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How to access more than 8 instrument panels using the keyboard.


jparnold

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Pressing the 'SHIFT' key plus the '2' key displays the radio stack in most aircraft.

We are then limited to being able to access more than 8 possible instruments eg Shift 2 through to SHIFT 9.

 

Is there a way to set up a panel so that more than 8 different instruments can be displayed using the keyboard rather than selecting from the VIEWS / INSTRUMENT PANELS drop down menu? I Googled this question and found nothing.

John

Gigabyte Z390 UD Intel Core i7-9700K 3.60 Ghz Dual 16Gb DDR4 2666

Gigabyte RTX2060 OC 6GB 2 X 256MB SSD drives 1 X 500GB HDD

Windows 10 64bit Home Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick

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That's all she wrote for Settings/Control Buttons/Panel Views for Shift+2 through Shift+9. No such thing as Shift+10. if more views exist, maybe they can be programmed for another keystroke. Not on my computer for another 6 days, so I have no acess to my Sim.

Still thinking about a new flightsim only computer!  ✈️

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That's all she wrote...

 

Not so fast, Kemosabe.

 

I do believe I have figured out how to do this.

 

The first step is to open the panel.cfg and find the [Windownn]section you want to call up. The key line is the ident line...

 

[Window04]
Background_color=0,0,0 
size_mm=200,498
window_size_ratio=1.000  
position=2
visible=0
[color="#FF0000"][b]ident=10000[/b][/color]
sizeable=1
render_3d_window=0
window_pos= 0.480, 0.030
type=special

gauge00=LDRAndroid!smartphone,  0,0,200,498

 

We need to note that entry for later use.

 

Now we have to decide what keystroke we want to assign the panel to. If you want to replace an existing command you can skip this next step.

 

If you want to use an unused key, start FSX and assign something memorable to that new keystroke and shut down the sim.

 

For this post I will replace the current Ctrl+G keystroke, which is GEAR_PUMP by default.

 

Now we need to open the Standard.XML in Notepad. That file can be found in C:\Users\your name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX\Controls

 

Actually, before we open that file we need to make a backup copy to revert to if things go sideways.

 

At the top of that file we find...

 


        Type="Controls"
       version="1,0"
       id="Standard">
Controls Mapping File
Standard.XML

KEYBOARD_MAIN[/b][/color]

 

We want to stay in the KEYBOARD_MAIN section for now. This edit will work in the other sections, look through them at your own leisure.

 

Just be aware that there is also a section for KEYBOARD_SLEW and we need to be in the right one.

 

Now we need to find our key command that we want to change...

 

        
CTRL+G
GEAR_PUMP

 

...and we need to change it to...

 

        
CTRL+G
PANEL_ID_TOGGLE
           [b][color="#FF0000"]10000[/color][/b]

 

We can now call up that Window with Ctrl+G.

 

Do you see why we needed the ident=line?

 

Pros and cons?

 

Well the pro is having a keystroke to call up panels beyond the default 9.

 

The con? While it works for that panel Window in that plane, for it to work in other planes they have to have the same ident= entry for the panel Window we want to see.

 

Now before we all run off and edit a bunch of panel.cfg files so they all have an ident= line that matches we need to understand what that line does.

 

If that panel Window can be called up by a SimIcon or a click spot, changing the ident= line will break that function.

 

So I caution you to be careful editing the ident= line, you may get unexpected results.

 

So the con is you could end up needing a bunch of available keystrokes, and a system to keep track of them, if you want to implement this tweak to several planes.

 

For me, the bigger pro is that you could make a universal change to say, call up the GPS with a keystroke other than Shift+n, freeing up the original GPS keystroke for other panel Windows.

 

So let us look at the GPS Window in a panel.cfg...

 

[Window02]
Background_color=0,0,0 
size_mm=456, 378
window_size_ratio=1.000  
position=0
visible=0
[b][color="#FF0000"]ident=GPS_PANEL[/color][/b]

gauge00=fs9gps!gps_500,  0,0,	

 

...so we may be tempted to do something like...

 

        
CTRL+G
PANEL_ID_TOGGLE
           [b][color="#FF0000"]GPS_PANEL[/color][/b]

 

Unfortunately that will not work. needs to be a number.

 

Fortunately GPS_PANEL corresponds to a number, 225 to be exact.

 

FSX has some pre-programmed ident= entries for the default panel Windows.

 

Here is a list...

Capture.JPG

 

You can see from the list that Microsoft intended for developers to use from 10000 to 19999 for the ident= line, opening up a bunch of possibilities.

 

I will stop here, for now, as it is bedtime and I must go.

 

peace,

the Bean

WWOD---What Would Opa Do? Farewell, my freind (sp)

 

Never argue with idiots.

They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience

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Thanks Stringbean,

 

Looks complicated but I will have a go. Being an ex-programmer (including programming by machine language/code - Z80 DON'T ask how old I am!) hopefully I shouldn't have a problem.

John

Gigabyte Z390 UD Intel Core i7-9700K 3.60 Ghz Dual 16Gb DDR4 2666

Gigabyte RTX2060 OC 6GB 2 X 256MB SSD drives 1 X 500GB HDD

Windows 10 64bit Home Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick

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Thanks Stringbean,

 

some how my reply became duplicated so removed the text

John

Gigabyte Z390 UD Intel Core i7-9700K 3.60 Ghz Dual 16Gb DDR4 2666

Gigabyte RTX2060 OC 6GB 2 X 256MB SSD drives 1 X 500GB HDD

Windows 10 64bit Home Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick

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I've probably misunderstood the original question, but for the record I once tried having two small windows (airspeed and compass) permanently open in the top left of the screen like this, but they caused enormous lag so I abandoned the idea-

 

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g64/PoorOldSpike/CMSF/FSX-instrums.gif

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Several years ago , I created what I called "Icon Central" .

 

Using just one window called up by a 'Shift plus Number' results in a block of Icons appearing ,you can have any number of Icons in that block,

eg; 2, 7 , 19 , 28 , 67 , any number that you desire to have.

 

Once you call up that Icon block , you click the Icon or Icons that you want.

The relevant Instrument or Instruments will then appear.

 

Basically there are no number limits to the Instruments or block of instruments or the combination that you call up to view.

 

If you wish to see this type of setup in action Bill McClellan used that arrangement in his freeware "Mini Panels" , do a search and have a look at his screenshots.

 

Cheers

Karol

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Me, personally, I just either make a new icon for a pop-up window, or use an existing icon for a particular pop-up. Granted, I need to then mod the panel.cfg to include the new Icon someplace, but I am actually getting pretty good at that part. The big thing is that the same restriction The Bean mentioned still applicable: you need to assign a unique number to that pop-up, 5,6,or7 digits long, numeric only, and then remember that pop-up's number. I've gotten to where I make a little folder just for that pop-up, with all the usuals, like the icon, and whatever gauge or gauges I need for it, credits to original gauge makers, if I can find them, and a Read-Me file, with all the info I need to install this pop-up into a panel. The [Window Titles] section entry windownnn=12575 (for example), the icon's Main panel entry (gaugennn=newradar!radar_icon, xx,xx,yy,yy for example), and the pop-up's [windownnn] section, in it's entirety, that I can then just copy-n-paste into a panel.cfg.

I know it sounds kind of long and involved, but after a run-through or two, it goes very quick-n-easy. The easy how-to of creating Icons I learned from the PDF file "Creating Panel Icons FS2004" which was

compiled by

David “Opa” Marshall

January 2009

 

That man was incredible, brilliant, prolific, and yet, from what I've been able to tell, friendly and easy-going. Anyhow...

He compiled a small package, which included CabPack.exe, used to compile the Icon cab files once written, an example .xml file with what information to put where, and so on. And yet, he made it all so easy, even a tired tyro like me can do it with ease.

It can be found over on the Simviation website. The file may be located Here.

I use it a LOT. Anyway, I hope all my babbling helps a little bit...

Pat☺

[sIGPIC][/sIGPIC]

Had a thought...then there was the smell of something burning, and sparks, and then a big fire, and then the lights went out! I guess I better not do that again!

Sgt, USMC, 10 years proud service, Inactive reserve now :D

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Thanks Karol and Pat

 

Those suggestions of yours seem really good and I will work on solving it that way.

 

John

John

Gigabyte Z390 UD Intel Core i7-9700K 3.60 Ghz Dual 16Gb DDR4 2666

Gigabyte RTX2060 OC 6GB 2 X 256MB SSD drives 1 X 500GB HDD

Windows 10 64bit Home Logitech Extreme 3D Pro joystick

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