Content → Rocrail Server

• Track plan analyser
  • Rocrail setup dialog

Analyzer Route name changed

From Rev. 12.859+ is the "autogen-"-prefix (see below) by the option Automatically generated replaced. For routes, which still contain the leading "autogen", this will be removed during the next analyzer run and replaced by the new option. In addition, "Generated by the analyzer" is entered in the 'Description' field. In the dialog Route: General a leading " * " in the "Description" column shows the activated option 'Automatically generated'. In the examples down on this page the changes did executed.

Another important change: See Connector

• Analyse the track plan and create all possible routes automatically.
• Sets the routes field in all track, signal and sensor objects → route representation (optional).
• Sets the block field in all track, signal and feedback objects for block occupancy display → block representation (optional).
• The direction track can be used to restrict a route generation only in that direction.
• With connectors routes across other objects, empty fields and track plan levels can be created.
• Turnout commands are added to the route.
• Signal pair assignment to block (signals) as plus(+)- and minus(-)-side signals (optional).
• Enter- and In- sensor assignment to block (routes) (optional).
• Module support.
• Fiddle Yard support.

The Analyser was introduced as a tool especially for the new and inexperienced user allowing for quick access to fully automated model railroading.
However, with complex or unusual layouts the Analyser may fail to generate all routes possible or it may generate unexpected routes or in worst case it may even hang.
In all these cases settings have to be adjusted or completed by hand while those routes generated correctly by the Analyser can serve as a blueprint.
See also section Limitations

1. Track plan must be healthy before analysing!
2. All items must be connected without a space in between them. Exception: The Connector
3. Only one item at one position in the plan is allowed. (No overlapping.)
4. The analyser is based on the symbol sizes found in the default SpDrS60 theme. (See also themes basics)

The Analyser can be activated manually.

The feature is started manually by

• either entering z in the Rocrail server terminal if the -console option is active
• or by selecting Analyse from the File menu of Rocview.

If the analyzer is re-started after changes to the track plan, all routes with the option "automatically generated" are deleted. This ensures that no invalidated routes are included in the plan before routes are created or recreated. The option "automatically generated" must be activated for all routes so the changes can be implemented. Manually-added routes with no auto-created option remain unchanged in the list.

The sensors are assigned to the routes all enter + and all enter -, respectively.
The all enter + route is for all routes entering the + side of the block (marked with the little + in the block).
The all enter - route accordingly is used for all routes entering the - side of the block.
Sensors have to be assigned to the routes on the routes tab of Block: Routes in the block properties.
Note:
The assignment by the analyzer works only when using "enter" and "in" sensors.
In addition, place only one sensor on each side between the block and the next switch.
For blocks with one, three or four sensors there are no usable items.
With more than one sensor on a block side, only the sensor nearest the block will be considered.

The distant signal associated with a main signal of a block must be positioned on the opposite side of the block.
The assignment is visible on the tab Block: Signal and can be changed manually, if necessary.

Direction tracks (s. also Types of Tracks) can be used to restrict the routes generated by the analyser to one particular direction. For this purpose the direction track is placed between one or more blocks:

Example	Description	Routes generated by the analyser
	Two blocks connected by tracks	From A to B and from B to A
	Two blocks with a track indicating both directions in between	Same as above; the track for both directions is descriptive only but has no function
	Two blocks with a direction track in between, arrow pointing to the right	Only from A to B
	Two blocks with a direction track in between, arrow pointing to the left	Only from B to A
	Branch without direction tracks	A to B, A to C, B to A and C to A
	Direction track within a branch	A to B, A to C and B to A
	Direction track in front of a branch	A to B and A to C

Tip: If there is no route to be created in a track section in both directions, this can be achieved by two opposite direction track symbols, or for the time of analyzer activity, a track symbol is removed from the section.

See also: Analyser direction exceptions

Connectors can be used to connect distant elements: The analyser is seeking for a counterpart (second connector) in the same direction and ignores gaps and elements between these two.
With connectors it's easy to connect different levels on the layout.

Examples for connectors Avoiding track elements without function
Connectors illustrating a bridge
Bridge with two connectors with track type "connector"	Bridge with one symbol of track type "tracknr" = 3 Thus the analyzer is able to recognize and generate the possible routes A- < > B+ und C- < > D+

• Connectors configured with a track number between 0 and 65535 must have one corresponding connector with the same number anywhere in the plan. The direction of the counterpart doesn't matter. The counterpart may be on a different track plan level.
  

With module plans, connectors can be used at the module transitions when paired are defined with the same number in the range 0…65535.

Disadvantages:
Connectors at the module transition without a partner with the same number the analyzer reports as error.
If the module layout is set up in a different compilation, the numbering of affected connector pairs must be adapted.
If in the compilation two connectors with the same number are forgotten somewhere, "strange" routes can arise.

Recommendation:
To the mentioned disadvantages - among others: Errors, high effort for changes, etc. - it is recommended to avoid connectors at the module transitions.
Instead of the connectors, "straight track elements" should be positioned so that they match each other without interruption when arrange the modules.
This results in the perspective of the analyzer continuous track connections from which routes can be easily generated.

With this method, all the disadvantages with connectors at module transitions are eliminated in a very simple way.

On Module transitions use straight track elements

See also Messages in the server log

• The analyser ist not perfect, errors can occur.
• Not all 'weird' situations are recognized.
• The analyser configures sensors (feedbacks) only after the option "Assign sensors to blocks" in Sensors in blocks has been enabled (by default this option is off).
• If "Assign feedbacks to blocks" is activated, the analyser tries only to allocate the sensors enter and / or in in generic routes that are not yet fully generated (whether manually configured by the user or already existed from previous analyzes).
  Note: Previously configured enter and / or in sensors are maintained and the analyser does not change them (even if they were completely wrong).

• The above applies only to the closest (there are exceptions in special situations) sensors near a block that are unique to this block.
• If a configured enter2in is found in a block, then no change is made to this block.
• An enter2in sensor is never assigned (or deleted) by the analyser.
• Roads are not supported.
• Only a few objects of the Switch type "Accessory" and the Track typ "tracknr" are recognized:

Other accessory or track numbers are not supported . It doesn't know the various grid sizes and orientations of these symbols. Therefore, before starting the analyser these objects should be replaced temporarily (and possibly later again) with normal track objects.

Note: Do not use two or more double track items consecutively. The Analyser will generate some wrong routes

demo-plan.zip

<stlist>
  <st id="[01+]-[02+]" generated="true" bka="01" bkb="02" bkaside="true" bkbside="true" show="false" x="0" y="0">
    <swcmd id="sw1" cmd="straight"/>
  </st>
  <st id="[01+]-[03+]" generated="true" bka="01" bkb="03" bkaside="true" bkbside="true" show="false" x="0" y="0">
    <swcmd id="sw1" cmd="turnout"/>
  </st>
  <st id="[04+]-[01-]" generated="true" bka="04" bkb="01" bkaside="true" bkbside="false" show="false" x="0" y="0"/>
  <st id="[02-]-[04-]" generated="true" bka="02" bkb="04" bkaside="false" bkbside="false" show="false" x="0" y="0">
    <swcmd id="sw2" cmd="straight"/>
  </st>
  <st id="[03-]-[04-]" generated="true" bka="03" bkb="04" bkaside="false" bkbside="false" show="false" x="0" y="0">
    <swcmd id="sw2" cmd="turnout"/>
  </st>
</stlist>

Note: The previously used prefix autogen- is replaced by the parameter generated = "true" in the route record²⁾

Q: Why is analyser always overwriting or removing my changes?
A: At first the analyser deletes all routes with the activated option 'Automatically generated'.

Q: How can I prevent analyser to recreate a route?
A: By deactivating the option 'Automatically generated' (→ no deletion → no recreating)

Preventing alternative routes from A- to B+ (avoid changing tracks)

- Before:

• "[A-]-[B+]" (direct route)
• "[A-]-[B+]-42" (alternative route using side track)

- Manual actions:

• deactivating the option 'Automatically generated' of "[A-]-[B+]"
• delete/remove "[A-]-[B+]-42"

- After:

• calling analyser will leave "[A-]-[B+]" untouched (the option 'Automatically generated' is deactivated) and will not create any alternative route from [A-] to [B+], because there is already a "manually configured" route for this relation.

To display the analyzer results, Trace: calculation must be activated.

• Note:
  Activation of Trace level "Analyze" is not recommended.
  This option should be reserved for troubleshooting analyzer functions.

Note: The message to the last action is at the top of the log.

Server log at "Analyze" with typical design plan error:

17:23:09 route generator (re)created routes (0 -> 8)
17:23:08 ANALYSER: max. recursion depth (101 > 100) reached
17:23:08 ANALYSER: max. recursion depth (101 > 100) reached

• On search for routes between 2 blocks more than 100 track diagram elements were found (Two messages = search in both directions)
  Look at this thread in the german forum
• Please follow the Best practice

Server log at "Clean all analyze" and then "Analyze":

23:45:36 route generator (re)created routes (0 -> 4)
23:45:35 starting analyzer...
23:45:25 route generator cleanup removed 4 routes (4 -> 0)
23:45:24 starting analyzer cleanup...

1. 4 routes have been deleted
2. 4 routes were newly created

Server log at "Analyze" with typical connectors errors:

14:08:06 Analyser skipped because plan has ERRORs
14:08:06 ERROR: connector [tk5] at (6-5-1) number[3] : Too many counterparts (total 3)
14:08:06 WARNING: connector [tk4] at (14-3-0) with number[2] : no counterpart found.
14:08:06 ERROR: connector [tk3] at (14-1-0) number[3] : Too many counterparts (total 3)
14:08:06 ERROR: connector [tk2] at (6-3-0) number[3] : Too many counterparts (total 3)

1. There are more than two paired connectors with number 3 at the specified positions. (Example: 6-3-0 = x-y-z)
2. The connector with number 2 is missing the partner.
3. The Analyser run was aborted because of the listed errors in the track plan.