VStar version 2.16.6 has just been released.
In this version, David has added support for several more fields from the AAVSO International Database (group, digitizer, pubref, observation type and credit). This allows you to see more information about each observation via the "Observation details" window as well as gives you more options for sorting data. For example, we recently merged a good deal of the British Astronomical Association's database into the AID. By requesting the data for a star, then sorting the observations list on the "credit" field, you can create a filter for BAAVSS and then see those observations in a different color on a plot.
This release of VStar also contains improvements to the scripting tool which makes it even more flexible and useful. To learn more about scripting with VStar, please download the latest version of the VStar User Manual (by clicking the yellow button on the vstar homepage) and read pages 108-111. It can be really handy if you need to create a number of similar plots or phase diagrams.
Thank you David!
Hi all
Thanks Sara.
To illustrate Sara's comment about the utility of scripting, here are a couple of phase plot animations I created from phase plot images over a range of periods as an example of a visualisation aid. The plot frames in the "movie" were created by a VStar script.
All the best for the festive season and new year.
David
Hi,
I get a null pointer exception when I try to open VStar. Is it just me or is it a general problem?
java.lang.NullPointerException
at org.aavso.tools.vstar.ui.dialog.MessageBox.showErrorDialog(Unknown Source)
at org.aavso.tools.vstar.ui.resources.PluginLoader.loadPlugins(Unknown Source)
at org.aavso.tools.vstar.ui.VStar.main(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.executeApplication(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.executeMainClass(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.doLaunchApp(Unknown Source)
at com.sun.javaws.Launcher.run(Unknown Source)
at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
clear skies,
BBI
Hi BBI
Remind me what platform you're using, whether you're downloading it via WebStart or SourceForge, and what version of Java you have installed.
Also, do you have any plug-ins installed?
David
Windows XP, Java 1.7.0_65-b20, and lots of plug-ins (but I don't remember wich ones). I'll tried to open it through http://www.aavso.org/files/vstar/vstar.jnlp
Hi Bruno
Can I ask you to temporarily rename your vstar_plugins directory to something like vstar_plugins_disable, restart VStar and tell me the result?
David
Hi David,
VStar opens without a problem when I disable the plugins. I'll will start with a "clean plugin-sheet" (and probably I'll have to update java).
Thanks for the help!
clear skies,
BBI
Hi Bruno
Great. Your 1.7 version of Java is fine but feel free to upgrade to 1.8.
Adding plug-ins via the plug-in manager should help. Can you tell me which plug-in caused your NullPointerException if you encounter it. Hopefully the answer is: none now?
David
Bruno
I meant to ask whether VStar failed to open completely or got to the main window then opened an error dialog, i.e. was the NullPointerException shown in the black command window or a VStar dialog?
If the latter, what happened after you closed the error dialog wndow?
Any thoughts on the specific plug-in yet?
David
Hi
I am having problems using VStar on a Mac, they have only started since Java upgraded to Version 8 Update 40.
I wish to check a star, in this case S UMa but I have tried others, I press the appropriate button and the entry field appears but when I try to click on the text field in order to enter the name of the star, I am not given the focus for that field so that I cannot key anything into the text field. I have tried this for the name of the star, for the minimum JD and for the maximumJD and none of the text fields work. If I select a star from the list of ten in the drop down menu they work well. It appears to be only the text fields which are affected.
Instead of a mouse I use a trackball but I have tried this with a graphics pad which I also own and it doesn't seem to make any difference. I have updated the .jnlp file and it doesn't make any difference. I have reloaded Java and it doesn't make any difference. I have also tried entering some data on some Java programs which I wrote a few years ago and the data entry worked correctly for them, the text boxes in those programs use Java Swing. I tried selecting the list of ten stars and then trying to tab onto the next field (a Swing feature), that didn't work either. Finally I have checked with Sara and it works properly on her Mac but she is using the Mavericks OS whilst I am using Yosemite 10.10.2.
Does anyone have an idea of what might have gone wrong?
Thank you. Peter
Hi Peter
Hmm. I am using Mavericks still, like Sara.I'm running Java 8 but update 11 not 40 and don't see this problem.
meeus-2:vstar david$ java -version
java version "1.8.0_11"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_11-b12)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.11-b03, mixed mode)
meeus-2:vstar david$
I'll see if I can track anything down.
Anyone else seeing this problem?
Do you see the same problem when you download and run from SourceForge?
David
David
Thank you. Yes, it works from SourceForge, it looks as though it is a .jnlp only problem.
I apologise for putting this in the wrong version of the software it should have been in 2.16.7, I just clicked whatever was at the top.
Peter
Hi Peter
Okay, great.
If you wouldn't mind, could you open the Java Preferences from the Apple menu menu Preferences and enable the Java console:
http://www.aavso.org/vstar-overview
Then send me the text in the console window?
David
David
As follows:
Java Web Start 11.40.2.25
Using JRE version 1.8.0_40-b25 Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM
User home directory = /Users/peterspital
----------------------------------------------------
c: clear console window
f: finalize objects on finalization queue
g: garbage collect
h: display this help message
m: print memory usage
o: trigger logging
p: reload proxy configuration
q: hide console
r: reload policy configuration
s: dump system and deployment properties
t: dump thread list
v: dump thread stack
0-5: set trace level to <n>
----------------------------------------------------
I started the data entry box and tried to select the star name field but the above is all that the console showed.
Peter
Hi Peter
When the Java console opens, can you please hit the 5 key to change the trace level and send what you see when trying to select the star as you've been doing?
Thanks.
David
David
It doesn't seem to make any difference. The console shows the following:-
Java Web Start 11.40.2.25
Using JRE version 1.8.0_40-b25 Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM
User home directory = /Users/peterspital
----------------------------------------------------
c: clear console window
f: finalize objects on finalization queue
g: garbage collect
h: display this help message
m: print memory usage
o: trigger logging
p: reload proxy configuration
q: hide console
r: reload policy configuration
s: dump system and deployment properties
t: dump thread list
v: dump thread stack
0-5: set trace level to <n>
----------------------------------------------------
So I also tried the c key to see if that cleared the console window, it didn't.
Peter