I just want to give you an update on recent developments, on where things stand, etc. This blog appears to me a good place to communicate some background info among other things.
Why Release 5.x?
When CTC was started using .net framework with VisualStudio, the framework was version 2.x (and I was running Windows XP). If you have the framework 2 on your computer from some time ago, everything is fine. But this is not always the case. A few years ago, a customer had a problem and he manually downloaded the libraries, but today this is not possible anymore. So the project needed to be upgraded to a more recent .net framework version. This opportunity was also used to cleanup some things (new project in VS, etc). So 5.0 is basically 4.13 but targeting .net framework 4.7.2, the latest available. This has apparently solved a more recent problem installing CTC.
For 5.0, I added a little welcome window, so that you know that CTC has started – it may take a little time for a territory to load, but you have at least an early indicator that more is to come. Incidentally, this was a benefit for myself – after post-production of 5.1 I didn’t get the welcome window, but because of that I was able to quickly resolve the issue.
Do you use two monitors side by side?
Then I have good news for you. You can now move – and save – the window position and size for the probably most important windows, the main window, the detailed list window and the train data window (runtime only). Especially during editing you may have quite a number of windows open, so a second monitor will help you a lot with the added real estate. CTC has been adjusted to save and restore window position and size for the mentioned windows especially with side-by-side monitors in mind.
Y-Switches
Not on an urgent list, but a customer request. TDP doesn’t have them, but there is a clone that has them, but I don’t know how they behave with regard to the speed restrictions. Here’s how CTC will handle that: Speed limits will be enforced on both legs, so the “straight” leg (now bent to build one leg of the “Y”) will be behave like the “diverge” leg.
In CTC, a speed block can have one or two speed lists. This is useful if a block has different speed limits based on the directions. If you have two lists for one block, the first one is used for trains heading to the left, the second one for those going to the right. If you have only one list, the limits apply to both directions. If a speed block is assigned to a switch, you have – until now – only one list that applies – a second speed list will just be ignored. This has been modified for Y-switches: if you assign two speed lists, the first one will be applied for trains facing the switch heading to the left, the second one for those to the right. So it possible to apply different speed limits for each leg.
Default Position of Switches
This was a customer request. Without any further action, any switch will be displayed in status “0”, which is “straight” for normal switches. Because of special conditions for slip switches, “straight” shows as “diverge” on the display. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Not having thought about this myself, but thanks to the customer request, you can now set the default position yourself. If you open the detailed window of a switch or a slip switch, and click on symbol showing the switch and its state with the right mouse, you can change it to whatever you want. The main display as well as the symbol in the detailed window will change to show the new state. If you click again, it will go back to what it was (for single slip there are 3 states, and for double slip you have 4 states, so you need to toggle more often).
This function is available only during editing. The state is property of the individual territory. Older CTC versions than 5.1 will ignore the state even if present in the file, and if the file does not have the state info, CTC will continue to display the state as before.
Disable Form Timer
Also a customer request. This is something I had for quite some time for myself – you know, privileged developer as I am, not want to give away not all the goodies. So that was easy to implement. just had to open it up for the release version. The timer was introduced to help to de-clutter the desktop from open detailed windows, that you have forgotten and sitting somewhere.
The option has been added as a check-mark in the sub menu “Operation Mode” of the main panel. If you click to check it on, the timers will stop; if you click to check it off, the timers will resume.
Fill Up
If you ever wanted to shift (move) a big chunk of territory symbols from one place of the layout to another, you had to cover the whole area to be moved with dots in the shifting tool of the editor – by “drawing” lines until you have covered the whole area. Now you can draw a rectangle or any construct that surrounds the area you want to move. The only condition is the boundary needs completely enclose the area you want to move. The new button “Fill Up” allows you to turn on the fill-up function. You can then click on any grid within the area and the tool will put the dots in the area on the grids that don’t have dots yet. Clicking on a grid that already has a dot will do nothing, as won’t do any click on the boundary or even outside the area.
Finally…
CTC 5.1 was released to include one error correction, which was important enough to release as it is right now – even more changes are going to come.
So keep watching
Your WebRailRoader Team