MakeRwys 5.1 feature request

[davidk64]

I downloaded this free utility for the purpose of extracting a list of runways that are installed in my simulator (P3D v5). Using visual basic in Excel on the runways.csv file I was able to randomly select a runway and write the latitude, longitude and altitude into a saved flight file to give me a bias free random airport selection tool allowing e.g. circuit training at sight unseen airports.

Many thanks for providing the program free to use!

I noticed in the pdf readme that runways have to have a "start position". So I'm guessing this means smaller bush strips with no threshold wouldn't be extracted by the utility?

If so would it be possible to add a program flag that says include all runways even those without a start position, please?

Cheers

David

[Pete Dowson]

5 hours ago, davidk64 said:

I noticed in the pdf readme that runways have to have a "start position". So I'm guessing this means smaller bush strips with no threshold wouldn't be extracted by the utility?

It depends how they are defined. If you can select a runway as a starting point in the sim, then it has a "start" as that's what those are for. For example I have the third party add-on scenery "UK total strips" for MSFS and even the smallest farm strips have start points. Otherwise users would not easily be able it use them for takeoff (or landing maybe, at least in the route selector).

So, please check. I think you'll find you don't need a different file (which is what it would have to be).

Pete

[davidk64]

Thanks for the reply. I think it's a lack of knowledge on my part that was the problem. I ran the program once with default runway length minimum of 1500 feet and then again with > 0 feet and noticed only a handful extra. I was thinking there would be lots more but on Googling I find runways don't get down less than 1500 feet as a rule. In fact I couldn't find a single example of a default P3D runway > 0 and <1500 feet. Please disregard original signal!

[davidk64]

Continuing to work on my utility I randomly selected EDKP Huinghausen in the sim from go to airport and then went to the runways.csv file to check the heading value and discovered the runway isn't listed. P3D v5 has it as runway length of 1408ft. Here is the only section from runways.txt, I don't believe Orbx openLC Europe is affecting it:

Airport EDKP :N51:11:30.9927  E007:47:21.9993  980.00ft
          Country Name="Germany"
          State Name=""
          City Name="Plettenberg"
          Airport Name="Huinghausen"

          in file: Scenery\0601\scenery\APX50130.bgl

          Runway 10 /28  centre: N51:11:31.8349  E007:47:23.4882  980.00ft
              Start 10 : N51:11:33.5842  E007:47:13.1466  980.00ft Hdg: 105.1T, Length 1408ft 
              Start 28 : N51:11:30.0856  E007:47:33.8312  980.00ft Hdg: 285.0T, Length 1408ft 
              Hdg: 105.050 true (MagVar 1.000), Grass, 1408 x 98 ft
          COM: Type=11 (FSS), Freq=122.925, Name="PLETTENBERG"
          FSM A/P EDKP, lat=51.191944, long=7.789444, alt=980.00

So now I'm wondering if I'm running the program with the parameter specified incorrectly. I typed MakeRwys />0 from a command prompt in the Prepar3D v5 directory with MakeRwys.exe and LorbySceneryExport.exe in that same directory.

MakeRwys_Scenery.cfg

[Pete Dowson]

44 minutes ago, davidk64 said:

Continuing to work on my utility I randomly selected EDKP Huinghausen in the sim from go to airport and then went to the runways.csv file to check the heading value and discovered the runway isn't listed. P3D v5 has it as runway length of 1408ft. Here is the only section from runways.txt, I don't believe Orbx openLC Europe is affecting it

I don't know what you have wrong (check your command line), but using a shortcut with the settings shown below gives me these two lines in runways.csv:

EDKP,0100,51.192677,7.786882,980,104,1408,0
EDKP,0280,51.191677,7.792833,980,284,1408,0

Pete

[davidk64]

When I ran it using a shortcut as you did it gave 56145 runways including EDKP. When I reran it from cmd window it gave 52962 runways without EDKP. Total airports, number of BGLs and bytes scanned was the same for both methods. I'm wondering if running from the command window the flag is not being passed to the program correctly. I'll just remember to use a shortcut. Thanks Pete.

Edited December 23, 2020 by davidk64
Tried to add screenshot but it says I'm only allowed to upload 0mb?

[Pete Dowson]

10 hours ago, davidk64 said:

When I ran it using a shortcut as you did it gave 56145 runways including EDKP. When I reran it from cmd window it gave 52962 runways without EDKP. Total airports, number of BGLs and bytes scanned was the same for both methods. I'm wondering if running from the command window the flag is not being passed to the program correctly.

Well it should, but I always find it easier to use a shortcut anyway.  Note that in my shortcut the program pathname is enclosed in " ". maybe that is necessary because of the space in the path? Did you use " " around it in the command window?

Pete

 

[davidk64]

I put the MakeRwys and LorbySceneryExport programs in the Prepar3D folder and then in the command window changed directory into that folder so didn't have to specify a path just the program name and flag:

MakeRwys />0

Curious as to whether you see a difference in output when you run it from a command window? But I am sure you have more pressing issues to explore! 

[Pete Dowson]

1 hour ago, davidk64 said:

Curious as to whether you see a difference in output when you run it from a command window?

Just tried it, but from a Powershell command window (i unstalled Powershell a while ago and it takes on the right-click facility to open a folder in a command window).

With Powershell it isn't quite like you have it. Just entrering MakeRwys />0 gives this error

Suggestion [3,General]: The command MakeRwys.exe was not found, but does exist in the current location.
Windows PowerShell does not load commands from the current location by default.
If you trust this command, instead type: ".\MakeRwys.exe". See "get-help about_Command_Precedence" for more details.

But following that advice, this worked fine, still giving me EDKP

PS E:\Prepar3D v5> .\MakeRwys />0

So I tried using an old-fashioned command window by using CMD.EXE in the Start edit field to open the window. Now MakeRwys />0 generates the files without the EDKP runways! Very strange -- the command line parameter is not being passed to the program!

Sorry, I've no idea why. Seems the old Command window facility isn't working as one would think.

Pete

 

 

[davidk64]

Thanks for looking further! I did a bit of browsing and found a reference that suggested CMD.EXE is old and does some strange things when parsing arguments. So I ran it like this:

MakeRwys "/>0"

which I thought I had done previously to no different result but this time anyways it gave the larger number of results including EDKP. So I guess even though the argument has no spaces the quotes stop it being interpreted contrary to our desires. The documentation for CMD does mention issues with the > character in some circumstances though it was beyond me whether they should apply in this case. If you had more time than sense you might try a flag that doesn't have the > symbol in it 🙂