Adding new items on Addons

[FlyingCoder]

Hi guys, first of all, nmot sure if this is the right section to ask but i would like to ask, how do i add new items under the Addon's section? Currently, i am developing a software and i would like my pilots to access it via the ADDONS button rather than having to start them externally. I have no clue how and i am currently using FSUIPC for my software. So, when my pilots press the Addons, my application name will appear. How do i do that?

[Pete Dowson]

2 hours ago, FlyingCoder said:

mot sure if this is the right section to ask but i would like to ask, how do i add new items under the Addon's section? Currently, i am developing a software and i would like my pilots to access it via the ADDONS button rather than having to start them externally

No, it isn't really the right forum as it is purely a question about P3D which is answered in the L-M website.

However, you should be able to learn from any other Addon files you hsave in your documents folder in Windows. Look in the  Prepar3D v4 Add-ons folder (or v3 as appropriate). There's a separate subfolder for each add-on, and the crucial part in those is the Add-on.xml file which tells P3D exactly what to load and where it is.

Pete

 

 

[FlyingCoder]

Hi pete, i managed to do it. However, i noticed that when i click on your software, the windows form will appear then the black screen will appear and the sim will be paused. How do i do that? I know this EVENT_SIM_STOP thingi but not sure how to use it. Are you able to guide me?

[Pete Dowson]

1 hour ago, FlyingCoder said:

However, i noticed that when i click on your software, the windows form will appear then the black screen will appear and the sim will be paused.

Do you mean the FSUIPC In-Sim options?

1 hour ago, FlyingCoder said:

the windows form will appear then the black screen will appear and the sim will be paused. How do i do that?

Request "DIALOG MODE" from SimConnect before invoking the Windows dialog box (for that is what it is -- FSUIPC is written in C and knows nothing of "Forms"). You don't need to use the SIM STOP event.

Pete

 

[FlyingCoder]

Hi pete, i have already requested a dialog mode. But seems that my exe is running "externally" and i can see the icon on the taskbar. Your FSUIPC is not visible on my taskbar. That is what im trying to achieve as of now but have not able to.

[Pete Dowson]

31 minutes ago, FlyingCoder said:

i have already requested a dialog mode. But seems that my exe is running "externally" and i can see the icon on the taskbar. Your FSUIPC is not visible on my taskbar. That is what im trying to achieve as of now but have not able to.

Ah, yes. FSUIPC is a DLL running inside the Sim. There are a lot of things you can't do from an external process (which is why FSUIPC has always been an internal module, not a separate process).

Pete

 

[FlyingCoder]

So meaning, i can't follow your way/style? Ah yes, talking about DLL, am i able to run DLL instead?

[Pete Dowson]

42 minutes ago, FlyingCoder said:

So meaning, i can't follow your way/style? Ah yes, talking about DLL, am i able to run DLL instead?

You need to code the DLL. There are plenty of add-on DLLs. The can be loaded via the Add-On.xml method as others, or by direct entries in the DLL.XML file (as is currently the case with FSUIPC).

You'd need to read up about programming DLLs.  That's a Windows thing. There are rules for P3D DLLs but the programming has first to follow Microsoft Windows rules for DLLs.

Pete

 

[FlyingCoder]

I tried the p3dv4 sdk using the dialogmode sample. But, they are all in exe. If i change the application from exe to dll, will it do it? I mean will it be the same? Then i will do the settings via DDL.xml is the way ?

[Pete Dowson]

3 hours ago, FlyingCoder said:

I tried the p3dv4 sdk using the dialogmode sample. But, they are all in exe.

I didn't know there was a sample. So didn't that work? What was wrong?

3 hours ago, FlyingCoder said:

If i change the application from exe to dll, will it do it?

You need to program it as a DLL. For example, there's no WinMain but a DLLMain. And unless you create a separate thread you don't have your own WndProc -- the main Windows message processing WndProc is the process one, in P3D. Then the SimConnect interface is a bit different. You have to declare different things, and there's a DLLstart which it calls when ready.

i really cannot undertake a tutorial here. You'll have to do first the Windows DLL programming techniques then the special application to SimConnect.

Pete