Wheeler's Beer Engine

[slednap]

Hi Graham,
I’ve been running Beer Engine on Vista as well and been having the same problem as Chris with the recipe not showing in the browser. If you right click on the shortcut and run as administrator everything works as it should.
I also have to run as administrator to change anything in the defaults. If I don’t the changes won’t save.
I think it’s a file permission problem due to Vista’s UAC.

Great program by the way.

Cheers
Paul

[Graham]

Oh dear. It looks as if the feared file permission problems with NT-style Access Control Lists has shown itself, although I expected it to rear its ugly head on XP. I think I have a fix for it, but I can't test it, which is why I didn't implement it and trusted to luck - which obviously didn't work out.

I think an OG of 1.03926086956522 might be a little accurate though

Yeah. That's the trouble with cheap hydrometers. I'll fix that.

Also, if you had any plans to add anything else, a column in the Fermentables table which displays the gravity points contributed by the malt at the end of the row and a total at the foot of the column would be nice.

Yes, that can easily be put in. I am going to add a lb-oz column next to the grams anyway, and implement the "dual" approach as mentioned by Digby Swift, so I'll put that in at the same time. It means rearranging the screen layout, which is bit of a pain, but once it is done it is done, I suppose. The lb-oz column will make it a bit more useful to Imperialists and Americans, and is no real sweat to put in.

If these panels get any wider, particularly the hop panel, it'll need to be viewed in Cinemascope.

I've reinstated the primitive "clunky" method of firing up the default browser, but that might not work on Vista.

[mentaldental]

Using Windoze Vista

As per previous posts I am now running Beer Engine as administrator.

I can now set Machine Default as my colour scheme (hooray).

But... everytime I increase malt or hop quantities the program crashes (I get those "helpful" Vista comments boxes telling me it will assiduously look for a fix and let me know when it has a solution. Havn't heard back yet

[mentaldental]

Using Windoze Vista

As per previous posts I am now running Beer Engine as administrator.

I can now set Machine Default as my colour scheme (hooray).

But... everytime I increase malt or hop quantities the program crashes (I get those "helpful" Vista comments boxes telling me it will assiduously look for a fix and let me know when it has a solution. Havn't heard back yet

Played with this some more.

1. On reinstalling everything is OK but can't change colour scheme to Machine Default.
2. Setting .exe to Run as Administrator allows the change to Machine Defaults.
3. Unselecting Fixed and then choosing a malt/hop is OK until...
4. Clicking quantity + or - crashes the program.
5. Unselecting Run as Administrator makes no difference.

I guess this may be a VIsta compatability thing. But then what do I know? .

[Gurgeh]

3. Unselecting Fixed and then choosing a malt/hop is OK until...
4. Clicking quantity + or - crashes the program.

That's what I get on XP...

[Graham]

Seems that I may have to withdraw it until I have sorted these minor irritations. Which would be a shame, because I've just started to put in some of the enhancements suggested.

Seems strange that it only ducks out on two machines out of dozens. I've knocked the whatsit out it on my XP and it is rock steady.

Late Update:
I think I know what causes the crash experienced by a couple of users. It seems highly likely that windoze doesn't like having the background colour of a data box changed simultaneously with the data within it being updated, as is done with the total % boxes. The quick fix is for me to not change the background colour of those totals to red when they do not equal 100%. The longer-term fix would be to find another way of doing it, coz it is quite a useful thing.

I should have known that it would be too much to expect windoze to be capable of doing two things at once.

Yet another update.
I have managed to reproduce it. Strangely it only happens when using when using the windows native colour scheme. If a fancy colour is selected from the BeerEngine defaults menu, it doesn't crash, on XP that is. Definitely not my bug then.

[Gurgeh]

that fix works

[Iank]

OK installed and running fine on XP pro SP3.

Quick thing I noticed:
Adjusting the amounts of the fermentables AFTER adding hops doesn't change the EBU, UNLESS you Zero a fermentable, which causes the EBU to recalculate, but then if you add back the fermentable it doesn't change.
e.g. 4000g Pale Malt, 40g Fuggles = EBU 23.
Change Pale malt to 5000g, EBU stays the same. Zero Pale Malt, EBU goes to 30. Add 4000g Pale Malt again, EBU still 30.

[Graham]

Quick thing I noticed:
Adjusting the amounts of the fermentables AFTER adding hops doesn't change the EBU, UNLESS you Zero a fermentable, which causes the EBU to recalculate, but then if you add back the fermentable it doesn't change.
e.g. 4000g Pale Malt, 40g Fuggles = EBU 23.
Change Pale malt to 5000g, EBU stays the same. Zero Pale Malt, EBU goes to 30. Add 4000g Pale Malt again, EBU still 30.

Thanks. Hadn't noticed that. That will be fixed in the new release (a day or two).
Cheers
Graham

[Russ]

Hi Graham

Any movement on the updated version mentioned?

just curious - I'm using version 1 and it's great

Cheers

Russ

[Graham]

Hi Graham

Any movement on the updated version mentioned?

just curious - I'm using version 1 and it's great

Yes, I've been working on it, but I have not uploaded a later version yet.

I have fixed the minor bugs mentioned. It doesn't crash when the colours are set to machine defaults. It should now run on Vista without having to be in supervisor mode, but I'll get Chris to test that. I've added a pounds-ounces column to the grist and hop panels to satisfy the imperialists among us. I've added an extract contribution column to the grist as well. It should now be capable of firing up the default browser rather than relying on I.E. And various other little things.

I am currently debating whether or not to simplify the overall efficiency thing (in defaults) from where it stands at the moment, or to make it even more complicated by adding stuff like hop wort absorption etc. I'd really like to keep it simple and simply it even further, but that depends upon what people expect from it.

I'll add the beginnings of a help system before uploading a later version. Most of it is intuitive, but the hop utilisation stuff is a bit complicated. I doubt if many people have got their head round that yet, so that, at least, needs to be explained.

[Russ]

Cheers for the up date Graham

[ashbyp]

i like the comments about american hops.

[Bryggmester]

Sounds great, thanks. I am looking forward to using it.

[mentaldental]

I am just checking that I am not being particularly thick. Is everyone unable to save or print a recipe?

Also is the export to browser function awaiting a fix? As noted in earlier posts when I use this all values come up as default (ie zero mainly. A truly "lite beer". You could sell it to AB!).

Functions I would like to see added: A refractometer tool similar to the one in Beersmith (spits). A refractometer is so convenient that I use it most of the time although the readings can be a bit suspect, I feel.

Faults in current version: Adjusting boil time does not alter the EBUs. Late additions are projected as giving some very bitter beers!

I think Beer Engine is looking good. All I need to do is sort my beer log template out and I am set up.