Davison Chart interpretation file
I would like to be able to create interpretations for the Davison Chart … using the natal chart interpretations as a template, and amending the wording to reflect that it is the chart of a relationship (rather than a person).
Is it possible for me to do that in the current version of 6.5?
Yes, that should be possible, just as in 6.3 as I haven't changed anything in that part of the program. On the other hand, I also haven't tested it in any length if other changes I have done may have broken anything there. I was some time since I worked on the editor, but I think it should be a pretty strait forward process to copy the text from one routine to another, as long as you stay within the "wheel text" concept.
I plan to create some instruction videos going forward, as soon as I find time and a suitable tool for recording screen video, and will put this one on my list. Just don't feel yet I totally have passed the "all clear" mark regarding lingering bugs in the code, so will probably give it a few releases more before stamping it a stable rather than early release.
I went into the main-screen option to edit interpretations; set natal interpretations (Eng/Wheel) to be available in everything and created a new configuration for "Davison interpretation" (to be available in Natal and Synastry).
I can now get the Wheel/Eng natal report in every type of chart; but was unable to copy those files to my Davison configuration in the interpretation editor … and when I now attempt to enter that editor from the main-screen option, the program shuts down**.
So … (currently) ... I can no longer use the editor … but can access the wheel/eng natal report for all types of chart. … And I am ok with that half-way-house situation, until you have the time/resources available to look at it.
[ ** When attempting to enter from the natal chart wheel screen … I get the message "Run-time error 340 : Control array 5 doesn't exist." … And the program then shuts down when I click OK on that message.]
Because I have other astrocalc programs on my own computer, I am running Astrocalc 6.5 on my wife's Windows 10 computer and windows 6.3 on mine. … And, on 6.3, I have now created a Davison Interpretation configuration; copied the natal interpretation files to it as a template and am able to access the Davison configuration in the natal + synastry routines without the program crashing. … However, I have not attempted to make interpreatation files available in any of the other routines.
I will look into it as soon as I have cleared my current todo list, but from your description I'm not sure if it's broken or if you found a way to use it not intended to. As I recall, you are supposed to copy a present file to a new configuration but it's not clear if that is what you did?
I did copy the present wheel/natal file to the new davison configuration file … and suspect my mistake was in making the present wheel/natal file available to all other routines. (My guess is that the missing array 5 = a routine file that is not there.)
However … what I did seems to now be irreversible, as I have uninstalled and re-installed 6.5 - but the reinstallation contains all the charts which I'd created (and changes I had made) in the deleted installation.
Hm, I have missed something there. Can you send me the file "Documents\Astrocalc Software\Astrocalc\Textfiles\txtdata.db" and also a screen shot of all files present in that folder? It would help me to figure out what went wrong and if needed I can correct your txtdata.db file. If I need to look inside of a specific file I will let you know.
BTW, uninstalling and reinstalling is never a good idea as it may change the conditions for what caused the problem, but it basically never solve the problem because files editable/changeable by the user are never touched by the installer/uninstaller, for very good reasons. Anyone reading this, print that into your forehead 😉
I have e-mailed the requested file + screenshot to you, Joakim - and (hopefully) you will have received them by now.
However … might I also ask you here about the future of other astrocalc programs that I own - Astrogeog; Starword; Forecaster and Chartmaster.
I am particularly curious about Chartmaster … as that is a very old program which requires Windows XP plus Astrocalc 5.6 to run, and was superceded long ago by Starword. My guess is that you are not intending to do anything with Chartmaster in the future and - since my WindowsXP computer has recently "stopped breathing" - I am no longer able to see which aspects are included in the interpretation reports produced by Starword (as that information is not shown there). Hence, I am wondering if it would be ok to ask my son (who is a computer programmer) to see if he can get Chartmaster to run on my Windows 10 computer (which has Astrocalc 6.3 installed) or on my wife's Windows 10 computer (which has Astrocalc 6.5 installed).
Alternatively though … is there some way in which I can see which aspects are included in the interpretation reports produced by Starword?
As time allows, I will be looking at those programs, including ChartMaster, which actually isn't superseded by Starword. They are very similar in concept but still different and I am personally very interested in the ChartMaster concept and have indeed already done some work on that, but nothing ready for release yet.
My primary aim though is to first getting Astrocalc stable, at least getting past those crash reports as that's unacceptable - even if the software is free.
I haven't decided yet if I will make the other programs free as well. I would like to, but somehow it doesn't add up if I spend many hours a day on the programs and have nothing back. I feels important though in these times to make astrology available to everyone for free and I will continue to leave it to the user to decide if it has any value.
If professional astrologers knew what Chartmaster does, they would happily pay to use it ... But few people seem to be aware of the considerable expertise of Terry Dwyer - despite his excellent book on the synthesising of astrological reports.