Release Notes for JMRI 5.5.5 release

Date: MM DDD, 2023

From: release pumpkin

Subject: Test Release 5.5.5 of JMRI/DecoderPro is available for download.

This is a draft release note only; the download links do not yet work

Notes:

This is a test release. Please post a note if you encounter any new or old bugs! And please back up your JMRI files before installing this, in case you want to go back to an earlier version.

This is the next in a series of 5.5.* test releases. It requires Java 11 to work. (See our page on downloading Java 11) We expect this series to end in the next JMRI 5.6 production release in December 2023. (See the tentative release schedule)

Some of the changes involved are quite extensive. They may require a certain amount of experience before they are working well. Therefore, this test release should be considered experimental. We would appreciate your feedback on it.

JMRI is now only available under the GNU General Public License. For more information, please see our copyright and licensing page.

Update From Older JMRI Versions

If you are currently using a version older than JMRI 5.0, please follow these instructions carefully:

1. Is your current version older than JMRI 4.12? If so, then update to JMRI 4.12 first, and ensure everything works correctly: check start-up, check things you need to be working, and check the JMRI log as well) before doing anything else. Store your configuration and panel files under a new name and use those from now on. Then continue with step 2.

   If you are currently using JMRI 4.7.3 or earlier on Linux or macOS (Windows doesn't need this), then it's very important that you update to JMRI 4.12 and carrying out the migration process described in the JMRI 4.12 release note before updating to any later release.

2. Is your current version older than JMRI 4.20? Then update to JMRI 4.20 first, and ensure that works correctly (check start-up, check things you need to be working, and check the JMRI log as well) before doing anything else. Save your preferences again. Store your configuration and panel files under a new name, use those from now on, and go on to step 3.
3. Is your current version older than JMRI 4.24? Then update to JMRI 4.24 first, and ensure that works correctly (check start-up, check things you need to be working, and check the JMRI log as well) before doing anything else. Save your preferences again. Store your configuration and panel files under a new name and use those from now on.
4. Is your current version older than JMRI 5.0? Then update to JMRI 5.0 first, and ensure that works correctly (check start-up, check things you need to be working, and check the JMRI log as well) before doing anything else. Save your preferences again. Store your configuration and panel files under a new name and use those from now on.
5. You can then install this release.

Following this multi-step order of updating via stable major releases safeguards you against possible migration issues that can arise from skipping these versions.

New problems with this release

• None yet

New warnings for this release:

• MQTT Connection - Throttle loco address and function placeholders in MQTT topics have changed from $address and $function to {0} and {1} for consistency with other objects.

Older warnings

See the JMRI 5.4 release note for more warnings predating the 5.5 development series, including pointers to various migration issues. These may be relevant to you if you're updating from an earlier version; we strongly recommend you update to at least JMRI 5.0 before installing this test release. See instructions above.

• Since JMRI 4.99.1 This test release, and all subsequent ones, require the use of Java 11 or later. Java 8 is explicitly not supported. There's more information on this migration on the JMRI Tech Road Map and JVM Capabilities pages.
• Since JMRI 5.3.2 Some images in the resources/icons folder have been renamed. Spaces have been changed to underscore. It's images in the resources/icons/ItalianSignals/ACEI, resources/icons/ItalianSignals/Prototypical, resources/icons/smallschematics/aspects/NW-1981, resources/icons/smallschematics/aspects/NYC-1956, xml/signals/FS-1987, xml/signals/NW-1981, xml/signals/NYC-1956 and resources/icons/SNCF/Small folders that have been renamed. If you are using these images directly, you will need to update the reference.
• Since JMRI 5.3.7 The definition of "Last Seen" for Id Tags has been clarified to mean "Location where the tag was last seen to be present". Previously, a report that a tag was absent could be remembered as the last seen report. The relevant code changes are specific to LocoNet Reporters. This might affect your scripts and LogixNG if you were assuming the prior behavior.
• Since JMRI 5.3.7 Some Reporters, particularly LocoNet, would improperly clear an "enter" report when an "exits" report for the same tag was seen elsewhere. This was an error that has been fixed, but if you have scripts or LogixNG that depend on this behavior you might have to update them.
• Since JMRI 5.5.3 LocoNet Server and LocoNet Client have been removed. If you are using these, you need to change the connection to LocoNet over TCP instead.
• Since JMRI 5.5.3 Scripts that output Logging statements with log4jv1.x ( org.apache.log4j ) imports will stop working from JMRI 5.5.4 and should be updated to use SLF4J logging.
  See here for some examples on how to do this.
• Since JMRI 5.5.4 Custom default.lcf Logging Control Files will cease to take effect from JMRI 5.5.4
  To create a custom default_lcf.xml in the new Logging Configuration format, see JMRI Debugging and Logging

Download links:

During development leading to the actual release, you can find test download files on the continuous integration build page. These are development files, and might not be working at any particular time.

Changes since Test Release 5.5.4:

The list of included changes is available from our GitHub code repository.

Hardware Support

Acela CTI

Anyma DMX512

Bachrus Speedo

CBUS

C/MRI

DCC++ and DCC-EX

DCC4pc

Direct

ESU

Hornby

• DecoderPro can now identify products in the HN7000 decoder family.

Internal

IPOCSMR

JMRI Simple Server/JMRI Client

KPF-Zeller

Lenz XPressNet

LocoNet

Maple

Marklin CS2

MERG

MQTT

• Fixed issue with invalid throttle speed message causing MQTT to disconnect
• Improved robustness of MQTT Event Listener exception handling
• Fixed issue with MQTT LWT messages
• Changed throttle loco address placeholder in MQTT topics to {0} for consistency with other objects
• Changed throttle function placeholder in MQTT topics to {1} for consistency with other objects

MRC

NCE

Oak Tree

OpenLCB / LCC

• Added the invert option to OpenLCB/LCC Turnouts.

Powerline

RFID

Roco z21/Z21

Secsi

SPROG

TAMS

TMCC

Uhlenbrock Intellibox

Zimo MXULF

ZTC

New / Updated decoder definitions

Arnold

Bachmann

BLI

BNM Hobbies

CT Elektronik

Digikeijs (Digirails)

Digitrax

Doehler & Haas

ESU

Hornby

Kuehn

LaisDCC

LDH

Lenz

MD Electronics

MGP

Mistral Train Models

MTH

MRC

NCE

Norsk Modelljernbane (NJM)

Public Domain and DIY decoders

QSI

Rautenhaus

RR-CirKits

SoundTraxx

Tam Valley Depot

TAMS

TCS

Team Digital

Technologistic (train-O-matic)

• Support for the latest v6 firmware version of the Lokommander II decoders.
• productID support for all train-O-matic decoders, allows for automatic decoder detection.

Trix Modelleisenbahn

Uhlenbrock

Umelec

Viessmann

Wangrow

ZIMO

Miscellaneous

DecoderPro

• Now looks for .txt extension on files being imported from the LokProgrammer.

CTC Tool

Dispatcher

• In auto trains, after stopping, or going to manual, resume correctly even if in a section with no signal.

Dispatcher System

Internationalization

Layout Editor

NX - Entry/Exit Tool

Logix

LogixNG

• A new tool Where Used has been added to LogixNG. It shows where in the LogixNG tree an item is used. The tool is found on menu item Tools ⇒ LogixNG ⇒ Where Used.

Meters and MeterFrames

Operations

• New tools "Preview and Print Car routing report" in the "Set Car" window that provides the train routing for a car that has a final destination.
• New tool "Show Staging and Schedules by Car Type and Load" in the "Schedules" window that shows which car types and loads are shipped from staging.
• New feature for spurs, the ability to prevent a car's load change. Useful when the spur/schedule is used for a RIP track.
• New feature for staging, planned pickups.

Panel Editor

Control Panel Editor

Circuit Builder

Palette

Preferences

• The Shutdown preference has two options for ignoring special kinds of changes. The first is to ignore fast clock changes, the second ignores the text and background color changes for sensors that have been changed to panel labels.

Resources

Roster

Routes

Scripting

• YAAT: Change function number limit from 28 to 68.
• YAAT: Add a random delay time: Wait for <n> [to <n>] seconds

Signals

Signal Systems

Signal Heads

Signal Masts

Signal Groups

Cab Signals

Simple Signal Logic

USS CTC Logic

Switchboard Editor

Throttle

Timetable

Tracker

Turnouts, Lights, Sensors and other elements

Warrants

Web Access

• Web tables: add click toggle for several additional columns
• JSON Server: support for updating SignalHead and SignalMast Lit and Held

Where Used

WiThrottle Server

Web Server

Virtual Sound Decoder

• Take actual speed instead of nominal speed for the distance calculation (impact for steam1).
• New option "chuff-fade-out" for steam1, see the documentation.

Miscellaneous

• Improved Unrecoverable Error Dialog.
• JMRI now has a "Software Bill of Materials" (SBOM) distributed with it. Although this won't matter to most users, it allows people to determine via the standardized SPDX mechanism the libraries that JMRI contains and the versions being used. Providing this is a small step toward more automated distribution.
• UI improvements for the Display / Edit Log Categories dialog.

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