AI Aircraft Editor - planned update

[gsnde]

Attention - this time a different procedure!

Please download the revised version 2.1.11 here

This only contains the executable --> replace the one you have.

Then goto Menu Help --> Check for update. Version 2.1.12 should be found. Click on 'Update', and it should be downloaded. After it says 'Download completed' click on 'Finish' and the Updater should run and update your current installation.

1. This will not work if you have never installed AIAE with the installer
2. If you run the beta programs in another folder, it will still update your main AIAE installation

Changes:
fixed: Error when aircraft.cfg [fltsim.x] sections contain no aircraft.cfg
fixed: Texture column was not possible to hide in grid

All went smoothly and as you described. I have mine in the ADE9X folder.

Cool Now Updating becomes a whole lot easier. Have you checked that model missing bug is gone, Daryl?

[Firebird]

Mine was a separate folder and it updated and refreshed itself OK.

[Dinga69]

Hi Martin, I've already tried your suggestion of removing the first folder - the problem moved to the next folder - and so on. My AI configs are pretty much stripped down to essential entries, and I've pasted the first line from the first folder below. I'm starting to think it's probably a mismatch between the validation report options and my configs. I get this issue with v2.1.12 (whiich updated fine btw) regardless of screen size. Here's the config:

[fltsim.0]
title=B-17G Sally B AI
model=
sim=B17_JY_AI
texture=
atc_airline=ACES
atc_parking_codes=B17
atc_parking_types=MIL_CARGO
description=ACG AI B17G
ui_manufacturer=Boeing
ui_type=B-17G
ui_variation=Sally B

Cheers, Dinga

[gsnde]

Done more testing window maximized and normal using this path C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator 9\Aircraft with various combinations (errors only/all aircraft/Report no aircraft check/uncheck) - bug still there. I even tried removing the first folder in the list to see if that helped - same same

We are talking about that sometimes the report opens on a full validation run after the first aircraft, right? Can you tell me how often this happens? (x out of ten). Have you removed the first aircraft completely from the aircraft folder temporarily - does that make a difference? Does it happen only with the current betas of was it in the last full release 2.0.8 as well? I have checked the code and can make no sense out of this, Dinga.

EDITED
Okay, I found it. It is this resizable BS again. If there is no easy fix for it I kill this functionality for good or declare it as experimental and unsupported.

Can you please confirm that it works 10 out of 10 times when you do NOT select the 'Resizable' option, Dinga?

I guess you missed my last edit, Dinga

I can replicate it - sometimes & rarely - but only if I have resizable = on and mode = fullscreen. Only then. Therefore I need to know if it ever happens when you work in "non resizable" mode.

[Dinga69]

Ok - I tried your settings and still same problem 80% of the time - However, if I do a single aircraft folder validate, followed by a full scan, this does not happen! Another thing I've noticed, is from Daryl's screenshot, the Model Viewer button is different, mine is the Draken - am I missing something?? (I noticed you'd changed the button in one of your changelogs)

Cheers, Dinga

[gsnde]

Goto Menu Help --> Check for update. Version 2.1.13 should be found. Click on 'Update', and it should be downloaded. After it says 'Download completed' click on 'Finish' and the Updater should run and update your current installation.

Changes:
fixed: Rare error opening first aircraft report when a 'Validate all...' run is active
added: Update mechanism for Beta testing

Dinga, I think I found and solved your issue Please try it out.

[Dinga69]

Bingo!! It works - full screen and normal!! Now, may I suggest an addition? The validate aircraft window with the progress box stays uppermost (ie on top of the main window) and secondly, the addition of a stop button! The only way to stop validating just now is to close the program. Maybe not so important now the validate is working, but while it wasn't and I was testing he program, it was just a little annoying to keep closing and opening the program. Awesome job so far I have to say!!

[gsnde]

Bingo!! It works - full screen and normal!! Now, may I suggest an addition? The validate aircraft window with the progress box stays uppermost (ie on top of the main window) and secondly, the addition of a stop button! The only way to stop validating just now is to close the program. Maybe not so important now the validate is working, but while it wasn't and I was testing he program, it was just a little annoying to keep closing and opening the program. Awesome job so far I have to say!!

I have made a Cancel button, and I now bring the "Validate all" window is front of the AIAE window at the end - but I did not make it modal. There are surely people around who don't like it that strict.

Update will be released tomorrow.

[gsnde]

Goto Menu Help --> Check for update. Version 2.1.14 should be found. Click on 'Update', and it should be downloaded. After it says 'Download completed' click on 'Finish' and the Updater should run and update your current installation.

Changes:
added: 'Cancel' button for the 'Validate all' operation. The report opens showing all results until the Cancel event.

[gsnde]

Another thing I've noticed, is from Daryl's screenshot, the Model Viewer button is different, mine is the Draken - am I missing something?? (I noticed you'd changed the button in one of your changelogs)

Cheers, Dinga

The small screen now also has the new button, Dinga. Since I am too untalented to make aircraft or paints I wanted to show that at least I can design a button
But the optics are the only difference. It is in version 15. I will not release it for this, but wait if anything else comes up. Hopefully it is already the release code.

[Dinga69]

New features working perfectly here - thanks again!! I noticed on AIG forum, someone had a problem with updating.Something similar happened here, but didn't realise it at the time. All is working perfectly now. But what happened was after downloading the very first updated .exe and running web update, the program closed and opened with new version number. After closing and using a shortcut, the original (older) exe opened again. The very first AIAE_Patch.exe was actually working as the program file as opposed to an updater. So, I used this until I sorted things out and of course, the later updates were updating AI-Aircraft-Editor.exe. So it apeared the updates weren't working, when they actually were!!

Nice button

[Firebird]

Martin,
I just noticed something strange with the aircraft viewer. By chance I was looking in to the folder with JY's Lightning pack 4 aircraft and I selected the first aircraft and viewed it OK. I selected another and that was fine, so I selected a T55 and that loaded the scheme but did not reload the model, so it looked like it was actually a single seater.
I think that when you alter the texture you are viewing you need to reload the mdl as well. I checked it out in FS9 and this loaded OK so it's not a problem with JY's model.

Hope this makes sense.

[gsnde]

Steve,

Arno's Viewer is not yet aircraft.cfg based (this will change sometime in the future). That means he is reading textures one level deep. If these textures fit to the loaded model, then they can be displayed. If they belong to another model, you can get no or a screwed up display.

What should always work is that the model / texture combination selected in AIAE will be displayed. Then you can scroll through all textures displayed in the livery selection box that fit the model and that should work as well. But as you have found out - in configurations with different models you can have an issue. Also textures that are in layered subfolders will not appear in the livery list.

[Firebird]

Fair enough, if you knew about this and it is a current limitation. I don't know if you plan to put that in the docs (yeah - I know that nobody ever reads docs anyway) but it might save you some emails.

[gsnde]

Fair enough, if you knew about this and it is a current limitation. I don't know if you plan to put that in the docs (yeah - I know that nobody ever reads docs anyway) but it might save you some emails.

This is in the manual already, Steve (which is not in the beta installer since I am still updating it). And I can't promise anything regarding the future Model Viewer development. If Arno decides to kill it then we just have to live with it. But I don't expect this to happen...

[Firebird]

Martin,
Just found something else. When using the tool to update the mdl size in FS9 it also added the following parms to the fltsim aircraft that I had selected when doing the update.
ui_createdby=
ui_typerole=
atc_id=
atc_flight_number=
atc_model=
atc_heavy=0

Could you alter it so that if you are updating the mdl size that no parms get added to the aicraft.cfg file?

[gsnde]

Well I don't wan..... yes, Steve


You did not change any of the values you mentioned above, right? These values were not present, and after you updated the mdl they were present - is that correct?

--> hu, that goes into design.

1. You can change both the model size and ui values at the same time
2. You can delete an ui value by setting its content to empty
3. You can change an ui value

All above is true. I need to think about how to translate that into code logic (VB6 controls have no dirty flag).

[gsnde]

Steve, don't bother to read and answer any of above...

I have it completed. It will be in the next beta release which I will prepare now.

[gsnde]

Goto Menu Help --> Check for update. Version 2.1.15 should be found. Click on 'Update', and it should be downloaded. After it says 'Download completed' click on 'Finish' and the Updater should run and update your current installation.

Changes:
changed: Pressing 'Update' on the first 'General data' tab will only update changed values. This will prevent the addition of non-existing settings when you update only the model size of an FS9 model.
changed: Model Viewer Button Icon of small form now identical to that of large form

[gsnde]

Goto Menu Help --> Check for update. Version 2.1.16 should be found. Click on 'Update', and it should be downloaded. After it says 'Download completed' click on 'Finish' and the Updater should run and update your current installation.

Changes:
changed: update Model Viewer to 1.0.3 to adapt the credits and update the viewer components (yes, I forgot this in the last built)