How to use the querier

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  Presentation
Preparing a query
Send an E-mail query
Send an http query
 

 
 
  Loading a previous query
History of your orders
Your purchase history
 
Note :
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  Presentation
- The querier proposes a menu on the left allowing you to select all the necessary elements to prepare a query for the Navimail service.
 
  - Three tabs are available in this menu to allow you to order Grib digital products (displayable in this software), text bulletins to be directly viewed in your E-mail client, or satellite images and ground pressure charts with fronts (North Atlantic and Europe) sent to you in the form of image files.
 
  - On the right, you can select the area you are located in on the globe. You can zoom in and out, and displace or change the base map.
 
  - Above the map, the geographic coordinates of the mouse are displayed, with a menu to rapidly access an area of the globe, and different base maps.
 
  - At the bottom of the window you have a summary of the query with the Send the query button that opens up a dialogue window enabling you to send the query to Navimail.
 
  - On the bottom left the Clock symbol allows you to send a query that in return will propose the availability time for all of the available products (query free of charge except for telecommunication costs)
 
  - Finally on the bottom right you find the query itself, which is made up automatically according to your choices. This window is for information purposes.
  Preparing a query
- First select an area on the map on the right, either with the icon on top, by zooming in on the map (mouse wheel) or by pointing on the desired region and left clicking twice with the mouse (one click to interrupt the zoom). You can displace the map by pressing on the left-hand mouse button and moving it.
 

Subscription packages, simplified query subject to subscription

  -Click on the button corresponding to the subscription you've chosen, 1 to 6 depending on the size of the zone and the content, click on the help associated with each subscription to see its contents.
  A frame appears on the screen with the symbol of a boat materializing the central position. You can move this frame with the keyboard arrows or with the left-hand button of the mouse positioned in this frame.
  You can center the frame on the exact position of the mouse with a single click on the right-hand button.
  This frame can also be rapidly positioned by filling in the latitude and longitude windows above the map.
  You can click several times on the same subscription button to change the geometry of the zone displayed.
  Then simply send the query.

Grib, query complete

  -Then click on the Zone selection button in the menu on top.
 
  A frame appears on the screen with the symbol of a boat materializing the central position. You can displace this frame using the arrows on the keyboard or the left-hand mouse button with the mouse positioned in this frame, you can enlarge or shrink it by keeping the left-hand mouse button pressed down on the red square and moving it, or by using the PageUp and Pagedown keys.
  You can center the frame on the exact position of the mouse with a single click on the right-hand button.
  - In the menu, the 4 boxes on the left (North, South, West and East) allow you to very precisely define this frame by directly entering the desired values. The scroll boxes on the side of these 4 boxes allow you to increase or decrease zone size by one grid length in each of the directions.
  This frame can also be rapidly positioned by filling in the latitude and longitude windows above the map.
  The B key on the keyboard allows you to modify the appearance of the boat symbol - monohull, catamaran, trimaran. Click several times on this key to choose the desired symbol (circular rotation).
 
  -A new menu appears on the left, allowing you to choose a model. The one in bold is the most appropriate given the position you have chosen, and those that are greyed out cannot be selected since they are outside of your zone.
 
  -Several sub-menus appear to allow you to choose the grid length of the model, i.e. the increment step in degrees of the model grid. The frame displayed on the map takes the chosen increment step into account and the grid displayed is the exact representation of the grid that you will receive (parameters chosen at each point of the grid).
 
  -The ranges are displayed by default in terms of dates of validity; thus if you click on "D+1" on the "12" button, you will receive the forecast for the next day at 12h : 00 UTC. A few buttons on the bottom allow you to select a group of ranges, every 3, 6 or 12hrs, and Re-set to cancel all of the selections.
 
  -The Data on Earth button (set to "no" by default) allows you to receive only the grid points on the sea if you are sailing near the coast, here again to minimize volume and cost.
 
  -The Displacement button allows you to receive information along an itinerary, minimizing volume and thus cost. When you select a Course and a Speed, different frames appear on the map that correspond to the different ranges chosen, and the boat image materializes the position along the itinerary at each range. The route is mapped out by following a loxodromy (constant course) and may therefore appear curved in certain zones of the globe.
  - To cancel a chosen displacement you must simply indicate zero speed or course.
 
  -The Automation button allows you to choose a period during which you want to automatically receive the query under preparation (only a fixed zone). You will then receive a file every day that corresponds exactly to the current query, sent to you as soon as the model is available and with the data updated.
 
  - Delete automations allows you to delete all of the automatic requests that you may have subscribed to. The E-mail dialogue window then opens up immediately and all you need to do is send this simple cancellation request. The Navimail server will send you an E-mail confirming the cancellation.
 
 
 
  -A choice of compression is proposed ("bzip2" by default) to reduce the size of the file, again with the aim to reduce the volume and telecommunication cost. Upon its return there is no need to do anything special : this software decodes all of the compressions proposed.

 
  Send an E-mail query in disconnected mode
-Once you've finished your query, a window at the bottom gives you the volume and cost of your query in real time according to your choices and also proposes a Send the query button. Press this button to display an E-mail dialogue window.
 
  -This new window summarizes the order and also indicates the estimated volume of the returning E-mail with the attachment(s) (only valid for the Gribs).
 
-The button Send http direct is a new function that allows you to send your query by http, and the returned data is sent by E-mail. The advantage is that the http query is sent directly to the Navimail service, which eliminates the problems of sending via the smtp protocol which has features that are often specific to each service provider.
IMPORTANT to use this sending mode you must have an account with Météo-France.Even if this account has not been funded, this is not necessary to access free products.
IMPORTANT : This sending mode requires password authentification. To initialize it, switch to Connected mode to modify the profile you want to use, then choose an associated password (see Help, button "i", or the next chapter entitled "Sending an http query").
 
  -The Direct E-mail button allows you to send E-mail directly to your Internet provider without using the local E-mail client (this is the recommended solution). To do so you must fill in at least one profile, click on the Management button and fill in the fields. The first, "Profile name", can be any name (with at least 4 characters and no spaces), the second is your E-mail address, the third is the name of your Internet provider's server (if you are with Orange it will be smtp.orange.fr, with Free it is smtp.free.fr, etc.), and the last field should usually not be modified (it functions with the providers mentioned above).
 
  -If you have several addresses you can fill in several profiles. Beware however : certain Internet providers do not relay the E-mails from other providers. Therefore if you have an ADSL connection with "Free" you must select the profile containing the E-mail address and the smtp server ending with "free.fr".
You can also modify or delete profiles. Press on Close at the bottom of this window to quit this task.
 
  -Once you have chosen your profile you can then send the E-mail. A green window appears below with the E-mail report, with the final indication "E-MAIL SENT" : your query/E-mail has been properly sent. However, if this window is red, it has not been sent, for a variety of reasons (smtp 25 port blocked by your provider, authentication required, etc.). In this case you must use another method.
 
  - If direct sending has failed, you can select Or send via E-mail client which launches the E-mail client defined by default on your PC by filling in all the necessary fields (Addressee, subject and the query in the text box of the message). Then all you need to do is send the E-mail.
 
  -Another possibility you can use if you don't have an Internet connection and are not on your PC (in an Internet cafe, etc.), which requires having this software application on a memory stick, is to open an E-mail connection in a Web browser directly with your Internet provider. They all propose an access of the Webmail type (Warning : do not save the password). Fill in the addresseenavimail@meteo.fr then paste the query into the message box (the software has already copied the query), then send the E-mail. A few minutes later you'll receive the answer, and you simply need to save the attachment on a memory stick (in the "dat" directory of Navimail2) to be able to display it on this PC or on your on-board PC.
 
  -Press Close to exit this window.
 
  Sending an http query in connected mode
-Once you've finished your query, a window at the bottom gives you the volume and cost of your query in real time and according to your selection. It also proposes a button Send the query : press this button to display a query sending dialog window.
 
  -In this new window you will see a summary of the order, along with the estimated volume of the file to be returned.
 
-The Send http direct button is an alternative to an E-mail that allows you to send your query by http and receive the data almost immediately in return. Of course you must have switched to connected mode (button on top right).
 
IMPORTANT : This sending mode requires a password authentification for Grib files. For free products the data will be sent to you immediately and displayed by this program (bulletins, satellite images, ground pressure charts with fronts).  
  -To initialize it, open the profile management (the same ones as for E-mail) and fill out the "password" field with a minimum of 8 characters and a maximum of 32, and no spaces. The following are authorized :
small or capital letters, and the following letters and numbers :
+ - _ . : { [ ( ) ] } , ;  
all other characters are prohibited and will be refused by the software.
  -This password should be entered only once (therefore you can and should choose a complicated one) and you don't need to remember it, since it is saved in the "etc/config.txt" file that is thus strictly personal (and that you must recover if you install a new version in a different directory)
 
  -A little yellow window then appears giving you indications concerning the query processing. It becomes green when processing is complete or red if a failure occurs (it disappears after 10 seconds).
 
  For free products (bulletins, images, etc.) a window immediately opens with the text of the bulletin or image requested. Note that this bulletin or image file is also saved and you can retrieve it later on via the ("Open") viewer and by searching for these files in the "bulletins" and "images" directories.
 
  For Grib products a window appears summarizing your order, the cost and your remaining balance (excluding subscriptions).
  -All transactions are saved, and you can find them in the querier by opening the transaction file on the left of the "Cost" of the query.
  -The associated Grib file is also immediately displayed in the viewer, but it is also saved in the usual location in the "dat" directory that the viewer opens by default.
  Loading a previous query
-You can also re-load an old query that you sent to the Navimail service to avoid having to select the same elements again.
 
  -To do so, click on the file opening button to the left of the "Zone selection" button, and a selection box opens up proposing all of the queries sent, classified in reverse chronological order (the first displayed is the last one sent). The name is composed of the date and time this query was made. If the name is not very evocative, you can simply click on the name and immediately the menu on the left and the corresponding frame on the map are automatically recreated to illustrate this query, making it easy to find a query by either clicking on its name or using your keyboard (up and down arrows).
 
  -Then all you need to do is correct this query and send it.
  History of your orders
-Each query sent is saved in a file that you can consult at any time.
 
In disconnected mode,
  -To do so click on the file opening button to the left of "Cost" in the box summarizing the query (volume and cost). An editor opens up and displays all of the orders sent. Go to the end of this file to find the last orders sent.
 
  -Since the file is in editing mode you can delete all or a portion of the file, but this is not necessary, since each order only uses a dozen lines or so, and the software program will have no problem loading a file even if it contains several thousand queries.
  Your purchase history
-Each transaction made (the window that opens when the ordered Grib file is received) is recorded in a file that you can consult at any time
 
  -To do so click in on-line mode on the file opening button to the left of "Cost" in the box summarizing the query (volume and cost). An editor opens up and displays all of your purchases.
 
  -Since the file is in editing mode you can delete all or a portion of the file, but this is not necessary, since each purchase only uses a dozen lines or so, and the software program will have no problem loading a file even if it contains several thousand queries.