DCS stopped recognizing SimAppPro

[Lennykka]

I have WinWing-based setup with MIP, HOTAS Orion 2 and PTO2 panel. I run my system in Mixed Reality mode with Quesst 3, and I've created my own .lua configuration file for the monitor setup, so that I only use SimAppPro for lighting and UFC control. My system has run perfectly this way for several months, until yesterday.

Now, WinWing devices' lighting control with DCS is lost, and UFC displays (few character displays next to the round buttons) only show the initial 'XXXX's. All other functionality works fine, i.e. all the switches and buttons do their thing (I guess over standard USB drivers), and MIP-displays also work fine (over their display driver presumably).

I tried few "Fix" buttons within SimAppPro, but with no help. For example, my Export.lua file only contains calls to WinWing's own lua configuration file, so there is not much to fix. Interestingly though, SimAppPro (?) seems to generate double calls for wwt scripts:

local wwtlfs=require('lfs')
dofile(wwtlfs.writedir()..'Scripts/wwt/wwtExport.lua')
local wwtlfs=require('lfs')
dofile(wwtlfs.writedir()..'Scripts/wwt/wwtExport.lua')

Anyway, after some testing, I noticed that behavior within DCS is exactly the same as when I don't have SimAppPro running at all. So, somehow DCS stopped recognizing SimAppPro.

Any hints how to fix this? Re-install SimAppPro?

[rob10]

Just to make sure, literally the only thing you have in your export.lua is the WinWing lines?  You're not using SRS or Tacview or anything else that's dropping lines in it?  I only ask because SimAppPro can be picky about where it is within the list.

[Lennykka]

After hitting "Repair Lua" button in SimAppPro, this is the complete contents of Export.lua file in Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Scripts directory:

local wwtlfs=require('lfs')
dofile(wwtlfs.writedir()..'Scripts/wwt/wwtExport.lua')

I have TacView installed, but no references for that in Export.lua, only separate TacviewGameExport.lua file in the same directory. I have not manually touched Export.lua, so not sure what writes stuff there or when.

Anyhow, I also checked Export.lua contents while DCS is running, it remains what is listed above.

For mixed reality, I use OpenKneeBoard and there seems to be one .lua and .dll in Hooks sub-directory as well. Other than that, clean DCS installation.

I tried to update SimAppPro, but that seems to never finish / complete, so perhaps re-isntallation is the best bet.

[Lennykka]

Tried to remove SimAppPro with Winows remove app functioanlity, and re-installed the latest SimAppPro version. This did not help to fix my issue.

I noticed that if I have "Repaired Lua" with SimAppPro button, or manually edited Export.lua contents to this

local wwtlfs=require('lfs')
dofile(wwtlfs.writedir()..'Scripts/wwt/wwtExport.lua')

then every time I re-launch SimAppPro, it automatically modifies Export.lua contents to his:

local wwtlfs=require('lfs')
dofile(wwtlfs.writedir()..'Scripts/wwt/wwtExport.lua')
local wwtlfs=require('lfs')
dofile(wwtlfs.writedir()..'Scripts/wwt/wwtExport.lua')

I'm not sure if that is related to my issue, but looks like SimAppPro does not recognize existing contents it has created, Updating to the latest SimAppPro version did not have any impact on this behavior, i.e. it was there with the earlier version and it is there with the latest version.

[Despayre]

You said you had Tacview installed, does it work?

I ask because, Tacview also adds an entry to the export.lua file, "local Tacviewlfs=require('lfs');dofile(Tacviewlfs.writedir()..'Scripts/TacviewGameExport.lua')".

If that line isn't in your export.lua file, but Tacview still works, I'm wondering if you've set the wrong path for DCS in SAP, and you're writing to the wrong file maybe?

[Lennykka]

Good point! Hitting "Repair Lua" button in SimAppPro clears Export.lua file contents, except for WinWing stuff. So, I indeed got Tacview entry removed from Export.lua.

Saved Games\DCS.openbeta\Logs\dcs.log shows bunch of lines for TacView, even if the proper configuration is missing from Export.lua. But it seems I always get the line

2025-03-30 17:47:55.135 INFO    TACVIEW.DLL (Main): Discarding [[configured_path]\Tacview-20250330-204522-DCS-Persian Gulf FA-18C Aerial Refueling.zip.acmi] (because its duration of 0.00s is shorter than the minimum of 10.00s configured in the options.)

in dcs.log, if Export.lua does not contain the proper TacView entry., thus no TacView file generated.

Anyway, I should be working with correct directories and files. But what I'm now wondering is that when I start SimAppPro, I can see on "Environment Check" tab that "Program initialization phase" shows all green. But when I start DCS launcher, it seems "2. Game launching phase" and "3. Simulation initialization phase" do not complete successfully (or at least not all entries are green).

Should I get all three phases to green? 

[Lennykka]

Still struggling with this. I contacted WinWing support, and they kindly organized remote debugging session. WinWing engineer tried pretty much the same stuff I've already tested, so no root cause identified. Anyway, after > 100 test runs (start SimAppPro, try "Repair Lua", start DCS, try different order, wait for different amount of times between actions, etc.) I can say this:

• I can make everything working fine about 1 out of 20 test runs - but completely randomly - with these steps: start SimAppPro, hit "Repair Lua" button, start DCS.
  However, WinWing UFC + panel lighting ONLY work for the first flight during the same DCS session, on the consecutive flights WinWing loses the link to DCS and lighting + UFC stop working.
• Since it is possible to make it working in ~5 % test runs, it is not a hardware issue
• Since lighting and UFC work only randomly, it sounds to me it is timing issue / race condition between some SW components (unknown to me) on some resource (some .lua file?).
• The issue emerged between two different DCS sessions without doing anything explicit to the setup, neither for HW nor SW. So, either some SW was automatically updated (not WinWing, not DCS) or something got corrupted.

I hope WinWing people can come up with some new ideas to resolve the issue.

[Lennykka]

Just to record a solution for my issue: since SimAppPro started to behave in an undefined way, I wanted to try to do a clean re-install for SimAppPro:

1. Un-install SimAppPro with Windows "Remove app"
2. Remove ..\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\SimAppPro directory
3. Remove ..\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\simapppro-updater directory
4. Fresh install of SimAppPro

It turned out that this method was good enough to overcome issue on my setup, and now SimAppPro and DCS are working perfectly together!

However, it still remains a mystery what caused the issue in the first place, perhaps updated anti-virus program messed up with SimAppPro update, or then just some file got corrupted. 

[steeleagle15]

Anyone have any other solutions to the UFC and ICP panels not displaying  what is in DCS when playing. My panels just fault to the display symbols and never change when game is started. I have even moved the panels to a different computer and it worked the first time. After that it's not working. Contacted Winwing support not much help there. Buttons work when playing but no displays are working. MCD are working correctly. I have tried just about every thing in the forum. Deleted simapppro as Lennykka has stated even DCS and tried again no luck. Did lua repair still no displays. Winwing is the only thing that is in the scripts folder. I'm looking at two choices, Nuke windows try from scratch or package the winwing products up and send it back to Amazon. Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated. 

[rob10]

Not sure what it might be blocking, but if it works once then not again I'd be checking your anti-virus logs.  Sounds like it might be blocking something.

[steeleagle15]

Thanks rob10. I have my anti virus disabled from simapppro and dcs. I’m kinda trying to figure why the displays are not syncing with Dcs when buttons still work. Thought deleting them would help me out. Unfortunately it doesn’t work. Thinking something in windows is blocking it