[*]Currently, you use the combobox beside the FS9 and FSX radio buttons to quick-select the FSX\SimObjects sub-folder. It has no apparent purpose for FS9 (and still displays the FSX folder-set). Yesterday, I thought you were using it to allow manual selection of the FS9/FSX path - until you set me straight. You may wish to reconsider. FSX folder selection is easily done from the folder tree and likely will be an infrequent occurence. On the other hand, if Microsoft changes the registry location for the FS9 and FSX base folders in its next 64-bit operating system (as it did with Vista), your application will be unuseable with that operating system. Using this area for manual selection of the path to FS if your app. doesn't find it automatically would avoid that potential difficulty.
I think that for the time being we won't see any new FS version any time soon. Some words about the logic for this part of the program.
Using the drive and folder combo you can select every locally available folder. So this guarantees that AI-Editor is always usable, even if for any reason it can't find neither FS9 nor FSX.
The two radio buttons and the combo box are to be seen as shortcuts to specific folders. Clicking on FS9 will bring you to "..\<FS9-Dir>\aircraft" folder while clicking on FSX leads to "..\FSX-Dir>\SimObjects".
During program load I check if FS9 is installed. If found, the FS9 radio button is enabled. Then I check for FSX. If found, the FSX radio button is enabled and I check if I find the fsx.cfg and can read the SimObjectPaths entries. If yes, I populate the combo box. This is helpful for users who use additional fsx aircraft folder outside the SimObjects\* path. They can quickly navigate to those.
If FSX is not found, the FSX radio button is disabled, and if I can't find and verify SimObjectPaths entries the combo box is disabled as well.
[*]What is the purpose of the multi-line text box in the lower-left-hand corner which now displays the name of the .air file. Is it still needed now that you handle the .air file on the mt&a tab?
Here you see all airfiles assigned in the currently loaded aircraft.cfg. And here you can change the type between AI/Heli/Normal. While you select different [fltsim.x] sections you can see what airfile is assigned to it because the selection in the list box will change.
This is
not the place where you can change the assignment of airfile in the [fltsim.x] section (sim='airfile'). This is done on the respective tab where you can also change texture, model and (in future) sound.
[*]I urge you once again not to use the .air file to control whether or not the AI variants are displayed in the Select Aircraft window. First of all, that selection applies to all variants in the aircraft.cfg file, whether or not for AI use. If someone uses that airfile for another aircraft (not an infrequent occurence among AI developers), it could take them a long while to figure out why their new aircraft won't display in the Select Aircraft window if you have so modified it. This capability is not well-known. I know of no other utility that includes it and the setting is not otherwise apparent. While I'm sure AI Aircraft Editor will appear on most FS-users' desktops, I suspect the effects of this feature will be frequent topics in your support forum. It appears you can acomplish the same thing for both FS9 and FSX by commenting-out the "ui_" items for the individual variants. (My last words on the subject.)
I developed that feature after a well known and widely used utility
AI BBQ (click to see on AVSIm). If AI and non-AI variants are dealt within the same aircraft.cfg file, in AI-Editor you would have to make the change for all airfiles referred to. The issue I have always found discussed on several boards and also have seen myself was that AI aircraft were visible, not the other way round. But I make sure that this is thoroughly explained in the documentation.
You are using at least two font sizes in the various text boxes which, incidentally, are taller than necessary. If you standardized on the smaller font (which seems quite adequate) and re-size the text boxes, you could substantially reduce the height of your main screen (which solves half your problem with users with lo-res monitors).
The size is set identical in all controls. On my screen only the new one on the lower left side (with the airfiles) looks bold and although it drives me mad I have not yet found out the reason.
But I will !
On my screen (1600*1200) the fonts are good readable, but I would not want to have them any smaller. Can you give me an example from your screen at what control the font seems to be smaller and where it seems to be larger, please.
- Could you display the currently assigned model, texture and .air files for the selected AI variant without requiring the user to click the "fltsim.x" label
- Why do you need the "selected [fltsim.x] title" column? Isn't it always going to be the same as the item selected in the main listbox? If not, use of this page could get quite confusing.
- The title for the .air file section is "currently assigned flight model". While this is not incorrect, you refer to it as "Airfile" on the tab header. To avoid confusion, why not use "Airfile" (or whatever) in both places.
- The three buttons in the lower righthand corner of this tab become enabled even if there is only a single option available - and, hence, nothing to change.
It was late in the night....
I Think I know what you mean and have it re-designed. Better this way?
[*]Do you need both text boxes and combo boxes for display of model, texture and air files? A combo box normally displays the currently selected item in its text field, making the text box above it superfluous.
No, from a programmers perspective this is not needed. I do it this way because I have often received the feedback that this seems to be easier to understand on first look.
You are entitled to download the current version 
