Serge NOEL
140 lines
9.8 KiB
Plaintext
140 lines
9.8 KiB
Plaintext
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<title>JMRI: Edit Block Help</title>
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<meta name="author" content="Bob Jacobsen">
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<meta name="keywords" content="JMRI help Layout Editor Block">
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<h1>Create/Edit Block</h1>
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Blocks are sections of track whose occupancy may be individually monitored. Dividing track
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into blocks is optional. Blocks set up in a track diagram normally correspond to physical
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blocks on a layout. Block occupancy is indicated by the state of an <em>occupancy
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sensor</em>. When a layout's track is divided into blocks, all of the track need not belong
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to a block. For example, yard track is normally not in a block, whereas mainline track almost
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always would be divided into blocks. The main use of blocks is to facilitate signaling, but
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blocks may be used for other layout control and animation functions.
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<p>If a block name is entered in the <strong>Block: Name</strong> field of the tool bar prior
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to adding a turnout, level crossing, or track segment, the added item is assigned to that
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block; if a sensor name (system name or user name) was entered into the <strong>Occupancy
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Sensor</strong> field, that sensor will be assigned to the entered block. A turnout, level
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crossing, or track segment may also be assigned to a block by entering that block's name in
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the edit dialog accessed by selecting <strong>Edit...</strong> in that items popup menu. In
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either case, if a block with the entered name doesn't exist, one is created.</p>
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<p>A block name may be any series of alphabetic or numeric characters that describe the
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block, for example, "Red Main 2", "Lake Siding", or "Moose Block". Once a block is created,
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its name may not be changed; attempting to change a block's name will create a new block
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having the new name. After all items assigned to the old block are changed to the new block,
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the block with the old name will be automatically deleted (see below).</p>
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<p>Blocks may be viewed in the <strong>Block Table</strong>, that may be accessed using the
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<strong>Tools</strong> menu. Block information for a Layout Editor panel is kept in two
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parts, which are always linked together automatically. For each block, Layout Editor specific
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information is stored and managed in a Layout Editor specific part, and the generic part of
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the block information is stored in a JMRI Block. When a Layout Editor block is created, a
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corresponding JMRI Block is automatically created. The automatically created Block will have
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a system name <em>IBnnn</em> (where <em>nnn</em> is a number), and a user name the same as
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the block name mentioned above. It is the generic Blocks that are displayed in the Block
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Table. Avoid changing the user name in the Block Table, because this will break the link
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between the two parts of the block information.</p>
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<p>Of interest in the Block Table is the "Value" column. The "Value" can be used to identify
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trains as they move around the layout. If a train is parked in a Block, and train identifying
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text is manually entered into the "Value" entry for that Block, the text will be propagated
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from Block to Block as the train is run around the layout. When the train enters a Block, the
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text "Value" of the block the train entered from will be copied into the "Value" of the
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entered Block; when the train exits a Block, the "Value" of the now empty block will be
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cleared. If a Memory Variable is assigned to the block (see below), the "Value" of the Memory
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Variable will be set to the "Value" of the block. So by placing a Memory Icon near the block,
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the identity of the train in the block can be displayed in the Layout Editor panel.
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<strong>Caution: Tracking trains using this method requires smoothly running block detection
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circuitry.</strong> False or flickering block detection can easily confuse things.</p>
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<p>Turnout, level crossing, and track segment edit dialogs provide access to the Create/Edit
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Block dialog where information specific to a block may be entered or edited. The
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<strong>Occupancy Sensor:</strong> field in the Create/Edit Block dialog shows the name of
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the occupancy sensor currently assigned to the block, if there is one. To enter or change the
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occupancy sensor, enter the name (system name or user name) of a sensor in the Sensor Table
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in the <strong>Occupancy Sensor:</strong> field. A sensor may be assigned as the occupancy
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sensor of only one block; attempting to do otherwise will result in an error message.
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Normally, the state of an occupancy sensor is "Active" when a block is occupied, so "Active"
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for occupied sense is the automatic default. This can be changed by selecting "Inactive" in
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the <strong>Occupied Sense:</strong> selection box.</p>
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You can edit the sensor debounce options from this window, setting the Sensor Debounce helps
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to prevent false triggers of a sensor being passed into the system and triggering other
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events in the system.<br>
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Such false triggers could be due to a dirty piece of track or electrical interference.
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<strong>Use Global Debounce Values</strong> check box, allows you to select if the sensor
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will use the default sensor debounce values if configured.<br>
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<strong>Inactive Delay</strong> and <strong>Active Delay</strong> allow you to specify the
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amount of time in milliSeconds that the system waits before registering the state change of a
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sensor.
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<p>Block track colors are used instead of the default track color if a section of track is in
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a block. The track items in a block are drawn with different track colors for occupied and
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unoccupied states, allowing the track in a block to change color as a train enters and leaves
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that block. To set track colors, select the unoccupied track color in the <strong>Track
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Color:</strong> selection box, and select the occupied track color in the <strong>Occupied
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Track Color:</strong> selection box. An alternate unoccupied track color is provided for
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special uses. For example, Dispatcher has an option to use the alternate unoccupied track
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color for blocks that are allocated but unoccupied. Set the alternate unoccupied track color
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using the <strong>Alternate Track Color:</strong> selection box. When track color is set,
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Layout Editor will use the occupied track color if a block is occupied, then if not occupied,
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will use the alternate unoccupied track color if it has been requested, otherwise it uses the
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unoccupied track color.</p>
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<p>The <strong>Memory Variable Name:</strong> field in the Create/Edit Block dialog shows the
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name of the memory variable currently assigned to the block, if there is one. To enter or
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change the memory variable, enter the name (system name or user name) of a memory variable in
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the Memory Table in the <strong>Memory Variable Name:</strong> field. Assigning a memory
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variable is optional. An assigned memory variable will contain as its "value" the "value" of
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the Block, and is useful in identifying trains as they are tracked around the layout (see
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above).</p>
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<p>The <strong>Permissive Working Allowed</strong> check box allows the block to be set so
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that if it is already occupied, then another train is allowed to enter that block. This
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feature is mainly used within the SignalMast logic.</p>
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<p>If layout block routing has been enabled for use with the Signalmast Logic additional
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fields will be presented.</p>
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<p>The <strong>Block Metric</strong> assigns a cost against a particular block so it is
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possible to determine if the signal logic should use this block over another block if there
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are multiple paths. The lower the metric the more preferred it is. By default Main Line
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blocks have a value of 50, while a Side Track has a value of 200</p>
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<p>The <strong>Attached Block</strong> fields represent each block that is connected to this
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one, here you can determine if a route to a next block can be used both ways or only in one
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direction in working out the signaling logic. The options are.<br>
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<strong>Bi-Directional</strong> traffic can flow freely between each block.<br>
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<strong>Send Only</strong> is where this block can only be used to send traffic to the
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neighboring block, the neighboring block can not send traffic to us.<br>
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<strong>Receive Only</strong>, this block can only receive traffic from the adjacent block we
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can not send traffic to it.<br>
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So for example you might have a passing loop on a single section of line, you can use this so
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that trains always use the left hand path.</p>
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<p>Since blocks are items on the physical layout, the same block may be used in more than one
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panel. Consequently, block information is saved in the non- panel specific portion of the
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layout information, when panels are saved to a file on disk.</p>
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<p>Blocks are deleted automatically when they are no longer used. Layout Editor keeps track
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of the number of track items (turnouts, track segments, and level crossings) that are
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assigned to a block. This count is displayed in the Create/Edit Block dialog as
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<strong>Current Use Count:</strong>. When panels are saved to disk, only those blocks with a
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use count greater than zero are saved.</p>
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