FlightSim Manager, alternative ?

Hi guys,

I've been using the FlightSim Manager program for many years, predominantly for re-organizing my Scenery.cfg (almost 1000 scenery layers) file but very suddenly and for no apparant reason, this program no longer works. Error message: StachHash_4147, which seems to be a Windows7 (64bit) error message.

The problem cannot be related to any Windows7 updates because my dedicated FS9 machine has never been connected to the internet, ever since I purchased it about seven years ago. Furthermore, the problem does not seem to be related to the temporary system date editing script because that seems to work correctly as it has always done.

Does anyone know of an alternative program which can (also) re-organize my Scenery.cfg file in the FlightSim Manager style, while at the same time checking for errors ?

Any reactions will be much appreciated and I thank you in advance.

Hans

Hello,

Maybe this ?

http://fs-sceditor.sourceforge.net/

Download

https://sourceforge.net/projects/fs-sceditor/

Work fine for me under Windows 10 Enterprise .....

Regards.http://smilies.sofrayt.com/%5E/a/bye.gif

Thanks Avechelice for your info. I've downloaded the program but havn't yet had the time to give it a try. Will do so soon and will post any comments.

Thanks again for your info.

Hans

Hey Guys,

I've tried both your advised programs but was not able to find the function I was looking for and I must therefore now assume that my initial question was not clear enough, so here goes:.

All my almost 1000 scenery layers are alphabetically organized in named country folders and within each such folder, per airport name.

My aircraft.cfg is organized and numbered in the same way but after adding any new entries via the FS9 "add area" method, they need to be manually moved from the top of the list, down to their correct alphabetical positions. This can sometimes be very tedious when it concernes, e.g. a new airport in Zimbabwe.

However, moving new sceneries down to their correct alphabetical positions always messes up the existing numerical layer sequences (without losing the overall file integrity).

My now no longer working FSM program had a very specific function amongst all of the others, for re-numbered the whole scenery.cfg file, while keeping their basic alphabetical sequences intact and it's this very specific process which I am looking for.

Any reactions and/or ideas are seriously welcome

.

Hans

Hi Hans, I use Scenery Config Editor v1.1.9 (the latest version) from here:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/fs-sceditor/files/

Hi Hans,

Using SCE some simple solutions to achieve what you want to do.......

Method 1 - When installing the new scenery

Prior to installing the new scenery ID it's required location within the listing and note the list number of the item that you want to place it ABOVE

for example if you have the following 2 entries 19=Canada and 20=Chile and want to add Chad in between the required number is 20......

Add the scenery as normal, filling the required info. Under the Path to Scenery Browse button you will see a field for Priority which will always read 1 unless you change it. Insert the required number (20 in the example) When added you will see that it has been added at the correct location - in the example the list will now read 19=Canada, 20=Chad and 21=Chile

Method 2 - After adding the scenery

ID it's required location within the listing and note the list number of the item that you want to place it BELOW -

Again, using the example above if you have the following 2 entries 19=Canada and 20=Chile and want to add Chad in between the required number is 19......

Select the entry to be moved and then click on the 'Edit Area' button. This will open the same window you get when installing new scenery - simply change the Priority list number and save.

When added you will see that it has been moved to the correct location - again, in the example the list will now read 19=Canada, 20=Chad and 21=Chile

EDIT.......WRT to 're-sequencing' - SCE has a function that can achieve this but it may not be entirely what you are after. Under the Actions menu listing is an entry titled Reset Area and Layers numbers and reorder the file..........EDIT END

EDIT.......WRT to 're-sequencing' - SCE has a function that can achieve this but it may not be entirely what you are after. Under the Actions menu listing is an entry titled Reset Area and Layers numbers and reorder the file..........EDIT END

Hi Hans,

Following posting and then re-editing my original post (at #7) I have, never having used it before, tested the function given in the edit.....

I can confirm that it re-orders the Area numbers and Layers into one continuous list, removing any gaps that have occurred due to missing Area/Layer numbers and that it keeps the order of the Priority list as defined by the user.

If you want a 'safety net' of sorts make a copy of the scenery.cfg.sce file beforehand - this is the file that all changes made in SCE are saved to prior to being written into the FSX scenery.cfg file when you launch FSX

Thanks Brian. I'll take another good look at this very specific function as soon as I get the chance and will report back.

Thanks again.

Hans

Brian,

I've tried installing SCE a number of times in my Win7 64bit but it evidently requires "Java Runtime Environment 1.6.0" to run. I downloaded and installed the latest version of this Java "thing" and then tried to open SCE. Result, some kind of Java crash with a lengthy list of Java "problems/errors".

After trying everything I could think of, e.g. older versions of Java and being confronted by the exactly the same results I've now given up and have uninstalled both Java and SCE.

HELP !!

Hans

Hi Hans,

Run the latest Java runtime from here: https://java.com/en/download/

Just follow the instructions on screen, it's all done automatically for you.

Then download SCE v1.1.9 from here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/fs-sceditor/files/?source=navbar

Right-click on the .exe file and open the Properties. Unblock the unknown file, then click on OK. Right-click the .exe file again and click on Run as Administrator.

Tiger1962,

I followed your instructions carefully and ........ SCE now works exactly for what I wanted it to do !!

I appreciate you help very much and of cause, that of Brian as well but....... I now have a small "fine tuning" problem left, for which you may have some ideas:

I have quite some (56) so called "flatten switches" in my scenery.cfg file, most of which have descriptive texts preceded by two forward slashes (//), situated above each "flatten switch". However, SCE sees these "//s" as "Structural Errors", which then block all further SCE functions.

O.K. I solved the problem by initially removing all lines beginning with "//", from my scenery.cfg file but the question now remains: Are there any alternatives for my "//s", which are disregarded by both my scenery.cfg file and by SCE ?

Without such descriptive text lines it becomes very difficult to figure out exactly why and for what airport/airfield each following "flatten" has been specified, especially when more than one airport/airfield sceneries have been combined.

Hans

Hi Hans, the "//" before a scenery.cfg entry tells FS9.exe to ignore that line, which may be why SCE sees it as an error. Here's a scenery with a flatten and exclude which is working with SCE:

[Area.065]

Title=oxenhope

Layer=161

Active=TRUE

Required=FALSE

Local=Addon Scenery\oxenhope

Flatten.0=1085,N53 48.94,W1 56.14,N53 48.95,W1 55.68,N53 48.73,W1 55.70,N53 48.83,W1 56.21

Exclude=N53 48.84,W1 55.71,N53 48.70,W1 55.33,all

X_Groups=UK

Hi Hans,

I have had a quick play around with SCE to see what the problem is and I see what you mean.

Two workarounds, both with some inconvenience appear possible.....

When you add or edit an area you will see a Groups field. This can be used for a number of things. I use it to 'distinguish' my scenery types (for example I have 'Groups' for Default FSX, Basic Aiports, Detailed Airports, Object Libraries, AI traffic files etc). The applied entry for each scenery is shown in the Groups column when in List view and appears as a X_Groups= entry when viewed in the text editor. NOTE that using a // switch in the Group field produces the same error so they can not be used.

So, using this field......

Method 1 - Enter full details of what the switch does - I am not sure if there is a max number of characters that can be used.

Method 2 - Enter a simple entry such as See Note or Flatten Switch and have a separate reference document (Notepad, Word, Excel etc) that holds the full details.

As I have said its an inconvenience but workable. I actually have an Excel spreadsheet in which I have detailed (by country) what scenery I have installed and this includes, amongst other things, such details as the original source file name, its installed location and any suitable remarks.

When I have more time I will try a few other things and will report back in the thread if any other solutions come to light.

Tiger162,

Brian posted one of his (UK) airports as listed in his own scenery.cfg and this showed: "X_Groups=UK" , which evidently gets ignored by FS9. However, it does have a function in SCE but which I will not be using because my scenery.cfg is already alphabetically grouped from top to bottom per country name and then per airport name within each of those country folders. E.g. UK as the main country folder and then, UK Gatwick Arprt, UK Exeter Arprt, UK Duxford Air Museum, etc. within that main folder.

As a result of Brian's posting I had a go at entering a "X_Groups=FMMS" directly above my flatten switch for the Sainte-Marie airfield in Madagascar and then another "X_Groups=FMNN" directly above my next flatten switch for the Fascene airfield, also in Madagascar.

Neither FS9 nor SCE seems to have a problem with this and my initial idea is that I can now begin using this method instead of my original "//s", unless either one of you guys sees potential booby- or other traps somewhere ahead.

Regards

Hans

Hi Hans,

If your airports are already identified in groups, you can certainly use the SCE 'Group' function to identify your flatten switches in this way without any problems.

Hi Hans,

+1 on Tim's comment at post #16 - There should no problems with using the X_Group= as you have stated.

BTW it was Tim who provided the example with the X_Groups=UK statement. Although I list my entries in alphabetical order within the P list I don't use the X_Group= function to ID countries/regions. I simply split mine, as already stated, into more generic groups based on the scenery type (e.g. Basic, Detailed, Library Objects, Traffic files etc)

Oops !! Sorry Tim/Brian. Must be getting a little cross-eyed.

One thing I did notice though was that each and every of my 952 scenery.cfg entries used to include a "Remote=" line which have, after the very first SCE re-numbering process, all been deleted. However, FS9 doesn't seem to miss them and nor do I.

Anyway guys, thanks very much for your help.

Fondest regards

Hans, from behind the dikes, Netherlands.

..........used to include a "Remote=" line which have, after the very first SCE re-numbering process, all been deleted...........

Hi Hans,

IME each individual area entry in the scenery.cfg will contain either a Local= entry OR a Remote= entry and not both. I assume that, in your case, that there was both entries as, if your original .cfg only contained Remote= entries I would suspect that you would have got persistent multiple errors each time you started the sim.

It is this line entry that actually 'tells' the sim where to find the scenery. A 'Local' entry is one that is a physical location on a 'fixed' disk whereas, IME, a 'Remote' entry normally occurs when the sim thinks that the scenery is stored on removable media, such as a CD/DVD, and usually on occurs with a failed install of some sort.

An interesting thing to note regards the entry in general. If you look at it in text editor mode you will notice that any default scenery location that is within the main sim root folder does not need a full path statement - i.e. the entry for the Addon Scenery reads Local=Addon Scenery - but if you store scenery outside of the sim then a full path statement is required - i.e. Local=D:\My Addon Scnery\

Thanks for the lesson Brian. You're never too old to learn something new, even although I've never had any of my FS9 rescources on extrenal media. On top of that it's my opinion that SCE is rather brave to structurally assume this and to then delete all "remote=" entries. Anyway, it's no problem for me but it could be for some other of us armchair pilots.

Happy landings and thanks again.

Hans