Products Support > GSX Sharing area - Airplane Configs
QualityWings 787 - GSX/SimBrief Integration & Automation
Fragtality:
Had a look at the Text-File and I have bad news: that is not machine readable, so it won't happen - sorry! :-\
The thing is: to get any Information out of normal / human-readable Text-File you need to write Regular Expression (like FSLabs did). So something like that
--- Code: ---$"^[^0-9]{{1}}((L:){{0,1}}[a-zA-Z0-9\x2D\x5F]){{1}}$"
--- End code ---
And that is "only" an Expression which tests if it a correct Lvar Name (example from my StreamDeck Plugin) - so a rather easy Expression for just a single Line. So to get multiple Information from a whole File you can imagine it is "a bit" more complex. Even with the same OFP template, there is much variability on if and how the Information is presented. And to know/research all the variations and describe them as Regular Expression takes time.
With SimBrief I'll just make a quick http-request, throw the returned xml-Document at a Parser (which already comes with the .NET Libraries) and get the whole Information in nicely indexed Collections. Getting the Pax-Weight (as Text) then is just:
--- Code: ---sbOFP["weights"]["pax_weight"].InnerText
--- End code ---
The advantage is: I don't care which units you are using (the xml tells me) or which OFP Format you prefer as Output. The machine-readable Format is always formatted the same. Even if SimBrief would alter the Structure or Element-Names - such changes can be adopted rather quickly (in comparison to Regular Expressions).
So you have to manually edit the ofp.xml. But it sounds more complex than it is (imho):
Throw in your ICAO-AirlineCode, FlightNumber, Departure/Destination (ICAO), Aircraft-Variant, Fuel and Pax/Bag Count.
Something which can easily be done while Prepar3D is loading ;) (The Binary looks for an OFP only after the Batteries are On, so there is no rush)
virtuali:
--- Quote from: Fragtality on May 28, 2022, 10:50:11 pm --- Or a Variable for the Wheel Chocks (which would also be needed from GSX to recognize them. GSX in turn doesn't allow me to inform it that the Airplane has Chocks set and there is no intend to implement that in the foreseeable future).
--- End quote ---
GSX already recognizes Wheel chocks ( both as an alternative to Parking Brakes or a departure constraint ) in all PMDG models.
Fragtality:
--- Quote from: virtuali on May 30, 2022, 01:27:35 pm ---
--- Quote from: Fragtality on May 28, 2022, 10:50:11 pm --- Or a Variable for the Wheel Chocks (which would also be needed from GSX to recognize them. GSX in turn doesn't allow me to inform it that the Airplane has Chocks set and there is no intend to implement that in the foreseeable future).
--- End quote ---
GSX already recognizes Wheel chocks ( both as an alternative to Parking Brakes or a departure constraint ) in all PMDG models.
--- End quote ---
Ah okay, at least PMDG allows that Level of Integration with GSX^^
But for a similiar Integration/Automation to be done for PMDG they would also need to allow to set/remove the Chocks programatically.
virtuali:
--- Quote from: Fragtality on May 30, 2022, 07:02:32 pm ---Ah okay, at least PMDG allows that Level of Integration with GSX^^
--- End quote ---
It's not a matter of PMDG "allowing" things or not, it's more like GSX, by design, is made NOT TO TOUCH any systems on the airplane.
Meaning, it won't ever write on any variables on any of the plane systems, that's why we never made an automatic door opening system, because we can't possibly be sure if it's safe to "just" open a door when it might be tied to a custom system, for example the electrical system or the hydraulic system. The one and only time GSX ever changes some variables on the airplane, is during Pushback, otherwise it wouldn't be able to...move the airplane. But this is done using entirely official documented variables, so it's not as if we are touching a custom system.
Same for fuel: we only refuel ( acting on fuel quantities ) planes that are known to use a standard fuel system, otherwise GSX will only do animations in reaction to the changing fuel levels which are already happening under the airplane own control.
Same for the battery charger or the external power availability, we only charge the battery for planes that has been flagged to be using the default electrical system, but most of the 3rd party planes aren't, so we just signal developers using GSX-specific variables that we would like to charge the batter or a jetway has power or air, and then it's left to the plane developer what to do with this information.
That's the only way to be sure GSX will never mess up with any airplane system that might have repercussions we cannot possibly be aware of, and that's why we ask plane developers to do some bits of integration themselves, because nobody better than them can possibly know when it's safe to act on their own system.
Some major plane developers ( FS Labs, Aerosoft, Leonardo ) fully understood this, so they did the integration themselves, since they obviously saw the value GSX added to their customers.
The one and only exception is PMDG, their explanation for not integrating it was they fear "GSX would mess the airplane", which is precisely the opposite of why they were supposed to do the integration themselves.
If GSX really tried to mess with the airplane, there would be no need for us to wait for plane developers to integrate anything, we could *hack* into the airplane ourselves (like we used to hack into FSX own memory when the SDK was missing features, but we don't do that in P3D) and could start setting stuff on our own and THAT would be a legitimate cause of concern for airplane developers, which would be unsustainable for us as well, since we'll likely have to keep our code updated with every release of the airplane.
Fragtality:
--- Quote from: virtuali on June 01, 2022, 11:48:55 am ---
--- Quote from: Fragtality on May 30, 2022, 07:02:32 pm ---Ah okay, at least PMDG allows that Level of Integration with GSX^^
--- End quote ---
It's not a matter of PMDG "allowing" things or not, it's more like GSX, by design, is made NOT TO TOUCH any systems on the airplane.
--- End quote ---
Sure, it is either allowing or accepting - if there would not be a Variable to read the Chocks-State from, even that Level Integration with GSX would not be possible ;)
--- Quote from: virtuali on June 01, 2022, 11:48:55 am ---The one and only exception is PMDG, their explanation for not integrating it was they fear "GSX would mess the airplane", which is precisely the opposite of why they were supposed to do the integration themselves.
--- End quote ---
Wow! That is a very lame excuse for such a Developer with a Product where the Base-Package is already 139$! :(
The only who rightfully could argue to "mess with the Plane": that is QualityWings about me ;D
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