The Weather Forecasting Forum

I am having problems with automated scripts. I have a series of scripts set to run every two hours to produce analysis charts and upload them to my website. The scripts are scheduled to run under the windows scheduler and start by calling digital atmosphere, with the included script name in the execution line. The scripts will run fine for a period of time, then every few days stop running. For example, the scripts ran up until 5 am today, now when there are started with the scheduler, digital atmosphere will downlaod the observational data, but not build the charts. To get the scripts to work again I need to power down my system, then bring it back on line. The program just stops running the script - it does not freeze up. Any help would be appreciated.

I have a similar issue in that if I run the my scripts too often, they lock up DA2000. I'm using the scheduler in DA for scheduling my scripts. It runs fine for a day or up to a week but then locks up in the middle of a plot.
I assumed this was a Win98se issue but it did the same on Win2000.

I got mine to work longer term by reducing down to 4 runs a day. I'm not too worried about it due to my beign new to all of this and Tim working on a new version. I'm more interested in consistant results and that is what I hope the new version will do.

Thanks for the response. I have my scripts running every two hours. I think that the issue is some sort of conflict with resources. I believe that I have noticed a relationship between some programs that I occasionally run and leave in the program tray, and digital atmosphere scripts not running correctly.

How do you script and what is it? It's kinda of a funny question.

Thanks

Black Sky,

From the DA help menu:

Scripting is a powerful function that allows Digital Atmosphere to do various tasks while unattended. You can have it download data every half hour and always have the latest map displayed, or send charts to the printer automatically. The possibilities are up to you.

To write scripts, I open up a new text file in a text editor like Notepad and write the commands per the instructions found in the help menu. To find these instructions go to HELP -> Contents -> Appendix -> Scripting. Here you will find the format for writing script instructions.

Once you have written a script, save is with the extension .dsf. You can run the script by clicking on the "Run Script" button or by scheduling it to run.

If you need any more help, don't hesitate to post again and I will be happy to respond.

Grant Firl

P.S. Where in Missouri are you from, Black Sky? I'm from Springfield.

Grant Firl,
Thanks for the help! I'm from Cuba, Missouri. I'm about 21 miles east of Rolla.

I've had similar experiences - script runs fine for a while, then it stops in the middle of a run, usually right after radar plot, and before surface plot.

It think it is a surface metar parsing error, because when I clear out all the output.* files, it still happens UNLESS I change my metar from COD to NWS, sometimes FSU or ANY other metar file. Then it works.

And, just letting the next hour come around will usually cure it (though sometimes it still takes clearing out the output files). There's something about some hourlys that snag it.