PDA Support WIDEFS

[cjellwood]

Hi, Lately I bought a small pocket pc with large 4 inch screen so i could hopefully use touch screen controls with FSCUPC4 via WIDEFS but it looks like WIDEFS is not going anywhere near PDA's now or ever :( Having a PDA interface to FSX would be so cool! Is there any plan to make a PDA version of WIDEFS for CE platform in the near future or is information available so I could possible build my own client?

Thanks

Chris

[Pete Dowson]

Hi, Lately I bought a small pocket pc with large 4 inch screen so i could hopefully use touch screen controls with FSCUPC4 via WIDEFS but it looks like WIDEFS is not going anywhere near PDA's now or ever :(

No, WideFS is strictly a standard Intel-based Windows program. There's no way it will translate to other environments without substantial reworking, and I really cannot take on more work. For a small touch sensitive screen I recommend the Lilliput range. I use two of the 7" models. Very nice.

Is there any plan to make a PDA version of WIDEFS for CE platform in the near future or is information available so I could possible build my own client?

Sorry, no. If you can construct programs for it I am sure you could make a small program to recognise your touchscreen aNd send small packets across to a little program on a PC interfacing to FSUIPC. The latter could then run under WideClient or FS+FSUIPC directly. The buttonscreen in WideClient is only making use of the virtual button offsets in FSUIPC, and any client program can do the same.

Regards

Pete

[KLM077]

You can use the program SideWindow. It creates an extended screen and by simply drag the application to your pda you can use it.

[cjellwood]

what would be the first step to making a small app to test control remotely via WIDEFS? Do I connect via a port etc?

[Pete Dowson]

what would be the first step to making a small app to test control remotely via WIDEFS? Do I connect via a port etc?

You wouldn't. You'd connect to a program written to the FSUIPC interface. That could run on the FS PC or any WideFS client.

In any case, why bother? Why not try that SideWindow program? I didn't know about that, but i just downloaded it to try, and it is gorgeous! Wish I'd discovered it before! It is so easy to install and use it is ridiculous. You don't even need to do anything to your PDA, just connect it up! Amazing!

All you then need to do is create your WideClient buttonscreen window on the normal screen, size it down to fit on the PDA and drag it over. WideClient should remember where it is next timebingo! ;-)

Mind you I've not yet tried actually pressing buttons on it. Let me do that now ...

... Yep! All that works fine too! Wonderful! ;-)

Regards

Pete

[cjellwood]

I have considered the lilliput devices and the sidewindow but have problems with both. The lilliput screens are great but they only display one console whereas I need a screen that can interact so other consoles can be viewed at e click of a button. The sidewindow app requires activesync which I dont have :( my pda is more of a cheap pocket pc running wince 5.0 and only connects via wifi. The good news is it has a 4" touch screen and is on a nice fast ARM proc.

I am building a motion simulator based on the good work by this guy.... http://buggies.builtforfun.co.uk/Sim/system_v2.html

So far I have had a cutom pcb developed that works with this software and has built in motor controllers so enabling non complicated plugnplay motion simulation. Also, I have a motion chassis in progress

Once the flat screen and yoke are in place, there is very limited room for other controls. So the problem is simply communicating with the .dll remotely I think? Maybe i could completely ignore the widefs part and create a new server/client prog to get the comms in order?

[Pete Dowson]

Maybe i could completely ignore the widefs part and create a new server/client prog to get the comms in order?

Yes, that is what i suggested. WideFS is way over the top in any case for merely communicating button presses.

Regards

Pete

[cjellwood]

gimme a couple of weeks and I will post results of this PDA mission

[cjellwood]

sorry if this is a dumb question. Is there a way to view/interrogate the data export from FSUIPC4 ? Something nice that show the offset, value etc while game is running

Something tells me this is a feature available when the full version is running. I should have registered a long time ago, I will do that now

have I answered my own question? D'oh!

[Pete Dowson]

sorry if this is a dumb question. Is there a way to view/interrogate the data export from FSUIPC4 ? Something nice that show the offset, value etc while game is running

Yes, several ways.

For up to 4 values you can use the Monitor option, on the right-hand side of the Logging page. That is fully described in the Advanced User's document. You can display it in real-time on screen.

For any and all values you can use FSInterrogate2, supplied with full documentation as part of the FSUIPC SDK.

Finally, you can use the Lua plug-in facility to monitor values in real time to the screen, save to a file, send over a link, whatever. There are examples of values displayed on screen ("display vals.lua") and recording to a file supplied in the Lua package with FSUIPC.

Something tells me this is a feature available when the full version is running.

Well the Logging and FSInterrogate options work anyway. The Lua plug-ins, which are extremely useful for trying out ideas as well as making little solutions, need a registered copy.

Regards

Pete

[cjellwood]

Thanks for that! i am beginning to find my way around everything now and get my bearings. The more I dig into this, the more fun I stumble across! What would I be doing now if it not for FS? :)

I registered FSCUIP4 last night. I was suprised to see that all data exports were available before and after the registration? Most developers would have restricted 90% of the data read/write facility pending registration. This is very noble of Mr Pete :wink:

[cjellwood]

can you please tell me the trick to be able to make the application an 'add-on' in FS? Rumour has it that it is not possible with C# but that sounds odd

EDIT: sorry, i answered my own question....EXE.XML :)

[cjellwood]

Hi, things are going great with the data access and reading. I am stuck with the flaps values? I do not understand the documentation regarding the calculation. simply want to convert the flap data i.e 16383 to its corresponding % value. I know this is probably easy but it is proving tricky for some reason

help appreciated for other values also i.e pitch and bank

thanks

[Pete Dowson]

Hi, things are going great with the data access and reading. I am stuck with the flaps values? I do not understand the documentation regarding the calculation. simply want to convert the flap data i.e 16383 to its corresponding % value. I know this is probably easy but it is proving tricky for some reason

Sorry, what documentation regarding what calculation?

For a value which runs from 0 to 16384, the 100% value is represented by 16384, so a value of n is ((n x 100) / 16384). Simple arithmetic. Put another way, since "percent" just means "out of 100" or "proportion of 100" so converting a "proportion of 16384" to such means dividing by 16384/100.

Pete

[beatle]

I'm currently working on a replacement managed SimConnect library that will hopefully work under the Compact Framework when I'm done (that's the plan anyway :-> ) allowing for the creation of WinMo SimConnect addons (or possibly even WinCE based FS hardware?) - I just got the library working under Silverlight last night for the first time - WooHoo.

Tim