Pete Dowson

Yes. There are actually two areas. And they are not used just for PM talking to itself, they are used for external control and information too. This is why Pm publish the details on their documentation page. FSUIPC makes use of these areas to provide tne special "PM" controls in its Keys and Buttons programming pages. Possibly. For what project? .... what talking to what? But to get details from a third party panel into FSUIPC offsets and vice versa will need programming in that panel. Pr are you the panel maker? Pm uses them for their documentated purposes. How would you propose to use them? If you are a programmer and need to get stuff from your programmed panel to somewhere else, or vice versa, there are a number of ways you could probably do it. The 767PIC implementation, for instance, did it by having an interface DLL. I think PMDG are contemplating something similar. The advantage of using FSUIPC offsets is that you can network things via WideFS then, and program Buttons and Keys using FSUIPC instead of having to support both in you panel. Regards, Pete

Well, for full documentation on such offsets you would need the Programmer's Guide from the FSUIPC SDK. You might find that useful in any case -- the Keys and Buttons programming facilities in FSUIPC options both include many Offset value setting/clearing/toggling controls, and these can be used to do almost anything through the FSUIPC offsets without actually writing a program. In terms of what you want to do, using one bit on one of the bytes in the Virtual Button offsets I mentioned actually simplifies things quite a bit, as now you can TOGGLE a bit each time the Key is pressed -- in other words you can make the Key Press look like a latching toggle switch just by programming it to toggle a bit. Once you've done that, programming the button "Press" to switch TCAS on, and the "Release" to switch TCAS off is easy, and you don't need conditional programming, flags, or any editing in the FSUIPC.INI file at all! By all means get back to me if you are still puzzled. Regards, Pete

Hmmm. Doesn't the encoder come with any software for programming it? Or is it just a plain "you get one code per key" option? Sorry, I haven't provided conditionals for keypresses. Yes, of course -- you can use it to toggle a bit in the virtual buttons offsets of FSUIPC. This is an area from offset 3340-3363 where each bit is a "virtual button", which can then be recognised in the Buttons programming section. Regards, Pete

Did you see this paragraph in the WideFS documentation? In other words, whilst I'm not sure why it is happening, it won't do any harm, and after a period the number of connections shown by the Server should correct itself. (The most likely reason for it occurring is that FS itself is very busy and prevents WideServer sending stuff to the client for more than two seconds or so). If you are having problems, this is a different matter of course. Regards, Pete

No, 99% of the use of FSUIPC facilities is from external programs -- EXEs on the same PC, or via WideFS. It would work from a DLL though, as they won't unload when you load a flight. Regards, Pete

That's out of date. 3.30 is current. Yes, it is conditional. Just make it conditional on the Flag for the same button (assuming the button is recognised on a Joystick number from 0 to 15 -- I only provide flags for those -- else it is more complicated). The example is the Advanced User's Guide is for the case where your button is NOT in the Joystick range 0-15: However, if your button is on joystick 0-15 the Flag is toggled automatically each time that button is pressed, so you simply have two entries, one conditional on the Flag being set and the other on the Flag being clear. e.g. assuming your button is J1, B5: 1=CP(F-1,5)1,5,C2999,51 ;TCAS Alt 2=CP(F+1,5)1,5,C2999,50 ;TCAS Off Regards, Pete

Yes, exactly. When you load a Flight it also unloads the current aircraft panel (including all the Gauges) and loads the aircraft and panel specified in the flight file. You are trying to load a flight from a gauge which will, by the time the flight is loaded, simply not be there -- FS returns to the place where your gauge used to bebang, crash! Regards, Pete

Strange! I'd report that to Goflight if I were you. Maybe it's a known defect easy to fix, but whatever, they ought to know about the ways their hardware can go wrong. Good flying! Pete

Ah, sorry, didn't read carefully enough. I'll go try it in the Learjet. [Later] They work perfectly in the Learjet too. Please try some other buttons too. It seems most odd. Are you sure the RP48 is not also programmed in the GoFlight driver and maybe there are conflicting controls? Also can you remind me what version of FSUIPC you are using please? If it is 3.30 or later you can get some more information as follows: Edit the FSUIPC.INI file and add the lines Debug=Please LogExtras=2 into the [General] section. (Replace the LogExtras line if there's one there already). Then, when you press the buttons/turn the knobs you'll get entries in the log like this (the important bits are "FS Control Sent". The lines with bRes=2 are Press, bRes=1 Release -- it'll be a little different with GoFlight I expect. sorry, my GoFlight stuff isn't connected at present): 71704 [DNSCAN] J0.1, B2, bRes=2, Flags=01, ulValue=65896[0x00010168], lParam=0, TimeNow=20868625, TimeLast=0 71704 FS Control Sent: Ctrl=65896, Param=0 71985 [DNSCAN] J0.1, B2, bRes=1, Flags=01, ulValue=65896[0x00010168], lParam=0, TimeNow=20868906, TimeLast=20868625 73454 [DNSCAN] J0.1, B0, bRes=2, Flags=01, ulValue=65897[0x00010169], lParam=0, TimeNow=20870375, TimeLast=20869703 73454 FS Control Sent: Ctrl=65897, Param=0 73735 [DNSCAN] J0.1, B0, bRes=1, Flags=01, ulValue=65897[0x00010169], lParam=0, TimeNow=20870656, TimeLast=20870375 82110 [DNSCAN] J0.1, B3, bRes=2, Flags=01, ulValue=1021[0x000003FD], lParam=0, TimeNow=20879031, TimeLast=20871312 82110 FSUIPC Control Action: Ctrl=1021, Param=0 82360 [DNSCAN] J0.1, B3, bRes=1, Flags=01, ulValue=1021[0x000003FD], lParam=0, TimeNow=20879281, TimeLast=20879031 83594 [DNSCAN] J0.1, B1, bRes=2, Flags=01, ulValue=1020[0x000003FC], lParam=0, TimeNow=20880515, TimeLast=20879968 83594 FSUIPC Control Action: Ctrl=1020, Param=0 83844 [DNSCAN] J0.1, B1, bRes=1, Flags=01, ulValue=1020[0x000003FC], lParam=0, TimeNow=20880765, TimeLast=20880515 Regards, Pete

Why aren't you docking the AdvDisplay window? That display is only the initial one for you to position and dock, or lock. You can associate it with any one of your many cockpit parts -- please check the documentation. As to why there's some interaction with that panel, I really don't know. Maybe the panel author is getting up to some weird or fancy tricks which gets things confused. Oh, BTW, AdvDisplay won't be "hammering" anything. It does virtually nothing except display a window. It will be some interaction with the panel which is doing the "hammering", but why it doesn't like the AdvDisplay window I can't say. Something to do with video drivers probably? If that's the PMDG display, can you tell me what you mean by "flashing between FS9 panel views, ect." and "using any panel that opens separate views, when moving that sub view ...". Does it do the same in maximised windowed mode as well as full screen mode? Do you have "render to texture" set -- that seems to be quite problematic with 2D panels. I have the PMDG stuff (though I don't use the panels normally), and I can run AdvDisplay docked, locked or undocked anywhere on the 2D panel (737-700 tested), both in Windowed mode and Full Screen mode. This is on a Matrox Parhelia video card. I see you are using pretty much the latest nVidia drivers. Have you tried some earlier ones? Sometimes the very latest aren't the best. Regards, Pete

Both AP SPD VAR DEC and FSUIPC's own added AP SPD VAR DEC FAST both work fine and consistently here. Really there's no difference to the INC versions except they call a decrementing function instead. They won't decrease below zero of course. Test them out on a default aircraft, and maybe with Key press programming first. Also try other buttons to cross-check. I assure you that the controls themselves are fine. BTW you are not programming these by hand, in the INI file, are you? There's really no need to show me the INI file bits unless you are. Best to use the FS options dialogue for simple (non-Conditional) assignments. Regards, Pete

You need to read the section in the documentation about how to buy the access key, or refer to the announcement at the top of this forum about "Paying for FSUIPC -- the Why and How". There's also a link to the registration page in SimMarket in the Schiratti download page, and in the list of supported versions above. Regards, Pete

Assuming you are on the ground at KMCO, then: 1. The direction is more or less correct. The difference between ATIS 097 (True) and WeatherSet's reading of 094 True will simply be that you are not positioned dead at the METAR station coordinates and are therefore seeing an interpolated value, influenced a little by another METAR station nearby. 2. Some of the difference between the 094 Tue and the Shift+Z 103 Magnetic is the Magnetic Variation at KMCO, which is 3 or 4 degrees I think. Not sure about the rest. The Shift+Z does give the Ambient Wind, at the aircraft, which doesn't have to be exactly whatever is predicted or measured at the Station, though it usually is pretty close. It might be worth just taking off and checking the wind off the surface. 3. The wind speed of 1 knot is coincidentally the exact speed set by FSUIPC if you've got TaxiWinds enabled, either manually or on automatic. If automatic, then this speed will change (slowly if you have wind smoothing on) to the correct speed when you take off. Regards, Pete

Normally you'd set that 'grey screen' to be minimised, or at least only showing the title bar so you can see the status. WideClient, which is what that screen represents, is the substitute for FS on that Client PC. It is providing the FSUIPC interface for your FSUIPC applications to interface to. All you need to do is, instead of running the applications on the FS PC, run them on the Client. That is what WideFS is for, as it says in the documentation. Oh dear. You cannot run FSNavigator that way. It is NOT an FSUIPC application -- it doesn't use FSUIPC at all. Not only that, it isn't even a separate program, it is an FS DLL. It can only be run in FS. It is because of early misunderstandings like this that I added the big boxed IMPORTANT NOTE near the beginning: If you want to run a map program, find one which is actually a program, and which interfaces to FSUIPC. Then just run it on the Client PC. There are no settings to try. You have it working. Now just run the applications you want to run. Regards, Pete

Where is FS2004 showing this 181/46 wind? In the Shift+Z display on screen? Try using WeatherSet2 to check weather. When you download real weather you don't just get one set of weather, you get a set for every METAR station. I should think that a 30 mile circuit in Florida will take you through several different areas, so the weather you see will be interpolated each time from a number of stations. I don't know this "ABGC " ND, but if it is written correctly and interfaces to FSUIPC to get its wind details, it should be showing the same as Shift+Z. Regards, Pete

No, sorry, thee's no way I can detect those really, let alone specify them. The way it is coded you can have one of more shift key (Ctrl, Shift or Alt) plus a normal key. Alt isn't a good idea anyway as it brings up the menu and the other key press parts are then usually lost. to make up for that, in the FSUIPC end of things, I allow TAB as a shift key. This should give you ample combinations not otherwise used. I really think you can find enough combinations of (any 1 or more of Shift, Control, Tab) + (almost any other key). Regards, Pete

They are all okay. Hmmm. It's a bit of a puzzle. This is where I would start trial-and-error. As you say, reinstall Network cards, and so on. But I don't understand why there are no error messages. I assume there are still none if you allow WideClient to run longer than the 4 seconds you showed in the first log? Pete

That shows no errors either. So, sorry, there's not a lot I can tell you. you might try running the client for a bit longer than 4 seconds of course -- terminating it so soon doesn't give it a chance. Also, check that you have not changed the Port number in either case, no have one set for TCP/IP and the other for IPX/SPX (I can check for you if you show me the INI files). But if these things are okay, or left defaulted, and you are never getting connected, then, I'm sorry, but there's no erros being reported. it is just as if they are on different Networks or something. If it was okay once then obviously you have changed something. You really do need to try to work out what it was. Regards, Pete

That was the log from the Client, and at least it got the IP address for your Server. What does the Server say? If this problem only recently started, you need to think what you changed. Did you add a firewall (eg. XP SP2) or something like that? Or a router? I see no error messages in the Client log though. However, you closed the program after less than 4 seconds, so it may simply not have had time to exchange data by then. Was FS already loaded? It may simply be waiting for FS to be loaded and ready to fly -- WideServer does not offer its services until then. Regards, Pete

Why didn't you say? It would have saved some time. Please try adding [buttons] PollInterval=50 PollEpicButtons=No to the FSUIPC.INI file, before loading FS. (Just insert the two parameters if you already have a [buttons] section). If this doesn't solve it, try 60 instead of 50. Please let me know. So far, the only folks who have reported button polling problems with 3.30 are those using Windows 98 rather than Windows XP. I think it is related to the older USB code. I notice you are using Windows 2000, so maybe the same applies. Can you tell me if there are many USB devices on your system? In the next version I will be defaulting the PollInterval to 50 on Windows 98 systems. I would like your feedback on Windows 2000 as it may be that I should impose this limitation on that system too. Thanks, Pete

I think, in the end, that particular one turned out to be due to a bad version of FSNavigator -- an update to that fixed it. In that case it's the joystick scanning problem, which was diagnosed, and fixable in 3.22 with additions to the FSUIPC.INI file (there are a couple of threads about that here someplace) However, 3.22 was replaced over a month ago by 3.30. I cannot support old versions I'm afraid. Please check the list of supported versions (an announcement near the top of this Forum) before reporting problems, and update to the latest version first. If you still have problems, get back to me. I can deal with reports about supported versions. Regards, Pete

Oh, but I am not using PFC. I didn't mean the "also" as "as well as you", but just "also, in addition to WidevieW and WideFS" -- I mentioned it in case it was relevant to the problem he had. Maybe it was not relevant. Either way, let me know if you do have such a problem. Regards, Pete

It's the Windows virtual keycode for TAB, which is 9. Last time I actually published a full list was in the FS2000 Controls list, which is still available over in the http://www.schiratti.com/dowson page. The list starts off: 3 Ctrl Break (needs shift state = 10) 8 Backspace 9 Tab 12 NumPad 5 (NumLock OFF) 13 Enter 19 Pause 20 Caps lock (usable with Shift but not with Cntrl) 10 is correct for Control, yes. The ActionKeys parameter is "ActionKeys=Yes", not "Y". Please re-check the document. The KeySend is okay if you put 9 in for TAB. Make sure both lines go into the [user] section. Where are you putting this? I suggested that you program the key in FSUIPC, you don't want to be messing about in the WideServer.INI file! Just program the button to send KeySend in FSUIPC, with a parameter of 1. Where do you get this other stuff? The method of programing the actual joystick button number in WideServer dates back about 6 years and was aimed at EPIC users, before FSUIPC was even thought of. No, no. FSUIPC does not assume any button numbers. Please, please, just program the keysend in FSUIPC, as I suggested in the first place. Regards, Pete

Yes. Mind, I did have one user, also using PFC equipment, with a problem where with WideFS and WidevieW both installed into FS2004, FS was crashing after 15-30 minutes, whereas it wasn't without either one or the other. This seems to have disappeared with a more recent interim test version of FSUIPC, but I don't know what was causing it. If you do try it and have any problems like that, just let me know. Perhaps you could mention this to that other person, too? Regards, Pete

3.308 is a test version on limited release, including the ActiveSky beta group. I do not supply interim test releases openly, they only go out for specific reasons, and in those cases it is the responsibility of the application software authors to take care of it. I would therefore assume that you should find 3.308 inside the ActiveSky package -- if not, please contact whoever supplied it. Regards, Pete