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Configuration Guide

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Scott McIntosh edited this page Sep 17, 2019 · 5 revisions

MFDSettings Configuration Section Guide

Provides encapsulated configuration for All Modules, edit mfdsettings.config

  • filePath : Location where the CTS profile jpgs are located
  • defaultConfig : Name of the default module to load, e.g. A-4E

DefaultConfigurations

Here is where as many named configurations can be placed as you want associated with every module. Good examples are LMFD and RMFD. Any attributes that you do not specify in the named configuration will need to be defined in the modules configuration that matches the same name. The recommended configuration is to use the LMFD and RMFD to define the size (Width, Height) of all LMFD and RMFD images. You may also define the defaults for cropping LMFD and RMFD, the defaults for the current images are:

<add name="LMFD" left="2575" top="700" opacity="1" width="885" height="700" xOffsetStart="101" xOffsetFinish="776" yOffsetStart="250" yOffsetFinish="900"/>

<add name="RMFD" left="4250" top="700" opacity="1" width="885" height="700" xOffsetStart="903" xOffsetFinish="1576" yOffsetStart="250" yOffsetFinish="900"/>

The defaults for Left & Top in the shipped config matches my configuration which is that I have the following:

  • Main Monitor = 2560X1440
  • LMFD Monitor = 1024X768 positioned bottom right of Main Monitor
  • RMFD Monitor = 1024X768 positioned bottom right of the LMFD Monitor
  • This means that my total display area is 4608X1440

Modules

Each module entry, which starts with the markup <add moduleName... Can create as many named configurations underneath the markup . Each configuration can override any property that matches the name of a DefaultConfiguration. The moduleName must be unique in the configuration file. If it is not then you will get an error on startup. Addtionally the image path starts with the path specified in the top level MFDSettings section. So to reference an image in the A-10C directory you would specify fileName="A-10C\filename.jpg". This is true for both Module configs and Configurations configs with the Configuration configs serving as the last override to the filename.

Each configuration can also be a brand new configuration for a module. An example of this is the CDU configuration for the A-10C:

<add name="CDU" left="500" top="600" width="694" height="352" xOffsetStart="1" xOffsetFinish="694" yOffsetStart="1" yOffsetFinish="352" filename="A-10C\DCS A10C CDU.jpg" opacity="1.0"/>

Configuration Attributes

  • fileName : The path of the image to crop, the origin is the filePath in the MFDSettings config.
    • For example to reference a fileName for the F/A-18C the fileName would be FA-18C\filename.jpg
  • enable : If false then the configuration is not rendered, default value when absent is true
  • opacity : Floating point number from 0.0 - 1.0 that represents the percentage of opacity for the image
    • For example and opacity=".5" means that the image is 50% transparent.
  • xOffsetStart : X coord for the offset to use for the start of the horizontal cropping of an image
  • xOffsetFinish : X coord for the offset to use for the finish of the horizontal cropping of an image
  • yOffsetStart : Y coord for the offset to use for the start of the vertical cropping of an image
  • yOffsetFinish : Y coord for the offset to use for the finish of the vertical cropping of an image
  • width : Width for the resultant image to be displayed in.
  • height : Height for the resultant image to be displayed in.
  • top : Y coordinate for the top position of the image
  • left : X coordinate for the left position of the image when displayed
  • top : Y coordinate for the left position of the image when displayed

Sub Configuration Options

Each configuration can have a child node called <SubConfigurations />. This node is a list of -submod options that may be passed on the command line. This command line option is passed in conjunction with a -mod command line option that specifies the main configuration to load. An example of the usage is for the F-14 RIO LMFD configuration. The LMFD acts as the Category drum in the CTS configuration and the bottom row of buttons on the MFD control which of the six (6) positions is selected. As the selections are changed the appropriate combination of -mod and -submod commands are sent to the program and the image changes to show the selected category. Here is the current configuration that is shipped with MFD4CTS for the HiViz F-14 RIO:

<add moduleName="F-14RHV" displayName="F-14 HiVis (RIO)" filename="_High Contrast MFDs\DCS F14RIO MFD HiVis.jpg">
      <Configurations>
        <add name="WHKEY" filename="F-14\DCS F14RIO WH.jpg" />
        <add name="LMFD">
          <SubConfigurations>
            <add name="BIT" opacity="1" filename="F-14\F14 CAP Drum.jpg" startX="325" startY="350" endX="535" endY="795" xOffsetStart="50" xOffsetFinish="260" yOffsetStart="1" yOffsetFinish="430" />
            <add name="SPL" opacity="1" filename="F-14\F14 CAP Drum.jpg" startX="325" startY="350" endX="535" endY="795" xOffsetStart="325" xOffsetFinish="535" yOffsetStart="1" yOffsetFinish="430" />
            <add name="NAV" opacity="1" filename="F-14\F14 CAP Drum.jpg" startX="325" startY="350" endX="535" endY="795" xOffsetStart="590" xOffsetFinish="800" yOffsetStart="1" yOffsetFinish="430" />
            <add name="TAC" opacity="1" filename="F-14\F14 CAP Drum.jpg" startX="325" startY="350" endX="535" endY="795" xOffsetStart="860" xOffsetFinish="1070" yOffsetStart="1" yOffsetFinish="430" />
            <add name="DL" opacity="1" filename="F-14\F14 CAP Drum.jpg"  startX="325" startY="350" endX="535" endY="795" xOffsetStart="1125" xOffsetFinish="1355" yOffsetStart="1" yOffsetFinish="430" />
            <add name="TGT" opacity="1" filename="F-14\F14 CAP Drum.jpg" startX="325" startY="350" endX="535" endY="795" xOffsetStart="1380" xOffsetFinish="1590" yOffsetStart="1" yOffsetFinish="430" />
          </SubConfigurations>
        </add>
      </Configurations>
    </add>

For instance lets say that the NAV Category is selected then the command generated is MFD4CTS.exe -mod F-14RHV -submod NAV. The Sub Configuration attributes are just slightly different then the ones used in Configurations because the position inside the Configuration image boundaries are relative to that image and NOT the display.

Sub Configuration Attributes
  • fileName : The path of the image to crop, the origin is the filePath in the MFDSettings config.
    • For example to reference a fileName for the F/A-18C the fileName would be FA-18C\filename.jpg
    • The filename parameter in the Configuration is used if the filename in the sub configuration is not specified.
  • enable : If false then the sub configuration is not rendered, default value when absent is true
  • opacity : Floating point number from 0.0 - 1.0 that represents the percentage of opacity for the image
    • For example and opacity=".5" means that the image is 50% transparent.
  • xOffsetStart : X coord for the offset to use for the start of the horizontal cropping of an image
  • xOffsetFinish : X coord for the offset to use for the finish of the horizontal cropping of an image
  • yOffsetStart : Y coord for the offset to use for the start of the vertical cropping of an image
  • yOffsetFinish : Y coord for the offset to use for the finish of the vertical cropping of an image
  • startX: Position relative to 0 in the X Axis of the Configuration display area where the image starts
  • endX : Position relative to 0 in the X Axis of the Configuration display area where the image ends
  • startY : Position relative to 0 in the Y Axis of the Configuration display area where the image starts
  • endY : Position relative to 0 in the Y Axis of the Configuration display area where the image ends

Configuration Notes

In the installation directory there is a file called MFD4CTS.exe.config. This file contains an entry like: <MFDSettings configSource="mfdsettings.config" />. You can change the configSource to ANY valid settings configuration file that follows the schema in mfdsettings.xsd so that you can:

  1. Have multiple self selected configurations.
  2. Use a unique name so that your configuration is NOT overwritten with each new version.
  3. Use a test schema, for example the test.config to make sure your configurations are aligned in your display area(s).

You must edit the file as an Administrator or permission will be denied when you attempt to save.

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