DEN19

Just checked in my simpit. I use Offset byte set bits( for light on) and offset bytes clear bits (for light off) in Offset 0D0C with the parameters 01(Nav light), 02(beacon), and 08(Taxi light). For the landing light I use FS control "landing light on" when the toggle is set and "landing light off" when it is released. Similarly for the strobes I use "strobes on" and "strobes off" Using these ensures that they actions remain true to the sense meant eg if the flight has loaded with,say, strobes on and I press the button screen toggle to switch them on they just stay on rather than toggle the other way. If you use the FSX instruction to toggle. All this does is reverse the current setting so you can have the button screen toggle turning things off instead of on! Hope this helps Den

You should be able to use a toggle by directly setting the offsets for the various lights with the toggle. I have used this method in my simpit. It will need 2 entries, one when the toggle is set to switch the light on and one for when the toggle is released to turn it off. I did it using offset 0D0C (IIRC- I'm not in my simpit at the moment), setting the bits to 1 for on and 0 for off. This has the advantage that it always performs the correct function in the correct sense when you use it. Regards Den

I use tightVNC which is similar and is freeware. Thanks again Pete Den

IT WORKS! :D :D :D Both the CloseKey=Kill,"Flightdeck_companion.exe" version CloseKey=Yes,"Flightdeck_companion.exe" works perfectly. I thought that the Yes option may be problematic as FDc puts up an "Are you Sure" box when you click on the Windows X button, but it doesn't do this when closed by Wideclient. That's why I thought it might need to Kill parameter so I tried that first. Thanks again for your determination to not let it beat you. I've now removed the mouse and keyboard from my instrument pc and can control everything I need from button Screen on the touch screen. Just a thought, I seem to remember from somewhere that you have 7 pcs in your sim.How do you manage, do you have 7 mice and 7 keyboards? Regards Den

Pete Just seen your latest post. Been a bit busy today,we have recently moved house and SWMBO has had me with a paint brush in my hand all day and I've just sat down and opened up the laptop. Will try it tomorrow and let you know. Regards Den (still spotted white!)

When I watch the process tab whilst starting FDC it supports your comment. FDC.exe runs when I click on the short cut (and the splashscreen is displayed), but only for a second then Flightdeck_Companion.exe starts and fdc.exe disappears. Is it possible to direct the CloseKey function to Flightdeck_Companion.exe instead? I'll try a few other thing, but I suspect you are right on that. Regards Den

[quoteWhat process(es) is(are) listed in Task Manager for FDC? Just the one? With the EXE name you started with? ] The program listed under the Applications tab in TM is Flight Deck Pro. The process title under the Processes tab is Flightdeck_Companion.exe. The program I pointed wideclient to is fdc.exe, which I got from the Properties tab on the shortcut to the program on the desktop. The shortcut was created as part of the install IIRC. This certainly works to start the program. But I've just had a look at the FDC folder in Program Files and there are two.exe file listed there- fdc.exe and Flightdeck_Companion.exe. The former works to start the program, the second one does nothing when double-clicked on. The mystery deepens! Den

Pete Tried as you suggested and worked perfectly with both vasFMC and Jeehell's standby instrument. I can now open and close them as I wish and all settings are saved for the next time. Out of curiosity I also tried it with FDC Live cockpit but it didn't work with it. In fact nothing seems to work to close that down except its own Windows X button. I even tried using the "Kill" parameter with no success. When I checked FDC with Active window it showed 2 entries even though only one window was open- "Flight Deck Comp" with Class name "Thunder TR6 Form DC", and "Flight Deck Pro" with Class name "Thunder RT6 Main". Might try a post on their forum to see if it elicits any suggestions. Once again many thanks for your unrivalled assistance. Regards Den

Thanks, I'll try it tommorrow when I get back home and report my findings then Regards Den

Hi Pete Yes they are both freeware. vasFMC is from http://vas-project.org/ Airbus standby is from http://www.jeehell.org/StandByV3.2.zip As alway I will be pleased to help but will be away from tonight till Wed pm. I've just checked the standby program with Active Window and each window has its own Class name (TApplication, TForm1, TForm2, TForm3, and TForm4), unlike vasFMC where they all have the same one. What I don't understand is it shows 5 windows but only 4 are open- the main one and 3 instruments. The main one appears to have 2 entries with captions "A320 Stand-by instruments" for Class TApplication and "Airbus Stand-By instruments V.3" for Class TForm1 regards Den

I've now discovered that my stand by instruments (Jeehell's Airbus standby from My Cockpits forum) does exactly the same thing as vasFMC. When closed by the Windows X button on the main Window all preferences are remembered and written to the .cfg file. Both programs then open up with the child windows in the correct place and size. When closed by Wideclient all these preferences are lost. On startup only the main window is opened. This program is similar to vasFMC in that there are several child windows which are the instruments and a main window that is just used on startup and then ignored. The only explanation I've thought of for this happening to both programs is that when Wideclient closes down the program it is closing all the child windows first and then closing the main window. This would then write to the .cfg file showing all child windows closed on start up. Is this what is happening, do you think it's possible? Kind of defeats the ambition to go mouse and keyboard-less! Can you possibly suggest a work around for this which means I can still go mouse and keyboard free on the slave pc? Thanks Den

That's another strange thing, Task Manager does get rid of it! Active Window shows all of the windows in Vasfmc have the same Class-"QWidget" and the same .exe VASfmc.exe, but a different caption for each- ND left, PFD left, ypper ECAM, and vasFMC 2.09a (this latter one is the main window and the one I usually click on to close the program down so it re-opens with all the sub-windows already open and in place). Den

Now got the Closekey to work with everything except FDC Live Cockpit, even the Kill parameter will not work with this program. Another odd thing is that VASfmc, when closed in the normal way using the Window "X" button on the VASfmc window, will remember which sub-windows were open, their window sizes and positions . Then when it is re-opened all the windows which were open on it's last run then re-open in the remembered places. However when it is closed down with the CloseKey=Yes option it does not, it only opens the main window on it's next run. When the sub-windows are opened in the normal way from the main window it has remembered position and size though. Do you know of any reason for this? BTW when I was Googling yesterday I found a free program "Active Window" on Source forge Net which displays the class name of all open windows on the pc. ( Yes I know it isn't needed now, but I hadn't read your last post before I found it!) A useful little freebie if anyone need to know the class names though. Den

Pete Got the RunKey parameter to work a treat. Having problems with the CloseKey parameter though, and I'm guessing it is something to do with your comments about Class names, so its back to Google to see if I can find them for GAPanel, VASfmc and Flight Sim Commander. Andydigital Thanks for the link to Input Director. I already use TightVNC when I need to do any maintenance on the instrument pc- since the screens are covered with a template with various cut-outs for the instruments. That makes it very difficult to to use the screen in "pc mode" rather than "instrument mode" as the cursor tend to dissapear behind the solid bits of the overlay. TightVNC lets me use the laptop screen to view the instrument pc's screen on the laptop and- Hey Presto no overlay to hide the cursor! Den

Thanks Pete. I'll read up on that and try it. Let you know how I get on Cheers Den

What is blindingly obvious is that I have not explained myself very clearly, judging by your reply. The button screen can only be rectangular in shape. I have buttons down the sides and along the bottom of the instrument panel. These go from top to bottom and right across the width of the screen at the bottom. In order to do this the button screen window has to fill the whole screen. This forms the base layer of the system. The instruments are then displayed on the remainder of the screen over the top of part of the wideclient window using an "always on top" property. This forms the 2nd layer and occupies roughly the top right three quarters of the screen with the buttons arranged down the side and along the bottom. There is then an instrument panel fascia, with appropriate cut outs, covering the display to form the MIP. This works very well, except for the fact that I need to use the keyboard and mouse to setup and alter things, depending on what tytpe of aircraft. What I want to do is get rid of the keyboards and mice, the plan is to add 1, maybe 2, more pcs to the network and there just isn't room for 4 keyboards and mice. This is why I am looking for another way to start and stop programs without using a mouse. Hope this clarifies things better. Den

It's true that the wideclient window fills the screen, but I need it to because the 2 instrument programs cover stratregic parts of the window whist leaving other parts clear for the buttons to show depending on what type of plane I am using. There are buttons all round the instrument clusters and reducing the size of the wideclient window would not work as these buttons would be hidden. Den

I am still trying to make my system mouse and keyboardless but have run into a problem. Sometimes when I load Wideclient I want either GA Panel (if I'm flying GA) and sometimes VASfmc (if I'm flying heavies), and sometimes Flight Sim Commander with FDC Live cockpit, or Plan G- again dependant on what I'm flying. The only way I can see to do this without a mouse/keyboard is to, somehow if poss, use the touch screen and Button Screem facility to do it. I cant' just use the touch screen and touch the relevant program icons as the Button Screen covers the whole screen when it is running. There are also parts of the screen behind the MIP ( including the task bar at the bottom), just to make it even more awkward! Also both GA panel and VASfmc are set for "always on top" so that the button screen appears round the outside of whichever one is in use, covering or revealing different buttons depending on the mode. I would also like to be able to start programs on the FSX machine from the Button Screen if possible. Any Suggestions? Den

CAT51 I also use GA panel on a slave pc and it runs very well. Have you configured your network correctly so that both pcs can see the relevant files/folers on the other pc? When you start fsx and wide server on the master and wideclient on the slave does fsx show "one connected" in the header bar or " waiting for a connection". If it shows the former no connection is being made. It must show "one connected" for GA panel to work. Regards Den

Pete Mine is also 9.0.819, database updated today before the scan to 271.1.1/2893 24 May 07.26hrs. It showed it in the zip file and again in the .exe inside the zip file. I've seen false positives before so I guess I'll just ignor it. Thanks and regards Den

Just done a scan with AVG free edition on my fs pc and it has shown a virus in the Wide fs zip file. The virus is described as Win32/heur and has been removed to the virus vault. Question is, is it really a virus or a false positive from AVG? Den

I have FSC on a networked drive and it works very well. A few things to look at: - Have you set the networked drives for full sharing so that each pc can alter as well as read the files on the other one? It isn't clear from your picture if this is the case. It usually shows a hand under the image if the directory is shared. You then need to point FSC to the folder where flight sim is located through the network. You mention installing FSUIPC 4 and fsx but yet you also say FSC is looking for fs2004. This does not sound correct to me. You need to make sure that FSC is set up for FSX, not FS9. This can be set from the datbase mamager application. Den

That's done the trick for me. Thanks, Pete. Also been doing some exerimenting with the C & D scenario. I have discovered that there is a really simple solution. I have made the C & D flight the default. Now when I load fsx the "create a flight" screen comes up with the C & D settings automatically, allowing any flight loaded to start C & D. Wish I'd thought of that years ago! I'm a happy bunny again. Den

Thanks Pete, I'll give it a go tomorrow. Den

Thanks Pete- look forward to that. Den