locking screen positions

[DonW]

Mr. Dowson:

I am sure this question has been posted many times but here goes... I would like to get a registered copy of FSUIPC as I am told that it will allow window screen positions to be locked in FS9 or FSX. Every time I open a saved flight I have to resize and relocate the instrument panels into the 4th and 5th monitors I'm using for panels. Locking would be a great benefit if it means they would reliably appear in the proper location. Does this also work in windowed mode and full screen mode and switching between the two modes?

thanks Sir

Don W

Edited March 14, 2011 by DonW

[Pete Dowson]

I am sure this question has been posted many times but here goes... I would like to get a registered copy of FSUIPC as I am told that it will allow window screen positions to be locked in FS9 or FSX.

Not FSX.

Every time I open a saved flight I have to resize and relocate the instrument panels into the 4th and 5th monitors I'm using for panels. Locking would be a great benefit if it means they would reliably appear in the proper location.

Even the FS9 facility doesn't do that. You are talking about initial positioning, not locking (preventing accidental movement with the mouse). Nothing in FSUIPC will do positioning for you, but there might be a separate program which will do it. Have a search in the general FS Forums.

Regards

Pete

[jetblst]

Greetings Pete,

Trying to keep the confusion down here.

Say I want to adjust my upper panel of my airliner. In this case it would be the upper panel of my FT Ejet V2 E-175. Noted in the following shots. I am using FSX Gold, FSUIPC4, Win 7 64 Bit.

Cockpit View of course.

Upper Panel Default Size.

Resized upper panel the way I would like it to stay.

It does not take long before I find an edit I like or change something in some *.CFG or *.INI file before I am back to the default view (Screen Shot #2). I require this to simply load this size every time I load this aircraft.

If I save my flight then this panel seems to stay "locked" but sooner or later it becomes unlocked.

I used FSUIPC3 and I seem to remember in the MISC page there was an option to lock screens? I have not used 3 in a long time. Does FSUIPC4 have this feature? If not can you put it back in? If not how come? LOL :grin:

As a pilot, it helps me to practice my "flows". I do not like the manner in which I have to "drag" the mouse over switches in the VC. I like the simple (+-) capability in standard Cockpit View. Sometimes the angle of the device/switch we are trying to manipulate in VC does not allow us to do this.

The bad part about Cockpit View is that when I call up the default panels they are all running into or overlapping one another. :( :x :-x :evil:

It would be nice if developers might take this into consideration.

Not to worry because I have FSUIPC4... Right?? This was my main reason for registering version 4. It really was.

IF FSUIPC4, is not able to accomplish this, then is there a way I can edit Aircraft.CFG)or another file to have the panels initially come up to the size I want? Without having to keep loading a saved flight? :roll:

I did quite a lot of searching on this. I was probably using the wrong phrases, sorry if this is asked a lot.

Thanks Pete!!

[Pete Dowson]

I used FSUIPC3 and I seem to remember in the MISC page there was an option to lock screens? I have not used 3 in a long time. Does FSUIPC4 have this feature? If not can you put it back in? If not how come?

It is not implemented because the method found to do it in FS9 doesn't work in FSX and I couldn't find another way. Sorry. It's to do with the change to the way they use Direct3D.

IF FSUIPC4, is not able to accomplish this, then is there a way I can edit Aircraft.CFG)or another file to have the panels initially come up to the size I want? Without having to keep loading a saved flight?

Saved flights are the ideal way of having the screen the way you like it. I don't know of any other. I think there are some third party programs (or at least one such) which will put windows back the way you want them, having saved them, but I think they are aimed at multi-screen situations with undocked windows. I don't think they cope with moved and resized gauges.

Regards

Pete

[jetblst]

Darn it!

Thanks so much for being candid, I appreciate the way you tried to get this feature to work in FSX!

All the other features are very nice! I do like the endless ability FSUIPC give us in FSX/FS9! Great program Pete!

[Ian P]

Can you not do that using the settings in panel.cfg, rather than FSUIPC?

There are settings in panel.cfg to position pop-up windows where you want and at what size you want. It is documented in the SDK if you have the Deluxe version of FSX.

Ian P.

[DonW]

IanP, that is very interesting. I have attempted to set the pop-up screen positions and sizes in the panel.cfg but was unable to do it properly. There is also a problem with the panel sizes changing when you go from full screen mode to windowed mode and back again. When I looked at the SDK I couldn't find the relevant info.

This is also coupled with a problem in Windows 7 (and maybe XP) when running multiple monitors with AMD's Eyefinity product. I want 3 Eyefinity grouped monitors off an HD5850 video card and 1 or 2 other monitors driven by a 2nd 5850. All the monitors are the same model. I can position the monitors in the Windows display control panel or in the Catalyst control panel but the positions and even the resolutions of the 4th and/or 5th monitors change back to some other setting when I reboot Windows. And the resolutions are put into some not native value. However if I ungroup the monitors then Windows seems able to remember the positions/resolutions.

This is occurring in three different computers.

[Ian P]

I don't have FSX installed on my notebook, so I'm running from memory and apologies if this is wrong. There are, if I remember correctly, two ways of positioning pop-up windows - the first is to specify a start point using X/Y co-ordinates and the second is to give a single number between (I think!) one and nine. One positions the window at the top left, two top centre, three top right down to nine bottom right. I may be wrong on those numbers, so please don't quote me on them!

The window size you can specify in either distance measurements (which I never understood, as it depends on your screen size and resolution, surely?) or as X/Y pixel sizes.

I'll try and look them up next time I'm near the SDK and see what information is in there. Another option may be FS Panel Studio or something similar, which claims to work with both FSX and FS9, so...?

Cheers,

Ian P.

[jetblst]

HA! You two beat me to it.

My next question was just that. I hope Pete doesn't mind us chatting on this here but it pertains totally to my question.

I wanted to know if there is some way to set the (cfg) file up so it goes where I want. Once I become educated on that, then there would probably be a neat tool or device, (something) that can give the casual user some relief on this.

I figured that since the screen (let's say upper panel) shows up at (some) size, then then there has to be something that tells it to be that size when you either load the aircraft after a new install, or some software or change in the program makes it resize to that default. So if it can resize to that default, it would be nice to find out what causes that and change it to fit the end user's needs.

I'm headed over to the devolopers forum for some guidance on this. THANKS guys, if you get some more info, let me know!

Jet

[aua668]

Not FSX.

Hi,

I run a multi-monitor setup with three monitors showing the outside world and two touchscreen monitors showing the panels. With the move from FS9 to FSX I detected, that this locking isn't possible anymore. This is extremely bad on touchscreens, where you easily move undocked windows in fullscreen mode with your fingers.

Therefore I came across a different solution for inhibiting the dragging of such panel windows, which works for my planes very well. I created a XML gauge which captures LeftDrag mouse commands which are typically produced when you are touching the screen and move your fingers a little bit. I installed this gauge in every panel window stretching the gauge over the complete coordinate range of the panel window (typically defined in the size_mm parameter. Of course right drags easily could be blocked too with this solution.

With this gauge in place I could operate all my other gauges as normal, but at places, where typically no clickspot was available, the dragging is now inhibited. So my touchscreen panels never move on my screen anymore. To implement this feature in your panel you just have to create a Folder "FixPanelPos" in your Gauges folder. In this folder create a file NoDrag.xml with the following content:

<Gauge Name="NoDrag" Version="1.0">
<Size X="10" Y="10"/>
<!--  Inhibit dragging of panel windows by reacting with dummy event (turn the sound on) -->
<Mouse>
  <Area Left="0" Top="0" Width="10" Height="10">
   <Click Kind="LeftDrag" Event="SOUND_ON"/>
  </Area>
</Mouse>
</Gauge>
[/CODE]

In the panel window, which you want to protect, you just have to enter the gauge entry:

[CODE]
gaugeXX=FixPanelPos!NoDrag, 0,0,1024,768
[/CODE]

For XX take the next free number and adjust the size so that the gauge covers your panel window. That's all. I have chosen the SOUND_ON Event, as typically sound is on, so you wil see no action, if you drag with your fingers/mouse. Only the sound goes on, if you had turned it off. But you can choose any action you want.

For me this works perfectly and my touch screens are now my only input to my panels (beside my GoFlight panels). This is a completely unsupported version for my own purposes and no further documentation is available. But those people doing similar things know, how to implement this into to their planes. And as I found so many useful things here in this forum, I wanted to give back something to the community.

Rgds

Reinhard

[Pete Dowson]

For me this works perfectly and my touch screens are now my only input to my panels (beside my GoFlight panels). This is a completely unsupported version for my own purposes and no further documentation is available. But those people doing similar things know, how to implement this into to their planes. And as I found so many useful things here in this forum, I wanted to give back something to the community.

Thanks. That's very clever. I didn't realise you could do gauges purely with a short XML file like that.

This thread will scroll off out of sight again quite quickly, which would be a shame. D you think you could re-post to the "User Contributions" subforum, with a suitable title, so it is saved and more readily accessible to others? I could do it, but I think it should be in your name.

Thanks again!

Pete

[DonW]

Pete, how do I repost? I tried cut and paste to the User Contributions subforum but got a warning that I was posting too many images.

Don Whyte

[Pete Dowson]

Pete, how do I repost? I tried cut and paste to the User Contributions subforum but got a warning that I was posting too many images.

Too many images? Sorry, I don't understand that. Maybe the cut-and-paste doesn't preserve some of the quoting correctly? You probably need to go into Edit mode on your original and copy from there, then paste into a new-thread-message in the SubForum. Obviously you need to create the new message with an appropriate title in order to paste into it. You can't past a thread or message.

Regards

Pete

[ckovoor]

Hello Reinhard,

I have a multi-monitor setup with 5 touchscreens attached to my server, dedicated to instrument panels, and your script has solved a long standing issue I have had with inadvertently dragging panel windows one has touched. Thank you for sharing your idea.

I am also now using a modification of your script to solve another problem I have had.....with the large "screen real estate" I have, I tend to keep all instrument panel windows open. However, many payware aircraft have hidden/unmarked clickspots/click-areas which close those windows or open other windows.....these are meant for users with fewer screens who cannot keep many windows open and visible simultaneously. In my case these hidden clickspots have proved to be irritants, as inadvertently touching these areas opens/closes windows which I have already configured to my liking. Where these clickspots are controlled by separate gauges, simply deleting or 'remming out' these gauges from the panel.cfg effectively neutralises their effect. But in certain aircraft (like the SimCheck A300B4) these clickspots/click-areas are built into more complex gauges, so they cannot separately be neutralised without disabling other required gauges. In such cases your script can be modified to create a "No Left Click" region which can be sized and positioned over the troublesome area to neutralise the effect of any inadvertent touches there:

<Gauge Name="NoLeftClick" Version="1.0">

<Size X="10" Y="10" />

<!-- Inhibit clicking of regions within panel windows by reacting with dummy event (turn the sound on) -->

<Mouse>

<Area Left="0" Top="0" Width="10" Height="10">

<Click Kind="LeftClick" Event="SOUND_ON" />

</Area>

</Mouse>

</Gauge>

I have tested this and it works.

Thank you once again,

Regards,

Chakko.

[aua668]

Thanks. That's very clever. I didn't realise you could do gauges purely with a short XML file like that.

This thread will scroll off out of sight again quite quickly, which would be a shame. D you think you could re-post to the "User Contributions" subforum, with a suitable title, so it is saved and more readily accessible to others? I could do it, but I think it should be in your name.

Thanks again!

Pete

Dear Pete,

I have now posted the topic in the user contributions as suggested. There is a good starting point for creating XML gauges here:

http://www.fs2x.com/Tutorials.htm

And of course in the Microsoft ESP SDK documentation you will find additional information. It's really easy (even for me) to create gauges by XML :???:

Rgds

Reinhard

[pasterke]

Hi all,

this is what I use to save the panelpositions :

http://forum.avsim.net/topic/63144-a-software-to-save-your-panel-position/#entry443003

[Pete Dowson]

I have now posted the topic in the user contributions as suggested.

Thanks. I've taken the liberty of reformatting the code parts to match the original formatting.

There is a good starting point for creating XML gauges here:

http://www.fs2x.com/Tutorials.htm

And of course in the Microsoft ESP SDK documentation you will find additional information. It's really easy (even for me) to create gauges by XML :???:

Okay, thanks!

Pete

[DonW]

hi Pete

Would you mind reposting the topic to User Contributions for me? I am a bit unsure how to do it properly and as I am travelling I won't have time to figure it out myself.

Don Whyte

Edited July 15, 2012 by DonW

[Pete Dowson]

Would you mind reposting the topic to User Contributions for me? I am a bit unsure how to do it properly and as I am travelling I won't have time to figure it out myself.

Sorry, you mean the whole thread? A lot of the stuff at the start doesn't belong there. Which parts are you talking about? The first XML Gauge solution is already posted on that subforum.

Regards

Pete

[Andydigital]

Don, Pete wasn't asking you to repost anything, the question was aimed at aua668 (Reinhard) and he already reposted his excellent gauge in the user contributions forum.

[DonW]

thanks, my mistake.

Don Whyte