ES 3.2a(r12) automatic update of ASR files not working?

[Michael Pike]

On my set up, in the Sector File Providers dialog, the VATSIM-UK Euroscope Sector File Provider shows in Provided Sector Files:-

Sector name: 'EGTT and EGPX - UK Sector'

File name: 'UK'

Version: '2016_09'

A; ticked

 

This works as described and the new sector file was downloaded and unpacked automatically. The 'D' column is ticked.

 

BUT:

 

According to the wiki:

 

EuroScope saves the fact that a new version is available in the descriptor file.

From this moment on, every attempt to use any older version of that sector file will lead to a prompt whether you want to use the newer version instead. Such attempts may happen in two situations:

when trying to load the sector file specified in your profile

when trying to load an ASR file, which specifies an obsolete sector file:

 

This doesn't happen and the previous sector file is loaded without any question. I don't think this has worked since v3.2 but I thought that was because for some periods the sector file provider was not working and for others I had manually edited the ASR file and [Mod - Happy Thoughts]umed something must be preventing this process from working.

 

To help figure out what is wrong, is it possible to see what ES saves to indicate that a new file is available? It is clearly not simply comparing filenames, otherwise an ASR file with the following lines would be updated.

SECTORFILE:C:UK\Data\Sector\UK_2016_07.sct

SECTORTITLE:UK_2016_07.sct

 

It's easily worked around of course by manually editing the files but I would prefer to get the system working as described so that those unfamiliar with the file structure don't have to delve in there.

[Jonas Kuster]

Although I can't follow your description of the problem entirely, I can report that the automatic update is working using the LSAS sectorfile provider list from GNG since the first V3.2 (except some problems related to unzip the archive, fixed in one of the public beta releases). I even delayed an update using r12, and ES asked me right at the next restart of ES again to replace the files and change the links in the ASR files. It worked perfectly.

[Michael Pike]

Many thanks for the confirmation Jonas. On my set up, it downloads automatically but doesn't prompt to update either profile or asr. Just can't figure out how to fix it.

[Bjoern Helge Smaavollan]

Do you use the standard location for your files?

 

Plugins tend to use non-standard locations.

 

F.ex the one we use in Norway, NATCON, wants us to put sector file in an own "natcon/sectors" folder and its own "natcon/asr" folder.

 

Euroscope still saves new sectorfiles to the default location, since there never will be any updated files in the active files location ES won't prompt an update

[Michael Pike]

Good thought. The files go in a sub-folder similar to yours (UK/Data/sector) relative to the default folder. This is specified in the Sector Provider dialog and the previous and current versions of the sector file are there. I think the problem must be in this area somewhere.

[Michael Pike]

After further experiment, it seems that the problem is absolute versus relative pathnames. The sector files are stored in ./UK/Data/Sector and the new files are downloaded and unpacked into that folder because I set the 'Filename:' field of the Sector File Providers dialog box to point to that folder using the Browse button.

 

BUT

 

The existing profile and ASR files reference the sector file by its relative path whereas the Browse button puts the absolute path in the field. All I had to do was manually change the 'filename' field to '.\UK\Data\Sector\SectorFileProviderDescriptor.txt' and click Update, and the updating of profile and ASR files now works as described!

[Jonas Kuster]

We provide ASR files in the package without sector file path and sector file name. Those two lines will be automatically added the first time the users saves the ASR file. Not including those two lines leaves the decision which sector file to use up to the user, no non-existing sector file (or a sector file at a non-existing path) will be looked for. Instead ES takes the current sector file which is then the replaced one by the update.

[Bjoern Helge Smaavollan]

I'm not sure I understood how you fixed this, or if you have it the same as us in Norway. I'm trying this as well so could you please elaborate a little.

 

I have my files saved in the following folder structure:

Sectorfiles: .../My docomeents/Euroscope/NATCON/Sectors

ASRs: .../My docomeents/Eursocope NATCON/ASRs

 

Is this the same as your setup, or do you get all files in one an the same folder?

[Jonas Kuster]

Our structure is defined by the GNG system we use:

 

the EuroScope data folder contains (best use ...\{USERNAME}\Docomeents\EuroScope)

- file: sct, ese, prf

- one folder (f.e. 'LSAS' for Switzerland) containing different subfolders to order the content (Alias, ASR, ATIS, ICAO, NavData, Other, Plugins, Settings)

 

So we have the sector file, the ese file and the profile file in the main folder (where the same types of files for other sector files may be) and then a folder for each sector containing further subfolders and files. If you want to analyze the structure more in detail, just download our current sectorfile: http://files.aero-nav.com/LSAS.

[Michael Pike]

Thanks for the help Jonas.

 

I would just like to confirm that the problem was specifically with the pathname of the sector file. When ES compares the downloaded sector file with the existing one, it obviously compares the actual text string. So take for example:-

./UK/Data/Sector/UK_2016_09.sct

UK/Data/Sector/UK_2016_09.sct

UK\Data\Sector\UK_2016_09.sct

C:\Users\Owner\Docomeents\Euroscope\UK\Data\Sector\UK_2016_09.sct

 

[Mod - Happy Thoughts]uming C:\Users\Owner\Docomeents\Euroscope is the working directory, all refer to the same file but the text strings are different. Any one of these can be used to define the location of the sector file but if there is any difference in the pathname of subsequent downloads it will not detect that it is a new version of the same file (even though according to Windows the same file is referenced)

 

So, for example, if the local path for sector files were defined as UK\Data\Sector\UK sector files.txt, the last sector file would have been saved in profile and asr files as UK\Data\Sector\UK_2016_09.sct

So long as nothing changes everything will work OK when the next version is downloaded.

 

I got into this mess by trying to convert from a manual download and replace mechanism to an auto-update process and got the pathnames mixed up as described above. I offer this detailed explanation in case anyone else is in the same boat!

[Jonas Kuster]

Thanks for explaining and sharing the solution you found.