FSX ATC Menu - Saving position & size.

[RGS 1]

Hi guys, just a quick one:

 

I'm having problems saving the position and size of the ATC window. I move it to where I want, re-size it and then save the flight, ticking the box as 'set as default.' When I re-load the flight the top left corner of the ATC window is in the correct position, but the size isn't saved.

 

Any thoughts?

 

Thanks in advance,

 

 

Robert

[PIC007 82]

Are you flying in fullscreen or windowed mode? If windowed, search for a program called "Panel Store'.....you can save any undocked panel in any position and any size.

[RGS 1]

Hi PIC007,

 

Full screen mode I'm afraid...

[Virtualviking 0]

Is it possible to save panel sizes and locations? That would be fantastic!

[RGS 1]

I'm pretty sure all you had to do was set them up as you like, then save the flight and set it as default. For me it's saving the position, but not the size/scale.

[Virtualviking 0]

What about panels like the NGX FMC? Anyone know?

[ccb777 3]

For me, it seems to remember the position I have it in my saved default flight. As for size ???

 

Chris.

[Gregg_Seipp 571]

I think that if you move it and then save the flight it will remember the position.

[RGS 1]

Thanks for replying guys.

 

So everyone can move it and save the position, but no joy in saving the size?

[Gregg_Seipp 571]

I loaded a flight where I had saved it in the upper right corner and it had the size and position saved but, perhaps, the size was saved because it was constrained by the edge of the window...dunno.

[RGS 1]

@ Gregg

 

Would you mind confirming for sure that you managed to save the size, even if it was through placing it in the corner?

 

I've tried that myself, but it only saves the position and each time I open FSX it'll be a large window no matter where I place it in the default flight. I'm not sure why it defaults to such a large window (roughly 1/2 of my 30 inch screen space) when the amount of text displayed is only ever relatively small.

 

Thanks,

 

 

Robert

[Gregg_Seipp 571]

That's what it does.  I resize it smaller and nudge up up into the upper right corner.  I'm in the flight that does that right now and it was right there.  Then I save it and it remembers.  You may be able to change it by editing the .FLT file by editing the [Atc_Menu] section.

[yellowjack 28]

The secret is in the flight name, I have just done some experimentation. It appears to me that if you save a flight with a new name then FSS remembers the ATC window details. However if you save over a previously saved flight (same name) then the original ATC parameters aren't updated. As a new flight name is saved with your selected ATC position, visibility and size then it is easy enough to open up this flights .PLN file grab the ATC cords and replace in any of your old flights .PLN files. My stock ATC window details are:

 

 [Atc_Menu]
ScreenUniCoords=1600, 1178, 2441, 1357
UndocCoords=0, 0, 0, 0
Visible=False
Undocked=False

 

There is a small twitch, although I can reduce the vertical window size a small amount on screen the cords for the ATC window height will not save at that height. However, the extra vertical size reduction available on screen in FSX is not large.
 

[RGS 1]

Ok, sounds like we're making progress, but I'm still having some issues and suspect that it's due to naming + some data being saved somewhere else...

 

Here goes:

 

I create a new flight. Position the ATC window. Save the flight. Quit FSX. Load FSX and just click 'Fly' - My flight is loaded (but with the current real world time of day applied as expected), however the only part of the ATC window in the correct position is the top left corner!

 

It did seem to semi work at one point and I have a feeling that it's down to the naming as suggested above, but it's almost as though you can't even call the flight a similar name, or even that of a deleted flight. Not only that, but renaming the flight files manually outside of FSX (with FSX not running) seems to sometimes create duplicate flights - i.e. When overwriting the re-named flight from within FSX the old (original name) flight appears again!

 

It seems as though FSX is writing data elsewhere and this needs to be flushed out.

 

Going back in for some further testing...

 

 

EDIT:

 

Ok, so FSX is ignoring the last set of coords as suspected. It's getting the data for those from somewhere else entirely. It does write them correctly to the FLT file, but just doesn't call for them when reloading.

 

Any thoughts?

[yellowjack 28]

Ok, sounds like we're making progress, but I'm still having some issues and suspect that it's due to naming + some data being saved somewhere else...

 

Here goes:

 

I create a new flight. Position the ATC window. Save the flight. Quit FSX. Load FSX and just click 'Fly' - My flight is loaded (but with the current real world time of day applied as expected), however the only part of the ATC window in the correct position is the top left corner!

 

It did seem to semi work at one point and I have a feeling that it's down to the naming as suggested above, but it's almost as though you can't even call the flight a similar name, or even that of a deleted flight. Not only that, but renaming the flight files manually outside of FSX (with FSX not running) seems to sometimes create duplicate flights - i.e. When overwriting the re-named flight from within FSX the old (original name) flight appears again!

 

If you have a flight that the ATC window suits, and this could vary from aircraft to aircraft depending on the cockpit shape, then it is easy enough to save your preferred ATC window settings in a separate text file and replace the ATC part of the .PLN file in any other flights. I have done this and have a small text file with my preferred settings in my FSX files folder so I don't have to fool around trying to find my preferred settings.  All I can say is that a saved flight with my preferred settings now seems to work. I am not sure of how this pans out if you overlay a loaded plan with a new one. However if both have the same ATC configuration statements in both flights then it must remain the same.

 

 

 

It seems as though FSX is writing data elsewhere and this needs to be flushed out.

 

Going back in for some further testing...

 

 

EDIT:

 

Ok, so FSX is ignoring the last set of coords as suspected. It's getting the data for those from somewhere else entirely. It does write them correctly to the FLT file, but just doesn't call for them when reloading.

 

Any thoughts?

 

It looks to me that once you save a flight with a name then the ATC window position is saved and any further saves using the same flight name will not have the ATC part of the configuration changed. There is a possible explanation for this because if the ATC window was saved every flight it might not always be where it started or is wanted due to changes made to the window by the user. Thus it will revert to its original position for the first flight saved. The advantage is that once this accepted it is fairly easy to ensure that when one wants to save a flight with a new name that the ATC window is set up before saving.

 

There is the possibility that another add on that uses the basic ATC window routine could impose its own values by changing the ATC configuration in the current flight plan e.g. I use GSX which uses the same sort of window as the ATC one. However, my testing shows that I still get my preferred values next time I reload. One thing that can be stated for sure is that the initial loading of the flight sets up the ATC window as per the .PLN file so if the ATC window is wrong then the .PLN file can be changed to one's favourite settings.