After mentioning which types of variables can and can't be set in my last post, I was feeling a little guilty. In the FS2004 SDK we didn't actually define which types of variables CAN be set. So here's an improved table of variable types, since the SDK...

Hal recently posted a couple of e-mails sent to FS Ideas that he thought were, um, interesting... So I can't resist sharing my all-time favorite. (OK, I've been in this group for less than two years, but this one is over a year old and really stands...

Warning: I'm not a technical writer. I just play one on TV. There are no guarantees that the following instructions will work for you. Sometimes a gauge author/developer will want to add a (static) shadow element to a gauge. This is pretty easy...

I meant to mention in my previous post today on color that there are a few gauges that utilize the "HilightColor" (yes, it should be spelled "HighlightColor", but I have no control over what was written in FS8/9) attribute, including the Beech Baron clock...

This is the first case I've seen of panel-design-related humor. Wow! Although just how funny it is could be debated...

I thought this might be of interest to some people out there: You can use the %{if}, %{else}, and %{end} constructs to choose which text to display. Note that if, else, and end are case-sensitive and must be typed in lowercase. The syntax for usage...

Continuing on the theme of displaying text in an XML gauge, I just spent more time than I would like to admit trying to figure out why this script wasn't working for me: %( (A:ATC ID) )%!s! The problem, of course (which I only resolved by stepping...

Since this topic isn't covered at all in the FS 2004 SDK documentation, here's some info that I haven't yet seen covered online anywhere: Displaying Text in Gauges Formatting numbers To display the value of a sim variable in text, use the following...

I finally compiled a list of the GPS vars (most of which are used in the XML for the FS9GPS) and their default units and whether or not you can get/set them. Hopefully this will be a handy reference for those creating their own GPS. I've also created...

Nick Post mentioned in a comment that he's had problems trying to get images in the 2D panels that have an alpha channel to rotate. An astute observation! I had to try this out myself with an XML gauge to see why it doesn't work, and sure enough, this...

Though I'm nothing like the kids featured in the movie Spellbound , I generally like to spell things correctly and seeing spelling mistakes always grates on me a little bit. For some reason, the word " gauge " trips up a fair number of people, and I've...

When do things get popped off the stack? The question was posed in a comment, and I think it deserves some space as a post, so here we go: Question : If I have the following script: 0 (>L:MyVariable, number) will '0' still be on the stack...

If you create XML gauges, unless you're doing the most simplistic of gauges, you'll need to have a good understanding of RPN (Reverse Polish Notation, not to be confused with RPM, or Rotations Per Minute). Here's a decent description of it. I think...

Thanks goes out Tom Gibson for this question ... I didn't know this one off the top of my head, so I first cheated by looking at the source code for the stack calculator in FS and then verified te answer by doing a simple experiment. I put the following...

The question was posed to me yesterday (which relates to the entry I wrote about creating a .bmp-with-alpha to use in the panel system of Flight Sim: what IS the deal with the .bmp files that are used by the panel system that have alpha in them? A great...

Last night I was thinking about colors when I left work and they were setting up green lights for the front of our building to celebrate the launch of Xbox 360. So what can we do with colors in XML gauges in flight sim? We ship a colors.doc in our...

Thanks to Raf for sharing this guide to how to write unmaintable code. I haven't read all of it yet - my sides already hurt too much from laughing so hard.

Have you ever found yourself making humorous typos? For example, have you ever typed "dev" to jump to your private dev directory in your enlistment (OK, most people will have no idea what I'm talking about here), but type in "deb" instead? Which of...

Apparently the runway at KBFI is pretty bad . I've taken off there twice in a little RV owned & operated by a coworker, but our takeoff roll was about 100 yards so I didn't notice any bumpiness...

Steve, Adrian, Jason, Sebby - they're all artists or on the graphics team and all work in the same section of the hallway. And they're all blog-aholics. Interesting... must be contagious or something.

"If something works surprisingly well on the first try, you probably made a mistake" -Doug Matthews Yes, a mistake like using old file(s). : )

My blog is (currently) worth $0.00. Invest now and watch the value increase 100-fold! Oh wait, that would still be $0.00... My blog is worth $0.00 . How much is your blog worth?

Just found this . The "Gauge Graphics" tutorials, parts 1-3 are very detailed and oriented towards those creating artwork to be used in gauges. From what I've heard, there is value in the FS9gauges.h file that's part of the Gauge Creation Tutorial...

Check out this article about how Sergey Brin and Larry Page bought a 767 as their "corporate jet". I'm looking forward to seeing a "Goooooogle" livery for a 767 add-on. Of course, the 2D panel would have to have some kind of search mechanism built in...

Can I put a picture in this thing? This is just a test... http://www.theyak.com/album.php?id=59721&p=59724 It looks like I can put in a link to a pic, but not an actual picture itself. That's pretty lame, IMNSHO.