Release Notes for DriveWindow 2.

12
Contents
Introduction............................................................................................................................................... 1
Compatibility............................................................................................................................................. 1
Enhancements ......................................................................................................................................... 1
Enhancements in Version 2.12 (Build 250) .......................................................................................... 1
Enhancements in Version 2.11 (Build 240) .......................................................................................... 2
Enhancements in Version 2.10 (Build 230) .......................................................................................... 3
Enhancements in Version 2.02 (Build 220) .......................................................................................... 4
Enhancements in Version 2.01 (Build 210) .......................................................................................... 5
Bugs Corrected ........................................................................................................................................ 5
Bugs Corrected in DriveWindow Version 2.12 (Build 250) ................................................................... 6
Bugs Corrected in DriveWindow Version 2.11 (Build 240) ................................................................... 7
Bugs Corrected in DriveWindow Version 2.10 (Build 230) ................................................................... 8
Bugs Corrected in DriveWindow Version 2.02 (Build 220) ................................................................. 10
Bugs Corrected in DriveWindow Version 2.01 (Build 210) ................................................................. 10

Note! This Release Note is distributed as a PDF-file ([Link]), which can be read by
Acrobat Reader.

Introduction
This document contains release information about DriveWindow version 2.12, such as change history.
DriveWindow 2 is an advanced, fully 32-bit, application program for easy commissioning and
maintenance of ACS600 family of drives.

Compatibility
Since version 2.02, you can no more start using NISA-03 DDCS/ISA boards immediately after installing
DriveWindow under Windows 2000 and Windows XP. You have to tell Windows their presence first
(Add Hardware).
Otherwise version 2.12 is compatible with versions 2.02, 2.01, and 2.0.

Enhancements
Following is a list of enhancements made.

Enhancements in Version 2.12 (Build 250)

Compared with version 2.11 (build 240).
 2
Enhancements
• It is possible to compare an open parameter file with another parameter file.
• User is able to (temporarily) change display format of selected unscaled values shown with
the graph cursor. The format change command is common with items in item pane and has
been moved from the Desktop menu to the View menu. Whether the items in the item list
pane or values shown with the graph cursor are affected, depends on input focus.
• It is possible to change just the drive of all or selected monitored items.
• The y-axis of a trend can be adapted, i.e., DriveWindow can be requested to select and set
proper y-axis minimum and maximum.
• The default values of monitor or datalogger settings can be restored with a single menu
command.
• DriveWindow can calculate proper scaling for selected or all trends.

Additional features
• Parameter download and compare are done using a requested file in case no parameter file
is open.
• When comparing parameters, also read-only parameters (signals) that are included in a
download and exist in the parameter file, are compared.
• User parameters defined in the INI-file are now downloaded before normal groups 10..98.
This feature makes it possible to download parameters, which were write protected by
another user parameter during parameter save. However, a tailor made INI-file is needed if
the feature is used.
• In most cases, the values shown with the graph cursor no more overlap.
• With some operating system/display driver/display adapter combination garbage may be seen
during real time drawing of the monitor trends. A periodic removal of this garbage has been
added.
• Selection of items in the item list pane is preserved as long as the item stays in the pane.
Thus selection changes made in the browse tree pane does not unselect locked and selected
items in the item list pane, for example.
• The status image and name of the selected drive are displayed in the status bar.
• The status image of the drive, control of which is taken, is shown in the drive panel toolbar.
• User has the option to select, whether status of all drives or the selected drive only is
refreshed in the browse tree pane. The status of the drive, control of which is taken, is always
refreshed (even while status refresh is off).
• Appearance settings of the display (in Control Panel) are used consistently. The settings do
not affect the trend display pane, however.
• Monitor visualization method can be set separately for analog and digital signals.
• Immediately after parameters have been downloaded, the drive is requested to force them
into FLASH. This guarantees that the downloaded parameters persist even if the drive is
promptly restarted.
• When an open parameter file is saved with another name, the new name replaces the old one
in the browse tree pane.

Enhancements in Version 2.11 (Build 240)

Compared with version 2.10 (build 230).
DriveOPC, which is included in DriveWindow installation, has been updated from version 2.04 Build
140 to version 2.05 Build 150.
 3
Enhancements
• Parameters with bad quality of values are included in an opened parameter file, too.
• User parameters, which were write protected during save, are now downloaded. However, it
depends on the drive, whether you get an error message or the value is just disregarded, if
the parameter is still write protected during download. Anyway, you should always run
parameter comparison after download.
• A comment can be included in a saved graph (and thus also in a saved workspace).
• Parameter groups in the browse tree pane are now shown in numerical order.
• Items in the item list pane are now sorted by increasing order of channel, node, and item ID of
the OPC Address. Group and parameter IDs are ordered numerically, other IDs are ordered
alphabetically.
• Desktop preferences allow you to display drive parameters in the same format as the operator
panel of the drive shows them. However, this feature is supported only by very new drives.
• Changes made in the desktop preferences are shown immediately in the item list pane. The
side effect of this is that all shown items may go on-line or off-line.
• User is able to (temporarily) change display format of selected items shown in the item list
pane.
• Support for binary and Adaptive Programming data formats has been added (display and
input).
• Possibility for browsing has been added when changing values of items in case the value is
actually the name of a file, which is opened by DriveOPC.

Additional features
• The user is informed, if no drive was found when connection is made to the OPC server.
• Confirmation is requested in commands, which, as a side effect, cause releasing of control of
the drive.
• Confirmation is requested in commands, which, as a side effect, cause disconnecting of the
(non off-line) OPC server.

Enhancements in Version 2.10 (Build 230)

Compared with version 2.02 (build 220).
DriveOPC, which is included in DriveWindow installation, has been updated from version 2.03 Build
130 to version 2.04 Build 140.
 4
Enhancements
• Much more information is saved into and restored from a workspace file. For example, drive
tree expansion and selection status, scrolling status of all panes except the trend display
pane, and visibility of the status bar.
• Many dialog boxes (such as Select OPC Server dialog) remember contents of their last
accepted edit fields, even between sessions.
• The last Status Refresh command is remembered between sessions.
• When control is taken, the actual reference is shown in the drive panel toolbar.
• It is a user option, whether the values at the graph cursor are shown scaled (as in the
previous versions) or unscaled.
• Changing of scale and offset of a monitor channel can be done also, when the monitor is
stopped or paused.
• When a graph is copied to the clipboard, the scrollbars are no more included.
• Hexadecimal values are shown with letter ‘h’ appended. They are still exported with the prefix
0X.
• In addition to prefix 0x, appending of the letter ‘h’ while changing the value of an item,
indicates that the entered value is hexadecimal, not decimal.
• User has the option to print a graph in color.
• Show Cursor On commands are replaced by the Graph Cursor dialog box.
• In addition to enter scaling as coefficient and offset, user has the option to enter scaling as
values at 100 and 0.
• User has the option to control, how graphs are drawn and printed, including colors and line
styles.
• User has the option to control, how the item values in the item list pane are updated, when
changes in the pane are made.

Additional features
• Connecting to other kind of OPC Server than DriveOPC is possible, if the server supports
OPC Foundation Data Access Standard 1.0A.
• When control is taken, it is possible to add a step into the reference. The user can define,
whether the step is ended manually or automatically after a delay.
• It is possible to save graphs and open them later for off-line viewing.
• Settings, preferences, and options are remembered between sessions. Each user has the
option to use a common storage or one for her personal use.
• User has the option to include monitor and/or uploaded data loggers in the saved
workspaces. There is another option to select, whether saved monitor and/or data loggers are
to be restored, when a workspace is opened.
• User has the option to ask for automatic saving of workspace when DriveWindow exits. The
workspace is automatically restored, when DriveWindow is started. Whether monitor and/or
uploaded data loggers are included or not, is separately controllable with this option.
• Files with extension .BPG, .LPG, DWP, DWT, and .DWW are now registered as DW2 files. If
the command line contains a DW2 file name, DriveWindow automatically opens the file. Also
double clicking such a file in the Windows Explorer starts DriveWindow with the file opened.
In addition, DW2 files with extensions .BPG and .LPG also start the restore or download
sequence.
• User has the option to save workspace for off-line viewing. Such a workspace includes user
selectable item groups with their values.

Enhancements in Version 2.02 (Build 220)

Compared with version 2.01 (build 210).
DriveOPC, which is included in DriveWindow installation, has been updated from version 2.02 Build
120 to version 2.03 Build 130.
All enhancements are actually enhancements made in DriveOPC 2.03 (compared with DriveOPC
version 2.02).
 5
Additional features
• Plug and Play compatible driver for NISA-03 DDCS/ISA board is included. It works in
Windows 2000 and Windows XP operating systems. It means that a board has to be
introduced to Windows (Add Hardware) before it can be used. It also means that Windows
plug and play system can now handle resource conflicts concerning the board.
• Plug and Play driver for NDPA-02 DDCS/PCMCIA board now supports more than one board.
• Plug and Play driver for NDPA-02 DDCS/PCMCIA board does not request use of an interrupt
line for a board any more.
• Maximum number of channels supported is 5 under Windows NT (1 NDPA-02
DDCS/PCMCIA board and 2 NISA-03 DDCS/ISA boards).
• Maximum number of channels supported is 10 under Windows 2000 and Windows XP.
Maximum 2 NISA-03 DDCS/ISA boards are supported. Maximum number of NDPA-02
DDCS/PCMCIA boards under Windows 2000 and Windows XP depends on number of
NISA-03 boards installed. With no NISA-03 boards, maximum 10 NDPA-02 boards are
supported. With 2 NISA-03 boards installed, maximum 6 NDPA-02 boards are supported.
• Detection of the presence of a NISA-03 DDCS/ISA board has been enhanced. However, it is
important under Windows NT only, because under Windows 2000 and Windows XP the plug
and play system prevents resource conflicts. Under Windows NT the better detection helps to
avoid blue screens in case some other board is present at I/O addresses reserved for
NISA-03 DDCS/ISA boards.
• Communication library now displays a message box in case it detects that hardware of a
communication board fails. So called low level communication has also been enhanced in
such a case. The failure is no more reported blindly by a call-back to the client. Instead, it is
checked that the client has configured the call-back functions (DriveDebug does not crash
any more, for example).
• New version of [Link] (version 2.0) is included. It knows how to interact with the
new drivers. The old [Link] does not work under Windows 2000 and Windows XP
any more.
• Detecting of presence of drives is now somewhat faster, especially in case the number of
drives is small.
• Under Windows 2000 and Windows XP, power saving of the PC is automatically inhibited, if
the operating system and hardware support the inhibition. If not, or the operating system is
Windows NT, power saving must be inhibited manually. Note that power saving is inhibited
automatically only while DriveWindow is running.

Enhancements in Version 2.01 (Build 210)

Compared with version 2.0 (build 200).
DriveOPC, which is included in DriveWindow installation, has been updated from version 2.0 Build 100
to version 2.02 Build 120.
All enhancements are actually enhancements made in DriveOPC 2.02 (compared with DriveOPC
version 2.0). There are a lot of more enhancements, which are not listed here, however. So, please
read also release notes for DriveOPC 2.03 (<Installation folder>\..\DriveOPC\[Link]).

Additional features
• Plug and Play driver for NDPA-02 DDCS/PCMCIA board is included. It works in Windows
2000 and Windows XP operating systems.
• Communication library now displays a message box in case another application already uses
the library (even by another client session). The message is not shown in case DriveOPC is
configured to be used remotely.

Bugs Corrected
Following is a list of corrected bugs found in previous versions.
 6

Bugs Corrected in DriveWindow Version 2.12 (Build 250)

The bugs were in DriveWindow versions 2.11 (Build 240), 2.10 (Build 230), 2.02 (Build 220), 2.01
(Build 210), and 2.0 (Build 200).

[Link]: Empty browse tree pane in restored workspace with items in the item list pane

If a drive was down while restoring a workspace, but it came up just after DriveOPC had failed to
browse it, the drive was not shown in the browse tree. However, all of its items in the item list pane
could be restored and shown correctly.
This happened especially in case there were no other drives or all were down. In this case a message
box was shown to the user. The items in the item list pane were collected and shown after the user had
clicked the OK button. Thus the probability of the situation happening was big.
The actual behaviour is by design. The probability of this racing condition is now much smaller
because the message box is now shown after restoring the item list pane.
However, the situation can rarely happen even after the correction. To get the browse tree pane shown
correctly, DriveOPC needs to be restarted (usually by disconnecting and reconnecting the OPC
server)..

[Link]: Location of a floating toolbar may not be saved correctly into a workspace

Location of a floating toolbar was not always saved correctly into a workspace. There could be a slight
offset, size of which depended on the operating system and the display resolution.
You could test it by repeatedly saving and opening the same workspace while not moving a floating
toolbar manually. You could see the toolbar drifting slowly if the bug applied your PC.

[Link]: Off-line workspace saved without save for off-line does not open correctly

If you saved an open off-line workspace and selected not to save it for off-line, the resulting workspace
file did not contain all information necessary to get it correctly opened. You got a message "No drive
found" when opening such a workspace.
The problem could be seen frequently, if automatic saving and restoring of the workspace was on. If
you were working off-line when exiting, the next time you started DriveWindow, you got the "No drive
found" message at start-up.
The correction will always save an off-line workspace for off-line.

[Link]: Saved off-line workspace loses the identity of the original OPC server

Saving an off-line workspace (or graph) lost the identity of the original OPC server.
If DriveOPC identity is lost, the icons of the drives in the browse tree plane are no more motors, for
example, but general icons, which do not show any drive status.

[Link]: Drive status icons can be shown in incorrect state

If status refresh was off when connection was made, the drive status icons shown in the browse tree
pane were incorrectly shown in not running (forward) state. They should have been shown in the
unknown (otherwise) state.

[Link]: A graph containing bad values is not saved correctly

A graph (or a workspace with a graph), which contained bad values (-1#IND) in a channel, was not
saved correctly.
All the values in such a channel were saved with quality marked bad. Thus all the values of the channel
were bad (-1#IND) when restored.

[Link]: Saving s graph containing bad values may crash DW

When a graph (or a workspace with a graph), which contained bad values (-1#IND) in a channel, was
saved, DriveWindow could crash.
Crashing could happen only if the channel containing bad values had more than 65535 values to be
saved.
 7
[Link]: Number of decimal digits in a display format is not saved

If the user had changed the display format of an item in the item list pane, number of decimal digits
was not saved into a workspace.
When the workspace was restored, number of decimal digits was always set to 3 for the changed
items.
Note that most of the display formats do not depend on the number of decimal digits.

[Link]: Ampersand in the name of a drive is not shown correctly

If the name of a drive contains an ampersand (&), it was not shown correctly in the drive panel toolbar.
Instead, the next character was underlined.

[Link]: Backing up the same drive several times creates an invalid backup package

If the same drive was backed up more than twice into a backup package without closing it in between,
the resulting backup package file was invalid.
Such a package contained the FPROM files of the drive more than once. When the drive was restored,
DriveWindow did not check the existence of such a situation. Instead, the files were downloaded more
than once, which could cause the restored drive to crash.
The correction includes proper handling of invalid backup packages possibly created by previous
versions of DriveWindow. It is even possible to correct invalid packages by just opening and then
saving them with Save As.

Bugs Corrected in DriveWindow Version 2.11 (Build 240)

The bugs were in DriveWindow versions 2.10 (Build 230), 2.02 (Build 220), 2.01 (Build 210), and 2.0
(Build 200).
Note that bugs corrected in DriveOPC are not listed here. However, many of them concern behaviour
of DriveWindow 2.11 as well. So, please read also release notes for DriveOPC 2.05
(<Installation folder>\..\DriveOPC\[Link]).

[Link]: Colon in drive name creates an invalid backup package

If any of the drives, system software of which was backed up into a backup package, contained colon
(:) in its name (as shown in the browse tree pane), the backup package could not be used in restoring
drives. There was no error message during backup, but at restore time, DriveWindow either informs
about an illegal item in the package or crashes.
The reason is that colon is used internally in the backup package as a hard disk separator, but the
names are not checked during backup.
Note that such invalid backup packages cannot be opened by version 2.11. However, version 2.11 no
more makes invalid backup packages. If a new package is restored with an older DW version, drive
names may not be correct and need to be adjusted manually.

[Link]: Viewing a not set channel of a datalogger may crash DriveWindow

Viewing a not set channel of a datalogger in the item list pane in case it had not yet been uploaded
could crash DriveWindow.

[Link]: Saving of graphs occasionally creates an invalid file

Saving graphs into a DWT file or with workspace into a DWW file occasionally created a file, which
could not be opened by DW. It most often happened, when the file was not local, but resided in a
server.

[Link]: Legends in printed graphs may overlap

If the size of the trend window was too small when the graph was created, or was too small when the
graph is printed, the texts in the print overlapped.
 8
[Link]: The graph cursor is not restored correctly from a workspace

Restoring of the workspace from a file or opening graphs from a file did not restore the graph cursor
correctly. Visibility status was not read from the file. Instead the previous state stayed. Also, the graph
cursor location of the monitor graph could not be correctly restored. This happened when there had
been a long pause (longer than the size of the history buffer) in collecting the monitor data before
saving it. Also, if a restored monitor graph was saved again, and the saved graph was restored, the
cursor location could not be correct.

[Link]: Alt key causes problems in the Drive Panel toolbar

When input focus was in the Drive Panel, Alt+R caused pressing of the Reverse button, Alt+F pressing
of the Forward button, Alt+P pressing of the Step button, and Alt+C pressing of Release button.

[Link]: Error in reading workspace file

When opening a compressed workspace (DWW) or graph (DWT) file, you could get the error
message "Error in reading workspace file".
The reason is that when the file was saved, some system software operation had been executed in the
current session. The compression module is a singleton and system software uses encryption. Thus
the compressed workspace or graph file becomes encrypted, too.

[Link]: Semicolon in the name, value, or enumeration string of a parameter

If there was a semicolon in the name, value, or enumeration string of a parameter, the parameter, if
included in a DWP-file, could not be read back correctly.
The reason is that semicolon is used as a separator in a DWP-file. Note that the problem concerns
even DW 1.x DWP-files.
Note that the correction uses escaping when writing a DWP-file, which means that older DWP-files still
cannot be read correctly. Also, if a new DWP-file is read with an older DW version, semicolons will be
shown (and downloaded) as escape sequences consisting of several characters.

[Link]: Putting a parameter file item on-line makes DW to crash

If you use locking or you are monitoring, it is possible that you have at the same time items shown from
an open parameter file and drives in the item list pane. If you then selected several items, the selection
contained items from both the parameter file and a drive, and you put the items on-line, DriveWindow 2
crashed. If your selection consists only of parameter file items, the on-line command is disabled
(grayed).

Bugs Corrected in DriveWindow Version 2.10 (Build 230)

The bugs were in DriveWindow versions 2.02 (Build 220), 2.01 (Build 210), and 2.0 (Build 200).
Note that bugs corrected in DriveOPC are not listed here. However, many of them concern behaviour
of DriveWindow 2.10 as well. So, please read also release notes for DriveOPC 2.04
(<Installation folder>\..\DriveOPC\[Link]).

[Link]: Exporting of monitor graph is occasionally disabled

Occasionally it happened that Export in the Graph submenu of the File menu was disabled (grayed)
when trying to export the monitor. This situation could happen in case the last drawn measurement
skewed on both sides of the drawing point.

[Link]: Parameter download clears write-only and bad parameters

Zero was written into write-only parameters (within user data) when parameters were downloaded.
Also, if quality of a parameter value was bad when it was saved into a parameter file, zero was written
into such parameter during download instead of giving an error message..

[Link]: Wrong item is shown in parameter download write failure error messages

If there was a writing error during parameter download, some other item could be shown instead of the
item failed.
 9
[Link]: Height of the message box about parameter download errors can be huge

Number of items shown in the parameter download error message box was not limited. It means that
its height could be huge, if there was a communication failure during the download, for example.

[Link]: Browsing may fail in case there is another OPC client

Symptoms: If the local version of DriveOPC ([Link]) is used and another client is already connected
to it, connecting DriveWindow 2 does not display the drives in the browse tree pane correctly (the pane
is possibly empty).
The bug has been corrected.

[Link]: Disconnecting or exiting can be slow

In case there were several drives and many branches had been expanded in the browse tree (upper
left pane), disconnecting the server or exiting DriveWindow could be very slow. At the same time the
browse tree pane was constantly changing.

[Link]: Selection of DL2 is not saved into a workspace

If a drive had two dataloggers and the second was the one selected to be viewed, when workspace
was saved, the information was not written into the workspace. When the workspace was restored from
the saved file, the first datalogger was selected.

[Link]: Occasional crash when exiting

If connected to a server and there were some signals selected to be monitored, DriveWindow
occasionally crashed while exiting.

[Link]: Selection and scrolling are lost in monitor settings pane

When a setting of the monitor was changed, the selections made in the monitor settings (lower left)
pane and its scrolling status were lost..

[Link]: Scaling is lost when zooming out a datalogger trend

If you changed scaling while viewing a zoomed in datalogger trend, the scaling was restored, when you
zoomed out (or reset zoom). You thus lost the scaling you entered.

[Link]: Slash in drive name creates an invalid backup package

If any of the drives, system software of which was backed up into a backup package, contained slash in
it name (as shown in the browse tree pane), the backup package could not be used in restoring drives.
There was no error message during backup, but at restore time, DriveWindow either informed about an
illegal item in the package or crashed.
The reason was that slash is used internally in the backup package as a folder separator, but the
names were not checked during backup.

[Link]: Datalogger commands can erroneously be enabled

It was possible that one or more of the datalogger commands (start, for example) were enabled while
selection in the browse tree pane was within an open parameter file.
Consequenses of executing a datalogger command in such a situation were undeterministic.
Note that when a workspace, which is saved with older DW, is opened with a corrected DW, some data
can be still erroneously shown in the datalogger settings pane.

[Link]: Possible crash if application changes during zoom

While zooming (i.e., selecting the zoom area with the mouse), switching to another application, which
covered the mouse corner of the zoom area, caused odd behavior in the zooming rectangle after
switching back. The shown zoom area was not a rectangle any more. It existed and lived even when
not dragging with the mouse. Usually DW stack overflowed when clicking (or releasing) the left mouse
button in such a situation.
 10
The bug has been corrected. Note that the correction makes DW the topmost application during
zooming. The odd behavior (but no crash) still exists, if switch is made to some another application
demanding topmost window (like the Windows Task Manager).

Bugs Corrected in DriveWindow Version 2.02 (Build 220)

The bugs were in DriveWindow versions 2.01 (Build 210) and 2.0 (Build 200).
Note that bugs corrected in DriveOPC are not listed here. However, many of them concern behaviour
of DriveWindow 2.02 as well. So, please read also release notes for DriveOPC 2.03
(<Installation folder>\..\DriveOPC\[Link]).

[Link]: ACS PMM and ACN PMM are not recognised

ACS 600 Single and MultiDrive for Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (ACS PMM and ACN
PMM) are now recognized by DriveWindow.

[Link]: Scaling coefficient and offset of a datalogger do not scroll

Scaling coefficient and offset of a datalogger do not scroll up when a channel is deleted.
The bug has been corrected.

[Link]: Exporting parameters of the selected drive works only if the drive itself is selected

Exporting parameters of the selected drive works only if the drive itself is selected. It does not work in
case the selection is within the drive tree.
The bug has been corrected.

Bugs Corrected in DriveWindow Version 2.01 (Build 210)

The bugs were in DriveWindow version 2.0 (Build 200).
Note that bugs corrected in DriveOPC are not listed here. However, many of them concern behaviour
of DriveWindow 2.01 as well. So, please read also release notes for DriveOPC 2.03
(<Installation folder>\..\DriveOPC\[Link]).
Document “Saving and Restoring [Link]”, which is referenced in the User Manual and in
Help, is now included in the installation.

[Link]: [Link] cannot be used under Win2000

Symptoms: Changing of monitoring interval or update rate in OPC Settings always results 1 ms, if the
local server ([Link]) is used and running under Win2000 (or under WinXP).
The reason is that although OPC Specification specifies that pRequestedUpdateRate pointer in
IOPCGroupStateMgt::SetState must be unique, it is not in several calls within DriveWindow.
Marshaling seems to differ in WinNT and Win2000 (WinXP). WinNT does not care about the unique
specification, but Win2000 (WinXP) seems to do some optimization, which require the pointer to be
unique.
Note that there is no marshaling required when the in-process server ([Link]) is used.
The bug has been corrected. Now DriveWindow can be used as a client, even if [Link] is running
under Win2000 or WinXP.