FSUIPC4 [JoyNames] - Fundamental Help Please

[jordanal]

Hi Pete,

I had my USB devices move again on me last night and today I figured that I better get my brain wrapped around the 'JoyNames' section of the User Guide. I have re-read the section several times and I'm still not sure of something. So would the following be a true edit of my existing ini file?

I currently have something like this:

[Axes]
0=0X,256,F,66387,0,0,0
1=0Y,256,F,66388,0,0,0
2=0Z,256,F,65764,0,0,0
3=1X,256,F,66424,0,0,0
4=1Y,256,F,66422,0,0,0
5=1Z,256,F,66425,0,0,0
6=2X,256,F,65763,0,0,0
7=2Y,256,F,65762,0,0,0
8=2Z,256,F,66420,0,0,0
9=2U,256,F,66423,0,0,0
10=2V,256,F,66421,0,0,0


[JoyNames]
AutoAssignLetters=No
0=CH PRO PEDALS USB
1=Saitek Pro Flight Throttle Quadrant
2=Saitek Pro Flight Yoke

Would I then add the alphabetic Reference to both the JoyNames section and the axis assignment like this?

[Axes]
0=RX,256,F,66387,0,0,0
1=RY,256,F,66388,0,0,0
2=RZ,256,F,65764,0,0,0
3=TX,256,F,66424,0,0,0
4=TY,256,F,66422,0,0,0
5=TZ,256,F,66425,0,0,0
6=YX,256,F,65763,0,0,0
7=YY,256,F,65762,0,0,0
8=YZ,256,F,66420,0,0,0
9=YU,256,F,66423,0,0,0
10=YV,256,F,66421,0,0,0


[JoyNames]
AutoAssignLetters=No
0=CH PRO PEDALS USB
1=Saitek Pro Flight Throttle Quadrant
2=Saitek Pro Flight Yoke
R=CH PRO PEDALS USB
T=Saitek Pro Flight Throttle Quadrant
Y=Saitek Pro Flight Yoke

Thanks for helping me get it straight in my head...

[Pete Dowson]

I had my USB devices move again on me last night ...

They don't change of their own accord -- only if you unplug and replug things in, or reinstall Windows.

So would the following be a true edit of my existing ini file?

If you didn't know what you were doing you could have used the "AutoAssignLetters" facility.

Anyway, yes, your edit looks okay.

Why didn't you just try it and see? You can always make a backup copy of your INI file, in case you want to change back.

Regards

Pete

[jordanal]

Thanks Pete, yes indeed, I was moving USB devices around to different ports the other day in an effort to de-conflict an issue between my mouse and my TrackIR5 software. Thanks for the up-check on my tentative edits. I'm at work and the proper syntax was nagging at me, so I thought I would get the straight scoop from you before I get home to apply the changes.

Thanks again and regards,

[granathg]

Hi jordanal,

I had the same question so searched the forum and found your post. The FSUIPC 3.98 User Guide page 28, para 8, says that there are two ways (manual and auto) to assign alphabetic IDs to control devices. It then describes the first method as preferable, which is to assign an alpha ID to a name in the JoyNames section, but it doesn't say specifically HOW to do it in that section, even though one could say that it is implied. Like you, I'd rather use the preferred method.

So... you manually added three lines to FSUIPC.ini in the JoyNames section (a good guess, but one shouldn't have to guess).

You seem to have also manually edited the Axes section so the IDs match the JoyNames section. Nothing is said about that in the U/G and para 5 on page 28 of the U/G gave me the impression that once you changed the JoyNames section, the Axes section would be updated automagically. I'll try it.

Thanks for raising the question. I didn't have to. It's unfortunate that Pete told you that you didn't know what you were doing and that you should just try it and see. I think it was a legitimate question. And in suggesting that you could have used the autoassignletters method he didn't seem to realize that if you wanted to do that you would have done so and your post would not have been necessary in the first place.

G

[chairman]

I'm going through the same discovery process, and finding the same gap - while the documentation is very good this particular part of it is pitched just slightly above the level that I can grasp without a couple of clues.

I opened my fsuipc.ini file and found

[JoyNames]
AutoAssignLetters=No
1=CH FLIGHT SIM YOKE USB                       
1.GUID={E70CEA70-5714-11DF-8003-444553540000}

and I simply changed the 1= and 1. to Y= and Y. to do it the preferred (manually assigned) way. Then I restarted FSX and had another look at the .ini file, and found this :

[JoyNames]
AutoAssignLetters=No
Y=CH FLIGHT SIM YOKE USB                       
Y.GUID={E70CEA70-5714-11DF-8003-444553540000}
1=CH FLIGHT SIM YOKE USB                       
1.GUID={E70CEA70-5714-11DF-8003-444553540000}

(snip)

[Axes]
0=1X,256,D,1,0,0,0
1=1Y,256,D,2,0,0,0
2=1Z,520,D,4,0,0,0
3=1V,384,D,5,0,0,0

So I think I've successfully assigned the letter Y to my yoke, but as far as I can see the axis assignments are still pointing at device "1" not device "Y". Do I need to do anything else now like manually changing the axis assignments from 1X 1Y etc to YX YY etc, or when the controllers (I have a TQ and pedals too but they're not in use at the moment) inevitably renumber themselves will the axis assignments change automagically to the new controller number ?

Thanks

Gary

[Pete Dowson]

Then I restarted FSX and had another look at the .ini file,

FSUIPC automatically changes those Buttons and Axis sections for you, but only when the sections are used (i.e. loaded into memory). Is it possible that you also have some aircraft-specific Axis and Button assignments and these are assigned to the aircraft loaded by default? Aircraft-specific or Profile sections will be automatically updated next time they are used -- i.e. when the aircraft assigned to them are loaded.

If this is not the case, I need to know more, please. I just checked here, and it still works fine in the latest updates of FSUIPC3 and 4 (3.984 and 4.604), so, what version are you using? If not these could you try updating. If you still get the problem I will have to get you to do some extra logging so I can determine why it doesn't work on your system.

Regards

Pete

[chairman]

Thanks Pete

I'm using 4.60a - I'll have a look for 4.604. There are no old settings hanging around, it's a new FSX install with no aircraft specific settings and I'd never heard of the 'profiles' feature until a few hours ago when I started reading about joynames :)

What am I supposed to see in the .ini file, so that I can tell whether it's working properly ?

Thanks

Gary

[Pete Dowson]

I'm using 4.60a - I'll have a look for 4.604.

Well, it should work in 4.60a too as nothing in that area has been changed since then.

Interim updates (DLL only) are almost always available in the Updates announcement above. But I have an even later one almost ready to upload. Try that first (this is the exact version I just tested with):

http://fsuipc.simflight.com/beta/FSUIPC4609b.zip

What am I supposed to see in the .ini file, so that I can tell whether it's working properly ?

Well here as soon as you've loaded FSX and are "ready to fly", the INI file has been changed so all Buttons and Axis references have the letters you assigned. That's done for the current aircraft at the exact same time as the [JoyNames] section is updated with the numerical equivalents, which did happen in your case as you showed.

This won't occur for any control devices not currently attached or seen, simply because it isn't able to associate the names/GUIDs unless the devices are readable.

You can also simply go into the FSUIPC options, Axes or Buttons tabs and move an axis or press a button and see the letters used rather than numbers.

Regards

Pete

[chairman]

That new version did the trick :D

I now have

[JoyNames]
AutoAssignLetters=No
Y=CH FLIGHT SIM YOKE USB                       
Y.GUID={E70CEA70-5714-11DF-8003-444553540000}
P=CH PRO PEDALS USB  
P.GUID={E706CFF0-5714-11DF-8002-444553540000}
1=CH FLIGHT SIM YOKE USB                                                   
1.GUID={E70CEA70-5714-11DF-8003-444553540000}
0=CH PRO PEDALS USB                                            
0.GUID={E706CFF0-5714-11DF-8002-444553540000}

[Axes]
0=PX,2292,D,7,0,0,0
1=PY,2796,D,8,0,0,0
2=PZ,1806,D,3,0,0,0
3=YX,256,D,1,0,0,0
4=YY,256,D,2,0,0,0
5=YZ,520,D,4,0,0,0
6=YU,256,D,6,0,0,0
7=YV,384,D,5,0,0,0

and confirming when I map new buttons I get the letters identifying the controller rather than the numbers.

Brilliant !

Thank you

Gary

[Pete Dowson]

That new version did the trick

Hmmm. I'm glad, but it's rather strange that 4.60a didn't. I'll never know why because I'm not reverting the source now. Too many other things addedyet to be documented.

Regards

Pete