On my PMDG 737-800, I have been using AAO checklists without problems for a year, modifying them without any difficulty.  After a recent system crash, I had to restore all the voice commands, and all worked fine except that none of the checklist commands would work. When I bring up a checklist script that worked perfectly before, in AAO's Script Editor, and push Test, it gives me four "Please confirm" prompts, then "Checklist end."  It acts as if the checklist processor can't find the checklists, but they are exactly where they were before.  

Any help would be very much appreciated.  It's taken me 2 months to recover from the crash, and this is almost the last item unresolved.

Thanks,

Erik

2 minutes ago, MooneyDrover said:

When I bring up a checklist script that worked perfectly before, in AAO's Script Editor, and push Test,

Sorry, but I don't understand. Checklists are script files. That code doesn't work in the script editor. 
To test checklists, you have to use "Scripting->Run Script Files" and choose "run selected as Checklist" at the bottom.

Did you check if the voices that your checklist uses are still available on your computer? "Extras->Show list of all SAPI voices"

Sorry I wasn't explicit enough in my post.  What I am testing is the script that calls the checklist.  For example, the

script that calls the Approach Checklist is called "Approach Checklist, and is in the B737_Voice script group (which I downloaded from the web, and enhanced,  but which used to work just fine.  All of those checklists are still in the same place, and they look fine in Wordpad.  Here's the script I test:

(SCRIPTFILE:737\initvoice.txt)
(CHECKLIST:737\Approach_Checklist_737.txt)

I would normally call that script with a voice command I have created (in this case, the command is just "approach

checklist".  But when I call it with that command while MSFS is running, AND when I call it from the script editor, I just get the behavior for a missing checklist file, namely four "Please confirm" prompts and then "Checklist end."  Is there someplace that might have gotten corrupted that tells the CHECKLIST: command where to look?  It looks just right to me.

I still think that the problem is caused by wrong/missing TTS voices. If the file cannot be found, AAO shouldn't do anything at all, the checklist doesn't even start.

Compare the voices that are called by the checklist files to this:

Quote

Did you check if the voices that your checklist uses are still available on your computer? "Extras->Show list of all SAPI voices"

And just to be safe, make sure that your user account and Documents folder haven't been relocated to your OneDrive.

Edited February 3, 20251 yr by Lorby_SI

Curiouser and curiouser!  I checked, and the voice I use (Microsoft Zira) is still where it's supposed to be.  I also moved the Documents folder to be directly under the "C" drive, rather than under OneDrive, which had grabbed it despite my not wanting

to use OneDrive at all. 

I used the "Watch AAO script processing" window and learned that the script is, indeed, executing... The "Please confirm" is

coming from the checklist processing, so the checklist is found, and is doing the first programmed check and waiting for my

response.  But I hear nothing when it prompts me, and even if I respond

"Check", nothing happens. But at the same time, if I give my other commands (like Autobrake to RTO, Dim cockpit lights, toggle

dome light, etc.), they are all executed properly and Zira answers me as programmed.  I'm stumped!

1 hour ago, MooneyDrover said:

I checked, and the voice I use (Microsoft Zira) is still where it's supposed to be. 

And the same voice name with the exact same syntax is also in your checklist files? Assuming that you are using a specific voice as the presence of an initialization file suggests?

Many people have trouble with the Windows voices after an OS reinstall, because the SAPI voices converted from WinRT are gone and have to be recovered. And even then they may have slightly different names that before. 

1 hour ago, MooneyDrover said:

But I hear nothing when it prompts me, and even if I respond

"Check", nothing happens.

Did you set up the "Check" as a voice command correctly? What about using a button instead, just to see that it works?

After having to pause to fix some other things, I have returned to the checklist problem.  I had a difficult time trying to figure out where

the configuration is stored that tells the Checklist command where to look for checklist scripts... after trying to reorganize the file

structure to reflect where the documentation for the checklists I downloaded are supposed to be, I managed to screw things up so

that the checklist processing no longer enters a checklist at all.  That is, instead of giving me the prompt "please confirm" several times

then saying "checklist end", it now says nothing at all.  The script to invoke the checklist is now:

 (SCRIPTFILE:737\initvoice.txt)
(@737COPILOT: Testing 737Copilot after initvoice)
(SPEAK: TRYING approach checklist)  (SPLIT:2000)
(CHECKLIST:737\Approach_Checklist_737.txt)

 

Contents of initvoicer.txt is:

<Macro Name="737COPILOT">VOICE:Microsoft Zira) (VOICERATE:0) (VOICEVOLUME:80) (SPEAK</Macro>

 

and when I use several AAO commands before the checklist command, Zira answers me just fine... but she does NOT

say "Testing 737Copilot after initvoice", and says only "TRYING approach checklist"... i.e., SPEAK works just fine,

but "@737COPILOT" does not.  I don't understand that, given that the 737COPILOT macro seems to be defined fine

in initvoice.txt.  

NOW for the additional wrinkle:

I have had a recurring problem (since my big crash a few month ago) of MSFS2020 crashing to black when I tell the simulator

to "RESTART" the flight.  I have now discovered that that happens whenever AAO is running at the time I push "RESTART".  If I

run commands with AAO (working fine), then kill AAO and hit RESTART, the restart goes fine, and I can then start AAO again and it,

too, works just fine (except for the checklist problem).  If I keep AAO running and hit RESTART, the music keeps playing, but all

three main screens go black and MSFS no longer responds to mouse clicks, ESC key presses, or anything else... I have to use the

OS to kill MSFS2020 and then restart it from scratch.

 

So I would be very appreciative of ideas you might have... I have reloaded AAO, but the problem persists.

Thanks much,

Erik

20 hours ago, MooneyDrover said:

I don't understand that, given that the 737COPILOT macro seems to be defined fine in initvoice.txt.  

Most likely the scriptfile cannot be found. Impossible to diagnose from the outside. For your code to work the file would have to be here:  C:\Users\<youruser>\Documents\LorbyAxisAndOhs Files\Scripts\737\initvoice.txt

Quote

Contents of initvoicer.txt is:

In your code it is called "initvoice.txt". Which one is it?

Quote

(SPEAK: TRYING approach checklist)  (SPLIT:2000)

Do not use "SPLIT" in script files. Yes, it works but it doesn't make sense in this context (there is nothing to split, each line is a script in its own right). Use "WAIT" in scriptfiles

Quote

I have had a recurring problem (since my big crash a few month ago) of MSFS2020 crashing to black when I tell the simulator to "RESTART" the flight.

Sorry, no idea. Never heard of this before. What I do know is that MSFS is not reporting the state of the simulation correctly, and that can trip up external apps. This has been reported to Asobo and acknowledged as a bug in the sim. Not a lot I can do when AAO doesn't get the information that you are reloading. I would just disconnect AAO from the sim, then reload, then reconnect. Use the big green LED in the top menu bar for that, it is clickable.

Edited February 17, 20251 yr by Lorby_SI

20 hours ago, MooneyDrover said:

MSFS2020 crashing to black when I tell the simulator

to "RESTART" the flight. 

No problem here. I just started a flight in MSFS2020 (I use AAO to start the sim), then "ESC"d and selected "HOME - RESTART". Worked just fine, I'm back in the cockpit without any issues.

On 2/17/2025 at 12:06 PM, Lorby_SI said:

 

First of all, I don't know where the post just above came from... it says from ME (MooneyDrover), but I didn't post it, nor do I start

MSFS from AAO, nor am I back in the cockpit without any issues.  Very strange!

Second, thanks for your explanation of the black screen after restart... I will indeed just stop AAO before Restart, then restart AAO

after MSFS has completed its Restart.  That is not a problem, as long as I know it isn't something that I screwed up myself!

So the remaining problem is understanding why the 737COPILOT macro is not working and why the checklist command seems not

to invoke the checklist processor.

On 2/17/2025 at 11:53 AM, Lorby_SI said:

Most likely the scriptfile cannot be found. Impossible to diagnose from the outside. For your code to work the file would have to be here:  C:\Users\<youruser>\Documents\LorbyAxisAndOhs Files\Scripts\737\initvoice.txt

Yes, that is where the scriptfile initvoice.txt IS located.  ("initvoicer.txt" was just a typo, sorry). 

The contents of initvoice.txt there are:

<Macro Name="737COPILOT">VOICE:Microsoft Zira Desktop) (VOICERATE:0) (VOICEVOLUME:100) (SPEAK</Macro>

and the "Approach Checklist command is now (for testing purposes, and after I changed the SPLIT to a WAIT at your suggestion):

(SCRIPTFILE:737\initvoice.txt)
(@737COPILOT: Testing 737Copilot after initvoice)
(SPEAK: TRYING approach checklist)  (WAIT:2000)
(CHECKLIST:737\Approach_Checklist_737.txt)

But here is what the AAO script processing reports when I press "test":

Call: (SCRIPTFILE:737\initvoice.txt) (@737COPILOT: Testing 737Copilot after initvoice) (SPEAK: TRYING approach checklist) (WAIT:2000) (CHECKLIST:737\Approach_Checklist_737.txt)
Pr2: (SCRIPTFILE:737\initvoice.txt) (SPEAK: TRYING approach checklist) (WAIT:2000) (CHECKLIST:737\Approach_Checklist_737.txt) 
Call: (CHECKLIST:737\Approach_Checklist_737.txt)
 

The audio I hear is only "TRYING approach checklist".  That is, athe @737COPILOT produces nothing, when it should say, "Testing

737Copilot after initvoice". 

The output above is identical if I invoke it by voice with my "approach checklist" voice command.  Meanwhile, AAO works perfectly for

all the other commands except the checklist commands.  Zira responds perfectly to the rest.

It looks like one of those "it can't possibiy behave this way" situations that I have met so many times in debugging code... only to later

find a perfectly logical explanation.  Let's hope there is one for this, too.  Perhaps a clue is that it now appears NOT to be executing the

CHECKLIST: command at all, whereas before I moved everything off OneDrive  to be under C:/users/goodm/Documents/Lorby...etc., it

used to actually CALL the CHECKLIST: command, producing "please confirm" four times, then "checklist end". That seemed like it found

and executed the CHECKLIST command, but the command couldn't find the appropriate checklist.  Now it seems like it's not even finding

(or at least not executing) the CHECKLIST command.

 

 

I have no other support requests regarding the checklist system, so I have to assume that there is no systematic failure. Instead this sounds like local content problem of some kind on your computer (typos, invalid paths, invalid voice names, wrong file encodings). That is normally not something that is covered by support rules (way too expensive).

There is no viable way to troubleshoot this on a forum. I suggest that you ZIP your entire Scripts folder and send it with your proof of purchase to the support email address (last page of the manual). I also need the exact path where the Scripts folder really is (click into the address bar of the explorer window and copy/paste the path from there into the email).

 

Edited February 19, 20251 yr by Lorby_SI

14 hours ago, MooneyDrover said:

First of all, I don't know where the post just above came from... it says from ME (MooneyDrover), but I didn't post it, nor do I start

MSFS from AAO, nor am I back in the cockpit without any issues.  Very strange!

Not sure what you mean - that was my post, I did that test. I am not having any crashes or blackouts when I restart a flight with AAO connected and running.

Edited February 19, 20251 yr by Lorby_SI

23 hours ago, MooneyDrover said:

(SCRIPTFILE:737\initvoice.txt)
(@737COPILOT: Testing 737Copilot after initvoice)
(SPEAK: TRYING approach checklist)  (WAIT:2000)
(CHECKLIST:737\Approach_Checklist_737.txt)

But here is what the AAO script processing reports when I press "test":

If this code is from the Editor, then it must be written as a multiline script or it won't work

(SCRIPTFILE:737\initvoice.txt) \n
(@737COPILOT: Testing 737Copilot after initvoice) \n
(SPEAK: TRYING approach checklist)  (WAIT:2000) \n
(CHECKLIST:737\Approach_Checklist_737.txt) \n

The "\n" must be typed as-is, this is not just pressing the Enter key.

In the Editor, all code forms a single script line, no matter how many new lines you create. If you want this to be processed in sequence, it must either be put into a scriptfile or be written as multiline.