Kneeboard Builder (windows app)

[AJaromir]

Hello. Is this project still alive? I can see the last update of this software is from 8/8/2022. Will be there any new version of that?

[Rudel_chw]

2 hours ago, AJaromir said:

Hello. Is this project still alive? I can see the last update of this software is from 8/8/2022. Will be there any new version of that?

Hi, I don’t view this software as a project, rather it’s a gift that a forum member gave to the DCS community for free 10 years ago. I wouldn’t expect any new version, in the words of its author:

"I appreciate feedback and bug reports so keep them coming, just be aware that there may be long periods between my responses and bug fixes.  When I first made this mod public I had two kids and a job, and now I have five kids and an extremely time consuming career.  Real life will take precedence. 

--Alaskan Grizzly"

 

For my needs, this is a very useful piece of software and I will keep using it as long as I can make it work.  

Edited December 6, 2023 by Rudel_chw

[sthompson]

@AlaskanGrizzly did log on to this forum about two weeks ago so still is active at some level. I've wondered whether anyone in the developer community would be willing and able to take over if @AlaskanGrizzly is too busy and willing to let others have access to the code. There recently was a very sucessful transition of VAICOM PRO from a paid app to a community supported version because the original developer could not keep up with the changes in DCS that required updates to the app. That might be a model if @AlaskanGrizzly would support it and someone else would step up to take responsibility. I'm not experienced enough as a coder to volunteer myself, nor do I have a lot of time.

I hope this is not taken the wrong way. If he isn't interested in such a transition then that is his right and I would support such a decision. We all owe him thanks for the contributions he has made.

[Snacko]

Is there an alternative to Kneeboard Builder?  It's just not working for me anymore..

[Captain Orso]

I do it manually.

I use OpenOffice Calc or Writer or whatever fits my needs using A4 page format to create the kneeboard pages I want. I export the document to PDF format and then use PDF24 Toolbox--freeware--to create one JPG per page of the PDF (open PDF -> convert to JPEG -> Output).

https://tools.pdf24.org/en/

Use file names which sort alphanumerically so that in-cockpit they are in the order I want.

Put the JPGs into 'C:\Users\user_name\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Kneeboard\aircraft' and away you go.

I believe every module you can fly that you have installed has a folder in 'C:\Users\user_name\Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Kneeboard\aircraft'.

[Snacko]

My problem is not with creating, it's with management.  I found another tool called KB Quick, but that one requires you to add each page one at a time.  

I would write one myself except that I've been retired for too long to do it quickly.

It would be nice if the code was on GitHub and someone took an interest.

My main problem is that the app 'Suspends' often and I have to use the Resource Monitor to get it to Resume.  But worse is that when I click Build Kneeboards, it ignores half of what I have added to the list, and adds others and builds with them.  Very Strange behavior..  

[Captain Orso]

I used to think I would need to swap pages often. I've found that I practically never have to. I have a set of reference pages I use for a specific aircraft, and I fly with those every time. I do have some pages I've downloaded with day and night version, so if I want the night version I just swap out the day and in the night version--so sad that you cannot switch between day and night pages within DCS, so if you go online and decide to join a mission at night, all you have to do is flip your kneeboard to night-version and everything is hunky-dory.

I think about 90% of KBB is unnecessary. Take away resizing and repositioning the KB window, and modify the page implementation. Currently you import a set of pages, add them to a group and they are physically move to that group's folder. That is totally unnecessary.

Import a set of pages and give them a logical name and numbering. They get stored in a repository folder, instead of a group folder.

When you want to implement them, pick the pages and add them to a list. When you implement the list, the pages in the list will be picked from the repository, given index number for DCS to sort, and thrown into the KB folder of that aircraft. That's it. Easy-peasy... except for all the programming of course 

[Snacko]

UPDATE: 

I figured out my problem, and it seems to be working again.  Some error handling in the code would help dumb people like me.

I added this exe to my Norton AV, and I think it might have helped stop it being suspend in Task Manager. (If it is Suspended in the Task Manager, click the windows Start button, and type Resource Monitor.  This app will open, and you can right-click on KneeboardBuilder.exe and let it 'Resume' processing.)   Time will tell.  It may have been caused by my file naming errors  listed below. 

It's great that this app still works after 9 years.  Yes, it has some features that are no longer necessary.  I think 9 years ago you couldn't move the Kneeboard, or resize it.  It was designed for that time.

I had manually moved some files around in the 'Kneeboard Groups' folder, and I did not change their filenames to reflect their new folder names.  I found this .txt file somewhere in the sub folders of the install, and have now copied it to that 'Kneeboard Groups' folder.

Quote

 

Kneeboard Builder:

To manually add Kneeboard Groups in this folder, they need to follow some simple rules:

New Aircraft Folder Names much match what Kneeboard Builder has in it's drop-down list.  Not what DCS uses.

The Files in the Folders must use the same name.  
The Files have a dash and 3 digit number on the end.

EXAMPLE:

\FA-18C
    \Kneeboard Suite by Dima Kozyrev
        Kneeboard Suite by Dima Kozyrev-001.png
        Kneeboard Suite by Dima Kozyrev-002.png
        Kneeboard Suite by Dima Kozyrev-003.png

 

 

[Captain Orso]

When you import a PDF with multiple pages into KBB it takes the name of the PDF and adds consecutive 3 or 4 digit number to the ending: eg My_Kneeboard_Pages.pdf (contains 3 pages) - output: My_Kneeboard_Pages-001.jpg My_Kneeboard_Pages-002.jpg My_Kneeboard_Pages-003.jpg.

When you add they to  a kneeboard, they get a prefix to keep the order of groups.

Given
Group: My_Kneeboard_Pages
My_Kneeboard_Pages-001.jpg 
My_Kneeboard_Pages-002.jpg 
My_Kneeboard_Pages-003.jpg

Group: More_Pages
More_Pages-001.jpg
More_Pages-002.jpg
More_Pages-003.jpg
More_Pages-004.jpg

Added to you kneeboard folder of the aircraft in question:

0001-My_Kneeboard_Pages-001.jpg 
0001-My_Kneeboard_Pages-002.jpg 
0001-My_Kneeboard_Pages-003.jpg
0002-More_Pages-001.jpg
0002-More_Pages-002.jpg
0002-More_Pages-003.jpg
0002-More_Pages-004.jpg

That's the whole magic. There is nothing stopping you from doing that manually, and if you have some nice tools like PDF24 Toolbox and Total Commander, it makes you life much easier to manage your kneeboard files.

[Hammer1-1]

are there any alternatives for this app? Ive used it for years, but tried using it for the first time in a while today and seems like its broken now.

[Rudel_chw]

24 minutes ago, Hammer1-1 said:

are there any alternatives for this app? Ive used it for years, but tried using it for the first time in a while today and seems like its broken now.

There are many apps that can convert PDF into PNG or JPG, but none that is tailored specifically to DCS… by any chance, do you have the MB339?

[Hammer1-1]

Yes I do...

[Rudel_chw]

7 hours ago, Hammer1-1 said:

Yes I do...

 

The KB is working on my PC with the latest DCS, like this:

 

 

However, there is a known incompatibility with the MB.339 ... can you try the following: disable the MB.339 on the Module manager (not delete, just disable) and try KB again?

[Snacko]

15 hours ago, Hammer1-1 said:

are there any alternatives for this app? Ive used it for years, but tried using it for the first time in a while today and seems like its broken now.

Look at my post above.

The error handling in this app is lacking.  I had moved some folders around manually, outside the app.  I finally found out that was the problem.  I had broken the app's naming conventions for it's file structure.  Once I fixed that, it worked fine again.

[Hammer1-1]

4 hours ago, Rudel_chw said:

 

The KB is working on my PC with the latest DCS, like this:

 

 

However, there is a known incompatibility with the MB.339 ... can you try the following: disable the MB.339 on the Module manager (not delete, just disable) and try KB again?

yeah Ill give that a shot and report back.

[Hammer1-1]

On 1/7/2024 at 10:04 AM, Rudel_chw said:

 

The KB is working on my PC with the latest DCS, like this:

 

 

However, there is a known incompatibility with the MB.339 ... can you try the following: disable the MB.339 on the Module manager (not delete, just disable) and try KB again?

Did that, didnt work. Still giving me that error. Ill review others posts shortly and see if I can get it working.

On 1/7/2024 at 10:26 AM, Snacko said:

Look at my post above.

The error handling in this app is lacking.  I had moved some folders around manually, outside the app.  I finally found out that was the problem.  I had broken the app's naming conventions for it's file structure.  Once I fixed that, it worked fine again.

---------------------------
There was an error!
---------------------------
Use Ctrl + C to copy this error and e-mail it to s13solutions@gmail.com :  

 System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null.

Parameter name: path

   at System.IO.Directory.GetParent(String path)

   at KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.BackupAircraftDefaultGroups(String _origPath)

   at KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.LoadAircraftData()

   at KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.Initilization()

   at KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel..ctor()

   at KneeboardBuilder.Views.MainView..ctor()
---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------

This is the issue I am seeing. FYI, I have it installed in B:/DCS World Open Beta and not at the default location. Oddly, this thing asks me to update at the first run too; it will download a 0 bit winzip folder and call it quits immediately afterwards. I havent read the whole UP THERE just yet, but Im reading so bear with me.

Edit: nope, different issue.

No, I do not have any mods. I just uninstalled DCS and deleted everything DCS related on my game drives and saved games folders for an entirely new clean slate last week, and that is how it will remain for a while.

Edited January 9 by Hammer1-1

[GoNgO_83]

Any fix for this error? It started with newest DCS update

[Rudel_chw]

56 minutes ago, GoNgO_83 said:

Any fix for this error? It started with newest DCS update

 

I get the error too:

 

---------------------------

There was an error!

---------------------------

Use Ctrl + C to copy this error and e-mail it to s13solutions@gmail.com : 

 

 System.ArgumentNullException: El valor no puede ser nulo.

Nombre del parámetro: path

   en System.IO.Directory.GetParent(String path)

   en KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.BackupAircraftDefaultGroups(String _origPath)

   en KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.LoadAircraftData()

   en KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.Initilization()

   en KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel..ctor()

   en KneeboardBuilder.Views.MainView..ctor()

 

 

I will ping @AlaskanGrizzly just in case, but he hasn't been on the Forum since November   ... pity, as this is a Utility that I employ very often.

 

[GoNgO_83]

It's a good tool. Too bad if it were the end of it. I thought it was some mod that breaks it, like SU30 as I had issues with it previously but it was disabled and had no change to DCS or builder prior to update  

[hotstick]

Same error !

---------------------------
There was an error!
---------------------------
Use Ctrl + C to copy this error and e-mail it to s13solutions@gmail.com :  

 System.ArgumentNullException: La valeur ne peut pas être null.
Nom du paramètre : path
   à System.IO.Directory.GetParent(String path)
   à KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.BackupAircraftDefaultGroups(String _origPath)
   à KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.LoadAircraftData()
   à KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.Initilization()
   à KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel..ctor()
   à KneeboardBuilder.Views.MainView..ctor()
---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------
 

[Morpheus]

13 hours ago, hotstick said:

Same error !

---------------------------
There was an error!
---------------------------
Use Ctrl + C to copy this error and e-mail it to s13solutions@gmail.com :  

 System.ArgumentNullException: La valeur ne peut pas être null.
Nom du paramètre : path
   à System.IO.Directory.GetParent(String path)
   à KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.BackupAircraftDefaultGroups(String _origPath)
   à KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.LoadAircraftData()
   à KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel.Initilization()
   à KneeboardBuilder.Viewmodels.MainViewModel..ctor()
   à KneeboardBuilder.Views.MainView..ctor()
---------------------------
OK   
---------------------------
 

Same here since May 2023 no solution for me.

Fr: idem depuis Mai 2023, pas de solution pour moi.

 

[hotstick]

I also use it commonly and if the author can no longer maintain this application it's a disaster.

[sobe]

My copy is still working in Win11.  I have no idea why that is.

[MAXsenna]

My copy is still working in Win11.  I have no idea why that is.

What modules don't you have?

Sent from my SM-A536B using Tapatalk

[sobe]

I have most authorized planes and as far as I know, I do  not have any user mod planes.  I guess I am just lucky.