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Disabling CAB Files

A

ark1320

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us-colorado
Very basic question here:

Renaming a regular file disables it because it can no longer be 'called', but does renaming a cab file disable it or will it get expanded and the files it contains executed anyway? I am experimenting with different versions of an XML file contained within a cab file that is in an aircraft panel folder, and have been disabling different versions of the cab file, I think, by simply changing the name but leaving it in the panel folder. This seems to work.

In thinking about this, however, I came to realize that I don't understand where the name of a cab file used in an application like the aircraft panel folder above is initially specified. For a regular file the calling function defines that name, but I don't understand how this works with a cab file.

Thx,
Al
 
The cab name needs to exactly match the entry in the panel folder. So, renaming it will cause anything inside it to not be loaded.
 
Rich,
The only entry in the panel folder I see with the same name is the cab file itself, so I'm afraid I still don't understand what you mean by the matching entry.
The cab file I've been experimenting with has to do with the autopilot. In the panel folder there are some other cab files, a sound gauge and a dll file, all of which deal with other aspects of the plane, and the panel.cfg file along with a few bmp files. Nothing else.

Al
 
Last edited:
Inside the plane's panel.cfg file you will see lines similar to this:

gauge13=cv340!MAN2_12, 765,718,106,111

This specifies the gauge MAN2_12.XML, found inside the CAB file cv340.cab.

Hope this helps,
 
tgibson said:
Inside the plane's panel.cfg file you will see lines similar to this:

gauge13=cv340!MAN2_12, 765,718,106,111

This specifies the gauge MAN2_12.XML, found inside the CAB file cv340.cab.

Hope this helps,
Click to expand...

Ah, I understand now. I looked in the panel.cfg file but didn't page down far enough to find the entry name in question. Sigh.
Thanks very much, Tom.
Al
 
As a sidenote, and using Tom's definition example, FS tries to find the gauge MAN2_12.xml in the following order:
- In a local panel folder ...\panel\cv340\
- In file cv340.cab, in the local ...\panel\ folder.
- In the main gauges folder ...\gauges\cv340\
- In file cv340.cab, in the main ...\gauges\ folder.

This way it's possible to force FS to use e.g. a version of file MAN2_12.xml in the local panel folder ...\panel\cv340\, while bitmaps used by this gauge are in cv340.cab (in the local panel folder or in the main gauges folder).
Very handy if you want to use a new version of a gauge (or included bitmap), without the necessity to de-cab the original file or change the panel.cfg definition.

Rob
 
Valuable info, I agree.

Someone told me that P3D had changed that order, loading CAB files before loading gauges in folders. Was this true and have they fixed that?
 
tgibson said:
Someone told me that P3D had changed that order, loading CAB files before loading gauges in folders. Was this true and have they fixed that?
Click to expand...

Tom, I have discovered that, in P3D v3 at least, gauges are loaded from the main gauges folder before they are loaded from the panel folder. This behavior is certainly different from FSX and therefore a potential issue for add-ons that are used in both sims. I haven't done any more research than that but expect I will do so when I get the chance.
Doug
 
tgibson said:
Valuable info, I agree.

Someone told me that P3D had changed that order, loading CAB files before loading gauges in folders. Was this true and have they fixed that?
Click to expand...
Since I don't have P3D myself, I would also be interrested to know if this gauge "pick-order" in P3D has changed (compared to FSX).
So can any P3D user please comment ?

Rob
 
It is indeed true and is frankly a very unwelcome change. It was very convenient to be able to expand a .CAB file into a sub-folder of the ..\panel folder knowing that changes made in any of the .xml files would take affect immediately on an "aircraft reload" operation.

Now I have to remember to "disable" any version of that .CAB file that might be in the ..\gauges folder first, else un-CAB the sub-folder in the ..\gauges folder.
 
To check whether it has either changed or not, run MS Process Monitor with P3d. In PM, first filter to just include the Prepar3d process. Then filter further only to include file query and read statements.
 
Jay, direct experiential evidence is sufficient to prove the case. L-M themselves have confirmed this change in priority... :(
 
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