266 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
266 lines
13 KiB
Plaintext
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<title>JMRI: Dispatcher Options Help</title>
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<meta name="author" content="Dave Duchamp">
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<meta name="keywords" content="JMRI help Dispatcher Options">
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<h1>JMRI: Dispatcher Options</h1>
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<h2>Introduction</h2>
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<p>The <strong>Dispatcher Options</strong> pane provides for tailoring <strong><a href=
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"Dispatcher.shtml">Dispatcher</a></strong> according to user needs and preferences. The
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<strong>Options</strong> menu provides access to these options and to another choice for
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saving Dispatcher Options to disk for later use. Both are described below.</p>
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<h2>Using Dispatcher Options</h2>
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<img src="images/OptionsWindow.png" alt="Options window" style="float:right;margin:2em;">
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<p>Selecting <strong>Dispatcher Options...</strong> in the <strong>Options</strong> menu of
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the Dispatcher window brings up the pane shown at right.</p>
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<p>This window shows options currently set for Dispatcher. To change Dispatcher Options,
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change to the desired option configuration, and click the <strong>Apply</strong> button. All
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options are set to the selections in the Dispatcher Options pane, and the pane disappears. To
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close this pane without changing any options, click <strong>Cancel</strong>.<br>
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The available options are:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Use connectivity from Layout Editor panels</strong> if you have one or
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more Layout Editor panels that fully describe your layout, including blocks and turnouts,
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and would like Dispatcher to make use of this connectivity. Uncheck this item if no
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Layout Editor panels with connectivity are available. If this item is checked, Dispatcher
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will automatically check if turnouts are set correctly when allocating a Section, and will
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inform the dispatcher if the turnouts are not set correctly. This item must be checked if
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Dispatcher is to set turnouts when a Section is allocated (see below), and if trains are
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to be run automatically.</p>
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<p>Select the type of Signaling control that is used on the panels from the drop down:</p>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Signal Heads/SSL</strong> - Use (traditional) Signal Heads and Simple
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Signal Logic</li>
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<li><strong>Signal Masts/SML</strong> - Use (more advanced) Signal Masts and
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associated Signal Mast Logic</li>
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<li><strong>No Signals</strong> - Do not use signals for train speed and control.</li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Select one of these three options for Dispatcher to select Trains from when creating
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Active Trains:</p>
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</li>
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<li style="list-style: none">
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Trains from Roster</strong> - Dispatcher will list all trains in the JMRI
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Roster that are not currently in Active Trains.</li>
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<li><strong>Trains from Operations</strong> - Dispatcher will list all trains available
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from Operations that are not in Active Trains.</li>
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<li><strong>Trains from User Entry</strong> - Dispatcher will replace the train
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selection box in the <strong><a href="NewTrain.shtml">Activate New Train</a></strong>
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window with two entry fields allowing the user to enter a train name and a dcc
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Address.</li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Layout has block detection hardware</strong> if block occupancy
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detection is available from the layout. Uncheck if the layout does not have block
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occupancy detection, or if Dispatcher should not make use of block occupancy detection.
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Block detection hardware is required for automatic running of trains.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Automatically allocate Sections to Active Trains</strong> to activate
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automated allocation. Uncheck to deactivate automated allocation. This item is equivalent
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to the <strong>Auto Allocate</strong> option check box in Dispatcher's window above the
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<strong>Allocated Sections</strong> table. It is also equivalent to <strong>Auto
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Allocate</strong> in Dispatcher's <strong>Options</strong> menu. Checking it here, then
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saving Dispatcher Options (see below) will select Auto Allocate and Auto Release when
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Dispatcher is started. <strong>Note: The current version of Dispatcher provides limited
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support for automated allocation of Sections</strong>. Support will be enhanced in future
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versions.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Automatically set turnouts when a Section is allocated</strong> to
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activate automatic setting of turnouts. Uncheck to deactivate automatic setting of
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turnouts. This item is equivalent to <strong>Auto Set Turnouts</strong> in Dispatcher's
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<strong>Options</strong> menu. This item requires that <strong>Use connectivity from
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Layout Editor panel</strong> be checked (see above). Turnouts will not be set unless the
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Section to be allocated is free and unoccupied, except for the first Section of an Active
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Train that starts in the Transit. If turnouts cannot be set, the dispatcher will be
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warned. When setting turnouts, Dispatcher only issues commands to set turnouts; it does
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not wait for turnouts to actually change. This item is required for automatic running of
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trains.<br>
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Note that signals dependent on those turnouts will not change until the turnout is
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changed, so Dispatcher may (indirectly) wait for turnouts to align.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Trust Known State of Turnouts?</strong> to suppress sending of turnout
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commands if the known state already matches the desired state. This can be used where
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reliable turnout feedback is in place.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Use short Active Train names</strong> to use the train name as the
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Active Train name in tables and selection boxes where Active Trains are referenced.
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Uncheck to use the full Active Train name in those locations.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Place train name in starting Block</strong> to request that Dispatcher
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set the "value" of the starting Block to the train name when creating a new Active Train.
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Uncheck to suppress setting the starting Block value to the train name. This feature is
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designed to facilitate Train Tracking in Layout Editor panels.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Place Roster Entry in starting Block</strong> to request that Dispatcher
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set the "value" of the starting Block to the roster entry when creating a new Active
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Train. Uncheck to suppress setting the starting Block value to the roster entry. This
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feature is designed to facilitate Train Tracking in Layout Editor panels.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Use alternate color for allocated Blocks</strong> to use the Layout
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Editor alternate unoccupied color for allocated Blocks in Layout Editor panels. This
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option is designed to make it easier for the dispatcher to see which Sections have been
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allocated.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Place train name in allocated Blocks</strong> to place the name of the
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Active Train to which a Section is allocated as the value of Blocks of the Allocated
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Section. This feature, coupled with the above alternate color option, makes it easy for
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the dispatcher to see which Allocated Section is allocated to which Active Train when
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viewing a Layout Editor panel.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Check <strong>Support Virtual Sound Decoder Positioning</strong> to help position
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train sounds when using Virtual Sound Decoders.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Select layout scale in the <strong>Layout Scale</strong> selection box. The selected
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scale is used to convert Block length as used in automatic running of trains.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Select the preferred <strong>Units</strong>, either <strong>Scale Feet</strong> or
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<strong>Scale Meters</strong> for referencing train length and block length in
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Dispatcher.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p>Select the preferred <strong>Stopping Speed</strong>. This will be the speed to stop a
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train when the previous block becomes unoccupied.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p><strong>Minimum Throttle Interval</strong> is used to manage throttle traffic, by
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sending throttle commands no more often than this value. Increasing this value reduces
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traffic on your DCC bus, but will affect "smoothness" of speed changes.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<span class="since">since 4.3.7</span>
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<p><strong>Time to Fully Ramp</strong> is used to calculate the Ramping values.
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Specifically, it is how long (in milliseconds) it would take to go from 0% to 100%.
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Increasing this value causes ramping operations to take longer.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<span class="since">since 3.4</span>
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<p>Check the <strong>Open Dispatcher with Panel</strong> to open up the Dispatcher window
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when the panel file is loaded. Please note that this option is saved when the panel file
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itself and is saved and not when the "Save Options" is selected.</p>
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p><strong>Important Note: Remember to save your Options</strong> (see below). If new
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Dispatcher Options are not saved, they revert to the previous values the next time Dispatcher
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is run.</p>
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<h2>Using the Options Menu</h2>
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<p>The <strong>Options</strong> menu is used to access, edit, and save Dispatcher options.
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Items in this menu and their use are explained below:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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<p><strong>Auto Allocate</strong> - This check box is used to turn automated allocation
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functions on (checked) or off (unchecked). This item is equivalent to the <strong>Auto
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Allocate</strong> option check box in Dispatcher's window above the <strong>Allocated
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Sections</strong> table. It is also is equivalent to an item in the <strong>Options
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Window</strong>. Automated dispatching may be turned on or off at any time. The item is
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repeated here for convenience of the dispatcher. <strong>Note: Automated allocation of
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Sections has limited support in the current version of Dispatcher.</strong></p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p><strong>Auto Set Turnouts</strong> - This check box is used to turn on (checked) or
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off (unchecked) automatic setting of turnouts when Sections are allocated. This item is
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equivalent to an item in the Options Window. Automatic setting of turnouts may be turned
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on or off at any time, except for automatically running Active Trains. The item is
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repeated here for the convenience of the dispatcher.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p><strong>Options Window...</strong> - Selecting this item brings up the Options Window
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described above.</p>
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</li>
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<li>
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<p><strong>Save Options...</strong> - Selecting this item saves Dispatcher Options to
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disk.</p>
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</li>
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</ul>
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<h2 id="saveoptions">Saving Dispatcher Options</h2>
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<p>To make the changes to Dispatcher options persistent, select <strong>Save Options...</strong>
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from the <strong>Options</strong> menu. A small XML file, <em>dispatcheroptions.xml</em>, will be
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created and saved in the <strong>dispatcher</strong> directory within the user files location.
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<strong>Note: Dispatcher Options are not saved automatically.</strong> Saving Dispatcher
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Options is optional. Selecting this menu item is the only way to save Dispatcher Options.
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</p>
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<p>When Dispatcher is started, the <em>dispatcheroptions.xml</em> file will be loaded to set
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the options for the current Panelpro session.</p>
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<p>If the file is not present when Dispatcher is started, default options are used.
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</p>
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<p class="noted">Prior to JMRI 5.13.7, the <em>dispatcheroptions.xml</em> file was stored at
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the user files location. The options file location file has been changed to the
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<strong>dispatcher</strong> directory which also contains the train info files. The result is
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that the Dispatcher configuration data is in a single location. The file at the old location,
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if it exists, will continue to be updated when options are updated. The "change" occurs when
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options have been saved the first time after a JMRI upgrade to 5.13.7 or later.</p>
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<p>Back to <a href="Dispatcher.shtml">Dispatcher</a> help.</p>
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