rcbarend

Hi George, Don't know about "minorities", but after I found this out, I tried reading the original FSX-DVD on two other PCs (from neighbors), also use W7-64 bit SP1.And guess what: exactly the same reading problem that I have !! So I wonder what the "others you know" have different in their setup then we do. Best, Rob

Hi George, I did some further experiments and I know what causes the problem (I have SP1 too): the hugh .cab files on the FSX DVDs . For some obscure reason, W7 opens/inspects ALL .cab files in the folder you open with Explorer.Which takes ages when reading from a DVD.And I don't have a clue how to switch that off. What I did:I have my two PCs (XP and W7) connected in a network, with a shared folder "X" on my XP-PC.Now:- On my XP PC, I copied the contents of FSX-DVD2 to folder "X", using Explorer.- On my W7 PC, I browsed this folder "X" with Explorer. Took about 2 min. for a full folder listing.Ie. same problem as when reading from DVD, only faster (because of the network being faster then my DVD drive)- I then copied the folder "X" to my local HD on the W7-PC, and browsed that local folder, which took about 15 sec. before ready. Again, same problem, only much faster,- I now burned a DVD from that local folder. Went OK.- I read the new DVD on my W7-PC: same problem again,- Next, in the local folder, I renamed ALL .cab files with a non-registered extension .rob, and burned a new DVD.- Read that DVD: PROBLEM GONE. Hence my conclusion that the reading problem is caused by W7 inspecting each and every .cab file.Probably, if I let the original DVD reading for 15 min or so, maybe it DOES finish reading. I haven't tried. In conclusion: I can work around the problem now (by installing the SDK from my HD). However, if there's no way to change this behaviour in W7 (I've tried every option in DisplayOptions of Explorer, I wouldn't know where to look otherwise), I find that rather clumsy. Would even call this a "bug" ... Rob

Hi, Since I don't have a clue if my problem is HW/SW related: appologies if it's the wrong forum. I recently bought a new PC (I-core5 2500, 8 Gbyte, GTX560TI, 2 LG DVD multidrives) with Window7 Prof, and installed FSX on it from scratch (from the original FSX-deluxe DVDs).Installing via Autoplay went fine, and after installing the various SP's and tweaks FSX runs great. Now, I'm trying to install the SDK from DVD-1.When it insert DVD-1, and open it with Explorer, the DVD player goes wild (continuously reading the DVD, progressing green bar in the address line of Explorer). Left it reading for 10 min: no change.As if it couldn't read the DVD (but Explorer doesn't hang).Tried it a dozen times; always the same result. Of course I suspected the DVDs (same problem with DVD-2); funny though, since Installation of FSX via AUtoplay went fine.What I did then:- Tried it on the other DVD drive: same problem.- Tried the same on my old XP PC; no problem browsing the DVDs- Tried it on 2 other XP PC: no problems as well.- Tried it on a WIndows7-64bit laptop of a friend: same problem again. - On my XP PC, I made a copy of the DVDs on DVD-RW discs and tried it with these copied DVDs: same results as above. Any clues ?? Thanks, Rob

Yes, it does. The fsx.cfg file is always re-written upon exit. Even if you dont change any parameters (from the menu), it DOES make changes sometimes.An example:- In the Terrain section of the fsx.cfg, add some comment to lineWATER_EFFECT=7 // Comment: max effects- Start FSX, and exit without doing anything.- Open fsx.cfg again (new mod. date), and the comment is removed. However, the location of the line in the fsx.cfg is NOT affected. What I suspect:FSX, upon exit, always re-writes the lines that CAN be affected from the FSX menu with their current value; hence comment is lost.Because lines in the fsx.cfg that cannot be affected from the menu, remain untouched. (i.e. comment in those lines is NOT affected). Rob PS: doesn't explain your problem, but only proves FSX is re-writing the fsx.cfg file.

Hi Guys, Very usefull info and links ! Thanks.....Makes it all clear now. Never too old to learn, I guess ... Rob

Hi, I decided to install SP2 of the FSX SDK (having used SDK-SP1a upto now)I know, long overdue :-) , but after migrating FSX to a new PC I gave it a go. However, after installation of SDK-SP2, a lot of files are missing.Like:- In the SImObject Creation Kit folder, the entire SimObject Container SDK folder.- In the Panel and Gauges SDK folder, most of the .html files. E.g. file Panel Configuration Files.html Tried this a few times from scratch, same result each time.What I did: 1. Install SDK-RTM from the original FSX disk.Resulting size of the SDK folder: 173 Mb, in 1138 files and 117 folders. 2. Install SDK-SP1a. The Installer warns me it removes the current SDK first. No way around that.Resulting size of the SDK folder: 322 Mb, in 1486 files and 208 folders.Although not used by me, I noticed the GMAX folder is missing now. 3. Install SDK-SP2 (file sdk.msi, size 211 Mb, from the Microsoft website). Again, the Installer warns me it will remove the currently installed SDK.Resulting size of the SDK folder: 324 Mb, in 1182 files and 205 folders. Resulting in a loss of lots of info, like the examples above.Needles to say :-), I checked that file sdk.msi is indeed the SDK-SP2 (since a lot of SDK-SP2 files have later modification dates then the same SDK-SP1a files). Before going through the painstaking process of combining the results of step 2. and 3. into one SDK (by merging a backup of SDK-SP1a with SDK-SP2): am I missing something here ?? Thanks for any insight. Rob Barendregt

Forgetting to specify the Units for a variable is probably THE most common mistake when coding in XML.That is: for me it is ... Cheers, Rob

Hi,Ooops.. that's a long time ago.As far as I can recall, the V2.55 patch only solved a contact-point problem (minor issue).So that doesn't explain why the VTOL doesn't work.Since you already decreased weight (to below 21000 lbs): you DO have a working FSUIPC installed ???Rob

You can do it in the sound.cfg for each aircraft, without modifying sounds files themselves.Looks for entries with Viewpoint=2 (these define the sounds in external views) and fiddle around with the vparams= values.For full details, see the SDK (SimObject Container SDK).Rob

Right. But the photograph itself can be copyrighted. Have no answer on that.Anyway, all of the above posts makes me feel this copyright issue on MSFS addons (whatever part of it) is far from trivial when it should get to a court of law. Up front, only the layers would be guaranteed winners :( Rob

Which brings me back to the definition of what the essence of copyright protection is (see post #9).Another example:I'm sure everybody agrees that if someone takes a photo of a real KLM 747, that photo can be copyrighted ..And can be sold without permission of KLM; because the picture *itself* is the result of the creative process.Because if not, professional photographers would not exist.And if so, I can't see any reason why texture files in MSFS of that same KLM 747 cannot be copyrighted.Even if I used that same photo to create my texture files for MSFS.And, as I see it, the same applies for the "transformation" of real-world data spec's into .air values or aircraft.cfg values. And to hand-painted bitmaps used in gauges. And to ...etc.Rob

When you talk about "brakes are set", which brake do you mean: the nomal Brakes, or the ParkingBrakes ?If it's NOT the ParkingBrakes:this sounds like a problem with your CH pedals. (like: bad contacts, or dirt, on it's potentiometers), especially since you claim the keyboard commands are functioning properly.Assuming that: 1. In most cases your toebrakes work OK2. So your toebrakes are calibrated properly3. No other controller axis are assigned to the Brakes function (check that in the Controls menu)Rob

Hmm.... interesting opinions !First of all, English is not my native language, so I hope you grasp the idea of what I'm saying below. :( I tend to think that any implementation/realisation of a creative process can be copyrighted.Be it a book, a foto, piece of SW code, or whatever.Back to flightsim addon's:There seems to be consencus on copyright for .mdl file or compiled gauges, from what I read here.However, I don't see the difference (wrt. copyright) between a .mdl file or "data" files like the FDE (.air file AND aircraft.cfg). After all, the implementation of the creative process there lies in "mapping" real world data onto the (limited) dataformat as it is interpreted by the MSFS code.Also, the fact that it's "directly readable text" or not (the difference between .air file and aircraft.cfg, or compiled gauge and XML gauge, cabbed or not), is not relevant IMO.Lastly, another point of discussion related to this that pops up sometimes: can "freeware" be copyrighted or not ?IMO, it can, if the creator choose to do so. To me, it doesn't make a bit of difference whether a creator chooses to ask money for a license to use his stuff, or not. Just another opinion :( For what it's worth when talking about copyright on flightsim addons; after all, the importance of "Copyright" in the FS world is more of a "moral" thing (judged by the FS-community) then a real "legal" thing; maybe I'm wrong, but I can't remember a Copyright issue ever seen going to court.Regards, Rob

Thanks; I think I grasped the meaning of it now.Best, Rob

Hi all,Triggered by a question (freely translated) in another thread: "is the gauge you are modifying a compiled gauge or an .xml gauge" , I'm very interested in your opinions:In term of ownership/copyright, do you think there is a difference between:1. De-compiling a C/C++ coded gauge, modify it, and compile it again; or modify a C/C++ coded gauge with a Hex editor.and2. Change the text in an XML-coded gauge.Maybe even more basic: what is "copyrighted code" ?A few other examples:- Can somebody claim copyright on contents/lines in an Panel.cfg file ? or Aircraft.cfg file ?- And if not on an Aircraft.cfg: how about an .air file ? Or .mdl file ?I hope you see what I'm getting at.Some people this MSFS world think that (in term of copyright/ownership) there is a difference between "interpreted code" (like .xml code) and "compiled" code; others do not.I'm very interested in your opinion, and, especially, your arguments pro/con.Or why, if any, there is a difference between the "MSFS" addon world and general software industry. Regards, Rob

Hi Bill,I don't have a clue about using XML code in the .mdl (.mdl's are out of my leage :( ), but if I rephrase my question to code for XML gauges:I DO understand your original post about adding a time condition in the Update object. I've used that same trick myself (not in relation to the Update object), to prevent a piece of XML code in an XML gauge being executed everytime the gauge is scheduled (either at 18HZ, or specified by the Update_Frequency).My question was more basic (and I still don't understand that):What's the fundamental difference (in an XML gauge) between placing a piece of XML code in an Update object or placing it in an Element-Select-Value structure (performance-wise) ??Hope you understand what I mean ...Thanks, Rob

Hi Bill,I understand the above, but I've never been able to figure out what the Update object really does, or why one would need to use it.Can you shed some light ?Thanks, Rob

No, not possible I'm afraidWhat FS9 looks always for: a file named aircraft.cfg in the first subfolder of folder ...\Aircraft\.Also note that what makes an aircraft model/variant unique (and MUST BE unique over ALL aircraft.cfg files) is theTitle= xxxxxxline in the flightsim.x sections.If it isn't unique, and you select an aircraft from the menu, FS9 just picks the first aircraft.cfg (and all it's subfolders) it finds.Hence, if you ever make a backup copy of an entire aircraft folder structure (e.g. for backup if you want to change something) never make that copy in the \Aircraft\ folder itself. Because then the Title= id is no longer unique.By the way, FSX gives you a warning message if this non-uniqueness of Title= .... occurs.Rob

I won't comment on you (your ?) switching from numeric (1.) to alphabetic (B.) enumeration.But since I'm Dutch, I *assume* you did that intentionally :( By the way, me (my ?) "assuming" that does prove your point about miscommunication though.And as far as " glommp figmock ddert xxzqwerthfgty h mooj." is concerned: I'm sure I heard a Welchman say that when I was on holiday in Wales last year ..... :( Cheers, Rob

Surely, "it is I" must be correct.Michelle ("I shall say this only once .....") says it all the time.Although, she's French, right ? :( Rob

Not that I know of..Rob

Hi Doug,Not me for obvious reasons (still XML-only design :( ).But good to see you're still active in FS-design ....Everything I make still uses (interfaces to) at least one of your gauges ......Cheers, Rob

Hi Tom,I'm afraid it has nothing to do with the gauge already loaded or not.For FS9, OnKey (unlike OnEvent) only works if the panel window in which the gauge is defined, is active (2D window of VC).For FSX, it's even worse: OnEVent doesn't work either if the window isn't active.To the OP:the only way I know of to do what you want, is to define the gauge with the OnKey code, in a panel window that you keep "forced" open all the time; meaning that you have to make an invisible gauge and place that in a transparant window.To keep that window "forced" open, you have to create an XML gauge that checks the window status (and place that in a VC section); when the window is closed (eg. after view switching), open it again. All based on the windowident of that window.However, in XML there's no way to test the open/closed status of a window, so this means you have to continuously give the Panel_Id_Open event; but this induces the infamous "continuous event" problem.To solve that, you need a gauge that tests the status of a panel window; like Doug Dawson's gauge dsd_window_status.gau.Rob

From someone visiting these forums for so long, and with so many posts, I would have expected a more balanced reaction.You should know better then to react this way to a post of one user to conclude this is "a bad developper that gives no support".That said, to the OP:- Sorry, I can't help with your problem.- Starting a thread with accusing a business of "BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE", because they don't react to your problem ticket, isn't helping if you don't know WHY you get no response.To give you one example: I'm a freeware designer, and I strive to support my freeware stuff a best as I can. As many people know. However, it happened to me dozens of times that when I'm trying to react to a support question, my Email reply gets flushed by the adressee because of his (or his ISP's) Email spamfilters. I'm not saying one way or the other if this applies here, but it's a possibility you should consider.- To feel "screwed" because a business has occasional price-actions (half-price, or 5$-actions) is really the limit. Do you also complain if your supermarket has a product on sale the week after you bought it ???Just some observations about this thread ...Nothing to do with IRIS Simulations as such, but just my rant about yet another of many examples of what people write on FS forums these days without thinking twice.By the way: no reader has to agree with my reply, but at least I've thought about it before writing it :)Rob

Yes, correct.You define the 2D-window with:"ident" (>L:window_id_00, enum)and read the open/closed status with(L:window_status_00, bool)This allows you to handle max. 100 windows (_00 upto _99) Note: There's no configuration file, so make sure the gauge is only defined once in the panel.cfg to avoid conflicts.Rob