Router / Checker

Content → Rocrail Server

• Router / Checker
  • Router / Checker options

Important Note: From Rev. 2.1.2736 the tab "Router/Checker" of the Rocrail properties is removed! The options are displayed in the call dialogs of router and checker and may be setup for the current session. See: Router/Checker Options

• Analyzes the track plan and generates all routes that are possible between two adjacent blocks.
• 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 Router 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 Router 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 Router 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. The Router is based on the symbol sizes found in the default SpDrS60 theme. (See also themes basics)

The Router 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 Router -> Routing from the Track plan menu of Rocview.

If the router 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 router 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 Router to one particular direction. For this purpose the direction track is placed between one or more blocks:

Example	Description	Routes generated by the Router
	Two blocks connected by tracks	From A to B and from B to A
	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 router activity, a track symbol is removed from the section.

See also: Router direction exceptions

change from Rev. 2.0.1564+

It must always be clearly formed with 0…655351) numbered connector pairs. The previously possible use of the numbers 0…9 for multiple connector pairs leads to the termination of the router run. The orthogonal positioning and mutually facing cut surfaces of both symbols are no longer considered. This includes also divided bridge element (tracknr 2). So that the track plan for the router is "healthy" and previous pairings remain valid in the future, the "old" connector pairs 0…9 must be changed into a unique numbering for all levels in the entire track plan.

change from Rev. 2.1.1593+
The bridge elements (tracknr 2 + 3) are no longer supported in the router.

Notice:
The SVG files for these symbols have been moved to the User SVG theme. If these symbols are to continue to be used, the User theme must also be selected. Setting up and changing routes (including representations of blocks and routes) that run over these track elements must be done manually.

Connectors can be used to connect distant elements: The Router 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 resp. tunnel
Two connectors with track type "connector"

• 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 router 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 router 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 Router ist not perfect, errors can occur.
• Not all 'weird' situations are recognized.
• The Router 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 Router 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 routing).
  Note: Previously configured enter and / or in sensors are maintained and the Router 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 router.
• 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 Router 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 Router 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 Router always overwriting or removing my changes?
A: At first the Router deletes all routes with the activated option 'Automatically generated'.

Q: How can I prevent the router from recreating 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 Router 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 router results, Trace: calculation must be activated.

• Note:
  Activation of Trace level "Router" is not recommended.
  This option should be reserved for troubleshooting router 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 Router: max. recursion depth (101 > 100) reached
17:23:08 Router: 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 routing" and then "Routing":

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

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

Server log at "Routing" with typical connectors errors:

14:08:06 Router 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 Router run was aborted because of the listed errors in the track plan.