Idea for new controller feature

[Bill Womack]

I've been using FSUIPC to do all my controller assignments for years now, and I had an idea this week that might be of interest to some.

I use several control layouts, depending on what type of plan I'm flying. Right now, in order to set up aicraft-specific controls, I need to define axes and buttons for each type of plane in FSUIPC, then use the ShortAircraftNames=Substring parameter in fsuipc.ini to make sure that every 172, for instance, uses this layout. Making multiple assignments for different types of aircraft involves either setting them up individually in FSUIPC, or looking up the titles in their respective aicraft.cfg files and making manual entries into the ini file.

What I'm finding is that I have about 3 or 4 basic layouts--stick or yoke, levers for jets vs. piston, etc. I'd love it if I could define a controller profile in FSUIPC the way I do now, then simply assign it to a particular aircraft using a select list. I know it's never as easy to do these things as people think, but if you get a bee in your bonnet to try it out, you'd make me a happy guy.

Either way, thanks!

[Pete Dowson]

I know it's never as easy to do these things as people think, but if you get a bee in your bonnet to try it out, you'd make me a happy guy.

Maybe. I'll have to think about it. Something for after Christmas, possibly.

[LATER]

One of the complications I foresee is how to store the relationship between aircraft name and the assignment/calibration class you want for it. Probably a parameter line in the INI file for each one. Otherwise the FSUIPC "class" could be added to the aircraft config file. Ugh.

Pete

[Bill Womack]

Yeah, when I envisioned it, I figured you'd have to have a line tying the aircraft name to the profile in the fsuipc ini file.

[Pete Dowson]

What I'm finding is that I have about 3 or 4 basic layouts--stick or yoke, levers for jets vs. piston, etc. I'd love it if I could define a controller profile in FSUIPC the way I do now, then simply assign it to a particular aircraft using a select list. I know it's never as easy to do these things as people think, but if you get a bee in your bonnet to try it out, you'd make me a happy guy.

Hi Bill,

Okay, almost there. I've just about completed an update to FSUIPC4 to implement "control profiles", for Keys, Buttons, Axes and Calibrations. It will be carried back to FSUIPC3 as well, after some more testing. I tend to implement new stuff on FSUIPC4 first as the code, being much more recent, is cleaner and I can see how to implement it tidily there. Only when it works in FSUIPC4 do I apply the same (sort of) changes back on FSUIPC3 (which of course is code grown up from the original FSUIPC1, dating back over nine years now!

Are you using FSX + FSUIPC4? If so I could supply you with an interim update to help my testing, probably on Monday. If you are only on FS9 I'll try to transpose the code but it would probably be later in the week.

Let me know, please.

Regards

Pete

[Bill Womack]

I just PM'd you back, Pete. I'm an FSX user (+Accel), so I'd be happy to test the functionality in FSUIPC4.

[Pete Dowson]

I just PM'd you back, Pete. I'm an FSX user (+Accel), so I'd be happy to test the functionality in FSUIPC4.

Did you get my email, sent yesterday (Monday), Bill?

Regards

Pete

[Bill Womack]

Hi Pete,

Sorry, it got stuffed in my mail server's spam folder by mistake. I just retrieved it and am working on testing.

thanks,

[Bill Womack]

You get a big thumbs-up from me, Pete! That's exactly how I envisioned it working. I deleted all my old aircraft profiles tonight and started clean, just to see how it'd work. Well done. That'll make it way easier to set up new planes in the future.

[Pete Dowson]

You get a big thumbs-up from me, Pete! That's exactly how I envisioned it working. I deleted all my old aircraft profiles tonight and started clean, just to see how it'd work. Well done. That'll make it way easier to set up new planes in the future.

Glad you like it.

I did find a bug in it yesterday. If you are running with one aircraft with a profile and some profile-specific keys or buttons programmed, then load a new aircraft and assign a different, new, profile, and program the exact same button or key set (no more, no less), these operate okay, but the proper new profile Keys or Buttons sections aren't created in the INI file. The stupid program doesn't notice the change from the previous aircraft on exit from the Options.

Easy to fix, and you probably wouldn't notice -- yet! ;-)

I've got some other stuff to finish off and I'll make a more official interim update with it all included, probably over the weekend. I've also just finished transposing the same set of Profile changes to FSUIPC3, so your good results came in good time!

So, please look out for updates in the update Announcements (replaces the old separate Downloads announcements) above.

Thanks!

Pete