Pete Dowson

Oh, this is getting daft! There's no change to that bit. I only moved the part which reads the INI file. The stuff which does the menu is related to the FS window subclassing, which is the same as it was in 2.12. I simply cannot get it NOT to add itself to the Modules menu here, and, as the code is the same I've no idea what's happened in your system. Can you give me any clues please? Show me the INI file, maybe it is related to that? What's your operating system, version of FS? Any other add-in modules installed at all? I'll fix it as soon as I can understand it. Pete

Found it! Sorry, it was a total blunder. I should have caught it before it went out -- what I thought was a simple change (avoiding the delay in subclassing the FS window, to try to reduce the probability of black screen problems) turned out to have nasty reprecussions. It actually stopped “Locked” settings from being remembered, and even prevented docking for panels in which it was not already docked! Do NOT use 2.12 at all! Apologies for this mishap. I am releasing version 2.121 now, and attach a copy of the DLL only for your use. Thanks for reporting this so promptly! Regards, Pete AdvDisplay2121.zip

I only ever managed to make it happen if I changed focus away from FS, as I thought I mentioned originally. Just switching back and forth never created the black screen for me in any case. Are you sure they are truly lock-ups, by the way? Every single time, for me, pressing ALT wuold get me to the menu, and using the Options-Settings-Display Hardware dialogue to change some display setting always got things going again. These black screens are evidently some quirk in the video driver, DX9 or FS, not actually displaying things, whilst elsewhere in FS it thinks things are okay. In your test did you ensure that the "InitDelay=0" line was truly in the [General] section of the FSUIPC.INI, not merely added to the end of the file, and that your FSUIPC is registered? Did you remove AdvDisplay, PFC, ViMaCore2004, if you have them? Were there any other add-in DLLs present? So far, the majority of responses have shown a definite advantage for the earlier subclassing, so I'll probably make it default this way in 3.07. I have already released versions of AdvDisplay and PFC with this changed in any case. There's no way I can truly eliminate the problem, as I have proven here -- even if FSUIPC does nothing at all, the error can still occur. It can even occur with no add-ins. All I can do is try to make it less probable. Regards, Pete

Well, you didn't look far enough. Check this: ... coincidentally, in the same forum you posted your question! If you'd just perused the titles you'd have found it easy enough! I tried the suggestions and they work well for me! No idea, but all that is beyond me. Sounds like the sort of thing FSAssist used to do -- you need to suggest it to the clever folks at Lago I think! Regards, Pete

I hope someone else here can help, because I really have no idea. As far as I knew, to FS an axis was an axis, which was an axis. Which one it was shouldn't matter. You've assigned it, it provides values, so that's that. Why should it care which axis it was originally? The only significant change between FS2000 and FS2002, which really made all this stuff rather more complicated than it used to be, was the changeover, in FS, to using DirectInput, rather than the good old reliable Windows joystick interface. This sort of thing makes me even more determined to provide some sort of direct Windows API joystick interface with full calibration and response curve programming. I've wanted to add this to FSUIPC for a long time. It is on the cards, but it is a fairly big project -- I'll get to it, but it may be early 2004. Regards, Pete

I assume it is WideClient.EXE you are running on the client, as there is no WideFS.exe. What FSUIPC application are you wishing to run there? FSNav is not an FSUIPC application but an entirely independent FS add-in. It makes itself part of FS, there is no separate program to run, it runs only in FS. To run it press F9 on the FS PC. If you want to run something similar to FSNav but on a separate computer, try Nav3 by Ted Wright (sorry, can't find a URL just now). This will work through WideFS. Regards, Pete

No, sorry. The interface changed. Only WideFS version 6 works with FSUIPC 3. You need to register WideFS for this, but it doesn't need a registered FSUIPC. Regards, Pete

That's because by the time the key is released both PFC and FSUIPC aren't running -- opening a menu basically suspends everything else. Once you get into the Planning menu don't you need to use the keyboard in any case? If so, then surely pressing "P" first wouldn't be so bad. If you want to get the button to do it you'll have to program multiple key operations on the Press, not separate them with Press and Release. That should ensure they keystrokes all get sent before the menu is opened. To do that you have to edit the FSUIPC.INI file, as discussed in the FSUIPC Advanced Users Guide. If it's a menu-accessible dialogue then, no, I shouldn't think so. All of FS's dialogue windows are modal. Even the map, which is daft when you think about it. Regards, Pete

Good. Thanks for confirming. Version 3.07 of FSUIPC, which I hope to release within the next two days, wil default to InitDelay=0 in any case, but I'll also make it adjustable in non-registered installations, just in case. Regards, Pete

I just checked and Enrico had updated it this evening some time. It is most certainly 2.12 on his 'Dowson' page now. Regards, Pete

Where? It certainly is here, and this is the only place I have time to maintain. I am busy full time working on FS software otherwise. What sort of "putting out" would you expect? Sorry, you will have to ask them. I cannot undertake to go out and locate all the delevopers who may or may not use FSUIPC. In fact it amazed me that there were many at all using FSUIPC from within panels in the first place, though I did make adequate provision for this. Not only that, but I published information about all this when it was in its proposal phase, and got considerable feedback before FSUIPC 3 was first released. If developers can manage to find the information they need to interface to FSUIPC in the first place, I'm sure that, if they wished, they would find their way to obtaining the free keys they could well be entitled to. All developer information is intended to be in the FSUIPC SDK, of course, and I am working on it, but it is a long job double checking everything. Many developers do actually help in that process and I am very grateful to them for verifying which values are okay in FS2004, which have changed, and which no longer work. The latter I try to fix, if possible, in updates to FSUIPC, but checking the values is still only half done thus far. Where do you expect it to be? It is up to you to go get information, not for me to search you out. I cannot do that. The whole system was described here in this forum from long before it came into being. It has been discussed at great length as you can see further down in the forum. This forum was actually started back in April, and has been referenced in the documentation ever since then. Of course only user documentation is supplied with the downloadable FSUIPC. Development information is available from me, as it always has been. When the updated SDK is available, it will all be in there, but meanwhile developers interested in FS2004 have been asking me for details, not just of this registration system, but also of additions, changes and so forth, for FS2004. This is a continuing and on-going process. I try to help clarify all the details through the Announcements and Stickies at the top of this forum, and, as I said, the forum is referred to in my documents as well as in the Schiratti Dowson page. If you want free access keys, please apply to the email address I already told you about and I will send you full details by return. If you don't, then I don't really see much point in further continuing this discussion. You obviously feel agrieved about something, though I cannot see why your anger is directed at me and my software, but now it is time for you to either go your own way, as you promised, or to make use of the amenities I can provide. It is up to you. Regards, Pete

Oh, I see. Sorry, my misunderstanding. I think the InitDelay setting only helps in the one circumstance I suggested, though from all the messages I thought that was the main circumstance. I'm not really clear, in your report, what was different with or without the InitDelay set to zero. I'm going to default it to 0 in 3.07 I think. The benefits seem to outweigh any drawbacks -- or was your report saying it made things worse? As I thought I said, I refer folks mainly to that Schiratti site because Enrico, whose page it is, does update it before anyone else, as a rule. I think Avsim only put links to that site in any case, so I don't think deleting your bookmark will help you a lot. In fact, I don't recall AvSim actually putting AdvDisplay up in any case, though they, like many other sites, do automatically get all my updates. Also, Enrico is the only one who does put all my modules up in one place, so it makes it the best one for me to refer folks to. He does, however, make it clear on that page that it is his site, not mine. Regards, Pete

You have to emulate what actually happens with those messages when the real keys are pressed. You send a sequence of KEYDOWNs, then a series of KEYUPs. If you have a message Spy program like the Spy++ which comes with MSVC++ then watch the Keyboard messages arriving in any program which you press combinations. Pete

Well, if you were making the dead zones rather big, yes, that would have that effect. Another thing which may be worth a try is to add this line in the [CONTROLS] section of the FS9.CFG file: stick_sensitivity_mode=0 I don't know if this works in FS2004, but it did work in FS2002 and FS2000 -- it makes FS read and scale the joystick inputs like it used to in FS98, a normal linear reaction. I think by default it does something quite weird which I can't explain. Regards, Pete

A dead centre zone is only useful to ensure a stable centre, i.e. hands-off, setting. Dead end zones only ensure that you can always reach maximum deflection. The more you widen those dead zones the MORE sensitive you are making the joystick because it has to cover the remaining non-dead values in a shorter space. So, start off with good calibration in windows, and adjust sensitivity in FS, but do not set any dead zones or calibrate in FSUIPC initially. When you get the sensitivity right you might try to set zones, but be careful not to make them too big, only big enough to give you stability and full range. Regards, Pete

No, it isn't possible. FS2004 only creates the indices it needs on first loading. Even the FS staff in Microsoft found it a pain to have to reload FS each time, whilst developing scenery, and they had no solution either. Regards, Pete

As it says on the site, they send it by email within 24 hours. Pete

No, but it would have been a good idea for you to have saved your FSUIPC.KEY file, as suggested in the documentation. Your key will be valid for all version 3.XX FSUIPCs, in other words at least two years. If it is reported as invalid then you are not entering the details exactly as originally provided. The name, email and key must be absolutely the same. Computers are stupid, they believe what you tell them. Regards, Pete

I'm sorry, but I really cannot try to improve the chances other people's programs have of getting around this FS or DX problem. You will have to report that to Helge. I have not fixed anything. There is nothing in any of my software which can fix any of this. I have conclusively proved that. The minor changes I have made recently are merely aimed at trying to reduce the probability, insofar as I can in my code. Others have to deal with it in whatever way they find suitable. I cannot alter other's code even if I knew what to alter. I have no main page. I have this forum, and that is all. As I keep saying to everyone, I distribute my software by email attachment to about 50 site managers. Some put it up fast, some slow, some not at all. I have no control whatsoever over that. All I can do is tell folks here when I have released something and what the changes are. I recommend Enrico Schiratti's page as he is usually fastest, but I do not control him. He is his own man. Regards, Pete

Further to my last message here, perhaps you could sent it, ZIPPed, as an attachment to an email to me at petedowson@btconnect.com. This might be best in any case as I'd like to send you a test version of FSUIPC to get more information. Oh, one other thing. Can you tell me how much memory the PC in which you run FS has, please? Thanks, Pete

It does. Or rather it seems to, for most, as I've attached things and so have others. Just below the area where you compose your message there's a blue bar right across bearing the title "Attachment Posting Control Panel". Below that there's an "Add an Attachment" button, and you can browse for the file and also add a description. I think there may be a limit on the size of the attachement, but that's all. I could do with seeing a picture of this, because at present I am totally at a loss as to what would possibly have happened to that Tab. Provided it finds the correct routine in the CONTROLS.DLL it really has to appear! It is very mystifying! Regards, Pete

That's okay then. For a registered copy of FSUIPC there should be nothing stopping the Joysticks tab appearing. Can you tell me what tabs you do see, and in what order please? You didn't mention your screen resolution or font size. Pete

You managed to get three copies of the same message posted here. I hope you don't mind, but I've deleted the two earlier ones and only retained the last one. I use 3 x 18" TFTs (LG1810Bs) for the outside view. I have no CRTs left, I am all TFT now. Love 'em. :) Well, I think any 2D imposition on the screen will affect performance to some extent. But that wasn't really the point. The point was that if you have any panel parts at all on display you'd want a higher resolution. The lower resolution I am using to get good performance (2400 x 600 = 3 screens each at 800 x 600, quite low for 18" displays) is great for scenery, not so good for panels. What you may want to invest in is a proper MCP. Take a look at the Aerosoft one (http://www.aerosoft.com.au/) -- it's pretty good value for money in my opinion. Otherwise check out some of the GoFlight accessories. Didn't I say I was using a Parhelia for my three screens? Sorry. No idea. I have a 256Mb Parhelia, but I suspect a 128 Mb one would be okay. I think than, in FS2004 only, there are some difficulties splitting off panels and things when in full screen mode. You'll need to double check things before going in that direction. It *should* be possible, but be warned. I'm not sure what exactly the difficulties are. Matrox do not do any Parhelia drivers for Windows 98. Windows XP is the way to go in any case. Only if you use multiple PCs in a Network. True unless you program them to do the same thing on both press and release. Rotaries produce a press and release alternately. The GPS window is one of the panel parts selectable by the controls "Panel 1" to "Panel 9". The actual number varies according to the way they are defined in the PANEL.CFG file. For instance on the default 737 it is selected by Shift+3, which is assigned to the "PANEL 3" FS control. You can program a button to do that. No. The stuttering will be due to scenery elements, autogen, stuff like that, nothing to do with distant weather. You either need to turn some of your settings down or follow some of the hints abounding for improving performance near airports and cities. See the FS2004 Forum on this site. Regards, Pete

No. All the changes made are listed in the History document. What's "No Accumultaion"? It isn't a response from anything I have made. Sorry, I cannot even imagine what you are talking about. Can't you use the FSUIPC IPC logging and the Weather logging to resolve your problem? If you are getting an odd response in your code are you sure this is not local to the library routines you are calling? If it is something in a part of the SDK code, then you have al the sources at your disposal and therefore can debug it fully. If there is something you are not sure of in FSUIPC then please check the logging facilities. Maybe there was something in error before and just not triggered for some reason. Regards, Pete

I replied to it. FSUIPC already provides full weather information including the icing data for each cloud layer. I don't believe FSUIPC should have to work out which cloud you are in just so that it can copy the current icing value to another location. That's really an application activity -- having FSUIPC doing such computations continuously just in case something might need it is not a good idea, performance wise. Regards, Pete