Editing the Panel.cfg file in FSX

[Arkycharlie]

Hey fellow simmers......................

I haven't hung around here much for quite a while when my interest in FSX was greatly dimminished. However, I'm now back in full swing with FSX and need a little expert assistance. This is probably posted in the wrong area or has been discussed to death, so I will apologize up front if these or other issues apply. I've tried searching the forum but cannot find where my particular question has been addressed. It's pretty straight forward and any directions or suggestions will be greatly appreciated! I'm reasonably adept at adding various gauges as popup windows in the panel.cfg file. However, I'm having trouble adding an airspeed indicator and altimeter that meet my needs. Here is an example of the text of a couple of the gauges that I have borrowed to use in my aircraft panels:

/--------------------------------------------------------
[Window00]
Background_color=2,2,2
size_mm=225,320
position=8
visible=0
ident=RADIO_STACK_PANEL
gauge00=Bombardier_CRJ_700!popup_radio, 0,0,225,320


//--------------------------------------------------------
[Window00]
file=gau_frame1.bmp
file_1024=gau_frame1.bmp
size_mm=160,160
window_size_ratio=1.000
position=0
visible=0
ident=415
render_3d_window=0
window_size= 0.160, 0.220
window_pos= 0.070, 0.550
gauge00=737-400!Airspeed, 7,7,144,144
gauge01=dhc8_inst!aspd_U, 7,7,144,110

My problem is that I want the capability of dragging these gauges around on the screen to place them where I want them when I am using them. The first example of a radio stack lets me do this easily. However, the airspeed gauge will not let me click and drag it around on the screen. If I click on it with the mouse, it just closes the gauge. I've tried removing some of the text for the airspeed gauge above but so far still cannot figure out how to make it do what I want with it. Can anyone help me on this? Thanks!!!

charlie

[Moparmike]

I'm not familiar with that particular gauge, but from what you're describing, it sounds like that gauge has a "hot-spot" on it that opens/closes the gauge when you click on it.

[jojohnson9]

Hey fellow simmers......................

I haven't hung around here much for quite a while when my interest in FSX was greatly dimminished. However, I'm now back in full swing with FSX and need a little expert assistance. This is probably posted in the wrong area or has been discussed to death, so I will apologize up front if these or other issues apply. I've tried searching the forum but cannot find where my particular question has been addressed. It's pretty straight forward and any directions or suggestions will be greatly appreciated! I'm reasonably adept at adding various gauges as popup windows in the panel.cfg file. However, I'm having trouble adding an airspeed indicator and altimeter that meet my needs. Here is an example of the text of a couple of the gauges that I have borrowed to use in my aircraft panels:

/--------------------------------------------------------
[Window00]
Background_color=2,2,2
size_mm=225,320
position=8
visible=0
ident=RADIO_STACK_PANEL
gauge00=Bombardier_CRJ_700!popup_radio, 0,0,225,320


//--------------------------------------------------------
[Window00]
file=gau_frame1.bmp
file_1024=gau_frame1.bmp
size_mm=160,160
window_size_ratio=1.000
position=0
visible=0
ident=415
render_3d_window=0
window_size= 0.160, 0.220
window_pos= 0.070, 0.550
gauge00=737-400!Airspeed, 7,7,144,144
gauge01=dhc8_inst!aspd_U, 7,7,144,110

My problem is that I want the capability of dragging these gauges around on the screen to place them where I want them when I am using them. The first example of a radio stack lets me do this easily. However, the airspeed gauge will not let me click and drag it around on the screen. If I click on it with the mouse, it just closes the gauge. I've tried removing some of the text for the airspeed gauge above but so far still cannot figure out how to make it do what I want with it. Can anyone help me on this? Thanks!!!

charlie
I think this is an easy fix. The last line in the window "window_pos= 0.070, 0.550" forces the displayed gauges to stay fixed in one spot. Delete this line and the window can be dragged to any spot you want. The "position=0" line opens the window in the upper left corner. Changing the number moves the window to other spots...for example: 8 is the lower right corner, 5 puts it in the center. The display has nine positions ...0 through 8.
Hope this helps.

[Arkycharlie]

Yeah, I was aware of the meaning of the position= line of code in the panel.cfg file and used "6" for this gauge which puts it in the lower left hand position on the screen. I had already tried eliminating other lines of code as shown in the copy and paste from the file below. All it changed was that the guage remained open on the screen although it still could not be moved to any other position. I have to wonder if it is somehow inherent in the particular gauge itself. I was hoping that it was a quick fix but guess that I will have to continue to research it for myself. Thanks for taking the time to respond!

charlie

//--------------------------------------------------------
[Window23]
file=gau_frame1.bmp
file_1024=gau_frame1.bmp
size_mm=160,160
window_size_ratio=1.000
position=6
visible=0
ident=Airspeed
//render_3d_window=0
//window_size= 0.160, 0.220
//window_pos= 0.070, 0.550
gauge00=737-400!Airspeed, 7,7,144,144
gauge01=dhc8_inst!aspd_U, 7,7,144,110

[Dave Torkington]

Hi Charlie,

I had a look at your Airspeed gauge by adding the above window to the default Aircreation582, and I can 'grab' the gauge in the bottom right hand corner and drag it around...

Not much help I know, but how come I can drag it round and you can't?

Dave :salute:

60611

[napamule]

Isn't that 737-400 airspeed a FS9 gauge? It isn't in the FSX gauges. If it is FS9 gauge it's 46 Kb and dated 4/17/2001, in which case FSX will not 'run' that gauge as it's not 'supported' by FSX. You need a newer airspeed gauge?
Chuck B
Napamule
Edit: I went and tried it and it worked. I can 'right' mouse click and move and also re-size it. Here is what I entered in panel:

Window06=415

//--------------------------------------------------------
[Window06]
file=gau_frame1.bmp
file_1024=gau_frame1.bmp
size_mm=160,160
window_size_ratio=1.000
position=0
visible=0
ident=415
//render_3d_window=0
//window_size= 0.160, 0.220
//window_pos= 0.070, 0.550
gauge00=737-400!Airspeed, 7,7,144,144
gauge01=dhc8_inst!aspd_U, 7,7,144,110

[Moparmike]

I think a little more clarification is needed by the OP (Arkycharlie).

charlie,
To start off, which gauge is the one you are having problems with? the 737 airpseed gauge or the dhc8_ gauge?
If the dhc8_ gauge, what plane is it originally from? I don't have that one in my gauge library so I can't check how that one works right now.

Also, As your panel.cfg section is posted there now, you have both gauges stacked on top of one another. Both of them have their upper-left corner starting at pixelpoint 7,7 and both are 140 pixels wide. These gauges will be drawn on top of each other and that can interfere with mouse-actions programmed into either gauge.
You should comment out either one or the other so only one is being drawn in a particular spot on the sub-panel that you added...or just plain move one of the gauges so they are not stacked on top of each other.

To display both of them side by side, try these coordinates...


gauge00=737-400!Airspeed, 0,0,75,75 // X,Y,SizeX,SizeY
gauge01=dhc8_inst!aspd_U, 77,0,75,75 //X,Y,SizeX,SizeY

I know the gauges will be smaller than what you're planning, but at least they're not overlapping so that you have two or more mouse actions fighting each other.

[Moparmike]

Isn't that 737-400 airspeed a FS9 gauge? It isn't in the FSX gauges. If it is FS9 gauge it's 46 Kb and dated 4/17/2001, in which case FSX will not 'run' that gauge as it's not 'supported' by FSX. You need a newer airspeed gauge?
Chuck B
Napamule
Edit: I went and tried it and it worked. I can 'right' mouse click and move and also re-size it. Here is what I entered in panel:


Chuck, that 737-400 gauge that the OP is using is one of the default FSX gauges. 737-400.dll

[Arkycharlie]

Hey guys.............................

I really appreciate all of the feedback! I'm a reasonably quick learner and am certainly getting some new insights from the comments up to now. What I did to find an airspeed indicator and altimiter was to find an aircraft that had both already included in the "windowxx=" line of code at the beginning of the panel.cfg file and simply copied and pasted the gauge information from the same panel file into my panel file. I noticed that the airspeed indicator seemed to reference two separate gauges (as did the altimeter) but being the amateur that I am, I just left it there not knowing any better. Thanks to Moparmike's comments, I decided to simply delete the code for the second gauge (gauge01=dhc8_inst!aspd_U, 7,7,144,110 ) and guess what? My problem was solved! I can now move them both around and place them at will. I have many aircraft that on short final in VC mode I seem to have difficulty watching both the runway and the airspeed and altimeter that are so critical to a smooth landing and this fixes the problem for me. Thanks again for all of the help!!!!

charlie

[napamule]

Mike,
You said: 'Chuck, that 737-400 gauge that the OP is using is one of the default FSX gauges. 737-400.dll'. I inadvertently left that part out in the 'Edit' follow-up. I found the *.dll gauge and figured it was it and would work, which it did. I am aware that FSX gauges work different from FS9 gauges, and am learning that slow but sure.

His solution, in using these 2 gauges, is not perfect, as the gauges in VC will move (they follow the 'head movement' (ie: latency)) as they are not a part of panel bitmap which, to me, makes it difficult to use for 'pin point' landings. I would do better with a vertical speed indicator and a radio altimeter, but not sure. I land using the 2D panel all the time and trying to use VC in FSX is definitely a challenge. I, myself, find it impossible. And annoying.
Chuck B
Napamule

[Moparmike]

Mike,
You said: 'Chuck, that 737-400 gauge that the OP is using is one of the default FSX gauges. 737-400.dll'. I inadvertently left that part out in the 'Edit' follow-up. I found the *.dll gauge and figured it was it and would work, which it did. I am aware that FSX gauges work different from FS9 gauges, and am learning that slow but sure.

His solution, in using these 2 gauges, is not perfect, as the gauges in VC will move (they follow the 'head movement' (ie: latency)) as they are not a part of panel bitmap which, to me, makes it difficult to use for 'pin point' landings. I would do better with a vertical speed indicator and a radio altimeter, but not sure. I land using the 2D panel all the time and trying to use VC in FSX is definitely a challenge. I, myself, find it impossible. And annoying.
Chuck B
Napamule

I kinda figured out that you had found the FSX 737 gauge by rereading your post. That was after I had replied though.

Interesting bit of trivia: Those FSX *.dll gauges are practically identical in function and construction as the CFS1-up to->FS2004 *.gau gauges.
Starting with those individual gauges from FS98 (which don't work in FSX as a lot of guys have found out), the gauges are just DLL (dynamic linked library) files just like many files used by other Windows software programs, but for some reason they chose the .gau extension for them.
Aside from some minor differences in the file headers for each specific sim, the only basic difference coming into FSX is they changed the file extension from .gau to .dll. They're finally calling the gauges what they actually are...DLL files. :)


I don't have any problems with using the VC in FSX. I'm a TrackIR user so it works natural for me.
The big annoyance to me is that the other views also move around when you move your head, just like it does in the VC view mode. An annoying bug, but if you map a joystick or keyboard button to toggle the TrackIR pause function it works okay. I just pause TrackIR when I switch to a non-VC view. An extra step, but it works...

Cheers!
Mike