In-Game Scratchpad Mod Available - Works Great In VR!

[Binary]

@imacken I don’t have plans to work on that myself. However, I hope that the extensions make it possible for someone else to jump in and move that into an extension so people don’t have to run both tools (and I myself do not have the responsibility of maintaining that feature).

To anyone interested in jumping in, extensions have access to the coordinates, see the following example: NS430 Extension.

[jnr4817]

@Draken35

can you share your progress. I’d like to do the same thing for the h-60 mod. 

Edited July 3, 2023 by jnr4817

[imacken]

This looks really useful.

Can you tell me how to make it work in the Hornet?  With ScrachpadPlus, I go to HSI>DATA and select PRECISE.  Go to required waypoint, press INSERT on the Scratchpad window and the new waypoint is created.  I just get am error when using your version when I do that process.

What is the way to get this working?  Thanks a lot.

[Recluse]

I tried it in the Hornet using exactly the same process as I used with SP Plus. Worked for me just fine.  I didn't use the WSS or WDES parameters, just set the HSI to my desired start WP and let her rip since:

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WSS and WDes currently have no function and the load sequence will start (and override) the currently selected waypoint

 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by Recluse

[imacken]

Can you tell me what exactly you are doing as it is not working for me. The elevation goes in, but the coords just show ERROR on the UFC.  SP+ working OK still.

[Recluse]

I will make a short video.  MEANWHILE, you should know that there are TIMING issues that come into play sometimes with very fast framerates, that error condition occurs.

 

Usually I fly in VR, and it isn't an issue, but in 2D I would often get the errors.  Oddly enough, I tested in 2D, and everything worked fine.  You can try adding a delay by editing the first line of the 02-QWERTY_KB and Load Coordinates.lua file int he Scratchpad\Extensions folder

 

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local TICKS = 1 -- To slow down processing, increase this number

Will upload video shortly

[imacken]

Thank you so much. That was it. Changed the value to 2 and all working well now.  

I'll try it on the F-15 now.

[Recluse]

OK,  I just tried it again, and you DEFINITELY  will have to edit the TICKS parameter to slow things down.   (Or fly in VR) It originally worked for me because I used the coordinates I generated in the Mirage 2000 which were NOT precise, and they entered into the HORNET correctly with no errors even in 2D.  When I generated coordinates starting from the HORNET, I did get the PRECISE coordinates and it ERRORED out when loading.  I had exactly the same issue with SP Plus, actually, but @Draken35 made some edits to the lua to add delays.

 

EDIT: Our posts crossed.  Glad you got it working!!!!!

Edited July 3, 2023 by Recluse

[imacken]

Thanks for that. Yes, as I said above, @Recluse's advice to increase the TICKS value to 2 made it work well. 

[Recluse]

Well, when I started making the Video, I got errors, and, as posted above, I realized that I was re-using coordinates I had captured from another aircraft (MIRAGE) and the non-Precise coordinates seemed to transfer correctly into the Hornet without changing timing.   I will still do a video one of these days 

Still having issues getting ANYTHING to work in the M2000, though. Odd..

[Binary]

@Draken35 Thanks for jumping in and for the suggestions. 

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- Make the definition of coordinate types per plane a external configuration (sort of a required extension). This will allow to add other planes without touching the base code.

I agree that this would be nice to have, on the other hand, having it integrate into the Scratchpad increases the chances that someones comes around and contributes a configuration for everyone, instead of just updating their local config for themselves.

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- Make coordsType() available to extensions

I can do that. Probably only makes sense though if the formatting stays integrated. What would your use-case be?

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- remove the coordinates formatting and insertion code from insertCoordinates(), leaving only the call to the listeners and make that code an extension

It shares the same concern as mentioned above. There is less incentive for people to contribute configurations for everyone to use. However, I like the gained flexibility! One thing that I/we would have to figure out is, how to handle planes that don't have a dedicated extension. So basically the current fallback that just prints out the coordinates in all formats for unknown planes. I guess, for this to still work, the listener would need to know if an extension already actively reacted to the event.

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Lastly, the Harrier uses DMS and MGRS, not DDM.

Happy to accept a PR to fix that (otherwise I'll keep it in the back of by mind for the next time I am working on the Scratchpad).

[Captain Orso]

I vote for the output formatting to be in an individual config file.

1) There are very few aircraft which have any use for other than one format. If your aircraft doesn't support MGRS, why would you want it.

2) The few aircraft that I know can use one or the other format are A-10, AV-8, and F/A-18. So should there be 8 different add-ons, one for each possible combination of output-formats * aircraft? If a fourth aircraft comes along, then 16 different add-ons?

You need a list of aircraft designation the app gets back from DCS and a list of the output formats. Everyone plugs those into their config file they way they want them and that's it

Put a single post up--maybe the first in this thread--with all names and formats and if anything new comes along, put it there for all to find, easy-peasy.

Edited July 4, 2023 by Captain Orso

[jnr4817]

I'm Hoping we can get some support for the helos that have navigation 64, 60, 342, etc. Excellent work by all. 

Edited July 5, 2023 by jnr4817

[fargo007]

If you could provide a breakdown of what the code is doing (or richly comment it showing where the different numerical values are coming from and what they do) we might be able to contribute these parts in pull requests.   

[jnr4817]

10 hours ago, Draken35 said:

It has as much comments as the source from where I copied it   

 

Where did you copy it, the source that is? 

[TheRustyTigger]

Hello, I picked this up when I first started DCS about this time last year and it worked great.   I've finally got some time put aside to get back to DCS and started getting setup again, and I noticed that it's not creating a persistent file to read from in the saved games/dcs/scripts/scratchpad file although the readme mentions it.  When I created 0000.txt and put it there myself it had no effect, is this changed behavior from what I remember or do I have something in error here?   Minus it being a user error the one big difference is I'm on Win 11 now.   Other than that, it appears it is functioning as I recall although I haven't tried the newer functions.

[AdrianL]

1 hour ago, TheRustyTigger said:

saved games/dcs/scripts/scratchpad

it will be directly off the DCS folder i.e. saved games/dcs/scratchpad

From the readme 

Edited July 7, 2023 by AdrianL

[freehand]

Call me idiot I have only just discovered this tool lol.

[Recluse]

13 minutes ago, freehand said:

Call me idiot I have only just discovered this tool lol.

Better late than never!! Welcome to the party! It is a great tool ESPECIALLY in VR..

 

@TheRustyTigger

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When I created 0000.txt and put it there myself it had no effect, is this changed behavior from what I remember or do I have something in error here?   Minus it being a user error the one big difference is I'm on Win 11 now.   Other than that, it appears it is functioning as I recall although I haven't tried the newer functions.

I can confirm it still works and is persistent in the location indicated by @AdrianL  (Windows 10, though, but I think you just had the wrong location

 

null

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Recluse

[TheRustyTigger]

10 hours ago, AdrianL said:

it will be directly off the DCS folder i.e. saved games/dcs/scratchpad

From the readme 

 

 

9 hours ago, Recluse said:

Better late than never!! Welcome to the party! It is a great tool ESPECIALLY in VR..

 

@TheRustyTigger

I can confirm it still works and is persistent in the location indicated by @AdrianL  (Windows 10, though, but I think you just had the wrong location

 

null

 

 

Oh that's where I was getting hooked up, I interpreted it as it creating the files inside the scripts folder and it was just pointing in the general direction that it would be in saved games and not the main install. Understood.

However would just like to point out after 2 full DCS reinstalls, half a dozen mod reinstalls and dozens of DCS launches, this folder was never created.  Unfortunately I couldn't be able to tell you right away if it was a security setting of mine, windows 11, or idk.    I had just done a fresh reformat last week and updated to win11 so parts of it are still a bit raw to me.

I can confirm however that I just created the folder straight in the directory, moved over the 2 test txt files I made and they showed up right away, big thanks guys.    I'd rather have done something wrong, eat the fault and spend time figuring it out than stumble off blaming the mod when it wasn't its fault.

Edited July 7, 2023 by TheRustyTigger

[Recluse]

Just now, TheRustyTigger said:

 

I can confirm however that I just created the folder straight in the directory, moved over the 2 test txt files I made and they showed up right away, big thanks guys.    I'd rather have done something wrong and spend time figuring it out than stumble off blaming the mod when it wasn't its fault.

 

OK that does sound like some Windows 11 strangeness. As far as I can recall, the folder was created automatically, but I have been using ScratchPad in it's many iterations for so long that I cannot be 100% sure that I didn't create it at some point.  Important thing is that it is working now!!

[speed-of-heat]

Running fine on W11 here...

[12Sqn]

I downloaded the script version 0.7.0zip from Draken35. Our Squadron needs to enter WPs for a joint mission we are taking part in on the 22nd.  Several of us keep having the same 2 issues.

No1: WP1 does not transfer to the F18 correctly. Altitude for WP1 is spot on. WPs2-X transfer just fine.

No2: The "Scratchpad" folder does not create itself. The workaround suggested by "TheRustyTrigger" does work, apart from WP1.

Draken35, your work output is greatly appreciated.

Does anyone have any suggestions how I can rectify my issues? Thanks in anticipation.

[Recluse]

You can try increasing the TICKS parameter COULD be a timing issue.  I have seen something similar on occasion  The "fix" for me, if you can call it that, was to delete all but the first Waypoint and re-insert it in the WP1 position. Second time it seemed to work.

[12Sqn]

1 hour ago, Recluse said:

You can try increasing the TICKS parameter COULD be a timing issue.  I have seen something similar on occasion  The "fix" for me, if you can call it that, was to delete all but the first Waypoint and re-insert it in the WP1 position. Second time it seemed to work.

"Recluse", thankyou so much. I increased "TICKS" from 1 to 3. Now all my waypoints load, as expected. The "Scratchpad" folder is still missing, but that's the least of my concerns.

With answers like this "Recluse", I suggest you change your nomenclature to "Accessible". Only joking.