Delphic Oracle Software Release Notes

Note: You can download the text only version of the software release notes which is more printer friendly.

Delphic Oracle v 9 - (32 bit) RELEASE NOTES

This file contains important information. I recommend that you read this file in its entirety.

This program calculates birth charts, and various methods useful to those studying the "System of Hermes" as reconstructed by Robert Schmidt. Schmidt's works are published by Project Hindsight / The Golden Hind Press.

CONTENTS

WHAT'S NEW IN THIS VERSION

Version 9.0.3.4 / 9.0.34 - Includes Olson time zone update 2020a.

Version 9.0.3.3 / 9.0.33 - Added a variation of the Firdariyyah method explained by Aswin Balaji Subramanyan labeled as the "AB Method" (explained here: https://www.theabverdict.com/blog/modified-fardars-or-firdaria). Also included a new decan display in the chart designer from Morinus submitted by Jeff Dobbs. This can be found on the last page of the Wheel Wizard on the Miscellaneous tab after first clicking through wheel selection, then wheel dimension. You should see an "Apply Wheel Configuration button near the top right of the final page in the wizard which must be pressed to apply changes to the display. Then click save or Apply at the bottom of the Chart Designer. There are several other settings that are buried here because there was no object inspector to expose these settings easily in the FMX framework, but I have recently discovered such a component that will be included in the future.

Version 9.0.3.2 (Windows only) - Windows version 9.0.3.1 dumped some IDE components in the Derivative Charts form. Restored an uncorrupted copy from backup. The mac version was apparently not affected.

Version 9.0.3.1 / 9.0.31 - Includes Olson time zone updates 2019b - 2019c. This is compiled with the new version of Embarcadero's Rad Studio Rio and I've noted that the default behavior of multiselect in listboxes has changed. Multi select is now a click and drag operation.

Version 9.0.3.0 / 9.0.30 - Includes Olson time zone update 2019a. Removed *.rtf (readme and license) files from installer as they are redundant (see *.txt versions instead).

Version 9.0.2.9 / 9.0.29 - Includes Olson time zone update 2018g - 2018i.

Version 9.0.2.8 / 9.0.28 - Includes Olson time zone update 2018e - 2018f.

Version 9.0.2.6 / 9.0.26 - Includes Olson time zone update 2018d.

Version 9.0.2.5 / 9.0.25 - Includes Olson time zone update 2018a - 2018c. Also fixed bug in chart time zone data lookup that replaced natal data with current date time under some circumstances critical for deriving correct time zone offset.

Version 9.0.2.4 / 9.0.24 - In both the mac and windows versions, this is a change to installer configuration ini files. The executables will still show the previous version since they haven't changed.

Version 9.0.2.3 / 9.0.23 - Includes Olson time zone update 2017c.

Version 9.0.2.2 / 9.0.22 - Added "LB" text to the L3/L4 lists that was omitted by accident in text formatting routine. This didn't affect the dates and if you used Ellen Black's convention, this was unnoticeable. Also added the option in the Time Wheels to use Valens rules of releasing when fortune and spirit are in the same sign. This will be automatic now if you have that option selected in the Time Lord System settings (F5) on the Zodiacal Releasing tab. Before you would have had to use the Autogenerated tab and select the sign to do ZR from as if it was a user defined option.

I tested this with Trump's chart by using an 11:05 am time which puts fortune and sprit both in Pisces. When you +1 to a sign and it's range is [0..11], adding one can cause sign to = 12 which would be an error. This is very common in programming so it's important to check that it falls within range. In Trumps 11:05 am chart adding 1 would have created the situation where Spirit.Sign = 12 after adding one (Pisces is 11), which is why this was a good test case.

Version 9.0.2.1 / 9.0.21 - Decided to change the Tips window to show only at program startup. Includes Olson time zone update 2017b.

Version 9.0.2.0 / 9.0.20 - Fixed GUI Style bug that resets the style to Copper after user sets to another style. Also includes Olson time zone update 2017a.

Version 9.0.1.9 / 9.0.19 - Corrected error in sidereal ascensional times for the signs. See http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9421 for comments. The increased file size is due to the addition of the extended range of the Swiss Ephemeris. The upper end has been reached of about 17000 CE, but I have to remove the old Jean Meeus date algorithms to extend the range back to 13,000+ BCE.

Version 9.0.1.8 / 9.0.18 - Switching between whole sign houses and other forms of house division no longer requires a program restart to show whole sign house divisions correctly (switching between dynamical divisions never required this).

There's a new option for using colors in the time lord list according to Chart Designer color settings which is on the Time Lord System Settings (F5) under the edit menu | General tab. It also has a new checkbox for whether to show focus periods in the time lords list using an asterisk (available in ZR only at the moment). Both colors and this labeling convention can be used at the same time. One can also decide not to use colors at all.

Version 9.0.1.7 / 9.0.17 - Fixed bug in House Wheel placement of font's for degrees and minutes when the house wheel was too thick which caused word wrap to place one numeral on top of the other. A work around was to make the wheel thinner, but now this is no longer necessary. Also added a refinement to the chart info font to make the spacing between lines respond to the font size for smaller screens so that text space isn't wasted and running into the chart display.

Version 9.0.1.6 / 9.0.16 - Fixed bug in batch report that failed to generate chart.bmp (an omitted one liner). If you first go to Reports Acrobat and generate the chart, then that one will be picked up in the batch, but it didn't do it on it's own in earlier versions. This issue is now resolved.

Added vertical line to the Time Lords Graph that also keeps track of date and follows your mouse over the graph for fine tuning time periods for comparison across many different time lord methods at the same time. The line is dotted and uses the same color as the Retrograde color in your Chart Designer Color settings. The date uses the foreground color from the same tab. I also added a free floating transparent hint that follows the mouse in the Graphic Ephemeris as well which will give the date and degree in the Graphic Ephemeris when not showing heliacal phenomena hints.

Version 9.0.1.5 / 9.0.15 - Added a new Tip Wizard which will help guide users depending upon mouse and keyboard input which will be sensitive to what you are trying to do in the program. It's only got a handful of tips at this point but it will be expanding based upon which questions get asked the most often.

Added multi-wheel chart comparison to the chart rectification module. By default it uses the same number of wheels that were displayed in the last calculation on screen, but if time wheels were showing, they will be replaced by chart data that was in that level of the wheel during the last calculation (or the first chart in the main list if there was none). If you have autogenerated charts set such as transits and progressions, they will overwrite nativity data and display that instead, but if you have autogenerated charts set to nothing (right list is empty) and you set up to 5 charts in a quintwheel display, the rectification will use those charts instead. It can be useful to see other events such as child births, auto accidents, weddings, etc in other wheels and this setup allows such displays.

Fixed issue where bound drawing was stuck on Egyptian bounds. There's a separate setting for bound display in the Chart Designer on the last tab of the Wheel Wizard. The General Options (F3) setting is for reports and flyby hints, but the latter is set in the Chart Designer for chart display. There's no need to use the same setting for both display and internal data if you don't want to.

Fixed issue in Report export where dialog wouldn't show after generating a batch report. I forgot to set ShowDialog = True at the end. It's set to false during Batch reporting because you don't want to be bothered with 40+ dialogs coming up depending upon which reports you want generated. Batch reporting uses default settings to send all of these files to your Acrobat folder.

Removed redundant cell width property in Options | Hellenistic | Aspects for the aspectarian. The Grid width is all that was needed. Also made sure that the whole background was the same color as the image background itself. The grid scaling should work better now for the windows version; mac version still needs more work.

Version 9.0.1.4 / 9.0.14 - Fixed bug where the chart info would switch fonts whenever the installed font list changes. I was using the itemindex in the list, but decided to save the font name itself as a string and not it's place in the list, then set the highlight in the list using IndexOf(). Added Batch Reporting which is now in the Printing / HTML Options (F6) under the new Reporting tab. Just select the reports you want to run and click on Batch report under the Reports Menu. Fixed bug in the Mac version that prevented calculation of planetary returns in the Derivative Charts dialog which was caused by failing to set swe_set_topo (Swiss Ephemeris topocentric coordinates) on the dylib side with error "symbol not found" because conditional defines in the compiler caused the linking to be skipped.

Version 9.0.1.3 / 9.0.13 - I decided to encapsulate the Fixed Star and aspect line calculations within the Swiss Ephemeris unit rather than use direct access to those values which might change depending upon the chart. If you see transits with all planets at zero Aries (this bug was introduced in version 9.0.1.2) then this issue has been fixed by assigning separate calculations for fixed stars and aspect lines for each chart type (uniwheel-quintwheel). In the last version, I had set access to this information to the innermost chart only so if you drew a bi-wheel or higher number of wheels) they could turn up with empty data. Now each design has its own copy of the data.

Version 9.0.1.2 - Changed the format of radii values in the Chart Designer on the 2nd page of the Wheel Wizard to 5 decimal places with one leading digit without wordwrap. This should make it easier to read when changing the trackbar values for the thicknesses of wheels. The new version of the Swiss Ephemeris DLL is now being used exclusively in the windows version. I was using the old version of the Swiss Ephemeris for fixed stars due to the new one not displaying fixed stars in the main wheel due to an initialization issue. I think this was because Alois recently implemented a thread safe version of the dll (mutex) which would probably also require full initialization of every instance of my access component. Also fixed an error in the assignment of SectType on the Hellenistic tab of the main options (both were set to apparent when one was supposed to be ideal).

Version 9.0.1.1 / 9.0.11 - Includes Olson time zone update 2016g - 2016j. Set matching background for main chart displays so that splitter expansion looks seamless. Also a new registration procedure has been implemented. Your current version will still be registered, but if you need to reinstall or install the new version on a different machine, contact me with a copy of your registration email and I'll update you.

Version 9.0.1.0 - (Windows version) fixed house division issue that forces Fagan Allen angles when sidereal modes are used. This error doesn't affect Mac users.

Version 9.0.9 - Printing should be finished in the Mac version. Please let me know if anything isn't printing right because I don't have a printer. However the acrobat generation looks good at this point. When you click on the acrobat button in various places in the program, it will show a preview window. The save button in this window does not pertain to the acrobat file, but for the report file itself. If you have FastReports, this would give you the ability to edit the report which is not really helpful to most users, instead you should click on the button to the right of this which will give you a drop down list of file types you can export to.

Version 9.0.0.9 - Fixed a couple of issues with printing export and added simple text export. Version numbers are separate for the mac and windows versions, but I will try to keep them in sync while following platform conventions.

Version 9.0.8 - The Mac version has been released (as a beta). The printing isn't finished yet, but most other program features are functional.

Version 9.0.0.8 - Finished with FastReports printing and Acrobat, Rtf, HTML, etc (about 9 different file types) file generation. The Print Preview under Reports is redundant and needs to be taken out since preview is achieved whenever looking at the acrobat file (which is actually a preview before generating an Acrobat file). The windows version is looking very close to complete and I've noticed that it runs a bit faster than the native mac verson. I suspect that the reason for this is because the cross platform engine has to make adjustments for the mac side because Delphic Oracle was written in the windows environment. The code base is essentially the same with the exception for a few {$IFDEF} conditional compiler directives to account for file location differences. These differences can't account for the difference in speed. On my iMac the windows version loads in about 25 seconds, whereas the mac version loads in about 50 seconds. Once loaded however, the speed difference between the mac and windows version is barely noticeable. I've got some optimization tricks up my sleeve that I have yet to employ.

I haven't yet compiled the printing version for macOS. FastReports handles acrobat files differently on a mac using the native print menu of the program which gives you an option for acrobat files. In this case the acrobat buttons found in the windows version of the program will be redundant. I haven't decided what to do with them yet because I have yet to see the end results.

This update also includes Olson time zone updates 2016g - 2016h.

Version 9.0.0.7 - Linked delineation files to the Hellenistic and Medieval views and updated the context menus associated with the image components. In the Time Lords List window, I've uncommented the code for exporting text to the Export Editor for both lists (major and sub periods). In several other places I've begun the process of exporting text to the export editor for printing. Printing and Acrobat still needs to be done, but the program is stable so the beta label is coming off with this version as the rest of the program is complete and running well. You can still download the previous version if printing and acrobat is critical to your work, but at this point, there's the ability to export much of the display text for printing in another program of your choice.

Updated the GUI Styles from the new IDE to reflect windows 10 anniversary edition and the soon to be released Mac OSX 10.12 Sierra. This can be found on the group bar on the left side of the main window labeled "GUI Styles". In the Chart Designer, Hank Friedman's Nakshatra font has been linked for Jyotish display of lunar mansions. The others use Roman numerals.

I've also after 19 long years fixed the list extensions in the zodiacal releasing algorithm. Those of us working with the method for the past 2 decades who did the original research understood what we were doing and were accustomed to ignoring these, but those copying my procedures apparently did not. I've finally fixed this issue now that zodiacal releasing is drawing in many new practicioners who are new to the method who might otherwise get confused. Thanks to Anthony Lewis who pointed out that Solar Fire had the same mistake showing in my Zodiacal Releasing program (apparently Solar Fire isn't the only program). Hint to all of you out there supporting major name brands (in any field): they are almost always way behind the innovators.

Version 9.0.0.6 - beta. Added the ability for time wheels to use the loosing of the bond in zodiacal releasing after 12 major periods. This is a guess based upon my own conjectures as to what happens after about 212 years pass (the approximate time it takes for 12 major periods to pass). If one follows the pattern of Valens, then one might loose the bond to the opposite sign. Problem is Valens never says to do this and he has no examples going past 120 years, so this is pure conjecture on my part experimenting with the zodiacal releasing method. This option was in my original zodiacal releasing app released in 1997 and was available in list format because I allowed for up to 3500 years of calculation, but I hadn't made it part of the time wheel algorithm until now. I also made this available in version 8.1.0.8 of Delphic Oracle (VCL version).

Also includes Olson time zone update 2016e - 2016f.

Version 9.0.0.5 - beta. The beta label will soon be coming off since now the Chart Designer, aspect lines, fixed stars and all functions are finished except for un-rotating glyphs in the Sign wheel (rotation is the default), and printing. The algorithm used to upright planet glyphs will be used to do the same in the other wheels in the next release. In the Chart Designer, I've added dozens of new Wheel and Color Themes, so that all you'll have to do to use the new styles is double click on them and redraw the chart (uniwheel..quintwheel). In numerous areas I've made small bug fixes and GUI improvements and now the program is getting to be more user friendly than version 8. Speed improvements have been made to the star calculation algorithm so I've felt comfortable including the full list of stars that are available in the Swiss Ephemeris file (from the Simbad database) and expanded the range in the visual display to +/- 40 degrees of ecliptic latitude (this is double the previous version). With the new themes, you will notice the DO9 label at the end of these and this indicates that colors and wheels have been tested in this version. The visibility of planet glyphs as well as which glyphs to use for which planet (these have long since been user configurable) have not been affected by the new design. You will notice that I've left a few wheel and color themes that aren't so labeled and I've left them there as a starting point for your own unique designs. The Chart Designer is very powerful and allows for creation of practically any circular wheel type you will ever need with the ability to change their order, (from outermost to inner most and in between) their thickness (wide or narrow), colors and where they are applied according to astrological colors (whether to shade or bound the colors) in 6 different color styles (Background, Foreground, Contrast, MatchBackground, MatchForeground, None), and transparency (alpha-blending).

I've polished the delineation files removing the old rich text format so a new set of files is distributed with this release.

Version 9.0.0.4 - beta... Enabled the user defined Circumambulation options in the Time Lord list. Also made the Terran Atlas main menu visible (so you can toggle browse, locate and filter search modes). There are also numerous small changes in alignment of visual components. Replaced all instances of speed buttons with another class of speed button for future migration that allows for themed styles. Spacing should be better for some displays that allow for different GUI styles to not have an "overcrowded" appearance.

In the main options (F3), the Docked tab is now called the Display tab which now has other options besides docking, such as scaling and font options. Many of the items on the General tab were display oriented and so they were moved there.

Version 9.0.0.3 - beta... Set up the medieval chart view to use whole sign divisions when whole sign houses are set in the main options (F3). In this case only the glyph will show on the cusp since the degrees for whole signs are always 0 degrees and 0 minutes. Set new Augular Triad house layout style for Hellenistic and Medieval views. When checked, it will display degrees horizontally for houses 3, 4, 5 and 9, 10, 11 implying a circular layout. In this style the degrees are listed below the planet glyph when in these houses whereas the other houses will show degrees (and minutes if selected) to the right.

Added a new Sign font size that is independent of the main chart view for the Hellenistic style wheel. This setting is available on the Main Options (F3) | Hellenistic | Views tab. The range is from [10..100], but the size will vary depending upon the scale of your screen, which is why I've allowed for this wide variance. The planet font sizes will be whatever you have set for the main chart view. Also there are 3 more options for Hellenistic view: show or hide ascensions, show or hide planetary hours and show or hide Chart info.

Added window scaling spin edit setting to the main options for the analysis windows (those that show to the right of the chart). If you have a hard time reading the font, then set this scale higher. The range is between 1/10th (0.1) to 10X with a default value of 0.6. You might notice that while changing this value some controls go out of sight or don't take up the full space of the docking area. To reset the window size to dock, just grab the splitter and resize slightly.

Also set the rounding algorithm to exclude rounding up near a sign boundary. This affects visual display when only degrees and minutes are used. The fly-by hints always show planets to the nearest hundredth of a second, but sometimes due to rounding, planets were shown at 0 degrees of the sign when they hadn't technically crossed (at 29 degrees, 59 minutes and 59.99 seconds for example would show at 0 Taurus 0). This issue has been resolved.

Version 9.0.0.2 - beta... Changed the configuration of TerraChron controls so that they dock to the right when opened. There is a new expander component that appears above the analysis section on the right that can be collapsed and expanded with 3 sub sections for various TerraChron functions that can also be expanded or collapsed. This allows for the use of the Time lords time line in conjunction with TerraChron without having to switch between sections. A demonstration is being uploaded right now to my youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/zoidsoft.

Version 9.0.0.1 - still beta but closer to finished - The Hellenistic and Medieval square views are now finished and the fly-by hints are working. The options for these two chart types have been moved to Main Options | Hellenistic tab (or Medieval tab) | Views along with the "show Medieval or Hellenistic views" checkboxes that used to be on the General tab. The planet list type (Full, Degree only, Glyph only) will be found there as well as font scaling up or down from 0.1x to 10X the default size. Most of you will probably want to stay in the 1x to 2x range (2x means double). The chart info uses default scaling, but can be changed if AutoSizeFont = False using the InfoFontSize variable on the Wheels tab of the Chart Designer. The Medieval Square has similar options, except that the font for house cusps can't be scaled as of yet. The rest of the options such as colors, glyphs and visibility are still whatever you're using for the Uni-wheel chart type on the Chart Designer. Speaking of visibility, several new points have been added such as the SAN or PNL (prenatal lunation), the descendant and imum coeli as well as the other 5 hermetic lots (for both Medieval and Hellenistic displays). These include the lots of Necessity, Eros, Courage, Victory and Nemesis.

Added 19 Primary Direction themes to the primary direction options. These themes are a "setting group" that you can restore by double clicking on the Theme in the Themes window. Among these are the anaretic rays of the planets used for life expectancy which are new to this version.

Added the option to close TerraChron between chart displays (to save RAM use). TerraChron draws astrocartography lines based upon the chart displaying in the Main view, so to update just draw a new chart and select TerraChron from the main menu under Utilites again. Clicking on the "X" will close out TerraChron and save memory between uses.

Version 9.0.0.0 - Beta. I'm giving it this designation because some program features aren't finished such as printing, the Medieval and Hellenistic chart views, fixed star display in the sign wheel and aspect lines. Otherwise this update represents the greatest step forward ever taken for Delphic Oracle. The graphics are based upon an entirely new framework capable of true 3D (not a 3D representation such as a globe on 2D). The mathematics are different in true 3D. Consider this... Should you be able to see the equator of the earth if you're stationed 750 miles above the north pole? The answer is no. You would be in approximately the right position to see the small circle parallel to the equator known as the Arctic Circle on the horizon. The graphics in TerraChron are based upon this technology and give you the impression that you're in a Theater.

Also the 2D representation of charts is much crisper in this framework. Gone are the old windows GDI routines that render raster graphics with jagged lines due to estimating pixel colors with XOR. Colors are rendered without the need for boundaries that give a much smoother appearance. This framework also has many advanced capabilities such as glow effects, gradients, patterns, etc... that I haven't taken full advantage of yet but are in applications such as PhotoShop. More color definitions and color styles have been added so that you can get just the right contrast effects between fill and boundary which allow wheels to blend into each other when desired. This has allowed me to get rid of the "music score" effect in Time Wheels which instead of displaying planets show temporal activation in the chart. The Chart Designer has been updated to take advantage of many of these capabilities and has a wheel wizard to guide you through creating your own chart designs. You can show signs, bounds, decans, lunar mansions, etc, in any order with varying thickness by drag and drop in the wizard. This Wizard has great flexibility and allows for an unlimited number of chart designs that can match or surpass anything else out there. The live data technology has been updated to include more information in hover over hints for the main chart display. The time lord graph, graphic ephemeris have been updated with a better design.

The main program window makes use of mobile components such as group bars, expanders and splitters to allow a more flexible display between small and large screens. This is partially because the framework is capable of generating iOS and Android applications, but for the time being I'm focusing on Windows and Mac OS. This version is going to be released in Windows first, then depending upon how things go with the Mac installer and file configuration, it will be released on Mac OS X.

While this migration to the new version takes place, I've allowed for the running of version 8 and 9 together using the same registration. They use separate settings so you can run them side by side without interference. The experienced user will notice that many of the examination windows such as time lord displays, primary directions and dignity charts have retained similar appearance and the main menu options have kept their original configuration so that there is still the feeling of familiarity.

There are now 6 ColorStyles in the Chart Designer (2 new ones) to account for the stroke and fill options. The new ones are MatchSectionFG and MatchSectionBG, which stand for Foreground and Background and allow the stroke and fill to match colors using the same color. There is also a new Stroke color to differentiate between Foreground and Background colors. When you click on a ColorStyle property (there's one for each wheel), it will show a hint to the right describing where the color is being applied. These 6 properties change depending on whether it's a planet wheel, sign wheel, etc. The stroke color is used in line boundaries between drawing objects on the screen and allows for blending between foreground and background colors.

Some features in the Chart Designer aren't finished because fixed stars and aspect lines aren't done yet so keep in mind that the first few releases you might want to just stick with the Themes tab, double clicking to change appearance instead of designing your own. The Wheels tab is where finishing up work needs to be done, the Visibility, Colors and Glyphs are finished. I can't guarantee that designs you create on the Wheels tab will use all of your definitions in future releases until the Wheels tab is completely finished. Also I recommend that you stick with AutoSizeFont = True (part of the Wheels tab) until I finish setting custom design settings. The fonts are by default larger now.

A new version of the Swiss Ephemeris is included with several new house systems: Abenragel A-P-C, Charles Carter's Poli-Equatorial, Equal MC (equal houses from the midheaven), Equal Aries (Aries is first house), Pullen SD, Pullen SR, and Sripati. Also added cardinal ingress options (for the Sun) to the Derivative Charts dialog.

Important Notes: The behavior with listboxes is different than on typical windows applications. In order to change the order of items in a list one must first click so that it is highlighted (and let go) then click on it again and drag. One cannot simply click and drag. Also when selecting/switching to whole sign houses, program reboot is required for proper initialization. If you happen to do a Hellenistic solar return when a different house system is selected, the display will be incorrect until you restart the application. When starting the program for the first time, the autogenerated charts (F3 - Autogenerated tab) list may be blank. Just click the Clear button between the two lists at the top and it will reset, then drag the chart types you want over to the right in the order you want them in the display, then click Save between the two lists, and Save at the bottom. Clicking on the time lords graph, graphic ephemeris and double clicking on various time lord lists will then generate your autogenerated charts for the date you selected.

This version has the Olson time zone update 2016e - 2016f and has implemented a user defined database auto-backup function (F3).

VERSION HISTORY

Version 8.2.1.2 - Includes Olson time zone update 2019b - 2019c.

Version 8.2.1.1 - Includes Olson time zone update 2019a.

Version 8.2.1.0 - Includes Olson time zone update 2018g - 2018i.

Version 8.2.0.9 - Includes Olson time zone update 2018e - 2018f.

Version 8.2.0.7 - Includes Olson time zone update 2018d.

Version 8.2.0.6 - Includes Olson time zone update 2018a - 2018c.

Version 8.2.0.5 - Includes Olson time zone update 2017c.

Version 8.2.0.4 - Added the option in the Time Wheels to use Valens rules of releasing when fortune and spirit are in the same sign. This will be automatic now if you have that option selected in the Time Lord System settings (F5) on the Zodiacal Releasing tab. Before you would have had to use the Autogenerated tab and select the sign to do ZR from as if it was a user defined option.

Version 8.2.0.3 - Includes Olson time zone update 2017b. Fixed range check error on animation intervals with the transit toolbar. The issue was that the dynamic array for current time lords for the lunar 9 year method would be set to less than 1 if too close to the birth date (less than 9 years).

Version 8.2.0.2 - Includes Olson time zone update 2017a.

Version 8.2.0.1 - Corrected error in sidereal ascensional times for the signs. See:
http://skyscript.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=9421
for comments.

Version 8.2.0.0 - This is the WL version of Delphic Oracle. I removed TerraChron and other cross platform code so that this version will be compatible with earlier versions of Windows. In many ways this version of Delphic Oracle is as information intensive as version 9 XPF, however the XPF version is capable of running on other platforms and has superior graphics.

Included a higher quality version of the AstroZT font with this distribution. Also added TFormatSettings.DecimalSeparator value to read internally as a period (.). Fixed persistence issue for the User Defined Ayanamsa setting.

Includes Olson time zone update 2015a - 2016i.

Fixed the Ptolemaic bounds of Jupiter in Capricorn which has a common off by one error (thanks to Maki). Also Fixed off by one error on house labeling routine in primary directions unit. The significator label was incorrect saying H9 when H10 was intended, H8 when H9 was intended, etc...

Added several new Styles (up to 53 GUI Styles now) that go with Windows 10 (Vapor, Glow, Radiant, Onyx Blue, Tablet Light, Windows 10, Windows 10 Blue, Windows 10 Dark). You don't need Windows 10 for these to work. Also fixed newly introduced range check error in the Time Lords and Time Graph windows when showing Annual Divisions.

In the Medieval Options (F3), I placed the almuten calculation options on the Essential Dignities tab. There was confusion as to whether this option applied to the Almuten Figurae or to calculation of almutens and it is actually the latter. The ability to control font sizes of the listviews in the Medieval group has been added to the Options (F3) | Medieval tab, General Tab. There is the ability to apply the font sizes individually to the windows or to use the default size (9 pt in most cases).

Version 8.1.0.8 - Includes Olson time zone update 2016e - 2016f. Also see note 9.0.0.6 above on expansion of time wheel capabilities which has also been added to this version.

Version 8.1.0.7 - Includes Olson time zone update 2016d.

Version 8.1.0.6 - Includes Olson time zone update 2016b - 2016c. Fixed persistence issue for the User Defined Ayanamsa setting.

Version 8.1.0.5 - Includes Olson time zone update 2016a.

Version 8.1.0.4 - Fixed sub-menu item for calculating Time Lord sub-periods L3-L4 (double clicking in the main list will also generate L3-L4).

Version 8.1.0.3 - Changed cycles default value in Time Lord Lists and added an OnKeyPress event to allow manual editing of the spin edit which makes it easier to calculate time lord listings into the 5000+ year range.

Version 8.1.0.2 - Fixed off by one error on house labeling routine in primary directions unit. The significator label was incorrect saying H9 when H10 was intended, H8 when H9 was intended, etc...

Version 8.1.0.1 - Fixed range check error in Reports | Greatest Elongation. It was due to compiler options not a code change. I also included the Vapor and Radiant GUI styles that I forgot to include in the last update.

Version 8.1.0.0 - Added several new Styles (up to 53 GUI Styles now) that go with Windows 10 (Vapor, Glow, Radiant, Onyx Blue, Tablet Light, Windows 10, Windows 10 Blue, Windows 10 Dark). You don't need Windows 10 for these to work. Also fixed newly introduced range check error in the Time Lords and Time Graph windows when showing Annual Divisions.

Version 8.0.0.9 - Fixed the Ptolemaic bounds of Jupiter in Capricorn which has a common off by one error (thanks to Maki).

Version 8.0.0.8 - Includes Olson time zone update 2015g. Added the ability to keep default chart database setting between sessions.

Version 8.0.0.7 - Includes Olson time zone updates 2015e - 2015f.

Version 8.0.0.6 - In the Medieval Options (F3), I placed the almuten calculation options on the Essential Dignities tab. There was confusion as to whether this option applied to the Almuten Figurae or to calculation of almutens and it is actually the latter. The ability to control font sizes of the listviews in the Medieval group has been added to the Options (F3) | Medieval tab, General Tab. There is the ability to apply the font sizes individually to the windows or to use the default size (9 pt in most cases).

Version 8.0.0.5 - Includes Olson time zone updates 2015c - 2015d.

Version 8.0.0.4 - Includes Olson time zone updates 2015a - 2015b.

Version 8.0.0.3 - Reduced the font size in the 3D text in TerraChron.

Version 8.0.0.2 - Included a higher quality version of the AstroZT font with this distribution. Also added TFormatSettings.DecimalSeparator value to read internally as a period (.).

Version 8.0.0.1 - Delphic Oracle TerraChron (tm) in 4D High Definition raises 3D vector animation to a new level! This is a new 3D astrocartography module in Delphic Oracle which has very new technology in high resolution vector graphics and animation with time lord support to make it 4 dimensional. The old saying goes "being in the right place at the right time". Originally, astrocartography focused on where planets were strongest by placing lines on a map to show where planets would fall on the 4 angles of the chart, but there was no way to tell when these lines would be most "active". With special effects in 3D, now one can select a time and find which areas are "hot" at any given time. The algorithm for calculating time lord intensity in a given location was invented by Curtis Manwaring (a student of Robert Schmidt's since 1994) who is familiar with the Hellenistic astrological texts. It is experimental and at the same time based upon Platonic philosophical principles of the manifestation of the soul.

In the Orientation group, special effects include Zoom / Magnification, Depth and Line/Plane height or thickness, Volume and Opacity/Transparency to show intensification of time lord sequences. One can rotate the globe along X, Y and Z axes and apply animation at various speeds and intervals forward and backward in time. The Dynamic View button will enable the X, Y, and Z Dials to rotate the globe in any direction. The Static Views below show the earth as if it was viewed from a telescope on the surface of the planet. This would be the MC (meridian) for the location and in fact it's zenith where the label is placed. It is important to understand that actual planet positions are used and not their ecliptic projections. This means that the lines labeled AS or DS are close to the ascendant or descendant, but do not exactly coincide with it because the planet can be above or below the ecliptic. These instead are horizon lines (where the planet would appear on the horizon in that location). Of course portions of the zodiac do not rise or set for 6 months out of the year in arctic regions which is why the the lines labeled AS/DS typically are some distance from the poles whereas the meridian lines all intersect the north and south poles.

In the Options group, one can override visibility of planet planes (horizon and meridian) to list only the planets that one is interested in and set the rate of animation in milliseconds (50 is default) and how far to move the animation forward or backward (default is 0.2 degrees).

In the Time Lords group one can select which time lord procedures to apply to the horizon and meridian planes. The date and time entry allows for focusing on the period in interest to see which zones were hot on that date. At first the trackbar below the date has an initial span of 120 years, but once the date is set, it zooms in to an interval of +/- 365 days. You can also set the date manually, but the trackbar is faster. The intensity increment controls the multiplication factor for the zone thickness which works similar to planetary aspect orbs, but is only part of the algorithm to help with scaling for your display.

Version 7.2.0.4 - Includes override of backzone file entries from the Olson tz database.

Version 7.2.0.3 - Includes the Olson time zone update 2014j.

Version 7.2.0.2 - This is a much bigger update than the version number implies! The Olson time zone database has been updated to 2014i. I have added several new GUI Styles and Color Themes. There is also the ability to copy colors added to Color Edits from the screen capture (F7) function. This is in the updated help file which can be accessed on the Wheels tab when showing the wizard view by clicking on the Wizard Help button. There are now over 100 themes in the program and at least 45 GUI Styles which means that the combination of display types is easily into the thousands! Some themes may not take advantage of the new ColorStyle property which means you will have to make the adjustment on the wheels tab and save new themes based upon old wheel themes you already have. Pay special attention to the ColorStyle property of the innermost planet wheel PlanetWheel1 as this has some interesting effects on display of time lords in the wheel. Toggle this if things don't look right with your old themes and save a new wheel theme when you're done.

Version 7.2.0.1 - The Wheel Designer Wizard has been finished and there is a new help file to go with it. It is on the Wheels tab of the Chart Designer (F2) and can be accessed by clicking the manila folder next to the wheel type selector at top left. The Wheel Designer takes out the drudgery of setting wheel widths (or thickness) by using trackbars to set the width with mouse or arrow keys and you can drag and drop the order of displayed wheels and hide unwanted wheel types. One can still tweak wheel properties at the end (such as ShowStars, AutoSizeFont, etc).

Several new GUI Styles have been added that go along with the look and feel of Windows 8 such as the Metropolis UI styles and they have been sorted into alphabetical order (40+ styles now exist). In addition I've added some new color themes in the Chart Designer to match these styles.

In the Terran Atlas window I've added the ability to switch PNG files (the top graphic) so that text will show up better against different backgrounds when the GUI Styles have been changed. The resolution can be changed to fit your monitor by double clicking the graphic (which has been there a while), but by holding down shift and clicking to the right or left of the "X" in the center one can change the background in the display signs for easier reading.

Kenneth Hirst has redone the AstroZT font file and you should now have both semi-bold and regular types of this font in the windows font's folder. The regular version was necessary to include because the FastReports required this to be recognized when embedded in the Acrobat files. If you are only using Delphic Oracle, you should be able to delete the semi-bold version of the font in the windows font's folder. Timaeus still uses the old version.

Version 7.1.1.1 - Includes the Olson time zone update 2014h. I've finished migrating all existing reports to the FastReports reporting engine. I still have the Rave reporting engine available but it will be deprecated and only exists now in case there are bugs in the newly created FastReports code. There is a new option in the Printing Options (F6) which will allow you to switch between Rave and FastReports. FastReports supports nine different formats so when you click on the PDF button, the main format is Acrobat, but to the left of the subsequent export window there is a drop down button which will allow you to select from among the following formats: Acrobat, HTML, RTF (Microsoft Word), BMP, Jpeg, Tiff, Gif, TXT, CSV. Not all formats are equally applicable, such as exporting the chart graphic to CSV (comma separated variable) which can be displayed in MS Excel would be pointless, but the various image formats are a big plus. I also added these formats to the Time Lords list window under the new Acrobat button which also supports all of these formats.

Version 7.1.0.9 - Added aliases for the country names to the Terran Atlas database which match the country field returned in the Geonames database. Typically one will search with the shorter names, but the long names do exist in the database and are also returned to the original search field. It was important to add these because without these aliases, the search would return "not found" if the search was initiated again.

Version 7.1.0.8 - Added backup zone lookup for storage of duplicate locations when zone returns undefined in the Terran Atlas from the main source. Beginning the migration from Rave to FastReports and for now there is a setting for which print engine to use on the Print tab of the Html options (F6). In the future, the FastReports reporting engine will likely replace Rave due to Embarcadero's support of FastReports. FastReports has the capability of exporting to many more formats at better compression.

Version 7.1.0.7 - Fixed an obscure floating point error that affected about 1 in 500 charts with calculation of the prenatal lunation. The old code in the Swiss Ephemeris unit has been replaced by new code in the component that is both faster and more reliable.

Version 7.1.0.6 - Added antiscia and contra-antiscia to the hover over hints in the chart views and to the dignities section of the miscellaneous reports.

Version 7.1.0.5 - Includes the Olson time zone update 2014g which includes several new zones from the new backzone file. I've made the Terran Atlas behave better in regards to using a default location that has duplicates by name causing the search to bring up the Terran Atlas window every time. This is no longer the case. Once a location is set as a default, either for the Autogenerated charts (F4), or in the New Chart dialog window, it retains the data without calling up latitude and longitude info again. However, it will still search for time zone changes for the location you have selected as default.

Version 7.1.0.4 - Fixed bug to the sect type definition where lots would swap if stIdeal was selected. A work around in version 7.1.0.3 would be to double click on the chart again and it would initialize correctly, but this fix makes that unnecessary.

Version 7.1.0.3 - The definition of sect has been updated to have an additional option for whether the Sun is above the ascendant-descendant axis or to use the time of apparent sunrise and sunset. This can be found under the Main Options (F3) | Hellenistic tab | Sect tab. The changes to the Olson time zone database 2014f (which was a rather significant update) have been incorporated into this release. The font size has been raized from 8 to 9 pts in most list view components.

Version 7.1.0.2 - Added the option to use dynamical houses to the PNA, Universal Hermetics and finding the predominator in the Options (F3) Hellenistic Tab | Predominator tab. If "Use Dynamical Divisions to determine Predominator and trigon lord strength, etc" is checked then those features that don't involve the topical approach will use the house system you have selected for dynamical divisions. The default dynamical division is the last dynamic house system you used if Whole Sign houses (which are topical houses) are selected in the Main Options | General Tab (F3)). I have also made a change in the Terran Atlas to make searches case insensitive.

Version 7.1.0.1 - Discovered that the FDIV error that was corrected several versions back came back because the IDE deselected "pentium safe floating point division". The error seems to have been fixed, but I will have to check each compile since the setting doesn't want to stay persistent in the IDE.

Version 7.0.1.9 - Changed planetary speed to agree with Deborah Houlding's values for use in horary and electional astrology. Also added hints for whether speed was increasing or decreasing, including the actual values for speed in longitude, latitude and distance (in AU, Astronomical Units). The Sun and Moon never have any speed in AU, and the Sun never has speed in latitude (which is why they are not included). These can be found in the Fly By hints in the chart view.

Version 7.0.1.8 - Includes the Olson time zone updates 2014d and 2014e.

Version 7.0.1.7 - Includes the Olson time zone update 2014c. There is a new zodiacal offset that will append an additional ayanamsa to either tropical or sidereal zodiacs. This could even be used to generate a draconic zodiac or any value in between. The offset can be either negative or positive (added or subtracted). The main reason for doing this was because of the possibility that Valens 8 / 10 degrees offset could be tropical and since we don't have certainty, this allows for the vernal point to be precessed in the tropical zodiac as well as the sidereal. This is in addition to the user defined ayanamsa already programmed several updates ago. If one wants no offset, make sure that the value is set to zero (the default).

Version 7.0.1.6 - Includes the Olson time zone update 2014b. Fixed a bug introduced in 7.0.1.5 where the filename field wasn't cleared properly for the CDS files (Zones.cds). This file was recently updated to include the new Antarctica zone for Troll station.

Version 7.0.1.5 - Includes the Olson time zone update 2014a. Also noticed an invalid floating point operation during chart animation which seems unrelated to my code so Pentium-safe FDIV is now checked and that error is gone.

Version 7.0.1.4 - Updated to version 2 of the Swiss Ephemeris DLL which is based upon the planetary and lunar ephemeris DE431 developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The DLL is included in this install, but the updated ephemeris files are included in the swe-inst.zip. It also includes the new True Revati and True Citra ayanamsa's. The issue of printing aspect lines in the wrong color (because the color was written to the wrong canvas object) has been fixed in this version.

Version 7.0.1.3 - Those who use European date format might want this update since it fixes an initialization problem in the database reading of .zcf files (the file save and restore is fine). This bug would cause the month would be one later than it was saved as in the database in some charts (for some reason not all were affected). I wasn't able to replicate this error on my machine, but I changed the initialization order and that seems to have fixed the problem according to Konrad Klawikowski.

Version 7.0.1.2 - Includes changes implemented in Olson time zone database 2013i.

Version 7.0.1.1 - I changed the definition of declination parallels in the primary directions unit to use latitude exclusively because historically this was done by Placidus. I still haven't included calculation of the planets own path so it is only historically accurate to use for the Sun. If one wants a zero latitude parallel, select the antiscia option.

Version 7.0.1.0 - Added fixed stars to the Bianchini array so that latitude will be calculated when ZB is selected in the Primary Direction Options (F5). The fixed stars should also now remain selected even after filtering (as long as you don't filter them out).

Version 7.0.0.9 - Decided to allow the InfoFontSize property in the chart designer to manage the font size of non-astro fonts (known as AstroZT Semibold). The last version allowed size consistency problems when a non-astro font was elected for the display of unicode characters. The size difference is minor and the Astro font is supposed to be slightly larger than standard fonts. If the font seems too small, just go to the chart designer (F2) and on the Wheels tab, make sure that AutoSizeFont = False, then set InfoFontSize up just a bit.

Version 7.0.0.8 - I removed a restriction on the name field in the chart setup dialog that is no longer needed since filenames are not based upon that field anymore. This allows unicode characters to be typed and they will also show in the chart.

Version 7.0.0.7 - Added Ayanamsa of Date to the main chart info which allows 3 formats: afDecimal = 23.6403, or afDMS = 23d 36m 4s or afZodiacal = 6 Pisces 23 55.54. This will only appear if a sidereal chart is displayed.

Version 7.0.0.6 - Added a filter to limit directions to less than a certain number of degrees in the AOD (Arc of Direction). In this way one can just focus on directions within the typical longest human life span which is set to 120 by default. The Cycles value will have to be set at 1 in order to restrict it to just the first 120 degrees, otherwise it will restrict to the first number of degrees of each cycle. I have also filtered out any directions where either the significator or promissor point cannot rise or set at the location of the chart. This happens most frequently with circumpolar stars and with greater regularity the closer you get to the arctic circle. If the direction you are interested in does not list, it is probably because an arc cannot be calculated due to the lack of a rising and setting point.

Version 7.0.0.5 - Includes Olson zone rules through 2013h. I also switched the old time zone format from version 1.0 which used (-) for east and (+) for west to match the Terran Atlas convention and Olson time zone database.

Version 7.0.0.4 - There's addition of ayanamsa user defined offset using either Degrees, Minutes and Seconds or Decimal Degrees and also gives the Julian date of the Epoch used. After exiting the Julian date field, the obliquity of the ecliptic is shown below. For these fields to be operational, user defined zodiac must be selected at top left.

Version 7.0.0.3 - I've added quick access to the Wheel, Visibility, Color and Glyph themes (F8, F9, F10, F11 respectively). These are also in the context menu of the main chart window and under the View menu of the same. Restoring themes only requires a double click and the chart (whatever happens to be displayed is redrawn. This was suggested to me as an improvement by Hank Friedman. It wasn't difficult to do, but it makes a signigicant improvement in usability. If you happen to have been working with a biwheel in chart synastry, pressing F8 will bring up the bi-wheel themes and double clicking will cause the chart bi-wheel to be redrawn immediately in the new theme/style. If you were working the the autogenerated charts and were showing a quad-wheel, then pressing F8 will show the quad-wheel themes and double clicking will show the chart in the new style with whatever time wheels were visibile at the time. A Wheel setup wizard will be coming next to allow everyone easy access to design your own wheel types without the tedious chore of assigning DrawOrder, InnerRingRadius, OuterRingRadius, etc...

Version 7.0.0.2 - Added the file topicalwiz.cds (TClientDataSet). Technically this file is embedded within the exe, but its presence should ease disk writing permission issues.

Version 7.0.0.1 - I forgot to mention that Delphic Oracle has the ability to import and export to QuickCharts format. This was actually in the last version, but I also had to fix the registration routine.

Version 7.0.0.0 - There has been a significant expansion in many areas of the program. First I want to mention that the primary directions of Polich Page have been tested and I added a checkbox for strict interpretation of Polich Page which requires mixed latitude (moving element was taken in the ecliptic while the pole planet with latitude). It was possible to make an incorrect selection (as with the others) but there are primary direction themes on the Themes tab of the Primary Direction Options (F5) to keep you on a historically accurate interpretation. I have also started the beginnings of filtering redundant directions on the new Filters tab (more later).

There are several new wheel definitions in the Chart Designer and several new default themes set up. These new themes all have the "DO7" label appended so that you can tell the difference between your imported settings from version 6 or earlier. Your imported themes may not work without some reconfiguration (particularly the wheel themes) because there are several new properties that simply didn't exist in the older versions. But you can import them and work on them to get them to work the way you wish. The Color and Glyph themes will have to take into account the Nakshatra's which Hank Friedman gave to me with his Nakshatra font (Thanks!). These can be configured on the Color and Glyph tabs, but the defaults are already set. You can use your existing color and glyph themes, but you might want to set them with the "DO7" label appended once you have them set the way you want otherwise your old themes won't remember what to use for Nakshatra colors and glyphs and you want to be able to tell which themes are finished and which aren't.

Fixed stars are now part of the wheel as well if you select ShowStars in the SignWheel. Planets will also be displayed (from PlanetWheel1) so they are set to PlanetWheel1.Visible = False so as not to be redundant in the display. The line going through the middle is the ecliptic and planets and stars are displayed with latitude. The mouse will display star stats such as magnitude, position, etc in the fly-by hints.

There is a new DrawOrder property for most of the wheels. Drawing goes from outermost starting at one and going up in count as you reach the center of the wheel. You can draw in almost any order except for the planet wheels which have to remain in sequence starting with the House Wheel and counting until the Number Wheel. These draw in the order set under the House Wheel (ignore the DrawOrder property of the Number Wheel as this was inherited from the HouseWheel class and not used). All other wheels can be shifted around in any order. It is important to make sure the InnerRingRadius of the earlier draw order matches the OuterRingRadius of the subsequent draw order. I'm in the middle of setting up a wizard to handle this, but it isn't ready yet. For now there are lots of themes you can double click on to jump from one set of wheel settings to another.

There is also a new ColorStyle property which controls the contrast of some of the wheels such as the decan and bound wheels. They now draw glyphs in the shaded area, but it is possible to use a light background and use the foreground color for the glyphs, or use a dark background and use a light foreground color or use the csContrast style when you aren't sure. Not all wheels implement this property, as it is used primarily for the decans, bounds, nakshatra, navamsa's, etc. This is because the planet and house wheels have their own color settings.

There has also been a major development in the addition of Time Wheels (tm) which draw time lord pointers and shaded areas representing the current times along side the transits directly in the wheel. This has been something that was a long time planned since the days of Rob Hand's CW3 which I finally got around to doing. These have been added to the Autogenerated charts which also includes several zodiacal releasing options along with profections of several planets and points. You can move them around in any order, but I recommend that you space transits and progressions between each time wheel so as not to get confused with the different levels. When placing them next to each other it gets to be like reading a music score in the base and middle range at the same time without the G and F clefs. Keep in mind that you can move your mouse over the shaded sections and arrows to see what method it is and when it started, etc...

I have also changed the Hellenistic chart view to include more planet data and added a new Medieval chart view. More of these will be coming soon for various chart views that can't be handled by the Chart Designer such as the South Indian view and so on. I have added several new sidereal zodiac's and included user defined as well. There are some interesting correspondences between Jyotish and Hellenistic astrology. Some say that Hellenistic astrology was grafted onto Jyotish. The Nakshatra's which have 27 or 28 divisions and are based upon the Moon are actually much older. The Nakshatra's have been around at least since 700 BCE. The question is whether the Navamsa's have been around as long. This is because the Nakshatra when divided by 4 (padas) gives the Navamsa count of 108! Hellenistic astrology recognizes these as the greater years of the Moon. It seems likely that Jyotish tradition is preserving much of the earlier Hellenistic material that is now missing.

There are several small tweaks that I have added that are hardly worth mentioning except that there are so many of them in this version; the result is that the program is becoming much more polished. The Olson time zone updates are included up through 2013g. This is far from an exaustive list of the new changes but I plan to do a video on what is new in the program in the near future.

Version 6.4.2.5 - Includes the Olson time zone update from 2013a. I also updated the Canada, Alaska, North Dakota and South Dakota CDS files with new time zone attributions.

Version 6.4.2.4 - Thanks to Martijn van Bemmel, there is a new set of visually stunning professional icons in Delphic Oracle! The same graphic replaces the original (X) on my website for the high resolution display (1280 px and higher).

Version 6.4.2.3 - This update completes the remaining GUI options that were left visible but not complete in earlier versions: Antiscia, Declination Parallels, Mundane Parallels and Rapt Parallels. This means that there are no visual elements left hanging which gives the appearance of completion. The four main direction types have been tested (thanks to Martin Gansten, Petr Radek and Trojan Kotnik) and the bugs have been worked through and corrected for the semi-arc method, circle of position, under the pole and topocentric directions (so far to my satisfaction) for both traditional and modern direction types. However, I think mundane directions should be tested more thoroughly. I have matching results from my work in Martin Gansten's course in both the test app and Delphic Oracle, but I'd like to see more examples tested to make sure there are no problems through all 4 quadrants with mundane directions. There are some abbreviations for the parallels that you should become familiar with:

A || = this is a standard antiscia of a promissor directed to a significator (planet listed after ||).
D || = this is a declination parallel of a given planet (planet listed after ||). There will typically be two of these unless a planet near the solstice is either above the ecliptic (summer) or below (winter) in which case the declination will not intersect the ecliptic anywhere. It is theoretically possible for there to be only 1, but such would have to intersect the ecliptic exactly on the solstice point which would be exceedingly rare.
M || M = this is a mundane parallel to the meridian (either MC or IC). A planet will be listed next to this.
M || H = this is a mundane parallel to the horizon (either Asc or Desc). Also will have a planet listed after this.
R || Asc = this is a rapt parallel to the ascendant (with planet listed after).
R || MC = this is a rapt parallel to the midheaven (with planet listed after).
R || Desc = this is a rapt parallel to the descendant (with planet listed after).
R || IC = this is a rapt parallel to the imum coeli (with planet listed after).

Mundane aspects necessitate that the aspect be the fixed point in the direction. What this means is that if you have Aspects of Promissors to Significators checked, the promissor will be the fixed point in the direction which means that by the rules of calculation this is called a converse direction, so you will see all mundane directions listed as converse (or the conjunction as D/C). Traditionally though, this is a matter of point of view which can also be reversed.

I have updated the Themes Tab to include basic direction types used throughout history so that one does not get too confused as to what was actually calculated and mix selections which can cause calculations to not match any authors preference (and therefore appear wrong). Part of the challenge is making sure that the options you select are appropriate for the direction type. For instance one could select Topocentric directions but calculate in zodiaco (no latitude) which can be done, but doesn't match what Kuhr did historically. Also one can select Ptolemaic semi-arc and calculate directions with latitude (when historically this was done only in the zodiac). This is why I created the Themes Tab so that by double clicking you will have selections that make sense for the historical period you are interested in. Of course you can stray from these predefined settings if you wish.

Version 6.4.2.2 - The Fixed Stars section of the primary directions module has been linked up. Only conjunctions are allowed (no aspects). Latitude is used when ZP or ZL options are checked in the Time Lord System Options (F5). Latitude is always used in mundane directions. Therefore if you have mundane checked and ZP or ZL, you will end up with duplicates. Circumpolar stars will only calculate if you have the Z option checked. Because these stars never rise or set, directions which involve proportions of diurnal and nocturnal arcs cannot be calculated.

Version 6.4.2.1 - Implemented Junctinus variation of annual divisions in the Time Lords form and in the Time Lords graph. The Graph version will require you to click the clear button in the Time Lord Settings window under Graph | Themes and you will see the new listing for annual divisions of Junctinus next to the other annual divisions in the left side listbox.

Version 6.4.2.0 - Just some more tweaking of the Polich Page and Placidus under the Pole methods to reflect neo-converse conventions more accurately.

Version 6.4.1.9 - Defaults have been re-organized in Primary Direction settings so that selections are not overridden when no option is selected until after verification that there is no selection for an option that must have a selection.

Version 6.4.1.8 - Added mixed latitude options (Significator with latitude and promissor no latitude and vice versa) to the Primary Directions general tab along with the Kundig Key so that Polich Page topocentric directions can be calculated authentically. If there are any other direction types that use mixed latitude, let me know because this release only applies that option to the Polich Page method. There are two new abbreviations under M/Z to match this option: ZS = Zodiacal with latitude of significator (no latitude for promissor), ZP = Zodiacal with latitude for promissor (no latitude for significator).

The directions through the bounds appear to be fixed for the southern hemisphere. To test this I used the Circumambulations through the ascendant and the values match to the date. The problem was the AD (ascensional difference) was negative in the southern hemisphere and the subsequent algorithm doubled the ascensional difference when it should have been canceled.

The Placidus Under the Pole method has also been reworked (and debug data added). Along with this is another option to include debug data or exclude it in the Primary Directions general options.

Version 6.4.1.7 - The Primary Directions component now has synchronized debug data which allows for checking of the calculations of every direction by clicking on the direction under the M/Z column. This same action will also calculate autogenerated charts for the date of the direction. In order to see the internal data, just grab the splitter control near the top of the window and drag down. You will see two memo fields filled with data (one for the significator and the other for the promissor).

In the Derived charts window, there are now 2 new revolution types based upon Ile Spasev's article (http://beyondtheheaven.wordpress.com/2013/01/05/dividing- the-year-into-13-monthly-revolutions/). There is a 3rd type suggested there that isn't implemented but the two that are, are named Gauricus Monthly Revolution and Solar Monthly Profections. These are actually like return charts but the first one adds 28 days, 2 hours and 17 minutes which is a synodic cycle of the year divided by 13. The other is simply the addition of exactly 30 degrees to the Sun's position to get the chart of a monthly profection. In the Gauricus monthly revolution, you will be presented a dialog window after clicking OK in the Derived charts window so that you can add charts and modify the time zone which is critical to getting an accurate ascendant. Simply click on the chart(s) you are interested in and it will open the add chart you are already familiar with for setting up natal charts. It also allows you to filter out monthly revolution charts you aren't interested in.

Version 6.4.1.5 - Neo Converse directions have been implemented in the main primariy direction types (except for Placidian Mundane directions for the time being). There is a new option called Neo Converse in the Primary Directions window. This will cause modern directions (both direct and converse) to be calculated and the text NC will show indicating that the direction is Neo Converse according to modern rules of directing. This is what you should select if you want to match values to Morinus software. Traditional converse directions are directions where the significator is moved with the diurnal rotation. Neo converse directions have been defined as directions against the diurnal rotation.

The debug info has been split between significator and promissor in the primary directions window, but has still not been synchronized yet. To use this, the best option is to limit the number of directions calculated. It is used for values that are suspected to be in error and makes for easier cross checking. To show this in the main window, just grab the splitter near the top and drag it down, then double click under the M/Z column at left and it will show internal data calculated. The abbreviations are:

Sig_ = this is the significator prefix with an underscore to indicate that it is an object of TDirectPoint. After the underscore is the name of the property.

Pro_ = the same as above, but for the promissor object.

Name (aspect only) = this is the aspect name. Since the significator or promissor can be any point, this is not specified here.
Name (bounds only) = This is the name of the bound if this point happens to be one of the term boundaries, otherwise it will be blank.
Quadrant = This is the quadrant of the significator or promissor such that below the horizon in the east = quadrant 1, above the horizon in the east is quadrant 2, above the horizon in the west is quadrant 3, and below the horizon in the west is quadrant 4. This is what makes directions for hundreds / thousands of years possible for use in mundane astrology.
EclipticLat = Ecliptic latitude.
EclipticLong = Ecliptic longitude.
RA = Right Ascension.
Decl = Declination.
AD = Ascensional Difference. (difference between oblique and right ascension)
ED = Equinoctial Difference.
OA = Oblique Ascension.
OD = Oblique Descension.
MD = Meridian Distance.
HD = Horizontal Distance.
DSA = Diurnal Semi-Arc.
NSA = Nocturnal Semi-Arc.
PP = Pars Proportionalis (proportional point).
ProjectedMD = Projected Meridian Distance.
UMD = Upper Meridian Distance.
X, Y, Z are circle of position / placidus under the pole, etc derived trigometric values used to find the pole in pole specific methods.
Pole = The Pole of the direction in circle of position, placidus under the pole, etc.
ADUnderPole = Ascensional Difference under the pole.
OblUnderPole = This can be either Oblique Ascension under the pole or Oblique Descension under the pole depending upon quadrant.
AspectQuad = This is the quadrant that a mundane aspect is found in used only in Placidian mundane directions.
Antiscia = The Antiscia of the significator or promissor.
DeclPll = Declination Parallel.
MundaneMD = Mundane Meridian Distance (used in mundane directions).
MundaneHD = Mundane Horizontal Distance (used in mundane directions).

There is now a new checkbox in the Main Options (F3) under the Terran Atlas tab to turn off long Olson Time Zone rule labels. When checked, only the UTC offset will show in the chart display which cleans up the appearance considerably. This will not affect the labels in charts already created and saved to your databases.

Version 6.4.1.4 - The calculation of sect of the planets has been modified to add the medieval sect consideration (what Schmidt calls rejoicing conditions related to sect) to the chart hover over hints (the data that shows when you hover your mouse over a chart glyph). This includes the new field "medieval sect" with values of Hayz, Ex Conditione, and Mixed. There is also a special algorithm for finding the sect of Mercury based upon his common nature to both sects which is modified when it comes into contact with planets according to their sect affiliation. This option is on the Hellenistic tab of the main options on the new Sect tab and it only includes Mercury's conjunction with Jupiter, Saturn and Venus, Mars. The Sun and Moon are excluded from this calculation due to the frequency of the occurrence (Sun) and the fact that the Moon applies to Mercury, but not the other way around (unless retrograde).

In the primary directions module I added debug info to the main window (grab the splitter at the top and drag it down to see the debug memo). The data arrays aren't synchronized yet, so double clicking on a direction will not give results for that direction yet, but I hastened this release for the other features above.

Version 6.4.1.3 - Added dates and values for greatest elongation for Mercury and Venus in the Reports window (last group at bottom left). First set up a chart that represents the start date for calculating greatest elongation of Mercury and Venus from the Sun. Then go to the Reports window and click on the Greatest Elongation tool button or select it from the menu. The length of the report is determined by your selection in the Main Options (F3) under Graphic Ephemeris tab | Main tab (the bottom spin edit field which also controls heliacal phenomena report). The accuracy of the data is to within the hour. Calculations are monitored by a progress bar that allows canceling and the first entry is not actually a greatest elongation, but the elongation at birth.

Version 6.4.1.2 - Directions through the bounds was plagued by an improper initialization of the internal DateTime component which assigns quadrants to all directions. The bound routines were set up out of sequence. Also the geographic latitude was masked internally by the default value of 43N27. This appears to be fixed.

Version 6.4.1.1 - Forgot to link up the ayanamsa for directing through the bounds so I set this up.

Version 6.4.0.2 - This update includes directions through the bounds for all direction types and all bound types (Egyptian, Ptolemaic, Valens and Chaldean). It will follow the selected bound type showing in the main chart (Main Options | Dignities - F3). If you want to follow the tradition of Ptolemy for instance, and direct a planet through the bounds, select that planet under the significators list and then select bounds / terms under promissors. If you also want to see the rays cast by other promissors to that planet, select the aspects desired and then select the planets desired under the promissors list. If one planet is selected as a significator, then this will show a very similar format to what I have done in the time lords section with the Circumambulations technique of Dorotheus, except it will represent Ptolemaic directions for a given subject. Once you have set up a group of selections the way you want them shown, save these as a theme under the themes tab. Just type in a theme name and click the Add button. All you need to do to get all your setting back for a given tradition is double click on the theme you want to restore.

The directions will list the Sign first and then the bound second in the promissors list (such as Virgo Saturn, but using glyphs). The significator will be the fixed point in the direction. To my understanding, there has been no such thing as converse directions through the bounds, but if someone can point out otherwise it would be no problem adding them. Aspects to bounds have not been implemented for the same reasons. At this point all directions through the bounds are direct so it makes no difference what type of direction you have selected in the Primary directions window at this point.

Directions through the bounds, while typically zero latitude, do use latitude for the significator if you have that option selected under either the Mundane or Zodiacal direction options. The cancel button has been enabled so you can cancel calculations of long direction lists.

Version 6.4.0.1 - Includes several new options in regards to primary directions which are based upon Dr. Martin Gansten's PDDC course and Ed Falis's Astroframes program. Thanks to Dr. Martin Ganstin and Ed Falis for making this possible. First, this update isn't quite complete, but I wanted it available to help test some results. This update follows the same conventions that Martin Gansten outlines in his course and so far uses the traditional meanings of direct and converse. Later there will also be a neo-converse option for modern direction types. There are some symbols you should be aware of and I have made the following abbreviations which show in the direction list output:

Under M/Z:

M = Mundane (this is classical mundane direction and aspects are cast from the fixed point always as this was the convention of Placidus. Here direct and converse is a matter of perspective since the fixed point must always cast the aspect, if the aspect is the promissor, then the direction is converse. Likewise if the fixed point happens to be the significator, this is direct. If you have "aspects of significators" checked, then the significator must be the fixed point in the direction which means that it is a direct direction. Aspects of promissors generate converse directions. Ignore the direct/converse drop down list in this case since whether you want direct directions or converse depends only upon whether you have these two checkboxes checked at bottom right of the Selections tab.

MM = This is a mundane direction according to Magini who cast aspects in right ascension measured along the equator instead of the ecliptic. Note that in many cases there will be duplicates where directions match. This is because there are situations where latitude in zodiaco and mundane are the same definition. They differ though when it comes to aspect calculations and when their definitions of latitude differ.

Z = This is a zodiacal direction with no latitude. It was the most favored direction type of antiquity (Ptolemy) and was typically used with the Ptolemy key.

ZL = This is zodiacal with latitude. Here this will be the same as mundane conjunction, but when aspects are cast, they are cast along the small circle parallel to the ecliptic.

ZB = This is zodiacal direction according to the method of Bianchini in assigning latitude.

As for the Significator and Promissor columns, I have reversed these to fall more in line with Gansten's conventions for naming directions so that you can read it in order. The significator of a direction is always listed first and the promissor last. Saying that Sun to the conjunction of Mars is not a statement about the motion of the sky. It is traditionally a statement of astrological import similar to the relationship of a subject to a direct object.

Under the D/C column:

D = Direct
C = Converse
D/C = direct or converse (only happens in placidian mundane conjunctions)
NC = Neo Converse

Under the date column you have the ability to select short or long date format. Long date format includes the time of day (UTC).

Julian Date is the julian date number. I include this column so that you can have a true date sort by clicking on the header.

Under the Type column:

PSA = Proportional Semi-Arc method of Ptolemy (this is also sometimes called the Placidian semi-arc method).
RPC = Regiomontanus Position Circle method (aka circle of position method or the rational method)
PUP = Placidus Under the Pole - this is a curve fit that Placidus invented which is meant to approximate the PSA method that is mathematically more elegant.
PPT = Polich-Page Topocentric method.

Under the Key column is the key used to translate the adjacent AOD (arc of direction) into a date:

Ptolemy = 1 degree is 1 year
Naibod = average daily motion of the Sun is the rate of travel (as a yearly constant).
Placidus = average daily motion averaged over the arc of direction (requires iteration).
Brahe = average daily motion of the Sun on the birth date in question is the rate of travel.

In the Time Lord System Options (F5) there is a new Fixed Stars tab. Ignore it for now until I've finished linking it to the primary directions component. There are several new checkboxes on the Selections tab which match what I've alrerady mentioned above; the houses as significators is now operational, but I have yet to link directions to bounds, antiscia, or fixed stars. The mundane and rapt parallels are also not finished.

You should also be aware that selecting too many directions will slow down calculations. This is why I have included a progress bar to the right on the main direction window. I have not included the Cancel button yet because it is not fully operational (setting the listview back into proper order after endupdate). When it comes to primary directions, less is definitely more. Selecting every option available will generate a huge list that will be impossible to navigate. The reason for all the options is to cover the entire range of directions historically used by various astrologers through history. In their own practice, they never used all the options available to you now, but selected what was important for the subject matter they were looking at. I suggest you do the same. The Themes tab is there for this purpose and it will group settings according to various astrological traditions throughout history. I will set these groups in a default arrangement when this module is finished according to author (Ptolemy, Lilly, Regiomontanus, Placidus, etc).

Version 6.3.0.2 - Fixed a minor bug that prevented 3rd, 7th, and 40th days of the Moon derived charts from being calculated.

Version 6.3.0.1 - The Chaldean confines are now in the chart wheel display and in time lords sequences. This bound type is dependent upon the sect of the chart where Mercury or Saturn switch positions in the signs depending upon chart sect. The diurnal places Saturn first, then Mercury, whereas the nocturnal will place Mercury first, then Saturn.

This also includes the updated Olson time zone database files 2012f - 2012j.

I have included about 1100 fixed stars which is part of the asteroid report. One can filter asteroids, hypotheticals, planets and stars into or out of the report entirely. They can be sorted by location in the zodiac by clicking on the header labeled "Ecl. Frac" or according to the criterion of all other headers. There is also the ability to exclude stars that are fainter than a user defined magnitude or stars that have a declination or ecliptic latitude greater than a certain number. A magnitude of 1.5 will give the 4 royal stars which is the default. Some stars have a name and a nomenclature name and others just have a nomenclature name which follows the convention of a Greek letter followed by the constellation abbreviation such as *q alTau" which is "alpha Taurus". Alpha is by convention the brightest star and following in alphabetical order per constellation. This report is useful for determining which stars, planets, etc are in close conjunction. The fixed stars module comes with an updated Swiss Ephemeris dll and was a necessary precursor to the coming update in the primary directions module which will include all direction types up to the modern era.

Version 6.2.2.3 - Changed the prenatal lunation calculation to handle lunations that happen very close to the 0 Aries point so that it can handle lunations that happen to fall very close to that point.

Version 6.2.2.2 - Includes the changes from the Olson database 2012d and 2012e. Bumped up font sizes a bit in the wizards.

Version 6.2.1.8 - Included user defined point for circumambulation technique (through the rays and bounds) so lots of various types can be directed. This can be found in the time lords list window under System of Hermes menu. The reorganization of the GUI sets the general period toolbar above the sub period toolbar.

Version 6.2.1.7 - Fixed bug at end of array of planetary rays that duplicated the last list item. Also fixed a few more spellings at the request of Ben Dykes.

Version 6.2.1.6 - Includes the distributions of the solar revolution method using oblique ascensions at the request of Benjamin Dykes, PhD. This follows the same window format as Al Firdaria and Primary directions except that chart selection is not present, but implied based upon what charts are showing in the main window. To get solar revolutions, first set up a solar return and display the chart. The first combo box titled "Chart Selections" offers "Solar Return Only" or "Solar Return to Natal". With the first selection you only need to display the solar return chart in the main window, select the directed point to direct to solar return positions and click the calculate button. When the "Solar Return to Natal" option is selected in "Chart Selections", you need to display a bi-wheel (press Ctrl + W) and place a natal chart inside and the solar return on the outside. The directed point is then a point from the solar return directed to natal positions. The calculations use oblique ascensions in scaling encounters of aspects, terms and sign boundaries and include the option to use latitude for planets not on the ecliptic. This affects only bodily encounters since aspect rays are automatically reduced to ecliptic positions at this point. When one selects user defined point from the directed point list (last item), the degree, sign, minute and label fields become enabled. Just select the degree and minute to direct and enter a label. For example if this is the lot of the father, then enter "Father" and a typical direction will look like "Father -> dex squ Sun".

There are also several new GUI Styles that have been added which puts the library at well over 30 styles.

Version 6.2.1.3 - Includes Olson time zone updates for 2012c. I have fixed the scrolling for the transit delineations and made the transit interface match Timaeus which had a superior arrangement.

Version 6.2.1.2 - Includes Olson time zone updates for 2012b. America/Creston was added to the Olson time zone override rules as well as the main database.

Version 6.2.1.1 - There are numerous improvements in this version. I have added GUI Styles to the user interface which can be found at the top of the group bar on the left of the main window. There are 26 different styles and they are far reaching affecting the appearance of every control except for your user defined themes. Upon switching styles, the main window brings up the chart designer to confirm if you want to change your color theme to match. Click Apply or Save and you have a completely changed theme.

Also, I have extended the range of heliacal phenomena reports to iterate for up to 110 years. This is an extensive calculation, so a progress bar will show when starting the calculation. I have mimicked a separate thread in the application by adding the application.processmessages line inside the calculation loop so the application doesn't hang while this is being processed.

I have replaced the Gif Image unit by Anders Melander with the Jpeg unit so now html reports use true color Jpg's for chart images which significantly improves the appearance of the reports. A brief flash of the preview will show when generating html reports which is part of the image generating process now and eliminates the need for the user to update settings to fit the screen one is using (in the past failure to do this resulted in the image being partially cut off). Jpgs take longer to generate than gif images so be a little more patient while the shell brings up the default browser.

The main font used by Delphic Oracle and Timaeus is now part of the Swiss Ephemeris install so that it is not downloaded twice.

Version 6.1.0.8 - Added filters for the planetary day and hour to the Chart Design component so that these properties don't show in the Chart Designer. There's no harm in showing them, but you don't need to edit these and it only introduces complexity for the end user so these are filtered out for the sake of simplicity. I also fixed a bug in the Kurios Wizard where strings were not properly formatted causing incorrect read of Universal Hermetics Report. They should now match in content.

Version 6.1.0.7 - Changed the Tokelau time zone (Pacific/Fakaofo) to make the date switch concurrent with West Samoa (Pacific/Apia). I have been tinkering with Primary directions (fixing the spelling in the link in the main group bar) and working to optimize the code. Also fixed spelling for Philippines lookup (using PH for country abbreviation bypasses this problem, but now it will work for the long spelling as well).

Version 6.1.0.6 - Added an editable name for Derivative charts that gives a unique name for iterations of returns. There is a new edit field for suggested name and doing successive charts after the first one will append a number so that these can be saved to one of your database files (*.zcf). Clicking on a return type will give new suggestions for a name which you can edit to make shorter or add details.

Version 6.1.0.5 - Added Significator aspects to Promissors to Primary Directions routines which is the other half Promissor aspects to Significators. Selecting all calculation options can result in significant hang time so the next step is to add a progress bar. I have therefore disabled automatic calculation upon showing the Primary Direction window to avoid unnecessary calculations, but keep in mind that changing the Chart combo box to switch between charts will generate a calculation so it is unnecessary to recalculate. Also corrected the link for upgrades on the Help | About page.

Version 6.1.0.4 - Includes the ability to capture the screen as a JPEG image with function shortcut (F7) by providing a file name and saving it to your HD. This function can also be found under the view menu. I have also added the planetary day and hour to the chart info in both the standard and square chart view.

Version 6.1.0.3 - Includes the update from Olson zone file 2011n which includes the changes for Cuba DST and Fiji. I have also fixed a bug that affected the circumambulation through the bounds for users of sidereal zodiac. The earlier versions added the ayanamsha twice ignoring the initial planet position which caused tropical sequences to be used. This has been fixed in this version.

Version 6.1.0.2 - Includes the update based upon the Olson zone files from 2011j - 2011m. Have added 3 new zones to the Time Zone override button (Europe/Tiraspol, Africa/Juba, Asia/Hebron).

Version 6.1.0.1 - Reset the default firdar options to Abu-Mashar and made GUI improvements to the Alfirdaria and Main windows.

Version 6.0.0.6 - Added the Al-firdaria time lord procedure of the Arabs with option to change between 2 types of nocturnal sequences based upon ambiguity in medieval texts about where the place the nodes. Includes the ability to cross reference period onset dates to what is happening with transits and progressions of various types you specify by clicking on the period label in the list view. Includes printing and acrobat file generation and covers a span of time of over 2000 years for research in mundane astrology.

Version 6.0.0.5 - Corrects the LMT bug that Michael Sinclair pointed out and adds the changes to the Olson time zones listed in 2011i.

Version 6.0.0.4 - I set the zodiac mode to be checked at the time of chart calculation so that one does not have to restart the program to use the new zodiac. I have also added a change in the Terran Atlas for location lookups in Arizona (which uses Arkansas by mistake when filter mode is used).

Version 6.0.0.3 - I have added the option to switch planetary hour type. The one based upon sect has been the standard in Timaeus and Delphic Oracle for years (Bonatti) but I've been hearing that although that was the theory, that the actual practice was to use the day lord (planet that goes about) for 24 hours until the next day lord takes over the following sunrise. This is the 2nd option named after Lilly, but I'm sure it was in practice before him. This can be found on the new Medieval Tab in the general options (F3) in Delphic Oracle and on the Options tab | General Tab in Timaeus.

Version 6.0.0.2 - Includes the changes to the Russian time zones. Russia abolished daylight saving time so all zones will stay in their current time without changes until the next politician comes along.

Version 6.0.0.1 - The second version of the Terran Atlas with 13 million records and 700 different location types for 250 countries has now been integrated into Delphic Oracle. You will still have to download and install the standalone version of the Terran Atlas (2.0). I have also worked on the rectification toolbar which updates the date and time in the chart window now. Before, only the toolbar indicated the date and time of the chart while the natal data was still in place which could be confusing to some users.

There is a migration tool to help you move your chart files (it is not necessary to do this and perfectly acceptable to leave your chart files in the old directories) and/or your registry settings. It is highly recommended that you bring over your registry settings from version 5 to 6. This same tool also works for updating from Timaeus 7 to version 8.

The Derivative Charts window has been enhanced to do planetary returns of all kinds for up to 100 returns. Obviously if doing Pluto returns, the range of the Swiss Ephemeris will be exceeded so in these cases those charts will not calculate planet positions. I have also made it impossible to edit charts of certain types such as solar returns. The Graphic Ephemeris has also been improved with persistent image spacing through docking and window resize operations so you no longer have to hit the redraw button to see the graph when switching between windows or resizing the graph. I have also added a 45 degree dial to the graph options.

I have made numerous changes in the main window and docking procedures. Users have the option of which windows to dock or float free. This setting is in the main program options (F3) on the new Docking Tab. It is similar to the Autogenerated Charts Tab in function where you drag windows from one side to the other to indicate whether it is a docked or floating window. I changed both tabs so that clicking the Save button at the bottom saves these defaults (or one could use the save button placed between the lists). Be aware that if you drag a window from docked status to floating, a program restart is required for the system to update (dragging from floating to docked does not require this).

The opened chart list is no longer at top right. I have placed this at top left above the group bar panel. There was a splitter between the Medieval and Hellenistic sections and I have placed these in the same group bar and placed the opened chart list above the splitter. There is no memo anymore that displays chart details. It wasn't necessary to take up the extra space, because simply clicking on a chart once displays the chart details in the popup hint (double clicking displays the chart wheel). There were too many splitters in the main window, so now it is down to 3 splitters. The group bar has been color coordinated and you will notice several small changes in toolbar glyphs that helps the visual appearance. Most of these icons are from http://www.aha-soft.com and some are combinations of icons placed together from free icon sources.

Also, for a long time now I've been wishing to have the ability to update the transits on the fly without displaying current time lords and now there is an extra toolbutton placed to the current time lords toolbutton near the transit animation controls. In the Miscellaneous Reports, I have fixed the spacing of text columns for the lots so they fall correctly in the rich edit memo pad (which users can edit). I also fixed a small bug in the Time Lords Graph where the clear button would become disabled if the window was hidden by docking another window in its place.

The Chart Designer Themes tab mirrors the 4 previous tabs (Wheels, Visibility, Colors, Glyphs) and there is a sub tab by the same name for each of these main tabs. All 4 of these used to be on the same Themes tab with a listbox split up by dividers, but users with small screens had a difficult time seeing the flattened controls so each now has a tab for itself. When you work on Wheel settings on the top level tab of the Chart Designer, then you go to the Themes | Wheels to save (or restore) these settings as a group. The same can be done with the other 3 main tabs. Themes are a convenient way to group settings so that you no longer have to set 20 - 80 controls every time you want to switch. Set up a theme and save it, and the next time you double click that theme all of the associated values will be brought back and used by the program.

I have changed all splitter styles in to ssGroupBar and extended the grabber areas to maximum which gives a more streamlined appearance. There have been a number of zone changes that have taken place during the equinox to Alaska, Russia, Chile, Turkey and a number of smaller countries. I have finished the new section on the essential dignities which includes full tabulation calculation of the almutem figuris according to Ibn Ezra, an essential dignities table that calculates almutens for the house cusps and planets, etc... The degree attributions of Bonatti have also been added to the essential dignities table (bright, dark, smoky, empty, welled/pitted, azemena, degrees of increasing fortune and masculine and feminine degrees which Bonatti used primarily for horary. Acrobat and printing routines for the almutem figuris and essential dignities tables have been finished.

Version 5.2.4.5 - This version saves the column widths for the primary direction list view window. You can hover your mouse on the header divider and drag and it will remember the widths of these headers when you close or hide the window.

Version 5.2.4.4 - I have added Acrobat file generation and printing for the primary direction listings. I recommend using the Acrobat function if you have your printer set to print all pages so that you can specify which pages to print because listings can go beyond 100+ pages quite easily. The calculation still needs a progress bar for calculations because in some cases it can take more than a minute to complete if you have everything selected and you generate primary directions for 5,000+ years. I corrected a minor bug in the selection of the primary directions that didn't filter out oppositions when unselected.

Version 5.2.4.1 - This update includes primary directions according to the Placidus semi-arc method. Hovering over the M/Z (Mundane/Zodiacal) column will highlight the direction and clicking on an item in this column will create autogenerated charts according to your autogenerated settings so that you can compare transits, progressions, etc to the current directional arc. Clicking on a column header will sort according to the contents of that header, so you can sort by significator, promissor, julian date, etc...

There has also been a new time zone added to the Olson time zone database (America/North Dakota/Beluah) because of the change from mountain to standard time for Mercer county. You will see the new zone in the Olson time zone override window (button to the far right of the time field).

Version 5.2.3.4 - There has been an update to the Olson database with regard to Hawaii rules during world war II so the CMDateTime component has been updated to include the changes which is part of delphicoracle.exe. If you already have the database files for cities (downloaded Terran Atlas 1.1.1.1 or later) then all you need is Delphic Oracle install. The exception is if you use the stand alone version, then terranatlas.exe should be downloaded as well. The time zone information is part of the date time component so that you can skip downloading the massive city database which rarely changes.

Version 5.2.3.3 - I fixed a bug in calculation of some of the Hermetic lots that affects certain charts depending upon your other lot options. The case where a double reversal is not considered a conceptual problem has been reinstated in these cases.

Version 5.2.3.2 - I've added a crosshair to the time lord graph so that viewing concurrent time lord sequences in parallel can be more precisely defined as a guide for your eye. The time split line representing the crosshair will change orientation to either horizontal or vertical depending upon your graph orientation. I removed the date setting and now require that graphs start with the birth date, but I have increased the range of calculation to a max of 300 years. The limitations are based upon memory and a maximum calculation span for circumambulations which is 360 years. Depending upon the resources of your system, your actual calculation span may vary. Most systems should have no trouble maxing this range out.

Version 5.2.3.1 - When editing the Terran Atlas database I disabled the search timer for smoother operation. You must keep the database in read only mode to do lookups. This helps stave off the possibility of data corruption should you hit the navigation edit buttons by accident, etc. I also updated the DateTime class property DateStyle so that it updates the Terran Atlas accordingly with the same date style used in the rest of the program.

Version 5.2.2.3 - I've included the Olson TZ definitions from version 1.1.2.2 of the Terran Atlas in this version of Delphic Oracle which reflects minor changes - see the Terran Atlas readme for details.

Version 5.2.2.2 - I've tightened up the data associations between the Canada file and the Olson time zone database to use all zones that were created rather than using a default zone based upon the most populated areas. Some countries do not have a one to one correspondence between region number or province name to zone rule and had to be searched using localization routines. There are a few areas like this such as Indiana, Idaho, eastern Oregon, etc. At this point this makes the associations fairly tight (within about 5-10 miles in most cases) except for regions that are in extreme northern latitudes 70N or 70S. Since so few people live in these areas, it isn't much of a problem, but if the location gives the wrong zone rule, there is the option to override the Olson time zone using the button attached to the far right of the time edit field.

Version 5.2.1.2 - I have made small changes in the way search is done on the default location so that the focus doesn't force a duplicate check on a location.

Version 5.2.1.1 - This release contains the integrated version of the Terran Atlas database. You will need to download the standalone version of the Terran Atlas to use it in Delphic Oracle because this install doesn't contain the database files. See the Terran Atlas readme file for information on how to use the Atlas search modes. There is a new Terran Atlas Tab in the Main Options (F3) which allows you to switch primary Atlas, whether to place the database in edit mode, whether to show the Olson database time zone messages and a path to the atlas files. There are actually 2 directories (unicode and ansicode) for each version of the Atlas. The unicode version has special characters which might make data hard to find unless you have a special keyboard (to type umlauts and such). If you don't want to type in special characters, then don't change the default directory.

Version 5.1.2.3 - Fixed bug that caused some Solar Arc directions to go backwards. Added the ability to print sorted asteroid lists and create Acrobat files. I've been working on the accuracy of return charts in the Derivative charts dialog window and added the topocentric option. Geocentric lunar returns and topocentric lunar returns for the natal location will work fine, but generating a relocated topocentric lunar return will show a position of the Moon that is not quite that of birth but may be derived from the topocentric lunar position at birth at the relocated nativity. I will have to check into this further with the debugger.

Version 5.1.2.2 - Fixed a bug that prevented lot lists and Aspects to be printed as Acrobat files together. I've also brought transit delineations from Timaeus to Delphic Oracle. I am working to make these delineations come up as specific to the rulers of a given house. For now they are lumped together, but in a future version the text selection will be specific to the house ruler. For now you just need to know which planets rule a given house in your chart and look in the generated list of all 12 houses.

Version 5.1.1.0 - There is a new data window that shows ecliptic latitude, speed, right ascension, etc for all of the planets and currently 108 asteroids. The lists will sort when clicking on the header column. For instance, clicking on the speed column will sort asteroids or planets from fast to slow, or clicking on ecliptic longitude will sort according to longitude, etc. The asteroid database is a fully customizable, user defined database that is capable of calculating all asteroids for which there are ephemeris files which you can download by FTP from the Astrodienst website (www.astro.com). See the help file for details on how to add new asteroids to the database and download files by FTP (there is a help button in the lower database section for this). Because the update needs the files for the 108 asteroids, you need to download the new ephemeris installation from your registered users page which has also been updated to include these files.

Version 5.1.0.9 - Added the AutoSizeFont property to the chart designer (F2). When set to True (default), this has the effect of automatically setting the font sizes for all your glyphs in the chart display based upon a number of screen factors. Most of the time, this will be satisfactory, but if you wish to tweak the sizes, then you need to set AutoSizeFont = False so that your values will not be overwritten. Make sure you click Apply or Save at the bottom of the Chart Designer to keep these values.

In the Database window, I have added code to match the column widths for the search and chart database data and these will remain consistent when you resize columns.

Version 5.1.0.8 - Fixed minor bug at the bottom of Universal Hermetics report that showed glyphs without using the Astro font. A few shortcuts have been changed such as Ctrl + V which should be reserved for pasting but brought up print preview. Print Preview no longer has a shortcut. Also removing charts from the list used to be <Ctrl + Del> and now it is simply the delete key by itself. I also made the Chart File Manager a little more intuitive by placing the save functions at the top and the new database creation at the bottom of the window.

A significant change is now in place regarding UAC (User Account Control) that will allow users to install to the Program Files directory that involves setting the execution level as "invoker" internally which is standard practice in Vista and Windows 7. The Rave Engine printing procedures required installation to the Users Documents folder because the print.rav file was not picking up the path to the chart image for printing and Acrobat file generation. I solved this by hard coding the path to the bitmap within the print.rav file under the Users Public folder: C:\Users\Public\Zoidiasoft Technologies\Delphic Oracle 5\chart.bmp instead of using Param.Bitmap datafield assignment (or FileLink) which wasn't working from the RvProject component.

The users .zcf files (chart database files) have been moved down one directory under \Zoidiasoft Technologies \Delphic Oracle 5\Files in a default install. Users do not need to change existing database files to fit unless they want to. You can create your own databases in multiple directories as long as they are not in secure zones on your PC. I removed the confusing Chart File dialog creation that required you to click OK allowing a potential name change which was bad practice and now it simply creates the file as long as it is a unique file name and gives feedback about where it was created immediately after.

If you want to change existing database files over to the new default location, first make a backup copy of your existing chart (*.zcf) files. You can either do this manually using windows explorer or use the Chart | Database | Backup function. Then you can copy these files over to the new location. Last go into Chart | SaveAs and delete the file paths that you no longer need. The Backup function will create backup files by the same name, except that it uses a .bak extension. Simply renaming to use a .zcf extension will make the file work as a .zcf file. Alternatively, you can use the Chart | Database | Restore function and it will do this automatically. Be careful with restore! This will overwrite any changes that you've made since the last restore and you could potentially lose data. There is an over-write prompt to keep you from doing this accidentally.

Version 5.1.0.7 - Finished the print and Acrobat routines for the square chart view. Discovered the problem that some people are having with printing and this has to do with the Rave print engine. There is a fix for this. See the FAQ on my site for more information on how to fix your printer errors.

Version 5.1.0.6 - Fixed bug in the HTML report that caused broken images in the Lot List.

Version 5.1.0.5 - Added China Coast time to user defined time zones and added an Autolookup checkbox for the ACS Atlas in the Locations window (F4).

Version 5.1.0.4 - Made changes to the window docking routines to make better use of space.

Version 5.1.0.3 - Made minor modification to the print routines to make sure that only print.rav in the root directory is used (not the Acrobat directory).

Version 5.1.0.2 - I accidentally included the full path to the help file but should have used the relative path. Context sensitive help has been fixed in this version.

IMPORTANT!

Petri Laakso points out that the chart database files were overwritten with the new install. I will have to include a backup routine for updates to Delphic Oracle. For now, if you have any charts saved to .zcf files, make sure you go to that directory (using windows explorer) and copy the *.zcf files (such as natal.zcf) to an alternate location before you re-install. After re-install, copy those files back overwriting the new files. I have now checked "never overwrite" and "permanent" in the InstallShield properties for the database files, but just in case you should back these up until I write a routine that will do this.

Version 5.1.0.1 - This version has a complete help file in html help format, a complete index, is searchable and has a table of contents. This file has about 400 topics and is organized in 2 sections: how to and reference. The reference section starts with a broad overview and then each function on the main menu is explained in the section listed under the sub menu which makes knowing where to look much easier. Of course the help file is context sensitive and linked to each window of the application. Just press F1 and the focus will tell where to open the help file to. It is also Vista compatible.

Version 5.0.2.5 - Updated the components in the Default Location window to include button edit fields (buttons attached to edit fields). It also now returns the Place name after doing an ACS Atlas lookup. I am currently writing help files in HTML format which are also context sensitive. Main Group Bar now also retains styles between sessions.

Version 5.0.2.4 - Fixed bug in main statusbar which sets the font to make astrological characters unrecognizable. The miscellaneous reports have also been updated with correct character recognition for the dignities, eminence sections, etc. Toolbars still need work to prevent resize problems - I recommend opening this section with the docked tab area maximized for best effect for now.

Version 5.0.2.3 - Added a popup menu for delineations of chart positions to the main chart viewer tab. You can right click the chart to get delineations of planet positions. Added a few new color themes and settings. Fixed bug in the lunar monomoiria and 9 years of the Moon procedures that showed no glyph for Capricorn (9 years method) and did not correctly initialize the lunar monomoiria method.

I also initialized the print preview function so that it will show a Gif image upon showing the window. It will also automatically size the window to be large enough to be able to show the main chart image in WYSIWYG format (What You See Is What You Get). If the image is too large and you want it to be smaller so that the extra space isn't added to the graphic, then drag the window to be the same size as the chart and if it is too small, it will automatically correct to include all graphic memory.

Version 5.0.2.2 - Fixed bug that prevented transfer of decimal coordinates for latitude and longitude from the Locations window and the Derivative charts window. Also fixed icon alignment so that image indexes make proper sense for the procedure it initiates. Calendar window and Reports window are 2 examples. Reset default size of aspectarian so that it is smaller for first time users. I also fixed the preview of the ascendant and midheaven degrees in the new chart setup window so that the glyph for Capricorn will show up (according to date style) such that European format will show the medieval cap glyph and American date style will show modern Capricorn glyph.

Version 5.0.2.1 - Fixed bug that prevented charts from being retained for the next user session. The file was saved to the wrong directory because of a missing "\".

Version 5.0.2.0 - Aspect and Testimony lines are now drawn for the asHellenistic AspectStyle property of the AspectWheel. The asShowAll shows platic (sign based only) aspects and the sign ascensions in the middle of the wheel. The asPlatic style shows sign based aspects (or testimony) and also shows separating (divergent) configurations. The asShowAscensions shows only the ascensional times without aspect lines. At this time, the asHellenistic style does not show "outside the sign" aspects if any exist and does not restrict the Moon's orb to a "day and a night".

I also updated the Chart Designer Apply button to show a message dialog to let you know when default settings have been set. Fixed bug in Circumambulations time lord procedure that set the first bound lord incorrectly in the time lord listings, time lord graph and current time lord listing.

Version 5.0.1.8 - Fixed bug in the PNA that caused planets that were in their own places or places of a sect mate to be in alien places. Also rescaled the printing so that glyphs in the planet wheel and house wheel have better collision avoidance.

Version 5.0.1.7 - Added version 2.0 of the Swiss Eph Dll and moved the whole sign houses selection over to the main options (F3). The Krusinski-Pisa dynamical divisions were added as a result of this. Also, there was no longer a need for the whole sign checkbox in the window where wheel setups are done. To enable the house numbering drop down list in the wheel setup, you will have to select the whole sign house system under the dynamical divisions on the general tab of the main options (F3).

Version 5.0.1.6 - Routed the direct printing from the main window to the output printer so that printing works without having to generate a PDF file to print. Print preview however still needs work.

Version 5.0.1.5 - Compiled a new version of the windows installer for users of Vista, Xp and Win 2000 using the old InstallShield application. This installation is a solid one and will work on all 3 OS's. A system restart is required. Ignore the check for updates (uncheck this box) on the last page of the installation. You might want to uninstall the InstallAware version to save space if you already downloaded version 5+, but that is not required.

I added the ability to seek current paths that are needed after installation to update the chart database directories, Html / Printing directories and the root and retained charts directory. These buttons can be found on the Paths Tab of the General Options (F3). One should be careful not to use the Rewrite Chart Database button (there is a dialog to prevent accidental clicks) unless one is sure they want to redo the database. If you use this, it will wipe out the links to databases you created. Chart files that you saved to existing databases will be the only ones spared. This button is for users who are having difficulty setting up the correct paths. If this is the first time installing version 5 then directory setting is handled automatically if you accept the default installation location. If not, you will want to use the Seek Current Paths feature.

Version 5.0.1.2 - Fixed bug in Nautical Metaphor Wizard where wrong font was used. Linked rectification tool to the lot listings so rectified values will show up in the printout and Acrobat reports.

Version 5.0.1.1 - Finished Acrobat output for the Lot Listings. Set EmbedFont property in the Rave reporting engine to true. Updated Chr() defaults in CMChartData to the current font. Now saves the columns[0].width property in the ListView component for the lots when closed and restores the width when open to whatever width you set the columns so that the setting is persistent.

Version 5.0.0.8 - Added sorting to the Lot Listings using the ListView component. Click on the columns to do an alphasort for that column. The Ecliptic Longitude gives real values for the positions of the lots and will sort in true numeric fashion. I still have to modify the Acrobat output and printing to reflect the new sorting.

I've also been hunting for vestiges of AztroZoidsoft.ttf settings in components which may not be on your machine because I changed this to AstroZT.ttf. If you find any more odd looking glyphs in any areas of the program, let me know.

Version 5.0.0.7 - Fixed bug that didn't allow an override of the ACS Atlas when the zone button is pressed.

Version 5.0.0.6 - Fixed bug in the registration routine that would not allow users to upgrade which would cause program to seize after 30 days.

Version 5.0.0.5 - Fixed bug in the main status bar that prevented display of the astrological font. Color coordinated all 3 display types for the Group Bar and added a new Chart group to the group bar which matches the Chart menu function. Finished linking reports sub menu in the main menu. Printing works for circular charts, but not for square charts (not programmed yet).

Version 5.0.0.1 - This is nearly a complete overhaul of the previous version at the deepest levels. Written in D2009, it is Unicode compliant which means that foreign language versions of this program can be made available in the future. The ACS Atlas lookups now use the wide character format instead of the old ASCII format. The ChartWheel Designer allows the modification of wheels, visibility, colors and glyphs and draws up to 4 wheels at a time. You can specify how far out from the center you want the wheels to be with the InnerRingRadius and OuterRingRadius properties and you can also determine whether these are visible at all. You can generate many types of chart displays just by using some wheel types (making them visible) and hiding the ones you don't want visible. For example to get a modern wheel I hid the sign, tick and bound wheels and in the HouseWheel, set ShowSignGlyphs to true (and Whole sign houses to false in the wheel setup dialog - CTRL + W). Once all the properties are set for a given wheel type (uni-wheel, bi-wheel, etc) you should go to the Wheels Tab and specify a wheel theme, making sure to select the correct wheel type for your intended theme. That way, you can get these settings back just by double clicking on a saved wheel theme and clicking apply. The next time you draw the wheel it will be done with the settings for that wheel type. The Visibility Tab gets rid of the checkboxes using two listboxes one with the selected planets and points and one with unselected planets and points, just drag between or select and press the left or right arrow buttons. The Glyphs Tab allows you to select the glyphs (or pictures) you want to use for your planets, signs, etc.

On the Wheels Tab of the ChartWheel Designer at the top, select the wheel type you want to work on. This will take several seconds to load the properties and you will see a label to the right of the categorize checkbox indicating what wheel type has been loaded. Toggle the categorize checkbox to see the effects. This checkbox will retain its state through sessions and it is not necessary to click the save or apply button as it is saved automatically when you close the window. There are 3 categories that pertain to font sizes which can be modified according to your taste. HouseGlyFontSize property in the Font Sizes - House Wheel category will only show a change if ShowSignGlyphs in the HouseWheel section is set to true and the HouseWheel is itself visible.

Each of the wheels of each type (PlanetWheel, TickWheel, etc...) all have an inner ring radius and an outer ring radius which define the contents of the wheel. The OuterRingRadius is supposed to be larger than the InnerRingRadius property as the radius is a real number which has to be within a range of 0.0 to 1.0. First decide which wheels you want visible and then set the desired radii for each wheel making sure that none of values for the visible wheels overlap. If they do, the drawing will probably look a bit strange. I usually match the radii of the InnerRingRadius and the next OuterRingRadius. For example the HouseWheel - InnerRingRadius property would usually match the PlanetWheel - OuterRingRadius property (0.67) for the LargeWheel (Uni-Wheel) type. Once you have settings set up, it is a good idea to click apply and then redraw the chart style that you are interested in to see if you are getting the desired result. Remember to show the same number of wheels as you are working on so if you are working on a bi-wheel style, then you to select 2 charts to display to see the effects, as displaying a uni-wheel by double clicking on a chart at top right will not show your modifications.

Special properties on the Wheels Tab:

DegreeAsPortion: When PlanetListType is set to plDegreeOnly this will always round up the degrees a planet has such that a planet at 11Ta01 will show a 12 when only listing degrees. When degrees are listed alone the retrograde color is used for the degree notation (See Colors Tab at bottom).

AspectLineStyle / TestimonyLineStyle: This is in the AspectWheel section and draws aspect and testimony lines according to the Antiochus Definitions as translated by Robert Schmidt. As of the initial version, these have not been enabled to draw yet.

ShowSignGlyphs: In the House and Number wheel you can toggle this to true or false. At this time the Number wheel version of this property has no effect because there is no drawing code for this in house numbering. This can be useful for the House Wheel though especially if you like to show a modern feel when the Tick, Sign and Bound wheels visible properties is set to false, then you can make the HouseGlyFontSize really large and pass this off as a sign wheel with Koch or Placidus dynamical divisions (be sure to uncheck use Whole Sign Houses - Ctrl + W).

Once you have everything showing the way you want it, you will not want to lose these settings the next time you modify, so go to the Themes Tab and on the Wheels section type in a new theme name (making sure the correct wheel type is showing to the left of the edit field) and then click on the add button to the right. The next time you want to get back to this group of settings all you have to do is double click on the theme and click Apply at the bottom. The next time you draw a chart of that type, it will be done in that style.

Visibility Tab:

I did away with the checkboxes and replaced it with two listboxes indicating planets that are selected for display and those that are not. There is a save and restore button sandwiched between these two list boxes that saves the visibility setting for a given planet wheel. There are up to 4 planet wheels that can be displayed depending upon the chart type. A Uni-Wheel will always use PlanetWheel(1) and will be inner most. Make sure to select which wheel to set visibility for in the top CombBox. You can drag multiple planets / points at a time here or click the arrow buttons.

Once you have the visibility settings done, specify a visibility theme on the Themes tab in the same way that you did for the Wheels Tab above. If you are working on a bi-wheel, then just set wheels 1 and 2 and set a theme.

Colors Tab:

This has been changed from version 4 as well and now uses ColorEdit Dialogs for each planet / sign / point. Custom colors can be set up to the number of colors allowed by your display.

Once you colors are set, go to the Themes Tab to set a color theme.

Glyphs Tab:

This is new in version 5. I decided not to hard-code the glyphs that you might decide to use and you can use virtually any glyph that is shown by the AstroZT font. In the future I may enable font selection as well so you can use different fonts. An artistic use for this is that for the signs, I have added pictures of the signs and not just the sign glyphs themselves.

Once the Glyphs are set, you can set a Glyph Theme on the Themes Tab to save this group of settings.

Auto-Generated Charts:

In Version 4 I added the ability to draw transits on the outside wheel from a natal chart when double clicking on a sub period, clicking on the time lords graph or the graphic ephemeris. In version 5 you can specify what kinds of charts to automatically generate outside from the natal wheel and in which order, but because a quad-wheel is the largest number possible only 3 chart types can be selected at a time. To set this go to the Main Options (F3) and click on the Auto Generated Charts Tab. There is a save and sandwiched between the selected chart types and the un-selected chart types. Just drag over the charts that you want and then drag up and down in the list to specify the order. The top most on the selected list represents the innermost next to the natal chart and the bottom is the outer most. You can show secondary progression, tertiary progression, solar arc and transits at this time.

The advantage to this display is that you can study time lords and these positions side-by-side and they will be synchronized with the onset of time lord periods that you have clicked on. There is no need to set these charts up manually outside of the display area as would be the case with Solar Fire's progression / transits calculator. The default location is used for all auto-generated charts (F4).

Chart Database:

The chart database has been redesigned so that several charts can be saved to the same file. Each file is a file group with several charts and each group can be searched individually or searched globally. These files have a .zcf ending, such as natal.zcf, event.zcf, etc. It is important to specify the correct path to these files in the save dialog if you have specified a different location during installation. You can specify your own new databases as well at the bottom of the file manager window (Save Dialog). On Vista, these need to be saved to your documents folder as they can't be saved inside Vista secure zones. You can import your old files from v 4 to version 5 under the chart menu and toolbar.

Docking Style:

Nearly all analysis windows will dock to the right of the chart display and the main window has several splitter controls with grabber arrows. Clicking on an arrow will shift the splitter all the way in the direction of the arrow. There are 3 states that the window can be docked in: minimized to the dock panel, tacked up to the top (maximized) or tacked sideways which will minimize the window that is not active. It is possible for windows to be behind other windows here, so it is a good idea to close out old windows when you are finished with them, but it can be useful to tab between several windows you are using during chart analysis.

Printing:

The printing routines are not completely finished in this version and will be updated shortly (Square chart style is not finished yet). Also for some reason the InstallAware sometimes forgets to install the font and it doesn't allow me to specify a system restart which is necessary. So don't bother to start the program after installation, you should check to see if the font AstroZT.ttf (AstroZT Semibold) is installed first (not AstroZoidsoft semibold which is for version 4 if you have it). If not present, just drag the font from your install directory to the windows font's directory and restart.

INSTALLATION

Minimum system requirements:

Directions:

1.) Extract the files inside delphicoracle.zip to a temporary directory.
2.) Browse to the directory where you extracted the files.
3.) Double click on Setup.exe and follow the onscreen instructions.

***** Don't forget to make backup copies!

DELPHIC ORACLE KNOWN ISSUES

-- In cases where a multi wheel is shown, the data for the Universal Hermetics, lots, delineations of houses and PNA are for the outermost wheel, not the inner most in the way one might expect. The fix for this is simple... if this kind of orientation disturbs you, simply redraw the chart by double clicking on the chart you want to examine so that it is a single wheel and do the analysis that way.

-- The Export Editor sometimes shows the exported time lords in a machine designated font by default instead of the AstroZT.ttf font that is native to Delphic Oracle. All you have to do here is select all the text in the editor and select the AstroZT font from the font combo box.

DOWNLOADING UPDATED HELP FILES

The online Help files that accompany this release may be updated from time to time to provide corrections, clarification, additional examples and other new information. Updates will be available for download from the Lost Horoscope X-Files Web site at:

http://www.astrology-x-files.com/help-download.html

ZOIDIASOFT ON THE WEB

Zoidiasoft Technologies home page:

http://www.astrology-x-files.com

For More Information On The Ancient methods:

http://www.projecthindsight.com

TECH SUPPORT

The author, Curt Manwaring may be reached for tech support:
phone: 315-200-2025

CREDITS

Robert Schmidt's work in the translation of Hellenistic astrological texts is the sole basis for this program. Without his help in understanding the philosophy and practice of astrology from that era, this program could not exist, nor would have ever had a reason to be written.

Bill Johnston (a student of Schmidt's) laid out the algorithms for many of the time lord procedures that I followed, along with suggestions for reports, and other features too numerous to mention.

The Swiss Ephemeris, of course, needs no explanation.

The ACS Atlas was developed by Astro Communications Services and can be found at: http://www.astrocom.com. Contact Bill Purchase for special pricing discounts.

Kenneth Hirst developed the "Astro" font back in 1993 and with a few modifications, it is now also licensed to Curtis Manwaring. This font was originally used in the program "Astrology World". As for the modifications, Ken "fontified" the drawings of the glyphs that I made for the lots of fortune, spirit, exaltation and basis.

Astro font is Copyright 1993, Cosmorama Enterprises, P.O. Box 5362, Irvine, California 92716. All rights reserved. This font is proprietary.

Albert Timashev was very helpful in design suggestions and testing. He helped in debugging font and form display issues that affect international users and showed me how to import the ocx control for the ACS Atlas. He is a Delphi programmer and runs the site: www.astrologer.ru

The TGifImage unit used for creating gif files from drawing code in Delphic Oracle is the work of Anders Melander and is offered as freeware. He is reachable at:

Finsensvej 79, 2tv.
DK-2000 Frederiksberg
Denmark

Delphic Oracle's exe and dll files use UPX to keep file sizes small. It was developed by Markus Oberhumer and Laszlo Molnar:

web: http://upx.sourceforge.net

Copyright (c) 2003-2019 Zoidiasoft (tm) Technologies
By Curtis Manwaring, All rights reserved.











Zoidiasoft Technologies Astrology Software