I deleted them and restarted machine. Still getting msg every minute, which is the sample interval I have set (with adaptive checked)

Code: [Select]
10/27/13 8:22:00.434 AM WeatherCat[284]: AppleEvents/sandbox: Returning errAEPrivilegeError/-10004 and denying dispatch of event misc/curd from process 'osascript'/0x0-0x77077, pid=940, because it is not entitled to send an AppleEvent to this process.
10/27/13 8:22:00.443 AM WeatherCat[284]: AppleEvents/sandbox: Returning errAEPrivilegeError/-10004 and denying dispatch of event misc/curd from process 'osascript'/0x0-0x78078, pid=941, because it is not entitled to send an AppleEvent to this process.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on October 27, 2013, 08:02:05 PM
If you change your sample rate, does the frequency of the messages change?

Looking at the log entries they seem to be saying that an apple event is denied dispatch from process 940 and 941 - any idea what those processes are? (Have a look with Activity Monitor to see if you can identify them).
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Tailspin45 on October 27, 2013, 10:03:22 PM
The PID changes with each error report, of course, but the process is always 'osascript'.

Changing the sample rate doesn't change the report interval, must be related to something else.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on October 28, 2013, 06:22:41 PM
Are you running any scripts against WeatherCat - maybe its a permissions issue on one of the scripts?
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: N8NOE on November 10, 2013, 03:49:38 AM
All Seems Fine here, Great work and THANKS for updates Stu and all....
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Tailspin45 on November 12, 2013, 12:05:45 AM
Just had time to get back to this...and the problem remains. I'm running Saratoga-Weather scripts, so yes, a number of scripts use WCT. Davis USB is plugged directly into my iMac, BTW.

Thoughts?
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Tailspin45 on November 15, 2013, 03:46:35 PM
Apparently the problem is that WeatherCat is making an illegal request to the Unix 'curd' process and Apple sandboxing system is blocking it.

You need to add an entry to the entitlements file bundle to allow the Apple event with 'System Events'.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: hanspost on November 20, 2013, 02:39:12 PM
I have problems with FTP upload since version 1.2.2
This update doesn't solve the problem.
When testing the FTP connection Weathercat hangs at validating the url. Nothing has changed there!
Any options?
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Tailspin45 on November 20, 2013, 02:44:42 PM
There is something funky about FTP...at least for me. My guess is WeatherCat will send a file using FTP if the address and login are correct.

For example, I have to use ftp://carlsbadwx.com/carlsbadwx.com/ to get it to the right place.

FWIW, some ISPs use different FTP passwords from admin passwords, so be sure you're trying to login with correct one.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: hanspost on November 21, 2013, 01:55:43 PM
My FTP settings haven't changed, so that can't be the problem. When I test the FTP settings Weathercat doesn't respond for minutes and after that I get an error: upload timed out. With a separate FTP client I can upload the files manually without any problem!
Before 1.2.2 I didn't have any problems.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Tailspin45 on November 21, 2013, 02:05:54 PM
Are you running 1.2.3 build 16? Do you have more than one copy of WeatherCat anywhere on your system?

There was a problem with the first release of 1.2.3 (build 14), and when I had a problem it was suggested that I be sure not to have more than one copy.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on November 21, 2013, 04:56:39 PM
Hi Hanspost,

Nothing has changed in the FTP code for a long time, so no changes there. Weird stuff can sometimes be caused by a corrupt preferences file - you can try quitting WeatherCat, renaming your existing preferences file, rebooting the machine then launching WeatherCat and set it back up (when you rename or delete the preferences file, all settings revert back to defaults).

You can find the preferences file at ~/Library/Preferences/com.trixology.weathercat.plist (where ~ is your home directory).

You may find your Library folder is hidden and you can't find it in your home folder If it is, you can make it visible again via the following terminal command:
chflags nohidden ~/Library/

Another way to go to this folder is to hold down the Option key while clicking on the Go menu in the Finder and selecting the 'Library' menu item.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: hanspost on November 23, 2013, 02:00:39 PM
Thanks,
but in my preference map there is no such file as com.trixology.weathercat.plist.
It is full of other files and it is not a hidden map.
My WeatherCat version is: Version 1,23 Build 16 (1.2.3)
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Blicj11 on November 23, 2013, 05:06:57 PM
Quote
in my preference map there is no such file as com.trixology.weathercat.plist

We don't know what version of of OS X you are running and I'm not sure to what you are referring with the term preference map.

However, as Stu stated, this is how you find the WeatherCat plist file, assuming you are running Lion or higher:


If you are running Snow Leopard, the Library is already visible in Finder.

Hope this helps you find the plist.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: hanspost on November 24, 2013, 11:39:02 AM
Ok,
I've found the file and moved com.trixology.weathercat.plist to another location.
Then, I've started Weathercat again, but all my preferences are still there! The com.trixology.weathercat.plist file is created again.

Also, the FTP problem still exists. When I try to test my FTP settings Weathercat waits a long time and then a time-out error appears. Manually I have no problems at all to upload the file through FTP.
My iMac works with the latest OSX.

The problems started at November 3rd with version 1.2.2.
Very strange that nothing has changed in the software, because I haven't changed anything in my FTP or Mac settings.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Blicj11 on November 24, 2013, 03:07:51 PM
Quote
all my preferences are still there! The com.trixology.weathercat.plist file is created again.

That is exactly what is supposed to happen. OS X creates a brand new replacement file to replace your old one. The purpose of all this is to make sure that you do not have a corrupted preferences file. So now you have proven that the plist file is not causing your problem. Don't forget to go back to where your moved your old plist file and delete your old plist file. Keep the new one.

Now that you have told us you are running Mavericks (10.9) on your iMac, the next thing to try, is to follow the directions posted by Stu yesterday, which should do the trick. This FTP issue appears to be caused by a change Apple made in Mavericks, not a change in WeatherCat. Stu posted a solution here:

http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=1028.0

Please try it and let us know.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: hanspost on November 24, 2013, 03:41:14 PM
Ok,
I've modified the Weathercat file, but the problem still exists.
"Checking url is valid" for 3 minutes and then a time out error.
I've also disabled the firewall, but no results. This is driving me crazy!
Maybe a complete new installation of the Weathercat software?
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Blicj11 on November 24, 2013, 03:51:44 PM
Have you tried shutting WeatherCat down and restarting it since you turned off AppNap?
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: hanspost on November 24, 2013, 04:01:52 PM
Yes I did.
Still the FTP upload time out error.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Blicj11 on November 24, 2013, 04:10:36 PM
Ok, I suggest you switch this topic to a more appropriate thread. This thread is not a good place to post about this issue.

Go here, read through it to make sure this is the same issue you have and post a summary of your troubles and what you have tried so far.

http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=1016.0
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on November 24, 2013, 05:00:47 PM
Hello Hanspost,
If you're running 10.9, you need to reboot your machine after removing the preferences file - from my previous post:

'Nothing has changed in the FTP code for a long time, so no changes there. Weird stuff can sometimes be caused by a corrupt preferences file - you can try quitting WeatherCat, renaming your existing preferences file, rebooting the machine then launching WeatherCat and set it back up (when you rename or delete the preferences file, all settings revert back to defaults).'

WeatherCat uses the OS to talk to FTP servers (via CURL), it doesn't actually deal with the FTPing of the file - it passes the parameters and waits for the result. Most of the parameters are stored in the preferences file, you passwords are stored in the keychain, so if you still have the problem after clearing the preferences, check your keychain for issues with WeatherCat FTP passwords.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: hanspost on November 25, 2013, 08:59:30 AM
Hello,
I've removed the file, rebooted my mac and then filled in all the preferences again.
Still FTP is not working. When I setup my FTP details and push "test" I get a FTP error after a few minutes (screenshot attached).
When I look in my WeatherCat Log file I can see that the proces op FTP uploading is starting (screenshot attached).

Do I have to leave this topic and create another one? I'm not sure if the topic mentioned before is exactly my problem.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: wurzelmac on November 25, 2013, 09:31:21 AM
http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=1028.msg8930#msg8930

http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=1016.msg8934#msg8934

Hello hanspost,
maybe your problem is the one described in the above posts. If so, do the following:
Quit WeatherCat > go to WeatherCat in your applications folder > right click (or ctrl-click) the WeatherCat program icon > Get Info > tick App Nap deactivate > restart WeatherCat. Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Reinhard
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: hanspost on November 25, 2013, 10:08:50 AM
Yes,
I've seen those topics, but it doesn't work for me.
I've created a new map on my server, just in case, but this also doesn't solve it.
Manually upload with FTP no problem, but from WeatherCat it just doesn't work.
Title: Probably a problem with your web host. (Re: WeatherCat 1.2.3)
Post by: elagache on November 25, 2013, 10:02:00 PM
Dear hanspost and WeatherCat fans,

I've removed the file, rebooted my mac and then filled in all the preferences again.
Still FTP is not working. When I setup my FTP details and push "test" I get a FTP error after a few minutes (screenshot attached).
When I look in my WeatherCat Log file I can see that the proces op FTP uploading is starting (screenshot attached).

The error that you are getting in the WeatherCat test dialog is that your web host isn't responding.  If indeed you have entered the settings correctly, then the problem is that your web hosting provider is unable to provide you with good enough quality service.  There is nothing that WeatherCat can do if the FTP server doesn't respond in a timely manner.

Your second screenshot suggests that some files are getting processed, but that the rate of uploads is slower than WeatherCat requires to update your weather website in a timely fashion.  Once more you need to check into why your web hosting provider isn't able to accept the files quickly enough.  It could be the case that your Internet connection is too slow, otherwise I think you need to contact whoever has provided you with web hosting space.

Do I have to leave this topic and create another one? I'm not sure if the topic mentioned before is exactly my problem.

I don't think there is much more the forum can do for you.  The problem doesn't have anything to do with WeatherCat at least as you have described it.  If you learn of something new that we can help you with, then yes the correct thing to do is to create a new thread in this topic:

http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?board=13.0 (http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?board=13.0)

Hope you can indeed find out what the problem is and getting your web pages uploading reliably.

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: hanspost on November 27, 2013, 07:59:07 AM
Thanks for the reply.
I don't think that the hosting is the problem. Manual FTP with Filezilla goes very quick and smoothly. I have a 150 mb connection and 10 mb upload, so that can't be the problem either.
I've also tried to upload to another website at another hosting company, but again exactly the same problem!

The log files show that some file are processed, but not 1 file reaches the other site.

This is driving me nuts!
I am thinking about a complete clean installation of Weathercat. I hope that I can find an description of how to do that on the support forum. Another option is to go back to version 1.2.1 and see if the problem is solved, but I don't know if that's possible.
Title: PASV FTP setting? (Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3)
Post by: elagache on November 27, 2013, 10:26:56 PM
Dear Hanspost and WeatherCat fans,

I don't think that the hosting is the problem. Manual FTP with Filezilla goes very quick and smoothly. I have a 150 mb connection and 10 mb upload, so that can't be the problem either.
I've also tried to upload to another website at another hosting company, but again exactly the same problem!

Well, that your FTP client can work with these services doesn't mean that WeatherCat can work with them.

I just remembered a problem that people have had with trying to upload using WeatherCat.  There are two versions of the FTP protocol: active and passive.  There is a nice description of the difference here:

http://slacksite.com/other/ftp.html (http://slacksite.com/other/ftp.html)

I don't remember for sure, but I thought WeatherCat used only passive FTP.  We would need Stuart Ball (the WeatherCat developer) to confirm one way or the other.

If the services that you are using don't support the version of FTP that WeatherCat uses, that would produce exactly the symptoms you describe.

You should be able to adjust the settings of your FTP client to be able to determine which FTP version it is using.  If you can confirm that your web hosting provider doesn't support the version of FTP that WeatherCat uses, perhaps you can find out why from them.

This is driving me nuts!
I am thinking about a complete clean installation of Weathercat. I hope that I can find an description of how to do that on the support forum. Another option is to go back to version 1.2.1 and see if the problem is solved, but I don't know if that's possible.

You could try downgrading, but I suspect you won't see any difference.  As Stu reported the FTP code hasn't changed since probably the initial release.

I also think that doing a clean install would be a complete waste of time.  You wouldn't be changing anything.

Sorry that I cannot be of more help, but I suspect your real problem is a change in the FTP protocol perhaps driven by recent security concerns.

Hope this information will help you troubleshoot the problem.

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: JosBaz on November 27, 2013, 11:28:42 PM
Before you do a clean install, I would recommend trying 'repair disk permissions' through Disk Utilities. I've seen that fix strange problems in the past, and it's a 2 minute thing.

Worth a try.

Jos
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on November 27, 2013, 11:54:52 PM
Hello Hanspost,

From the log you posted (http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=976.msg8945#msg8945) it looks as if the files are uploading with no errors. If you're using CPanel on your FTP server end, the files will be uploaded to the directory specified for that FTP user by default. If that's the case then you only need the top level of the FTP URL to upload - i.e., ftp://myserver.com - the FTP server will direct the uploads to the correct directory for that FTP user. Check in the FTP user directory if that's the case.

With regards to FTP modes, WeatherCat uses PASV transfer mode to avoid problems with firewalls - this appears to be working fine from your log.

One other possibility is auto lockout on your FTP server end if it's seeing you as a DOS attack (too frequent upload rate).



 
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Tailspin45 on November 28, 2013, 02:53:47 PM
Yep, I even managed to lock myself out.

After a recent hack I changed FTP password but forgot to change WeatherCat. So it merrily tried to login with wrong password, over and over and over and over and ov...well you get the idea. My security software saw that as bogus login attempt and simply blocked my IP address.

Had to use iPhone and its IP address through LGE to let myself back in.

In my case the block was set up as a CRON job, so if you have access to CRON through Apple's Terminal app you can see if that's your problem (assuming they do it the same way as my host.)

But whoever said it earlier was right: All this has nothing to do with the 1.23 release and the thread really should be carried on elsewhere. It's kinda like the folks that give an Amazon product a one star rating because the post office delivered it slow. Has nothing to do with the product.
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: Randall75 on November 28, 2013, 03:07:15 PM
Hi Hanspost
 Yeah passwords can be something else at times  I just changes IPS and now going to all my services to change email addresses and passwords aren't fun glad you got it sorted


cheers


 [cheers1]
Title: Problems dropping connections since WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Installed
Post by: schwab on November 29, 2013, 08:16:11 PM
My WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Build 16 (1.2.3) is running on OSX Mavericks 10.9

The new version has decreased the CPU time

However, since upgrading I have a new problem

Weathercat is regularly losing its connection to my home network.

Previous versions never lost their connection with my home network

Thanks for any suggestions....

Title: Try disabling AppNap. (Re: Problems dropping connections)
Post by: elagache on November 29, 2013, 09:46:59 PM
Dear schwab and WeatherCat fans,

My WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Build 16 (1.2.3) is running on OSX Mavericks 10.9

The new version has decreased the CPU time

However, since upgrading I have a new problem

Weathercat is regularly losing its connection to my home network.

Previous versions never lost their connection with my home network

Thanks for any suggestions....

I'll bet you it is related to this new feature of Mavericks: AppNap.  WeatherCat doesn't work very well when it's processing time is reduced.  Try switching off AppNap.  According to Stu, AppNap can be switched off by getting info. on WeatherCat in the Finder and ticking the 'Disable AppNap' checkbox.

You can read more about this here:

http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=1028.msg8930#msg8930 (http://athena.trixology.com/index.php?topic=1028.msg8930#msg8930)

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]
Title: Enabling "Prevent AppNap" Did Not Resolve The Dropped Connection
Post by: schwab on November 30, 2013, 01:04:46 PM
Enabling Weathercat's (Version 1.2.3 Build 16) "Prevent AppNap" in 10.9 (13A603) Mavericks did not resolve the Dropping Connection Problem
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on November 30, 2013, 05:25:54 PM
Hi scwab,
Can you expand on 'losing connection to my home network' a little please - I don't quite understand what your seeing.

There haven't been any changes apart from fixing the heavy processing issue on 10.9, which wasn't related to any networking code. Did you change anything else on the machine at the same time - OS upgrade etc.

Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: hanspost on December 01, 2013, 10:46:08 AM
I will open an new topic for my problems, because it hasn't been solved yet. Today I tried my 3rd hosting company and again the same problems: time out while testing the url. I am pretty sure that it has nothing to do with my hosting providers. That leaves 2 possibilities: WeatherCat or my local iMac. I will focus on that. In the meanwhile I want to make sure that it is not caused by the current version of weathercat. Wheren can I download 1.2.1? That was my last stable version.
Title: May also require "Prevent AppNap" for any VPN/Remote Access Program
Post by: schwab on December 01, 2013, 08:20:26 PM
Since also checking "Prevent AppNap" for my VPN Remote Access Program my WeatherCat 1.2.3 Build 16 seems to now have a solid long-term connection.



Enabling Weathercat's (Version 1.2.3 Build 16) "Prevent AppNap" in 10.9 (13A603) Mavericks did not resolve the Dropping Connection Problem
Title: Re: WeatherCat Version 1.2.3 Released
Post by: WCDev on December 01, 2013, 10:18:07 PM
Thanks for posting back, glad you got it sorted.