SITE has been superseded by and incorporated into the new TEAPAC Complete product which is described in detail at the main page of www.StrongConcepts.com.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

:SITE Ver 4.81 27MAY08

Build 16 - 20AUG08

>Non-site COMPUTE Code Changed from 99 to 999 and Related Changes.

PATHDISTRIBUTION Types can now range from 1 to 150 in the largest version of SITE, so the code used to represent non-site traffic in the <List of Types> for COMPUTE has been changed from 99 to 999 so it doesn't conflict with valid distribution types.

In related changes, output formatting has been increased to display 3-digit distribution types better, lists of distribution types as long as 151 elements can be entered in the COMPUTE dialog, and type numbers as high as 150 (or 999) are now allowed as valid COMPUTE input values.

>Better Notification of Link Errors for FINDPATHS.

If the FINDPATHS function discovers link data that might invalidate the process, such as missing distances or speeds, the message provided to the user is cleaner and easier to understand than the previous warning process that was issued.

Build 11 - 27MAY08

>Allow negative percentage on ASSIGNMENT for Passbys and Diverted trips.

The ASSIGNMENT entry will now accept negative percentages from 0 to -100% (as well as the normal positive entries of 0 to +100%) so that this entry can be used to reduce trips on the network as a percentage of trips generated for a specific distribution Type. This allows the use of ASSIGNMENT as a powerful way to create traffic reductions to account for passbys and diverted trips that are proportional to the total generated trips for the development. For example, if it has been decided that traffic will be reduced by 10% of total generated inbound trips on one movement and increased by 10% at another movement, -10% can be used for the first movement and +10% for the other to model this decision.

>Use Shift while dragging mouse to define development area on network display.

SITE allows the placement of a single rectangle in the network display as a schematic visual representation of the development area where trips are being generated to and from. The lower-left and upper-right corners of this rectangular area can be entered in the BASE dialog. A new feature has been added that allows the mouse to be used in the network display to define this area. This is accomplished by holding the Shift key down while dragging the mouse between the two corners, clicking at the first corner and releasing at the other corner.

>Update initial example problem in Chapter 2 for graphical network display.

The text of Chapter 2 in the help document, on-screen manual and printed manual has been updated to reflect the way that problems can be entered using the graphical visual mode of the program, as well as providing better consistency with the sample data file which is provided with the software.

>Generic changes made to all Ver 7.81 TEAPAC programs.

Allow negative percentage on ASSIGNMENT for Passbys and Diverted trips.
Use Shift while dragging mouse to define development area on network display.
Dialogs identify need for consistency between Yellowtimes & ReqClearances.
Display dummy node dot and node number if it is current node or in Subsystem.
Note in CrdSysMgmt dialog that NewLinkDist button assumes coords are in feet.
Able to save from OpenIntoEdit if it was first file opened into program.
NOTE shows 'Issue X Not Selected' when case selection does not select an Issue.
File-OpenMerge does not allow existing Network data to be overwritten by zeros.
File-SaveAs to an existing file name with Scenario conditions doesn't hang.
File-SaveAs shows file type of current file & better file type descriptions.

:SITE 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.

:SITE 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.

>SCENARIO Program Makes its Debut.

SCENARIO is a new Visual TEAPAC program that can create multi-scenario data files either from scratch or from data files of earlier versions of TEAPAC. Users can 1) select from pre-defined typical scenario structures like multiple volume conditions or multiple timing plans, 2) create completely unique scenario conditions for their analyses, or 3) customize a pre-defined scenario structure to meet their specific needs. The primary advantage of using SCENARIO is that all the scenario data is saved without dangers of duplicated data which often occur when scenarios are managed by the typical use of File-SaveAs.
 


The SCENARIO program also functions as an automatic plugin for all other Visual TEAPAC programs so that each program automatically understands the SCENARIO file structure which has been created, and at no additional cost (see below).

SCENARIO can easily define both single-issue and multi-issue conditions, and any data dialog can be assigned or re-assigned to any defined issue for as many as five independent, mutually-exclusive Issues. 25 Conditions can be defined for each Issue. For example, a very common and simple single-issue scenario would be having multiple volume conditions for one or more intersections for which capacity analysis, intersection design and/or signal timing optimization would be needed. Other examples of a single-issue analysis could be multiple years of traffic count data for TURNS or WARRANTS, or multiple years or zones of land use for SITE's projected traffic estimation.

Multi-issue scenarios could be combinations of any of these, where the variation of one variable is independent of the others. Another example of a multi-issue scenario could be where one Issue is changing volumes based on the time-of-day and/or day-of-week while the other Issue is independently changing intersection geometrics which depend on differing funding possibilities.

>SCENARIO Support in All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

All Visual TEAPAC programs have been updated so that support for multi-issue data files created by SCENARIO is automatic and seamless. The SCENARIO program serves as a plugin to the other Visual TEAPAC programs so that they automatically support the SCENARIO-structured files for both File-Open and File-Save. A new File menu option labeled Get-Scenario-Case allows the user to select any of the Conditions for all of the Issues which have been created, and any subsequent changes to data which are made are automatically saved in the correct Condition files which have been defined. SCENARIO has also been added to all LinkTo menus so that SCENARIO is immediately available to modify the defined scenario structure, as necessitated by changing project assumptions.

>Generic Enhancements Made to All Visual TEAPAC Programs.

A number of additional 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.

:SITE 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.

>Number of Access Drives Increased From 5 to 10 for SITE Computations.

The permitted number of driveways which provide access to a development area for SITE computations has been increased from 5 to 10 in all TEAPAC programs, allowing greater flexibility in modeling all driveways which may exist or be proposed for a development. Along with this change comes a quicker way of entering driveway locations by combining the intersection leg direction (N/E/S/W) with the node number of the drive, such as 1N or 132E.

>FindPaths Sets Unsaved Data Flag to Prevent Loss of Data.

Use of the FindPaths function now sets the unsaved data flag so that if the program is closed or another data file is opened before saving the FindPaths entries the user is prompted to save this data to prevent unintended data loss.

>APPLABLES and MOVLABELS Added to Assignment Group and Menu.

The APPLABLES and MOVLABELS entries have been added to the Assignment Group and Menu, primarily so that they appear effectively as column headings in the Tabular View when the Assignment Group/Menu is used.

>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: Input Limit for VOLFACTORS Adjusted for Consistency with Save.

The largest VOLFACTOR which can be saved in a TEAPAC data file has always been 9.99, but it's been recently noticed that the input dialog error checking permitted factors as large as 20.0 without an error, resulting in subsequent problems if an attempt was made to save such an entry. The input error checking has been modified to match the save limitation to resolve this problem. At the same time, the discussion in the documentation has been modified to reflect the same precision of save accuracy to avoid any further confusion.

>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.

>V7.00.28: Minor Fixes to Drag-and-Drop Network Interface.

An occasional problem connecting T-intersections properly when bend nodes were present in the network has been resolved. Build 21 versions of the programs would notify the user of the problem immediately upon creation of a link under these circumstances. If an earlier version was used to create the network, the problem is easily detected (if it exists) with the Analyze function in the new Coordinate System section of the Setup button dialog in the main window. the problem would manifest itself with upstream connections to the wrong node and/or incorrect distances. Creation of most T-intersections were not affected by this problem.

If an old TEAPAC data file saved from a program prior to Visual TEAPAC was opened using a LinkTo, drag-to or from a command line, a crash could result when an attempt was made by the program to update the Nodelist format to the new save format. This problem has been resolved.

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 Features and Documentation for Cumulation Function.

The cumulation function of the Compute command now produces better formatted output and uses an extended initialization technique which allows for a larger subsequent cumulated network. Improved documentation of cumulation procedures has also been included in the on-screen documentation and printable manual.

>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: New Coordinate System Management Features.

A new set of options to help manage the network coordinate system for any given data file has been added to all programs that use the Visual TEAPAC drag-and-drop network editing and display (all TEAPAC programs except NOSTOP, TED and TUTOR). The options appear in a new dialog which is displayed when the Coord Sys button is pressed in the network Setup dialog.

The Coordinate System Management dialog offers three main function - 1) to Analyze the current network for possible coding errors such as improperly-connected nodes and scaling issues, 2) to create a New Coordinate System by shifting and/or scaling the current coordinate system, and 3) to compute New Link Distances based on the current coordinate system. For the Analyze function, a percentage error can be input to define the threshold which identifies potential scaling problems between the coordinate system scale and each link's entered distance, and an option can be selected to check the approach angle of each intersection leg.

One of the motivations for this new option is to be able to identify and adjust network coordinate systems from older TEAPAC programs which exercised the option to specify the units of the coordinate system in something other than feet. Although this is still possible, it can be problematic with the new drag-and-drop Visual TEAPAC interface, and is not recommended. In combination with the new Manual Distance option described below and the functions of this new dialog, old coordinate systems can be easily converted for more predictable use under the new Visual TEAPAC methods.

>V7.00.21: New Manual Distance Option Added to NETWORK Dialog Entry.

A new option can be selected in the NETWORK dialog individually for any given link of the network that indicates that the distance entered for that link is intentionally inconsistent with the network coordinate system and apparent network scale. Links which have this option selected are specifically excluded from the computation of the average coordinate system scale used and reported in the network Analysis function described above. Although not recommended, selecting this option allows a link's distance to be inconsistent with the coordinate system without adversely affecting the management and checking of the rest of the network.

In addition to this option, the NETWORK dialog also shows the calculated link distance based on the coordinate system (and the average coordinate system scale, if not equal to 1.0), and if this calculated distance is outside of the allowed error specified in the Coordinate System Management dialog, it is displayed in red. The Manual Distance option status is also shown in all data summaries which include NETWORK data, and new distances which are required due to any network editing are now always based on the coordinate distance, unless a link is previously marked for Manual Distance.

>V7.00.21: Automatic Network Relationship Checks Made.

The new Analyze function of the Coordinate System Management dialog mentioned above is invoked automatically any time a data file is Opened or Saved, or any time NETWORK or NODELOCATION information is changed (either via drag-and-drop actions or direct keyboard entry), thereby giving immediate feedback when a network definition problem could be corrupting an analysis. The Analyze function is also invoked prior to other program functions which make significant use of the spatial arrangement of the network, such as Exporting in PRENETSIM, PRESYNCHRO and PRETSPPD and FindPaths in SITE.

>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: Improved Initial Zoom-All View for Large Coordinate Range.

The initial Zoom-All display for a network when a file is opened has been improved for all networks, especially those with a wide range of coordinates, such that the zoom level used is more appropriate for all combinations of networks and display resolutions.

>V7.00.21: Improved Network Editing Features.

A number of enhancements have been made to network editing functions to improve the response to various user actions, as follows. If a new link connection will over-write an existing leg of a node, the user is warned and given the option to select another leg or abort. If a new link creation is aborted for any reason, any new dummy nodes created as part of that process are deleted (including clicking on the network without dragging, now deleting the single node which was previously created). If a third leg is added to a bend node as part of a new link creation, the bend node is converted to a real node (and re-numbered accordingly). If deleting a node removes one leg of a bend node, the bend is converted to an external node. Default source movements for a new link which connects existing nodes with a diagonal are determined more reliably. Left-click can be used while in the Create New Link mode to select the current node.

>V7.00.21: Fixes to SIMULATION Dialog.

The 'Use TRANSYT or PASSER Actuated Model' option of the SIMULATION dialog is now both properly selectable without any error messages, and displayed properly in the dialog, and a random glitch which garbled part of the main window Network display when the SIMULATION dialog opened has been fixed.

>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.

>PATHASSIGNMENT Enhancements.

Bend nodes can now be omitted from the path list of a PATHASSIGNMENT entry, thus permitting a significantly longer actual path to be included by the maximum path length of 16 nodes. In no case should external dummy nodes be included in the path list. The dialog text and help strings have been updated accordingly.

>FINDPATHS Enhancements.

Bend nodes are automatically removed from paths created by the FINDPATHS function, in consideration of the PATHASSIGNMENT enhancement above, and long paths are now displayed from beginning to end in the main window network display. FINDPATHS also now responds better to missing or invalid network data, such as when a link has no speed (creating infinite travel time) or when an upstream node reference is not found in the NODELIST.

>PATHDISTRIBUTION Enhancements.

The maximum number of PATHDISTRIBUTION types has been increased significantly for each usage level, as follows.  Usage Level 1 has been increased from 16 to 50, Usage Level 2 has been increased from 30 to 100, and Usage Level 3 has been increased from 30 to 150.  The demo limits have been increased from 8 to 20.

>Colum Headings Added to Continuation Pages for COMPUTE.

Column headings have been added to continuation pages for COMPUTE results.

>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 and the main window network display. 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: Browse Button Added to Select a Bitmap File.

A browse button has been added to the Network Display and Edit Management dialog which is displayed when the Setup button of the main window is pressed. This can be used to select a bitmap background file in the data file folder as an alternative to simply typing the file name in the entry field.

>V7.00.14: INTERSECTION Dialog Options Added.

The INTERSECTION dialog which is used to select the 'current' node has been significantly enhanced with several new features, as follows. A check box enables the inclusion of dummy nodes in the drop-down list so dummy nodes can be selected from the dialog; and nodes in the drop-down list can be ordered in any of three arrangements - the order they appear in the NODELIST, numeric order by node number, or alphabetic order by intersection description.

On a related note, the network display is now updated any time a new current intersection is selected, including when it is entered from the Manual Mode, when it is entered from file input, etc. Also, when a dummy node is selected as the current node, it is always highlighted in the network display, even when the zoom level is such that other dummy nodes are not displayed.

>V7.00.14: Option Added to Delete All References to Deleted Node.

When a node is deleted or cut from the network, either from the main window network display or from the NODELIST dialog, a prompt to verify the deletion is now always issued, and the prompt now includes a new option to include the deletion of all other references to the deleted node elsewhere in the network. The option to delete all references is pre-selected by default on each deletion, but can be de-selected in the prompt dialog box.

On a related note, the manipulation of nodes in the NODELIST dialog has been extended to include dummy nodes as well as real nodes, offering greater flexibility in managing the entire node list from this dialog. A problem with the Copy and Paste functions (to and from the clipboard) has also been fixed.

>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: Improved Constraint In Use of SUBSYSTEM Function.

The use of the drag function in the main window network display to create or edit a SUBSYSTEM has been constrained for better consistency with the allowed use of the SUBSYSTEM feature based on the program's licensed Usage Level. This prevents inadvertent setting of the SUBSYSTEM which then causes an error when opening a file which has this feature saved.

>V7.00.14: Maximum Link Length Increased from 9999 to 32000.

The maximum link length allowed by all TEAPAC programs has been increased from 9,999 feet (<2 miles) to 32,000 feet (> 6 miles), and a warning message is now issued if a link is created in the main window network display that exceeds this limit.

>V7.00.14: File-OpenMerge Function Enhanced.

The File-OpenMerge function has been enhanced in several ways, as follows. First, if a file being merged contains information about a bitmap file and its scaling, this information is ignored in deference to the bitmap/scaling information currently in effect in the program. The help strings for this function have also been updated, and the function is initialized more completely each time it is used to avoid overlap with responses to previous error situations.

>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, but a couple will resolve certain problems a few users have experienced. For example, opening an old TEAPAC data file which does not contain valid NODELOCATION entries for each intersection will not crash, and moving a bend node under certain conditions will not cause the program to close prematurely.

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.

Streets can be drawn by clicking on the grid or scaled bitmap and dragging across the extent of the street section, creating analysis intersections where the new street segment crosses existing street segments. The Setup button can be used to identify the bitmap, scale the bitmap and establish an axis origin, either before the network is drawn or afterwards for pre-existing data files. Special display adjustment modes allow quick re-orientation to new bitmaps, such as when using higher-resolution bitmaps for a zoomed-in study area versus a regional area bitmap.

Dummy nodes are automatically created to orient external legs of intersections around the periphery of the study network, and internal dummy bend nodes are easily created for better network representation between analysis intersections. Proper treatment of all dummy nodes (externals and bends) are fully integrated into all of the TEAPAC application programs, as well as the eleven+ third-party programs to which TEAPAC analyses can be exported. Dummy nodes do not count against the maximum number of intersections allowed by each Usage Level.

Intersections and dummy nodes are easily moved within the network by simply dragging them across the grid or bitmap, with the option to freeze the associated link distances, or have them adjust automatically as they are moved.

The network view is easily adjusted with buttons for panning in eight directions, zoom in, zoom out, zoom all to show the entire network, and a rubber-band selection to outline the desired zoom-in area. The display of either the bitmap or the network is easily toggled on or off, as required, and the current intersection for subsequent dialog data entry or analysis is made by simply clicking the intersection. Intersections can also be selected by a right-click which opens a popup menu with all the data entry and data analysis dialogs immediately available, either in Normal View or Tabular View (use F3 to toggle the view). The popup menu also allows the renumbering or deletion of the selected node. Dragging a rubber-band selection box around a set of intersections can be used to define or add to (with Ctrl key) a subsystem of intersections for subsequent analysis.

The on-screen shortest-path FindPath assignment function of the SITE program is now performed in color directly on the main-window graphics network display, including the bitmap background, providing helpful visual cues while performing the assignment process.

The on-screen Startup Help? button provides immediate assistance for all of the functions described above. Visit www.StrongConcepts.com for examples of the new graphical input front-end now found in Visual TEAPAC.

>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 FindPaths assignment function is now performed with color path display directly on the main window network/bitmap instead of a schematic network display in a separate window. The Assignment data entry is initialized like other intersection entries, either for the current intersections or for all intersections. Dummy node conditions are reported in abbreviated form at the end of the Summary of Parameter Values.

:SITE 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.

>Improved Phasing Display in Dialog Boxes.

The currently-selected signal phasing for an intersection which is displayed in some dialog boxes has been improved so that improperly-coded permitted left turns display differently than expected to indicate the error in coding.

Build 00 - 23MAY05

>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 SITE, the protected values are the calculated VOLADDITIONALS. 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.

>VOLADDITIONALS Values Now Allowed to be Negative.

The entry or computed values for VOLADDITIONALS is now allowed to have negative values, with a complete input range permitted from -9999 to 9999. This is primarily to afford the possibility of re-assignments of traffic to result in a net reduction of volume for individual movements, either by manual entry or computations from SITE. In the case of SITE, this also means that ROUNDing of results can create small negative VOLADDITIONALS in locations that receive little or no new traffic and where final volumes are rounded down (this is appropriate and to be expected).

>Procedural Note Added to COMPUTE Dialog.

The COMPUTE dialog Help notes have been updated with the following important notice. If VOLADDITIONALS results of a Cumulated COMPUTE will be used by other programs, then only the last COMPUTE CUMULATE command should include non-site traffic (type 99) so that the non-site traffic is known and omitted from the VOLADDITIONALS.

>ACTUATIONS Saved Value Corrected.

The saved values for ACTUATIONS (for use by signal operations programs such as SIGNAL2000) may have been corrupted in the initial TEAPAC2004 version of the program. This has been corrected. If legitimate ACTUATIONS values existed in any data file which was subsequently saved by this program, these values should be checked carefully for validity. If an attempt is made to read such corrupted values, error messages will be issued which should be ignored, then the values should be verified and/or corrected.

>LinkTo followed by Another LinkTo Performs Properly.

Multiple LinkTo operations can now be performed smoothly under all conditions without limitation. Previously it was observed that under certain conditions, one LinkTo followed by another LinkTo could cause certain problems successfully connecting to the next desired program.

>Global Entry of Additional Sequence Codes Now Includes All Extra Codes.

The entry of additional sequence codes for intersection 0 (to be assigned to all intersections) has been expanded so that all extra sequence codes will be assigned to all intersections, not just the first extra sequence code. This allows added flexibility when using this global entry feature for SEQUENCES.

>Better Graphics for Phasing Display and Bitmap Buttons.

The arrows used to represent phasing in various dialogs have been improved in quality and appearance, and if timings for phasings are defined by-movement instead of by-phase, the by-movement phasing diagrams are now shown in every relevant dialog. In addition, the pan and zoom button bitmaps within the View-Network display have been improved for better clarity.

>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).

>View-Network Works Without Defined Network Distances.

Previously it was not possible to perform the View-Network function unless all NETWORK distances had been entered. This was due to the function's attempt to establish a scale factor between the network distances entered and the potentially arbitrary coordinate system used. Now, if distances are not entered, View-Network simply assumes the scale factor is 1.

>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.

:SITE Ver 4.60 08SEP04

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

>INTERSECTION Format In Tabular View Standardized.

The representation of the Intersection entry in a Tabular View has been modified in its appearance so it is consistent with all other TEAPAC programs. The change includes representing the intersection number and description as a single entry field.

>ACTUATIONS Saved Value Corrected.

The saved values for ACTUATIONS (for use by signal operations programs such as SIGNAL2000) may have been corrupted in the initial TEAPAC2004 version of the program. This has been corrected. If legitimate ACTUATIONS values existed in any data file which was subsequently saved by this program, these values should be checked carefully for validity. If an attempt is made to read such corrupted values, error messages will be issued which should be ignored, then the values should be verified and/or corrected.

>Separator Lines Inserted In Data File.

Blank lines are now inserted between intersections and site generation data in TEAPAC2004 data files to aid in distinguishing the parts of the data file when being viewed as a text file.

>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.

>View-Network Shows Exiting External Legs.

The schematic network diagram created by the View-Network menu will now show external intersection legs for one-way street segments departing from an intersection.

>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.

>Tabular View Caption Overflow Fixed to Prevent Corruption of Node# Display.

A problem in the caption display of the Tabular View window has been fixed so it no longer corrupts the display of the Current Node in 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 SITE.

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

Increased network size as large as 500 intersections using arbitrary intersection numbers controlled by a NODELIST and not limited to sequential nodes numbered from 1 to N.

Increased assignment path limits, including 16 nodes allowed on all paths (instead of 8), 5 paths allowed for each generation type (instead of 4), and search for 5 shortest paths (instead of 3).

Completely seamless, one-click, one-file exchange of all input and results with SIGNAL2000, TURNS, WARRANTS and all the PRE-processors, including capacity analysis of projected traffic, optimization of projected conditions, and peak-period turn counts as background traffic.

New volume adjustment inputs to allow factoring volumes and adding additional volumes on a movement-by-movement basis.

New sensitivity controls for global testing of factored volumes.

Complete 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 SITE.

>Increased Network Size as Large As 500 Intersection.

Usage Level 2 has been increased in size from 25 intersections to 100 intersections and a new Usage Level 3 has been created with up to 500 intersections. Previously nodes needed to be numbered consecutively from 1 to N, and now nodes can have arbitrary numbers from 1 to 999 like all other TEAPAC programs. The network size and node numbering is now all managed with the NODELIST dialog, as with other TEAPAC programs, and the network size hgas been removed from the SITESIZE entry (previously just called SIZE).

>Assignment Path Length Increased from 8 to 16 on PATHASSIGNMENT.

The permitted length of a travel path used in the PATHASSIGNMENT path list has been increased from 8 nodes to 16 nodes to accomodate the increased path lengths likely to be found in the larger networks now supported by SITE. Entered paths are now also checked for validity during COMPUTE to make sure they are properly connected based on the current definition of the network connections.

>More Assignment Paths Allowed and Identified.

The number of PATHASSIGNMENT assignment paths allowed for each generation type has been increased from 4 to 5 to match the number of access points allowed. This permits an inbound and/or outbound assignment for each access point from/to each external distribution point. Likewise, the number of shortest paths identified by the FINDPATHS function has been increased from 3 to 5 for the same reason.

>New Volume Adjustment Inputs Provide Sensitivity Analysis Flexibility.

A new input called VOLFACTORS has been added that allows a volume adjustment factor to be provided for each individual movement of each intersection. Each volume entry is multiplied by this factor, with the option of further providing a number of years the factor should first be compounded. This feature provides the ability to easily test various traffic growth factor scenarios, as well as sensitivity analysis for the base volume entry, and replaces the less-flexible network-wide FACTORS entry. FACTORS entries encountered in old SITE files are converted to VOLFACTORS automatically.

>New VOLADDITIONALS Entry Carries Results of SITE Computations.

VOLADDITIONALS is a new entry into which the results of SITE computations are placed. The volumes placed here are the last-computed total volumes minus the factored VOLUMES entries. This allows the VOLADDITONALS to be saved in the same file as the VOLUMES and VOLFACTORS after a COMPUTE so that other programs such as SIGNAL2000 can re-combine the VOLUMES, VOLFACTORS and VOLADDITIONALS to get the same total volumes computed by SITE.

>New COMPUTE Option Makes for Easy Exclusion of Non-site Traffic.

A new COMPUTE option has been added which makes it easy to exclude non-site traffic from the pending computations. Using a distribution type -1 as the first (and only) type in the COMPUTE list invokes this option.

>Minor Organizational and Usability Changes.

The default OUTPUT destination has been renamed from Terminal to Window to better reflect the actual destination of the results. 4-digit volumes which appear in a .LOG file are now handled more clearly with space separators. Results directed to an OUTPUT file have ebbn updated to a format more consistent with the new one-file, multi-intersection structure of all TEAPAC Ver 6 programs. This involves the removal of extra RETURN entries between each intersection, the addition of an INTERSETION entry at the start of each intersections results, the removal of intersection name comments at the end of the VOLUMES entry of each intersection, and the use of a single NOTE entry at the start of the OUTPUT file (one File-OpenMerge can now be used by any current TEAPAC program to merge all of the VOLUME data computed by SITE).

>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). All of the generic enhancements are listed below with heading lines that begin with T2004v6:.

>T2004v6: One Common Data File Supports All TEAPAC Programs.

The most significant and obvious change made to each TEAPAC program in Version 6 is that all programs now share a single, common data file structure that contains all of the data entries used by all TEAPAC programs. This means that any TEAPAC program (except NOSTOP and TUTOR) can open any file from any other TEAPAC program, make changes to any of the data values it contains, and re-Save the file with complete retention of all data values for future use by any other TEAPAC program.

The first implication of this major fundamental change is that the concept of File-OpenShare of earlier TEAPAC programs is no longer needed since the sharing of TEAPAC files among TEAPAC programs is now fundamental and automatic. File-OpenShare has been re-named to File-OpenMerge/Share to better reflect its current function, to merge the content of multiple files, and can still be used to read and merge the content of files from older versions of SIGNAL97, SIGNAL2000 (Ver 1), SITE, TURNS and WARRANTS -- OpenMerge is automatic when reading these files. Also, the warning message when saving to a file created by one of these other programs has been removed, again because this function is now standard procedure and has no risk of loss of data.

The second implication of this change is that any values computed by one program and to be used by another (such as peak-period volumes from TURNS, HCM satflows from SIGNAL2000, optimized signal timings and phasings from SIGNAL2000, projected traffic from SITE, etc.) need only be saved into the data file with File-Save, then the next program launched with the same file using the LinkTo menu. A single click positions the user in the next program ready to do the analysis of that program.

Lastly, all programs (except NOSTOP and TUTOR) now have the ability to store all of this data for up to 500 intersections in a single file.

>T2004v6: LinkTo Menu In All TEAPAC Programs Includes All TEAPAC Programs.

All TEAPAC programs (except NOSTOP and TUTOR) now contain the LinkTo menu which now provides immediate access to all other TEAPAC programs with a single click which causes the current data file to be re-opened in that program.

>T2004v6: LinkTo Function Now Allows Direct Link to Host Programs.

A new function of the LinkTo menu has been added which allows direct linkage to the six host programs which are supported by the six TEAPAC preprocessors. These are PRETRANSYT for TRANSYT, PREPASSR for PASSER, PRENETSIM for CORSIM, PRESYNCHRO for Synchro/SimTraffic, PRETSPPD for TS-PP/Draft, and now PRENOSTOP for NOSTOP. Since all programs have access to the control directives for all the preprocessors, this means, for example, that a TRANSYT run can be made directly from SIGNAL2000 with a LinkTo-TRANSYT (assuming a licensed copy of PRETRANSYT is installed on the system).

>T2004v6: Global Input Option for Most Intersection Inputs.

A powerful new feature has been added to all TEAPAC programs that allows the value of a single data entry to be made to all intersections in the NODELIST (or the SUBSYSTEM, if one is defined). This is done when Intersection 0 is selected, and the user is first warned of the pending global entry action and followed by an audible beep when the global entry is made. The warning message can be omitted for future such actions, if desired.

Examples of uses for this new feature include the following: Enter a common cycle length or cycle range for SIGNAL2000 optimization of all signals; designate a full SIGNAL2000 phasing optimization for all signals; set the new volume adjustment factor or number of years for compounding a growth factor for all intersections for sensitivity analysis; enable or disable the new additional volumes entry for all intersections; designate a common peak hour factor for specific movements or all movements of all intersections; set the minimum or required clearance values for optimization at all signals; set the satflow adjustment factor for all signals to perform sensitivity analysis; etc. The possibilities of this new feature are virtually endless.

>T2004v6: View-Network Function Improved with Easier Pan & New Zoom.

The View-Network function has been added to all programs (except NOSTOP and TUTOR), and has been greatly improved in functionality regarding the ability to pan up/down and left/right, as well as new functions for zoom in/out and selecting a view area of the network connections and underlying bitmap with the mouse.

>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: Toolbar Button Provided for Intersection Selection.

A toolbar button has been provided in the main window next to the +/- buttons which provides direct access to the Intersection dialog to select the 'current' intersection, allowing quick access to this common function without the need to use the menus.

>T2004v6: Intersection/Type Description Listed in Dialog Caption.

If an intersection description has been provided for the current intersection (via the Intersection dialog), this description is displayed in the caption of any intersection data dialog in addition to the intersection number. For traffic impact studies with SITE, the same function is true for the current distribution type. These number and description displays are now also included in the caption of the Tabular View window.

>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: INTERSECTION Dialog Includes Option to Renumber a Node and All Refs.

The INTERSECTION dialog now contains a feature to renumber any intersection in the NODELIST to any value not currently in the NODELIST. When selected, all references to the old node number anywhere else in the network are also updated, making renumbering a snap.

>T2004v6: Save Remembers Selected Intersection/Type for Subsequent Open.

When data files are saved, a directive is placed at the end of the file which remembers the 'current' intersection and current distribution type so that these positions can be reset when the file is subsequently re-opened by either the same program or any other TEAPAC program.

>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: OUTPUT Dialog Contains Entries for All Programs.

The OUTPUT dialog is a common dialog name which has had different content for most TEAPAC programs. This conflict and impediment for combining all the TEAPAC data into a single file for TEAPAC2004 has been resolved by having a common OUTPUT dialog for all programs which contains the OUTPUT parameters for all TEAPAC programs. In the manual mode and control files, this involves the addition of a new parameter #1 which is the name of the program for which the following values apply, and thus all OUTPUT parameters for all programs are stored in the file and displayed in the dialog.

>T2004v6: Wording on Dialogs Used by Multiple Programs Improved.

The wording on dialogs which are used by multiple programs in TEAPAC2004 have been clarified so that it is more apparent what the relevance is to the current program in which the dialog is found.

>T2004v6: NODELIST Entry Protected from Change in Tabular View.

The only safe place to change the NODELIST after it has been entered is in the Normal View NODELIST dialog, so the NODELIST entry in the Tabular View has been greyed and protected from change to avoid unintended changes and possible disastrous results.

>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: Dialog Actions Re. ROUTEs with 9+ Nodes Fixed, Including Save.

Certain problems with ROUTES which contained more than 8 nodes have been fixed, including saving these route definitions.

>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: -X Entry for INTERSECTION Number Allowed As Positional Input.

The intersection number on an INTERSECTION command line or dialog is now allowed to be a negative number between -1 and -N where N is the number of intersections in the NODELIST. When this is the case, the intersection selected is the i-th node of the NODELIST when -i is used. The expected use of this feature is to allow REPEAT loops in control files to easily sequence through all the nodes of the NODELIST when the NODELIST is not in numerical order and/or not a sequential list of nodes from 1 to N.

>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.

:SITE Ver 4.10 25SEP01

Build 16 - 14JUL02

>Larger Coordinate Values Allowed.

Coordinate values entered via the NODELOCATION and BASE entries can now have a range of plus or minus 2,147,483,647 instead of the prior limited range of -9999 to 32,768. This greatly increases the flexibility and ease with which coordinate values can be derived and used. It also permits use of coordinate values with the same range to be used directly from the SIGNAL2000 program, which also recently had the same expanded range implemented.

>New NETWORK Entries Allowed for Compatibility with SIGNAL2000.

Two new values have been added to the NETWORK entry which match those recently added to the SIGNAL2000, PRETRANSYT, PRENETSIM and PREPASSR programs. These entries have no impact on the SITE calculations or results, but permit their use with SITE so the SIGNAL2000 files can be used directly by these other programs without modification. The input summary report has been updated to include the new entries. The two new options added at the end of the NETWORK entry include one to define the upstream-downstream assignment method to be used on links of a TRANSYT network, and the other to define the link curvature for CORSIM.

>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.

The File-New function has been updated to make sure that previous NETWORK entries are set back to default values, not just hidden. This assures that the old values do not unexpectedly appear later when an incomplete NETWORK entry is made.

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 10 - 25SEP01

>Enhanced Dialog Buttons to Navigate Through Intersection and Type Data.

New buttons have been added to each dialog which contains either intersection data or distribution type data. These buttons make it easy to move through the intersections and types when viewing that dialog's data. Pressing the '+' button in the dialog will increase the intersection or type number being viewed by one, while pressing the '-' button will decrease to the previous intersection or type.

>TEAPAC2000 User Interface Version 5 Implemented.

The WinTEAPAC2000 Version 5 User Interface has been implemented in SITE 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.

:SITE Ver 4.00 17JUN00

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 00

>First Windows Version of SITE Is Now Available.

Version 4.00 marks the first time the SITE/TEAPAC program is available for the Windows operating system, featuring the Visual Input Mode and the new TEAPAC2000 Interface 4.01 (see below). WinSITE now supports both the Win32 (Windows 2000/95/98/NT) and Win16 (Windows 3.1x) environments, in addition to continued support for the DOS environment. Updates to this version for DOS from Ver 3.40 are free via Internet download at www.StrongConcepts.com. Upgrades from any DOS version to the new Windows versions are available from Strong Concepts for a significantly reduced upgrade fee.

>WinSITE Uses the New TEAPAC2000 Interface Version 4.01.

WinSITE now uses the new TEAPAC2000 Interface (Interface Version 4.01) 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 with other running programs.
-- New Toolbar buttons for common functions.
-- 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.

:SITE Ver 3.40 27AUG98

>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 SITE 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 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).

>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.

:SITE V3 L3.0 17JUN93

>Conversion Option for Older File Formats Eliminated.

The option to read and convert the data inputs of older data files to the current inputs for SITE have been eliminated. This only affects data files which were created with versions of SITE prior to V3 L2.0 (17NOV90). If you have files created by such earlier versions of SITE, contact Strong Concepts, or use any V3 L2.x version of SITE to LOAD and convert the files with the USERMODEL command, then re-SAVE the converted data. The re-SAVEd data files can then be LOADed with this version of SITE. In Appendix E of any of the V3 L2.x manuals, review of the discussion for several errors which can occur during this conversion process may be helpful.

>TEAPAC Interface V2 L2.0, V2 L2.1 and V2 L2.2 Installed (Summary).

The latest releases of the standard TEAPAC Interface, V2 L2.0 11NOV91, V2 L2.1 07JAN92, and V2 L2.2 01MAY92, have been installed in the SITE program, these interfaces being a major update of the version previously used in SITE (V2 L1.8). The following line items summarise the improvements and changes implemented, and are completely documented in the updated TEAPAC Tutorial/Reference Manual. Check this documentation for complete details of this new interface release.

V2 L2.2 01MAY92

Simplified LOAD and SAVE Commands Don't Require FILES Command.
New .CFG Files Designate Location of Data Files.
<Next Program> Option of STOP Command Implemented; Also New SHELL Option.
Improved Error Checking and Status Messages.
New Meaning for ESCape in Program Control Menu.
Command Buffer Size Increased to 10 Lines.
Minor Problems Resolved in Menu Displays.

V2 L2.1 07JAN92

Opening Screen Displays TEAPAC Interface Version Being Used.
More Editing Keys Added.
DOS Shell Option Added from Menu.

V2 L2.0 11NOV91

Clearer Messages/Response for File Open Errors.
New LOAD Options Allow Multiple SHAREs and IGNORE Sections of FILES.
Improved Full-screen Editing Options.
New CALCULATE Command and Use of User Variables.
Improved Status Messages.
Improved Manual Mode Operations.
New Options for Header Information.
Commands Included in Menus Adjusted.
Improved Demo Support.
Minor Annoying Bugs Fixed.

>TEAPAC Interface V2 L2.0, V2 L2.1 and V2 L2.2 Installed (Details).

The latest releases of the standard TEAPAC Interface, V2 L2.0 11NOV91, V2 L2.1 07JAN92, and V2 L2.2 01MAY92, have been installed in the SITE program, these interfaces being a major update of the version previously used in SITE. 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.

V2 L2.2 01MAY92

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.

V2 L2.1 07JAN92

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.

V2 L2.0 11NOV91

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 SITE, 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.

:SITE V3 L2.3 17FEB92

>Zero Types Allowed for Non-site-only Calculations.

If a set of calculations are to be done which include only non-site vehicles (distribution type 99), previous versions of SITE required that a minimum of two types, one inbound and one outbound, be defined for the calculations to proceed. These types were either ignored by using COMPUTE RESET 99 or zeroed with generation rates of 0.0 so there was no contribution to the default COMPUTE command results. In either case a single PATHASSIGNMENT was required distributing 100 percent of the trips. All of this was to fake out SITE into believing a site existed.

This constraint has been released. It is now possible to declare 0 distribution types on the SIZE command so that all subsequent calculations only apply to defined non-site VOLUMES and appropriate growth FACTORS. This is particularly useful when calculating non-site volumes separately from a set of cumulated multi-site volumes, in order to separate the non-site volume definitions completely from any of the site traffic.

>Types May Be Designated as All Inbound or All Outbound.

In a similar vein to the above, the SIZE command can now specify that all of the declared distribution types are either all inbound or all outbound. This effectively increases the number of distribution types in a single calculation from a maximum of 15 to a maximum of 30 (in the largest SITE distribution level). All types in a given calculation can now be inbound, followed by a cumulated calculation of all outbound types.

>Minor Glitch Repaired When Resetting PATHASSIGNMENTS in Small Version.

A minor glitch has been located and fixed. This occurred only in Level 1 versions of SITE, and should not have caused any computational errors. In most instances, the problem would not occur, and when it did, it would manifest itself in such a way that it was clearly apparent by a run-time error that something was wrong.

The problem occurs when data from a previous analysis was RESET, either by issuing the RESET command, or by LOADing a new data file that had an embedded RESET command at its start. In either case, when RESETting the PATHASSIGNMENT command, previously assigned paths were not always zeroed out. This was only observed in a SUMMARISE report when the path's assignment percentage was zero, but the old path list still appeared. Since the percentage was zero, the assignment calculation was always zero, eliminating the possibility of an error. On occasion, when entering new PATHASSIGNMENTS for these paths, traces of the old assignment would appear, seemingly out of nowhere, but again without the likelihood of error since the old path would not apply to the new assignment and usually result in an assignment error.

All of these related problems have been resolved with this release of SITE by making sure that all PATHASSIGNMENTS are set to zero by RESET.

:SITE V3 L2.2 16MAY91

>New Option Allows Removal of PATHASSIGNMENT Intersection List.

Previously-entered path lists on the PATHASSIGNMENT command can now be deleted by entering a zero percentage for the list. This completely removes the list of intersections, which is readily apparent in the Menu Mode, and also ignores any list which may be entered following the zero percentage. This feature allows the removal of an unneeded list of intersections, which was previously not possible (only the zero percentage could be assigned, effectively ignoring the list, but not removing it). This feature also thus requires that a list of intersections not be entered if the percentage is zero, which is normally the case.

>Precision of FACTOR Entry Increased to 1/10th Percent.

The entry of the non-site growth factor on the FACTOR command can now be entered to the nearest 1/10th percent (0.001). This new precision is also SAVEd in data files for future retrieval. This precision matches that which is displayed in the COMPUTE output report, and now accommodates annual growth rates which are commonly required for impact studies. For example, 2-1/2 percent growth per year over the next three years can be entered by the command FACTOR 1.025 3.

>Fix Made for Potential Missing Data Values in SAVE.

In certain instances some of the input data which had been entered for some of the intersections was not SAVEd to the disk file, resulting in potential loss of data when LOADed again. It appears the LANES, NETWORK and NODELOCATION entries are the most likely to be missing. This problem has been corrected in this release of SITE.

:SITE V3 L2.1 22FEB91

>New Options Added to Increase Flexibility.

Non-site traffic is now designated in the list of types for the COMPUTE command by using type 99 rather than type 0. Type 99 is included in the default COMPUTE list for non-site traffic, as before. This allows a new use for Type 0 in the list, meaning that no contributions of either non-site or site-related traffic will be made in the computations -- in other words, no additional traffic will be added to intersection volumes as a result of the COMPUTE command. This function serves several purposes in more advanced applications. For example, if a series of COMPUTE CUMULATE commands will be issued, the COMPUTE RESET 0 command can be issued first to reset all intersection counts to zero. Then each contributing computation can be executed with the same COMPUTE CUMULATE command, since the intersection volumes have already been zeroed. If each of these cumulations are done with the ROUND 1 option to prevent cumulative rounding errors, then after all cumulations are completed, the desired ROUNDing value can be entered and an additional COMPUTE CUMULATE 0 can be issued simply to round the results (with no additional volumes added). This last COMPUTE can also be routed to an OUTPUT file, if desired.

Another OUTPUT option has been added, designated NONE, which performs the desired COMPUTE commands without any screen, printer or file output. Since the entire series of cumulations can be performed without any output, they will proceed much more quickly, and without annoying screen pauses. Then the last COMPUTE CUMULATE 0 can be done with OUTPUT to TERMINAL, FILE or BOTH so the results can be seen and used.

Another helpful input option is that the FACTOR command has been added to the Computations Special Menu so that non-site volumes can be adjusted or zeroed directly from this menu.

>Improved Results Provided.

Several improvements in the results generated by SITE have been implemented. The most noticeable of these is a new column in the first half of the COMPUTE output report which lists the total number of trips generated by each Distribution Type. This column also displays the compounded growth factor used for the non-site traffic, if the number of years is more than 1. This report has also been re-titled to Distribution Types and Factors for better clarity of its content. Line counting has also been enhanced in this report so that long lists of Types or Intersections will not overflow the display.

Other minor output improvements include a North arrow in the Diagram output, if it fits within the development coordinates provided, and better notation of the coordinates for the development and individual intersections in the SUMMARISE report.

>Improved Sample Problems.

The sample problem has been improved in several ways, as listed below. The DIAGRAM command only lists Type 1 paths to reduce the amount of output generated; the FACTOR command illustrates a two-year compounding of the annual growth rate of non-site traffic; new coordinates have been generated which match the input link lengths better; the link between intersections 3 and 4 has been lengthened for a more realistic intersection spacing; and a larger sample problem with 9 intersections has been appended after the first sample problem to better illustrate the FINDPATHS command on a larger network.

>Improved Error Detection.

New error checks have been added to better identify and describe improper input to the user. Specifically, a message is issued if the PATHASSIGNMENT list does not start and end with proper node numbers, as designated on the GENERATION and PATHDISTRIBUTION commands. All paths which are entered must use a designated access node as one endpoint and a designated external node as the other endpoint.

Another check makes sure that the number of years for compounding the non-site growth FACTOR is at least 1. An arbitrary limit of 99 years is also checked. This particularly checks against the entry of 0 years, which mathematically makes the resultant compound factor equal to 1.0, no matter what yearly growth factor was input, including 0! This combination entry of 0 0 would create a non-site factor of 1.0 when it was expected to be 0.0, creating much confusion. The new error check prevents this situation.

The last new error check is to validate that the Distribution Types entered in the COMPUTE list are all valid types which are defined by the current SIZE command. Of course, 0 and 99 are also allowed entries, as described above.

>More Tolerance Allowed When Initially Entering Project Data.

A number of difficult input situations have been resolved which are mostly the result of over-zealous input error checking. When in the process of initially entering data for a problem, the program will now accept certain inputs that may not normally be acceptable. For example, simply placing the cursor on a VOLUME, WIDTH, LANE, NETWORK or NODELOCATION full-screen entry line would generate an error if no current INTERSECTION had been defined. This error has been relaxed so that no message is displayed unless an actual data entry is attempted. The same is true of the PATHASSIGNMENT command when a current PATHDISTRIBUTION has not been defined. The screen displays of current data have also been blanked out in these situations as a more clear depiction that no INTERSECTION or PATHDISTRIBUTION has been selected.

Another problem has been resolved when data input is SAVEd before it is completed or aborted, and a subsequent attempt is made to LOAD this partial data description. The saving of this partial data is now more tolerant of these situations and certain errors which were previously displayed no longer appear.

>Improved Input Data Editing Options.

Two new options have been added to allow the changing of data inputs which were previously difficult to achieve. Specifically, if a list of access nodes on the GENERATION command must be shortened, the entry of node number 0 anywhere in the list will erase all nodes and directions from that point to the end of the list. The same is true to shorten a previously entered PATHASSIGNMENT list -- entering the proper list terminated by a 0 node will eliminate any of the remaining entries in the path list. If the entire path is to be discarded, either replace it with a new path or use 0 percent so that the path is effectively ignored -- at this point an entire path cannot be eliminated from the PATHASSIGNMENT command.

:SITE V3 L2.0 17NOV90

>Major Upgrade Provides Simplified Assignment and Many New Options.

This version of SITE represents a major upgrade from the previous version, primarily in a much simplified way of representing the assignment paths for traffic going to and from the site for each distribution type. This is accomplished through the use of a new PATHASSIGNMENT command which allows the definition of up to four assignment paths (lists of intersection numbers) for each distribution type. This requires the use of new intersection information which can be entered or LOADed from SIGNAL85 data files. Non-site traffic VOLUMES are also more easily specified, and in a manner consistent with the output of TURNS and the input for SIGNAL85 and others. Coordinate locations for intersections and the development can be entered so that a schematic diagram of the network can be displayed. Using this diagram, automated shortest-path assignments can be generated by the program to assist in the definition of the PATHASSIGNMENTs. Each of these changes and additions are discussed in the paragraphs which follow. running the example problem found in the SITE.FOR file and/or printing the SITE.OUT file will be helpful in interpreting the following discussion.

The BASE command now enters only a single development size parameter for the generation factors, with optional X,Y coordinates for the lower-left and upper-right corners of the development for schematic display on the screen. The coordinates are recommended if the DIAGRAM or FINDPATHS commands will be used.

The GENERATION command is completely new as well, using a first parameter as either IN or OUT to define whether the following information applies to inbound or outbound generation calculations. The keyword BOTH may also be used if the information applies to both inbound and outbound. The generation rate follows this keyword, succeeded by the node numbers and access directions for up to five access points into (and out of) the development.

The PATHDISTRIBUTION command now takes the place of the previous TYPE command to define the parameters for each of the distribution points for the development. The BASE and GENERATION values are no longer entered on this command, each occurring only once on the new BASE and GENERATION commands. Additionally, the node number and the direction of arrival or departure for the external node of each distribution type is entered on this command. Unlike the previous version, all inbound distribution types must be defined first as types 1 through N, followed by the outbound distribution types. The number of inbound types (N) is defined on the SIZE command as the third parameter, the remaining types being defined as outbound. All inbound types use the single generation rate on the GENERATION IN command, the remainder use the rate on the GENERATION OUT command. Although the TYPE command can still be entered, it should not be used except to enter the information of an old SITE data file, to be followed immediately by a USERMODEL format conversion described below. The DISTRIBUTION command can still be used to enter a list of distribution factors for each PATHDISTRIBUTION type, in order from 1 to the number of types.

When a PATHDISTRIBUTION command is entered with a distribution type, this sets which distribution type any succeeding PATHASSIGNMENT commands apply to until the next PATHDISTRIBUTION command is entered. PATHASSIGNMENT commands first give a path number from 1 to 4, followed by a percentage. This percentage is the proportion of all traffic generated for this distribution point which travels on the path which follows the percentage. The actual path is a list of node numbers the vehicles travel through, starting with the node number of the PATHDISTRIBUTION point and ending with one of the defined GENERATION access node numbers (reversed if representing an outbound path). The percentages entered for all the PATHASSIGNMENTS for a given PATHDISTRIBUTION type must sum to either 100 % or 0 % before any computations can be completed. The old ASSIGNMENT can still be used in exactly the same manner as previously, even in addition to the PATHASSIGNMENT entries, but this is not recommended except for compatibility with previous SITE data files.

The INTERSECTION command is the same as before, except that it now defines to which intersection the new command entries for VOLUMES, WIDTHS, LANES, NETWORK and NODELOCATION apply. VOLUMES describe the non-site traffic volumes for each of the 12 turning movements of the intersection, using the normal TEAPAC conventions for entry order, clockwise starting with the North approach right turn. A new FACTOR command allows the entry of a non-site traffic growth factor and the number of years this factor should be compounded to estimate non-site traffic growth. WIDTHS, LANES and NETWORK entries also follow the standard TEAPAC entry definitions, as in SIGNAL85, PREPASSR, and PRETRANSYT. Non-site traffic can be COMPUTEd by specifying type 0 on the COMPUTE list, as it is by default.

The new NODELOCATION command gives the X,Y coordinates for the current intersection, needed to display the schematic diagram of the network on screen. The coordinate system used for this and the BASE command coordinates is completely arbitrary, as long as it is used consistently for all entries. Even an 80 x 25 or 80 x 43 up to 80 x 66 coordinate system can be used to match the number of columns and rows which your screen can display. The entered coordinates are scaled as necessary to fit within the screen display, as defined on the IODEVICES command.

>FINDPATHS Command Searches for Shortest Paths for Automated Assignments.

The FINDPATHS command provides a quick, easy and accurate way of entering the PATHASSIGNMENT commands mentioned above. The only parameter entered is the PATHDISTRIBUTION type which you want to assign, the default being 0 to represent all PATHDISTRIBUTION types, in order from 1 to N. When this command is used for any given distribution type, the schematic diagram is displayed and the program determines and displays the shortest path from the distribution type's external node to/from any of the possible access points of the development. This path will automatically be assigned as path #1 for the distribution type if a non-zero percentage of the total distribution type's traffic is entered. This process is repeated for the second and third shortest paths, using any of the access points. If the type being assigned is an inbound type, the user is then asked if the reverse assignments should be made for the corresponding outbound distribution type. Any PATHASSIGNMENTS generated by this process can be subsequently changed by further user entries. The DIAGRAM command can also be used to review the schematic representation of the PATHASSIGNMENTS for either the requested type or all types (the default).

>USERMODEL Can Be Used to Convert Old-format SITE Data Files.

The USERMODEL command has been temporarily set up to convert data from an old SITE data file (V3 L1.0 or earlier) which has been read in to the new SITE program. The procedure to use is to LOAD the old data file into the new SITE, immediately use the [CONTROL] menu USERMODEL command to convert the inputs to the new formats, review the converted information with the [DATAFILES] menu SUMMARISE command, save the converted information into a different data file, and check the COMPUTations against those done with the earlier version of SITE. If the conditions described below are met prior to the conversion, the computations of both versions of SITE should be identical.

The first parameter of the USERMODEL command defines the way that the TYPEs of the earlier version's data were set up. If all the odd TYPE numbers are inbound distribution types and all the even numbers are outbound types, as in the earlier version's sample data file, the 99 code should be used. If all the inbound TYPEs are listed first, followed by the outbound TYPEs, the 98 code should be used. In the 98 code case, the number of inbound types will be taken as 1/2 of the total number of TYPEs, excluding the non-site TYPE, as described below. the first parameter of USERMODEL can also be entered as the number of inbound TYPEs, as long as they are all listed first. In this case, the remaining TYPEs will be assumed as outbound. Normally either 98 or 99 will be used. If an entry of 0 is made (the default), no conversion will be attempted. Any other entry will cause a error display with a Code 1.

The second parameter of USERMODEL defines how non-site traffic has been defined. If no TYPE represents non-site traffic, the default entry of 0 should be used. If the last TYPE represents non-site traffic volumes, and this type has an odd number, the entry of 99 should be made. Entering 99 will only consider the last TYPE as non-site traffic if it is odd, in which case the number of TYPEs will be reduced by one and the non-site ASSIGNMENT commands will be converted into VOLUMES for each intersection. The product of the BASE*GENERATION*DISTRIBUTION for the non-site TYPE will be taken as the FACTOR value. Any other entry for the second parameter will produce an error display with a Code 2.

In order for the conversion to proceed properly, in fact for previous computations to be accurate, all the BASE values must be the same, all the inbound GENERATION values must be the same, and all the outbound GENERATION values must be the same. These conditions are checked, producing error displays with Codes 3, 4, and 5, respectively, if they are not met. Then the new definitions of the BASE and GENERATION variables are set from the old entries.

Note that the definitions of the BASE and GENERATION commands have been changed completely from the previous versions, and that any occurrence of these commands in the data file being LOADed will not be interpreted properly and will generate numerous error messages. These commands are not normally SAVEd into data files, this function being handled by the now defunct TYPE command (replaced by the new PATHDISTRIBUTION command).

>Demo, Small and Large Versions of SITE Available.

This release of SITE is the first which has a demonstration version. This demo version has the typical time-out and printer constraints, etc., and can operate with up to four intersections and eight pathdistribution types.

This release also provides two levels of SITE licenses, the small version which handles up to 12 intersections and 16 distribution types, and the large version with up to 25 intersections and 30 distribution types.

:SITE V3 L1.0 12NOV90

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

The SITE program has now joined the other TEAPAC programs which have been upgraded to the new full-screen, menu-driven user interface. This provides easy-to-learn operation, while still maintaining the more efficient Manual Mode of earlier versions of SITE. The basic operation of the Menu Mode is described in Appendix G of the documentation, as well as on-line using the first item in the Program Control Menu.

When using the Menu Mode, the full-screen editing may become sluggish as more full-screen displays are required to display the ASSIGNMENT possibilities for each TYPE of generator at each INTERSECTION. When the combination of TYPEs and INTERSECTIONs becomes too large, the Manual Mode is suggested instead. In any case, a maximum of 11 full-screen displays is allowed, and if the combination of TYPEs and INTERSECTIONs exceeds this limit, the remainder of input options will be ignored, requiring the Manual Mode. An alternative to this approach is to reduce the number of TYPEs used in a given run, then CUMULATE the computations with successive COMPUTE commands.

>Changes Made to Way Data is Saved - Beware of Re-saving Files.

When saving a scenario, every combination of TYPE and INTERSECTION is now SAVEd in the data file, making the number of lines required to SAVE a scenario constant for a given SIZE command. Previous versions of SITE would use differing numbers of lines in the file, depending on the ASSIGNMENTS made. This made restacking scenarios in a previously used file difficult, if not impossible. This dilemma has now been resolved. If using this new version to re-SAVE information into a previous data file where more than one scenario has been SAVEd, use a new file instead so that the larger SAVEd information does not destroy the next scenario's information.

>Maximum Number of Intersections Increased to 25.

The maximum number of intersections allows in a single computation scenario has been increased to 25 in the Advanced Level 2 license version of SITE. The limit of 30 TYPEs remains the same in this Level. A Level 1 license has also been created which limits the SIZE command to 10 INTERSECTIONs and 15 TYPEs. A new demonstration version is also available which has a limit of 4 INTERSECTIONs and 9 TYPEs. The demo version also disables the CUMULATE and OUTPUT options, along with the normal TEAPAC demonstration limits.

>Descriptions of INTERSECTIONs and TYPEs Expanded to 30 Characters.

The description information for INTERSECTIONs and TYPEs can now be up to 30-characters in length, for compatibility with other TEAPAC programs. In some tabular output reports, these descriptions will be truncated to only the first 24-characters because of space limitations, but the full descriptions will be SAVEd in data files.

>Minor Changes Made to Several Commands and Outputs.

The default location for FILE output using the OUTPUT command is now file 0 (the screen) rather than file #5, for safety reasons. This means that the desired file number must now be entered on the OUTPUT command before the COMPUTE output will be routed anywhere other than the screen. This prevents accidentally overwriting the contents of a data file in the fifth FILES slot.

The input process for the descriptions of TYPEs and INTERSECTIONs now finds the first non-blank character of the description rather than reading immediately after the last numeric parameter of the command entry. This eliminates the possibility of truncating some of the intended input description.

The rounding value for computations has been relocated from the title of the COMPUTE output report to a note line at the bottom of the report.

:SITE V2 L4.1 14AUG89

>Minor Change in Method for Input, Output and Reset of Commands.

A minor change has been made to the input, output and reset modules for commands so that SITE's methods are the same as all other TEAPAC programs. The change has no impact on the use of the program or the results.

:SITE V2 L4.0 14JUL89

>Default File # for OUTPUT Command Changed to 5.

The default file number for the OUTPUT command has been changed from 0 to 5. The 0 value was a problem when it was SAVEd to a file and subsequently re-LOADed, since 0 was not a valid entry. The use of the value 5 eliminates this problem, while also suggesting that the fifth file of the FILES command is an appropriate place for volume output to be placed. The OUTPUT command must still be toggled to FILE or BOTH in order for volume output to be written to the file currently open as file #5.

>Displayed Precision of GENERATION Command Set to Two Decimal Places.

The precision of the GENERATION command has been consistently set to two decimal places in all output locations. This includes the COMPUTE output, the SUMMARISE output, the DATA listing and the SAVEd results. This eliminates an inconsistency when inputting GENERATION rates of more than two decimal places of accuracy. Previously, three places of accuracy were displayed in the reports, but not listed with DATA or SAVEd to the data file. A subsequent LOAD of this data file would only use the one decimal place which was SAVEd, creating potentially different answers from the initial analysis. Now, a maximum of two decimal places should be entered for initial computations. Only these two places will be displayed and SAVEd for future analysis.

>Standard TEAPAC Interface Level 3.0 Implemented.

This release of SITE 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 SITE 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.

:SITE V2 L3.2 10NOV87

>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).

>Program Terminates with Standard Call to PSTOP.

Like all other TEAPAC programs, the program now terminates with a standard call to PSTOP.

:SITE V2 L3.1 25MAR86

>ROUND Conflict for F77 Fixed.

A conflict between the ROUND function and the common variable ROUND has been fixed by including the guts of the ROUND function in the offending subroutine. This was only a problem when compiling with F77.

>Standard TEAPAC Mods Implemented.

The standard TEAPAC mods for common comments, use of FIOF1 instead of FIOFL, renaming SIT96.FOR to SITE.HLP, renaming SIT97.FOR to SITE.MSG, ESCaping from DATA, line counting for DATA, and reformatting this file were implemented.

:SITE V2 L3.0 10MAR85

>DATA and SAVE Now Implemented.

Both the DATA and SAVE commands have now been fully implemented in SITE. This means that data can be interactively entered, reviewed, and saved to disk with the SITE program without needing to use any other data base generator program.

>Cumulation Option Added to COMPUTE Command.

An additional parameter has been added to the COMPUTE command which allows the cumulation of results from one COMPUTE to another. The default value of this parameter is RESET, which causes previous calculations to be zeroed before the COMPUTE is executed. Using the CUMULATE parameter will leave these values as is and add the computations from the COMPUTE to them, thus cumulating the sum of previous COMPUTEs with the current COMPUTE. This allows virtually any number of TYPES to be cumulated for an analysis. Be careful to now type either RESET, CUMULATE, or * before the list of TYPES to be COMPUTEd on the COMPUTE command.

>Maximum of 30 TYPES.

In view of the fact that virtually any number of TYPEs can now be CUMULATEd with the COMPUTE command (see above), and to make room in memory for other options such as DATA and SAVE (see above), the maximum number of TYPEs in any COMPUTE has been limited to 30.

>New OUTPUT Command.

A new command, OUTPUT, has been added to allow the results of any COMPUTE to be directed to a data file, as well as or in place of the normal terminal output. The format of the output to the file is as a command list so that it can be read as input to any other TEAPAC program. The three commands NOTE, VOLUME, and RETURN are used for this purpose.

>Output Reports Within 80 Columns.

Both the COMPUTE and SUMMARISE output reports have been pared down so that they fit within the 80 columns of most screen CRTs. Thus, line wrap will not make reading output on the screen difficult for these terminals.

>IODEVICES Option Enhanced.

The IODEVICES option has been enhanced so that output reports can be directed to either the CRT TERMINAL or the PRINTER by command, in addition to any control functions (^P) which the operating system might support. This function can also be used to direct output reports to the disk through use of #XX as the device number. To output to a declared file in the FILES command, use #XX where the physical device number XX is four more than the logical file number. For example, to put output into the third file of the FILES command, use IODEVICES * #07. If the FILES file has not been defined, output will be directed to a file named FORTXX.DAT on the logged disk, where XX is the physical device number (FORT07.DAT in the example).

>Line Counting Error Fixed.

When an intersection's volumes were entirely zero for a given COMPUTE, the output report would lose track of the line printed for that intersection, and thus cumulate a line counting error for subsequent runs. This condition has been repaired.

:SITE V2 L2.1 26MAY84

>TEAPAC Output Titles Added.

Standard TEAPAC output report titles have been installed for the COMPUTE and SUMMARISE commands.

:SITE V2 L2.0 14APR83

>Standard TEAPAC Commands Implemented.

The following standard TEAPAC commands have been implemented: REPEAT, SUMMARISE, MESSAGES and USERMODEL. The following TEAPAC commands have been standardized: HELP, RESET, ASK and ECHO.

>Improved Report Column Headings.

Report column headings for COMPUTE have been added for additional clarity in interpreting the output. Similar column headings are used in the SUMMARISE report.

>Cumulation Function Added.

The third parameter of the USERMODEL command can be used to cumulate calculations from one COMPUTE to another. Set this value to the number 1 in order to add the results of a COMPUTE to a previous compute. Setting the value to 0 resets the previous COMPUTE results before the next COMPUTE, which is the normal occurrence. This can be used to effectively include more than 35 types in a total computation.

>Limit of 35 Types.

In order to make room in memory for the above additions, the number of types allowed in a COMPUTE has been limited to 35. The temporary cumulation function described above can be used to accommodate more than 35 types.

>Negative Rounding Error Corrected.

If negative BASE, GENERATION, DISTRIBUTION or ASSIGNMENTS are made, the effect is to reduce the total traffic by that amount. This is an effective way to re-assign traffic in a corridor or to perform a form of capacity restraint in an assignment. When doing this, the program always rounded up to the next highest multiple of the ROUND command, moving in the wrong direction for negative numbers. This rounding error was especially significant when multiple cumulations were computed. This bug has been fixed.

>Proper Control File Execution.

The mysterious bug sometimes encountered when using control files has been located and eliminated.

>TEAPAC Standardization.

The computer must now be logged to the drive which contains the SITE program in order for it to run, now allowing for the program to be in any drive of the system. The program is now entirely written in 8080 code, and the TEAPAC copyright notice has now been added to the program.

this page last updated September 07, 2008