WidesFS SDK

[tgondek1970]

Hi all,

I'm probably missing something very simple, but I am looking for information on interfacing my own programs FSX via wideFS.

I'm able to write my own code (in C++) that can communicate to with FSX using FSUIPC, but now I am looking to write my own program that runs on a network computer and could push and pull (read and write) information from FSX via wideFS Server / Client. I don't seem to see any info of a SDK for wideFS.

Does anyone have some recommendations? Am I overlooking something?

Thanks in advance

Tom

[Pete Dowson]

I'm probably missing something very simple, but I am looking for information on interfacing my own programs FSX via wideFS.

Use the FSUIPC SDK.

I'm able to write my own code (in C++) that can communicate to with FSX using FSUIPC, but now I am looking to write my own program that runs on a network computer and could push and pull (read and write) information from FSX via wideFS Server / Client.

If you've written it to interface to FSUIPC, it will interface via WideFS automatically.

I don't seem to see any info of a SDK for wideFS.

There doesn't need to be one because all WideFS does is extend the published FSUIPC interface to client PCs. That's the whole point of it!

Regards

Pete

[tgondek1970]

Thanks for the reply,

That solves one of my problems. The second is more complicated. Is there a published set of client protocols? The second part of my project I would like to send and receive commands to the widefs server from my microprocessor board, not from a windows PC - In my "perfect" world, my ethernet enable device would be able to talk directly to the widefs server. It would be a "waste" of a computer just to act as a "middle man" to go from my devices, and then use widefs to send to the main FS machine.

Tom

PS

Thanks for all the work. As an amateur programmer, I'm sure the cost of the program doesn't cover all the man hours you put into this! Keep up the good work!

Use the FSUIPC SDK.

If you've written it to interface to FSUIPC, it will interface via WideFS automatically.

There doesn't need to be one because all WideFS does is extend the published FSUIPC interface to client PCs. That's the whole point of it!

Regards

Pete

[Pete Dowson]

Is there a published set of client protocols? The second part of my project I would like to send and receive commands to the widefs server from my microprocessor board, not from a windows PC - In my "perfect" world, my ethernet enable device would be able to talk directly to the widefs server. It would be a "waste" of a computer just to act as a "middle man" to go from my devices, and then use widefs to send to the main FS machine.

Sorry, there's no published protocols. I think I did suggest ways of assisting someone many years agao to implement something on different machinery, but I don't know if it came to anything, and that was so long ago I wouldn't be able to locate the details.

WideFS and its protocols date back to 1994 or so and have become rather obscure even to me. I'm afraid the work of documenting them sufficiently for others to implement to would be far too much for me. It would actually be far easier for you to write a Lua plug-in using the Lua sockets library, as a direct interface into FS via FSUIPC. There is a example provided already in the Lua plug-ins Zip of a Client-Server link between two FS installations using such a technique.

Thanks for all the work. As an amateur programmer, I'm sure the cost of the program doesn't cover all the man hours you put into this!

Ah, but it's really always been a hobby rather than a job, and who counts hours spent on a hobby? ;-)

Regards

Pete

[RobAins]

Sorry to dig up this very very old post. I'm planning a project that will be an ATC replacement for FSX and my initial thought was to use WidFS/FSUIPC ... I found some interesting reading the SDK

In any case, FSUIPC will automatically erase any externally supplied aircraft after about 8–12 seconds if it receives no further updates in that time. Even if the aircraft is static you'll need to supply updates for it regularly.

Apart from the user-adjustable range, which is applied, FSUIPC is not performing any filtering for these aircraft—i.e. you can include aircraft on the ground if required. However, once the airborne TCAS table is full (current capacity 96) whether with AI aircraft, MP aircraft, or a mixture, no others will be accepted until slots become free. So in this sense slot management is up to you.

A couple few questions:

1. Why 96? Is this just arbitrary?

2. Is there any way to disable the ATC system in FSX - prevent it from responding to a user ATC request.?

I'll fire up FSInterrogate2std and see what it may find when I connect to FSX and hit the ATC request sequence.

Cheers, Rob

[Pete Dowson]

1. Why 96? Is this just arbitrary?

Sort of. At the time of implementing the facility it was derived for the amount of contiguous space available, that's all. Unfortunately FSUIPC's offset-based interface, which all started by in FS98 days with direct access to the FS "GLOBALS.DLL" data, the 65k limit was far in excess of needs. It became restrictive because everything is predicated on a 16-bit value.

2. Is there any way to disable the ATC system in FSX - prevent it from responding to a user ATC request.?

I just turn off the ATC voice in the Sound menu, and never use the ATC call-up key/control. You can of course ntercept the keypress and do something else with it, like nothing.

Pete