How to create AI-flightplans

[GHD]

Forget about TTools, this is 2008 not '05 and we need to use native FSX methods and true native fsx bgl traffic files, especially in light of the "one version back" compatibility thing we will all have to deal with right now and in the future with the MSFS series.

I completely disagree with this statement. TDB imposes too many restrictions for which you yourself provide work-arounds. I still use TTools without any problems having converted the default traffic bgl to FS9 format.

 

[Mace]

This was fantastic!!!!! thank you Mace!!!! you're the best!!!

I get this error message: error: Unable to open country data in countries_regions.csv

what shall I do?

Sounds like you don't have countries_regions.csv in your working dir.

You should verify that you have a countries_regions.csv file in your working directory.

Countries_regions.csv is copied from the SDK...you use the exact file MS uses.

 

[Mace]

I Cant Get Tdbb To Work Plus I Dont Know What A Dos Box Is

Regards Adam

TDBB is a dos command-line tool. As Bert notes, one way to open a "dos box" is Start--->Run...--->cmd

You will need to be in the folder/dir where you are storing all of your source files for your AI project.

I use a file manager where I can instantly shell out to a DOS box with a keystroke...saves me a lot of typing in the dos command line.

 

[Mace]

'trafficdatabasebuilder' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

C:\Documents and Settings\USER>

REGARDS ADAM

Adam:

Windows is telling you that it can't find TDBB.

The file trafficdatabasebuilder.exe must reside in your working directory. You have to copy it there, from the SDK.

Run the command line from your working dir.

 

[Mace]

Hi Mace,

I have used your long-winded tutorial and without to big problems i produced a traffic_x.bgl however no traffic result at the airports involved, and also no error or any logfile in /StatsDir=D:\TEMP2

No log files? Something's wrong there. Does D:\TEMP2 exist?

If no log files are being produced, I'd say you are not getting a good traffic bgl.

You need to see your logfiles to know what is in your bgl...the log files will show a complete schedule of your flights.

Any hint for me? Is there any way to check the plans produced by the database as done during the TTools-days?
Thanks in advance.
Bert

The check is in the log files that TDBB produces. There you can see exactly what will be in the sim.

My suggestion would be, when you run your command line, many many lines of data will whizz by on your screen. A trick I use is to hit the 'Pause' key (on your keyboard, next to Scroll Lock) as soon as you execute the TDBB command line. This will FREEZE the screen output and you can verify any error messages you are getting at run-time.

You are probably getting multiple run-time errors and you don't know it, because the data shoots into the buffer quickly and disappears. Hitting pause as soon as you execute your TDBB command should allow you to see what is going on.

 

[GHD]

Since my post recommending TTools I see that you needed to post 4 replies to problems with TDB. Does this not tell you something

George

 

[beatle]

<<
Since my post recommending TTools I see that you needed to post 4 replies to problems with TDB. Does this not tell you something
>>

Yea, that today's developers are woefully unacquainted with the DOS command line box and how it works. Seems to me all CompSci students should have to take a class in using a Command Line Interface (I don't care if its DOS, UNIX, etc :-> )

 

[meshman]

withdrawn.

 

[GHD]

And those command line tools from MS don't like spaces in folder names either

That's not true, you just need to add quotes

But my posting is to say that MS has a nice little PowerToy available that once installed will allow a right click menu choice in Windows Explorer that will open a DOS box and the dreaded command line. Very handy!

Unfortunately this doesn't work with the latest and greatest Vista 64bit

George

 

[GHD]

Yea, that today's developers are woefully unacquainted with the DOS command line box and how it works. Seems to me all CompSci students should have to take a class in using a Command Line Interface (I don't care if its DOS, UNIX, etc :-> )

I am amazed at that statement. Microsoft have provided many tools to embed GUI into applications. Why can't Aces utilize these?

I don't have a degree in Computer Science but I have been programming for many operating systems and in many computer languages since 1959. Currently I develop programs in C++ and all of my programs have a GUI interface.

George

 

[beatle]

Build tools and content pipeline tools are sort of the exception to the rule of having GUIs these days. Even in Visual Studio, the tools that actually build the code (MSBuild, compilers, etc) are command line tools.

 

[Mace]

Since my post recommending TTools I see that you needed to post 4 replies to problems with TDB. Does this not tell you something

George

George

This is what often happens when I post about TDBB. The first response by someone is, "Quit using TDBB, just use TTools". Every...Single...Time.

...and you should note that my not responding to your post was by design, (basically, I'd rather not go there)

In essence you come into this thread about TDBB, telling people to use TTools...when it's a thread about TDBB, not TTools. That told me something all right.

I'm not tryin to prattle you, I am just pointing that out...

If you want to debate the merits of yes-its-hard-to-use TDBB vs. incompatible-with-FS11 TTools I would implore you to please do it in another thread. You are of course free to continue with TTools in this thread as is your wont but I don't want to talk about TTools here.

 

[GHD]

Sorry Rhett,

This thread is not about TDBB. The original post was "How to create AI-flightplans". As they say there is more than one way to skin a cat

George

 

[ccartmel]

DOS box - easy way.

I used TDBB regularly and got fed up with the error messages and halts. During this time I used the DOS box (Command prompt regularly, and to facilitate this I located the cmd.exe command and placed a shortcut on both the desktop and start menu. I created batch files to switch drives and directories as I needed and to run TDBB against a flightplan file, the other filenames being fixed as they included all airports and aircraft on my installation.
I now use AIFPC for all my AI needs. As Ultimate Traffic X does NOT produce FSX format traffic files I use this utility to convert them to FSX format. This goes through an intemediate TTools stage in which I edit files using Notepad.
I am not aware of any problems with this excepting for Touch and Go flights - I handle these through TDBB as there are only a few customised at my local airport.

I have several utilities which combine well, but none of which provide a total solution. I am therefore blowing the cobwebs off my VB.NET skills to build a solution which will:

1. Read all installed aircraft and create an aircraft csv file
2. Read all airports in from an airport 'dump' file
3. read in existing flight plans
4. combine above data to provide a search facility and allow user friendly descriptions of flights found
5. Allow creation of new flights with multiple legs if necessary
6. Compile to FSX format

Skills are rusty as VB6 was my forte, but getting there. Don't watch this space however as I have other thing to do.

Regards

 

[Mr.E]

Sounds like you don't have countries_regions.csv in your working dir.

You should verify that you have a countries_regions.csv file in your working directory.

Countries_regions.csv is copied from the SDK...you use the exact file MS uses.

I have copied the Countries_regions.csv. But it still dont work!

 

[Frankis]

I used TDBB regularly and got fed up with the error messages and halts. During this time I used the DOS box (Command prompt regularly, and to facilitate this I located the cmd.exe command and placed a shortcut on both the desktop and start menu. I created batch files to switch drives and directories as I needed and to run TDBB against a flightplan file, the other filenames being fixed as they included all airports and aircraft on my installation.
I now use AIFPC for all my AI needs. As Ultimate Traffic X does NOT produce FSX format traffic files I use this utility to convert them to FSX format. This goes through an intemediate TTools stage in which I edit files using Notepad.
I am not aware of any problems with this excepting for Touch and Go flights - I handle these through TDBB as there are only a few customised at my local airport.

I have several utilities which combine well, but none of which provide a total solution. I am therefore blowing the cobwebs off my VB.NET skills to build a solution which will:

1. Read all installed aircraft and create an aircraft csv file
2. Read all airports in from an airport 'dump' file
3. read in existing flight plans
4. combine above data to provide a search facility and allow user friendly descriptions of flights found
5. Allow creation of new flights with multiple legs if necessary
6. Compile to FSX format

Skills are rusty as VB6 was my forte, but getting there. Don't watch this space however as I have other thing to do.

Regards

I built "Aisort" using vb6 and it does all those things.
Regards Frank

 

[ccartmel]

AIsort and VB6

Frank,
Ok on VB6 for AISORT. I used VB6 professionally for a while, but since I moved away from the development environment into strategy then retirement I no longer have the tools or the re-training in VB.NET.
I am using VB Express now as of necessity.

I have used AISORT but have problems with the non identification of airport ICAOs although the airports file seems to have loaded OK. All seems set-up OK.

My objective is to provide a utility that can examine aircraft, airports, and flightplans in detail and to produce reports as well as flight plan management. The main challenge is getting the data into the database in a structured way (TNF). Getting the data out and updating it should be no problem as data, data access, and BIS were my specialisms.

Need to revive some of the old brain cells though!

 

[Frankis]

Frank,
Ok on VB6 for AISORT. I used VB6 professionally for a while, but since I moved away from the development environment into strategy then retirement I no longer have the tools or the re-training in VB.NET.
I am using VB Express now as of necessity.

I have used AISORT but have problems with the non identification of airport ICAOs although the airports file seems to have loaded OK. All seems set-up OK.

My objective is to provide a utility that can examine aircraft, airports, and flightplans in detail and to produce reports as well as flight plan management. The main challenge is getting the data into the database in a structured way (TNF). Getting the data out and updating it should be no problem as data, data access, and BIS were my specialisms.

Need to revive some of the old brain cells though!

Sounds like a good idea, Aisort is a prog which I put together and added routines as I needed them while converting and later adding and editing my Ai flight plans although it does what I want it's realy become a bit o a dinosaur and adding more Will only make it too unstable, and while Ive looked at VB 2008 Express Edition I think the changes in language may be a little to much for this old brain (I cut started on a Vic 20).
I look forward to see what you come up with.
Regards Frank

 

[bertvk]

No log files? Something's wrong there. Does D:\TEMP2 exist?

If no log files are being produced, I'd say you are not getting a good traffic bgl.

You need to see your logfiles to know what is in your bgl...the log files will show a complete schedule of your flights.

The check is in the log files that TDBB produces. There you can see exactly what will be in the sim.

hi Mace,
Thanks for your reply.
The main problem i had is solved now; i have the log files of the TDBB.
I think it had something to do with opening the EXEL.csv files.
As I am in the Netherlands, i have the dot-comma problem; i have to change the regional setting from US to Europe!
I re-arranged the whole WorkingDIR and after that things wore working...

Still some minor problems, but i think i can handle them with the help of the Traffic-SDKpart.
And if not... i know to find you again
BTW i am working for years with the DOSbox, donn't worry as others did in this thread...

Regards.
Bert

 

[ccartmel]

VB.NET v VB6

Frank,
I know this is tangental to this thread (Moderators you may wish to move any posts to another thread), but you are right. VB.NET is a totally different animal and requires new knowledge. The generated code is readable enough, but writing it is another issue. In my working life I was designing strategies to find the most cost-effective way to move legacy VB4,5 and 6 code into VB.NET and found that the traditional programmers who had originally written the application really struggled in converting to the new programming style. Without the requisite training the learning process was arduous and s/w was poorly written.
By comparing the effort employed by trained but inexperienced developers against experienced traditional developers I found that the new boys returned a better product which was easier to maintain and took less time in on-going support as it was object oriented and therefore more modular whilst the traditional was just one (or a few) large programs which after amendment or enhancement needed 5 times more testing effort and debugging. Costs were in the millions rather than the expected (by the board) tens of thousands.
My ex-wife told me recently that the lack of training has now bitten back as VB6 usage has now been discontinued and only 20 of the 120 small system developers are 'fluent' in .NET.