GR level 2 analyst version 1.71 won't run on windows 10 TP

[Brian R]

I just downloaded and installed windows 10 technical preview on my laptop that was running windows 7 home premium. windows 10 so far is awesome, but I have noticed that GR level 2 analyst version 1.71 absolutely will not run on it, even though gr level 3 2.0 and the GR level 2 analyst 2 works just fine. anyone know if there was a free upgrade to analyst 1.71 like gr level 3 had?

 

[Dan Robinson]

Is there a compatibility mode on Windows 10? I've had a few old programs that worked once I ran them in compatibility mode for the version of Windows they were designed for.

 

[Brian G]

The latest version of GR2AE v1 is 1.91 but even that is 3 years old now. It might be time to upgrade to the v2 line. Otherwise, you're best bet is to post in the grlevelx.com forums.

 

[rdale]

No further updates will be made to the GR v1 line, so to stay with Win10 you'll need v2's.

 

[Brian R]

The analyst version 2 works just fine, I am wondering if they have an upgrade key for it like they did for gr level 3 version 2 or if the whole thing has to be purchased again??

 

[Mark Blue]

Here's the answer on the GRLX Owners Forum Brian: http://www.grlevelx.com/owners/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=8154. It sounds like an upgrade is either free depending on when you purchased version 1 and/or if you bought the Dual Pol Iris addon, otherwise it's $99.95 to upgrade for previous version 1 owners. Not too bad of a deal for what you get in return IMO.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Brian R]

Ok, thanks for that info. I will be checking that out, even if it is $99.

 

[Mike Hardiman]

Hope you're not too attached to a custom background image. All the GR version 2 products dumped BMP background support. So you're stuck with either a solid color background, or the often-useful but usually distracting satellite imagery. I live and work in complex terrain areas, and much prefer having a simple shaded relief map background. All requests to bring back the image background (or a shaded relief map/DEM feature) were flatly denied, like most feature requests... and you still can't specify the line thickness on imported shapefiles.

I really wish some smart, enterprising person out there would come out with a competitive product to the GRx programs for full-fledged (non-tablet) workstations.

 

[rdale]

Smart, enterprising people found the ROI isn't there since GR just about does it all already

 

[Greg Higgins]

Several things regarding GRAE.......Shapefiles are controlled by a .sty file. You can open the .sty file with a text editor and modify any of the settings. You need to Google GIS .sty file properties to see what the different descriptors are as there are changes between the different years.

Backgrounds can be changed to a straight color. I use ver 2.20. Go to "GIS', "Settings" , "Background Color" and change it to whatever suits your needs.

 

[Brian G]

I think what Mike meant was that you cannot specify a line thickness in the .sty files. I think you can only specify zoom level and an RGB value. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Greg Higgins]

I think what Mike meant was that you cannot specify a line thickness in the .sty files. I think you can only specify zoom level and an RGB value. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

It depends on the .sty file. Now, if Mike is refereeing to line thickness of "built in" graphics, he is entirely right. Shape files are external files that any user can make, import, modify, etc from other sources and they can be changed. With the demise of the GRLevelXstuff webpage, we (users of GR products) lost a valuable resource that was full of shape files, color tables, etc. There is a "Resource" tab on this website that encourages folks to upload these types of files to attempt to recreate this wealth of information.

 

[rdale]

Good idea Greg... But I tried to upload my GR2AE color tables, and PAL isn't supported. And as I went through the setup, I can see the current system turning into a mess based on naming conventions, tags, etc. Can separate categories be set up?

 

[Mike Hardiman]

It depends on the .sty file. Now, if Mike is refereeing to line thickness of "built in" graphics, he is entirely right. Shape files are external files that any user can make, import, modify, etc from other sources and they can be changed. With the demise of the GRLevelXstuff webpage, we (users of GR products) lost a valuable resource that was full of shape files, color tables, etc. There is a "Resource" tab on this website that encourages folks to upload these types of files to attempt to recreate this wealth of information.

Last I knew, and a quick Google search seems to confirm it, the *.sty files do not have a line thickness parameter. Are you thinking of placefiles? Also, you can change the thickness of the "Base Roads" but they tend to contain errors, especially in rapidly-growing/developing areas. I think they were US-centric too... but it's been a while since I've played with the v2 software.

 

[Greg Higgins]

Folks still seem to be confusing what can be changed / not changed in GR products, such as "line thickness". There are parts of the built-in GIS that Mike either a) does not allow us to change; or b) there are options under the "GIS" settings. Then there are external "shapefiles". Shapefiles come from different GIS sources and can be imported in to GR products. Each shapefile has to have a .sty file which is where the user can change certin settings. These settings are dependent on the GIS data and the person who developed the database. Sometimes there are options that we can change, sometimes it isn't. Tiger Files (https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/tiger.html) seem to be the most common shape file used in GR products for mapping purposes but there are others. There are discussions here in the forums from several years back that provide additional information. Under Tiger files though (2013 version as that is what I'm most familar with) you can go through the .sty file and look for "ObjectID" and then "Width" which is where you can change the line "thickness / width". Again, this option may not be available in all databases.

 

[Mike Hardiman]

I'm not sure I know what you mean, unless the style file syntax has changed, and I can find no source that indicates that it has.

Again, I am working with shapefiles, which have database fields as defined in the accompanying *.dbf files. The style files can key off of those different fields.

So, in this example:

; All Roads Style File
Status: NAME1 NAME2 NAME3 FULLNAME

; For Roads_USA_StateHighways-XX
;
; SRP = State Highway Paved (ORANGE)
; SRU = State Highway Unpaved (ORANGE)
; NE-SFWY = New England State Freeway (VIOLET)
; NE-SRP = New England State Road Paved (GREEN)
;
Color: "ID" "SRP" 1000 255 128 0
Color: "ID" "SRU" 1000 255 128 0
Color: "ID" "NE-SFWY" 500 255 0 255
Color: "ID" "NE-SRP" 50 0 200 0

We have features in the shapefile (in this case line segments) which have several fields attached to them. One of the fields is "ID" which essentially determines the "type" of road. If the "ID" field is "SRP", it will be displayed at a zoom level of 1000, and given an RGB color value of 255,128,0

"Status" just defines which fields (again, you can find them in the *.dbf file) have their values printed out when you mouse-over the feature.

I could have a field called "Width" in the shapefile/*.dbf file, but as far as I know, GRLx doesn't care what the fields in the shapefile are called.

This is apparently the latest style file specification:
http://www.grlevelx.com/manuals/gis/files_style.htm

If it has been updated, it has not made it to the official documentation. Searching the "Owner Forums" for shapefile width just brings up old threads for new feature requests.

There's literally hundreds of posts which mention Tiger shapefiles, and there are as many style files floating around as there are posts. Tiger road shapefiles are "pretty good" but aren't always up-to-date, and they tend to show a lot of private roads and driveways. Best bet for accuracy is to get shapefiles from various DOTs, and change the available fields, but the native fields are different in every state and it can be major undertaking.

 

[Mark Eslick]

I saw the same issue with Windows 10 TP, so I decided not to upgrade just yet. The other issue, which is not related, is that Windows Media Center is not compatible. I use it in the field to pick up local TV stations when chasing so I can watch reports via TV, rather than streaming (wasting data) or radio.

 

[Mark Blue]

Good idea Greg... But I tried to upload my GR2AE color tables, and PAL isn't supported. And as I went through the setup, I can see the current system turning into a mess based on naming conventions, tags, etc. Can separate categories be set up?

I added the .pal extension to allowed file types in Resources @rdale as I believe that's what you were getting at above. If you have suggestions for other categories (or sub categories), naming conventions, etc. please let me know. I'm all ears.