Buttons and such. Help

[SimRandy]

Pete,

I wil try to put in a readable order.

I have a GF-45 display and was having problems getting to work off of my MCP client using GFRemote, so I moved the 45 to the main FS PC. I made sure that the GF conf. setting was off for this unit and also put the GF.dll file that you talk about in WideFS docs into the wideclient folder.

I then went into your button section and when I turn the 45-knob (I was trying to see if I could get a rotory to work) and it would show its numbers and I hit the "use in FS and PM" check boxes and then I went and assigned the "pitot heat toggle" to it. It worked but I have to turn the knob a few times to get it to send inputs.

Whats strange is that, I know that for what I wanted the 45 to do (DH or Baro settings) using this knob for button function might be wrong, however, I cleared all the settings for this 45 for the pitot heat toggle, to where if I turn the 45 knob now, I do not get any indictation in your button window, that its set to what I had it to (pitot) which I would assume is good, if I wanted to delete that function. But then when I go back into the game, (rebooting it) and turn the 45 knob, it still is turning on and off the pitot heat, even though it does not show set to this function in your buttons window!!!

Why is the 45 unit still assuming its to turn pitot heat on and off? How do I delete your button assign to this 45 unit? Also, maybe you dont know the answer, when the 45 unit was turning pitot heat on or off, the display did not light up in red.

Thanks

Randy

ps, can one make it so if I turn off (shut down) my main FS PC, that the clients can go off also, instead of having to shut down each one, after another by hand. I read about hotkeys in the docs in WideFS, but was not sure if this is what it meant.

[Pete Dowson]

I have a GF-45 display and was having problems getting to work off of my MCP client using GFRemote, so I moved the 45 to the main FS PC. I made sure that the GF conf. setting was off for this unit and also put the GF.dll file that you talk about in WideFS docs into the wideclient folder.

What WideClient folder? You cannot use WideClient on the FS PC!

I then went into your button section and when I turn the 45-knob (I was trying to see if I could get a rotory to work) and it would show its numbers and I hit the "use in FS and PM" check boxes and then I went and assigned the "pitot heat toggle" to it. It worked but I have to turn the knob a few times to get it to send inputs.

I'm not surprised. It seems you are not reading the FSUIPC documentation again. The GF rotaries produce 4 button inputs in FS -- two each way, one for fast one for slow. Furthermore they send pulses (on-off-on-off ...) as you turn. If you want every click to matter you have to assign your controls to both press and release for both slow and fast buttons!

however, I cleared all the settings for this 45 for the pitot heat toggle, to where if I turn the 45 knob now, I do not get any indictation in your button window

You cannot do that without uninstalling the Go Flight software -- FSUIPC will always detect the buttons. If you don't want them to do anytthing you have to delete the assignments.

when the 45 unit was turning pitot heat on or off, the display did not light up in red.

What display? I don't know of any red pitot heat display!

ps, can one make it so if I turn off (shut down) my main FS PC, that the clients can go off also, instead of having to shut down each one, after another by hand.

Yes of course. PLEASE READ THE DOCUMENTATION. There are shut down parameters in both WideServer and WideClient INI files, all described in the documentation.

You are sending lots of questions here on all sorts of subjects, almost all of which are easily answered yourself if you'd only use the documentation. Please try that BEFORE writing here.

Regards,

Pete

[SimRandy]

Hi,

No, I dont have Wideclient on the main PC. I have on clients and put the GF dll in the WideFS folder on them. The red display I mentioned is GFs 45 unit display.

Here is my problem. I use to be able to have thru GFRemote software the DH and Baro set, off of the MCP client using their simple 45 units. Now all of a sudden the 45s dont work. Doyle is at a lost to fig out why.

Let me ask you, how can I have DH and Baro set work now? Assuming that I cannot use rotories with your buttons window and GFremote wont work, what do I need to do.

Thanks

[Pete Dowson]

No, I dont have Wideclient on the main PC. I have on clients and put the GF dll in the WideFS folder on them.

But this is the confusion -- you said you moved the GF device to the FS PC, didn't you? You actually said it in the same sentence, viz:

I moved the 45 to the main FS PC. I made sure that the GF conf. setting was off for this unit and also put the GF.dll file that you talk about in WideFS docs into the wideclient folder.

I really strongly suggest that you actually READ what you are writing to make sure it is what you mean before you send it. Please!

The red display I mentioned is GFs 45 unit display.

How would that display anything to do with pitot heat?

If you want to program displays on your GF devices without using GF software then you have to use my GFdisplay freeware. FSUIPC doesn't know anything about them at all. The button facilities are for programming buttons.

Here is my problem. I use to be able to have thru GFRemote software the DH and Baro set, off of the MCP client using their simple 45 units. Now all of a sudden the 45s dont work. Doyle is at a lost to fig out why.

I'm sorry, but I don't use GF devices and I really cannot support them. All I provide is an opportunity to program their buttons and switches if FSUIPC recognises them. For everything else, including support of hardware and GF software you have to go back to GoFlight.

Let me ask you, how can I have DH and Baro set work now? Assuming that I cannot use rotories with your buttons window and GFremote wont work, what do I need to do.

Well, many users certainly manage to use the GF rotaries with FSUIPC assignments, and it is thoroughly tested with them. I think you are not reading things correctly, again.

If you are seeing no response in FSUIPC's buttons page when you turn the knobs then I really don't know what you've done. I suggest that you reinstall the GF software and start again. I really cannot help with such skimpy information. If you cannot see the buttons, switches and rotaries from your GF devices in FSUIPC then the GFdev module isn't available in the correct place, the place to which it is installed by GF's installer. Please see my documentation.

As for GFremote or other ways of using GF devices, this is all outside my area of competence. Sorry. You will have to rely on GF support.

Pete

[SimRandy]

Pete,

I read again (or at least tried to understand) your WideFS docs about keys, buttons, hotkeys, shutdowns. etc.

The problem is that you as a programmer cant really explain things in a simple way. Your a genius trying to talk to us mortals. Also its the nature of coding and PCs, that no one can explain it on paper in a layman's language. Thus I, on the other hand as a non-programmer, cant understand 90% of it, unless simple wording and step by step examples are used.

I saw this with EPIC (of which I trashed and will never have again, thank god). I must say that GF does have easy to understand and use products, when they work.

I am sure a lot of other guys like me, have given up all together and are not using the software to their fullest or have even stopped simming.

I have spent to much time and money to just give up, but like in the past, I have paid PM and sim experts to come to Los Angeles to help me setup things and to understand what's going on.

Please of course continue the good work, and hopefully I will be able to find more consultants to come here and work on the funny little bytes of code that come forth from sim land.

Randy

[Pete Dowson]

The problem is that you as a programmer cant really explain things in a simple way.

Sorry, but the documentation has stood the test of time, over five years or more. I can answer specific questions here, but you don't even ask specific questions, only general ones which would require reproducing parts of the documentation.

As far as the GF devices are concerned there are practical examples and file extracts which can be used in the GFdisplay package, but I certainly wouldn't expect you to look that far.

Apart from that. FSUIPC treats GF devices as mere bundles of switches or buttons just like any other, and the programming of those is not only intuitive but has been explained to death here innumerable times.

You must try to help yourself to some extent and not expect everyone to be telepathic and understand your questions, most especially when they are self-contradictory, as in the recent example.

If there are specific parts of the documentation which you don't understand, spell it out and ask, but don't just keep asking me to solve problems that it seems you cannot explain at all, and, worse, give no helpful information for. Can't you see that it just wastes both our time?

Regards

Pete

[SimRandy]

I do know now that I have to spell out and explain in detail, questions that I have for this forum.

Your docs in WideFS say in order to program GF buttons and dials on a client with your button window page, one must put the GF Conf. into what???. It does not say. Read it. However, I am assuming into the clients Wideclient folder, because you say if one however, has the whole GF conf. on the main PC, then just copy the GFDev.dll into the client Wideclient folder, which I have done. See you assume a lot from the readers.

Now its just where to put the GF 45 usb unit itself. I did have it on the client MCP and just moved it to the main PC, but now I see that your saying to leave it back at the MCP, and now I should be able to at least see it respond to your button page.

I was not clear on if I could use this rotory GF45 unit or not for DH or Baro press set, THRU YOUR BUTTON page. You mention:

I'm not surprised. It seems you are not reading the FSUIPC documentation again. The GF rotaries produce 4 button inputs in FS -- two each way, one for fast one for slow. Furthermore they send pulses (on-off-on-off ...) as you turn. If you want every click to matter you have to assign your controls to both press and release for both slow and fast buttons!

If you want every click to matter...both press and release..... but its not clear if your stating something that might be or could not be here. Can it be done.

Randy

[Pete Dowson]

Your docs in WideFS say in order to program GF buttons and dials on a client with your button window page, one must put the GF Conf. into what???.

But you said you were running the GF45 on the FS PC. Please go back and read your message! This is the crux of that confusion, which you still have not resolved. Please read this part of your message AGAIN!

so I moved the 45 to the main FS PC. I made sure that the GF conf. setting was off for this unit and also put the GF.dll file that you talk about in WideFS docs into the wideclient folder.

If, instead of doing what you say you were doing, but are trying to run it on a client PC, then why not say so?

... It does not say. Read it.

Ah but it does, clearly. YOU read it! Here, I will extract the relvant paragraph:

If you are using GoFlight equipment, and wish to connect this to the Client PC and program the buttons and dials in FSUIPC’s “buttons” page, you either need to do the full install of GoFlight’s recent driver release (the GFConfig program included), or extract the GFDev.dll from that and place this in the same folder as WideClient.exe.

Now its just where to put the GF 45 usb unit itself. I did have it on the client MCP and just moved it to the main PC, but now I see that your saying to leave it back at the MCP

I AM SAYING NO SUCH THING! You can put the thing wherever you like. It ws you that said you moved it. I don't care a fig where you have it, that is entirely up to you!

I was not clear on if I could use this rotory GF45 unit or not for DH or Baro press set, THRU YOUR BUTTON page.

Of course! The documentation is very clear on that. You aren't even looking at it for sure! See these parts, for example:

GoFlight equipment

GoFlight buttons and rotary dials can also be programmed here

...

If the “button” is in fact a toggle or rotary then you may need to toggle it or turn it twice. This is because, when programming (only) FSUIPC is only looking for changes from “off” to “on”, so it won’t see a change from “on” to “off”. This is necessary because of the way some multi-way switches work.

With the GoFlight rotaries there will be four different button numbers available—in sequence, fast left, slow left, slow right, fast right (i.e. like video recorder controls:

<< < > >>

To get the “fast” values you will have to turn the rotaries quite fast. Sometimes, though, turning them too fast seems to cause nothing to be seen! You need to experiment before committing any assignments.

Please note that rotary input is implemented by alternately setting a switch on then off. Each change will usually be one ‘click’ of the knob. If you want action on each and every click you will have to program the same thing on both the “press” and “release”. Do not set the repeat option with the rotary switches.

It is becoming more and more obvious that you are simply not bothering to use the documentation at all. I shall henceforth reply to such questions with "see the manual", as this is simply getting too exasperating. I should not need to keep quoting parts of the documentation merely to refute your inaccurate and untrue accusations!

If you want every click to matter...both press and release..... but its not clear if your stating something that might be or could not be here. Can it be done.

Nonsense. Read what it says. It's a case of programming things as you want them to be. It is the flexibility which it is becoming evident that you do not like or understand. Since that is the case I respectfully suggest that you don't use FSUIPC at all and ask GoFlight to support whatever it is you want.

Regards

Pete

[SimRandy]

GoFlight equipment

GoFlight buttons and rotary dials can also be programmed here

...

If the “button” is in fact a toggle or rotary then you may need to toggle it or turn it twice. This is because, when programming (only) FSUIPC is only looking for changes from “off” to “on”, so it won’t see a change from “on” to “off”. This is necessary because of the way some multi-way switches work.

With the GoFlight rotaries there will be four different button numbers available—in sequence, fast left, slow left, slow right, fast right (i.e. like video recorder controls:

<< < > >>

To get the “fast” values you will have to turn the rotaries quite fast. Sometimes, though, turning them too fast seems to cause nothing to be seen! You need to experiment before committing any assignments.

Please note that rotary input is implemented by alternately setting a switch on then off. Each change will usually be one ‘click’ of the knob. If you want action on each and every click you will have to program the same thing on both the “press” and “release”. Do not set the repeat option with the rotary switches.

This part above, which doc was that in?

Other than that, I have concluded after just reading your GFdisplay docs, that no one could possibly understand them or for that matter, all your docs, unless they were very exp. software programmers. If your telling me that GFdisplay docs and parts of FSUPIC are easy to use, then I have the London Bridge over in the desert to sell you, cheap. Would you not like to see it back in London.

That explains why no one has come up with a very clear and complete "explain all book or guide" on how to use 99% of sim related products and functions.

See the ones that understand this stuff, can't write any simple guide for the layman, and visa versa, ones that do not know this stuff, can never understand it. So its a stand off. You try your best to explain things but only a very, very, very few get it. I know many, many who agree with me.

If things were differient, maybe more people could come to enjoy this hobby to its fullest.

Hopefully soon someone will come up with a complete add-on package of units and displays, that work and have easy to understand instructions!

Heck, in the end, its all something that can be programmed ahead of time and sold as an easy to use, plug and play package with easy pull down options. GoFlight and CPFLight have the right idea. They just need to fine tune things.

Randy

[Pete Dowson]

This part above, which doc was that in?

The FSUIPC user guide, of course! Where else? You program the buttons in the button page in the FSUIPC options, so of course that is where it is documented!! :roll:

I take it from the rest of your rather insulting and very presumptious message that you won't be here again, which is actually rather good news for me, as you've been almost monopolising my time and most of the forum for a whileand yet still don't take any of my advice. I really hope you understand aircraft and flying rather better than you seem to do English.

Good flying and good bye.

Regards,

Pete

[SimRandy]

Pete,

If I was not around, what fun would you have?

If my posts come across "insulting", sorry for that. None of my close sim friends really know or fully understand everything related to your sim programming, either. I mean guys who are very smart and have great sims, but seem limited also as to how many functions and systems they actually have working.

For me, I can only try to read yours docs and take what I can from them. Its frustrating to not be able to implement all the uses of your programs. I would love to have a "more real" and complete sim.

If there is anyone out there that would like to earn some pay for one on one instructional lessons (most likely over the phone) on Pete's programs, their uses and implementation, please contact me.

Randy

(Simran737@aol.com)