Pete Dowson

Currently POV switches aren't exposed to the Lua library functions. Nor are any axes. Didn't you notice? In FSUIPC3 POV switches are treated in the same way as they were in FS98 and FS2000 -- as a set of 8 buttons 32-39. In FSUIPC4 I kept that option for compatibility but also added support for them as axes as well, so they can be programmed either way. I'm not sure how I would support them in Lua, but if I added such facilities I might as well add axis support too. The problem with supporting axes via events is that the rate of change could easily far exceed the ability of the Lua interpreter to keep up. Currently the best way to utilise axes (including POVs) in Lua is to assign them to a Lua control (i.e. an existing program) which would then be supplied with the axis value as ipcPARAM. This is as described in the FSUIPC Lua documentation. It would still have the inability to keep up with fast changes, though. You'd need to try it to see if it worked well enough for your needs. Another way would be to assign the axes / POVs to FSUIPC Offset Word Set controls, using user-available offsets (66C0 - 66FF), and use the offset event to detect the changes in Lua. Really, though, this is just another way of doing the exact same thing only slightly less efficiently. How are you testing for buttons 32-39? There are no library functions for that. The existing button facilities only support 0-31, as documented. Regards Pete

What part of it don't you understand? You did try running it, didn't you? You can experiment making changes to it, you can't do any harm. Even if you eventually re-program it in VB or something, Lua makes a really good, easy, fast prototyping language -- i.e. to try things out. Sorry, for any language tuition you need to refer to the books. For interfacing to FSUIPC all I can offer is the SDK -- and of course there's that .NET DLL interface method too, as I referred you to. What do you mean "how the Lua works"? The specific program lines? Which parts don't you understand? The language is not very much different from VB or any other easy level language. And in any case most of the Lua examples I have provided consist mainly of FSUIPC library calls, all of which are documented in the package. For more information on Lua as a language you need to refer to the Lua website, or buy the book(s). Regards Pete

No, it isn't. It isn't even available for a non-updated FS2004. Sorry. It would involve too much hacking into software I no longer use or even have installed, and it simply isn't worth it for the very few users now left of such antiquated software! I'm not even sure it could be done, as the methods used are based on the FS2004 gauges SDK from Microsoft. Regards Pete

Good! No. There are no such things in the cockpit. All except the two external PCs run programs which either need no direct attention when running (like Project Magenta instrumentation) or which can be handled via things like KeySend keypresses. I only need to get at them with keyboard/mouse emulations to set things up or change things, and VNC handles that from a PC with such accoutriments. See http://www.realvnc.com . Project Magenta's "pmStartUp" program takes care of automatically updating programs from a central depository. Regards Pete

:!: :!: :!: I cannot possibly support version 4.30! That is over two years out of date! TWO YEARS! Unless you update to at least 4.60 you will not be able to get any support. There's really no excuse for being out of date -- please ALWAYS check before you come to this Forum asking for help! Please also just occasionally review the Announcements at the top of this Forum! Well, the main thing you seemed to misunderstand was this: Pete

Good! Thanks for letting us know. It definitely sounds like the Saitek stuff needed one or other of the FSX updates! Regards Pete

Please keep to the one thread for the one subject. I already replied there. Regards Pete

Ouch. There seem to be more problems resulting from attempts to re-install FSX than from all the other possible causes put together. The problem is that the uninstall doesn't fully remove side-by-side installations like SimConnect, and when the re-install is done it all gets messed up. Yes. That means your SimConnect installation is truly messed up. You might get away with simply installing FSX SP1, testing FSX, then re-boot, install SP2 and re-boot. Then try installing FSUIPC again. If that doesn't work then I've no easy fix. If you can roll back to a Windows restore point when it all worked, that might be a solution. Otherwise it may need a complete Windows re-installation. This is nothing to do with FSUIPC itself. The same problems would afflict any and all SimConnect-using applications. I really never understood how Microsoft could have got it all into such an horrendous mess. I do have a later version of FSUIPC4 which by-passes the Side-by-Side checking and accesses SimConnect directly, instead. This is counter to MS rules, though, and it doesn't help with other Simconnect programs. But if you want to try that, and FSUIPC4 has been installed, even if not in a working state, just download 4.623 from the Updates announcement in this Forum, and put the DLL into the FSX Modules folder, overwriting the (hopefully) 4.60a version already there. Regards Pete

There's a Lua plug-in example which does this sort of thing, with a lot more information. Take a look inside the "Example Lua Plug-Ins" ZIP (installed with your FSUIPC documentation) -- the example is "Record to CSV.Lua". You could easily change the format and contents of the output and the filename of the file produced. Yes, of course it is possible -- if you don't want to do it the easy way, with a Lua plug-in, you can program in any language you like. You need the FSUIPC SDK, and for VB.NET I'd recommend the FSUIPC Client DLL for .NET: for that please see the sticky thread higher up in this Forum entitled "FSUIPC Client DLL for .NET - Release Version 1.3 ". Regards Pete

Buttons programmed in FSUIPC simply send the controls you assign in EXACTLY the same way as they do when assigned in FS. The only difference FSUIPC offers is a lot more choice of assignments, and the possibility to have multiple actions, macros and plug-in programs on the buttons. It is also more efficient, unless used to send keystrokes instead of FS controls, because of the more direct interfaces used. FSUIPC has nothing whatsoever to do with displays or any graphics at all, so if you are getting anything odd it is either down to the functions you are programming. or has something to do with the joystick driver providing the button inputs. FSUIPC isn't actually doing anything until asked, so if there's any adverse effects it will be down to applications, gauges or other modules using it. Basic button scanning and programming really has not changed in FSUIPC since version 1. But FSUIPC3 uses the older Windows joystick API which was used in FS98 and FS2000, instead of DirectInput. That interface is actually simpler and more efficient, but doesn't support quite as many buttons and axes as DirectInput, which is why I changed over when I was forced to re-write FSUIPC for FSX. The only thing I can think of is that the joystick driver you are using is defective in its support for that interface. However, I have never heard of any problem even remotely similar to the one you are describing, so it doesn't make a lot of sense. If you want to take this further, I do actually need some initial information, like: 1. Version number of FSUIPC. This is ALWAYS needed. If it isn't at least 3.98 then please update first. You should also try 3.989, supplied in the Updates announcement in this Forum. 2. Do you have any AXES on your joystick connections? If so, how are they assigned? 3. When programming buttons in FSUIPC, are you disabling joysticks altogether in FS, or could there be a conflict? This is a common cause of problems -- getting two conflicting actions on the same buttons or axes. You should be aware that FS often re-assigns default actions to both buttons and axes unless its joystick action is disabled completely. Regards Pete

Well AS6.5 will certainly use the FSUIPC weather interface. I don't think it edits the FSUIPC INI file itself, but it is a long time since I used that -- I currently use ASE. Okay. Hopefully that will get it sorted now. Regards Pete

But I needed to ask, because it has been known for folks not to read the instructions and install WideServer.DLL, which is for FS9 and before only. Please don't get upset because I ask relevant questions. How else am I to find out what is going on? What a strange reaction! Please read my reply again, as I'm sure you must be misreading it. I need to ask questions to get information sufficient to assist. If you cannot understand that I am wondering what sort of ATC you provide. I don't think I'd like to come across you as a pilot! :-( Pete

Not sure what this is a Log of exactly, but it shows that you are running a program which is controlling the weather through FSUIPC: WeatherOptions(Orig)=681C3709[681C3709] 143469 NWI weather clear actioned <<< NWI = New Weather Interface (for program control) 143469 External weather discarded ... 2213109 WeatherOptions set, now 8810320F (timer=0) <<< Here the weather options are changed. Not sure whether you did that or another program? Otherwise, later in the session (3224 seconds, i.e. over 53 minutes), you appear to be frequently loading Flights which themselves clear the weather: 3224594 d:\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\lessons\solo\Solo-Private-Taxiing.flt 3224609 AIRCRAFT\c172\Cessna172SP.air 3224609 Aircraft="Cessna Skyhawk 172SP" 3225406 Clear All Weather requested: external weather discarded and, a few minutes later: 3479062 d:\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\Flights\AH.flt 3479078 AIRCRAFT\C208B\Cessna208B.air 3479078 Aircraft="Cessna Grand Caravan" 3479297 Clear All Weather requested: external weather discarded and again: 3509781 d:\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\lessons\ATP\Lesson 3.flt 3509828 AIRCRAFT\b737_400\Boeing737-400.air 3509828 Aircraft="Boeing 737-400" 3510672 Clear All Weather requested: external weather discarded and again: 3930797 d:\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\Flights\AH.flt 3930797 AIRCRAFT\C208B\Cessna208B.air 3930797 Aircraft="Cessna Grand Caravan" 3931031 Clear All Weather requested: external weather discarded But none of this shows any further weather options being changed. This is rather odd. You claim to be setting options in FSUIPC, but your INI file states: UpdatedByVersion=3900 It should say 3980 because that's what the log states you are using. So, either this file is NOT the one actually being used -- i.e. you are looking in the wrong place -- or something is either stopping it being updated or replacing it when it is updated. I don't know what else you are running on your system, but it is all very strange. Can you elaborate at all? The Visibility settings you have there are these, but notice how so many of the entries are repeated again and again? In fact most of the entries in the [General] section are multiplied many times over: GraduatedVisibility=Yes LowerVisAltitude=0 UpperVisAltitude=60000 UpperVisibility=6000 ExtendMetarMaxVis=Yes SmoothVisibility=Yes VisibilitySmoothness=2 MinimumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibilityFewClouds=0 MaximumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibility=0 SetVisUpperAlt=No VisUpperAltLimit=6000 VisSmoothingDelay=0 VisSmoothAirborneOnly=No MaximumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibility=0 MaximumVisibilityOvercast=0 MaximumVisibilityRainy=0 I don't know how you got it into this state -- I've never seen anything like it. FSUIPC cannot accomplish this -- it uses the Windows "profile" API to adjust its parameters, and that only allows one parameter by each name in each section. Have you been manually editing it whilst FS is running? If not it looks like some program you are using has messed it up good and proper. There's really nothing in your INI file worth keeping. I advise you to delete it entirely, so FSUIPC goes back to all default settings, then set the options you want. And take care over what applications you run. If you are worried about losing assignments or calibrations, don't. You haven't got any. The calibrations you do have: Aileron=-16380,-512,512,16380 Elevator=-16380,-512,512,16380 Rudder=-16380,-512,512,16380 Throttle=-16380,16380 are all purely default values in any case, showing that although you have, at some time, pressed the "SET" button for these axes, you've never actually followed the procedure through to perform any calibration. so it's really a waste of time. Oh, one other thing. If you look in the Updates announcement in this Forum you'll find a later version of FSUIPC -- 3.989. It would be worth your while downloading it and placing it in your Modules folder in place of 3.98a. Regards Pete

It looks very much as if you are out of date with your FSUIPC. Please make sure you are using at least 4.60 -- nothing earlier is supported. According to your video you are not seeing a crash at all, but a hang. There is a world of difference. A hang in the Buttons tab is often caused by a bad joystick driver installed in Windows. Please tell me the Version number of FSUIPC, and show me both the FSUIPC4.LOG and FSUIPC4.INI files from your FSX Modules folder. Otherwise there is simply not enough information to go on. Regards Pete

I think you must be directing your question to the wrong forum. No software of mine, supported in this forum, has anything to do with views whatsoever. If you are using WidevieW you need to go to http://www.wideview.it/wideview.htm . Regards Pete

The User guide explicitly tells you exactly this. Why not look at it? You will save both of us a lot of time. Pete

See the Installation and Registration document supplied in the ZIP you downloaded. Also it is all explained (with pictures!) in the User Guide, which is installed in the Documents folder inside the FSX Modules folder. It is all explained, at length, with pictures, in a form much better than I could manage here. And why reproduce documentation in a Forum which you already have within easy reach on your computer? It would make no sense at all!? When you install a later version it replaces the older one, but not vice versa. All your settings are preserved. But if you want to remove it please follow the SINGLE step required as detailed in the "un-installing section of the User Guide. Pete

Okay. Never one to ignore a challenge, I think I've cracked it, but you'll need to try it on FDC. Please download the new WideClient: http://fsuipc.simflight.com/beta/WideClient6823.zip I've documented the new facilities in the Updates announcement, as follows: I just need you to try it and let me know, please. Regards Pete

You've evidently not bothered to read my reply properly! FSUIPC does not use the internet. It does not connect to anything at all outside of FS! There is nothing in it which ever tries or wants to connect to the Internet! It cannot be anything to do with FSUIPC. You have something else doing it! And what do you mean by "trying to use FSUIPC". FSUIPC isn't "used" by users, but by applications. All you can do it set options etc in its dialogues. I repeat, as you seem not to see what I tell you: there are no options in FSUIPC to connect to the internet. It does not use the internet and never needs to go anywhere near it! None at all because your problem cannot possibly be anything to do with FSUIPC! In that case the crash is being caused by something you've added which uses FSUIPC, and the Internet, but which simply does not operate without FSUIPC being present. Disable all of your add-ons and re-enable them one at a time till you find which it is. (Though really you should certainly be fully aware of what add-ons you've installed which connect to the Internet!) Regards Pete

There's nothing in MTX which affects anything in either FSUIPC or WideFS. Something else has been corrupted by the sound of it. I've applied all of the MTX updates, including 5.3. They simply affect the scenery CFG file and provide the additional SimObjects reference (in FSX.CFG) for the AI aircraft. That makes no sense at all. There is nothing in FSUIPC or WideFS which knows or cares what aircraft or airport you use. It sounds more likely you have some corruption in some of your saved flights which is messing something up in FSX's internals. How exactly do you "re-install WideFS"? There's no installation for it, WideServer 7 being part of FSUIPC4! Since WideServer is part of FSUIPC4, the FSUIPC4 log is important too. FSUIPC only starts up the WideServer part when FS is "ready to fly". It sounds like you are sometimes never reaching that "ready to fly" stage. I need to see an FSUIPC4 log with that happening. The whole log, please, after FSX is closed, not a partial one like that from WideServer you showed. Best if you enable "Extras" logging (in the FSUIPC Logging tab), then close and restart FSX. The 'extras' logging shows SimConnect's flight status. Try one session with it going wrong and another with it going right, so we can see the difference. Regards Pete

The log file which the Installer produces contains more information (that is why it is produced -- it is even shown on screen so you can see it and save it!), but basically it means your FSX installation is corrupted. The SimConnect side-by-side installation in Windows has been messed up, ptrobably by your de-installing and re-installing actions. That part of Microsoft's efforts never worked correctly. I don't know how you can fix that except by reinstalling Windows, or perhaps you can roll back to a Windows restore point before uninstalling FSX before. There's no such message from anything of mine. You need to determine what is producing that message. FSUIPC will certainly not be able to do anything if SimConnect is not installed correctly, nor will many other things. However, you can try downloading FSUIPC 4.623 from the Updates announcement in this Forum. Just put the updated DLL into the FSX Modules folder before running FSX. See if that helps. As I said, I am pretty sure that none of the Saitek gear has anything to do with FSUIPC on FSX. Their driver uses SimConnect, so it will suffer the same as FSUIPC and almost any other add-on if SimConnect isn't working. Hmmm. What a disastrous thing Microsoft wrought there, then! :-( It isn't needed for Saitek equipment on FSX as far as I know. I certainly cannot support its use for Saitek equipment, as I said. You probably don't need it at all. In that case it didn't install, so you are okay. Of course they don't. They should support Saitek items, which is what you want working, isn't it? Why on Earth are you asking them about FSUIPC? Ask them how to make THEIR equipment work with your FSX, not with FSUIPC! I suspect that this would not fix SimConnect at all. If you can roll-back using a Windows restore point, that might work. You could, instead, and probably with more success, apply the FSX updates -- SP1 and SP2 -- which are free from Microsoft. Part of your problem may simply be that the Saitek driver needs at least SP1 applied. Many add-ons do. The original version of FSX (and FSX DeLuxe) was pretty buggy and many don't support it. Please do not bother asking me again how to make Saitek things work on FSX. I've no idea, and it isn't anything i can help with. I can only support my own programs. Regards Pete

Probably not a good idea to uninstall FSX and re-install. Seems to cause more problems than it solves. You could have just installed on top I think. I didn't think the Saitek driver used FSUIPC on FSX, only on FS9. Maybe you've not installed the correct Saitek driver? The only FSUIPC files would be in the FSX modules folder, if installed. I am not aware of any such message. You'll need to be more specific. what tells you that, and what are the exact words? No idea. I think you should go to Saitek support. i cannot support their products, and so far they have no license to use FSUIPC, even on FS9 where I know they use it! Pete

No. SimMarket do not supply it -- they only supply the Registration key. You download FSUIPC from any one of a number of places, usually the Schiratti site. But many add-ons install it automatically, so you may not even have done that. FSUIPC doesn't need to be purchased to be used by any number of add-ons. I need to know the version number. 4.4 would be far too old and completely unsupportable. The first thing to do is ASSIGN the axes, not calibrate. Where have you assigned them? If in FSX you MUST check the sliders. If you aren't assigning in FS then the sliders don't matter. And if you are not calibrating in FSUIPC then FSUIPC has nothing to do with whatever oddities you are experiencing. Please, I think it best if you simply delete the FSUIPC4.INI file (in the FSX Modules folder), and start again. If you really don't know what you've done that is the best thing. There is absolutely no point messing about at random and expecting anything useful to result.

Well, first I need more information. You aren't telling me anything! Is it anything to do with FSUIPC in the first place? If you've assigned in FS and not calibrated in FSUIPC, then it isn't! Have you checked the sliders as I suggested? Else, where have you assigned what and to what? And what version number of FSUIPC? I always need that. Pete

Not the close facility, no, because I've no way of knowing its process ID or Window handle. I can only suggest trying one of the ways to send it a keypress combination to close it, like Ctrl+C or one of the Alt combinations which Windows provides to close apps. You'd direct the keypress via the class-name option as already mentioned. If there's no way to get that working in a suitable manner, maybe I can look at a way of finding its process ID or its main top level window by using the EXE name. Not sure how to do that at present. Obviously Task Manager can do it, but I don't know if that's something an ordinary application can do. Regards Pete