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@Peter-Simpson Peter-Simpson released this 16 Jul 09:28
v6.5Release
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Peter-Simpson Peter Simpson
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Learn about vigilant mode.

The installers have been removed from this release, please use the Platform 6.5 Service Pack 1 installers.

Highlights and Dependencies

Alpaca devices can be discovered and selected through the Chooser.

A new combined telescope cover and camera calibration device type has been introduced together with a simulator and the rotator interface has been enhanced to support syncing.

Device Hub replaces the POTH, Hub, Pipe and ASCOMDome hubs.

Changes for Everyone

  • Chooser
    • Alpaca devices can be discovered by the Chooser and drivers are automatically created for them.
    • Chooser can be configured to display more information about drivers than previously.
    • The Chooser dialogue width can be increased if required.
  • Telescope Covers and Calibrators
    • Telescope covers and camera calibration devices are now supported through a new CoverCalibrator interface.
    • A CoverCalibrator simulator has been added to the Platform.
  • A new Telescope / Dome / Focuser hub called Device Hub has been added to the Platform.
    • This makes the POTH, Hub, Pipe and ASCOM Dome Hub components obsolete and we recommended that you migrate to the Device Hub because the obsolete hubs will be removed in a future Platform update.
  • The Diagnostics tool is now more tolerant of simulator configurations that are not set to default values.
  • Tracing of Platform registry use now has its own independent trace enable / disable flag.
  • SOFA has been updated to the current 22nd July 2019 version.

Platform Issues fixed

  • The Diagnostics tool is more tolerant of simulator configurations that are not set to default values.
  • All local server simulators now start just one instance when used concurrently from both normal and elevated clients.
  • Camera simulator memory management has been significantly improved.
  • ASCOM Utilities
    • Utilities components have been adapted to work when called by installers that use Inno 5.5.9 and later.
    • TraceLogger is better behaved when called after it has been disposed.
    • A registry handle leak in the Profile component has been fixed.
    • Transform now validates supplied Julian dates.
  • ObservingConditions Hub and Simulator
    • The hub TimeSinceLastUpdate property now returns the value from the underlying ObservingConditions device.
    • The simulator now interprets AveragePeriod as being in hours, per the API specification, rather than minutes as in the original release.
  • Telescope Simulator
    • The TrackingRate property now validates the supplied rate.
    • IsPulseGuiding now returns False after a synchronous move when dual axis pulse guide is disabled.
    • The CanOptics and CanSlewAsync configuration values are now persisted correctly.
    • RightAscensionRate and DeclinationRate movements are no longer 14,400 times faster than expected.
    • MoveAxis movements are no longer 4 times faster than expected
    • Tracking corrections are no longer applied when MoveAxis is in effect
  • The CheckFoUpdates script now works again following ascom-standards.org move to HTTPS.

Changes for Developers

  • Interface Standards and Components
    • ICoverCalibratorV1 has been added to Interfaces and DriverAccess.
    • IRotatorV3 has been added to Interfaces and DriverAccess.
    • Revision: The Rotator Position property and MoveAbsolute method behaviours are different when IRotatorV3.CanSync is true.
    • Clarification: The Focuser temperature unit is degrees Celsius.
    • Clarification: Telescope.PulseGuide may throw an InvalidValueException if called when an incompatible command is already underway e.g. a slew is in progress.
    • Clarification: IDomeV2 wording has been clarified for many properties and methods.
  • An ASCOM.Utilities.AlpacaDiscovery component has been added. This enables .NET and COM clients to conduct searches for Alpaca devices through the Alpaca network discovery protocol. The associated ASCOM.Utilities.AlpacaDevice, ASCOM.Utilities.ConfiguredDevice and ASCOM.Utilities.AscomDevice data classes provide details of the Alpaca devices discovered on the network and of the ASCOM devices that can be accessed through them.
  • The NOVASCOM and Kepler components are no longer flagged as deprecated because they provide unique functionality within the Platform.
  • The version of ASCOM Controls installed by the Platform has been marked as deprecated. An updated version of the controls is available as a NuGet package. The displayed message contains a reference to the new TA.Winforms.Controls NuGet package.
  • The Product Version tag of all executables is now the Platform Git build SHA.
  • Diagnostics now flags an error if the installed Platform and Developer components versions are different.
  • The deprecated NOVAS2, NOVAS2COM and NOVAS3 components no longer appear in the developer help file.
  • DriverAccess can now handle ArrayLists from .NET Core drivers.
  • Templates and the Driver Install Script Generator
    • Improved VS2019 support - driver templates can be found more easily by selecting ASCOM in the project type dropdown on the new project dialogue.
    • The TrackingRates class in VB driver template is now aligned to the C# template code.
    • The local server template has been updated so that simulators will start just one instance when used from normal and elevated clients concurrently.
    • The TraceLogger in the C# template is now an instance variable because of issues arising when disposing the original static TraceLogger variable.
    • CoverCalibrator device support has been added to the templates and the Driver Install Script Generator.
    • The required minimum Windows version has been set to Windows 7 using a format that works in Inno 6.
    • The support URL has been changed to the new ASCOM Groups.io forum.

Development Issues fixed

  • The required minimum Windows version in the script created by the Driver Install Script Generator has been set to Windows 7 using a format that works in Inno 6.
  • The support URL in the script created by the Driver Install Script Generator has been changed to the new ASCOM Groups.io forum.
  • Developer project template creation is more robust
  • IVideo utilities now returns the correct array format when creating an ImageArray from a bitmap
  • Video
  • IVideo utilities helpers for creating bitmaps now work with both row-major and column-major formats.
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