For details of what has changed from V2.5 to V3, please see the videos we have here, and after installation, please have a look at the ‘What’s new in V3’ from the Help file.

 

Build 3.0.056_1601_0608_3108       6th January 2016

• Logging:
  -Memory leak when converting logged data into Log Reports (CSV files)
• OPC:
  - OPC Client could crash if the OPC Server was terminated abnormally
• Networking:
  - Possible Local hangup when remote disconnects

Build 3.0.054_1512_1716_3108       17th December 2015

• Variables List:
  - 'List GDW DynamicsTo CSV' now includes Trend Charts and also asks to open the CSV file afterwards
• GDW:
  - Saving a GDW after 'orphan dynamics' (items on a GDW associated with instruments/variables that have been deleted) have been removed can crash
• Strategy:
  - Strategy start- up can sometimes crash
• Networking:
  - Excessive memory usage on the Local when a Remote connects
  - Local can crash when Remote disconnects. This is only in 64- bit and caused by Local not having a UID that the Remote is requesting
  - Remote SpecViews could open fewer screens than it should sometimes. To Prevent opening of all background screens use [Networking] InhibitRemoteAutoOpen=1 in SV3.INI
• Autodetect:
  - 'Test Comms for Update' of an existing instrument, the error message incorrectly showed the driver name instead of the instrument name
• Dongle:
  - Spurious dongle error message has been removed
• Watlow:
  - Modbus could crash when creating Watlow Profiles
  - New Watlow Addendum and a new 'F4 with Profile option' demo project
• New or Modified Instrument Support:
  - Updated: Eurotherm Modbus, Natureform, Watlow F4, Watlow Modbus and Honeywell HC900
   

Build 3.0.053_1512_0714_3108       4th December 2015

• Installation:
  ·Added a message to say which build of SpecView the user can go back to if they are trying to install a later build after expiry
• Dongle:
  ·It is now possible to install SpecView and run in Demo mode even if the 'free updates until' date has passed
• General:
  ·While in Edit mode Online, going offline when data entry boxes were open could cause 'Failed to come out of runtime' error
• GDW:
  ·There was an occasional crash when going offline after using buttons with the action 'GDW: Close this and Swap to'
  ·Could not delete Position Dynamics waypoints which were assigned to buttons
  ·Recipe screens could close sometimes after a Recipe had been downloaded
• Variables List:
  ·Using 'Replace' from the 'Options' menu to change an IP address in an instrument could hang
  ·Variables List Import when errors occurred during the import the file was not closed, which caused a problem when making another attempt to export or import
• Logging:
  ·Log File Convert could sometimes crash under certain circumstances
• Trend Charts:
  ·Trend Charts clear on batch change was confused by the batch tag being set to '[  ]' which made it erroneously clear the chart
• Archive:
  ·Creating an Archive could cause SpecView's journalling of actions to stop, and not restart until the next day
  ·Making a SpecView Archive would cause a spurious dump file to be generated.
• Networking:
  ·The Remote now displays a warning message if the Local is running a newer build of SpecView
  ·The Remote could be incorrectly denied access saying that there were not enough Remote licenses on the dongle
  ·Batch tags were not being checked on Remotes, so Trend Charts on a Remote couldn't act on them
  ·Remotes reconnecting to a previously offline Local could be mis-labelled as '--' in the Remote Users Attached list
  ·Remotes reconnecting to a previously offline Local could sometimes fail to connect
  ·Remotes could occasionally hang during reconnect
• ActiveX:
  ·ActiveX controls could have transparent fields and buttons when screens were opened or swapped to
  ·Trying to go into Edit mode offline from start-up by holding the control key while clicking 'Start' does not work with configurations containing ActiveX controls
• Modbus:
  ·New modbus driver 4.1.12.x fixes a number of lockups (causing flat lines on Trend Charts) and crashes
  ·Write Sequence for booleans was not working as the write fails with the error: 18210
  ·Occasional Modbus lockup while writing values to devices that were not present
  ·Implement Boolean from Enum decoding in Modbus
• Watlow:
  ·Implement Boolean from Enum decoding for StdBus
   

Build 3.0.050_1510_3010_3108       30th October 2015

• Networking (SpecView Remote):
  ·The 64-bit SpecView could crash when disconnecting a Remote - this did not affect the 32-bit exe

Build 3.0.049_1510_2312_3108       23rd October 2015

• GDW:
  ·Win 8.x caused buttons to flash and a busy cursor when the screen-saver timeout period had elapsed
• Networking (SpecView Remote):
  ·When attempting to go Online to a project that was previously copied across from a Remote, there is now a warning message (E12223). As this seems to be a common user mistake
  ·The IP Address of the Remote PC is now shown in the 'Remote Users Attached' list
  ·Changing the timeout in the Edit Network Connection box did not get saved
  ·Spurious  'Network Connection Timed out' messages could appear on the progress bar
  ·Local/Remote connection and re-connection issues resolved
  ·Running two Remotes to the same Local on the same PC is now disallowed
  ·The 'Remote Users Attached' list has new right-click options to disconnect a Remote connection and to start or stop SpecView's Networking server
  ·Remote SpecView reconnects could consume lots of CPU time while reconnecting
• General:
  ·Edit mode: 'Failed to come out of Runtime' message could occur if the numeric data-entry box is on screen when switching to Offline mode
  ·Startup: A rare crash on start-up fixed
  ·Minidump files are excluded from Archives, and Local/Remote connections now don't copy debug files across to the Remote
• Modbus Driver:
  ·Modbus crash resolved

Build 3.0.048_1510_1912_3108       19th October 2015

• Variables List:
  ·Trailing dashes/hyphens on instrument names caused a rename problem if they were attempted to be removed
  ·Deleting Instruments and Variables from the Variables List soon after it opened could cause a crash
  ·Variables List could lockup on the first drag off onto the screen
  ·If an instrument was deleted from a project, then without saving the project 'OnlineFeatures->Enable All' was done, then SpecView could crash
• Trend Charts:
  ·Charts that were set to 'No-Scroll'  would clear and restart when going from EditMode Online to Runtime mode
  ·The  New Instruments/Templates list could be moved off-screen, and when opened on a different PC, there was no way to reset the position from the Preferences box
  ·If a Trend Chart had been set to remember Pen definitions that included an Alarm Boolean, then if a new trend was created in a new project where that Bool did not exist, then Trend pen setup would crash
  ·Trend Chart Back-fill could consume lots of memory if long period charts were used combined with a fast logging rate
  ·Edit Mode Online, changing rate of a value could stop all Trend Charts
  ·Trend charts could crash when some of the scroll-back previous data was deleted after running for some time
  ·Trend charts could lockup when being edited
• Logging:
  ·Purge Log Files action: Setting to zero days left an inconsistent set of log files for the current day. Changed it so that the minimum is 1 day to purge and also prevented the inconsistency if this operation was tried
• GDW:
  ·Parameters marked as Read-Only could have 'Alter Value Interactively' invoked on them while in Edit Mode online
  ·Dragging a grouped button would drag just the button, not the group (i.e. Instrument views)
  ·If a button is defined to print a screen, and the button is pressed while that screen is in Historical Replay mode, then the real-time screen of it is printed instead of the Historical Replay screen
  ·Sometimes grouped objects did not update correctly (i.e. color dynamics)
  ·Grouped items not updating while in Edit Mode Online
  ·Ctrl-T is now a hotkey for Text Attributes
  ·Print Preview can cause crashes and lockups
  ·Cloning (Copy & Paste) a new object that has not been saved crashes
  ·If the GDW UpdateRate is slow, then User Vars do not update quickly, causing 'Every Second' Strategy to be delayed
  ·Repeated downloads of a recipe using the action: 'Download Specific Recipe' from Strategy on a screen that was not open failed after 22 times
• Startup:
  ·SpecView crashes during startup if no IDFs (Instrument Definition Files) are present
• Networking (SpecView Remote):
  ·Remotes did not have the correct Password menu when using 'Disable Windows Controls'
  ·If TAPI Service in Windows Control Panel is set to disabled, then got an error when setting up Remote connections
  ·When trying to setup a new remote connection for the first time the Edit Connections dialog crashes after clicking OK
  ·File problems in the Local project could crash the local when a Remote connects
• Import Project:
  ·If doing an Import Project where the baud rate or parity of the incoming Project differs from the target Project, then the Target settings were lost, being overwritten by the incoming settings. Now, the Target settings are preserved
• Autodetect:
  ·'Test Comms for Update' added instruments to the end of the Variables List, not in the correct sorted order
  ·The highest numbered COM port detected was omitted from the Ports & Protocols box
• General:
  ·SpecView would sometimes fail to exit correctly, leaving an invisible copy of running
  ·There is now the ability to restart SpecView if a comms lockup occurs
  ·SpecView can now optionally create its own dump files to aid in debugging
• Modbus Driver:
  ·Improved performance and fixed lockups
  ·Connect failures could delay for 5 seconds
  ·Rare modbus crash fixed where conflicting instruments were defined on the same IP Address
  ·Modbus driver crash when West ProVu4 and Honeywell DCP200 instruments were used
  ·Modbus Serial Comms could crash if large amounts of spurious unsolicited data was received over comms
  ·SONBL driver command fixed
  ·Various Modbus TCP/IP failures fixed
  ·Locks-up doing 'Derived Values' or opening Parameter List to West ProVu4
  ·Modbus driver could crash when writing some values
• Instrument Support:
  ·Minor updates to: Yokogawa CX, Yokogawa FA-M3, Watlow F4T, Anfaze MLS16, Eurotherm 3500 and Eurotherm 2600
  ·Eurotherm: added Picolo controllers, including special for NatureForm
  ·Eurotherm: Added the P304i and modified the P304c parameters
  ·Tempco: Added 4100 and 410 (limit) instruments
  ·PC3000 Driver now supported in Version 3
  ·Watlow StandardBus: Driver did not support Primary Parameter concept, causing inefficient comms during timeout situations.

Build 3.0.047_1509_0910_3108       9th September 2015

• GDWs:
  ·Scrolling the screen with the mouse wheel would result in incorrect buttons being selected on the next mouse click
  ·Using a button to print a screen that was not open could cause a hang
  ·Edit Mode ONLINE to Runtime should not re-open all the screens
  ·Default Button Attribute is now Swap & Close
  ·Changing the font or size of live text while in Edit Mode Online would cause the text's last online value to be shown when Offline
  ·The 'Are you Sure?' prompt on a button with the action 'Parameters: Download Specific Value' to a Boolean variable would still work even if the answer was 'No'
• Variables List:
  ·Dragging a large number of parameters onto the GDW the drag-image could sometimes be incorrect
  ·Set 'Horizontal Table', 'Reset Spacing' and 'No Names' then drag out about 15 items (while Online), the dropped parameters were positioned incorrectly
  ·A number of anomalies with Vertical/Horizontal Drag and Drop including diagonal steps and sensitivity to length of first/last in the group
  ·While dragging and dropping the parameters could appear to 'jitter'
   
• Trend Charts:
  ·Deleting Trend Charts that had been 'grouped' caused a crash
   
• Archive:
  ·Creating an Archive with an existing name, then answering 'No' to the overwrite prompt would delete the Archive and then lockup
   
• Modbus driver:
  ·Occasional Modbus driver crash fixed
   
• Migrate Configs Tool:
  ·Could fail to copy when there were filenames without a filename extension
   

Build 3.0.046_1508_1915_3108      19-Aug-2015

• Installation:
  - New Manufacturer Demos & SV Demo
  - New drivers for: Dent Power Meter, Cincinnati Sub-Zero, Tenney; and updated: EIModbus, Procon, Euro_M8, MLS32, SVWATF4T
  - Watlow F4T 64-bit auto-detection module wasn't being included in the installation
• Startup:
  - Occasional slow initial value updates have been improved
  - Password menu was being shown at incorrect times
• Test Comms For New Config: Ports & Protocols now scans for up to 49 COM ports and displays the first 9 available ports
• Archive: If creating an Archive asks for overwriting the Archive (SVA) and answer 'No' then get E12269 error
• Autodetect: TCP autodetect could be slow to get past each slave address that doesn't exist
• Color Dynamics: Colour dynamics were not working in HR mode on Simple objects.
• GDW:
  - Items in groups (especially Instrument Views) were not updating in some circumstances
  - Zoom out (down) in Runtime Mode, then go to Edit Mode but the zoom isn't reset and the bottom edge is off the screen and can't scroll down
• Import project:
  - Could cause variables list lockup after import
  - Would not always display the imported COM ports correctly
• Logging:
  - Changed Default 6 char log report name to be 4 chars, allowing 0000->9999 as log report names
  - Log file conversion changes for 'sparse data' and Decimal Places, separate document available
  - SpecView User Variable Integers were converted in log reports using 16-bit signed integers, so the max value was +32768. Now they are longs to give larger numbers
• OPC: Values could under certain circumstance stop updating
• Passwords: The Parameter List box was not respecting the setting of 'Short List' in Passwords.
• Preferences: Settings tab: Problems with changing the font and/or changing it back again.
• Strategy Controller:
  - Dropping parameters on the Strategy event setup showed spurious 'N/R'
  - Strategy Setup enable on Bool FALSE was not redisplayed correctly
• Trend Charts:
  - Boolean gridlines were being incorrectly being grayed-out
  - Boolean Major divisions with Manual units on scales caused lockup, been disabled
  - Boolean senses (i.e. On/Off, Auto/Manual) were not always displayed correctly in Trend Pen setup
  - Rare crash on V2 to V3 trend chart conversion Fixed
  - Trend chart zoom would crash if a pen's parameter had been deleted
• Variables List:
  - Adding User Vars did not always cause them to appear in the Var list
  - Alarm on False is displayed in Properties, but it didn't work, it has been removed for now
  - Can change the Address of an instrument and then go into Runtime but with no 'Save?' prompt
  - Short list problems when creating instruments fixed
  - Sometimes when re-sorting (using F5) the Recipe group opened up when not previously expanded.
  - Various inconsistencies with drag and drop of multiple parameters not positioning the parameters correctly

Build 3.0.043 1506_0214_3108      2-Jun-2015

• Variables List:
  - Speed improvements
  - The Parameter Attribute 'Apply to all similar items' when changing things in the 'L','A','S','R' columns is now OFF by default to avoid unintended setting of other parameters
  - Enhancements to multi-drag/drop 'vertical' to 'horizontal' flipping while using the 'Spread handles', including a better indication of when the flip might happen
  - When doing a multi-drag/drop while the 'grid' is disabled and then choosing 'Reset Spacing' could cause a lockup
• GDWs:
  - Parameters requested from a GDW were not optimally scheduled, causing occasional slow response times
  - Improved response time to values entered by a user when comms throughput is slow or overloaded.
  - The 'Screen Size Guide' font color could be changed, but this was not being saved
  - Edit->Replace while 'Online with Live values' did not refresh the screen correctly to reflect the new variable associations
  - 'Remember Window Positions' used to require a dongle to be connected in order to work
• Trend Charts:
  - When using variables to define 'Pen Scales', this could revert to 'Auto-scaling' on occasion
  - Pen Scales from variables were not correctly using the backup fixed values in the case of the variables being unavailable over comms
  - Adding a Pen to a trend chart would also add similar items to Logging if the 'Apply to all similar items' checkbox in the Parameter properties has been enabled
• Recipes:
  - Recipe Download from a button could occasionally crash. This only affected some instruments.
• Historical Replay:
  - Bar charts did not operate in Historical Replay if they were not positioned near other items on the screen
• SpecView Networking:
  - SpecView Remote could occasionally crash just after loading a Project
• Project Import:
  - Importing one project into another would not correctly interpret unique addresses for non-Modbus instruments in the projects
• Drivers:
  - Modbus: Driver was pausing sometimes when writing to some parameters of type 'time'
  - Generic Modbus: Used to have a Primary Parameter at Reg 0, and if this register was unreadable, the whole block would be shut down over TCP/IP
  - Honeywell HC900: Import of HCDesigner files left out information that allowed 'Labels' in SPS blocks to work correctly
  - Eurotherm 3500: New parameters added
  - Watlow StandardBus: Autodetecting these controllers would sometimes crash if scanning was stopped by the user before the scan was completed
  - Watlow StandardBus: Driver could crash when sending values to parameters that were unavailable due to the controller being switched off or disconnected
  - OPC: Some changes to the OPC driver for improved debugging

Build 3.0.042 1505_1209_3108      12-May-2015

• Variables List: More precise positioning of variables that are dragged and dropped
• Trend Charts: Batch handling & JPG files
• Historical Replay by Batch number will now go to the correct GDW
  Timezones: Improved interpretation of logged data from other timezones
• Changes to what is displayed when a value isn't available over comms:
  N/R - No Response (Meaning: Timeout)
  NCA - Not Currently Available Value (Meaning: If the Segment Type is Time then the
  Target Setpoint may be NCA)
  NYA - Not Yet Available Value (Meaning: If the value has been requested, but it
  hasn't arrived for the first time yet)
• Webvalues on the File-Preferences Web Server tab
• Support for the Watlow F4T

Build 3.0.016 1407_1610_208      16-Jul-2014

• Fixed: Many many bug fixes in many areas!
• NOTE: Some multiple drag drops placement issues remain in this release.

 

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