Plug-In development / question

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Hi!

 

Is there any possibility to access (write) the status information (the text right from the command line input) out of a plugin?

[Gergely Csernak]

No, there is no direct way for that at the moment.

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Thx for your answer...

 

Maybe there will be a way in the future

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Hi!

 

I've have an new question

I didn't find methods to update the clearance flag or the STS (ground) state of an aircraft. Will there be a chance to update this data?

 

regards,

Sascha

 

PS: In the development docomeentation is noticed, that the actual version of ES is build using MFC and CRT 8.0.50727.762, I think that must be corrected to 8.0.50727.4053.

[Todor Atanasov 878664]

You can do it like this :

//---SetScratchPadString-------------------------------------------

   bool    SetScratchPadString ( const char * sString ) ;
   //-----------------------------------------------------------------
   //  Parameters :
   //      =>  sString - the new scratch string value
   //
   //  Return :
   //      true    - if success
   //      false   - else
   //-----------------------------------------------------------------

and then use

#  CLEA - Special scratch pad content to indicate clearance received flag.
# NOTC - Special scratch pad content to indicate clearance not received flag.
# PUSH - Special scratch pad content to indicate push back approved ground status.
# TAXI - Special scratch pad content to indicate taxiing ground status.
# DEPA - Special scratch pad content to indicate departure (take off) clearance. 

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Hi Todor!

 

Thanks for your replay. I thought about this posibillity already, but I need the scratchpad to store (and distribute) other information to neighborhood controllers.

So I need a direct way to set the clearance flag/STS mode

 

Sascha

[Gergely Csernak]

There is no other way to do that. EuroScope publishes the clearance flag via the scratch pad.

But nothing stops you setting the scratch pad twice. First to CLEA, then to the value you would like to distribute. ES clients will compile the DEPA and set their internal clearance flag. The second scratch pad setting is simply stored as scratch pad sting in all clients. Actually just setting DEPA does not clear the original scratch pad content in ES clients. But that is not true for others.

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Hi Gergely!

 

Thanks for your information, but I'm not sure if I have everything understood correctly, let's imagine two examples:

 

*) Scratchpadstring is empty

*) Setting the clearance/STS flag (via CLEA/PUSH/...)

*) Setting the scratchpadstring to "Test"

I would imagine that, after setting the clearance/STS flags the display in the ES clients keep empty, right?

Do I have to wait a while before setting the scratchpad to "Test"?

 

 

*) Scratchpadstring is "Test"

*) Setting the clearance/STS flag (via CLEA/PUSH/...)

If I understood you correctly, after setting the clearance/STS flags, the scratchpad still contains "Test" (only for ES users), right?

So I might restore the scratchpad to "Test" in order to get the information to VRC users as well? Same question as above: Do I have to wait a while before resetting the string to "Test"?

 

 

Last question:

If the scratchpad contains my value "Test", a neighborhood comes online, he will "only" not be able to see, that there has been a clearance/STS flag set, right?

 

regards,

Sascha

[Gergely Csernak]

You understood all correctly. ES clients will display the unmodified scratch pad content after sending the clearance string. But you should repeat the original to be sure that VRC and ASRC clients display the right content. You should not wait. Call the Set function twice without delay.

 

When a new controller comes online then his client asks about it. The owner (or the [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igner) client will respond to this query and send back all data including the scratch pad. In this case EuroScope may send out several scratch pad content one for each possible data (clearance, [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned speed, heading, rate, direct to point) and finally the real scratch pad content. In this way if the requested client is an ES it will receive all [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned data, while VRC and ASRC users will see only the last one that is the real scratch pad content.

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Thank you very much! Now I only have to get that working

 

Sascha

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Hi!

 

I've a new problem/question

I didn't find a possibility to add new shortcuts for text inputs (similar to $squawk) to modify the command line...

 

To make my problem more clear, I calculate an ETD (estimated time of departure) and would like to prepare a message on the primary frequency using something similar like "Your ETD is 20:05Z". The controller should type "Your ETD is $ETD" and the PlugIn should change "$ETD" to "20:05Z".

I was also thinking to make the text static like ".etd" and the plugin writes "Your ETD is 20:05Z".

 

I only can p[Mod - Happy Thoughts] a complete command line (using OnCompileCommand) but I do not find an interface to modify the command line

 

Any help would be appreciated!

 

regards,

Sascha

[Todor Atanasov 878664]

For the moment you can't send anything to the command line.

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Thanks for the quick answer, although bad news

 

Sascha

[Gergely Csernak]

I am sorry to say that it is by design. I would like to be sure that no plug-in can use the private chats for programmed peer to peer communication. That could increase the server load without the involvement of EuroScope. We are already considering a general purpose peer to peer communication between ES clients and also plug-ins.

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Hi!

 

Maybe I pointed out something wrong...

I don't want to send text via private chat!

 

I just want to create a string and set them into the command line input window, so the user can edit that string an send it on the primary frequency.

 

Let's [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ume its not my plugin, but the OCC prlugin. If you [Mod - Happy Thoughts]ign an aircraft to a gate, it would be nice to have for text aircrafts a message in the command line like "Your [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned gate is 6A" (similar to selecting values in a TAG of a text-only aircraft).

 

Sascha

[Todor Atanasov 878664]

Same thing Sascha, you can make a loop writing in the command line and send it to the server, thus overloaded it. That is what G is afraid and wants to avoid.

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Hi Todor!

 

Sorry, but I didn't get the point...

I don't want to send something automatically. I don't see the difference between setting a string into the command line from my plugin than from the ES-TAG for example.

[Todor Atanasov 878664]

You may not but someone would. The difference in the tag is that you have to execute a mouse command which you can't put in a loop (well ok it is a much harder) so that limits the inputs in time.

[Stephan Boerner 945550]

Keep in mind, that currently we are not testing/validating plugins, so everyone is free to develop whatever he wants. Therefore some basic security precautions have to be taken by not allowing everything via plugin. Otherwise we would have to limit the complete plugin environment and make it necessary that every plugin would have to be checked before it could be used with ES.

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Okay, I think I get it now

 

Maybe there is an other possibillity to solve the "problem". Is there a chance to get an interface for registering a new build in function (e.g. $etd like $squawk) using a callback method?

 

So I can write an alias using this functions and have the text ready to send.

[Carl Stallone 925048]

Is there anywhere I can find a list of all the available plug-ins?

If not, a sticky at this forum with a link to each plug in would be a great idea.

 

 

Thanks in advance.

[Sascha Fruehwirth 1051824]

Hi Carl!

 

No, there is no list, there can't be a complete list

Every developer has to decide, weather he wants to share the plugin with the hole community. For example some plugins are completly useless for users outside a special VACC...

 

And always keep in mind, if you find & download a plugin you should trust the providing server/developer/...

Plugins are just a peace of software doing SOMETHING on your computer. There is no guarantee, that they are not evil!

 

Sascha

[Carl Stallone 925048]

Thanks Sascha. I'm learning the program, and developing the files for use with our center (Anchorage). Still trying to get off the items I'm so used to with VRC, but the benefits seem to outweigh the learning hurdle.

 

A page on the wiki, with a disclaimer of course, to all plugins that anyone is willing to share would be a great resource to any user.

 

thanks again and best regards,

Carl

[Jonas Eberle]

Just setting text in the input field, not sending, seems fair to the servers

[Todor Atanasov 878664]

Just setting text in the input field, not sending, seems fair to the servers

I don't get that