Monthly log files: Difference between revisions
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[[Category:Cumulus Files]]Please see [[Standard log files]], [[Extra Sensor Files]], [[Air_Link_Log.txt]], [[Month.ini]], or [[Monthlyalltime.ini]], as relevant. |
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= Introduction = |
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Please be aware that all of the above links lead to documentation about files that may be described as ''monthly log files'' when reading individual Cumulus forum and wiki references. |
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This article is about the log file that contains the values at whatever interval you have set for Cumulus to keep detailed logging. The main files are automatically created with names in the form <Month><Year>log.txt (for example, the file for August 2009 is often called <tt>Aug09log.txt</tt>), but the month can be in another language or a different abbreviation depending on your locale; an entry is made to the current month's file every ''ten'' (default value; you can change this on the station settings screen) minutes, recording the current sensor values. The file is in comma-separated format with one line per entry. Being comma separated does not mean the fields in this log are always separated by commas, they might use semi-colon (;) for example. |
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==Potential Name Confusion== |
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See [[speciallog.txt]] for the equivalent log file for detailed logging of internal temperature and humidity. |
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Those who used early versions of Cumulus will remember that the term '''Log File''' was originally used for [[Log.xml]], but Steve Loft later accepted that all the files with a [[:Category:Ini Files|.ini]] file extension could be described as log files, so he introduced the term [[Weather Diary]]. A bit later, [[Standard log files| the detailed data file]], began to be also called '''log files''', and the confusion grew. When [[Extra Sensor Files]] were added, these also became '''log files'''. The Wiki page now called "Standard Log Files" was first called "Log files", then became "Monthly Log Files" because "Log files" became a category. Then "Extra Sensor Files" were added and "standard log files" replaced "Monthly Log Files" to make it clearer which file held the standard values, and which file held values for extra sensors. |
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= File content = |
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This file has one line added each time the Cumulus timer says the logging interval has passed. All data is logged in the units which which have been selected by the user on the station configuration screen. |
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Steve Loft wrote the Cumulus software mainly for his own use, although after a while he let others use it and added features that others requested. Cumulus was developed in his spare time outside a full-time employment, and consistency and terminology were not issues he worried about. |
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Each line has a number of fields separated by whatever symbol is defined as the list separator on your device, typically a comma (,) or a semi-colon (;). |
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* The various fields are all listed later in this article, but they can be of various types: |
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** Date, this is always the first field, and it always uses a fixed format, ignoring the format defined in your locale. |
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** Time, this always the second field, and is always in the form hh:mm (Cumulus will not be able to understand the file if you edit the time to a format that includes seconds) using the 24 hour clock and local time (system time). However, if you use the feature in MX to upload the equivalent of this file to a database table, the upload will add ":00" to include seconds. Note that it is perfectly possible to have two successive lines in a monthly log file with same time, although this should not happen in normal running, it can result from a hiccup or other interference on your device. If you are asking MX to upload the contents of this file, a second line with same time is ignored, only the first line with a particular date and time is uploaded. |
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** All Remaining fields are spot values, either what has just been read from your station, or a derived value calculated from a set of values read from your station. For these value fields, Cumulus may have converted from the unit used by your weather station to the unit that you have requested to use, and there will be some inaccuracy inevitable in such conversions. Where the value to be stored is a real number with decimal places, Cumulus will use a decimal comma or decimal point depending on which is defined in your locale, do be careful not to change that locale if you need to change your device or update it, as Cumulus can only read files where the same decimal separator is used everywhere. |
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During the development of the original Cumulus software (Cumulus 1 and 2) by Steve Loft, the name "monthly log" was most frequently used as a collective term for the last two (.ini) files linked above because those files tracked the monthly extreme records. |
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When Steve Loft was working on his [[Cumulus_3_(MX)_beta_documentation|MX Beta]], he decided to implement within MX functionality the database schema that Mark Crossley had designed on [[ImportCumulusFile#Monthly_table_.28old.29|this]] page, where Mark selected the name '''Monthly''' for the table. David A Jamieson created versions 1.0 and 1.1 of ImportCumulusFile for creating a single table called '''dayfile''', but Mark extended it to cover ''realtime'' and what he called ''monthly log files''. That means the standard log can in MX optionally feed data into a database table called '''Monthly''' by default in MX. |
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For ''more information'' on these files see in the '''Cumulus help''' file, in the section “The Data log file”. |
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This database table terminology can be misleading as ''that database table is not organised by month in any way'', a single table contains every logged line that has been inserted into it by Steve's '''ExportMySQL.exe''', Mark's '''ExportToMySQL.exe''', or by '''CumulusMX.exe''' itself. In fact MX allows you to give this table another name, which it will then use in all SQL. |
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= Accessing the monthly log file = |
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Mark Crossley has taken over development of MX, the terminology "monthly log" is now being used for the first linked file (standard logs) instead of for '''month.ini''' the file that is truly logging monthly extremes. The name has been adopted simply because a new log file is started for each month. |
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== File Locking restricting access by other processes == |
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For novices, there can be a feeling of confusion: |
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As the log file for the current month will be updated frequently by Cumulus (when it is running), Cumulus applies an exclusive lock, and (as explained further below) conflicts can happen if another process seeks to access this file. Consequently don't let your antivirus scans access this file, nor try to edit it outside Cumulus while Cumulus is running. |
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* The new practice leaves "month.ini" without a descriptive name |
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* Each "dayfile" line represents a new day so the filename matches the content, but a line in "Oct16log.txt" does not represent a month, and the file name does not contain the phrase "month" |
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Also note these log files do not include a header line, and should not be edited to include it. |
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* The names "Month.ini" and "Monthlyalltime.ini" do contain the phrase "month", they do contain monthly data in each line, and do log extreme records that clearly identify with a particular month |
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A future Wiki editor may decide on a different strategy, but at the moment the Cumulus Wiki has returned to the original Steve Loft terminology for each of the log files, for consistency with older articles in this Wiki, and the oldest posts on the forum. |
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The appropriate header file for the monthly data logs can be found for any installed version of Cumulus by looking for "monthlyfileheader.txt", in the directory above the 'data' directory containing the monthly log. The viewing methods for the two flavours, as described next, automatically includes the header line. |
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=Enhancement never implemented= |
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A full discussion of the problems with conflicts of access to the monthly log file can be found [https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12721 in this support forum topic]. |
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== Cumulus 1 == |
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Steve Loft was several times asked if he could change the design of his software and what it stored in [[Standard log files]], [[Extra Sensor Files]] and the other detailed logging files. |
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In the '''View''' menu of Cumulus 1, select ''Data logs'', click '''Load...'''. |
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All these files currently periodically store spot readings. Some of the competition in weather software, periodically store the highest and lowest since the previous line was stored. |
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The standard Windows File Select dialogue is displayed for the 'data' subdirectory of the Cumulus installation directory. |
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One advantage of the alternative approach is that you never lose any extremes. Another advantage is the alternative allows people to report extremes for parts of days. For example, some people wanted 9 am to 9 pm reported separately to night time extremes, in other nations, the dividing time was 3 pm not 9 pm. |
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Select the required monthly log, click '''Open''' and you will see the contents in a neat table with column headings, rows striped, and the date/time on a lighter background. This is a text viewer, and works best when at full screen, but even then you are likely to need to scroll both horizontally and vertically to look at all the figures. If you click on an individual figure the cell will be highlighted, but you cannot edit the figures on a view screen. Cumulus 1 does not provide an editing facility for this file. |
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Steve Loft would respond he had made many design decisions that were not ideal, but the software was based on his own needs. If people wanted drastic changes, they should do what he had done, and write software that did what suited them. |
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== Cumulus MX == |
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Yet it appears he did plan to implement this suggestion in MX, see [[Cumulusmx.db#Releases 3.0.0 to 3.11.4 inclusive]]. |
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In the admin interface, there is a "Data Logs" tab, from it select ''Data logs'' and then you see a date selector for selecting the log you want to display. Next to it is a "Load" button. |
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Like Cumulus 1, this displays the log, but does not provide editing facility, again it provides column headings, and again you can move between pages to see different sections of the file. |
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== Problems == |
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If no logs seen, see [[FAQ#I_can.E2.80.99t_find_my_data_files.21|FAQ: I can't find my data files]]. Also note, this '''Data logs''' viewer is only for viewing monthly log files (not any other files in the same ''data'' directory), the column headings for standard monthly log files will always be shown at the top of the screen. |
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If you try to look at the current log, and it does not display in the MX admin interface, it will be because you are trying to view it at the same time as the MX engine is writing the next line to it. The exclusive locking stops the admin interface and the engine being able to both access the same file at the same time. So if your logging interval is every ten minutes, don't try to view it within 2 minutes of the hour and within 2 minutes of every ten minutes thereafter. That still gives you 6 minutes between each 10 minute update for viewing! Of course there is no conflict for past monthly logs. |
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== Additional ideas for how Monthly log files can be used within Cumulus == |
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=== Uploading current log to your web site === |
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The current monthly log can be updated at your usual web site update interval using ''<currentlogfile>'' as the local file name. If your web site upload interval is the same as the logging interval, there might be a conflict because of the file locking, so this might not work every time. However, extra web files are not processed all at once, so by listing this file against a higher number the chance of conflict is reduced. |
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For Cumulus 1, list this log file as the local file by specifying the parameter 'ExtraLocal[0-99]=<currentlogfile>' in [[Cumulus.ini#Section:_FTP_Site]]). For Cumulus MX, use the '''Extra web files''' option within the "Settings" tab, and enter "<currentlogfile>" in the local column. |
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You can also use <currentlogfile> as part of the remote file path, as explained in the Cumulus '''Help'''. You will also need to specify a path in the remote column for MX or the 'ExtraRemote[0 to 99]=...' for Cumulus 1. You might of course want to specify a local path, and leave the FTP column unticked (or set to 0 for Cumulus 1). You can then use a separate FTP process to upload this copy. It is not recommended that you do not try to FTP the actual log file (only a copy) because the FTP process is relatively slow, particularly as the file size increases as the month progresses, so there is an increasing chance of conflict with logging - see [https://cumulus.hosiene.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=12721&p=99793#p9979 support forum here] for more information. An alternative approach is to upload the monthly file just once a day, at a quiet period such as an odd number of seconds after quarter-past midnight using a process scheduled outside Cumulus. |
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=== Cumulus 1: transferring the contents of the monthly log file into a database table === |
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A script can be used to read the your copy of the monthly log file into either a database table (see [[ImportCumulusFile]]), or into an array, for further processing. It is, as advised above, best not to work with the file that Cumulus is actually updating, because there can be a conflict of the locks, Cumulus needs to have exclusive use when it does its normal update. But this script can safely be used with older monthly log files, or a copy of the latest monthly log file. |
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Although the '''ImportCumulusFile''' script can be used with MX too, MX provides 2 other ways to transfer the contents of a monthly log file into a database table. The first, uploads past data, using '''ExportMySQL.exe''' found in the top level folder where ''CumulusMX.exe'' is found. It can be run using the same way as you run the main program, but you need to specify "monthly" as the first parameter. The second, which only uploads the line most recently added to the monthly log file is found in the '''My SQL''' settings section of the admin interface. Find more information at [[Cumulus_MX#MySQL_settings|MySQL settings]]. |
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== Editing the log file == |
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* You can't edit the current log file while Cumulus is running, because Cumulus needs exclusive write access. You can edit the log file for a past month, unless you are looking at past months using Cumulus editors. |
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* You can't edit any log file with a word processor, as they add control characters and other information that Cumulus cannot understand. |
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* You can use either a specialised comma separated value file editor or a text editor. |
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* Text editors designed for programmers will allow you to select the encoding (Cumulus will be confused by any Byte Order Mark, so select the encoding type without BOM). |
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* If you choose to use a spreadsheet, ensure that all columns are treated as normal text, do not let (don't accept Excel default) the spreadsheet recognise the first field contains a date as it will convert that column into a number (e.g. days since 1900 or days since 1970). For example in Libre Office make sure that "Detect special numbers" is not selected. Many spreadsheets will offer a CSV option for saving the file (in Libre Office tick "Edit Filter Settings" on "save as ..."). |
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* If you amend a field, ensure that replacement is same format as original (same decimal separator if not integer). |
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* Ensure no blank lines, and if you have added in the column headings then remove that heading line when saving ready for Cumulus. |
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You can see [[#Manipulation outside Cumulus]] below for more information. |
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===After you have edited (or created any missing) Monthly log files, you can:=== |
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* CORRECT HIGHS AND LOWS |
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** update the highs and lows in [[Alltime.ini]] by choosing ''all time records'' from the '''Edit''' menu. See [[Alltimelog.txt]] for current and previous values. |
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** update (if the created/edited monthly log is within the current year) the highs and lows in [[year.ini]] by choosing ''This year's records'' from the '''Edit''' menu. |
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** update (if the created/edited monthly log is for the current month) the highs and lows in [[month.ini]] by choosing ''This month's records'' from the '''Edit''' menu. See [[Diags]] for current and previous values. |
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** update (from version 1.9.3) the highs and lows in [[monthlyalltime.ini]] by choosing ''Monthly records'' from the '''Edit''' menu. Click the ''Help'' button for specific instructions on using ''Reset'' and the two ''Copy'' column header buttons in this ''Monthly Records (Highs and Lows) Editor'' to action all rows. |
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'' '''Note''' in each of above 4 editing screens you can: |
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# see the currently stored extremes, and optionally ''Reset'' (row by row) to pre-editing value and timestamp. |
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# load the monthly log(s) and dayfile.txt to view extremes calculated from those figures (as available) and |
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# optionally ''Copy'' (row by row) the logged values (and associated date/time information) into the relevant .ini file. |
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# click the ''Help'' button for detailed instructions on using ''The Records (Highs and Lows) Editors''. |
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# store your revised figures by clicking ''OK'' (or abandon all your edits by clicking ''Cancel''). |
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(Each of these screens is a text editor, and works best when at full screen).'' |
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*USE CORRECTED INFORMATION |
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** see '''[[Average_temperature | Mean temperatures]]''', '''[[Heat/cold_degree_days_and_Chill_hours | Air frosts]]''', '''[[Gale_Days |Gale days]]''', '''[[Rain_measurement#Precipitation_measurement_and_Cumulus | Rain days, Dry days]]''', and '''Total [[Windrun |Wind run]]''' using '''View''' menu displays for ''This month'', ''This period'', and ''This year'' (These figures are not stored anywhere, nor available as webtags). |
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** use '''create missing''' button in the ''[[dayfile.txt]]'' selection in the '''Edit''' menu; This is a text editor, and works best when at full screen. Cumulus will then look through all monthly log files and create approximate records for any ''missing dates'' in the dayfile if those dates have observations stored in the relevant monthly log. (It creates a file in the Cumulus folder called ''dayfileeditlog.txt'' which contains the entries it created). Click the ''Help'' button for more information. In past and current versions (including 1.9.3), ''create missing'' will not affect any records that are incomplete or contain some rogue values (see [[Monthly_log_files#Using_Monthly_logs_to_deal_with_shorter_.28or_incomplete.29_dayfile.txt_records_for_particular_dates | workaround]] below). |
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** obtain (by [[Monthly_log_files#Viewing_monthly_log_files | viewing the created/edited log file]]) figures needed for manually correcting rogue figures in [[dayfile.txt]]. See for example [[FAQ#My_monthly_and.2For_annual_rainfall_totals_are_wrong | FAQ re correcting rainfall]]. |
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** create the relevant monthly and/or annual '''NOAA style report''' by choosing ''NOAA Monthly Report'' or ''NOAA Annual Report'' from the '''View''' menu, then select the required period using the selectors. Click the ''Update Display'' button to see various statistics (including [[Average_temperature|mean temperature]]) calculated. Generation of complete NOAA reports takes most information from dayfile.txt (based on rollover to rollover meteorological days), except average wind speed and dominant wind direction (both of these it calculates from the monthly log files) for period in question. Finally press ''Save'' button to store the new or amended report. |
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'''Note for obsolete versions up to 1.9.4 build 1085 only:''' The average wind speed used for NOAA reports and 'This period' type screens was, by a bug, based on midnight to midnight days regardless of rollover time in use. (It is calculated on generation of report or screen from monthly log entries). From build 1086, the calculation is based on the rollover time being used. |
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==Correcting any logged data problems== |
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The 'Monthly Data Logs Viewer' screen accessed by selecting ''Data logs'' on the '''View''' menu does not allow editing of values, but you can use it to look and see if you are happy with what has been recorded. |
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Some Weather stations may occasionally supply corrupted or rogue values to Cumulus. Cumulus provides via '''Configuration''' menu [[Cumulus.ini#Section:_Offsets|''Calibration'']] screen the ability to screen out spikes (i.e. abnormal differences between two successive readings from weather station) in data picked up from your weather station. See Cumulus help screen if you decide to use that to cope with future spikes. Some rogue values may be obviously invalid (e.g. a zero pressure), others (e.g. wind shake on a tipping bucket rain gauge on a fine day) may be within the accepted all-time range (so cannot be prevented by spike settings), but you know the value is not right for that particular time. |
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Frequently, the graphical views ('''View''' menu, ''Graphs'' or ''Select-A-Graph'' screens) are the best way to spot many rogue values and to help you guess by interpolation a more reasonable value. Another possiblity is to examine the relevant values in previous versions of the log files stored in the ''backup'' or ''backup/daily'' subdirectories of where your cumulus executable is stored. You may choose to just edit the rogue value into a reasonable value, or (if you are unable to decide on a better value) to delete that particular entire row in the monthly log. As explained above once the log is corrected, new highs and lows in other logs are easily rectified. |
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===Manipulation outside Cumulus=== |
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Any log files for ''previous'' months can be edited (outside Cumulus) with Cumulus running, and after editing them, you can do further fetch edits within Cumulus as described above. The current month log file can also be edited outside Cumulus, but as it is being updated frequently you must stop Cumulus first (that explains why there is no edit option within Cumulus!). |
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'''Tips''' -- take a copy of the original log file before you work on it outside Cumulus (perhaps give the ''not to be touched copy'' a filename of "<Month><Year>log.csv"). |
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Edit the original file using an editor that treats all fields as text [use either any text editor, a Comma Separated Value editor, or a spreadsheet program that can be instructed ''not'' to recognise special field (like date and time) types]. [[File:Open office (editing cumulus log files).png | left]] If you wish to use "Calc" in 'Apache Open Office', "Libre Office", or similar, select the field separator you use (in this illustration comma is selected, but your file might use semi-colons between fields, don't select commas if your real numbers use comma between integer and decimal parts) and leave "Detect Special Numbers" unselected (as normal default for this software). Best not to use 'Microsoft Excel' as that normally has opposite default, and may change without any warning the format of all dates so Cumulus can no longer recognise the first two fields: |
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'''Important Rules''' |
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*Each line must contain the fields in correct sequence (since new versions/builds can add to number of fields, Cumulus will accept different months having various row lengths i.e. older ones without the more recent fields at the end). |
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* The date format uses two digits for the year and should be treated as text. For software (e.g. Excel) with default of recognising formats, ensure that such recognition is turned off, as it is likely to change the dates to either a number representing days since e.g. 31 Dec 1899, or to have four figure years, and then Cumulus will no longer be able to use the log file. (Also the month must be the middle figure, USA convention cannot apply within ''Log_Files''). |
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* Times in these files are in the form ''hh:mm'' using the 24 hour clock and local time (system time). See [[FAQ#How_does_Cumulus_handle_Daylight_Saving_Time.3F]]. |
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*See [[#List_of_fields_in_the_file]] to identify if the value you enter for a particular field is an integer (like bearings and humidity values) or a real number (like pressure and rainfall values) in format x.y using your system decimal notation for the decimal point. Fields that accept real number format will also accept integers, but fields expecting integers will not accept decimal points. |
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*Negative values are allowed for temperatures, all others must be zero or positive. Humidity has a maximum of 99, bearing has a maximum of 360. |
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*Nulls (',,' if your field separator is a comma, ';;' if your field separator is a semicolon) are not allowed in the row, so if you do not know the value for a particular field within the row, then type in a zero, -999, or 9999 (check the format in the middle column of [[#List_of_fields_in_the_file]] and think about the range of numbers allowed for particular fields as per examples in previous bullet). In other words put in an obviously strange number as Cumulus does not have a defined null! This strange number may distort graphs and any calculations, but it will remind you to make a more appropriate guess as soon as you can. |
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* Note that some fields (e.g. those related to evaporation, UV, solar data) will only contain valid data if your station has the appropriate sensor(s) (without the sensor they contain the default value of zero), but if they apply make sure you note which are stored as integers. |
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===Importing pre-Cumulus data=== |
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See [[FAQ#I.E2.80.99ve_just_installed_Cumulus.2C_and_it_didn.E2.80.99t_download_all_the_old_data_from_my_weather_station|FAQ: I've just installed Cumulus and it didn't download all the old data from my weather station]] |
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Given that monthly log files are used as input for '''updating the all-time, month-by-month alltime (from version 1.9.3), and this year record extremes''', for '''creating missing dayfile.txt entries''', and for '''creating NOAA style reports''', you may have some observations from your weather station recorded manually or electronically for a period before you first starting using Cumulus and want to create new monthly logs to feed into Cumulus. |
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'''Here are some issues to consider.''' There are some postings in the Support Forum about importing past data. Essentially match the fields listed in [[Monthly_log_files#List_of_fields_in_the_file|Monthly log files: List of fields in the file]] below with the fields you have available in your source. |
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* Dates and times might need some pre-processing (spreadsheet packages usually have ability to select part of a text string and to cocatenate a number of strings) to convert them to text in the formats mentioned above. (Note - it is crucial in a spreadsheet to treat the date as text; Do not let the spreadsheet recognise it as a date as it might change the format or store as a 'days since X' number). |
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* Remember that null values are not allowed within a row, so ensure that you enter an obviously wrong value (-99 or zero might be do) between your operating system defined field separator (normally ',' or ';') and make the row length the minimum shown in the list of fields below. If you use a spreadsheet, treat the file as Comma Separated Value type, but on saving choose the appropriate field separator character (e.g in Libre Office or Open Office 'Save as CSV' select 'Edit Filter Settings'). |
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* Wind directions might be reported as cardinal points (north, south etc) and need converting to bearings in (integer) degrees (spreadsheet packages provide ''look up'' functionality to do such conversions). |
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* Wind speed fields may not directly match to weather station outputs. See [[#Cumulus_Wind_Speed_Terminology]] |
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* Temperature fields may not directly match to weather station outputs. Copy across the fields you can and set the others to -999.99 so they are obvious. See the [[Monthly_log_files#Using_Monthly_logs_to_deal_with_shorter_.28or_incomplete.29_dayfile.txt_records_for_particular_dates | workaround]] described below for a way of getting Cumulus to generate (from your newly created monthly logs) apparent temperature, wind chill and heat index to replace any -999.99 figures. |
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* Rainfall fields may not directly match to weather station outputs. [[FAQ#How_is_my_rain_rate_calculated.3F | Rain rate]] in field 8 may be generated from the [[Monthly_log_files#Using_Monthly_logs_to_deal_with_shorter_.28or_incomplete.29_dayfile.txt_records_for_particular_dates | workaround]] if unavailable from your station. The daily total in field 9 is since rollover time, and available weather station outputs may need some processing in your spreadsheet to derive this. Some stations output a count of total rainfall, others the total annual rainfall, either of these may be used for field 11. Rainfall processing issues are frequently discussed in the Support Forum, so you may find the solution there or ask there for assistance. |
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'''The date that Cumulus first started tracking all-time records''' (<#recordsbegandate> see [[Webtags#Records]]), does ''not'' need to be updated for Cumulus to recognise earlier monthly log files in its ''data'' subfolder and to use any monthly logs found in the various '''View''' and '''Edit''' options available from the Cumulus main screen. As <#recordsbegandate> is on the default Cumulus ''recordsT.htm'' template with the label "Records began on", inserting pre-Cumulus data implies you might want to amend that label wording on that template to indicate it is the date that Cumulus was first operational, rather than the date of the earliest tracked highs and lows. |
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If you prefer to edit the start date and keep the ''recordsT.htm'' template label "Records began on" unchanged, the method is to stop Cumulus, and amend the ''StartDate='' line in [[cumulus.ini]] within the main Cumulus folder before re-starting Cumulus, but (in case you make a mistake) back up everything first! |
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=== Cumulus Wind Speed Terminology === |
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How wind speeds relate to various weather stations is explained in FAQ. Basically there are 3 values processed by Cumulus: |
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#Gust - the highest wind speed over a particular period (this period defaults to 10 minutes), |
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#Average - the moving average of wind speed measurements over a particular period (this period can be set to what suits you, but defaults to 10 minutes), |
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#Latest - the most recent (wind speed or gust speed) measurement. |
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[[FAQ#What_do_the_various_wind_speeds_in_Cumulus_correspond_to.2C_with_Davis_stations.3F|FAQ: Wind speeds in Cumulus with Davis stations]], the ''EasyWeather'' differences in [[FAQ#What_do_the_various_wind_speeds_in_Cumulus_correspond_to.2C_with_Fine_Offset_stations.3F|FAQ: Wind speeds in Cumulus with Fine Offset stations]] and [[FAQ#How_do_I_set_up_recording_wind_speeds_in_Cumulus.2C_with_Oregon_Scientific_and_La_Crosse_stations| FAQ: Wind speeds with Oregon Scientific and La Crosse stations]] |
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When Cumulus is running normally, it actually stores (in the fifth item ''after'' the date in each entry, column F in a spreadsheet) the highest (moving) average in the period since the previous logger record. If Cumulus is not running, it stores the average from the station logger, that is the latest reported moving average. For this reason the most accurate wind speed records are achieved if Cumulus is running all day every day. |
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Cumulus calculates the monthly/annual/period ''average wind speed'' (as used for 'This ...' screens in '''View''' menu and the NOAA report) by trawling through the monthly logs, summing the values for those individually logged average wind speed, and dividing by the number of entries for the required calendar days. It therefore assumes that each entry has equal 'weight', i.e. each one covers the same period. If your monthly log(s) is/are a mixture of values stored while Cumulus is running and values copied from the station logger during periods when Cumulus was not running, then it is possible the two logging intervals have not been set to the same time, so the output value could be skewed for that month/year/period because of the difference in what was stored and the difference in the logging interval. |
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[[Windrun]] is also calculated from average wind speed measurements, in this case every minute if Cumulus is running, or from the values that are logged (at station logging interval) as average wind speed when Cumulus is restarted and catches up from the station logger. |
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===Using Monthly logs to deal with shorter (or incomplete) dayfile.txt records for particular dates=== |
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'''WORKAROUND if dates are present in monthly log and dayfile.txt but not all fields for that date exist in dayfile.txt''' |
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Example: records created by earlier version of Cumulus [to help you, the versions (not builds) at which fields were added are indicated below]. |
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Second example: records imported prior to Cumulus processing them, so some calculated parameters (apparent temperature, heat index, rain rate, wind run) may not have been available from your weather station to insert in the log files. |
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''One method is (not near rollover time) to (1) take a copy of dayfile.txt original as backup, (2) in original file delete any days with partial information (e.g. from Cumulus versions that created fewer fields), (3) use ''create missing'' in the [[dayfile.txt]] selection in the '''Edit''' menu option of Cumulus (note whilst datafile.txt normally calculates all parameters like minimums and maximums from very frequent samples of your weather station, the resolution of create missing is limited to the interval between logging records in the monthly log), (4) rename the amended dayfile.txt as dayfile(generated).txt, (5) create a new dayfile.txt and (6) use a text editor to merge the required fields from the new dayfile(generated).txt with all other fields from (with reading access only) the backup copy of the original file. (This method preserves the original as a backup so you can experiment with different merges and do some cross-checking).'' |
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==List of fields in the file== |
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The table is split by Cumulus version for all changes since version 1.8.5; it shows: |
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*The field number (starting from zero to be consistent with index used for arrays in programming languages like JavaScript) and the equivalent letter that would be seen in a spreadsheet like Libre Office, Open Office, Excel etc are listed in first column. |
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*The second column shows an example, and the values shown are sometimes integers and sometimes floating point numbers, and this depends on a number of factors, including your station type. If you are editing the values manually, you should use integers for humidity, wind bearings, and the two solar radiation figures, and floating point for the others (add a ".0" if necessary). Note that the figure varies depending on the units you select, and your weather station may not have all the sensors needed, in that case for you some figures will always be zero. |
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*The third column describes the observation often with a link to where there is more information. |
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===Version 1.8.5:=== |
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{| border="1" class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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! style="width:60px" | Field # |
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! style="width:80px" | Example |
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! style="width:450px" | Description |
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|- |
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| 00(A) |
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|22/04/11 |
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| Date as ''2 figure day [separator] 2 figure month [separator] 2 figure year'' - the separator is that set in the windows system short date format (see [[setup]]) |
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|- |
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| 01(B) |
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|10:25 |
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| Current time |
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|- |
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| 02(C) |
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|8.1 |
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| Current temperature |
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|- |
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| 03(D) |
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|96 |
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| Current [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_humidity relative humidity] |
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|- |
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| 04(E) |
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|7.5 |
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| Current [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewpoint dewpoint] |
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|- |
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| 05(F) |
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|13.5 |
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| Cumulus 'Average' wind speed (See [[#Cumulus_Wind_Speed_Terminology]]) |
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|- |
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| 06(G) |
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|20.3 |
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| Cumulus 'Gust' wind speed |
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|- |
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| 07(H) |
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|138 |
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| Average wind bearing (integer degrees) |
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|- |
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| 08(I) |
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|7.2 |
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| [[FAQ#How_is_my_rain_rate_calculated.3F | Current rainfall rate]] |
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|- |
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| 09(J) |
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|5.4 |
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| Total rainfall today so far (i.e. resets to zero at daily rollover) |
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|- |
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| 10(K) |
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|30.10 |
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| Current sea level pressure |
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|- |
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| 11(L) |
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|215.2 |
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| Total rainfall counter (content depends on weather station type, might be [[FAQ#It.27s_January_1st_and_my_.27rain_since_midnight.27_and.2For_.27last_24_hours_rain.27_are_wrong.2Fnegative | rainfall total so far this year]]. This figure is not intended to be useful in itself, it may vary for no apparent reason. It is used internally by Cumulus.) |
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|- |
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| 12(M) |
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|20.3 |
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| Inside temperature |
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|- |
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| 13(N) |
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|53 |
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| Inside humidity |
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|- |
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| 14(O) |
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|17.6 |
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| Cumulus 'Latest' gust (See [[#Cumulus_Wind_Speed_Terminology]]) |
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|- |
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| 15(P) |
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|4.8 |
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| [[wind chill]] (content depends on weather station type and Cumulus station settings) |
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|- |
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| 16(Q) |
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|8.1 |
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| [[Heat index]] |
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|- |
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| 17(R) |
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|0.5 |
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| UV Index (only valid if output by weather station) |
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|- |
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| 18(S) |
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|197 |
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| Solar Radiation (only valid if solar sensor on weather station) |
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|} |
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===Added in 1.9.1=== |
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{| border="1" class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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! style="width:60px" | Field # |
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! style="width:80px" | Example |
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! style="width:450px" | Description |
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|- |
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| 19(T) |
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|0.08 |
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| Evapotranspiration (only valid if output by weather station) |
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|- |
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| 20(U) |
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|171.88 |
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| Annual Evapotranspiration (only valid if ET sensor on weather station) |
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|- |
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| 21(V) |
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|3.4 |
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| [[Apparent temperature]] |
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|- |
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| 22(W) |
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|663 |
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| Current theoretical max solar radiation (see [[FAQ#What_is_this_.22Solar_Max.22_value_which_Cumulus_is_displaying.3F | the FAQ]]) |
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|- |
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| 23(X) |
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|3.1 |
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| Hours of sunshine so far today (only valid if solar sensor on weather station) |
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|} |
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===Added in 1.9.2=== |
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{| border="1" class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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! style="width:60px" | Field # |
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! style="width:80px" | Example |
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! style="width:450px" | Description |
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|- |
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| 24(Y) |
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|158 |
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| Current Wind bearing (See 7) |
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|} |
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===Added in 1.9.3=== |
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{| border="1" class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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! style="width:60px" | Field # |
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! style="width:80px" | Example |
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! style="width:450px" | Description |
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|- |
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| 25(Z) |
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|6.0 |
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| RG-11 rain today (only valid if output by sensor) |
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|} |
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===Added in 1.9.4=== |
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{| border="1" class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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! style="width:60px" | Field # |
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! style="width:80px" | Example |
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! style="width:450px" | Description |
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|- |
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| 26(AA) |
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|5.7 |
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| Total Rainfall since midnight (this is for 0900/1000 'rollover' users; normally same as rain today for 'midnight rollover' users) |
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|} |
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==Example lines from the file== |
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Note that your field delimiters may be different, and your date delimiter too. |
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An extract of a few lines of the file (v.1.9.0) |
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Here logging is quarter hourly, the field delimiter is a semicolon, the decimal separator is a comma, and the date separator a dash. |
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30-09-10;19:00;16,4;94;15,4;5,2;13,3;17;3,6;21,0;995,3;47,7;25,6;62;6,1;16,4;16,4;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;19:15;16,4;94;15,4;5,6;11,2;12;18,0;24,0;995,0;50,7;25,6;62;7,2;16,4;16,4;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;19:30;16,2;94;15,2;7,9;15,8;355;7,2;25,8;994,3;52,5;25,7;62;12,2;16,2;16,2;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;19:45;16,0;94;15,0;9,9;19,4;7;7,2;27,9;993,3;54,6;25,7;62;14,8;15,8;16,0;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;20:00;15,9;94;14,9;12,4;20,9;354;7,2;30,0;993,0;56,7;25,7;62;19,4;15,4;15,9;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;20:15;15,8;94;14,8;8,4;15,8;349;14,4;32,7;993,4;59,4;25,8;61;12,2;15,8;15,8;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;20:30;15,4;94;14,4;13,8;33,1;317;28,8;40,5;993,7;67,2;25,8;61;23,4;14,7;15,4;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;20:45;15,1;94;14,1;20,3;34,2;356;7,2;43,8;992,3;70,5;25,8;60;29,5;13,8;15,1;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;21:00;15,3;94;14,3;20,2;35,6;358;10,8;46,8;991,0;73,5;25,8;60;28,1;14,0;15,3;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;21:15;15,3;95;14,5;16,6;31,7;358;10,8;49,5;991,4;76,2;25,8;60;20,9;14,3;15,3;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;21:30;15,3;94;14,3;14,0;27,0;324;18,0;54,3;992,3;81,0;25,8;60;15,8;14,5;15,3;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;21:45;15,2;94;14,2;13,0;25,6;323;10,8;57,9;992,3;84,6;25,8;59;24,5;14,5;15,2;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;22:00;15,0;94;14,0;16,7;31,7;312;10,8;60,6;993,0;87,3;25,8;59;23,4;13,9;15,0;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;22:15;14,9;94;13,9;16,0;30,6;357;10,8;63,0;991,6;89,7;25,8;59;20,9;13,9;14,9;0,0;0 |
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30-09-10;22:30;14,9;94;13,9;17,6;31,7;3;3,6;63,3;990,6;90,0;25,8;59;19,4;13,7;14,9;0,0;0 |
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this is an example of a file from 1.9.1, with solar data: |
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Here logging is increased to every five minutes, the field delimiter is a comma, the decimal separator is a full stop, and the date separator is also a full stop. |
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22.04.11,10:25,8.1,96,7.5,13,20,138,0.0,0.0,1013.24,215.2,20.3,53,17,4.8,8.1,0.0,197,0.08,171.88,3.4,663,0.0 |
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22.04.11,10:30,8.1,96,7.5,13,20,142,0.0,0.0,1013.28,215.2,20.2,53,11,4.8,8.1,0.0,216,0.08,171.88,3.3,673,0.0 |
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22.04.11,10:35,8.1,96,7.5,12,18,142,0.0,0.0,1013.31,215.2,20.2,53,11,5.1,8.1,0.0,227,0.08,171.88,3.8,682,0.0 |
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and from version 1.9.2: |
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Here logging is at the default interval, and the delimiters have their default settings for UK systems. |
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01/10/11,04:40,18.0,75,13.5,5.0,6.7,169,0.0,0.0,1021.4,885.3,24.4,61,5.6,18.0,18.0,0.0,0,0.00,0.00,17.5,0,0.0,158 |
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01/10/11,04:50,17.9,75,13.4,4.5,9.5,169,0.0,0.0,1021.4,885.3,24.4,61,2.0,17.9,17.9,0.0,0,0.00,0.00,17.5,0,0.0,180 |
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01/10/11,05:00,17.8,75,13.3,5.1,9.5,177,0.0,0.0,1021.2,885.3,24.4,61,7.5,17.8,17.8,0.0,0,0.00,0.00,17.2,0,0.0,180 |
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[[Category:Log Files]] |
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Latest revision as of 23:17, 31 December 2021
Please see Standard log files, Extra Sensor Files, Air_Link_Log.txt, Month.ini, or Monthlyalltime.ini, as relevant.
Please be aware that all of the above links lead to documentation about files that may be described as monthly log files when reading individual Cumulus forum and wiki references.
Potential Name Confusion
Those who used early versions of Cumulus will remember that the term Log File was originally used for Log.xml, but Steve Loft later accepted that all the files with a .ini file extension could be described as log files, so he introduced the term Weather Diary. A bit later, the detailed data file, began to be also called log files, and the confusion grew. When Extra Sensor Files were added, these also became log files. The Wiki page now called "Standard Log Files" was first called "Log files", then became "Monthly Log Files" because "Log files" became a category. Then "Extra Sensor Files" were added and "standard log files" replaced "Monthly Log Files" to make it clearer which file held the standard values, and which file held values for extra sensors.
Steve Loft wrote the Cumulus software mainly for his own use, although after a while he let others use it and added features that others requested. Cumulus was developed in his spare time outside a full-time employment, and consistency and terminology were not issues he worried about.
During the development of the original Cumulus software (Cumulus 1 and 2) by Steve Loft, the name "monthly log" was most frequently used as a collective term for the last two (.ini) files linked above because those files tracked the monthly extreme records.
When Steve Loft was working on his MX Beta, he decided to implement within MX functionality the database schema that Mark Crossley had designed on this page, where Mark selected the name Monthly for the table. David A Jamieson created versions 1.0 and 1.1 of ImportCumulusFile for creating a single table called dayfile, but Mark extended it to cover realtime and what he called monthly log files. That means the standard log can in MX optionally feed data into a database table called Monthly by default in MX.
This database table terminology can be misleading as that database table is not organised by month in any way, a single table contains every logged line that has been inserted into it by Steve's ExportMySQL.exe, Mark's ExportToMySQL.exe, or by CumulusMX.exe itself. In fact MX allows you to give this table another name, which it will then use in all SQL.
Mark Crossley has taken over development of MX, the terminology "monthly log" is now being used for the first linked file (standard logs) instead of for month.ini the file that is truly logging monthly extremes. The name has been adopted simply because a new log file is started for each month.
For novices, there can be a feeling of confusion:
- The new practice leaves "month.ini" without a descriptive name
- Each "dayfile" line represents a new day so the filename matches the content, but a line in "Oct16log.txt" does not represent a month, and the file name does not contain the phrase "month"
- The names "Month.ini" and "Monthlyalltime.ini" do contain the phrase "month", they do contain monthly data in each line, and do log extreme records that clearly identify with a particular month
A future Wiki editor may decide on a different strategy, but at the moment the Cumulus Wiki has returned to the original Steve Loft terminology for each of the log files, for consistency with older articles in this Wiki, and the oldest posts on the forum.
Enhancement never implemented
Steve Loft was several times asked if he could change the design of his software and what it stored in Standard log files, Extra Sensor Files and the other detailed logging files.
All these files currently periodically store spot readings. Some of the competition in weather software, periodically store the highest and lowest since the previous line was stored.
One advantage of the alternative approach is that you never lose any extremes. Another advantage is the alternative allows people to report extremes for parts of days. For example, some people wanted 9 am to 9 pm reported separately to night time extremes, in other nations, the dividing time was 3 pm not 9 pm.
Steve Loft would respond he had made many design decisions that were not ideal, but the software was based on his own needs. If people wanted drastic changes, they should do what he had done, and write software that did what suited them.
Yet it appears he did plan to implement this suggestion in MX, see Cumulusmx.db#Releases 3.0.0 to 3.11.4 inclusive.
