File - Home - Map - View tabs greyed out and can't set connection parameters

[jfail]

I am installing Plan-G on a network.  Setup the simconnect.xml on the FSX computer.  Installed Plan-G on the client.  When I start Plan-G on the client the File - Home - Map - View tabs are greyed out and I cannot select them.   So of course, I can't set the communications parameters on the client.  Obviously I am missing something important.

[larshgf]

Be sure that your Plan-G computer can "see" your FS-PC. The you have to built the database in Plan-G by pressing the FSX button.

[jfail]

Thanks larshgf.

I could not get simconnect.xml to work so put that one on the shelf (I'll come back to that later and troubleshoot it).  So I decided to go  with FSUIPC and WIDEFS. They both show me properly connected across the network.  I still cannot find the Global Options tab so that I can connect as per the manual on page 95 of the manual.  I still have all of the tabs greyed out and cannot setup the connection options. 

Page 97 Step 8 of the manual says "In the Global Options FS Connection Tab Of Plan-G, Select "FSUIPC" as the connection method."

I get all the way from Step 1 though 7 of this procedure but there is no "Global Options" tab appearing on the screen.

I loaded Plan-G on the FSX computer and everything went just fine.  So it is only on a client that I have the problem.  I have to assume the network is fine since FSUIPC and WIDEFS are talking to each other ok.

[tim arnot]

Building the database has nothing to do with Simconnect or FSUIPC, since it is purely to do with reading scenery files.

You MUST build the database before you can do anything else in Plan-G. Instructions for doing this across a LAN are in the manual starting on page 6.

If you have already installed Plan-G on the FS PC, you can also simply copy the database onto the network client PC.

[jfail]

I finally wound up copying the database files from the \TA Software\Plan-g\Data folder on the FSX machine over to the client.

For some reason I cannot get Windows 7 to allow me access to the \Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator folder.  I have been able to share any other folder on that computer with any other computer on the network but not the Program Files folder.  I have tried many times to set sharing - permissions - advanced sharing to allow access to that folder from a client to the FSX computer but have never been successful.

I guess I will just live with copying the databases from the TA Software folder over to the client and run them from there.

I ran Plan-G and all seemed normal.  When I clicked on Connect, Plan-G displayed a map for the airport I was at (KSEA) and then a couple of seconds after that Plan-G crashed.  It now crashes within 10 seconds after I start Plan-G.

Log file(s) attached.  I deleted the first attached log file and started Plan-G again which crashed after about 5 seconds after I started it.  The second attachment is that log file.

[tim arnot]

Program Files is a heavily protected area within Windows 7; you'll never be able to get remote access to it. Which is why it's recommended never to install things like FS there.

The only commonality I can see with your crashes is that it appears to be downloading weather at the time. You could try turning off the weather download in Options.

[jfail]

I disabled the weather in options.  WideFS and FSUIPC show connected.  2-5 seconds after I click on connect Plan-G crashes.

log attached again.

[tim arnot]

Try turning off the AI traffic display.

[jfail]

That seems to have fixed the problem. 

I went to File > Options > Traffic - Unchecked Aircraft Moving and Show Trail.  Exited Plan-G and restarted.  Seems to be working ok.  I also use Super Traffic Board from FlyingWSimulations (I am a beta tester for him) as well as Ultimate Traffic 2, MyTrafficX and REX.  They are used across the network from the same client PC that Plan-G is on.  Perhaps there is some interaction between one or more of them with Plan-G causing the crash cured by turning off the Traffic?

I use a simconnect.xml on them as well with no problems.  I could not get Plan-G to work on simconnect.xml so had to fall back on FSUIPC and WideFS for the time being.  I had modified the simconnect.xml contained in the user folder to use the code from the manual but I am not doing something right.  Everytime I modified it to include the code from the Plan-G manual all of my other programs (REX, SuperTrafficBoard etc.) stopped working on the network.  When I took out that code everything worked ok again so I am messing up some place in it.  I am attaching the .xml file, if you can look at it I would appreciate knowing what I am doing wrong.  It was originally .xml but I renamed the file to .txt so that the forum would allow me to upload it.  The upper part of the simconnect is the original code that worked with my other utility (STB), the lower part is what I added for Plan-G.

I changed from KSEA to KJFK on FSX and Plan-G followed nicely but when I used the mouse wheel to zoom in the display I got the error attached.  I just clicked Yes and Plan-G went right on working.

I am planning to uninstall FSX and all of my addons and re-install in a \FSX folder to make life a bit easier.  A massive job since I have an incredible amount of scenery, aircraft, utilities, airports etc. to re-install but I think its for the better.

Thanks for the help, donation coming very shortly.

John

[tim arnot]

I *think* PG should be able to piggyback off the Simconnect settings you have for your other programs. The MaxClients value is set to 10, so provides you have fewer than 10 connections there shouldn't be a problem. Just set the port number in the Plan-G connection dialog to 15300. The only caveat is that Plan-G will ony work with the SP2/Acceleration version of SimConnect, so if your other programs are loading the RTM or SP1 versions, PG will likely not be able to connect.

Thanks for the pic of the script error - I'll take a look into it.

You have my sympathies - I had to rebuild my FS PC at the beginning of the year, and it's still not got everything back how I want it!

[jfail]

Thanks Tim.

I have the "Gold" version which includes Acceleration so that should not be a problem.  I will probably start the uninstall process tomorrow.  I'll deal with the simconnect thing after I have rebuilt everything.

Thanks for the sympathy, I am NOT looking forward to this!

I'll let you know after it is all done.

[jfail]

Hi Tim

I have FSX all reinstalled and everything working again, a VERY long job.  I started out with FSUIPC/WIDEFS on Plan-G which works fine.

I wanted to use Simconnect.xml instead of FSUIPC/WIDEFS with Plan-G. so I then uninstalled Plan-G so I had a clean install of Plan-G to work with.  I restarted Plan-G setting it up to use SimConnect instead of FSUIPC/WIDEFS.  Still no joy, when I click Connect in Plan-G I get a time out error with no connection.

The paths setup in Plan-G are correct (Z:\FSX, Z:\Users\xxxx\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\FSX).  Plan-G builds the databases just fine so it is seeing FSX on the FSX computer.  I setup Plan-G to use Simconnect, IPV-4, Z:\FSX, Port 15300 (See attached SimConnect.xml file).  The Simconnect.xml file is located in the FSX.cfg folder on the FSX computer.  I presume I do not need a Simconnect.xml file on the client computer?  Plan-G is installed only on the client computer and not on the FSX computer.

I added the code in the lower part of the .xml file, the original code that existed in the SimConnect.xml file is in the top.  I tried changing the port from 15300 in the lower code to 15400 and vice versa with no difference.  I changed the port number in Plan-G each time I modified the port number in the SimConnect.xml file, exited Plan-G and restarted FSX on the FSX computer then restarted Plan-G on the client computer.

Obviously I still do not have something setup correctly.

[tim arnot]

I setup Plan-G to use Simconnect, IPV-4, Z:\FSX, Port 15300 (See attached SimConnect.xml file).

Are you saying you typed "Z:\FSX" in the SimConnect connection dialog? because if so, that is wrong. It should be the IP address, exactly  the same as in simconnect.xml.

[jfail]

you got it!!!!  I missed it completely that I should have put an IP address in there instead of a path to FSX.

Simconnect working fine now.  Wonderful program Tim.

Thanks again for all your help.  Hopefully this thread will be a help to others having trouble with Simconnect.

John