Release: sWeather (tray-based weather app)

[mouser]

very nice. 

[ZorMi]

I did some digging and Yahoo! provide an API for the WOEID lookups so I added the functionality directly to sWeather.

Very good, it looks much better now. Few more hints:

Expanded table view should contain a column with time of last update, some data could be several hours old and unrealistic.

If Yahoo update schedule is fixed and reliable (I dunno about that) there could be an 'Automatic' refresh working like:
- read current Yahoo weather data and when it's updated.
- based on this and Yahoo schedule calculate next update.
- read again a minute (or five) after calculated time.
- if it's refreshed... great. wait next update.
- if it's still old... try again in 5 (or 15) minutes.
... or something similar.

Regards...

Who's KorMi? 

[tomos]

Here's a screenshot of the new sWeather Options panel.

looks great


[edit] unable to download - or to reach your site, will try later [/edit]

[edit] no worries, got it! [/edit]

[skwire]

Expanded table view should contain a column with time of last update, some data could be several hours old and unrealistic.

I'll see what I can do.

If Yahoo update schedule is fixed and reliable (I dunno about that) there could be an 'Automatic' refresh working like:
- read current Yahoo weather data and when it's updated.
- based on this and Yahoo schedule calculate next update.
- read again a minute (or five) after calculated time.
- if it's refreshed... great. wait next update.
- if it's still old... try again in 5 (or 15) minutes.
... or something similar.

I"ll consider this but, with the new 15 minute update cyclye, I don't see a whole lot of benefit.

Who's KorMi? 

Doh!  My apologies...    I've fixed this in the changelog and uploaded a minor build update.

[skwire]

This update might move the expanded view's name column to the far right as the last column.  If so, simply drag it back to where you want it and close the window.  The order will be saved for next time.  Thanks.

Website | Download
v1.2.4 - 2012-08-11
    + Added "Last update time" column to expanded view.  (Thanks, ZorMi)

[skwire]

Just cobbled in a five-day forecast to the main window.  The data is also in the Expanded View.



Website | Download
v1.2.5 - 2012-08-11
   + Added 5-day forecast to main window and Expanded View.
   ! More checks for duplicate names in the WOEID list.  (Thanks, lanux128)

[mouser]

nice.

[skwire]

Thanks, mouser.  =]

[skwire]

Website | Download
v1.2.9 - 2012-08-13
    + Added new tray condition theme based on the Farm Fresh web icons from
      FatCow (http://www.fatcow.com/free-icons).
    + Added F3 hotkey to bring up Options panel.

v1.2.8 - 2012-08-13
    + The "Change Weather!?" panel now functions as a theme browser.
    + Added new tray condition theme based on the LED icons from http://led24.de

v1.2.7 - 2012-08-12
    + Added condition icons to the expanded view's 5-day forecast columns.

v1.2.6 - 2012-08-12
    ! Fixed an issue where stale 5-day data from one location was affecting
      locations that didn't have 5-day data to start with.

[joiwind]

Great - thanks again skwire.

One small problem with the five-day display : the icons sometimes disappear after an automatic refresh, a manual refresh brings them back.

Suggestion for the GUI : that you move the small panel that is now middle-right with the arrows etc. up to top-right, that would be more consistent with the context (or something like that  ).

[skwire]

One small problem with the five-day display : the icons sometimes disappear after an automatic refresh, a manual refresh brings them back.

I noticed this, too, and did put an extra window refresh command in there but it's still not 100%.

Suggestion for the GUI : that you move the small panel that is now middle-right with the arrows etc. up to top-right, that would be more consistent with the context (or something like that  ).

Ahhh, yes, the bane of my existence with this application.  I have struggled with the positioning of that button bar since I started writing this app.  I've tried it at the top, bottom, upper right, lower left, ad nauseum.  None have ever really looked "right."  Where it is now is where I'm the least displeased with it.  Notice that I didn't say happy with it. 

[joiwind]

Where it is now is where I'm the least displeased with it.  Notice that I didn't say happy with it. 

Cool ... nearly a double negative 

[Ath]

I'm very pleased with the way sWeather has developed. Nice

There's only one, maybe rather big, feature I'd like to request: A setting for Fahrenheit or Celcius/Metric per location, so I can easily see, and optionally quote, the 'actual' temperature for locations in the non-metric using parts of the world
A possible alternative for this feature could be a tooltip displaying the 'other' value then the default display-metric, when hovering the mouse over it. A quick calculation from F to C or back would be just fine, polling the Yahoo API twice would be overkill, IMHO.

[tomos]

Enjoying the weather here with sWeather, of course

I have a question about the Yahoo site
-
does *anyone* know if it gives it's sources anywhere? - I mean the location of whatever weather station it uses?
I cant find anything on the page myself...

My problem is that, for the village I live in it currently says 26°C, for the nearest city it says 16°C. The city is less than 10 miles away, with no noticable difference in weather apart from usually being warmer due to being built-up.
So, something is quite wrong there, yet I would have thought that the forecast for a small city would be more accurate than the forecast for a village pop. 600...

I dont even have a thermometer to check, but it definitely is well over 20° here at the moment.

[skwire]

What do you all think of this layout with buttons at the bottom?

[tomos]

What do you all think of this layout with buttons at the bottom?
(see attachment in previous post)

looks well, but I think the other one above (as it currently is) is more discreet

[skwire]

Yep, I know...and that's part of the struggle I've had since designing this app. 

[tomos]

I like discreet myself :-)

[Ath]

What do you all think of this layout with buttons at the bottom?
(see attachment in previous post)

Only if the 5-day preview could be turned off , the current height already is about the maximum height I would want to allow it on screen.

[tomos]

I seem to be have a sWeather hour:

I was clicking the forward and back buttons in the main window & I heard a couple of "pops".
I notice this in the clipboard

[attachimg=#]

it seems to be copying the filepath of the clicked button-icon.
is that expected behaviour?

Is it correct that these be in a $$$$$_sWeather_temp temp folder:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

1.png
2.png
3.png
4.png
5.png
about.png
changelog.txt
icon.ico
resources.dll
yahoo.ico

[skwire]

I was clicking the forward and back buttons in the main window & I heard a couple of "pops".
I notice this in the clipboard

Odd, there is no code in there to do that.  Does it do it even after restarting sWeather?

Is it correct that these be in a $$$$$_sWeather_temp temp folder:

Yes.

[joiwind]

What do you all think of this layout with buttons at the bottom?
(see attachment in previous post)

Well, I like this way of displaying. If it's not discreet it's neat.

[skwire]

Well, I like this way of displaying. If it's not discreet it's neat.

Hehehe...yeah, it's a toss-up. 

[skwire]

I'm very pleased with the way sWeather has developed. Nice

Thanks, I'm rather pleased with it, too, since this is one of my apps that I use myself.

There's only one, maybe rather big, feature I'd like to request: A setting for Fahrenheit or Celcius/Metric per location, so I can easily see, and optionally quote, the 'actual' temperature for locations in the non-metric using parts of the world
A possible alternative for this feature could be a tooltip displaying the 'other' value then the default display-metric, when hovering the mouse over it. A quick calculation from F to C or back would be just fine, polling the Yahoo API twice would be overkill, IMHO.

That's actually a slick idea so what I've done is this:

Website | Download
v1.3.0 - 2012-08-14
    + Added status bar mouseover conversions for all values that can be converted.
      Hover your mouse above a reading, e.g., the current temperature, and the
      converted value should appear in the status bar.  (Thanks, Ath)
    * Cleaned up navigation button positioning and widened their click areas
      slightly.

Messing with tooltips on controls in AHK is a kludgy hack so I hope my solution covers your request. 

[tomos]

I was clicking the forward and back buttons in the main window & I heard a couple of "pops".
I notice this in the clipboard

Odd, there is no code in there to do that.  Does it do it even after restarting sWeather?

it copies a couple of times for each icon, I cant figure out when it happens - e.g. it might happen on the fourth click of the back icon. Happens with back/forward/refresh icons. It seems to happen less often after restarting but it does happen again. (with V.1.2.9 Build1)
I cannot figure out an exact pattern.

It's no big deal, but it is odd.

I'm using mouser's CH&S.