NOSTOP has been superseded by and incorporated into the new TEAPAC Complete product which is described in detail at the main page of www.StrongConcepts.com.  Upgrades from NOSTOP to TEAPAC Complete are available.  Contact Strong Concepts for details.

:NOSTOP Ver 4.81 27MAY08

Build 11 - 27MAY08

>Assure that offsets for bands are positive numbers to avoid crash.

It was possible in previous versions for the offsets listed to the beginning and end of the bands at each intersection to be negative numbers. This could occur under certain conditions when the first intersection was not the Base intersection. Although these values were correct, they could confound the time-space diagram plotting routines in such a manner as to cause a program crash. This possibility has now been eliminated.

>Generic changes made to all Ver 7.81 TEAPAC programs.

Able to save from OpenIntoEdit if it was first file opened into program.
File-SaveAs shows file type of current file &
better file type descriptions.

:NOSTOP Ver 4.80 25APR07

Build 00 - 08JUN07

>Long File Names and Longer Path Names Implemented, Plus New File Format.

All aspects of TEAPAC data file storage, including SCENARIO condition files, have been extended so that file names can have as many as 70 characters in their names, and file path names can have as many as 180 characters, both including upper or lower case characters and spaces. Since SCENARIO condition files and certain file switch options can add as many as 6 characters to file names, it is best if user-entered names are no more than 64 characters.

A new, higher capacity data file format with a new file extension (.tpc) has been introduced which will be used by default for all new files created by all TEAPAC programs. This format is text-based like the old .for format so it is still easy to see what is in a file, as well as write such files from other programs, but with a look to the future this format has line length maximums of 256 characters per line (254 useable) instead of the more limiting maximums of the .for format which had maximums of 128 characters per line (80 useable). The old format can still be read and written simply by continuing to use the .for extension, but users are encouraged to convert files to the new format simply by saving .for file with the new .tpc extension (then archive the .for files so they are not used by mistake). The long file names and paths mentioned above are valid for either extension.

>New User Discussion Forum Is Accessible Directly from the Help Menu.

The new User Discussion Forum which has been implemented for TEAPAC users and is available 24/7 for posting questions and searching through answers to previous questions can now be accessed directly from the Help menu of the program. The Forum can also be accessed directly using any internet browser at www.StrongConcepts.com/Forum.

:NOSTOP Ver 4.71 08SEP06

Build 07 - 25JAN07

Scroll down to 'Ver 4.70 07NOV05, Build 07 - 11NOV05' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original Visual TEAPAC release of this program.

>Generic Enhancements Made to All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

A number of generic enhancements and fixes have been made to the original Ver 7.00 releases of Visual TEAPAC and are collectively included as Ver 7.01 Build 07. These are documented below. Ver 7.01 Build 07 changes are free updates for Ver 7.00 licenses.
 


Data entry dialogs that don't apply to dummy nodes have been modified so that if they are inadvertently displayed while pointing to a dummy node they will not display unpredictable values or cause the program to crash.

The LinkTo menu has been adjusted so that if no data file path has been defined it will attempt to use the program's file path, but will not crash if neither of these is defined. The file menu options for Open, SaveAs and IntoEdit have been adjusted similarly for the condition when no data path has been defined.

A bug has been fixed that could cause a crash when clicking within an output being displayed at a zoomed-out scale on some low-resolution monitors.

:NOSTOP Ver 4.70 07NOV05

Build 28 - 28AUG06

Scroll down to 'Ver 4.70 07NOV05, Build 07 - 11NOV05' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original Visual TEAPAC release of this program.

>V7.00.28: Generic Enhancements Made to All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

A number of generic enhancements and fixes have been made to the original Ver 7.00 releases of Visual TEAPAC and are collectively included as Ver 7.00 Build 28. These are documented below and use heading lines that begin with V7.00.28:. In addition, minor program-specific changes have been made, as summarized here and detailed in the program's own specific list of updates and changes. Ver 7.00 Build 28 changes are free updates for Ver 7.00 licenses.

>V7.00.28: Multiple Copies of a Program Can Be Open Simultaneously Again.

The source of a problem which has recently prevented multiple copies of any given program from being open at the same time, such as when comparing alternatives side-by-side. This problem has been resolved and the ability to have multiple copies open simultaneously has been re-enabled.

Build 21 - 27JUL06

Scroll down to 'Ver 4.70 07NOV05, Build 07 - 11NOV05' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original Visual TEAPAC release of this program.

>Improved Identification of Optimization Result with No solution.

A better output display is provided in the unlikely event of an optimization result that has no solution.

>V7.00.21: Generic Enhancements Made to All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

A number of generic enhancements and fixes have been made to the original Ver 7.00 releases of Visual TEAPAC and are collectively included as Ver 7.00 Build 21. These are documented below and use heading lines that begin with V7.00.21:. In addition, minor program-specific changes have been made, as summarized here and detailed in the program's own specific list of updates and changes. Ver 7.00 Build 21 changes are free updates for Ver 7.00 licenses.

>V7.00.21: Frequency of Automatic Update Check Can Be Set By User.

A new user entry can now be made which controls the number of days between automatic checks for program updates. The entry can be found in the Help-Check_For_Newer_Updates menu dialog. With this new feature, the maximum frequency of automatic checks is once per day, not every time the program is run. Automatic checks can be disabled by entering a frequency of 0 days, but this is not recommended (checking for updates every 10-30 days is recommended).

>V7.00.21: Make Help File Useable When a Data File is Double-clicked.

A problem locating the .HLP file when a user data file was double-clicked in Windows Explorer to open it has been fixed.

Build 14 - 20APR06

Scroll down to 'Ver 4.70 07NOV05, Build 07 - 11NOV05' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original Visual TEAPAC release of this program.

>V7.00.14: Generic Enhancements Made to All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

A number of generic enhancements and fixes have been made to the original Ver 7.00 release of Visual TEAPAC and are collectively included as Ver 7.00 Build 14. These are documented below and use heading lines that begin with V7.00.14:. Ver 7.00 Build 14 changes are free updates for Ver 7.00 licenses.

>V7.00.14: Color Selection Added to Options Menu.

The Options menu now provides a Colors option for selecting colors which are used when generating formatted output reports. Any selections made are retained and used during future program sessions. Most of the default colors for formatted output reports are taken from the user's desktop color scheme (DisplayProperties-Appearance), so changing the color scheme will automatically change the output colors used when the defaults are selected. All colors selected, including actual selections and defaults, are displayed in the Color management dialog produced by the Options-colors menu selection.

>V7.00.14: Improved Support for PDF Creation.

Difficulties producing PDF files for formatted output reports with certain PDF writers have been resolved.

>V7.00.14: Help File Formatting Restored to Previous Style.

The numbering of the indented paragraphs in the Notes section of Appendix B of the Help file has been restored, as appeared previously.

>V7.00.14: Minor Cleanups and Fixes Implemented.

A number of (mostly internal) cleanups and fixes have been implemented for more reliable operation of Visual TEAPAC programs. Most of these will not be noticeable to users.

Build 07 - 11NOV05

>Visual TEAPAC - A Whole New Way of Seeing TEAPAC.

All 13 modules of the TEAPAC suite of programs have been upgraded to the Visual TEAPAC (Version 7) interface. Primarily, this means each program sports a much more visual input and output system to make entering and viewing data for the analysis network much easier and to make the resulting output reports clearer and easier to read. The general aspects of the two major enhancement areas, visual input and visual output, are described below, followed by the many other supporting enhancements that go along with the Visual TEAPAC upgrade.

When combined with the unparalleled 1-file, 1-click, 500-intersection, completely seamless data sharing introduced with each of the 13 TEAPAC2004 (Version 6) programs, Visual TEAPAC provides an unmatched experience of fully-integrated visual traffic engineering and traffic planning software. Read on for the details.

>Visual TEAPAC - Graphical Input and Display of Analysis Network.

All TEAPAC programs (except NOSTOP and TUTOR) now provide a drag-and-drop user interface as a way to create and/or display the study network in the main window of the program. The network can be drawn schematically or to precise scale with the aid of an underlying grid, or a bitmap can be displayed under the network to make drawing easy and/or display of the network more meaningful. The bitmap file can be an aerial photograph, a street map, as-built drawings, or any other such display which would be helpful, and this bitmap is exported to third-party program such as CORSIM and TRANSYT as permitted.

>Visual TEAPAC - Enhanced Graphical Output Reporting.

All TEAPAC programs now feature enhanced, graphical output reporting for all results produced. Output reports now make full use of color and graphics drawing for arrows, phasing diagrams, permitted movements, time-space diagrams, intersection diagrams, cycle optimization graphs, daily count variation graphs, etc. All reports are printable on any color or black & white printer supported by Windows, including PDF writers. Any graphics output page can be copied to the clipboard as a bitmap so it can be pasted into other applications. The prior version's text-only results are still viewable alone or in parallel with the graphical results, and selected text can be copied to the clipboard or saved to a text file for subsequent use, as before. In Visual TEAPAC, you are no longer limited to the old, archaic, hard-to-read character graphics which was used when TEAPAC was originally created (what did your computer look like 30 years ago?).

All output reports use shades of color from the desktop theme/style setting to highlight the results, including report titles, report sub-sections, column headings and alternating output lines. The proportionally-spaced, sans-serif Tahoma font is used for easier readability, including right-justified numeric results in columns.

Viewing options include zoom in, zoom out, zoom all to see an entire page, rubber-band selection to zoom in, drag the page to scroll and click to re-center. Text strings can be searched for within one or many pages of results and multi-page results can be quickly scanned with controls to advance to the next or previous page, the next or previous report, or the beginning or end of all results.

Visit www.StrongConcepts.com for examples of the new graphical output back-end now found in Visual TEAPAC.

>Other Generic Enhancements Found in All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

Many other generic enhancements have been made to the Visual TEAPAC user interface which is now included in every TEAPAC program. These include:

-- Windows XP style buttons, drop-down lists, scroll windows, etc.
-- all Edit and Results menus can be accessed by right-click.
-- all demos allow at least 4 intersections to be entered and analyzed.
-- license keys are valid for any older version of the same program;
license info displays in Help-About, including site license address.
-- leading W removed from all program file names for easy recognition;
LinkTo and Menu looks for new name first, then old name with W, for
backward compatibility with older versions of other TEAPAC programs.
-- default node to renumber is the current node, not 0.
-- Startup Help button is located in main window and now in Help menu;
StartUp.txt can be modified by user with virtually unlimited size.
-- View-Network and Options-Graphics menu options have been removed.

>Program-Specific Enhancements Included in Visual TEAPAC Upgrade.

The demo limits have been increased from 3 intersections to 6 and from 5 cycles to 7, with increments of 10 seconds instead of 30 seconds allowed, all to better illustrate the program's potential and to allow the sample problem of Chapter 2 of the on-screen manual to be entered. A new 6-intersection sample data file called NOSTOP.FOR has also been provided which exploits these new limits. Inappropriate errors which were issued when the Available dialog was used and when certain inputs for the Nonconcurrent dialog were used have been suppressed.

NOSTOP output reports which are significantly enhanced by the new color-graphics results produced by Visual TEAPAC include: the color-coded Efficiency versus Cycle graph; the full-color time-space diagram which show through phases and clearance intervals, directional offsets and band widths.

:NOSTOP Ver 4.61 23MAY05

Scroll down to 'Ver 4.60 08SEP04, Build 06 - 22SEP04' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original TEAPAC2004 release of this program.

Build 12 - 30SEP05

>Field Width Error Detection Modified for More Useful Performance.

A new error check was recently introduced to warn a user that too many characters for an input field had been entered and that the entry would be truncated. The aggressive response to this condition (ignoring the entry entirely) has been toned back, now accepting the truncated input with a similar warning. This reduces the potential for the need to re-type an entry which may be perfectly fine in its truncated form, or require only minor editing to correct instead of complete re-entry. The new error check has also been eliminated for any entries of the GROUPTYPES dialog, most of whose possible entry values can typically exceed the actual allocated input field width.

Another effect of the overly-aggressive error check was that certain drop-down list values in a number of dialog boxes had pre-programmed entries which exceeded the input field width, thus preventing them from executing properly. These included drop-down lists in the OUTPUT, CONDITIONS, GENERATION and PATHDISTRIBUTION dialogs. The field widths of all of these entries have been modified to accept the full drop-down list pre-programmed entries.

>Extra Warning Message Eliminated When Opening New Files.

If a user is warned about unsaved data or results values when a new file is about to be opened, with an option to first save the values, certain circumstances could cause the same message to be re-displayed a second time, regardless of the user response to the first message. This duplicate warning message has been eliminated.

>Debug Value Removed from Display for Text Search Function.

A spurious debug value was inadvertently left in the production version of the program, displaying each time a text string is searched for in any output window or edit window. The debug display has been removed.

>Key Files Are Now Valid for All Prior Versions of Program.

The key file processing logic has been enhanced to allow a given key file to be used not only for various builds and minor updates for the licensed version, but also for any version of the program prior to the licensed version. This minimizes the hassle of multiple key file management when multiple versions of a program are being used, for example, to maintain consistency in results throughout the course of a project which was begun with an older version of a given program that has been updated.

Build 10 - 04AUG05

>Print Problem Resolved from Tabular View.

Difficulties experienced by some users attempting to print results when using the Tabular View have been resolved.

Build 00 - 23MAY05

>Enhancements Made to Time-Space Diagram.

The default scale for PLOTting a time-space diagram has been changed from 100 feet/line to 0, the new default of 0 being a code that instructs NOSTOP to determine a scale automatically which will include the entire time-space diagram on a single page. The offset to the first main-street phase has also been added to the right margin of the time-space diagram.

>More Stringent Input Limits Imposed to Prevent Division by Zero Problems.

Input DISTANCES are now checked to make sure they are at least 50 feet (or meters), and input SPLITS at least 5 percent, before computations continue. These new limits have been imposed to avoid problems which have been observed with unreasonably short link distances and/or splits, especially if any of these values are zero.

>Dialogs and Reports Adjusted to Show That SPLITS Include ALLREDS.

The SPLITS and ALLREDS dialogs have been adjusted to properly indicate that ALLREDS entries are, in fact, included in the SPLITS values entered (in addition to yellow CLEARANCES), and that the correct way to interpret SPLITS is that it represents the complete phase time. Previously, it had been inaccurately documented that SPLITS did not include ALLREDS. The associated output reports have also been adjusted similarly.

>New Message Warns User That Calculated and/or Imported Values Have Not Been Saved.

A new message has been created which warns a user when calculated and/or imported values will be lost when the program is closed or File-New is used. This provides a check against inadvertently losing data results which could otherwise be saved in a file for future use or use by another program. The existence of unsaved calculated and/or imported values is indicated in the window caption with an asterisk (*) in the same fashion as changed user entry values. In the case of NOSTOP, the protected values are the optimized OFFSETS. A similar message is now issued when File-Open or Reset [Parameters] is used when edited, calculated and/or imported values have not been saved.

>Edit Window Contents Can Be Printed, Including Line Numbers.

The contents of the TED Edit window, either within TED or the built-in edit window in any TEAPAC program, can now be printed using the normal print menu or toolbar buttons, including line numbers.

>Option to Select Pages to Print; Page 0 for Current Page.

An option has been added to the Print-Setup dialog which allows the selection of specific pages to be printed instead of always printing all pages in the output window. Selection of page 0 will print only the current output page (the page which contains the insertion point cursor).

>Warnings Issued If Too Many Characters Entered or Number Too Large in an Input Field.

If a user enters more characters in a dialog's input field than the dialog expects or can process, a warning is now issued and the entire entry is ignored, rather than just ignoring the extra characters. This allows for better understanding by the user that the entry may not have been processed correctly. The F5 Refresh button should be used in all cases to see the current dialog values after the warning. On a similar note, if an entry has a numeric value too large for the intended internal variable, this condition is also noted with a message rather than allowing the possibility of a more catastrophic reaction by the program at a later point.

:NOSTOP Ver 4.60 08SEP08

Scroll down to 'Build 06 - 22SEP04' below for the major changes which were implemented for the original TEAPAC2004 release of this program.

Build 07 - 07DEC04

>Last Output Window Contents Saved in Text File Upon Program Closure.

The contents of the last Output Window display are now always saved in a temporary file (TMPxxx.OUT, where xxx is the program's abbreviated name) when a TEAPAC2004 program exits, thus leaving the last output produced in a text file for review and post-processing, if desired. The file is located in the folder which contains the authoring program (usually C:\TEAPAC) and is over-written the next time the same program exits. This feature also allows viewing of results created by a scripted control file which contains the Stop command, as well as multiple, linked control files which link to each other or are run from a batch command file. Also, a change has been made to make sure that all output generated by launching a control file from a command line is captured in the Output Window and/or the TMPxxx.OUT file. Lastly, if an Output Window is open when a Stop command is encountered in a control file, that Output Window is now always closed automatically.

>Automatic Closure of Save Message.

The message which is displayed when File-Save is used is now closed automatically in all cases after a brief display to confirm that the save has occurred as desired. Only Advanced file save messages are displayed until closed manually (unless the automatic closure checkbox is selected). Any save action directed from a control file is also closed automatically after a brief display in order to allow unattended operation.

>Longer Window Caption File Path Display.

The number of characters used to display the current file name(s), path and save status has been increased so that more of the file path is visible in the top caption line of the main window.

>File Functions Restored in TEAPAC Menu.

The 'Use this file:' function has been restored to the TEAPAC Menu so a file can be found by browsing, dragging to the Menu window, or double-clicking in Explorer. Then use of that file can be transferred to any TEAPAC program in the Menu. This function was inadvertantly disabled in the initial TEAPAC2004 release.

Build 06 - 22SEP04

>Summary of TEAPAC2004 Release of NOSTOP.

After 2 years in development, the TEAPAC2004 version of NOSTOP has been released as Ver 4.60. The highlights of the changes since its prior release include the following:

Support for the new PRENOSTOP program to connect NOSTOP with all of the other TEAPAC programs.

Implementation of the enhanced TEAPAC2004 (Ver 6) user interface, as described below. This also includes the many enhancements for the TEAPAC Ver 5.1x user interface which had not yet been added to NOSTOP.

>Support for New PRENSOTOP Program.

NOSTOP now produces a TMPNST.LOG file after all computations so that results of the computations can be imported into the new PRENOSTOP program. PRENOSTOP is a connection between NOSTOP and the other TEAPAC programs, with an Export function to create NOSTOP inputs from SIGNAL2000 data or data from any of the compatible TEAPAC program, and an Import function to get NOSTOP results back into PRENOSTOP for use by any other program.

>Minor Organizational and Usability Changes.

The RATIO command has been added to the [BASIC] menu and group definition for quicker accessibility, since [BASIC] is the most common menu/group used in NOSTOP. The [LINKNODEDATA] has been renamed to [ALTERNATE] to avoid confusion with the actual LINKNODEDATA command/dialog. Error checking for the CYCLES input dialog is now performed after all changes have been made to avoid unecessary warnings in the midst of making several changes. The CYC= entry in the .LOG file is now set to 0 for a 1-cycle optimization with no solution, and the .LOG file is properly initialized when a 1-way optimization is performed.

>T2004v6: TEAPAC2004 Interface Enhancements Found In All Programs.

TEAPAC2004 (Ver 6) includes a multitude of enhancements which are part of the generic user interface found in all TEAPAC programs (some do not apply to NOSTOP, TED or TUTOR, for readily-apparent reasons). The generic enhancements which apply to NOSTOP are listed below with heading lines that begin with T2004v6:.

>T2004v6: Output/Edit Window Major Enhancements.

The Output and Edit Windows have been enhanced with menus and toolbar buttons which provide the ability to Find a user-entered text string, find the next output report and find the next page of results. A button also allows moving backwards thru the output to the previous output page. In the Edit Window, an additional Find & Replace function has also been provided. Also, the current line number of the cursor is displayed in the status line of the window, and the ^A function now performs the standard 'SelectAll' function instead of copying the entire window to the clipboard.

>T2004v6: Check For Internet Update Function Provided.

A new function has been provided in the Help menu of every TEAPAC program that allows the user to have the program check the internet for any available downloadable updates. This function can be set to automatically check for updates every time the program is launched. If updates are found, this fact is displayed along with the status of the update (free or if a fee is involved and what that fee is), as well as a link to a complete description of what functionality changes the update includes, the ability to launch an email requesting a new key for a paid update or a quote for an upgrade. Options to view a complete price list online, to launch an email requesting technical support, and to go to the Strong Concepts main web page are also provided. This feature was partially implemented in the most recent downloads of several TEAPAC programs and accepted with great enthusiasm.

>T2004v6: Error Message Help Leaves Dialogs Open so Errant Entries Can Be Seen.

When Help for an error or warning message is displayed, the dialog entry which caused the error or warning is now left open so the entered values can be inspected in relation to the help advise given. Also, a note is provided in the message to use the Refresh button to see the dialog with the actual current values which are likely to not reflect the entry attempted (which caused the error or warning).

>T2004v6: Errors Contain Cancel Button to Abort File-Open or Control File.

When errors or warnings are issued as a result of reading a data file, a Cancel button is now provided which allows the user to abort continued attempts to read the file. This is now a convenient way to halt attempted processing of a file which is clearly not what was intended, or for power users, a way to kill a control file which has gone off the deep end.

>T2004v6: Options-Setup Uses Browse for Folder, not Browse for File.

The Browse button in the Options-Setup dialog now produces a Browse-for-Folder dialog instead of the File-Open dialog so it is more clear what the function will return.

>T2004v6: Recent File Menu Option Works Under All Windows Platforms.

Display of recently used files in the File menu has presented problems under certain Windows platforms, and thus an option has been provided to turn this display off so recent files are accessed only thru the File-RecentFiles dialog. This problem has been fixed so recent files can be displayed in the File menu on any Windows platform, and thus the default condition for this feature has been changed from No to Yes.

>T2004v6: Command-Line Control File Enhancements.

When a user has set a TEAPAC program to start in the Tabular View, ASK commands in command-line control files could not be used. This limitation has been eliminated so this feature can be used, if desired.

The output window for output generated by a command-line control file now appears in front of the main window so it is immediately visible without the need to click it to bring it to the front.

A new /x option has been added at the end of a command-line file name which instructs the program to open the command-line file as File #x (the default is File #1, as before). This allows the data file which a control file #2-5 opens to be designated as File #1 so that it is the file which will be open for subsequent File-Save operations from the File menu. Opening command-line control files as #2-5 instead of #1 is now the recommended practice.

>T2004v6: TEAPAC Menu Enhancements.

A new File menu in the TEAPAC Menu shows recent files which have been used by the program; a new Options menu allows program folder setup for all of the third-party programs supported by the Menu; a new Help menu can list recently installed changes and check the internet for updates; default support for VISSIM 4 and TRANSYT-7F Release 10 is provided.

TEAPAC files which are double-clicked to be launched thru the TEAPAC Menu now open into the menu only without launching the program that created the file (since any file can now be used by any program, this old action is no longer appropriate).

>T2004v6: Printable On-screen Manuals Available as PDF Downloads.

The full documentation for each TEAPAC program has always been directly available as the on-screen manual which also serves as the context-sensitive Help document. Options for obtaining printed/bound copies of this document have also been available at an additional cost. Now, in addition, this document is available as a downloadable PDF file which provides the ability to print a copy locally, as well as search the entire document for user-defined strings.

:NOSTOP Ver 4.40 25SEP01

Build 16 - 14JUL02

>TEAPAC2000 Version 5.02 Generic Interface Fine-tuning.

In the first release of the TEAPAC2000 Ver 5 Interface, users may have experienced difficulty using the Advanced Datafiles LOAD and SAVE functions from the Tabular View. These functions have been updated to work properly from the Tabular View.


Error messages generated from the Manual Mode, data files or control files will list the specific line of input which generated the error, with the offending item highlighted in red. If the information came from a file, the file number and line number of the error is also listed.

Shortcut keys have been added to the File-RecentFiles and File-Save dialogs for more expediant keyboard manipulation.

Certain warning and error messages shouldn't be closed automatically by the new AutoClose option if these messages expect or require user response. The AutoClose option is now ignored for these cases.

The Help-Messages menu item has been changed to Help-RecentChanges to better reflect its purpose.

The Help-About menu item now shows the specific program name.

The default size of the Help window has been increased in size vertically to better display the contents of the complete, on-screen manual and context-sensitive help topics.

The Options-Setup dialog now allows the name of the Host executable file to be added at the end of the Host path, in the event that this executable name is different than used by default. The dialog also displays the 64-char limit for path\file names which must be observed. When the AUTO option of Export is executed, the program will now first look for the designated Host program (either the default or specified name) and issue a message if it is not found, cancelling the Export.

Build 12 - 02FEB02

>Minor Problems Repaired.

In some cases for certain SIZEd arterials, some users have found the Tabular View dis-functional, not permitting entry or change of any displayed parameter values. This situation has been corrected.

When a DESIGN is performed and no viable solutions are found, the normal response of the program is to display 'No Solutions Found' in the Results window. In some cases where a speed TOLERANCE is used and no solutions are found, the program could respond in an unpredictable manner, including a crash. This situation has been corrected.

Build 10 - 25SEP01

>TEAPAC2000 User Interface Version 5 Implemented.

The WinTEAPAC2000 Version 5 User Interface has been implemented in NOSTOP to provide the latest standardized TEAPAC interface found in all TEAPAC programs. The following lists the many changes which this new interface provides:

>New Tabular View Option Provides Dense Data Entry Displays.

Two views for Visual Mode, normal and tabular.
More data inputs per dialog, less helps and cues.
Toggle view between Normal and Tabular with View menu or F3 key.
Tooltip help and status line help for each entry field.
Context-sensitive help button for access to complete help in .HLP.
Execute button for action functions.
Next & Prev buttons if input list takes more than one dialog (PgUp & PgDn).
Alt-X accel to move through input keywords (commands) with keyboard.
Create custom Tabular View input dialog with ASK command from Manual Mode.
IODEV param #1 changed to toggle View.
Options-Setup allows option to startup program in Tabular View.

>New Recent File Dialog in File Menu.

Review list of last nine files and paths used.
Can select/edit file names and re-open selected files.
Option to include list of recent files and paths in File menu.
List of recent files can be cleared from the dialog.

>New Features for Saving Files.

Files now contain name & version of program which wrote the file.
-- also include the date & time of the Save
-- easily viewable information at the beginning of the file
Message advising of successful save remains visible until closed by user.
-- option to close the message automatically for subsequent Saves
Warning if Save is attempted into a file that may over-write other info.
-- warning condition is if file was written by another program or unknown
-- certain earlier versions of the same prog may provide warning if relevant
-- option to cancel save or to permit save anyway

>New Feature for Opening Files.

If data from another prog or earlier ver of same program read from a file,
-- that file is protected from Saves that may over-write other information
In particular, for file from another program, Share is automatic.
-- makes File-Open same as File-OpenShared & LOAD * * * same as LOAD * * Share
-- eliminates the need to use the OpenShared or LOAD * * Share explicitly

>New Results Log Option.

Ability to create text file with results of primary functions of program.
Log Results item in Options menu.
Log On/Off toggles whether computed results are currently being logged.
Start New Log clears all prior logged results and toggles Log On.
Log file is always the program name with .log extension.
-- located in folder where program was installed

>Improvements Regarding Output Titling Information.

Any time a title line is read from a file, displayed in the title bar.
-- provides feedback when loading multiple stacked files or control file
Blank title entries are saved in such a way that they will be restored.
-- previously, blank entries were ignored, leaving the prior entry
The option to use %F in a title line entry is noted in the input dialog.

>TED Edit Window Available in Advanced Edit Option of File Menu.

Option to edit current open file (#1) contents directly.
-- particularly for control files
-- also option to open a different file into the editor
-- -- converts to TEAPAC format when Saved
-- -- CONVERT.exe no longer needed for small files
-- available only when licensed copy of TED is installed
Upon saving the edits, option to open the edited file into the program.
-- e.g., to Launch an edited control file

>Printer Setup Supported Directly in File Menu.

Option to Setup printer only, or Setup and Print.
-- ability to select printer and printer options while in the program
-- prior method only allowed printing to current selected printer and option
Toolbar button and Ctrl-P accelerator print immediately with current setup.
Same print options are provided in the File menu of the Output window.

>Improved Context-sensitive Help Features.

Tooltip popup help has been added for any dialog box input field or button.
-- display after delay when mouse cursor hovers over input field or button
Status line help also appears for the input field with the input cursor.
HELP in manual mode for a single command displays the relevant part of .HLP.
As before, Help button or F1 key to display the relevant part of .HLP.

>New Save and Linkage Features Provided When Exiting the Program.

Warning message for unsaved data has been reversed with option to Save.
-- message now consistent with most other Windows programs
-- -- (in the way the question is asked)
-- option to Save or not save, or to Cancel the exit
New ability to link to another program using the File-Control-Stop dialog.
-- name the next program to run, as well as file to use, if desired
-- can be used from a control file to link programs or control files
-- also link from Manual Mode
The Quit menu which duplicated the File-Exit menu has been removed.

>Command History in Manual Mode.

Remembers last 10 manual mode commands used.
Use up- and down-arrows to see history of commands.
Re-use previous command or adjust to create new command.

>WinTEAPAC2000 Ver 5 Menu Program Enhanced.

A data file can be named in the display for the next selected program.
A Browse button has been added to assist in naming the data file to be used.
-- provides standard extensions for typical files of supported programs
A data file from a TEAPAC2000 Version 5 program can be dragged to WinTEAPAC.
-- will launch the program that created the file and use the dragged file
-- can drag the file to the WinTEAPAC window or desktop icon
The .FOR extension used by TEAPAC is registered when WinTEAPAC runs.
-- allows double-clicking .FOR files in Explorer and START command in .BAT

>Other Changes:

A 'Getting Started' help button is now available in the main window.
The option to Save output to a text file now allows the user to name a file.
A more informative message is issued if a file to open is already in use.
Better message if attempt to Open a non-TEAPAC file.
TEAPAC programs can now be installed in a folder with spaces in path name.
A new option exists to automatically close subsequent warnings and errors.
-- stays in effect until control returned to user
-- for stacked files and control files
Files can now be dragged to a desktop icon to launch the program.
-- uses the dragged file
All keywords now display using title-case instead of all-caps.
All dialog boxes have been enhanced with a more modern look.
-- using depressed input fields
Protect the Options-Setup fields which should not be changed.
-- except by re-installing
Browse buttons have been added for the data and host path entries.
-- to simplify changes
The current data file path from Options-Setup is shown in the FILES dialog.
Reading data from a file during control file execution doesn't set flag.
-- so won't get prompted with message to save data from a control file
Better closure of main window if control file halts program.
-- same function improved if control file dragged to main window halts prog
Hourglass mouse cursor displays while printing.

:NOSTOP Ver 4.32 15JAN00

Build 14

>New Print Module for 32-bit Windows.

A new TEAPAC print module (TEAPACPR.exe) has been created for 32-bit Windows platforms (Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT and Windows 2000) which has greater compatibility with some 32-bit printer drivers which have been distributed by printer vendors recently. This module also has continued compatibility with older printer drivers. The new module is now distributed as the standard print module for all Win32 versions of TEAPAC programs. The original print module is still distributed as the standard print module for all Win16 versions, and is also distributed as an alternate print module for the Win32 versions.

Build 10

>Minor Adjustments for Added Clarity.

The allowed input range for the ADJUST command has been changed from 0.000..9.999 to 0.01..9.99. This avoids the possibility of entering a 0.00 value which causes a crash, as well as a slightly misleading upper range display value of 10.00 in the corresponding error-check message. The wording of the DISTANCES dialog has been modified slightly to remove the word 'average' which may confuse the intended input value.

>Changes to Standard TEAPAC2000 Interface, Ver 4.01.

All TEAPAC programs which have Windows versions use the new TEAPAC2000 Interface which was introduced in November, 1999. The following changes have been made to this interface to further enhance its effectiveness:

>Spaces Allowed in Folder Names for Data Files.

Folders which contain data files may now contain spaces in the folder name. Data files themselves are still limited to 11 characters including the extension and may not have embedded spaces (for continued compatibility with supported DOS products), but the restriction on path names (folders) has been removed.

>File Name Can Be Inserted in Title Lines.

The name of the current open file can be inserted anywhere in a title line (PROJECT, DESCRIPTION or NOTE entry) by placing %F at the desired location of the title line. The file name can be placed at a specific column location in a title line by using the +XX form of a title entry (see Help for any of the title commands).

>Bigger Output Window for Higher Resolution Displays.

Output windows containing program results which are displayed at resolutions of 1024x768 or higher now use a larger window so that more results can be displayed and less scrolling is required to observe all of the results.

>Additional Help and Shortcut Features Added.

Several new help features have been added. One of these is a new Help button on the toolbar for direct access to the on-line manual. Help notes in the status line at the bottom of the window for each of the menu items in the File menu have also been added. The File-Close menu item in the main window now uses a shortcut of 'C' instead of 'L' for consistency with other programs, and the File-Exit menu item in the Results window has been changed to File-CloseResults to avoid confusion with the File-Exit menu item of the main window. Lastly, the last used file name is retained in the File-Open and File-SaveAs dialogs, even when a previous dialog was cancelled.

>New Warning Messages.

A new warning message has been generated to warn users if unsaved data values are about to be reset to default values by the File-New menu item. A new message also warns if the installed folder has spaces in its name, which will cause problems in certain operations like printing.

>Potential Problem Running Under Windows NT Eliminated.

In the initial release of the TEAPAC 2000 interface (07NOV99), a technique for dynamic menu building was used which had a conflict with certain service packs and memory configurations of Windows NT. To avoid this potential problem on any given machine, the dynamic menu building has been removed and replaced with a method that will work on all configurations of Windows NT.

:NOSTOP Ver 4.31 07NOV99

>WinNOSTOP Uses the New TEAPAC2000 Interface Version 4.00.

WinNOSTOP has been released with the new TEAPAC2000 Interface (Interface Version 4.00) which offers many new features to enhance the computing experience with TEAPAC programs. The following new features are among those provided by the TEAPAC2000 Interface:

-- Context-sensitive link to Help file for error messages.
-- Context-sensitive link to Help file for program outputs.
-- Modernized dialog box design consistent with Windows 95/98/NT.
-- New radio button and drop-down list input features.
-- Sizable main window for better screen display and integration with other running programs.
-- New Toolbar buttons for common functions.
-- File name and save status displayed in main window caption.
-- Help strings for menu options.
-- Dynamic title display during batch control file execution.
-- New accelerator keys (shortcuts) for common menu selections.
-- New File-Close menu option.
-- Sizable File-Open dialog.
-- Proportional scroll button for viewing output.

Other useful and unique features carried over from the previous Windows interface for TEAPAC include:

-- Visual Mode of input that shows graphically what inputs are needed.
-- Optional Manual Mode of input for blazing fast input by power users.
-- Context-sensitive link to Help file for all Visual Mode inputs.
-- Complete, fully-indexed manual on-line as Help file.
-- Ability to create and run batch/script/macro-type control files.
-- Ability to drag a data or control file from Explorer to the running TEAPAC program.
-- Free program updates via Internet downloads.
-- Complete data file compatibility between old, new, DOS and Windows versions.
-- Complete Y2K compliance.

Updates for the new TEAPAC2000 Interface can be downloaded from the www.StrongConcepts.com internet web page at no charge for users who hold an up-to-date Windows license for NOSTOP. These downloads are available to the general public, but will be rendered as demos for those who do not qualify for the free update.

:NOSTOP Ver 4.30 27AUG98

>First Release of Windows Version of NOSTOP.

This version of NOSTOP marks the first release of a Windows version of NOSTOP, featuring the new Visual Mode of operation. NOSTOP for Windows is available in a 16-bit version which runs on Windows 3.x and Windows 95/98, as well as a 32-bit version which runs on Windows 95/98 and Windows NT.

>Fixed Problem with Input LEADLAG Times.

User input values for LEADLAGS are entered in percent of cycle, then converted to seconds for use by the program. This conversion has previously taken place in the user input spot, thus changing the values so they are not valid for additional runs of the program without re-loading the original data file. This problem has been resolved by doing the conversion internally without changing the user input values.

>Better Paging for Time Space Diagram.

Output for the time space diagram of the PLOT command has been improved for long diagrams by breaking the diagram up onto multiple pages, but without headings at the top of successive pages. This is more consistent with the needs of Windows-style page formatting, and eliminates the need to change the scale to get the entire diagram on a single page.

>FINETUNE Option Disabled.

The FINETUNE function has been deemed uneccessary, and since its results can sometimes be confusing and even misleading, its function has been removed from NOSTOP. FINETUNE entries can still be made, especially when old data files are loaded, but any FINETUNE entry is ignored.

>AVAILABLE Option Disabled.

Since the AVAILABLE option can cause conflicts with the LEADLAG option, and it has no real impact on the bands or timings, it has been disabled. The available time is always reported in the detailed DESIGN results.

>TEAPAC Ver 2 and Ver 3 Interfaces Through Ver 3.03 Installed.

The latest releases of the standard TEAPAC Interfaces, V2 L2.3 07NOV93, V2 L2.4 17JUN94, Ver 3.00 27JUN96, Ver 3.01 17DEC97, Ver 3.02 05MAR98 and Ver 3.03 27AUG98 have been installed in the NOSTOP program. The following paragraphs summarize the improvements and changes implemented.

>TEAPAC Interface Ver 3.03 Changes:

A unique new licensing technique has been implemented in the Ver 3.03 Interface which will allow users to download free updates of TEAPAC programs from the Internet, without the need for pre-arranged passwords or download codes. When the demos found at the Strong Concepts homepage are run on the users system, the licensed Usage Level will be automatically enabled. The licensing also allows either Win16 or Win32 operation from the same license, both of which will be available along with the DOS-based version of each program on CD-ROM distribution.

The SaveAs function will now report that a selected file name already exists, asking if it should be overwritten. Also, the brief window giving feedback about the successful Save or SaveAs function has been lengthened from 3 to 5 seconds. The default location of user data files has been changed from '.\' to the installed TEAPAC folder location (usually C:\TEAPAC) for more consistency with normal Windows operations.

A new option for DOS TEAPAC programs in line five of the .CFG file allows the entry of 'HPLJx' to indicate that the printer attached to 'LPTx' is a Hewlett Packard LaserJet compatible printer. This complements the 'LPTx' option added in the Ver 3.01 interface so that required HPLJ printer codes are sent to the printer for each page, and are no longer required as a separate effort by the user. This is most significant in shared and networked printer environments. Note that when LPTx is used, the F6 key functions only when the printer is attached to LPT1 (or PRN).

When the '&' character is used in the Manual Mode of a Windows program, the next prompt received has been modified to include the '&' character to indicate that the entry to be made is a continuation of the previous entry, not a new command entry. This now behaves similarly to the DOS Manual Mode, in this regard.

>TEAPAC Interface Ver 3.02 Changes:

Various support files which are used by the program are now closed after their use so that other TEAPAC applications which are running concurrently on the same or other networked computers have less opportunity to conflict with the use of these files.

In Win32 versions, the vertical scroll button of the Output window can now be clicked and dragged to scroll through the output from top to bottom. Previously, this button's position could only be clicked to change the view of the output.

In Win32 versions, the File-Open and File-SaveAs dialog boxes now display the last file used in the FileName field, as well as the dialog's caption, providing an easier way to retrieve and save files with variations of previous file names.

>TEAPAC Interface Ver 3.01 Changes:

The sample data file included with the program no longer echoes the input data which is read.

The command spec file now has the extension .CMD rather than .HLP so it does not conflict with the normal Windows Help file extension.

In Windows versions, data files can be dragged from other applications like Windows Explorer or File Manager and dropped on the main window of a running copy of the program. This is equivalent to using the File-Open dialog of the program for the dragged file.

The maximum amount of output which can be viewed in the Results window has been increased to 64,000 characters from the previous 20,000 characters to allow larger multiple-scenario analyses to be observed directly within the program.

When error messages are displayed during file open processes, the messages now more clearly depict the name of the file for which the errors have been generated.

The maximum size of file names (including the path defined in the .CFG file) has been increased to 64 characters. Under Win32 versions the defined paths may now also have embedded blanks, although this is not recommended. Actual file names should still be 11 characters or less (including Win32 versions), and any embedded blanks for a SaveAs name will be replaced by the underscore character, since embedded blanks are still not permitted in file names. Note that if SAVEd files are renamed to include more than 11 characters or embedded blanks, the shortened (8.3) file name displayed by the DIR command of the Command Prompt may still be used, even in the Win32 version of the program.

In DOS versions, a new entry has been added to the end of the CFG file which can be used to define the destination of printed output. The default has been changed from the "PRN" value previously used to "LPT1". This can be changed to any valid DOS printer device name. A file name may also be used for this entry to direct all "printed" output to an ASCII file (in lieu of the IODEVICES option which requires use of the Manual Mode).

New versions of the TEAPAC.BAT and WinTEAPAC shell programs (Ver 3.01) have also been produced, primarily to handle the new CORSIM program. CORSIM is now the default option of each shell. WinTEAPAC also allows running the DOS version (NETSIM) by first selecting a DOS check box. The DOS check box can also be used to over-ride the presence of a Windows version of a TEAPAC program such as SIGNAL94, PREPASSR, PRETRANSYT or PRENETSIM by forcing the running of the DOS version instead. The normal mode is now to search for and run the Windows version of any TEAPAC program before a DOS version is attempted. The newest version of WinTEAPAC also fixes a problem sometimes encountered on WinNT (and some Win95 systems) when trying to run DOS programs from the WinTEAPAC shell. Improved error message have been created as well, and long path names are also supported, although not encouraged, in the WTEAPAC.CFG file.

>TEAPAC Interface Ver 3.00 Changes:

This version is only an internal change in order to support a new compiler and functions necessary for Windows support. No new user version of the program was delivered with this change.

>TEAPAC Interface V2 L2.4 Changes:

Better ESCape Processing Provided.

An improved method for detecting and trapping ESCape depressions has been implemented to provide quicker response to a user's desire to escape from a current activity in the program. This problem has become more of an issue in recent years as computer processing speeds have increased. More frequently the user finds himself pressing ESCape after the computer has checked for it because the computer processes the intervening activities so quickly. This has led to the need to press ESCape repeatedly to abort, and sometimes never actually executing the abort process. The new method used nearly eliminates this problem completely allowing the program to respond to the ESCape key instantly almost any time it is pressed.

Better Error Message Procedures Used.

Faster and more screen-compatible error display procedures are now used to minimize the occurrence of spurious error display problems which sometimes locked up the screen or displayed gibberish. Several minor clarifications in the text of some of the standard error messages have also been made.

Better Diagnostic Response if HELP File Not Found at Program Start.

An improved error message is now displayed if the program's .HLP file cannot be located when the program is first started.

Dynamic Pointer Key Operation Enhanced.

The dynamic pointer increment/decrement function using the Ctrl-Page-Down/Up key combination has been enhanced from its initial implementation in V2 L2.3. Now the command on which the cursor resides is not executed when these keys are pressed and the cursor is not moved to the next line of the screen display.

Manual Mode Message from Opening Screen Doesn't Over-write Loading Message.

The Manual Mode message given at the opening screen when the Manual Mode is entered has been shortened so that it does not over-write the "Loading Command File" message which also appears on the same line. This comes into play when a command file is loaded directly from the DOS prompt, particularly during an EXPORT AUTO operation. A similar message has also been added when the Manual Mode is entered directly from a full-screen display with the F4 key.

Prevent Saving Problem with PROJECT Command in Certain Manual Mode Cases.

Earlier versions of the TEAPAC Interface may have experienced a spurious occurrence of a problem SAVing the PROJECT command. This would only occur if the Manual Mode is entered directly from the opening screen using the ESCape key and then a SAVE is performed before any other full-screen operations. In this rare instance, the PROJECT information is SAVEd at the first line of the SAVE in a manner that cannot be LOADed without an error. This has been corrected.

>TEAPAC Interface V2 L2.3 Changes:

Control-key Option Increments/Decrements Pointer Commands Like INTERSECTION.

Ctrl-Page-Down and -Up can be used to increment and decrement a pointer command (such as INTERSECTION) in programs that use pointer commands; this is most useful for programs like PREPASSR and PRETRANSYT to move between INTERSECTIONS, and SITE to move between either INTERSECTIONS or PATHDISTRIBUTION types.

Multiple LOADs Allowed with SHARE Option without RESET Execution.

RESET is not executed when multiple SHAREd LOADS are executed; this is most useful for programs like SITE, PREPASSR and PRETRANSYT when they LOAD a complete set of SIGNAL85 intersection data from a single file with a single LOAD command, e.g. LOAD 1 1 SHARE 20.

Version/Level Number of Program Listed in All Printed Output.

The program's Version/Level number is now included as a part of all printed report titles to make it clear what version of the program generated the results.

Improvements to CALCULATE Command.

A bug is fixed in assigning CALCULATE results to variables in a full-screen display; CALCULATE results are displayed in a bigger format which accommodates all possible integer results; and better overflow error checking is performed.

New Editing Keys and On-line Help Update.

Using Ctrl-END has the same effect as using the END key; on-line help screens have been updated with this and other changes, such as Ctrl-ENTER.

Improved Error Checking and Processing.

An invalid command in the SAVE list now generates a more reasonable response by terminating all file access before any SAVE is made.

An invalid command in the ASK list now aborts the ASK function, rather than proceeding without the invalid entry.

Error messages listed as WARNINGS in the documentation are now labeled as WARNINGS in the screen displays.

Improved Drive, Subdirectory and DOS Enviroment Support.

Disk drives A: through Z: are now supported, rather than A: through P:.

Dynamic program linkages, such as to and from HCS, can now be performed from the root directory in addition to any subdirectory.

A bigger DOS environment can be scanned when searching for the system PATH, now 1024 bytes rather than 512.

Helpful Prompt when Entering Manual Mode Directly from Opening Screen.

Pressing ESC at the opening screen to enter the Manual Mode generates the "Use F4 for Menu Mode" message, in the event the Manual Mode was not intended.

Demo Time-out Period Decreased for Faster Demos.

The time-out period between demo screens is reduced from 10 sec. to 7 sec.

:NOSTOP V4 L2.1 11JUN92

>TEAPAC Interface V2 L2.2 Installed.

The latest release of the standard TEAPAC Interface, V2 L2.2 01MAY92, has been installed in the NOSTOP program. The following paragraphs summarise the improvements and changes implemented, as documented in the updated TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual. Check this documentation for complete details of this new interface release.

Simplified LOAD and SAVE Commands Don't Require FILES Command.

The LOAD and SAVE commands can now be used without using the FILES command first to define the file to be used. If the FILES command is not used to define the file before the LOAD or SAVE commands are used, the user will now be prompted to enter the file name, if desired. If this is done, the LOAD or SAVE proceeds as normal, with the exception that the file named will not be retained in the FILES list and the LOAD will start at line 1 of the named file regardless of any line number given. The file name must be entered each time the file is accessed in this fashion. Entering the file name once on the FILES command eliminates this duplicate entry, and is recommended if a file will be accessed more than once in a given session.

New .CFG Files Designate Location of Data Files.

New .CFG files can now be used to designate the drive and path where data files are to be stored (among other things). If no drive or path is specified for a file, this location will be used for the data file. A specified drive or path will over-ride the .CFG file location. A TEAPAC.CFG file can be used for any and all TEAPAC programs, but it will be over-ridden by a program-specific .CFG file, if it exists. The definition of the contents of these .CFG files appear in Appendix G along with the discussion of the new TEAPAC Menu System which also uses the .CFG files (see next section).

Data files can now also be preceded by the ".\" notation to refer to the current logged subdirectory or by the "..\" notation to refer to the parent subdirectory of the current logged subdirectory. If no CFG files are located by the program, the default location for any file name entered will be the current logged sub-directory ".\", unless a drive or path is entered in front of the actual file name. If "~" is placed in front of the actual file name, the system PATH will be searched for the file. See the detailed discussion of program installation and CFG files in Appendix G for further information.

<Next Program> Option of STOP Command Implemented, Also New SHELL Option.

The <Next Program> option of STOP has been implemented, allowing the definition of the next program to run when the current program is terminated. In order for this function to work, the current program must be initiated with the TEAPAC Menu System which is described in detail in Appendix G. This is an efficient way to go directly from one program to another. It allows the user to run the next program without returning to the operating system, and is also used by the automatic export features of some TEAPAC programs.

If SHELL is entered in the <Next Program> field, the running program will remain resident in memory and the user will be allowed to enter any single DOS command to be executed. When that DOS task is completed, DOS will return control to the original program. If more than one DOS command is needed, the DOS command for SHELL should be COMMAND. When done, the EXIT command will return control to the original program. This is the DOS SHELL function.

Improved Error Checking and Status Messages.

A number of minor improvements have been made in the arena of input error checking and processing following certain types of errors. Valid ranges of input have been established for certain commands like GOTO, HEADING, IODEVICES, LOAD, NEXTLINES, REPEAT, and SAVE, and no action is taken on these types of active commands if any type of input error is detected. Commands with no parameters (like SUMMARISE) are also verified to make sure no parameters were entered.

A new status message in the opening screen indicates that a DOS command line file entry is being loaded (rather than "press any key"). The error message displays have also been enhanced to indicate if a message is only a warning rather than an error.

New Meaning for ESCape in Program Control Menu.

When the Program Control Menu is displayed, pressing the ESCape key now has the same meaning as pressing Q for Quit. That is, pressing ESCape now places the cursor on the Quit menu selection in preparation to terminate the program.

Command Buffer Size Increased to 10 Lines.

The number of manual mode commands which are remembered has been increased from five to ten. These commands can be retrieved by using the up- and down-arrows in the Manual Mode.

Minor Problems Resolved in Menu Displays.

A few minor bugs have been repaired which sometimes caused unpredictable results. For example, if an active command which was executed from a menu display happened to be displayed on the last possible display line of the menu, the next display of the same menu would have random garbage in it. This has been corrected. Also fixed is a rare problem where the last lines of certain long output reports would be distorted on the screen. A minor enhancement has also been made which eliminates unnecessary pauses in the screen displays when output is being directed to the printer or a file.

Minor Improvements Made to Input Error Detection.

Minor improvements have been made for certain commands to catch obscure input error conditions which may have previously been undetected. The HELP file has also been updated to properly reflect the entry of LEADLAG values in percent, not seconds.

:NOSTOP V4 L2.0 07JAN92

>SUMMARISE Report Format Improved.

The layout and wording of the SUMMARISE report output has been improved for better clarity and easier readability. The same information provided before is included. In the case of the RATIO and ADJUST outputs in this report, the precision shown in the report is now consistent with that which can be input from the Menu Mode.

>Input Range Limits Checked so All Inputs can Display in Full-screen.

Certain inputs made in the Manual Mode, as well as large inputs made in the Menu Mode could cause the Menu display to overflow, causing a number of undesirable results. This condition has been corrected by checking the data at input time to make sure they do not exceed the reasonable range which can be displayed in the Menu Mode. In some cases, these checks also provide for more rational validation of inputs. The precision of input of the RATIO value has also been changed to better match the typical use of the command. On a related note, the SIZE command is now checked for a non-zero entry when the DESIGN command is issued to prevent division by zero errors which may result when no data has been input.

>TEAPAC Interface V2 L2.1 Installed.

The latest release of the standard TEAPAC Interface, V2 L2.1 07JAN92, has been installed in the NOSTOP program, this interface being a major update of the version previously used in NOSTOP. The following paragraphs summarise the improvements and changes implemented, as documented in the updated TEAPAC Tutorial manual. Check this documentation for complete details of this new interface release.

Clearer Messages/Response for File Open Errors.

Users have frequently been confused by the file-related error messages previously issued by TEAPAC programs. This has been particularly true when a named file did not exist, as well as when a file designated as a "new file" (by using the "/N" switch) already existed. The messages which are displayed under these two conditions have been clarified, as have the action responses which the user may take as a result of these conditions. When a named file does not exist, the user is given the opportunity to re-specify its name or to create a file with that name. When a "new file" already exists, the user is given the opportunity to use the existing file anyway, or to re-specify its name.

New LOAD Options Allow Multiple SHAREs and IGNORE Sections of Files.

The LOAD command has been enhanced in two ways, as described below. An additional parameter has been added which can be used when the SHARE option is used. This indicates how many sets of data should be LOADed during the SHARE operation. For example, if five sets of intersection data for SIGNAL85 are stored sequentially in a file by SIGNAL85, and are to be LOADed by PRETRANSYT, all five intersections can be LOADed with the SHARE option by using the "LOAD 1 1 SHARE 5" command.

A new option has been added to the LOAD command which allows sets of data to be skipped in a file. This is the IGNORE option. For example, if the same file as above is used by SIGNAL85, but only the fifth intersection is needed, the "LOAD 1 1 IGNORE 4" command can be used to skip over the first four intersections, then followed by "LOAD *" to LOAD the fifth. This option can be particularly useful when LOADing the lines which need to be skipped would over-write data already LOADed into the program. Since the IGNORE option does not process the skipped lines at all, the previous data will be retained. This option also assists in moving quickly through a file without the need to know the line numbers where desired section begin.

Improved Full-screen Editing Options.

A frustrating problem with earlier versions of TEAPAC programs was when data values were entered on an active command, then the cursor was inadvertently moved off the active command line, thereby losing the entered information. A check has now been added which prevents the user from moving off of an active command line after changes to it have been made. A message to this effect is now displayed, also offering the ESCape key as a way to abort the active command if the change was unintentional.

Another bothersome trait of the Menu Mode was that the last entry on a command line was not right-justified after it was entered, since the cursor moved to the next line before the justification occurred. This gave the inaccurate impression that the entry had not been completed properly. This condition has been corrected so that before the cursor leaves a line of a full-screen display the line is shown in its completed and formatted form. This is also true after the ESCape key and other abortive-type actions are taken.

Five new cursor editing keys have been added to the full-screen displays which allow improved text editing and cursor control. ^A will move the cursor forward to the start of the next "word" of the current field, ^F will move the cursor backward to the start of the previous "word" of the field, ^T will delete the current "word" of the field, and ^Y will delete the remainder of the field, starting at the current cursor position. These keys will operate in this fashion in any field of a full-screen display, but are particularly useful when editing the text of [TITLES] and INTERSECTION commands. The ^ENTER (or ^J) key may also be used to enter a field on a line of a full-screen display and immediately move the cursor to the first field of the next line. This is particularly useful when the last entry for a line is not in the last field of the line, avoiding the need for several cursor movements which would otherwise be necessary to move to the next input field.

A feature that has been in testing in some programs like SITE, PREPASSR and PRETRANSYT has now been formalized, allowing the clearer display of the field boundaries on active "selector" commands in the full-screen displays. This allows that when the selector field such as the INTERSECTION number is entered, the entire line is blanked so that the previous fields will not inadvertently be entered for the newly selected intersection, but when the cursor is move to the other fields, the field boundaries re-appear for more clear editing.

New CALCULATE Command and Use of User Variables.

A new command called CALCULATE has been added which allows the user to use the program either as a simple calculator, a complex expression evaluator, or even a programmable calculator. Arbitrarily complex arithmetic expressions using the +, -, * and / symbols can be entered and evaluated, using either numeric constants as operands or using previously CALCULATEd variables as operands. Multiple levels of parentheses ( ) can be used. The result is always displayed with four decimal accuracy, and the integer-rounded value can be optionally assigned as the value of any of the 26 user variables A thru Z by preceding the equation with the variable name and an = sign. These user variables can then be used in subsequent CALCULATions, or as numeric parameter values in any command of the program, as described below. The user variables are the same as those used by the REPEAT command, allowing REPEAT variables to be used in the CALCULATion, and vice versa. The CALCULATE command replaces the unused USERMODEL command.

User variables from either CALCULATE or REPEAT commands can now be used as parameter values for any numeric field of any command in the program. This means, for example, that the VOLUMES of TUTOR can be CALCULATEd to include the effects of several iterative growth factors, or that the <Cycle Length> used in a DESIGN can be CALCULATEd from the user variable of a REPEAT command. The value of any of the 26 user variables is entered as the parameter value simply by preceding the variable name with the = equal sign. As an example, if a REPEAT CYC 1 5 is used in a control file, giving the successive values of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 to the "C" variable, an actual cycle length to be used can be calculated by the CALCULATE X=25*C command and followed by a DESIGN =X command, to analyze the impact of the five cycles 25, 50, 75, 100 and 125.

Improved Status Messages.

The Error Number which is listed in the program documentation in Appendix E and F is now displayed in the error box on the screen, making it easier to look up the error causes and possible responses in the manual. The "ERROR" display is also now blinking to draw more attention to it, particularly on monochrome displays. Other status flags such as the "ACTIVE", "WAIT", "cont..", and "more..", as well as a new "acknol" flag are also blinking for better visibility, and all such status flags are cleared from the display when they have been acknowledged. The SAVE message also includes the file number and the name of the file in which the data has been SAVEd.

Improved Manual Mode Operations.

The Manual Mode has been substantially enhanced by removing the archaic DOS editing functions and providing full-screen editing capabilities virtually identical to those used in the Menu Mode for full-screen editing of entries. Full-screen editing keys that relate to the multi-line and multi-screen displays are simply disabled. Another feature which has been added to the Manual Mode is a five-line memory of the last five non-blank Manual Mode commands which have been entered. For example, if a DESIGN 120 2 command is issued, but the results indicate that a VOLUME has not been entered correctly, a VOLUME command can be issued, then the previous DESIGN 120 2 entry can be recalled simply by pressing the up arrow twice. Manual commands which are entered or recalled from memory can now be easily edited with cursor keys before the ENTER key is pressed, using the Menu Mode editing keys (including the new keys described above). For example, the DESIGN 120 2 can be quickly changed to DESIGN 130 2 by recalling it and then editing it before ENTER is pressed. The Manual Mode editing line now also displays the status of the INSert mode next to the display of the PRINTR status.

The F4 key can now be used not only to go to the Menu Mode from the Manual Mode, but also to go to the Manual Mode from any display in the Menu Mode. If a field entry has been changed immediately prior to pressing the F4 key, this is equivalent to first pressing the END key before the F4 key. In other words, any full-screen display entry is made before the Manual Mode is entered. Also, when going to the Manual Mode in any fashion, a message is displayed indicating how to return to the Menu Mode, in case the Manual Mode was inadvertently selected.

New Options for Header Information.

A number of improvements to the information which is displayed in the screen header block have been made for clearer understanding and representation of the program's status. First, the PRINTR flag is not displayed in the header block if the display is a result of an action in the Manual Mode (except if the ASK command was used), so that upon return to the Manual Mode at the end of the action the header block does not display an inaccurate status of the printer. The header block also displays the current status of the INSert mode.

The page number of the IODEVICES command will not be incremented if the output display is to the screen so that only subsequent printed pages will be incremented. This allows on-screen interactive analysis to take place between printed pages without the need to reset the page number each time. Another new option for the page number is that if the page number is set to a -1 value on the IODEVICES command, the screen header and the title header on printed output will not display the current date and time.

In a related matter, the [TITLES] commands can now enclose the desired titles in 'single quotes' or "double quotes", thereby providing a means to get leading blank characters in the titles. This also provides a way to remove a title line by entering a ' ' or simply a ' entry for any of the PROJECT, DESCRIPTION or NOTE commands.

A new option for HEADING, an entry of a zero value, has been added which duplicates the F6 printer eject function. The significance here is that F6 cannot be included in a control file, while HEADING 0 can. Furthermore, HEADING 0 will reset the output line count on the printer. This allows the IODEVICES command to be used within a control file to turn the printer on and off, as long as HEADING 0 is used each time it is turned back on to eject the printed page and reset the output line counter.

Commands Included in Menus Adjusted.

The SUMMARISE command has been added to the [APPLICATION] menu selection so that the Summary of Parameter Values report can be produced from the same menu selection as other application-specific commands. An entry selection to set the [TITLES] commands has also been added to the Special Menu so that the report headings can be set in the Special Menu without the need to return to the Program Control Menu.

Improved Demo Support.

The demonstration period has been increased to 60 minutes for demonstration copies of TEAPAC programs, and a new Student Demonstration version with a demonstration period of 240 minutes has been established. Special arrangements with Strong Concepts must be made for such a Student Demonstration version.

Minor Annoying Bugs Fixed.

An apparent intermittent problem when LOADing control files directly from the DOS command line has been corrected. Support for screens which are longer than the normal 25 lines has been improved. A problem which evolves when the ESCape key is pressed to terminate the display of error messages has been corrected.

Opening Screen Displays TEAPAC Interface Version Being Used.

The opening screen of TEAPAC programs now display the version, level and date of the TEAPAC interface being used for easy reference. This will be most useful in the future when checking the interface version being used by TEAPAC programs installed on a given computer.

More Editing Keys Added.

Two new editing keys have been added for compatibility with some word processors and editors which are available. When editing a field in either the Menu or Manual Mode, the cursor can be advanced to the beginning of the next "word" of the field by as using Ctrl-Right-Arrow, as well as ^F. The cursor can be moved to the beginning of the previous "word" by using Ctrl-Left-Arrow, as well as ^A. These additions should be noted in Table G-2 of Appendix G in the TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual

DOS Shell Option Added from Menu.

The DOS Shell option which has been available with the STOP command is now also available when using the Quit selection in the Program Control Menu. The user is now prompted with "Exit to DOS (No/Yes/Shell)?". If "S" is pressed, the user will be prompted for a DOS command which will be executed, then the TEAPAC program will resume operation where it left off with no loss of input data. As before, the DOS program to be run while using the Shell option must be small enough to fit in memory while the TEAPAC program is still in memory or a DOS error will occur. This is a useful option, for example, for executing a DIR command to determine the name of a file to use for a subsequent SAVE.

:NOSTOP V4 L1.0 27AUG91

>Full Upgrade to Current TEAPAC Menu System, V2 L1.8.

NOSTOP has now upgraded to the current TEAPAC full-screen, menu-driven user interface used by most other TEAPAC programs. This provides easy-to-learn operation and on-line help with the new Menu Mode, while maintaining the familiar Manual Mode used previously. The basic operation of the Menu Mode is described in Appendix G of both the NOSTOP or TEAPAC manuals, as well as on-line by selecting the first item in the opening Program Control Menu.

>Maximum Number of Intersection and CYCLE Lengths Increased.

The largest arterial system which can be studied with NOSTOP has been increased from 15 to 25 signals and the maximum number of cycle lengths which can be optimized in a single pass has been increased from 21 to 41. The larger cycle length limit now permits, for example, a CYCLES range from 40 to 240 seconds in 5 second increments. The largest cycle length allowed has also been increased to 900 seconds (15 minutes).

When using the Menu Mode to enter information for more than 12 intersections, the alternate Special Menu for Link/Node Data must be used since the Basic input menu only allows input of data for up to 12 intersections. Use of the Manual Mode for more than 12 intersections requires no special actions.

>Small and Demonstration Versions Created.

In conjunction with the new Menu Mode and size increase mentioned above, a smaller version of NOSTOP has been created (Level 1) which allows up to 12 intersections, 21 cycle lengths and 11 speeds. A demonstration version is also available which limits the number of intersections to 3, with 5 cycles and 5 speeds. The large version described above (Level 2) allows up to 21 speeds.

>More Information Provided by DESIGN Process.

Several substantial improvements to the information presented by the DESIGN process have been made. Primarily, the graph of efficiencies versus cycle length has been augmented by the addition of two more graph lines. The bandwidth, represented in both seconds and percent of cycle now appear on the graph with the progression efficiency. This provides more important information which is useful in determining what cycle length will best serve the system. For example, cycles which produce high efficiencies but very short bands can be discarded by quick review of the bandwidth plot.

In addition to the new graphical information, the DESIGN process also now displays messages on the bottom of the screen to advise the user of progress which is being made on long optimization calculations. This can be most handy on slow computers, large systems, or when actual results are being routed to a remote printer or data file.

>Major Enhancements to Time-space Diagram PLOT.

The time-space diagram PLOT has been enhanced in several ways. First, the optimum progression bands in each direction are now completely displayed on the screen on printed report rather than the tick marks previously used which required the user to "connect the dots" do manually draw the bands. This provides a much more useful display directly on the screen and a final product on paper which does not require further manual enhancement. Secondly, a scale factor can be specified for the PLOT to adjust how long the time-space diagram will be. This allows scales to be entered that will keep the entire diagram on a single sheet of paper, for example, or completely on the screen. The scale can also be adjusted to match that of previously-drawn diagrams for easier comparison of results. The scale factor entered is simply the number of feet each character position in the PLOT will represent.

Thirdly, user-supplied offsets can be entered and PLOTted with NOSTOP, again providing a way to compare NOSTOP's best offsets and time-space diagram with a time-space diagram for another set of offsets.

>OFFSETS now Entered in Percent Rather than Seconds.

Offsets are now entered in percent of cycle rather than seconds, which is the normal practice. Entered offsets are also truncated to a value less than 100 percent so they will always fit within the appropriate input fields in the Menu Mode.

:NOSTOP V3 L4.0 24JUL89

>Output Format for Cycle/Speed Matrix Improved.

The output format for the multi-cycle/multi-speed efficiency matrix has been improved so that 11 speeds can be displayed on the screen without line-wrap. Twenty-one speeds can still be analyzed, but line wrap will still occur for more than 11 speeds in both screen and printer output. The character scale used to represent the efficiencies has been modified slightly, now using the vertical bar (|) rather than the exclamation point (!).

>Improved Sample Problem.

The sample problem has been improved in several ways. The distances have been modified so that the time-space plot fits on a single page. With these modified distances, the cycle and speed constraints have been changed so that they better illustrate how allowing the speeds to vary with the TOLERANCE command can generate better solutions than not allowing variation, and how the cycle plot can identify optimum cycles. The format of the sample data file has also been changed as described below.

>Bug Fixed when Saving Blank NAMES.

Previously, if the NAMES of cross streets were not entered, saving the default values of all blanks caused a problem when attempting to re-LOAD the SAVEd values. This problem has been corrected by saving asterisks (null values) as the names of any un-entered cross streets.

>Bug Fixed in Reporting Certain Data Values.

The default and current values for the FILES, ECHO, LOAD, RETURN, NEWPAGE, HEADING and STOP commands are now reported correctly by the DATA command. Previously, no values were reported for these commands.

>NEWPAGE Not Needed for Report Output.

All reports are now automatically started on a new page, releasing the need for issuing the NEWPAGE YES command prior to any given analysis report.

>Standard TEAPAC Interface Level 3.0 Implemented.

This release of NOSTOP implements the Standard Interface Level 3.0 of TEAPAC programs. Detailed descriptions of this interface level can be found by reading the following messages, until specific updated documentation is provided.

>Line Continuation Prompt Generated.

Use of the line continuation character, &, now generates an "&>" prompt on the next line to permit additional entries for the command on the previous line. This is useful in entering commands with many parameters that overflow the 80-column limitation of input for each screen line. It can also be used for organizing input in data files for future reference.

>Help File and Sample Problem Format Improved.

A number of omissions and clarifications have been made to the HELP file.

The standard format of a TEAPAC sample data file has also been changed slightly. Typing FILE NOSTOP followed by LOAD will echo the input data to the screen, then pause at a prompt, ®. At this point the data can be inspected and modified at will. Another LOAD will begin sample calculations for the current data values. Use of Ctrl-P will copy these calculations to the printer.

>Minor Enhancements Included.

Attempting to run another program via the STOP command generates a clearer error message notifying the user that this is not an enabled function under MS-DOS. An unimplemented USERMODEL now also generates a more clear message to that effect. Finally, the initial messages displayed within the first 60 days of their existence do a clear screen first for easier readability. This, like the initial copyright notice, uses the ANSI sequences which require the use of ANSI.SYS or an equivalent in CONFIG.SYS.

:NOSTOP V3 L3.1 20NOV87

>Improved Greeting Screen; MESSAGES Displayed for 60 Days.

The screen that greets you when you first run the program has been reorganized and enhanced. The program now clears the screen and prints the program's name, version and level, and copyright information at the top. Below this is a brief discussion of some of the important concepts of running the program. The whole greeting screen is enclosed in boxes formed with the IBM extended-ASCII character set.

In addition to the above, the program will now display a summary of all changes included in the current version of the program for a period of 60 days after the version date of the program. This can be reproduced at any time while running the program by executing the MESSAGES command with a parameter of 1. And, of course, details about these and past changes can also be displayed with the MESSAGES command using a parameter of 2 or 3.

>Sub-directories in PATH Command Now Searched for Support and Data Files.

The MS-DOS PATH command searches a set of specified sub-directories for a program to run if it cannot find the program in the current logged sub-directory. However, it will not search for support files or data files. A new TEAPAC feature is the ability to search all sub-directories specified in the PATH command for support files and data files. This feature is supported only in DOS 3.x, however. It is compatible with the DOS APPEND program.

>Data File Format Changed.

Data files that are written to disk now use a new format: each record consists of 128 bytes, delimited by a CR LF. (Only the first 80 characters may contain data, as before). The old format may still be read directly and programs still written for the old format may use data files written with the new format directly.

Error messages caused by an end-of-file or input/output error have also been enhanced.

>HEADINGS Command Improved.

The negative option of the HEADINGS command has been re-implemented under DOS to allow printing of headings at the console even when the rest of the output is directed elsewhere, e.g., to the printer or a disk file (see next message).

>Re-routing of Report Output Changed.

Output reports may again be re-routed to disk files as well as the printer via the IODEVICES command, but the method is now a bit different. Rather than using #11 through #15 as the output device as stated in Appendix 3 of the TEAPAC Tutorial, a #xx greater than #15 must be used. The first attempt to output to that number (device) will cause the program to prompt you for a file name. Output no longer can be directed to one of the files opened with the FILES command. Use of #15 or less will result in an error and unpredictable results.

>Printer Access with Control-P Again Echoes to Console.

When sending output to the printer with Control-P (^P), output will continue to be displayed on the console device. This feature may have been lost in an earlier version. In addition, all screen output (not just report output) can again be directed to the printer with ^P and the IODEVICES command is no longer affected by typing ^P.

>ASK Improved.

The ASK command has been improved by first displaying HELP and DATA for the commands ASKing for new values. This information is enclosed by boxes as in the initial greeting screen.

>Improved Input Editing.

The DOS function key, F1, F2, and F3 as well as the arrow keys on the numeric keypad and the INS and DEL keys are now usable any time input is from the keyboard. In addition, the F10 key moves the cursor to the first position after the next occurring delimiter, a space or a comma in TEAPAC programs. (This is in effect a word-right.) Finally, the ESCAPE key may be used to clear a line.

>Bug in Input Error Processing Fixed.

When an error is detected during command input, the program is supposed to immediately enter the ASK mode. A bug causing this not to happen has been fixed.

> Non-printable Characters Not Enterable.

The set of ASCII characters that are not printable, e.g. control characters, are not enterable from the keyboard. Exceptions to this are Control-Z (end file), ESC (abort from command), Control-L (form feed), Control-C (abort), and Control-S (pause/re-start the screen).

>PSTOP Used to Exit Program When Help File Not Found.

The PSTOP subroutine is now used when the program aborts due to a missing HELP file.

>Minor Inconsistencies in Compiler Change Fixed.

In the change to the new compiler some minor inconsistencies appeared. These have been fixed.

:NOSTOP V3 L3.0 07MAR86

>One-way Progression Bugs Fixed.

The bugs causing divide-by-zero (**DZ**) errors and improper time-space diagram plotting for one-way progressions have been fixed.

>Data Check for DISTANCES, SPLITS and SPEEDS.

Input data for DISTANCES, SPLITS, and SPEEDS is checked to insure positive values for all links. If a zero value is found a warning message is displayed and any analysis is aborted.

>SUMMARISE Implemented; Output Improvements.

The SUMMARISE command now produces a full report. In addition all reports are produced with a heading at the top regardless of the setting of IODEVICES. Finally, the field size of OFFSETS has been increased.

>Standard TEAPAC Mods Implemented.

The standard TEAPAC mods have been implemented. These include: renaming the HELP file and MESSAGE file to NOSTOP.HLP and NOSTOP.MSG, respectively; ability to ESCape from data; line counting for DATA; use of PSTRT; use of FIOF1 for file lookup; and a reorganization of this file, NOSTOP.MSG.

>LINKNODEDATA Bug Disappeared.

The bug causing extra output when asking for DATA for the LINKNODEDATA command has disappeared.

:NOSTOP V3 L2.1 07NOV84

>KMNMBR Implemented.

The ability to send output to the printer or files using IODEVICES has been implemented.

>#xx Removed from SAVE Command.

SAVE now SAVEs the first seven letters of commands instead of '#', the command number, and the first four letters of the command.

:NOSTOP V3 L2.0 07OCT83

>TEAPAC Upgrade and TEAPAC Output Titles.

Finally, NOSTOP obtains the true TEAPAC structure!

this page last updated September 07, 2008