Pete Dowson

Are they? Pete

I don't have the program so I don't know. That is certainly one way of doing it -- a complex install, but certainly achievable. There are examples about in C or C++. I have heard of folks doing it in Delphi. but C#? Seems very unlikely to me. As a hint, FS Gauge files (when programmed in C/C++) are DLL's in all but name. I've no idea about these new-fangled XML ones though. For FS9 and before, the only real difference between a loadable DLL in the modules folder and a GAU file loaded via a PANEL.CFG declaration is its name and position. The rest is mere detail. Those of us that have written DLLs have started from that viewpoint. FSX is different. You need the FSX SDK. Check the SimConnect SDK section. Regards Pete

Which it is by default with a registered FSUIPC. It just means all axes pass through FSUIPC before they get to FS, just as happened with FS2000 through to FS2004. If LevelD doesn't like this it must mean they are capturing the same controls but at some intermediate priority between the one FSUIPC captures them at and re-transmits them at. Which would be a bit weird if you ask me. I'm afraid to sort this out properly, the appropriate developer in Level D will need to contact me and discuss SimConnect details. Regards Pete

If your application is not part of the FS process, which it is not, then you can only do what you want if you run FS in Windowed mode. You simply use one of the standard Windows APIs to gain foreground status (bring window to top, or similar). If FS is running as a full window application it effectively "owns" the screen, and there is really no way you can get Wnidows space short of minimizing it (sending its Window a minimise command). The other programs you mention are written as FS components, DLLs, like FSUIPC, so they are inside the FS process and can get Wnidows displayed. However, it is still very difficult to get anything displayed with FS still running -- you get flashing whilst FS displays new frames. I'm not sure how some manage. If your display involves 128 characters or less you can use the Messages facilities in FSUIPC (see offsets 32FA and 3380). Radar Contact uses these facilities for its menus. For FSX SimConnect does offer a fuller menu facility if you use it directly instead of going via FSUIPC. Regards Pete

Just so I understand a little of this, you have "NoAxisIntercepts=Yes" set as well, still? If so, if that is omitted, even though you are calibrating axes directly, does the problem still exist? I'd like to understand why, though. I wonder what is special about their implementation which would cause such problems. Regards Pete

Yes, that's fine. SimConnect doesn't look to be playing up. Are you calibrating the Throttles via FSUIPC? I seem to remember in the FS2004 versions of some add-on aircraft (e.g. FeelThere ERJ145) you had to select the "exclude THROTTLEn_SET" option on the 4 throttles page when using that for calibration. Otherwise I can't imagine how there'd be any conflict. If you don't calibrate through FSUIPC is there still a problem? If so, you could further see if is still the same if you close FSX and add "NoAxisIntercepts=Yes" to the [General] section of FSUIPC4.INI before reloading? As it says in the FSUIPC4 Advanced User's guide: Mind you, if you had delay problems with axes you'd surely have noticed these before you added the LevelD 767? I'm really not able to go any further with this without knowing what the LevelD aircraft is doing. I don't suppose it is even using FSUIPC these days, is it? Is there any answer on the Level D support forum, which I assume they have (still locked to others by the look of it?). Or do they do support by private email now? Regards Pete

What does the FSUIPC4.LOG file (in the FSX Modules folder) show? If SimConnect is playing up t may be installed incorrectly, so possibly a SimConnect log would be useful too. Please see the FSX Help announcement above. And what do LevelD say about it? Regards Pete

Thanks, but I think it will be the "Shortcut" and "Advanced" tabs which might help. Pete

Sorry, you are really confusing me now. I don't understand any of that. I replied this to you in an earlier message when you referred to "the slot": For any use of any slot it needs to be free first, otherwise it is not free! Isn't that plain? A slot which is used is not free for other use. But why ignore the statement "find a free slot", which is step 1 in the instructions for implementing the Menu part? And it also clearly says "The application must search through to find an empty slot" early in the section on hot keys. I really don't see how much clearer it could be. State what things? That "the menu facility is not the same facility as the hot key facility, this is why they have different names and different sections and different methods, and in fact do different things"? Sorry, I really think that since they are different in every way EXCEPT using a slot (a FREE slot), there should be no reason to point out that they are different. Surely you can see that? Pete

Aha. There must be something about your Icon then, some property it has which causes the entry to be suppressed! Could you right-click on it and select "Properties" and tell me what it says. It is a short-cut to FSX.EXE I hope? You first need the FSUIPC SDK from http://www.schiratti.com/dowson. there are examples there for several languages. The supplement for FSX is in the FSX downloads Annonucement above, but to do what you want to do would be the same for any version of FS. For FSX only you could of course also consider writing directly to the SimConnect interface. For that you need the FSX Deluxe edition, install the SDK and check the SimConnect documentation. Note that if you have installed the FSX SP1 update you also need to get the SDK SP1A update. Regards Pete

Why are you mixing hot keys and menu entries in one slot? You can't operate the Menu and a hot key from the same slot! There are many slots. You have to find an empty one for each hot key and each menu entry! They are separate things! The FF tells FSUIPC it's a menu reference, otherwise it's a Hot Key reference! The two facilities are even described in separate sections. I cannot understand how you are misreading it all so strangely. Pete

The FSX icon, or the FSX.EXE. FSX has to be "run as administrator", as documented. Really, there's no Run As option when you right clcik on the FSX icon? Try the actual FSX.EXE in the FSX folder. I have Vista Home Premium and that certainly always shows this option. Are you running as the PCs ordinary administrator, or have you created another user and running as that? They are okay, nothing wrong with them. Regards Pete

Try the User Guide. There's a boxed section specifically covering these, in the Buttons section. Just try searching for Increment or Decrement. There won't be that many matches. Regards Pete

Yes. Not "the slot". You need to search the array of slots to find a free one first. Read the whole block in, search for a free one (zero), and use that. This avoids trampling over other program's settings. Oh dear. The FSUIPC Advanced Users guide is part of the standard documentation Users get when they download FSUIPC. It always has been. Do you have FSUIPC? That's why it mentions "users" -- all users get it. There's an "easy" User Guide and an "Advanced Users" guide. The latter documents keypresses, INI parameters etc etc. Regards Pete

Good. Thanks for confirming. Regards Pete

Hi Dave, Thanks for the clarification. Not sure where the message comes from, though, because FSUIPC3 would never get loaded by FSX. Best Regards Pete

How strange. I don't understand that. Maybe the low level keyboard driver only handles the synchronous keyboard requests (which FS may use for the flight controls) the the main keyboard. Hmmm. Interesting. When the ATC window is open, nothing happens but if you close the window, press any of the buttons & then open the window again the function is actioned. That'll be because of the Windows message queue processing -- the ATC Menu control will be sent and sit in the queue. I'm assuming it is a bug, because it seems a pretty serious drawback for a keyboard flyer (yes, there are still some who prefer the keyboard for flying!). I'm asking questions now via my contacts. If I hear anything useful I'll let you know. Meanwhile it would be a god idea to report it yourself, as I suggested. Regards Pete

Since the author confirms that FDC doesn't produce such a message, you need to be more precise about EXACTLY what the message looks like and WHEN it actually occurs. Please write down what you are doing, step by step, and exactly what you see. Maybe a picture would help. Pete

I think the SDK installer installs the SDK in a fixed standard place. There's a utility someplace in the package which you run to fix the paths. The Modules folder is inside the FSX path, so that part can be omitted -- FSX assumes that bit if a complete path isn't given. Strange though. Having the path wrong shouldn't have made SimConnect fail locally, it should simply result in the incorrectly pathed modules not being loaded. They are optional in any case. What is much more likely is that the paths were/are valid, and point to older versions of the Modules, from the original FSX release. But then I thought those wouldl actually crash FSX if loaded. So when you were testing with and without FSUIPC4, you weren't doing it the 'easy' way, renaming or moving the DLL itself, but by doing something with the DLL.XML file? Anyway, glad you got it fixed in the end. Pete

Yes. The whole purpose of the FSUIPC IPC interface is onward compatibility. It is the same from FS98 through to FSX including even CFS1 and CFS2. Obviously extra things are added as new FS facilities appear, but the interface is the same and the older data is supported as far as it is still applicable. Pete

This number pad generates key presses? Why not use them directly then? What does FSUIPC do for you? The ATC Menu 0-9 controls are actioned by keypresses 0-9 (on the main keyboard) in any case. Erwhat do they do when the ATC window is closed? If they are generating keystrokes which aren't valid when the ATC window is open, maybe their input is defeated before they get as far as FSUIPC's detection, which operates at the Windows "KEYDOWN", "KEYUP" message level. Certainly, programming Buttons for the ATC menu selection works fine in FSX -- I can assign buttons either to keypresses (1, 2, 3, ...) or to the controls (ATC Menu 1, 2, 3 ...) and they work equally well. I'm afraid I don't have a separate keypad sending keystrokes to test, but I think it would help to know what keystrokes yours generates -- after all, a normal keyboard could be used as a substitute. All mine are USB anyway, not that this would make any difference. [LATER] I've done some tests with FSX and the normal keyboard NumPad. You don't need to assign things in FSUIPC to see what is happening. When the ATC menu is showing the normal NUMLOCK off NUMPAD keypresses are ignored. For example, the trim wheel on the 737 throttle quadrant is operated by the Home/7 and End/1 keys with Num Lock off -- but not when the ATC Menu is shown. Interestingly the NUMLOCK On mode is unaffected. I wonder if this is a bug? It effectively means that keyboard flying with the normal keyboard assignments is inhibited when the ATC menu is showing -- you'd suddenly lose keyboard throttle, aileron and elevator control! Can you verify this? Please report it to MS via tell_fs@microsoft.com. I'll ask about it too via my contacts. Regards Pete

Make sure you installed FSUIPC 4.11, not 4.09 which I cannot support. Can I see the FSUIPC4.LOG file, please, and the Install LOG also? You will find both in the FSX Modules folder. I need to know what version of Windows your are running. If it is Windows Vista you need to run FSX using the right-click popup menu selection "Run As Administrator", as described in the FSUIPC4 User Guide. If you still have difficulties I need to check the KEY. Please ZIP up and send your FSUIPC4.KEY file (from the FSX Modules folder). Regards Pete

SimConnect seems okay. If that was wrong you'd not get anything working correctly. You haven't said whether you tried the simplified / different SimConnect.xml I suggested. I am not using a SimConnect.xml which looks like yours -- I'm not sure where you got yours from. Try deleting the local section and substituting the one I suggested. Pete

Well, nor do I, sorry. I have no idea what that strange message means. You really need to go back to the supplier of the program which produces it and ask them what they mean. By the way, why do you mention FSUIPC 4.090 in the title of your message? The current supported version is 4.11 (and there's a 4.115 update in the Announcements). Version 4.09 is not supported now. Regards Pete

Okay. You have three files concatenated there. The FSUIPC4.LOG file is the only relevant one, and that is actually incomplete (FSUIPC4 is still running according to that). There doesn't appear to be anything wrong with SimConnect. You are using an out of date version of FSUIPC, but that is unlikely to be the problem. However, best to get it up to date first. Pete