The FLIGHT_LOADED event is happening before you ever get to PANEL_SERVICE_PRE_UPDATE to initiate your connection to SimConnect.

This gets more complex... :Big Grin:

 

Ed: thank you for confirming what I'd suspected was the underlying problem. And no, I didn't think you were being facetious. I just don't yet have the SimConnect modus operandi successfully nailed in my head.

Doug: where do you suggest that I trap 'early' events like this?

 

[Edit] Doug: just as I posted I think I figured it out. I won't be able to try until tomorrow morning, so I'd like to see if I've got it right first.

I really thought I'd got it this time with Ed's hint about event driven.

 

case    PANEL_SERVICE_PRE_UPDATE:

    if ((strlen(prevFlight) < 3) || strcmp(prevFlight,CURRENT_FLIGHT)!=0)
    {
        hr = SimConnect_RequestSystemState(hSimConnect, SIMCONNECT_RECV_ID_EVENT_FILENAME, "FlightLoaded");
        SimConnect_CallDispatch(hSimConnect, SimConnectProcess, NULL);
        if (strlen(CURRENT_FLIGHT) > 3)
            strncpy(prevFlight, CURRENT_FLIGHT, sizeof(CURRENT_FLIGHT));
    }
    break;

_CallDispatch still isn't being called but the RequestSystemState is definately going out. I went on and did some further coding/checking and found I could easily trap FlightSaved:

 

static enum EVENT_FILENAME
{
        FLIGHT_LOADED,
        FLIGHT_SAVED,
};

void OnRecvOpen (SIMCONNECT_RECV_OPEN *pOpen, DWORD cbData)
{
        SimConnect_SubscribeToSystemEvent(hSimConnect, FLIGHT_LOADED, "FlightLoaded");
        SimConnect_SubscribeToSystemEvent(hSimConnect, FLIGHT_SAVED, "FlightSaved");
}

void OnRecvEventFilename(SIMCONNECT_RECV_EVENT_FILENAME *pData, DWORD cbData)
{
    if (FLIGHT_SAVED)strncpy(SAVED_FLIGHT,pData->szFileName,sizeof(pData->szFileName));
    if (FLIGHT_LOADED)strncpy(CURRENT_FLIGHT, pData->szFileName, sizeof(pData->szFileName));
}

What am I not calling correctly for FlightLoaded? And with apologies, because I'm right at the end of my tether with frustration, may I ask if someone would be kind enough to provide some code? I obviously can't take hints.

Dai,

 

Call SimConnect_CallDispatch once, as soon as you call SimConnect_Open.

When you are  running in process (a gauge or module) you do not have to continually call it.

That's what I was doing when I found that I could successfully read FlightSaved - the above code was my last despairing try before I went to bed last night. Now I'm seriously beginning to wonder if FlightLoaded actually works.

Sorry, I just noticed this.  I think you want

void OnRecvEventFilename(SIMCONNECT_RECV_EVENT_FILENAME *pData, DWORD cbData)
{
    if (pData->uEventID == FLIGHT_SAVED)strncpy(SAVED_FLIGHT,pData->szFileName,sizeof(pData->szFileName));
    if (pData->uEventID == FLIGHT_LOADED)strncpy(CURRENT_FLIGHT, pData->szFileName, sizeof(pData->szFileName));
}

I did some testing myself.  I'm now pretty certain that the "FlightLoaded" event occurs before gauges start getting loaded, so we'll never trap it in a gauge.

If you need to know the current flight name, use the SimConnect_RequestSystemState function.

Thanks Doug - I was starting to think I was being particularly stupid. If I don't get it tonight, it will have to wait until I get back from Florida in ten days' time.

AT LAST!!! That has been one steep learning curve - ! It was like someone turned a (dim) light on sometime over the last two days and I'm now starting to understand the SDK.

 

Thank you both very much for your help