I'm just at the tidying-up stage of a new sound gauge for FS9/FSX when I realise that what's good for me isn't good for the rest of you... i.e I've been playing sound files by referring to them as a number read from a list and not as a string. Looking down through the fsxgauges.h files, I seeregister_variable_by_name(PCSTRINGZ)which looks like it sorts the problem. Well, that problem anyway. Maybe. :). The follow-up problem is that if I register a string variable to carry the soundfile name, how do I read it at the other end?get_variable_by_nameby any chance? Anyone got any ideas....? samples....?-Dai

Dai,I think you are referring to: ID (FSAPI *register_named_variable) (PCSTRINGZ name);This function creates an XML L:Variable, not a shared string variable.My suggestion would be to declare an old fashioned C gauge shared variable which will hold a pointer to the structure you have your sound names and .wav files stored in.Doug

You want to use register_var_by_name. It supports any of the variable types.

Ed: Unless I'm completely mistaken (which is very definately not beyond the realms of possibility!) typedef_enum VAR_TYPE contains only numerical fields of various radices. I have to admit that the only var type that has me puzzled is TYPE_VARxx; it has to be something I've never needed to use and so I've never pursued it.Doug:The last time I tried to do that, the compiler repeatedly gave me the proverbial finger. Could I ask you to provide a code snippet example please? Email me if you think it's easier. I'd like to get this gauge out ASAP. I will state that it is only a stop-gap and that currently it will only play mono sounds - stereo and panning will come later.-Dai

>Ed: >>Unless I'm completely mistaken (which is very definately not>beyond the realms of possibility!) typedef_enum VAR_TYPE>contains only numerical fields of various radices. I have to>admit that the only var type that has me puzzled is>TYPE_VARxx; it has to be something I've never needed to use>and so I've never pursued it.>You're completely mistaken... ;)Your variable is one of these: VAR_TYPE. Do a search in gauges.h. For a pointer you would use TYPE_VOID, for a pointer to a pointer you would use TYPE_PVOID. As an example, assume you have a variable declared as:char* wpt_id[40];To allow other gauges to 'see' this... you'd declare it like this:register_var_by_name(&wpt_id,TYPE_PVOID,"wpt_id");This would pass a pointer to the char* variable named wpt_id.

.-Dai