When reading LVARS with AAO, I notice that AAO  expects that a knob or button be used at least once before AAO can collect and display LVARS. Yet, when I open the LVARS window( local simulator variables), I see many LVARS that have not been activated by me.  As a result, the window is full of LVARS, which makes finding the correct LVAR based on the latest button press an almost impossible task.

I'd like to know if there's an order in which AAO displays the LVARS, meaning that, in theory, the last LVAR activated should be at the very end of the list.

Is this the case, or is there some hint of how to make the task of identifying LVARS somewhat easier. Thanks.

AAO just reads ALL LVars that are currently active in MSFS. Curiously enough, it looks like MSFS keeps all possible LVars of all aircraft in memory at all times. Except for those that start to "live" only when you use them.

There is no way that AAO could know which LVar is the "last" or the "current" one. LVars are primarily used to control animations, and there are hundreds of them active at any given moment. That you can in some cases control switches with them is more like an accident - it is not what these variables are meant to do (IMHO). So the actual problem here is that LVars do not work the way that you (and many others) think that they do. LVars are no "Events", they are just variables in the memory of the simulator. The only way to find out which one belongs to your switch would be to monitor all LVars that are in active the sim (1000+), hoping to find the one that just changed the value. But I guarantee you that you will have 200+ others that are changing their value too at the same time, because they are controlling an animation. IMHO - not a chance. At all.

Other ways to find LVars: 

- Save the flight and take a look into the resulting .FLT file with a text editor. 
- Use the MSFS developer mode -> Tools -> Behaviors. For one there is a list of all LVars currently in existence in the sim, but you can also get a glimpse of the code behind a switch by clicking back into the sim window, then hovering the mouse over a button or lever in the VC and pressing "Ctrl & G".

Edited May 6, 20233 yr by Lorby_SI

35 minutes ago, flyforever said:

I notice that AAO  expects that a knob or button be used at least once before AAO can collect and display LVARS.

Is that so? I never noticed that, sorry. I am pretty sure that I've collected LVars at least a dozen times right after AAO has been connected to the sim. But I never really paid any attention.

Edited May 6, 20233 yr by Lorby_SI

This is from the AAO manual:

LVARs are only shown in this list when they have been used at
least once in the simulator

My assumption, therefore, is that when the sim is first opened and no buttons have been pressed, AAO will not pick up the LVAR that would be listed in the "local sim variable" window.

Edited May 6, 20233 yr by flyforever

54 minutes ago, flyforever said:

I notice that AAO  expects that a knob or button be used at least once before AAO can collect and display LVARS.

I am not seeing that. I must be doing something wrong. Started AAO, let is start MSFS. When I'm in the cockpit, without doing anything else, I let AAO collect the LVars. The process runs and completes. Then I went to the RPN Editor, "Insert sim variable". All Lvars seem to be there.

9 minutes ago, flyforever said:

This is from the AAO manual:

LVARs are only shown in this list when they have been used at
least once in the simulator

My assumption, therefore, is that when the sim is first opened and no buttons have been pressed, AAO will not pick up the LVAR that would be listed in the "local sim variable" window.

Lvars in general have nothing whatsoever to do with "buttons" - see my post above. They can be used for button operations, either on purpose by the aircraft developer or by accident, but that is not their only purpose by far.

What this sentence means is, that there may be LVars in the behavior code, the WASM modules or the 3D model that you (and AAO) can't see until they have actually been used in MSFS.

How this "Collect LVars works": AAO uses a special command to ask the simulator to reveal the names of all LVars that are currently present in memory. They are just values, neither they nor the sim have a property to tell you which the last one was that changed its value. It would be pointless too, every blinking LED in the VC, every moving control surface, etc etc can have an LVar behind it that is constantly changing its value.

Edited May 6, 20233 yr by Lorby_SI

got it. thanks