Use of CTRL button as PTT

[lluisdc]

Hi,

Perhaps I am asking something already answered, but I was unable to find it in other topics. If so, please my apologies in advance and please help me to find the answer to this question.

I have read the User's Manual and followed the procedure described for assigning keystrokes to joystick buttons. I use FSInn and it is very easy to assign the PTT key either for COMM or private voice, but when using the PMDG B744 I need to use SquawkBox 4 to make the VOR needles visible. Well, SB4 does not allow to configure joystick buttons and I am using FSUIPC for that. However, I feel very comfortable using right CTRL key for COMM and left CTRL key for private voice, and the same keys when controlling with EuroScope. Unfortunately, I found no way to configure FSUIPC to accept the CTRL key as a single keystroke as it only works in combination with another key. Is there any way to do it?

Thanks in advance,

Lluís

[Pete Dowson]

Well, SB4 does not allow to configure joystick buttons and I am using FSUIPC for that. However, I feel very comfortable using right CTRL key for COMM and left CTRL key for private voice, and the same keys when controlling with EuroScope. Unfortunately, I found no way to configure FSUIPC to accept the CTRL key as a single keystroke as it only works in combination with another key. Is there any way to do it?

Not as a key it recognises on the keyboard. If you mean to send when you press a joystick button, then yes, you should be able to do that by editing the assigned "virtual keycode" in the INI file for a button already assigned to send a keystroke.

Pete

[lluisdc]

Good morning,

Not as a key it recognises on the keyboard. If you mean to send when you press a joystick button, then yes, you should be able to do that by editing the assigned "virtual keycode" in the INI file for a button already assigned to send a keystroke.

I will try this way by editing the INI file.

Thank you very much,

Lluís

[Pete Dowson]

I will try this way by editing the INI file.

Okay. But I just checked, and there are no separate Virtual Keycodes for "left" and "right" Control keys. Programs which differentiate these two must be referring to the raw hardware codes, which FSUIPC has never used.

You could try using Shift and Control keys instead (left and right would be the same). The VK code for Shift is 16 and for control is 17.

Regards

Pete

[lluisdc]

Hi,

Okay. But I just checked, and there are no separate Virtual Keycodes for "left" and "right" Control keys. Programs which differentiate these two must be referring to the raw hardware codes, which FSUIPC has never used.

You could try using Shift and Control keys instead (left and right would be the same). The VK code for Shift is 16 and for control is 17.

Thanks. I will try, although those times when I started programming in FORTRAN are veeery far away and I've lost all my skills. If I do not suceed, I will try another couple of free keys, though not always easy because you never know which key combination is already used by FS.

It is curious because FSInn does differentiate without any problem when you choose right CTRL or left CTRL for COMM or private communication, respectively.

Cheers,

Lluís

[Pete Dowson]

Thanks. I will try, although those times when I started programming in FORTRAN are veeery far away and I've lost all my skills. If I do not suceed, I will try another couple of free keys, though not always easy because you never know which key combination is already used by FS.

It just occurred to me. You said "SB4 does not allow to configure joystick button ...". But I'm pretty certain that SB4, like SB3 before it, accepts the standard Roger-Wilco broadcast messages for "PTT" and the Private PTT, or "PVT". Both of those can be assigned to Buttons in FSUIPC's assignments dropdown. There's an 'on' and 'off' for each.

It is curious because FSInn does differentiate without any problem when you choose right CTRL or left CTRL for COMM or private communication, respectively.

Not curious. It is possible, indeed, but it is by using a different method. FSUIPC intercepts normal KEYDOWN and KEYUP messages received in FS's main Window Procedure. These are asynchronous from the hardware use f keyboard and in fact may not come from the real keyboard at all. If FSINN is using the hardware indication for these then merely sending keystrokes to it from a program wouldn't work in any case. It would need a more privileged routine, like a service or debugger, hooking into the hardware keyboard testing API and thus pretending to be a keyboard in order to provide the correct codes in the correct manner.

Regards

Pete