In-Development StatusDisplay - status.json / journal display and surface navigation assistant.

Brian of Ardagh

B
I finally got to set up my cockpit with the StatusDisplay app, it looks pretty cool with real data going to it behind the MFDs. I ran into a weird thing though, probably a small bug.

When I open the app, starting from scratch, and clicked on the MFD0 set button I got a totally green window. I couldn't get anything to show on the screen until I lucked on setting the X Border setting to something other than 0%, then I ended up with vertical lines on my green window. Setting the Y Border to 1% then created the rest of the on-screen graphics and everything was normal after that. I could then set the X and Y borders to 0% again with no issues.

I tried starting from default on my work laptop and it seems 0.0.3.7 shows the same issue.

Sadly, I need to rework the MFD attachment design, the industrial tape I bought was misrepresented by the seller as being suitable for attaching glass to smartphones and tablets. If it was it should have been strong enough to attach the MFDs to the LCD screen. Checking 3M's site I found it was more suitable for attaching nameplates or bonding foam.

I took a long look at 3M's recommendations and they make a double-sided tape for attaching control panels to an LCD screen. That would be 3M VHB 4941 tape.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Thanks again for a bug report. If you could post the contents of the INI file here, it'd be appreciated.

ETA: Tried it here and it does the same.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
More progress made - "orienteering" has now been renamed "Navigation".

There will be a json file, either co-located with the journals / status.json or with the executable itself, called "navigation.json".

This file will contain a list of json entries plus header and footer. Each entry can contain the location of a POI or a route. Each route can be either a point-to-point track or a circuit that will require one or more laps to complete. Example below (format not yet final):

Code: 
{ "timestamp":"2018-08-17T06:30:00Z", "event":"NavigationHeader" }
{ "timestamp":"2018-08-16T08:00:00Z", "event":"Route", "Name":"Test Route #1", "Creator":"Robert Maynard", "Type":"Test 1", "Class":"Test 2", "Body":"Test Body", "BodyID":0, "Radius":-1.0, "Waypoint":[ { "Name":"P0", "Latitude":0, "Longitude":0, "Proximity":-1.0, "Altitude":-1.0, "Time":-1 }, { "Name":"P1", "Latitude":0, "Longitude":1, "Proximity":-1.0, "Altitude":-1.0, "Time":-1 }, { "Name":"P2", "Latitude":0, "Longitude":2, "Proximity":-1.0, "Altitude":-1.0, "Time":-1 }, { "Name":"P3", "Latitude":0, "Longitude":3, "Proximity":-1.0, "Altitude":-1.0, "Time":-1 } ] }
{ "timestamp":"2018-08-17T06:35:00Z", "event":"POI", "Name":"Dav's Hope", "Creator":"Frontier", "Type":"Material Source", "Class":"N/A", "Body":"Hyades Sector DR-V C2-23 A 5", "BodyID":0, "Waypoint":[ { "Name":"Dav's Hope", "Latitude":44.8180, "Longitude":-31.3893 } ] }
{ "timestamp":"2018-08-17T06:30:00Z", "event":"NavigationFooter" }
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
After further deliberation, I've decided to attempt to expand the scope slightly and increase possible waypoint types to include docking at specific stations / planetary bases. This may take a bit longer....

In this way, routes need not be limited to a single landable body and could be, for example, a trip round the rare producing stations.

I've started creating my test route - based on a circuit of Dav's Hope, collecting data / materials. The image below is collated from the StatusDisplay recording (i.e. all journal and status.json lines in the order that they are published by the game) of seven laps:

unknown.png


"Gold" points are where collection occurred; grey points are on the circuit. With careful setting of proximity criteria (for determining whether a waypoint has been reached), this has provided a reasonable basis for the test route.

Continuing to refine the format of the POI / Route events - specifically the permissible fields for any position.
 
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Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Beta 0.0.3.9 released. Download link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...5/StatusDisplay_Beta_0.0.3.9_20180822-2118.7z

Change log:

1) Implement route (and POI, i.e. a route with only 1 waypoint) loading from navigation.json file; one line per route.
2) Parse route and implement route progress assessment, including lap counter for circuitous routes.
3) Modify Dest and Location displays to display current waypoint / total waypoints.
4) Define and document format of navigation.json; Navigation_Manual_v1.pdf included in distribution.

To do list:

1) Add waypoint count to Tiny display and re-order Tiny elements for easier / quicker reading.
2) Add inter-system route handling.
3) Improve parsing coverage of possible events listed in the Journal documentation.
4) Add defined buttons to display information read from the Journal.
5) Improve defined button display based on status.json information.

I've encountered a bug in the route feature when using a POI; should be fixed in Beta 0.0.4.0 which I expect to be able to release this evening.
 
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Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Beta 0.0.4.0 released. Download link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...8/StatusDisplay_Beta_0.0.4.0_20180823-2202.7z

Change log:

1) Issue with POI navigation (hopefully) solved.

To do list:

1) Add waypoint count to Tiny display and re-order Tiny elements for easier / quicker reading.
2) Add inter-system route handling.
3) Improve parsing coverage of possible events listed in the Journal documentation.
4) Add defined buttons to display information read from the Journal.
5) Improve defined button display based on status.json information.
 

Brian of Ardagh

B
Now that I see where you are going with the app I should have gotten a larger monitor; I think I could have mounted the MFDs alongside the TinyDest and main status window. Maybe I should get a few more 12in monitors! I do have room on my cockpit worktable and additional video outputs on my GTX 960 and the GTX 1070ti. I'm pushing the project with my wife at this point though.
 

Brian of Ardagh

B
Maybe I missed this but is there a condition under which the TinyDest window shows up when running ED? I don't think I understand why my window doesn't show, although the app might have gotten confused about which monitor it needs to render on.

EKim said:
We need to build a space ship's cockpit. :)

For example:
https://youtu.be/1OioywbXfnU :)
Click to expand...

That's quite the setup, I don't think that would fit in my 3m2 office room in the house though. I'll be happy enough just to have the cockpit chair and monitor setup, sadly it won't be interchangeable as I don't have any easy way to swap out the 12" monitors for the driving wheel. Too bad as I really wanted to drive the SRV with the wheel.

I ended up buying 2 more 12" monitors, and mounts to go with them, they will exist side by side with the central MFD monitor. I have some ideas about what to put on the screens but it won't be more MFDs, I don't need the extra controls. All of the auxiliary monitors (4 of them) will go on the GTX 960, the main 4k monitor and the 12" MFD monitor will connect to the GTX 1070 Ti GPU.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
There is (at the moment, that may change or be optional). If no positional information is available it will hide itself. If no destination is set then the elements relating to the destination will not be displayed (but CoG and SoG will remain, while positional information is available).
 

Brian of Ardagh

B
Robert Maynard said:
There is (at the moment, that may change or be optional). If no positional information is available it will hide itself. If no destination is set then the elements relating to the destination will not be displayed (but CoG and SoG will remain, while positional information is available).
Click to expand...

Okay, that explains why I don't see it, I'll give it a try next time I'm home. I would think this isn't really something I'd want on an auxiliary monitor although I'm wondering how well it will work with TrackIR.

Thanks.
 

Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Beta 0.0.4.1 released. Download link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...8/StatusDisplay_Beta_0.0.4.1_20180828-1726.7z

Change log:

1) Added /Publish and /ReadHere command line parameters to instruct StatusDisplay to write journal / status.json data as it comes in to the same directory that the executable is in and to read from that directory. Only one can be selected. Requires two copies of StatusDisplay to be running to function. Allows game information to be able to be displayed on a different PC.

To do list:

1) Add waypoint count to Tiny display and re-order Tiny elements for easier / quicker reading.
2) Add inter-system route handling.
3) Improve parsing coverage of possible events listed in the Journal documentation.
4) Add defined buttons to display information read from the Journal.
5) Improve defined button display based on status.json information.
 
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Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Teaser for next Beta release: new "Panel" window.

unknown.png


This is a user-configurable display of (up to) 144 elements, arranged in a 12 x 12 grid. Each element can be set to be either "null" or to one of the existing nine panels (i.e. Posn, Dest, Jrnl, Comms, Info, Time, Flags, Location or Trip). Assigned elements of the same type are automatically merged into "chunks", firstly horizontally and then vertically. The image above represents three set elements only and is 1200px x 105px - "null" elements are not drawn unless required (i.e. in "gaps" in the assigned elements). The window can be resized in the range 240px x 100px to 3840px x2160px.

[edit 1] After a bit more work, it seems that this approach could be used in the main overlay window, e.g.

unknown.png
unknown.png

The current overlay is on the left. The right hand image is a panel of 8 assigned elements in one column.

More thought required.

[edit 2] Having thought about it a bit more, I am inclined to replace the current main overlay with a panel. Then there's the fact that the centre of each MFD is a 4 x 5 grid that could also benefit from (optional) "chunk" merging by adding the panels to the list of available button options, removing the current checkboxes for panels and adding a checkbox for chunk merging.

[edit 3] After some significant refactoring, the next Beta will have four "Panel" displays (the existing Main Overlay; the TinyDest display and two new panels) and four MFD displays.
 
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Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Beta 0.0.4.2 released. Download link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...5/StatusDisplay_Beta_0.0.4.2_20180924-2057.7z

Change log:

1) Under the hood: move from fixed size (rolling) arrays for particular data to C++ vectors.
2) Refactoring and consolidation of data structures.
3) New approach to "Panel" displays - a 12x12 grid of elements can be set to any of the available panels (or blank) and they will be auto-merged into larger chunks if adjacent and will form a rectangle. Panel size can be set in the range 240px x 40px to 3840px x 2160px.
4) Main overlay and tiny displays converted into panels. Two more panels added (P#0 and P#1). Tiny panel "hides" when GUI mode is other than "looking out" of the cockpit.
5) Existing Tiny display elements are now microPanels (designated with "m" prepended to the panel name). Lap / waypoint count added.

Known issues:

1) Border of main panel cannot be toggled therefore main panel size must be set using new panel settings dialog.
2) Main panel may not immediately resize using dialog - workaround is to toggle the border of the main panel (I'm not sure why this works but I'll take it....).
3) The settings dialogs may at times become unresponsive. If this happens, activate a panel or MFD display (by clicking on it with the mouse) and then LEFT ALT-Q to quit.

To do list:

1) Add inter-system route handling.
2) Improve parsing coverage of possible events listed in the Journal documentation.
3) Add defined buttons to display information read from the Journal.
4) Improve defined button display based on status.json information.
 
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Robert Maynard

Volunteer Moderator
Robert Maynard
Beta 0.0.4.3 released. Download link: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachme...0/StatusDisplay_Beta_0.0.4.3_20181005-1922.7z

Change log:

1) Added a few new micro-Panels.
2) Tweaked the raw flags panel, now shows two-letter designation for flags.

Known issues:

1) Border of main panel cannot be toggled therefore main panel size must be set using new panel settings dialog.
2) Main panel may not immediately resize using dialog - workaround is to toggle the border of the main panel (I'm not sure why this works but I'll take it....).
3) The settings dialogs may at times become unresponsive. If this happens, activate a panel or MFD display (by clicking on it with the mouse) and then LEFT ALT-Q to quit.

To do list:

1) Add inter-system route handling.
2) Improve parsing coverage of possible events listed in the Journal documentation.
3) Add defined buttons to display information read from the Journal.
4) Improve defined button display based on status.json information.
 
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