ASCOM Platform 7.0 - Update 2

Installer

The installer is located in the "Assets" section at the end of these release notes

Changes from initial Platform 7.0 release

Update 2

• TraceLogger
  • Localised strings in log files created by the TraceLogger component can now display as expected rather than containing hex dumps. This new behaviour can be enabled through the Options menu in the Diagnostics application.
  • Unicode characters above code point 255 are now displayed as four hex characters when hex display is enabled rather than being truncated to two characters.
• Astrometry - The built-in DeltaT and DeltaUT predictions have been extended to February 2026.
• Device Hub
  • Operational state properties now always query the device rather than the Device Hub cache, which could be 3 to 5 seconds out of date.
  • Fixed composite slewing that was broken by a change in Update 1
• Dynamic Clients – Fixed an issue in Telescope.SlewToAltAz causing it to be called when it was not available, resulting in a not implemented exception.
• Chooser - Fixed an issue that prevented manual creation of Dynamic Clients.
• Installer
  • Fixed an issue where the installer would not start if a previous install was interrupted.
  • Now shows a prompt if a reboot is required rather than immediately rebooting.
• Omni-Simulators
  • When changing configuration using the Chooser's Properties button, the OmniSimulators now present a Setup dialogue with a browser link to the OmniSimulator UI rather than a message box.
  • Fixed issue that caused even number Switches to be invisible in the Switch UI
  • Improved the camera simulator logic for mapping colours in a source image, read from a file, to the target image that is returned to the client. The new approach maintains the same resolution and FOV with all sensor types. Each pixel in the source image now corresponds to one pixel in the final image, but filtered through the colour filter of the cell.
  • The ObservingConditions DewPoint property calculation now uses any override values specified for temperature and relative humidity.
  • The ObservingConditions DewPoint property units are now shown as Celsius,
  • The ObservingConditions WindGust and WindSpeed property units have been corrected to "metres per second" from "miles per hour".

Update 1

• Device Hub - Fixed an issue that prevented the configuration from being changed when log activity to disk was disabled.
• Chooser - Fixed an issue that prevented some drivers (e.g. the Gemini Telescope driver) from being selected.
• Omni-Simulators - Improved message that is displayed when the SetupDialog method is called.
• ASCOM Remote - Added a non-standard behaviour option to omit the raw parameter on Telescope CommandXXX method calls.

Operating System Compatibility

Following discovery of issues when installing Platform 7 on some Windows 7 systems, the decision has been made to restrict Platform 7 to Windows 10 build 1809 (October 2018) and later operating systems. For context, Windows 7 is now 15 years old and Microsoft withdrew support for this operating system over four years ago in January 2020.

Platform 6.6 SP2 is the latest Platform release for those who prefer to stay with Windows 7 or 8, and continues to provide good access to both COM drivers and Alpaca devices.

Platform 7 Highlights and Dependencies

This release focuses on the asynchronous behaviour interface changes presented in the consultation held between July and October 2023.

Use of asynchronous programming techniques improves the end user experience by ensuring that user interfaces remain responsive while long-running operations are underway. Their use also speeds up tasks by enabling operations to be run concurrently rather than serially.

This release implements the post-feedback interface changes and is backward compatible with Platform 6 and earlier clients, drivers and Alpaca devices.

The Platform requires the following Windows and .NET versions:

• Windows 10 build 1809 (October 2018 release) or later
• .NET 3.5 to be installed (this will be installed automatically on Windows 10 and 11.)
• .NET 4.8 to be installed

Changes for Everyone in Platform 7

• Simplified Start menu
• The default log file location can be customised to something other than Documents\ASCOM using the ASCOM Diagnostics tool.
• Focus on technical changes to improve performance and application usability.
• Updated user guide that includes Alpaca.
• ASCOM Remote and the ASCOM Omni-simulators are now installed as part of the Platform and do not have to be downloaded and installed separately.
• The Omni-Simulators are now the default Platform simulators.
• The Platform now includes the "JustAHub" hub application to host 32bit in-process (DLL based) drivers and enable them to be used by 64bit applications.
• An alert will be generated when a new Platform version is released.
• The Platform installer is more resilient and reliable.
• Dynamic Clients
  • The Dynamic Clients now provide access to the Alpaca device's HTML configuration pages though the SetupDialog method when the Alpaca device is connected. Previously all access was blocked.
  • When connecting to an Alpaca device that cannot be reached, the Dynamic Clients now time out in about 4 seconds rather than the up to 30 second delay in Platform 6.
• Device Hub
  • The activity log page now has a "Save Settings" button to save the current logging configuration. This will be restored when Device Hub is next used.
  • The activity log now starts recording activity as soon as Device Hub is started, even if the activity log is not visible.
  • The activity log can now optionally be written to disk.
  • A configuration option has been added that will automatically show the activity log when Device Hub starts.
  • The telescope rate offset fields and "Send to telescope" buttons are now enabled only when tracking at sidereal rate, in line with the interface specification.
  • Device Hub now shuts down more quickly than previously.
  • The F12 key now toggles the Device Hub "Keep on top" state.

Platform Issues fixed in Platform 7

• The installer no longer displays a successful install message when an error occurs
• Telescope Simulators - These now respect the TrackingRates configuration setting and the TrackingRates property returns a PropertyNotImplementedException when tracking rates are configured to be not available.
• Profile Explorer - The visual appearance has been improved when the application starts and is re-sized.
• Device Hub
  • Hosted devices are now polled directly every time a client application asks for an operational property value such as Telescope.RightAscension. The previous behaviour of returning cached values could result in returned values being up to 5 seconds out of date with the device.
  • The default dome radius in the dome geometry configuration has been changed from 0.0 to 2000.0 to ensure that dome synchronisation works "out of the box".
  • When a device does not supply an expected numeric value, the displayed text in the Device Hub is now "Unavailable" rather than "NaN".
• Diagnostics
  • Fixed a bug where a non-existent directory could cause an unexpected Diagnostics error.
  • Fixed issues being reported when some telescope simulator settings were not at their default values.
  • The full Windows 10/11 version name e.g. "Windows 11 24H2" is now displayed rather than "Windows 10".
• Chooser - Fixed exception when starting the Alpaca device manager application when no device was selected in the Chooser drop-down list.

Changes for Developers in Platform 7

• The developer components are now included with the main installer and no longer need to be installed separately.
• A new DeviceState property for all interfaces that returns the entire device operational state in a single call.
• New asynchronous Connect and Disconnect methods for all interfaces.
• New asynchronous methods and API clarifications.
• The "How to make an ASCOM driver" document has been completely re-written to document the current process.
• New platform-neutral online documentation: ascom-standards.org/newdocs
• Increased documentation clarity on where asynchronous operation is expected
• DriverAccess now has convenience methods to retrieve device state in a single call.
• The driver templates have been updated to support Platform 7 interface changes.
• SOFA has been updated to release 19 as issued on 11th October 2023.
• Please note that Platform 6 versions of Conform are incompatible with Platform 7 and a warning is issued by the Platform installer to this effect. An updated Platform 7 compatible version is available on GitHub.
• Interface version numbers have all increased by 1.

Development Issues fixed in Platform 7

• NOVASCOM – Fixed error in Sun Ephemeris calculation introduced when the Code was transcribed from C++ in 2009.
• Driver template – Fixed issue in Focuser Link code that resulted in an out of the box Conform fail.
• Fixed issue in NOVAS 3.1 component where the ephemeris file may not have been closed on DLL unload.
• The installer now pre-populates historic leap second data so that AstroUtils.DeltaUT1 works out of the box when there has been no earth rotation data update.
• Fixed a bug introduced in Platform 6.6 SP2 where a DriverException was returned instead of more specialised exceptions like InvalidValueException.

Installer SHAs

SHA256: e696459635ad74449bbdeca4be9b0e89159d781087ab1694b3489cebb5c88742
SHA1: e519673850c204a627840d0fa456540f565ad4e9

ASCOM Platform 7.0 - Update 1

Installer

The installer is located in the "Assets" section at the end of these release notes

Changes from initial Platform 7.0 release

• Update 1
  • Device Hub - Fixed an issue that prevented the configuration from being changed when log activity to disk was disabled.
  • Chooser - Fixed an issue that prevented some drivers (e.g. the Gemini Telescope driver) from being selected.
  • Omni-Simulators - Improved message that is displayed when the SetupDialog method is called.
  • ASCOM Remote - Added a non-standard behaviour option to omit the raw parameter on Telescope CommandXXX method calls.

Operating System Compatibility

Following discovery of issues when installing Platform 7 on some Windows 7 systems, the decision has been made to restrict Platform 7 to Windows 10 build 1809 (October 2018) and later operating systems. For context, Windows 7 is now 15 years old and Microsoft withdrew support for this operating system over four years ago in January 2020.

Platform 6.6 SP2 is the latest Platform release for those who prefer to stay with Windows 7 or 8, and continues to provide good access to both COM drivers and Alpaca devices.

Platform 7 Highlights and Dependencies

This release focuses on the asynchronous behaviour interface changes presented in the consultation held between July and October 2023.

Use of asynchronous programming techniques improves the end user experience by ensuring that user interfaces remain responsive while long-running operations are underway. Their use also speeds up tasks by enabling operations to be run concurrently rather than serially.

This release implements the post-feedback interface changes and is backward compatible with Platform 6 and earlier clients, drivers and Alpaca devices.

The Platform requires the following Windows and .NET versions:

• Windows 10 build 1809 (October 2018 release) or later
• .NET 3.5 to be installed (this will be installed automatically on Windows 10 and 11.)
• .NET 4.8 to be installed

Changes for Everyone in Platform 7

• Simplified Start menu
• The default log file location can be customised to something other than Documents\ASCOM using the ASCOM Diagnostics tool.
• Focus on technical changes to improve performance and application usability.
• Updated user guide that includes Alpaca.
• ASCOM Remote and the ASCOM Omni-simulators are now installed as part of the Platform and do not have to be downloaded and installed separately.
• The Omni-Simulators are now the default Platform simulators.
• The Platform now includes the "JustAHub" hub application to host 32bit in-process (DLL based) drivers and enable them to be used by 64bit applications.
• An alert will be generated when a new Platform version is released.
• The Platform installer is more resilient and reliable.
• Dynamic Clients
  • The Dynamic Clients now provide access to the Alpaca device's HTML configuration pages though the SetupDialog method when the Alpaca device is connected. Previously all access was blocked.
  • When connecting to an Alpaca device that cannot be reached, the Dynamic Clients now time out in about 4 seconds rather than the up to 30 second delay in Platform 6.
• Device Hub
  • The activity log page now has a "Save Settings" button to save the current logging configuration. This will be restored when Device Hub is next used.
  • The activity log now starts recording activity as soon as Device Hub is started, even if the activity log is not visible.
  • The activity log can now optionally be written to disk.
  • A configuration option has been added that will automatically show the activity log when Device Hub starts.
  • The telescope rate offset fields and "Send to telescope" buttons are now enabled only when tracking at sidereal rate, in line with the interface specification.
  • Device Hub now shuts down more quickly than previously.
  • The F12 key now toggles the Device Hub "Keep on top" state.

Platform Issues fixed in Platform 7

• The installer no longer displays a successful install message when an error occurs
• Telescope Simulators - These now respect the TrackingRates configuration setting and the TrackingRates property returns a PropertyNotImplementedException when tracking rates are configured to be not available.
• Profile Explorer - The visual appearance has been improved when the application starts and is re-sized.
• Device Hub
  • Hosted devices are now polled directly every time a client application asks for an operational property value such as Telescope.RightAscension. The previous behaviour of returning cached values could result in returned values being up to 5 seconds out of date with the device.
  • The default dome radius in the dome geometry configuration has been changed from 0.0 to 2000.0 to ensure that dome synchronisation works "out of the box".
  • When a device does not supply an expected numeric value, the displayed text in the Device Hub is now "Unavailable" rather than "NaN".
• Diagnostics
  • Fixed a bug where a non-existent directory could cause an unexpected Diagnostics error.
  • Fixed issues being reported when some telescope simulator settings were not at their default values.
  • The full Windows 10/11 version name e.g. "Windows 11 24H2" is now displayed rather than "Windows 10".
• Chooser - Fixed exception when starting the Alpaca device manager application when no device was selected in the Chooser drop-down list.

Changes for Developers in Platform 7

• The developer components are now included with the main installer and no longer need to be installed separately.
• A new DeviceState property for all interfaces that returns the entire device operational state in a single call.
• New asynchronous Connect and Disconnect methods for all interfaces.
• New asynchronous methods and API clarifications.
• The "How to make an ASCOM driver" document has been completely re-written to document the current process.
• New platform-neutral online documentation: ascom-standards.org/newdocs
• Increased documentation clarity on where asynchronous operation is expected
• DriverAccess now has convenience methods to retrieve device state in a single call.
• The driver templates have been updated to support Platform 7 interface changes.
• SOFA has been updated to release 19 as issued on 11th October 2023.
• Please note that Platform 6 versions of Conform are incompatible with Platform 7 and a warning is issued by the Platform installer to this effect. An updated Platform 7 compatible version is available on GitHub.
• Interface version numbers have all increased by 1.

Development Issues fixed in Platform 7

• NOVASCOM – Fixed error in Sun Ephemeris calculation introduced when the Code was transcribed from C++ in 2009.
• Driver template – Fixed issue in Focuser Link code that resulted in an out of the box Conform fail.
• Fixed issue in NOVAS 3.1 component where the ephemeris file may not have been closed on DLL unload.
• The installer now pre-populates historic leap second data so that AstroUtils.DeltaUT1 works out of the box when there has been no earth rotation data update.
• Fixed a bug introduced in Platform 6.6 SP2 where a DriverException was returned instead of more specialised exceptions like InvalidValueException.

Installer SHAs

SHA256: 9a634f79105e969be07696aa9c0850ef63f1c1909243dc5a64b2cd91102aace4
SHA1: 5cd8979407696a31d3db3da211e3e423bd3f4275

ASCOM Platform 7.0

The installer is located in the "Assets" section at the end of these release notes

Operating System Compatibility

Following discovery of issues when installing Platform 7 on some Windows 7 systems, the decision has been made to restrict Platform 7 to Windows 10 build 1809 (October 2018) and later operating systems. For context, Windows 7 is now 15 years old and Microsoft withdrew support for this operating system over four years ago in January 2020.

Platform 6.6 SP2 is the latest Platform release for those who prefer to stay with Windows 7 or 8, and continues to provide good access to both COM drivers and Alpaca devices.

Platform 7 Highlights and Dependencies

This release focuses on the asynchronous behaviour interface changes presented in the consultation held between July and October 2023.

Use of asynchronous programming techniques improves the end user experience by ensuring that user interfaces remain responsive while long-running operations are underway. Their use also speeds up tasks by enabling operations to be run concurrently rather than serially.

This release implements the post-feedback interface changes and is backward compatible with Platform 6 and earlier clients, drivers and Alpaca devices.

The Platform requires the following Windows and .NET versions:

• Windows 10 build 1809 (October 2018 release) or later
• .NET 3.5 to be installed (this will be installed automatically on Windows 10 and 11.)
• .NET 4.8 to be installed

Changes for Everyone in Platform 7

• Simplified Start menu
• The default log file location can be customised to something other than Documents\ASCOM using the ASCOM Diagnostics tool.
• Focus on technical changes to improve performance and application usability.
• Updated user guide that includes Alpaca.
• ASCOM Remote and the ASCOM Omni-simulators are now installed as part of the Platform and do not have to be downloaded and installed separately.
• The Omni-Simulators are now the default Platform simulators.
• The Platform now includes the "JustAHub" hub application to host 32bit in-process (DLL based) drivers and enable them to be used by 64bit applications.
• An alert will be generated when a new Platform version is released.
• The Platform installer is more resilient and reliable.
• Dynamic Clients
  • The Dynamic Clients now provide access to the Alpaca device's HTML configuration pages though the SetupDialog method when the Alpaca device is connected. Previously all access was blocked.
  • When connecting to an Alpaca device that cannot be reached, the Dynamic Clients now time out in about 4 seconds rather than the up to 30 second delay in Platform 6.
• Device Hub
  • The activity log page now has a "Save Settings" button to save the current logging configuration. This will be restored when Device Hub is next used.
  • The activity log now starts recording activity as soon as Device Hub is started, even if the activity log is not visible.
  • The activity log can now optionally be written to disk.
  • A configuration option has been added that will automatically show the activity log when Device Hub starts.
  • The telescope rate offset fields and "Send to telescope" buttons are now enabled only when tracking at sidereal rate, in line with the interface specification.
  • Device Hub now shuts down more quickly than previously.
  • The F12 key now toggles the Device Hub "Keep on top" state.

Platform Issues fixed in Platform 7

• The installer no longer displays a successful install message when an error occurs
• Telescope Simulators - These now respect the TrackingRates configuration setting and the TrackingRates property returns a PropertyNotImplementedException when tracking rates are configured to be not available.
• Profile Explorer - The visual appearance has been improved when the application starts and is re-sized.
• Device Hub
  • Hosted devices are now polled directly every time a client application asks for an operational property value such as Telescope.RightAscension. The previous behaviour of returning cached values could result in returned values being up to 5 seconds out of date with the device.
  • The default dome radius in the dome geometry configuration has been changed from 0.0 to 2000.0 to ensure that dome synchronisation works "out of the box".
  • When a device does not supply an expected numeric value, the displayed text in the Device Hub is now "Unavailable" rather than "NaN".
• Diagnostics
  • Fixed a bug where a non-existent directory could cause an unexpected Diagnostics error.
  • Fixed issues being reported when some telescope simulator settings were not at their default values.
  • The full Windows 10/11 version name e.g. "Windows 11 24H2" is now displayed rather than "Windows 10".
• Chooser - Fixed exception when starting the Alpaca device manager application when no device was selected in the Chooser drop-down list.

Changes for Developers in Platform 7

• The developer components are now included with the main installer and no longer need to be installed separately.
• A new DeviceState property for all interfaces that returns the entire device operational state in a single call.
• New asynchronous Connect and Disconnect methods for all interfaces.
• New asynchronous methods and API clarifications.
• The "How to make an ASCOM driver" document has been completely re-written to document the current process.
• New platform-neutral online documentation: ascom-standards.org/newdocs
• Increased documentation clarity on where asynchronous operation is expected
• DriverAccess now has convenience methods to retrieve device state in a single call.
• The driver templates have been updated to support Platform 7 interface changes.
• SOFA has been updated to release 19 as issued on 11th October 2023.
• Please note that Platform 6 versions of Conform are incompatible with Platform 7 and a warning is issued by the Platform installer to this effect. An updated Platform 7 compatible version is available on GitHub.
• Interface version numbers have all increased by 1.

Development Issues fixed in Platform 7

• NOVASCOM – Fixed error in Sun Ephemeris calculation introduced when the Code was transcribed from C++ in 2009.
• Driver template – Fixed issue in Focuser Link code that resulted in an out of the box Conform fail.
• Fixed issue in NOVAS 3.1 component where the ephemeris file may not have been closed on DLL unload.
• The installer now pre-populates historic leap second data so that AstroUtils.DeltaUT1 works out of the box when there has been no earth rotation data update.
• Fixed a bug introduced in Platform 6.6 SP2 where a DriverException was returned instead of more specialised exceptions like InvalidValueException.

Installer SHAs

• SHA256: 0925afa297c09b60b3702798752b8d1a9f950c822e0f4406edc58a7093025a9b
• SHA1: a0ea63379f5cd9afdba929ff1b4d0ead443e8534

ASCOM Platform 7 - Release Candidate 7

The installer is located in the "Assets" section at the end of these release notes

Operating System Compatibility

Following discovery of issues when installing Platform 7 on some Windows 7 systems, the decision has been made to restrict Platform 7 to Windows 10 build 1809 (October 2018) and later operating systems. For context, Windows 7 is now 15 years old and Microsoft withdrew support for this operating system over four years ago in January 2020.

Platform 6.6 SP2 is the latest Platform release for those who prefer to stay with Windows 7, and continues to provide good access to both COM drivers and Alpaca devices.

Release Candidate 7 Changes from Release Candidate 5

• Alpaca Dynamic Clients
  • The SetupDialog method now provides access to the Alpaca device's setup HTML pages when connected. Previously these were only available when the device was not connected.
  • Fixed a bug that prevented Dynamic Clients from being created on some systems
• Help - The descriptions of SideOfPier and DestinationSideOfPier have been made consistent across the Master Interface Document, the Platform and the ASCOM Library. The functional performance requirements of these methods have not changed.
• The COM Telescope and Camera simulators now default to the Platform 7 behaviour rather than Platform 6 behaviour.
• Diagnostics - Fixed a long standing bug that could report an Issue on some systems when registry keys could not be read.
• Update Checker
  • Fixed a localisation bug that prevented installation in locale's where the Local Users security group is not spelled "Users".
  • The update check will now run at logon as well as weekly.

Release Candidate 5 Changes from Release Candidate 4

• Alpaca Dynamic Clients - The configured remote device number is now used instead of always defaulting to device 0.
• A problem encountered when uninstalling the Platform 6 developer tools will no longer prevent Platform 7 installation.
• Telescope Simulator - The simulator now honours the configuration option to disable tracking rates.
• Camera Hub - Now displays the configured device ProgID on the Setup page.
• Driver Template - The default namespace has been changed to ASCOM.LocalServer to avoid a name conflict when VS settings are used.

Release Candidate 4 Changes from Release Candidate 3

• Help - The link to the platform neutral Master Interface document is much more prominent.
• Help - Revised the supported OS description.
• Platform update checker - Fixed exception on Windows 7 when updating or uninstalling the Platform.
• Project templates - Added check for Platform 7 or later. (The update is available through VS extension management)

Release Candidate 3 Changes from Release Candidate 2

• Fixed DriverAccess.Telescope not correctly identifying the device's Platform 7 capabilities.
• Astrometry.Transform - Reverted DecJ2000 property name to DECJ2000 to ensure backward compatibility
• ASCOMRemote - Fixed inability to change the active network interface.

Release Candidate 2 Changes from Release Candidate 1

• Fixes a backward compatibility issue where drivers that use Platform 5 or 5.5 components fail with assembly not found exceptions.

Platform 7 Highlights and Dependencies

This release focuses on the asynchronous behaviour interface changes agreed in the consultation held between July and October 2023.

Use of asynchronous programming techniques improves the end user experience by ensuring that user interfaces remain responsive while long-running operations are underway. Their use also speeds up tasks by enabling operations to be run concurrently rather than serially.

The release implements the consultation post-feedback interface changes and is backward compatible with Platform 6 and earlier clients, drivers and Alpaca devices.

The Platform requires the following Windows and .NET versions:

• Windows 7 SP1 or later
• .NET 3.5 to be installed (Windows 7 and 8 only. .NET 3.5 will be activated automatically on Windows 10 and 11.)
• .NET 4.8 to be installed

Changes for Everyone in Platform 7

• Simplified Start menu
• The default log file location can be customised to something other than Documents\ASCOM.
• Focus on technical changes to improve performance and application usability.
• Updated user guide that includes Alpaca.
• ASCOM Remote and the ASCOM Omni-simulators are now installed as part of the Platform and do not have to be downloaded and installed separately.
• The Omni-Simulators are now the default Platform simulators.
• A Camera Hub has been added to enable 32bit camera drivers to be used by 64bit applications.
• An alert will be generated when a new Platform version is released.
• The Platform installer is more resilient and reliable.

Platform Issues fixed in Platform 7

• The installer no longer displays a successful install message when an error occurs

Changes for Developers in Platform 7

• The developer components are now included with the main installer and no longer need to be installed separately.
• A new DeviceState property for all interfaces that returns the entire device operational state in a single call.
• New asynchronous Connect and Disconnect methods for all interfaces.
• New asynchronous methods and API clarifications.
• The "How to make an ASCOM driver" document has been completely re-written to document the current process.
• New platform-neutral online documentation: ascom-standards.org/newdocs
• Increased documentation clarity on where asynchronous operation is expected
• DriverAccess now has convenience methods to retrieve device state in a single call.
• The driver templates have been updated to support Platform 7 interface changes.
• SOFA has been updated to release 19 as issued on 11th October 2023.
• Please note that Platform 6 versions of Conform are incompatible with Platform 7 and a warning is issued by the Platform installer to this effect. An updated Platform 7 compatible version is available on GitHub.
• Interface version numbers have all increased by 1.

Development Issues fixed in Platform 7

• NOVASCOM – Fixed error in Sun Ephemeris calculation introduced when the Code was transcribed from C++ in 2009.
• Driver template – Fixed issue in Focuser Link code that resulted in an out of the box Conform fail.
• Fixed issue in NOVAS 3.1 component where the ephemeris file may not have been closed on DLL unload.
• The installer now pre-populates historic leap second data so that AstroUtils.DeltaUT1 works out of the box when there has been no earth rotation data update.
• Fixed a bug introduced in Platform 6.6 SP2 where a DriverException was returned instead of more specialised exceptions like InvalidValueException.

Installer SHAs

• SHA256: 95baab163eaf8c22165f9b442bd21d1fe99214b6c77e660d331f67286c47075a
• SHA1: fdf9617ad1e94713b20add79076507cd1d9f7fa0

ASCOM Platform 7 - Release Candidate 5

The installer is located in the "Assets" section at the end of these release notes

Release Candidate 5 Changes from Release Candidate 4

• Alpaca Dynamic Clients - The configured remote device number is now used instead of always defaulting to device 0.
• A problem encountered when uninstalling the Platform 6 developer tools will no longer prevent Platform 7 installation.
• Telescope Simulator - The simulator now honours the configuration option to disable tracking rates.
• Camera Hub - Now displays the configured device ProgID on the Setup page.
• Driver Template - The default namespace has been changed to ASCOM.LocalServer to avoid a name conflict when VS settings are used.

Release Candidate 4 Changes from Release Candidate 3

• Help - The link to the platform neutral Master Interface document is much more prominent.
• Help - Revised the supported OS description.
• Platform update checker - Fixed exception on Windows 7 when updating or uninstalling the Platform.
• Project templates - Added check for Platform 7 or later. (The update is available through VS extension management)

Release Candidate 3 Changes from Release Candidate 2

• Fixed DriverAccess.Telescope not correctly identifying the device's Platform 7 capabilities.
• Astrometry.Transform - Reverted DecJ2000 property name to DECJ2000 to ensure backward compatibility
• ASCOMRemote - Fixed inability to change the active network interface.

Release Candidate 2 Changes from Release Candidate 1

• Fixes a backward compatibility issue where drivers that use Platform 5 or 5.5 components fail with assembly not found exceptions.

Platform 7 Highlights and Dependencies

This release focuses on the asynchronous behaviour interface changes agreed in the consultation held between July and October 2023.

Use of asynchronous programming techniques improves the end user experience by ensuring that user interfaces remain responsive while long-running operations are underway. Their use also speeds up tasks by enabling operations to be run concurrently rather than serially.

The release implements the consultation post-feedback interface changes and is backward compatible with Platform 6 and earlier clients, drivers and Alpaca devices.

The Platform requires the following Windows and .NET versions:

• Windows 7 SP1 or later
• .NET 3.5 to be installed (Windows 7 and 8 only. .NET 3.5 will be activated automatically on Windows 10 and 11.)
• .NET 4.8 to be installed

Changes for Everyone in Platform 7

• Simplified Start menu
• The default log file location can be customised to something other than Documents\ASCOM.
• Focus on technical changes to improve performance and application usability.
• Updated user guide that includes Alpaca.
• ASCOM Remote and the ASCOM Omni-simulators are now installed as part of the Platform and do not have to be downloaded and installed separately.
• The Omni-Simulators are now the default Platform simulators.
• A Camera Hub has been added to enable 32bit camera drivers to be used by 64bit applications.
• An alert will be generated when a new Platform version is released.
• The Platform installer is more resilient and reliable.

Platform Issues fixed in Platform 7

• The installer no longer displays a successful install message when an error occurs

Changes for Developers in Platform 7

• The developer components are now included with the main installer and no longer need to be installed separately.
• A new DeviceState property for all interfaces that returns the entire device operational state in a single call.
• New asynchronous Connect and Disconnect methods for all interfaces.
• New asynchronous methods and API clarifications.
• The "How to make an ASCOM driver" document has been completely re-written to document the current process.
• New platform-neutral online documentation: ascom-standards.org/newdocs
• Increased documentation clarity on where asynchronous operation is expected
• DriverAccess now has convenience methods to retrieve device state in a single call.
• The driver templates have been updated to support Platform 7 interface changes.
• SOFA has been updated to release 19 as issued on 11th October 2023.
• Please note that Platform 6 versions of Conform are incompatible with Platform 7 and a warning is issued by the Platform installer to this effect. An updated Platform 7 compatible version is available on GitHub.
• Interface version numbers have all increased by 1.

Development Issues fixed in Platform 7

• NOVASCOM – Fixed error in Sun Ephemeris calculation introduced when the Code was transcribed from C++ in 2009.
• Driver template – Fixed issue in Focuser Link code that resulted in an out of the box Conform fail.
• Fixed issue in NOVAS 3.1 component where the ephemeris file may not have been closed on DLL unload.
• The installer now pre-populates historic leap second data so that AstroUtils.DeltaUT1 works out of the box when there has been no earth rotation data update.
• Fixed a bug introduced in Platform 6.6 SP2 where a DriverException was returned instead of more specialised exceptions like InvalidValueException.

Installer SHAs

• SHA256: 3a614f659ca9223e03fba078569215b5bdf25c3aa0c949d7e607124c37762c9d
• SHA1: 419fdfa2acbb4fcfb537b1a19bdcaf3c4a99a123

ASCOM Platform 7 - Release Candidate 4

The installer is located in the "Assets" section at the end of these release notes

Release Candidate 4 Changes from Release Candidate 3

• Help - The link to the platform neutral Master Interface document is much more prominent.
• Help - Revised the supported OS description.
• Platform update checker - Fixed exception on Windows 7 when updating or uninstalling the Platform.
• Project templates - Added check for Platform 7 or later. (The update is available through VS extension management)

Release Candidate 3 Changes from Release Candidate 2

• Fixed DriverAccess.Telescope not correctly identifying the device's Platform 7 capabilities.
• Astrometry.Transform - Reverted DecJ2000 property name to DECJ2000 to ensure backward compatibility
• ASCOMRemote - Fixed inability to change the active network interface.

Release Candidate 2 Changes from Release Candidate 1

• Fixes a backward compatibility issue where drivers that use Platform 5 or 5.5 components fail with assembly not found exceptions.

Platform 7 Highlights and Dependencies

This release focuses on the asynchronous behaviour interface changes agreed in the consultation held between July and October 2023.

Use of asynchronous programming techniques improves the end user experience by ensuring that user interfaces remain responsive while long-running operations are underway. Their use also speeds up tasks by enabling operations to be run concurrently rather than serially.

The release implements the consultation post-feedback interface changes and is backward compatible with Platform 6 and earlier clients, drivers and Alpaca devices.

The Platform requires the following Windows and .NET versions:

• Windows 7 SP1 or later
• .NET 3.5 to be installed (Windows 7 and 8 only. .NET 3.5 will be activated automatically on Windows 10 and 11.)
• .NET 4.8 to be installed

Changes for Everyone in Platform 7

• Simplified Start menu
• The default log file location can be customised to something other than Documents\ASCOM.
• Focus on technical changes to improve performance and application usability.
• Updated user guide that includes Alpaca.
• ASCOM Remote and the ASCOM Omni-simulators are now installed as part of the Platform and do not have to be downloaded and installed separately.
• The Omni-Simulators are now the default Platform simulators.
• A Camera Hub has been added to enable 32bit camera drivers to be used by 64bit applications.
• An alert will be generated when a new Platform version is released.
• The Platform installer is more resilient and reliable.

Platform Issues fixed in Platform 7

• The installer no longer displays a successful install message when an error occurs

Changes for Developers in Platform 7

• The developer components are now included with the main installer and no longer need to be installed separately.
• A new DeviceState property for all interfaces that returns the entire device operational state in a single call.
• New asynchronous Connect and Disconnect methods for all interfaces.
• New asynchronous methods and API clarifications.
• The "How to make an ASCOM driver" document has been completely re-written to document the current process.
• New platform-neutral online documentation: ascom-standards.org/newdocs
• Increased documentation clarity on where asynchronous operation is expected
• DriverAccess now has convenience methods to retrieve device state in a single call.
• The driver templates have been updated to support Platform 7 interface changes.
• SOFA has been updated to release 19 as issued on 11th October 2023.
• Please note that Platform 6 versions of Conform are incompatible with Platform 7 and a warning is issued by the Platform installer to this effect. An updated Platform 7 compatible version is available on GitHub.
• Interface version numbers have all increased by 1.

Development Issues fixed in Platform 7

• NOVASCOM – Fixed error in Sun Ephemeris calculation introduced when the Code was transcribed from C++ in 2009.
• Driver template – Fixed issue in Focuser Link code that resulted in an out of the box Conform fail.
• Fixed issue in NOVAS 3.1 component where the ephemeris file may not have been closed on DLL unload.
• The installer now pre-populates historic leap second data so that AstroUtils.DeltaUT1 works out of the box when there has been no earth rotation data update.
• Fixed a bug introduced in Platform 6.6 SP2 where a DriverException was returned instead of more specialised exceptions like InvalidValueException.

Installer SHAs

• SHA256: 45afb1d2faacf0793cb59fb67a65392aeb6ac6edaa6858fa55a95bae2cc17891
• SHA1: bcb81ac607502bec67dbfff95324dacb4d02352b

ASCOM Platform 7 - Release Candidate 3

The installer is located in the "Assets" section at the end of these release notes

Release Candidate 3 Changes from Release Candidate 2

• Fixed DriverAccess.Telescope not correctly identifying the device's Platform 7 capabilities.
• Astrometry.Transform - Reverted DecJ2000 property name to DECJ2000 to ensure backward compatibility
• ASCOMRemote - Fixed inability to change the active network interface.

Release Candidate 2 Changes from Release Candidate 1

• Fixes a backward compatibility issue where drivers that use Platform 5 or 5.5 components fail with assembly not found exceptions.

Platform 7 Highlights and Dependencies

This release focuses on the asynchronous behaviour interface changes agreed in the consultation held between July and October 2023.

Use of asynchronous programming techniques improves the end user experience by ensuring that user interfaces remain responsive while long-running operations are underway. Their use also speeds up tasks by enabling operations to be run concurrently rather than serially.

The release implements the consultation post-feedback interface changes and is backward compatible with Platform 6 and earlier clients, drivers and Alpaca devices.

The Platform requires the following Windows and .NET versions:

• Windows 7 SP1 or later
• .NET 3.5 to be installed (Windows 7 and 8 only. .NET 3.5 will be activated automatically on Windows 10 and 11.)
• .NET 4.8 to be installed

Changes for Everyone in Platform 7

• Simplified Start menu
• The default log file location can be customised to something other than Documents\ASCOM.
• Focus on technical changes to improve performance and application usability.
• Updated user guide that includes Alpaca.
• ASCOM Remote and the ASCOM Omni-simulators are now installed as part of the Platform and do not have to be downloaded and installed separately.
• The Omni-Simulators are now the default Platform simulators.
• A Camera Hub has been added to enable 32bit camera drivers to be used by 64bit applications.
• An alert will be generated when a new Platform version is released.
• The Platform installer is more resilient and reliable.

Platform Issues fixed in Platform 7

• The installer no longer displays a successful install message when an error occurs

Changes for Developers in Platform 7

• The developer components are now included with the main installer and no longer need to be installed separately.
• A new DeviceState property for all interfaces that returns the entire device operational state in a single call.
• New asynchronous Connect and Disconnect methods for all interfaces.
• New asynchronous methods and API clarifications.
• The "How to make an ASCOM driver" document has been completely re-written to document the current process.
• New platform-neutral online documentation: ascom-standards.org/newdocs
• Increased documentation clarity on where asynchronous operation is expected
• DriverAccess now has convenience methods to retrieve device state in a single call.
• The driver templates have been updated to support Platform 7 interface changes.
• SOFA has been updated to release 19 as issued on 11th October 2023.
• Please note that Platform 6 versions of Conform are incompatible with Platform 7 and a warning is issued by the Platform installer to this effect. An updated Platform 7 compatible version is available on GitHub.
• Interface version numbers have all increased by 1.

Development Issues fixed in Platform 7

• NOVASCOM – Fixed error in Sun Ephemeris calculation introduced when the Code was transcribed from C++ in 2009.
• Driver template – Fixed issue in Focuser Link code that resulted in an out of the box Conform fail.
• Fixed issue in NOVAS 3.1 component where the ephemeris file may not have been closed on DLL unload.
• The installer now pre-populates historic leap second data so that AstroUtils.DeltaUT1 works out of the box when there has been no earth rotation data update.
• Fixed a bug introduced in Platform 6.6 SP2 where a DriverException was returned instead of more specialised exceptions like InvalidValueException.

Installer SHAs

• SHA256: 98346e9702f807149478ab556748e05e8e3651732390c96585378bf50d6758b7
• SHA1: 09594d69265c9c6c8545292cc44e8880efd0bccb

ASCOM Platform 7 - Release Candidate 2

The installer is located in the "Assets" section at the end of these release notes

Release Candidate 2 Changes from Release Candidate 1

• Fixes a backward compatibility issue where drivers that use Platform 5 or 5.5 components fail with assembly not found exceptions.

Platform 7 Highlights and Dependencies

This release focuses on the asynchronous behaviour interface changes agreed in the consultation held between July and October 2023.

Use of asynchronous programming techniques improves the end user experience by ensuring that user interfaces remain responsive while long-running operations are underway. Their use also speeds up tasks by enabling operations to be run concurrently rather than serially.

The release implements the consultation post-feedback interface changes and is backward compatible with Platform 6 and earlier clients, drivers and Alpaca devices.

The Platform requires the following Windows and .NET versions:

• Windows 7 SP1 or later
• .NET 3.5 to be installed (Windows 7 and 8 only. .NET 3.5 will be activated automatically on Windows 10 and 11.)
• .NET 4.8 to be installed

Changes for Everyone in Platform 7

• Simplified Start menu
• The default log file location can be customised to something other than Documents\ASCOM.
• Focus on technical changes to improve performance and application usability.
• Updated user guide that includes Alpaca.
• ASCOM Remote and the ASCOM Omni-simulators are now installed as part of the Platform and do not have to be downloaded and installed separately.
• The Omni-Simulators are now the default Platform simulators.
• A Camera Hub has been added to enable 32bit camera drivers to be used by 64bit applications.
• An alert will be generated when a new Platform version is released.
• The Platform installer is more resilient and reliable.

Platform Issues fixed in Platform 7

• The installer no longer displays a successful install message when an error occurs

Changes for Developers in Platform 7

• The developer components are now included with the main installer and no longer need to be installed separately.
• A new DeviceState property for all interfaces that returns the entire device operational state in a single call.
• New asynchronous Connect and Disconnect methods for all interfaces.
• New asynchronous methods and API clarifications.
• The "How to make an ASCOM driver" document has been completely re-written to document the current process.
• New platform-neutral online documentation: ascom-standards.org/newdocs
• Increased documentation clarity on where asynchronous operation is expected
• DriverAccess now has convenience methods to retrieve device state in a single call.
• The driver templates have been updated to support Platform 7 interface changes.
• SOFA has been updated to release 19 as issued on 11th October 2023.
• Please not that Platform 6 versions of Conform are incompatible with Platform 7 and a warning is issued by the Platform installer to this effect. An updated Platform 7 compatible version is available on GitHub.
• Interface version numbers have all increased by 1.

Development Issues fixed in Platform 7

• NOVASCOM – Fixed error in Sun Ephemeris calculation introduced when the Code was transcribed from C++ in 2009.
• Driver template – Fixed issue in Focuser Link code that resulted in an out of the box Conform fail.
• Fixed issue in NOVAS 3.1 component where the ephemeris file may not have been closed on DLL unload.
• The installer now pre-populates historic leap second data so that AstroUtils.DeltaUT1 works out of the box when there has been no earth rotation data update.
• Fixed a bug introduced in Platform 6.6 SP2 where a DriverException was returned instead of more specialised exceptions like InvalidValueException.

Installer SHAs

• SHA256: 586db96645380e9a743f138a7dea31e6252091f493d29268dc9dfbf50c574694
• SHA1: 67cad04a3b14b24953292c7ebb82fb419df4102c

ASCOM Platform 7 - Release Candidate 1

The installer is located in the "Assets" section at the end of these release notes

Platform 7 Highlights and Dependencies

This release focuses on the asynchronous behaviour interface changes agreed in the consultation held between July and October 2023.

Use of asynchronous programming techniques improves the end user experience by ensuring that user interfaces remain responsive while long-running operations are underway. Their use also speeds up tasks by enabling operations to be run concurrently rather than serially.

The release implements the consultation post-feedback interface changes and is backward compatible with Platform 6 and earlier clients, drivers and Alpaca devices.

The Platform requires the following Windows and .NET versions:

• Windows 7 SP1 or later
• .NET 3.5 to be installed (Windows 7 and 8 only. .NET 3.5 will be activated automatically on Windows 10 and 11.)
• .NET 4.8 to be installed

Changes for Everyone in Platform 7

• Simplified Start menu
• The default log file location can be customised to something other than Documents\ASCOM.
• Focus on technical changes to improve performance and application usability.
• Updated user guide that includes Alpaca.
• ASCOM Remote and the ASCOM Omni-simulators are now installed as part of the Platform and do not have to be downloaded and installed separately.
• The Omni-Simulators are now the default Platform simulators.
• A Camera Hub has been added to enable 32bit camera drivers to be used by 64bit applications.
• An alert will be generated when a new Platform version is released.
• The Platform installer is more resilient and reliable.

Platform Issues fixed in Platform 7

• The installer no longer displays a successful install message when an error occurs

Changes for Developers in Platform 7

• The developer components are now included with the main installer and no longer need to be installed separately.
• A new DeviceState property for all interfaces that returns the entire device operational state in a single call.
• New asynchronous Connect and Disconnect methods for all interfaces.
• New asynchronous methods and API clarifications.
• The "How to make an ASCOM driver" document has been completely re-written to document the current process.
• New platform-neutral online documentation: ascom-standards.org/newdocs
• Increased documentation clarity on where asynchronous operation is expected
• DriverAccess now has convenience methods to retrieve device state in a single call.
• The driver templates have been updated to support Platform 7 interface changes.
• SOFA has been updated to release 19 as issued on 11th October 2023.
• Please not that Platform 6 versions of Conform are incompatible with Platform 7 and a warning is issued by the Platform installer to this effect. An updated Platform 7 compatible version is available on GitHub.
• Interface version numbers have all increased by 1.

Development Issues fixed in Platform 7

• NOVASCOM – Fixed error in Sun Ephemeris calculation introduced when the Code was transcribed from C++ in 2009.
• Driver template – Fixed issue in Focuser Link code that resulted in an out of the box Conform fail.
• Fixed issue in NOVAS 3.1 component where the ephemeris file may not have been closed on DLL unload.
• The installer now pre-populates historic leap second data so that AstroUtils.DeltaUT1 works out of the box when there has been no earth rotation data update.
• Fixed a bug introduced in Platform 6.6 SP2 where a DriverException was returned instead of more specialised exceptions like InvalidValueException.

Installer SHAs

• SHA256: e6bd0c13832357bce673e07ab419390a6250a73fc5b0c9ab4a0c2ae63532df86
• SHA1: 35114366a89ada2f5b9dea836116f75e2fbbcd5b

ASCOM Platform 6.6 - Service Pack 2

The installers are located in the "Assets" section at the end of these release notes

March 2024 - If you use Avast / AVG security tools, please use the "NewCertificate" installers in the Assets section because some people have seen issues with the original installers. The "NewCertificate" versions are functionally identical to the original release.

Platform 6.6 SP2 Highlights and Dependencies

This is primarily a bug-fix release and contains no major new features.

The Platform requires the following Windows and .NET versions:

• Windows 7 SP1 or later
• .NET 3.5 to be installed (Windows 7 and 8 only. .NET 3.5 will be activated automatically on Windows 10 and 11.)
• .NET 4.8 to be installed

Changes for Everyone in Platform 6.6 SP2

• Dynamic Clients - These can now be configured to trust user signed SSL certificates. This is only recommended for use by developers in development environments. SSL certificates signed by a trusted public root authority should be used in production environments.
• The Platform's built-in Delta T predictions have been extended to December 2024 using data from IERS/USNO.

Platform Issues fixed in Platform 6.6 SP2

• Installer
  • The installer can now detect a 64bit OS when run in a 64bit ARM processor's Intel emulation e.g. a Parallels Windows VM running on an Apple Silicon Mac.
  • The installer now provides a prompt when a .NET 3.5 automatic installation has completed successfully but a reboot is required for it to be activated.
  • DCOM registrations for legacy hubs are now added under all circumstances.
• Camera Simulator
  • Colour images rather than mono images are now returned when the colour sensor is selected.
  • The correct exception is now returned when Camera.LastExposureStartTime and Camera.LastExposureDuration are called before an image has been taken.
• Telescope Simulator
  • Corrected SlewSettleTime to wait for the specified time period.
  • Corrected RightAscensionRate to apply the requested tracking rate.
  • Fixed start-up issue that was confined to Windows 7 64bit.
  • Tracking accuracy has been improved.
  • Fixed Telescope Simulator so that it will handle RA/Dec rate offsets when in ALt/Az mode. Many thanks to Patrick Wallace for providing C code and describing the algorithm for this fix!
  • RA/Dec rate offsets now have the correct sign behaviour: positive rate offsets result in increasing RA and Dec values and vice versa. Tested with polar, German polar and alt/az mount alignments, all four side of pier quadrants and locations in northern and southern hemispheres. Fixes Platform issue #64.
  • Fixed bug in PulseGuide that could change the sign of the rate from the value set by the user. The change magnitude was unaffected.
  • CanSetPierSide and SideOfPier-SET now only function in German equatorial alignment mode per the ASCOM specification.
  • MoveAxis is now implemented for all alignment modes.
• Rotator Simulator - The simulator no longer fails if the Move method is called immediately after starting the simulator.
• Device Hub
  • Telescope - Improved accuracy of sidereal tracking offset calculation.
  • Focuser - Display step size with one decimal place.
  • Telescope - Fixed current tracking rate offset values to use the regional decimal separator.
  • Dome - Correctly persist layout settings when changed through the dome driver's SetupDialog method.
• Dynamic Clients - Timeouts are now handled better.

Changes for Developers in Platform 6.6 SP2

• Documentation
  • The Telescope.CanSetPierSide documentation has been clarified following feedback on ASCOM Talk.
  • The Camera.AbortExposure documentation has been clarified.
  • The CommandXXX method documentation has been clarified following feedback on ASCOM Talk.
  • The Dispose() method documentation has been clarified.
• The ErrorCodes class now has a GetExceptionName method that returns the ASCOM name of a supplied COM exception.
• The SOFA class has new methods: Hd2ae, S2pv, Ir, Ry ,Rxpv and Pv2s.
• The Kepler and NOVASCOM components will no longer be deprecated following feedback from developers.
• DriverAccess error messages have been shortened following feedback on the developer forum.
• The ASCOM.DeviceInterface assembly is now registered for COM Interop.

Development Issues fixed in Platform 6.6 SP2

• Kepler now calculates elliptical comet orbits correctly.

Installer SHAs

• Platform

  • SHA256: fbef857b52c75d283e0b251be384d7d5a23059f354e32e4c3fc0de4bc327e90b
  • SHA1: 0eabfbdc344f4d515222abe39700c1a3bb5eb778

• Developer Components

  • SHA256: 7be7b7589e633286d67dccbb4bdfd556dcc814259b69938d8efe908d04f2d78b
  • SHA1: ba207dd5f67d2d572186ca6662baebf470996e07