Mouse Macros

[English Rebel]

Pete

In the basic user guide paragraphs on mouse macros you state:

In addition to all of the available FS controls, and the specially provided FSUIPC4 additions, you can easily make your own controls, naming them yourself, to operate some (sorry, not all) of those Panel switches and buttons and knobs which otherwise you would have to use the mouse to use.

I assume from this statement that most of the default aircraft switches and knobs can be programmed? I ask this because I tried to create one for the APU switch on the Learjet by naming the macro Learjet and in the aircraft I tried the APU switch as well as trying other switches but a pop up window never appeared (and yes I did click on Run Macro in FSUIPC).

Also are mouse macros confined to aircraft panel switches and knobs (and not for window title bar functions)?

Thanks

Alan

[KAPTEJNLN]

well i had a look and i could also not use macro for this plane, but it isent required as if you set the standard comands from the list of FSX comands. you would se it turns on and of apu if you set start and stop apu or other settings from the dokument so just simply go in to fsx and open fsuipc and click buttons + switches then comand send when pressed and in the drop down menu type apu then there is the ones you could use. hope that helps.

[Pete Dowson]

I assume from this statement that most of the default aircraft switches and knobs can be programmed?

No. Pretty much none of the default gauges are suitable because Microsoft did not use their own Gauges SDK to create them.

Are you using FSUIPC4 or FSUIPC3? You don't even say which User Guide you are quoting from. But either way, perhaps you should refer to the paragraph just before the one you quoted. Here it is from the FSUIPC3 user guide (but it is similar in the FSUIPC4 one):

Furthermore, in order to work they need to be able to hook into Gauge code which must be structured in the predictable way which results from using the Microsoft FS SDK for building gauges in C or C++. This unfortunately excludes most of Microsoft's own default FS aircraft, as they did not use this technique. Furthermore, many new aircraft made by third parties use the more recent technique of having gauges in XML. Those are also not susceptible to "Mouse Macros". (but they are then more likely to be accessible via "L:Vars", which is a separate and more advanced subject).

I have highlit the part relevant to your question.

If you can't find this then I can only assume you are using a much older unsupported version and therefore ask you to kindly update before requesting support. Earliest supported versions are 3.99 and 4.70.

Regards

Pete

[English Rebel]

Pete

Sorry I should have made clear -- I am using FSUIPC 4 and initially I was going to include that initial paragraph in my post but as it referred to gauges I didn't think it relevant to buttons and switches. The two paragraphs seem to be mutually exclusive because on the one hand you say that gauges cannot be programed with mouse macros (whatever that means -- perhaps the VOR heading bug) yet in the next paragraph (the one I did quote) you state (and my emphasis):

In addition to all of the available FS controls, and the specially provided FSUIPC4 additions, you can easily make your own controls, naming them yourself, to operate some (sorry, not all) of those Panel switches and buttons and knobs which otherwise you would have to use the mouse to use.

Sign me confused.

Alan

[Pete Dowson]

Sorry I should have made clear -- I am using FSUIPC 4 and initially I was going to include that initial paragraph in my post but as it referred to gauges I didn't think it relevant to buttons and switches.

ALL buttons and switches in FS are part of some gauge or other. They are loaded by FS using parameters in the PANELS folders which detail the gauges to be loaded and their positions and sizes.

And it does clearly state, and I repeat, "in order to work they need to be able to hook into Gauge code" before going on to explain that Microsoft's code isn't susceptible. So, even if you had no idea what the word "gauge" meant, you are still clearly being told that mouse macros won't work on much of the default aircraft.

The two paragraphs seem to be mutually exclusive because on the one hand you say that gauges cannot be programed with mouse macros (whatever that means -- perhaps the VOR heading bug)

Where does it say anything of the sort? That's nonsensical. If you don't actually read what is written I'm not surprised you confuse yourself.

Sign me confused.

Please in future read what is written, and don't assume something else entirely. Then maybe you'll avert such confusion!

Pete

[English Rebel]

ALL buttons and switches in FS are part of some gauge or other. They are loaded by FS using parameters in the PANELS folders which detail the gauges to be loaded and their positions and sizes.

And it does clearly state, and I repeat, "in order to work they need to be able to hook into Gauge code" before going on to explain that Microsoft's code isn't susceptible. So, even if you had no idea what the word "gauge" meant, you are still clearly being told that mouse macros won't work on much of the default aircraft.

Where does it say anything of the sort? That's nonsensical. If you don't actually read what is written I'm not surprised you confuse yourself.

Please in future read what is written, and don't assume something else entirely. Then maybe you'll avert such confusion!

Pete

Pete

Please don't reply in such a condescending manner -- I did read what was written in the manual and made, what I (and any other non-technical people) a reasonable assumption. I'm trying to understand, what to me, can sometimes be confusing. You wrote the program and the manual (I and many others are grateful for that) so to you it's as obvious as the nose on your face -- not so to some of us.

When I read the first paragraph

Furthermore, in order to work they need to be able to hook into Gauge code

I assumed (wrongly of course) that gauges had nothing to do with switches -- a quite logical assumption if you knew nothing about the way FSX functions in the background. Thank you for explaining that.

I said that the two paragraphs were mutually exclusive because of what I just wrote -- one refers to gauges and the other on how to create a macro to control switches.

You stated

So, even if you had no idea what the word "gauge" meant, you are still clearly being told that mouse macros won't work on much of the default aircraft.

If that was the case why make the statement

In addition to all of the available FS controls, and the specially provided FSUIPC4 additions, you can easily make your own controls, naming them yourself, to operate some (sorry, not all) of those Panel switches and buttons and knobs which otherwise you would have to use the mouse to use.

Why say mouse macros won't work on much of the default aircraft and then go on to say that you can easily make mouse macros to control FSX switches? You even showed and example on how to do that in the KingAir. Now that is confusing.

Please understand that some people who ask questions in this forum are doing so not because they're stupid but because they want more information or clarification so they can better use your program.

Regards

Alan

[Pete Dowson]

I assumed (wrongly of course) that gauges had nothing to do with switches -- a quite logical assumption if you knew nothing about the way FSX functions in the background. Thank you for explaining that.

But it wasn't even necessary to understand that, when the operative statement was (and I'm sorry to have to repeat this yet again):

in order to work they need to be able to hook into Gauge code which must be structured in the predictable way which results from using the Microsoft FS SDK for building gauges in C or C++. This unfortunately excludes most of Microsoft's own default FS aircraft,

How on Earth can you misinterpret that? Whether you understand what gauges are or not, it clearly says that it doesn't work on most of Microsoft's own default aircraft.

Why isn't that clear to you? Can't you even understand why your attitude is so exasperating? It says what it means in black and white! (Well and red in my emphasis!). It tells you clearly that it won't work on most of the default aircraft. You don't need to understand the word "gauges" at all, that is just part of the reason it won't work, which you don't need to understand -- though most folks questioned it before I felt bound to include that explanation!

The documentation comes about like it is as a result of folks asking questions. You didn't have to ask what gauges were, but you should have seen that it wasn't likely to work because it clearly said so!

It DOES work very usefully on many add-on aircraft, and that is why it still exists. Else I would have withdrawn it to avoid such timewasting.

Pete

[English Rebel]

Mr. Dowson

I'll say one more thing and then this thread is over as far as I'm concerned. Instead of talking about esoteric things such as hooks into Gauge Code and SDKs and C and C++ languages which fly over most users heads, a simple statement at the start of the tutorial on Mouse Macros that said:

These mouse macros will not work for the majority of default FSX aircraft but can be used on many add-on aircraft.

Then people like me wouldn't come to this forum posting questions that are, according to you, perfectly obvious if I chose to read your manual. I apologize for wasting your time and so will take my questions elsewhere, were perhaps they will be answered with a little more forbearing and tolerance for lack of knowledge of hooks into gauge code, SDKs, and C++.

Sincerely

Alan

[Pete Dowson]

...a simple statement at the start of the tutorial on Mouse Macros that said:

These mouse macros will not work for the majority of default FSX aircraft but can be used on many add-on aircraft.

Pretty much what it does say, though when it was written I couldn't have said "many" -- I really have no idea how many it works on because I don't have nor use many add-on aircraft at all. There is a thread in the User Contributions subforum that tried to make a list, but I'm not sure how far it got. See here:

http://forum.simflig...le-with-macros/

... according to you, perfectly obvious if I chose to read your manual.

Actually, you need to read my answers more carefully, because right at the beginning I answered your question clearly with

No. Pretty much none of the default gauges are suitable because Microsoft did not use their own Gauges SDK to create them.

It was you who chose to quote extracts from the manual, out of truly relevant context, and then continued to argue about meanings of words and such even after I clarified it and highlighted the parts you chose to omit and seemingly ignore.

Whilst obviously I do like folks to check the manuals (else why write them), having parts quoted to me out of context to try to illustrate something they think is wrong, and then when corrected trying to say it is self-contradictory, is really not a good way to ask a simple question and get a simple answer, now, is it? Think about it!

Why didn't you simply take the first "No" in the answer and be done?

Oh, BTW, I don't do tutorials, only reference manuals. I'm sorry you don't like them, but you can read them before purchasing and also browse this Forum to see my style of support, and if you didn't like anything you would then of course be free to take your custom elsewhere.

Regards

Pete

[English Rebel]

...and if you didn't like anything you would then of course be free to take your custom elsewhere.

Regards

Pete

Done -- over and out!!

Alan