Make Runways ICAO code missing

[Conrad]

Make Runways is just the thing I was looking for. I want to create a database of ALL the airfields in FS and it seems the RUNWAYS.XML file is exactly that.

However when I read the XML file created by Make runways 4.45 and 4.46 in my FS9 directory the ICAO column is empty. Am I doing something wrong?

Thanx

Conrad

[Pete Dowson]

However when I read the XML file created by Make runways 4.45 and 4.46 in my FS9 directory the ICAO column is empty. Am I doing something wrong?

How are you reading the XML? The whole XML section for each airport is enclosed in ICAO parentheses which give the ICAO, like this:

<ICAO id="XXXX">

.... <<<< all airport data here

</ICAO>

Check it with a text editor and you'll see.

Regards

Pete

[Conrad]

Hello Pete,

Thanx for the quick reply.

I first imported the XML file into MS Access, and didn't get the ICAO

Then I opened the file with a program called "Advanced XML Converter" still didnt see it.

I do see it now that I opened the file in Wordpad.

Any ideas how I can import it into Access or Excell?

Thanx.

Conrad

[Pete Dowson]

Any ideas how I can import it into Access or Excell?

Sorry, no. I don't know either program at all. In fact I don't know XML at all. I hate such wasteful slow forms of database being more of a machine level programmer historically. The format of the RUNWAYS.XML file was exactly according to requests made. i think it conforms to some of the FS standards and BGL scenery building program needs.

The provision of ID strings within the block delimiter seems to be a common thing in XML, looking at others. I would have thought standard MS ptrograms would be able to handle it. Maybe it's an option someplace, or maybe it's a function of that Windows XML DLL (something lie MSXML4.DLL? Can't recall offhand).

I have Access 2007 and it can't load that XML file at all, just says it doesn't recognise it.

But, although Excel 2007 takes an absolute age (SUCH an inefficient database format!), it does get the ICAO and make it the first column. It does say it doesn't come with a "schema" but will make one itself, and it seems to work fine apart from taking sooooo loooonnnnggg!

I tried it on a Win7 and a WinXP machine, with identical results. So I've no idea what's wrong with your Excel.

Regards

Pete

[Conrad]

I have Excell 2002 (don't laugh!) It crashes trying to open the XML file (or I don't have enough patience while it opens.)

Anyway, thanx for the help.

Conrad

[Pete Dowson]

I have Excell 2002 (don't laugh!) It crashes trying to open the XML file (or I don't have enough patience while it opens.)

On my fast PC (4 GHz) is takes several minutes.

XML, ugh!

Pete

[ronzie]

What properties do you require for your airport database? Several of the files made by makerwys.exe for Radar Contact are comma delimited and can swiftly be read by Excel and probably Access for import. See the makerwys read me in your FS folder for file and field definitions. I am aware of additions to surface properties in the .xml format but if you just need comm frequencies, localizers, and locations of runway, taxiway, and parking components, f5.csv, t5.csv, g5.csv, and r5.csv might give you needed information to be merged as your require. You would need to write something to parse out the files and combine the data fields you want into a single file to be arranged in your desired field order. That merged data would then be imported into Access or whatever. In RC the airport location is derived from the runway coordinates using trig and elevation from the runway elevations. FS does not really support sloped runways so the elevation field in r5.csv is constant.

The common index is the ICAO.