Wx Plotter FAQ
Wx Plotter gives the message "Unable to Find WxPlotter.hlp" or "Cannot find startup.wps or CRON.wps."
This was an error identified in the initial release of ver 1.2a because the installation failed to correctly add a "Start In" value to the shortcuts it created. This can be fixed by right-clicking on the Wx Plotter shortcut and typing into the textbox labeled "Working Directory" or "Start In," the directory where Wx Plotter is installed -- i.e. (include the quotes):
"C:\Program Files\Wx Plotter"
if Wx Plotter was installed into the default installation directory.
You may also want (to make things simpler) to just uninstall Wx Plotter and download it again from the Internet and install with the new file. The registration key that you received will still work on this copy.
I do not live in the United States, which seems to be the only place where weather data is contoured. How do I get my country´s weather data contoured (I have version 1.02 - 1.2a)?
If you know a little bit about the geography of your area, this problem is easily fixed. Under the Wx Plotter program group (Start > Programs > Wx Plotter) there is a utility called Wx Plotter Script Editor. Select this program. When it opens up, open the file entitled "buildgrid.wps"
Now all that is required is that you change the contents of the line that starts with "buildgrid." The general format for the buildgrid command is:
BUILDGRID filename startlat startlong endlat endlong steplat steplong range order time
Where filename, startlat, startlong, endlat, endlong, steplat, steplong, range, order, and time are the command parameters for this command. For the most part the parameters you would want to change are startlat, startlong, endlat, endlong and possibly range; where startlat and startlong are the top-left latitude and longitude of the "analysis box" and endlat and endlong are the bottom-right latitude and longitude, and where range is the distance from a data point where the grid builder will search for data points. For example the BUILDGRID line should look as so for Europe:
buildgrid sfc[hours]hr 65 -15 30 45 1 1 250 3 [minutes]
To learn more about this and any other script command, type HELP at the command line textbox in the Wx Plotter program.
(Note: Versions of Wx Plotter 1.2a or older may not contour some weather parameters outside of the United States of America, due to different METAR formats outside of the US. This issue will be resolved in future updates to Wx Plotter)
I cannot get Wx Plotter to contour temperatures or dew points in Fahrenheit. How do I get it to do this?
The reason this happens is because contouring is performed through scripting. In order to get Wx Plotter to contour in Fahrenheit, it is necessary to change the scripts.
Using the script editor (located in the Wx Plotter program group from the Start Menu), open the file called 'contour_temp.wps'; the contents should look like:
label Temperature (red; 0c blue)
draw sfc0hr t -50 50 2 <reda> 0 0
draw sfc0hr t 0 0 0 <blue6> 1 0
end
The first line places a label on the main screen, the second and third lines actually draw the contours on the main screen. The second line, as shown above will draw a somewhat bright red contour from -50 to 50 Celsius in 2 degree intervals. The third line will draw a thicker, medium blue contour representing the 0 Celsius contour. To get a Fahrenheit contour instead, change the script to look as such:
label Temperature (red; 32F blue)
draw sfc0hr tf -80 140 5 <reda> 0 0
draw sfc0hr tf 32 32 0 <blue6> 1 0
end
Notice the changes in the first, second and third lines. As shown above, the script would contour from -80 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit in 5 degree intervals (second line) and draw a blue contour representing the 32F isotherm (third line).
For dew points, open 'contour_dp.wps' using the script editor. In the second and third lines, change the d to a df and create the appropriate scale for your needs (note: the third line will draw a thicker contour).
For more information on how to manipulate the scripts, please refer to the help file included with Wx Plotter. In particular, see 'What is a script' under the index of the help file.