Instructions for Using the WMO Capabilities

on the Text Workstation

By Xiangbao Jing
Updated on 03/07/00

These instructions will help the tester and developer use the WMO GUI on the text WS. After the 5.0 alpha testing, I modified the new text display to fit the new text DB. For example, I cut down the partial and some logical limitations. So, the instruction should be changed too.

1.0 Capabilities

Retrieve the AFOS and WMO text products.
Create WMO text products.

1.1 Running

There are two ways to run the text WS.

"textWS" runs all processes of the text WS and you should pick up one text window by clicking on a window button;
"textWish textWindow.tcl" runs one text window process.

2.0 Querying and Loading

The user can query and load products by using the Entry Bar and Browsers. There are three ways to load the text products on the Entry Bar of a text Window. They are the following.

Use the AFOS command in the "AFOS Cmd" in the entry Bar by typing or using the AFOS browser to select a product;
Use the WMO-ID entries ("TTAAii" and "CCCC") and "DDHHMM" to query.

Filling out a TTAAii, CCCC , TTAAii + CCCC or TTAAii + CCCC + DDHHMM leads to query product from the text DB. If the DDHHMM if black, the quering result is inventory. Pressing the return key in the TTAAii, CCCC or DHHMM entry will create a query command. This command will be passed to the "textdb" process.

The product will be loaded into the text window if there is only one matched product in the text data base.

An AWIPS Search pops up if there is more than one matched product. Then the user can select one of the matched products from the browser by selecting the TTAAii, CCCC, [AWIPS] DDHHMM and [BBB].The selected product can be loaded by clicking on the "Load Continue" or "Load Close" button.

Use the AWIPS and "DDHHMM" entries to query.

The user must completely type an AWIPS-ID. Pressing the return key in AWIPS or HHDDMM entry will create a query command. This command will be passed to the "textdb" process. A product will be loaded into the text window if there is only one matched product in the text data base. In this version, only a "-ri AWIPS-ID" is passed into the text data base whatever DDHHMM is typed. This will be changed back when the text data base supports the "-ri + -rt" option.

An AWIPS Search pops up if there is more than one matched product. Then the user can select one of the matched products from the browser by selecting the AWIPS, DDHHMM and [BBB], The selected product can be loaded by clicking on the "Load Continue" or "Load Close" button. The TTAAii and CCCC are unselectable in this case.

When using the WMO or AWIPS command loading, a problem dialog will pop up if there is no matched product, if more 1000 are matched, or if there is an error from the text data base.

The partial functions in the TTAAii, CCCC, AWIPS-ID and DDHHMM entries are canceled in this version.

A summary of using the Entry Bar querying and loading is as the table,

AFOS TTAAii CCCC AWIPS DDHHMM Comments

X                                                                                            Loading only
                X                                                                            Querying/Loading
                                   X                                                         Querying/Loading
                                                 X                                           Querying/Loading
                X                X                            X                          Querying/Loading

2.1 Loading From the History List

The user can also load a product from the Load History in the control bar. After the Load History button is clicked, a loading command list pops up. Then the user can select a loading command and press the return key to load a product.

There are three kinds of commands, the AFOS, WMO and AWIPS,which are created automatically during loading. The format of the WMO and AWIPS are as follows.

Command Format Example

AWIPS Cmd AWIPS:AWPIS-ID AWIPS:ADFDEN
WMO Cmd WMO:TTAAii CCCC WMO:FPPA40 PGUM

Selecting an AFOS command loads the latest product; selecting an AWIPS or WMO command may pop up an AWIPS Search, because the returns from the text data base are inventory products.

2.2 Browsers

There are two browsers, the AFOS Browser and the AWIPS Search. The AWIPS Search is used to select a specific product in the available product list which is the previous querying result using the WMO-ID or AWIPS-ID, so we call it the AWIPS Search.

Clicking on the AFOS Browser button will bring up or hide one of the AFOS browser. To select a CCC, NNN, XXX and HHDDMM, will specify a available product. Clicking the "Load Continue" or "Load Close" button can load the selected product.
Clicking on the AWIPS Search button will bring up or hide one of the AWIPS Search dialom window.To select a TTAAii, CCCC,(and NNNXXX) and DDHHMM(and BBB), will specify a available product in the queried result using WMO-ID. To select a NNNXXX and DDHHMM(and BBB), will specify a available product in the queried result using AWIPS-ID.

Pressing the return key in the TTAAii, CCCC, AWIPS or DDHHMM entry may bring up the AWIPS Search dialog window too.

BBB is brought up only when more than one product has the same TTAAii, CCCC, AWIPS and DDHHMM in the AWIPS Browser. The AWIPS select box may be blank when the query uses WMO-ID, the TTAAii and CCCC. The TTAAii and CCCC select boxes are unselectable when the query uses AWIPS-ID.

3.0 WMO Editor

The WMO Editor is used to create a WMO message. Clicking on Enter Editor shows the WMO Editor. The message body editor is the same as the AFOS Editor.

The WMO-ID, AWIPS-ID and AFOS-ID are in the WMO header editor. The possible ID combination can be as follows.

     WMO-ID only,
     WMO-ID with AWIPS-ID(NNNXXX),
     AFOS-ID (CCCNNNXXX) only,
     AWIPS-ID only.

WMO-ID: The user can use the TTAAii and CCCC entries and BBB select menu to create a WMO header. The possible values in the BBB are AAx, CCx, RRx and NOR. The version number "x" is from A to X and is generated automatically by the editor. Currently it is fixed on A only.

AWIPS-ID and AFOS-ID: The user can use the CCC, NNN and XXX to to create an AWIPS or AFOS header. CCC is an optional entry.

Addressee: For sending the created message out, selecting the "000" or "all" button, or typing a site in the "Addressee" field is needed.

Auto-Filling in and Conversions Between WMO-ID and AFOS-ID

The editor converts the WMO-ID to AFOS-ID, fills in the CCC, NNN and XXX entries after typing a completed TTAAii and CCCC; converts the AFOS-ID to a WMO-ID, and fills in the TTAAii and CCCC entries after typing a completed CCC, NNN and XXX.

This is a very important feature. Creating a WMO-ID by typing an AFOS-ID is helpful to users who are familiar only with the AFOS. They can use this as a WMO learning tool.