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FDC GUI questions

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martinlest
Post subject: FDC GUI questions
Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 9:50 pm
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As I have said before I am afraid that I have never really worked out how all the user interface options work in the FDC GUI and have tended to edit the end files, where possible, using a text editor. My recent bit of 'fun' with flap calls is just one example.

What I want to ask is this:

If I make a change in Options/Flightdeck Calls/VCP-X section, I must then click on 'Save & Exit' of course to keep any changes. But then back in the Flightdeck calls window, I assume I need to click on 'Save Changes' too, second from the right. But must I then also click on 'Save Profile', the first box on the left, to save these to the profiles that I will later load - or are the changes somehow applied globally without doing this? If I don't click 'Save Profile', I am not sure things get saved properly - as with the no flap call problem in another thread here.

However, if I do choose 'Save Profile', once I have entered the title in the box that appears, I immediately get a different ..._FDC_Controller.dat file - a new one for every profile I change. In addition, the profile (.pro) file as saved, instead of being 4- 5kbs in size, is now hundreds of kilobytes in size and takes ages to load, if it loads at all. The extra space is due to a new section at the end called [Parameters], which takes up about ten thousands lines of text, 99% of the .pro file. It's basically what is in the FDC.ini file. Is that supposed to happen?? Surely all my profiles aere supposed to be small files, not these monsters that are created when I press 'Save Profile' in the Flightdeck Calls window (given they don't load properly when you select them)?

Thanks for any information, whenever you have a moment or two.

Martin


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Dave March
Post subject: Re: FDC GUI questions
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:42 am
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Hi Martin,

If you choose to edit files yourself you could have problems... like you described in another post ;)
Quote:
If I make a change in Options/Flightdeck Calls/VCP-X section, I must then click on 'Save & Exit' of course to keep any changes. But then back in the Flightdeck calls window, I assume I need to click on 'Save Changes' too, second from the right. But must I then also click on 'Save Profile', the first box on the left, to save these to the profiles that I will later load - or are the changes somehow applied globally without doing this? If I don't click 'Save Profile', I am not sure things get saved properly - as with the no flap call problem in another thread here.
No, you don't have to use profiles but they are intended to make things easier for you :shock: However, if you use the same aircraft all the time you wouldn't need them, but if you find yourself having to tweak various settings depending on which aircraft you are using then yes, use them. All you need to do then when you change your aircraft is simply reload the relevant profile
Quote:
However, if I do choose 'Save Profile', once I have entered the title in the box that appears, I immediately get a different ..._FDC_Controller.dat file - a new one for every profile I change. In addition, the profile (.pro) file as saved, instead of being 4- 5kbs in size, is now hundreds of kilobytes in size and takes ages to load, if it loads at all. The extra space is due to a new section at the end called [Parameters], which takes up about ten thousands lines of text, 99% of the .pro file. It's basically what is in the FDC.ini file. Is that supposed to happen?? Surely all my profiles aere supposed to be small files, not these monsters that are created when I press 'Save Profile' in the Flightdeck Calls window (given they don't load properly when you select them)?
Well hundreds of kilobytes should take 'ages' to load. Perhaps you could let me take a look at one in case there is a problem somewhere as I'm rather concerned with you 'ten thousand lines of text' which is certainly not correct. I now it's been about 16 years since I wrote FDC but I don't remember saving a copy of war and peace with each profile! :lol:

And yes you will get a new controller file for each profile as that information is also saved per profile

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Dave March

Email: dmarch@oncourse-software.co.uk

I don't know if my memory is getting worse as I get older...
...I just can't remember how it used to be!

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martinlest
Post subject: Re: FDC GUI questions
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 3:25 pm
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Hi Dave,
Quote:
If you choose to edit files yourself you could have problems... like you described in another post
Yes, but fewer than I tend to get from using the GUI :) To be fair, most of the direct editing (batch editing) goes fine, and is pretty simple, like changing who calls out what...
Quote:
No, you don't have to use profiles but they are intended to make things easier for you :shock: However, if you use the same aircraft all the time you wouldn't need them, but if you find yourself having to tweak various settings depending on which aircraft you are using then yes, use them. All you need to do then when you change your aircraft is simply reload the relevant profile
I have about 1500 profiles currently, each a/c has a set of .pro files with varying locations, voices and so on. This makes loading variables very quick - just a matter of choosing the correct profile for the aircraft and region where I am flying. I have a _controller.dat file for each aircraft, not one for every single profile. So for example, there might be a "PMDG 737-600.uco" file and so there'd be a "PMDG 737-600_FDC_Controller.dat" file too. But I also have profiles like this: "PMDG 737-600 - Africa.pro"; "PMDG 737-600 - Central US.pro"; and so on - one for each region that can be selected in FDC. They differ only in the ATC chatter region and the pilot voices. There is no C_Controller.dat file associated with those 'regional' profiles. It's worked fine for a long time now.

I can email you a profile which has been saved in the manner I described in my last post, if you like. It is just a normal .pro file, but saving the profile after saving Flightdeck Calls, as I said, tacks on the whole [Parameters] paragraph, seemingly the same as I have in the FDC.ini file. That part starts like this, and goes on for 10000 lines or so, making a HUGE pro file... Should this also be appearing in the FDC.ini file, as it does??

[PARAMETERS] ]
PROMPT=0
[PARAMETERS] ]
STARTUP_DELAY=5
[PARAMETERS] ]
TIMEOUT=10
[PARAMETERS] ]
LOG=0
[PARAMETERS] ]
TRACE=0
[SERVICES] ]
IRU_INFO=3
[SERVICES] ]
HYDRAULICS_INFO=4
[SERVICES] ]
SBY_POWER_SWITCH_CMND=4
[SERVICES] ]
ELECTRICAL_INFO=4
[SERVICES] ]
ELECTRICAL_CMND=5
[SERVICES] ]
STARTERS_INFO=1
[SERVICES] ]
STARTERS_CMND=4
[SERVICES] ]
JETTISON_CMND=4
[SERVICES] ]
FUEL_INFO=4
[SERVICES] ]
LIGHTS_INFO=5
[SERVICES] ]
LIGHTS_CMND=5
[SERVICES] ]
PNEUMATICS_INFO=4
[SERVICES] ]
NAV1=3
[SERVICES] ]
MCP_INFO=16
[SERVICES] ]
MCP_CMND=16

etc. etc. etc


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Dave March
Post subject: Re: FDC GUI questions
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 3:52 pm
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Yes email one to me please... there is obviously a problem

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Cheers

Dave March

Email: dmarch@oncourse-software.co.uk

I don't know if my memory is getting worse as I get older...
...I just can't remember how it used to be!

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martinlest
Post subject: Re: FDC GUI questions
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2016 4:07 pm
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To be clear (but probably unnecessary repetition), I make a change in Options/Flightdeck Calls (or the VCP-X sub-section, clicking on 'Save & Exit'). I click on 'Save Changes', second from the right. I can then also click on 'Save Profile' (but as I was saying, I don't understand if that is necessary to save the changes I made to Flightdeck calls =- but what is global, for all a/c, what is specific?), which brings up a window asking for the profile name. I either over-write an existing one or choose a new name. The result has always been this mega-file. A _Controller.dat file for the profile is also created. Will email those to you...

Thanks


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