Astrolog32 History Of Changes



Astrolog32 is a 32 bits Windows version of Astrolog created by António Ramos. It has its starting point in Astrolog version 5.41g created by Valentin Abramov, which in turn originates in Astrolog 5.40, created by Walter Pullen.

This file contains only the changes made during Astrolog32 development. Changes are in chronological order, most recent at the bottom. It only list changes in official release versions, changes for test versions are included but do not have separate headings.

Changes from Astrolog version 1.00 through 5.40 by Walter Pullen can be found in file "history 540.txt".

Alois Treindl added support for Swiss Ephemeris to Astrolog version 5.40.

Changes from version 5.30a through 5.31g and 5.41a through 5.41g by Valentin Abramov can be found in file "history 541g.txt".


Astrolog32 version 1.00 (5 March 2004)


   * Ported Astrolog from Win16 to Win32. This port involved many changes,
     for example to function prototypes, variable types, etc.

   * Removed Swiss Ephemeris files from Astrolog package. Swiss Ephemeris
     is still used, but it is compiled separately and then its library is
     linked to Astrolog. This makes it easier to upgrade in the future to
     new versions of Swiss Ephemeris. Also it makes the executable smaller
     if static libraries are used.

   * Reorganized the menu tree to make it more intuitive.

   * Changed some defaults for when the configuration file is not found:
     a graphics chart of the planets position for the current time is shown,
     as opposed to a text listing of the planets position on 19/Nov/1971,
     as it used to be. The dispositor's glyph is not shown. The default
     latitude and longitude are now zero. This is more politically
     correct - it is some place in the Atlantic Ocean!

   * Changed the configuration file name to astrolog32.dat. Changes were
     made to the file itself, typos were corrected, some formatting changes
     were done, the switch to start with a chart for the present time was
     removed, as it is now redundant.

   * Added true node setting to the configuration file.

   * Added harmonic number to the info bar, if it is different from one.

   * Reformated all source files with GNU indent, for better readability.

   * Moved the contents of four files, readme.541, helpfile.540,
     changes.txt and power.txt into a new file called helpfile.txt.
     This is to make access to information easier. Createad a Microsoft
     Word version of the same file, called helpfile.doc.

   * Cleaned-up headers in all source files, and history.txt.

   * Changed the graphical calendar function to make it less likely that
     text will overlap. Added a menu item for month and year. Removed
     calendar configuration item from Charts Settings, as it is not useful
     any more. Accelerator key 'K', besides drawing the calendar as before,
     also toggles between month and year. Switch K does the same thing,
     and the y after the K has no effect anymore.

   * Added one more option for wall paper (stretch).

   * Created new file version.h with version name and date, plus name
     of application. This is to make it easier to create a new build.

   * RTan(r) is now defined as tan(r) also for PCs.

   * Fixed bug in SzTim that was causing times to be displayed incorrectly
     in some cases. (Michael Rideout)

   * Increased variable WHEELCOLS from 15 to 16. This is so that house
     wheels in text mode are displayed correctly (previously columns where
     not propoerly aligned, in some cases). (Michael Rideout)

   * Fixed bug in PrintWheelCenter whereby string was overflowing its
     boundary. Array szT was too small.

   * In the definition of szObjName in data.c, added an empty space
     after IC ("IC "). This is so that house wheels in text mode are
     displayed correctly for Vedic Houses and some other house systems.

   * Temporarily removed version number from About dialog for ease of
     maintenance.

   * Removed Macro 40 so that ALT F4 can perform its usual Windows
     function.

   * Changed command 'x'. Before it was doing reverse video plus graphics
     mode, now only does reverse video.

   * Removed hard-coded yellow text from the info bar, as it was causing
     problems for some users. Removed also green, so now all text in the
     top part of the info bar is the same colour, except for the
     application name.

   * Fixed a bug whereby text version of Biorhythm chart was not being
     shown if a text version of other chart was shown previously.


Credits for Astrolog32 version 1.00:


Astrolog32 version 1.05 (2 April 2004)


·   Corrected Astrolog time issue in version 1.00, that originated when
    "-n" was removed from the default configuration file.

·   The NOW chart is now read after the configuration file, so the chart
    will refer to the configured location. (In version 1.00 the NOW chart
    referred to the default location (0º  longitude, 0º latitude)).

·   The "Time minute addition to be used when NOW charts are off" feature
    has been removed, as it is now unnecessary. If that setting appears in
    the configuration file it will be ignored.

·   Function GetTimeNow was rewritten. It now calls GetSystemTime instead
    of the standard C function "time".

·   Multi-language support was added. Files that are language specific now
    have a two-letter termination, such as "_en" for English, or "_fr" for
    French. A resource file and resource include file were created for
    French. Data initialisation was moved move from files "data.c" and
    "data2.c" into "data_en.c" and "data_fr.c". File "data2.c" was deleted.

·   A new include file "macro_functions.h" was created, to contain
    macro-functions previously defined in astrolog.h and extern.h. This
    file is called from "astrolog.h".

·   Old switches and unused code for other OSes were removed to make
    Astrolog32 easier to maintain. Most of the removed code was useless
    as it would not compile or run anyway. Some Unix code might be usable,
    but there are already many Unix versions available, so there is no
    point in keeping that code in Astrolog32.

·   Menus, dialogues and other text were translated into French (mainly
    by Philippe Epaud, with some translation done by Antonio Ramos and
    Alexandra Lach).

·   Corrected old bug in NparseSz. There were "break's" missing in
    "switch" statement. Also comparison is done now to the length of the
    shorter string, as opposed to only three characters as before. This
    is needed to support French, where for example, the month names "Juin"
    and "Juillet" have the same three letters at the beginning.

·   Month of birth in chart file is now saved as a number instead of three
    letters as before. This is so that Astrolog versions of different
    languages have compatible chart files.

·   Added Sadalmalek as star #75.

·   Corrected bug whereby Astrolog and Swiss Ephemeris were looking for
    fixed star catalogue files of different names.

·   The tie-in between South Node and Lilith was removed. South Node is
    now object 17 (as before) but Lilith is object 18. As a result all
    other objects that come after Lilith had their object numbers
    incremented by one. South Node and Lilith can now be displayed
    simultaneously.

·   Osculating Lilith is now configurable in menu Settings/Calculations,
    and its configuration is saved.

·   A second European glyph for Lilith is now available and configurable
    in menu Obscure Settings/Calculations, and its configuration is saved.

·   Modified alternate interpretation files, incrementing planet number
    by 1 if equal or greater than 17. File version was changed from 00 to 01.

·   File version is now checked for configuration and interpretation files.
    Files with incompatible version numbers are not accepted.

·   Added terminating NULL to chLocal in function FprocessInterpretFile
    (old bug).

·   Modified the layout of some dialog boxes to improve readability.

·   Changed the default for "Use Real System Fonts In Graphic Files"
    from TRUE to FALSE. This is to avoid creating files that cannot be read
    properly by those who do not have the necessary fonts installed.

·   Moved Interpretations from the View menu to the Lists menu, as it is
    more logical.

·   Corrected an old bug in function FacceptAspect in the calculations of
    aspects to the North and South Nodes.

·   Added version number and creation date to Help\About dialog box.


Credits for Astrolog32 version 1.05:


Astrolog32 version 1.10 (17 June 2004)

 

Corrected bug in 1.05 where East Point was shown with incorrect colour.

Created abbreviations for object names to be used in the info bar and elsewhere. Fixed a few   problems related to abbreviations.

Made small changes to the layout of the Influence List.

Added disclaimer to About dialogue box and all source files.

Created an array of flags for aspect restrictions. By default only the first five aspects are unrestricted.

The -RA switch (restrict aspects by giving them negative orbs) was changed. It still restricts aspects, but does so by setting the aspect, without touching the orb.

The -A switch (specify the number of aspects to use in charts) was disabled, though the program does not complain if it finds it, for backward compatibility. The corresponding editing box in the Windows interface was removed.

Created new switch:
-YAR <asp1> <asp2> <flag1>..<flag2>: Aspect restrictions for range.

Fixed old bug whereby Vertex was sometimes 180 degrees off for tropical latitudes.

True obliquity calculated by Swiss Ephemeris is now used instead of mean obliquity calculated by the Matrix routines. Seconds of obliquity are now displayed on the info bar with four decimal places.

Fixed bug whereby in the Arabic Parts list, a conjunction was shown between the Part of Fortune and itself.

Added French User's Guide created by Philippe Epaud. Added a call to it in the Help Menu in the French version.

Added a call to the French ReadMe file (lisezmoi.html) to Astrolog.

Added configuration for inversion of Arabic parts and dispositor's glyph on the zodiac to the Chart Settings dialogue box.

Changed the way true/mean node, and osculating/mean Lilith are saved in the configuration file. This change is cosmetic, and has no impact on functionality.

Modified Aspects dialogue box: Removed Toggle button as some people don't know what toggle means. Positive logic is now used to select aspects - if ticked it is selected. Values for orb reductions for parallel and comparison charts are now entered in percentage.

Modified Object and Star Restrictions dialogue box: Positive logic is now used to select an object - if ticked it is selected. This change was made only to the Windows interface, internally and in the switches Astrolog still operates with "restrictions".

Removed from the Windows interface and keyboard shortcuts the commands Include Minors, Include Uranians and Include Cusps, because they were unnecessary and their purpose was not clear. The switches '-C' and '-u' to include cusps and Uranians are now inactive.

Modified the default restrictions, to make them work with the changes above.

Removed Scribble Colour from the Settings menu, and added it to the Colour Settings dialogue box.

Previously the Help\Objects function would only show unrestricted objects. This was changed, now help is displayed on all objects defined in the program. Also corrected alignment problems.

Added a link to French atlas at AstroDienst.

Fixed old bug where Poseidon and Proserpina were swapped in the Cusps and Minors dialogue box.

Fixed bug whereby Lilith was being shown for heliocentric charts (it shouldn't).

Made several changes to the functions that print an aspect list:
·    Fixed old bug whereby, depending on configuration settings, the most powerful aspects would not be shown.
·    Streamlined the sorting algorithm.
·    Improved precision of power calculations.
·    Modified function so that all aspects are shown when sorting by power.
·    Improved display of aspects.
·    Added option to sort aspects by orb. This option can be configured with switch YSo, and is saved in the configuration file.

Created new entries in the View menu to set the type of sort, and a new keyboard shortcut (Control-x).

Improved the function that lists transits by influence: returns are now flagged as "Return" instead of just an "R", added table header, increased field width for planet name displays, abbreviated the indication for applying or separating aspects, added sorting by orb, added display according to applying/separating switch.

Modified the Charts menu: the setting for Sidereal/Tropical is now shown with separate menu items, with a bullet showing the current choice.

Replaced the check mark with a bullet in the House System menu. Fixed old bug with check mark.

Moved setting for applying/separating aspects from the View menu to the Aspects dialogue box. Moved setting for aspect summary from the Charts Settings dialogue box to the Aspects dialogue box.

Moved "Chart for now" from Edit menu to Charts menu.

Moved Tropical/Sidereal, House Systems and House Settings from Charts menu to Settings menu.

Moved Edit Configuration file from File menu to Edit menu.

Moved all relationships charts to the main Charts menu, as it is important to know when or not relationship mode is on (with the bullet) - it prevents the display of other charts.

Deleted dialog box to enter charts 3 and 4. Moved setting of tri and quad wheel to Charts menu, moved opening of charts 3 and 4 to File menu, and created two new entries in Edit menu to edit charts 3 and 4. Renamed the "Previous" button inside the Edit Chart Data dialogue box as "Recall Chart data from memory". The functionality is exactly the same, only the label was changed to better represent what it actually does.

Moved calendar into Graphics menu. Renamed Graphics menu as Extra. Moved Save Chart Info and Recall Chart Info from Animation menu to Edit menu. Moved Add Aspect Info from Graphics menu to View Menu.

Created in Lists menu an entry for Influence chart. Choosing this entry puts Astrolog in text mode. Renamed Influence entry in Charts menu as Dispositors. Choosing this entry puts Astrolog in graphics mode. Keyboard shortcut 'v' toggles between the two chart types, as before.

Modified the Heliocentric command in Charts Menu, so that it does exactly what it says, that is, puts Astrolog in heliocentric mode if it is not, otherwise, the mode becomes geocentric. The check mark also reflects the fact that is heliocentric. Moved Heliocentric to Settings menu.

Created two menu entries for setting graphics or text mode in View menu. Current state is indicated by a bullet. Moved Parallel aspects from View to Settings menu. Moved setting of Mean Node from Obscure to Calculations dialogue box. Move Smart aspects, power to be solid and parallel power from Obscure to Aspects dialogue box. Parallel power is now entered as percentage.

Improved dialogue control to enter data: the full month name is shown, instead of just three characters as before, and the choice of years goes from 2004-2010 instead of 1990-1999.

Renamed Obscure dialogue box as Miscellaneous. Moved glyph settings from Obscure to Graphics dialogue box. Created new dialogue box for Arabic Parts Settings. Moved settings for Display format and Text columns from Calculations to Chart Settings dialogue box.

Added checkmarks to the majority of commands in Charts and Lists menus, so that the current choice can be seen.

Added new function to show the internal program status, to help development and debugging, accessible from the Help menu. This function is not intended for general users.

The name of the default location can now be chosen in the Default Info dialogue box. Added new command "-zn" to set the name of the default location, which is saved in the configuration file.

The Now button in the Transits dialogue box was renamed Here and Now. It does the same as before, setting the time to now and location to default, and in addition, now sets the location name to default.  The chart name is left unchanged. Exactly the same was done in the Progressions and Chart Data dialogue boxes.

Changed the way the switch "-n" is implemented, as well as Here and Now in Charts menu, and other related commands. Previously the person's name and location name were being erased, now the name remains unchanged, and the location is set to the default location. The rest of the functionality is unchanged, namely the latitude, longitude, time zone and DST are set to default, and time and date are set for now.

Changed the longitude and latitude fields in Chart Data and Default Info dialogue boxes from combo box to edit field, as it makes more sense.

Removed macro SWISS_EPHEMERIS from Astrolog32. It didn't make sense anymore since the intent is to use Swiss Ephemeris to a greater extent, and eventually remove most of the Matrix functions.

Ayanamsha is now displayed in the info bar as a positive number for the current time (previously it was negative). This is in agreement with Swiss Ephemeris as well as astrological literature. Also ayanamsha is displayed now with three decimal digits for seconds. Note that for years before around 210 AC (using Fagan/Bradley), Swiss Ephemeris returns a ayanamsha of 359 degrees, while Astrolog shows -1. This behaviour has not been changed. Also note that included in this ayanamsha as displayed, is the value of the zodiac offset. This is the same as before.

Swiss Ephemeris is now used to calculate ayanamsha. A new type of sidereal mode was created. It can be set by the switch "-sm mode", where mode is a mandatory parameter per Swiss Ephemeris, from 1 for Fagan-Bradley through 17 for Galactic Centre at 0 Sagittarius. This mode can also be set in the Calculations Settings dialogue box, and is saved in the configuration file.

The Zodiac Offset, which before was used in both tropical and sidereal charts, will now be used only in sidereal. In the calculations dialogue box, this offset is now displayed in a edit box (previously it was displayed in a combo box with menu). The reason is that the old menu is not necessary anymore.

Removed almost all Windows menu shortcuts (those that appear in the menus as an underscore letter), because many of them were not working, as they were conflicting with Astrolog own shortcuts. Left only the few shortcuts on the top level menu that were still working, such as ALT-F for File, etc. Also from a developer's point of view it is a nightmare to work with two different sets of shortcuts, too much trouble for two little benefit. Astrolog own shortcuts have not been touched.

Many changes were done to directories in Astrolog32. Previously, when Astrolog32 looked for a file (configuration file, ephemeris file, chart files specified with the "-i" command, fixed stars catalogue, documentation files, URLs) it searched for it in five to seven directories: the current directory, three directories specified with environment variables plus version number, and one to three directories specified at compile time, which in the release version was c:\astrolog (it may search c:\astrolog three times).

With the new changes, Astrolog32 will look for files in three directories only, in this order:
1.    current drive and directory;
2.    drive and directory where astrolog32.exe is (which may or may not be the same as the current drive and directory);
3.    a directory that depends on the type of file Astrolog32 is looking for, as detailed below;

These are the rules for an automatic search for reading from a file,  however the default path to write to a file, defined in the Windows file selection dialogue box, will be one of the directories defined below accordingly to the file type.

The following directories have been defined, and the files stored in each directory are shown:

·    Main - Astrolog32.exe, astrolog32.dat, icons, URLs, documentation files, fixed stars catalogue.
·    Ephemeris - This directory will store Swiss Ephemeris files. Note that while a list of search directories is passed by Astolog32 to Swiss Ephemeris, Swiss Ephemeris has its own file search routine. For example, one of the places it looks for is the directory specified by the environment variable SE_EPHE_PATH. This is the current behaviour and will not be changed, as Astolog32 (currently) uses Swiss Ephemeris in its unchanged form.
·    Charts - Charts and planet position files.
·    Interpretations - Interpretation files (pl01.dat, house10.dat, etc).
·    Miscellaneous - Miscellaneous files, such as chart saved as text, bitmap, Windows Meta File, or Postscript. Command files also go here.
·    American Atlas, International Atlas - Atlas files.

The environment variables ASTR and ASTROLOG are not used anymore for searching directories. All the directories defined above are configurable, and saved in the configuration file. This also implies that the configuration file (astrolog32.dat) will have to be in the current directory or in the directory where astrolog32.exe is, in order for Astrolog32 to find it.

When the program starts, if the configuration file cannot be found, a dialogue box is presented to the user, inviting him or her to do some initial configuration of the program. There are three buttons that will call the Regional Settings, the Directories and Default Location dialogue boxes.

Made other changes to the way files are handled by Astrolog32 to enhance usability. Improved filters when selecting a file for reading and writing. An initial directory is always initialised according to the file type. The file name itself is initialised for chart files with the person's name plus extension ".dat" - this saves typing. Position files are initialised with the person's name plus "_pos.dat".

Created a new command "-ic" to read a generic command file. This is the same as "-i", the only difference being that the former looks for a file in the miscellaneous directory, while the latter looks for it in the charts directory.

Removed from Astrolog32 the capability of reading and writing chart files and planet positions in old format, meaning format up to and including version 4.10. It is unlikely anybody is still using those files.

Removed from Astrolog32 the capability of not choosing Swiss Ephemeris in the Calculations Settings dialogue box and through the switch "-b", in other words, Swiss Ephemeris is now permanently enabled. The reason is that the long term plan is to tie Astrolog32 tighter to Swiss Ephemeris, and replace Matrix routines by Swiss Ephemeris routines.

Added capability of switching between charts 1 and 2. This can be accessed from the Edit menu or through the keyboard shortcut "X".

Fixed bug whereby in commands -pn and -p0n to do progressions, timezone and DST were not being set to default, as they should.

Turned SetCI from a macro to a function, and added an extra parameter, location name, so that it does not get lost when the rest of the parameters get copied.

Removed "YX" switch from configuration file as it was not being used in the program anymore. Removed several functions that were not being used, for example, to input data. Created several new functions to handle chart information, to improve modularity.

Added macro 40 to Run menu, however no shortcut is defined for it. The corresponding shortcut (ALT F4) is used by Windows to close the main window. Removed shortcut for macro 42 (ALT F6), because it was not working. Added 72 new macros, for a grand total of 120, divided in six menus of 20 each. The new macros don't have shortcuts.

Renamed Zodiac Offset as Sidereal Correction, as that better reflects how it is now used. In the Calculations menu grouped this correction with the sidereal mode. On the info bar the sidereal selected mode is now displayed below the indication of sidereal chart (if enabled), immediately followed by the ayanamsha.

Fixed old bug whereby the Warnings message box was being displayed with the Error icon, and the Error message box was being displayed with the Warnings icon.

Moved list of changes from a text file to a HTML file.


Credits for Astrolog32 version 1.10:



Astrolog32 version 1.20 (23 April 2005)

 

Fixed old bug whereby edit fields were being used in the Aspects and Stars dialogue boxes to show the names of aspects and stars. This resulted in a different colour being shown on Windows XP.

A double click inside the sidereal mode list box in the Calculations Settings dialogue box is now equivalent to selecting the clicked mode followed by clicking OK.

Added International Atlas for 246 countries and territories with 2.86 million places.

Modified function SetEditMDYT used in several dialogue boxes, for example Enter Chart Data. The dropdown list for years now goes from 1920 - 2020, the list for hours goes from 0-23, and the list for days of the month from 1-31.

Enter Chart Data dialogue box: improved tab selection order, and increased size of dropdown boxes.

Default Info dialogue box: improved tab selection order, increased size of dropdown boxes, and in French version replaced combo box with edit box for longitude and latitude (English version already had edit box).

Calculations Settings dialogue box: the sidereal mode is now displayed in alphabetical order, as opposed to the numerical order in Swiss Ephemeris definitions, as it used to be.

Added American Atlas with 0.97 million names for 60 states and territories. The total atlas (International + American) has now 3.83 million names.

Added to Graphics Settings dialogue box the capability to configure the decoration to the graphics display corners. The configuration is saved, and the switch used is YXC <type><size> <no. lines>. Type is 0 (none), 1 (moiré) or 2 (web). Size has the range 1-100, and number of lines refers to the lines used for the spider web, with range 1-500, and must be used even if the type is moiré. The colour of the decoration is set in the Colour Settings dialogue box, and is also saved with switch Ykc. The corner decoration already existed in 5.40, but was an hack that most people did not know about, and was only partly configurable.

Moved the first group of 20 macros from a sub-menu to the main Run menu, for easier access.

Moved all functions that process switches into a new file, “process_switches.c”.

Changed the About dialogue box, putting the credits inside a scrollable box, as it looks better and is more modern. Eliminated function that displayed credits in text mode, as it is redundant in a Window software (the same functionality is provided in the About box). Improved credits list.

The Display Format radio buttons in the Charts Settings dialogue box now control not only the display of longitude as before, but also the display of latitude. The same is true to the switches “-s[z,h,d]: Display locations as in zodiac, hours/minutes, or degrees.”. As before the Print Seconds setting impacts the precision of the display.

Proserpina is now calculated with Swiss Ephemeris if the file “seorbel.txt” is found and has correct data. This file should be stored in the “main” directory (or “principal” in the French version). If this file is not found, the Matrix routines are used as before.

Added a temporary feature, planet positions for a second chart data are displayed on the info bar. This is available only for some types of relationship charts, such as synastry, transits, etc. This feature is not configurable and is disabled by default. To turn it on, press the ‘=’ key.

The Swiss Ephemeris version 1.67 is used now (it was 1.66).

Fixed a bug when reading chart position files, whereby some planets had wrong positions read.

Modified the chart info structure. Name and location are now arrays of characters as opposed to pointers to characters. This is to fix old memory leaks, plus as a preparation for future additions to this structure. Also added “next” and “previous” fields. These have only local significance, and can be used in linked lists.

Made some changes in the way planet positions are calculated with Swiss Ephemeris. This was necessary to implement chart search feature, and also as preparation for future removal of Matrix routines.

Added a chart search feature. It can be accessed from the File menu or the shortcut ALT-s. Its default search is to find all chart files in the charts directory. This search can be restricted in three ways: charts with a string in part of the name, with a planet in sign (considering the configured sidereal or tropical mode), or with two planets in aspect (considering the configured orbs, including additions, but excluding special orbs for relationship or parallel charts).

Note that the search restrictions are cumulative, that is, if the three searches are ticked, the only charts shown are those that satisfy all the three requirements. The OK button, as well as double-clicking a name on the chart list, opens the selected chart. This feature can also be used as an alternative to Open Main Chart off the file menu, to more quickly find a chart, especially when there are many charts in one file. Also note that searches involving planets can be done only in geocentric or heliocentric modes.

The feature “Copy chart as WMF” was removed from the Edit menu. In fact this feature did not work in 5.40, 5.41g or Astrolog32. The corresponding function will be left in the code, where it has been incomplete for a long time.



Credits for Astrolog32 version 1.20:



Disclaimer

This software is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. In no event shall the authors or copyright holders be liable for any claim, damages or other liability, arising from the use or performance of this software.