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ADE Version 1.70 Moves into Production

scruffyduck

scruffyduck

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Thanks to all the folks who downloaded the various beta and release candidate versions of ADE 1.70. I have decided that it is time to put 1.70 into production. I am sure there are still issues and bugs which will be handled as part of business as usual.

Version 1.70 will be the last major update for ADE. We have come on a long journey since 2007 :) and it seems to me that there is a wealth of functionality in the program and it can only get more like bloatware if I am not careful. I know there are things that folks would like to see and which has not gotten into the program (yet) but I can't see another major release with significant new functionality.

This does not mean that there won't be updates. I intend to maintain ADE for the foreseeable future and also add a new feature now and again ;) Future updates will be incremental as time and other commitments dictate. Critical bugs, as always, will be fixed as a priority.

In summary ADE 1.70 has the following which have all been seen in the various betas and release candidates:

New
  • Detailed footprints for library objects
  • File Priority Analyzer
  • Snap to User Aircraft position when adding new objects

Updated
  • Copy/Paste now supports multiple objects
  • Improved loading of folders into Library Object Manager. Intermediate message windows replaced with progress bar
  • Add Generic Building now remembers the last building added in a session
  • Centerline is not now drawn by default when connecting vehicle parking spot
  • Other minor enhancements

Fixed
  • several bugs from betsa and the last production version

It might not seem much but there is a lot of code change under the hood.

My thanks to Arno and Don who have provided code and features without which ADE would be much the poorer. Also to George, Helli, Jim and Martin for their support and good ideas and to everyone of you who has helped and supported ADE thus far.

ADE version 1.70 production is available here now as as two zip files. The first ade_170_6029_full_manual.zip) contains this file and the second (MFDB.zip) contains a database of library object footprints for stock airports.

Download and unzip ade_170_6029_full_manual.zip into a clean location. Do not copy these files into any existing installation since this is likely to create an unstable or unusable version. You may want to create a shortcut on your desktop for the file Airport Design Editor.exe

Run ADE once to set up folders and settings

Now download the file MFDB.zip. There is one file in the zip which must be copied into the Global folder inside the ADE main folder. If you ran ADE as described above then there will be a copy of the file - MFDB.dbs - already in the folder. Be sure to overwrite it with the same file you will find in this zip.

Now you should be able to run ADE 1.70.

The files can be downloaded via these links:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/c3qxsobuxz4d6tv/ade_170_6029_full_manual.zip
http://www.mediafire.com/download/expvjbbzcieryyq/MFDB.zip

If you have the current release candidate installed with updates then you do not need to download and install this. This release is for folks who have not yet installed 1.70.

A reminder to everyone that ADE might load stock airport more slowly than you might expect and even appear to hang. This is not a problem but rather the work of generating library object footprints. So please be patient :)
 
I should have added that 1.65/7 will still appear as the production version on my website for a few days until I can update the pages.
 
Jon,

This is really getting me and others confused still more.
I do have the latest and (except for the things I mentioned earlier on) it is working fine (but impossible to find out if everything is working because that takes more time).
However, I am trying to get some new people using ADE as well and then I get into trouble, because when they are new or have an earlier version, I am at a loss how to explain how to have the latest working as it should.
There is no thread here or anywhere else that tells new ones how to update and where to put it unless you spend hours on going through all the threads here.
Sorry but if the meaning is to reserve it for the die-hard's, then everything is OK, but if you want to attract some more people (novices), then you will have to do something about how and where finding the latest version and how to install it.
What do I tell new people in a nutshell what to download and where from???
 
Roby

This is for 'diehards' as you describe them. Consider it an early access program to ADE. When it goes onto my website in the next week then it is for the new ones. Right now the 'new ones' are still getting 1.65
 
Thank you Jon,
vehicle to path now works ok, and last "Generic Building" selected is now fine, so i can finally upgrade from version 1.45 to v1.70 :) LOL!!!
 
Hi Jon:

I wasn't sure if you wanted us to post inquiries regarding installation and use of "ade_170_6029_full_manual.zip" in separate new threads, so I posted this here; please feel free to move this particular post to a new thread, if it would work better for this existing thread topic (and for general ADE forum topic search purposes).


I downloaded and un-zipped the 2 above linked files, and after first installing ADE 1.70x, during initial startup of ADE, I got this error:

ade_170_production_full_manual_-st_startup_error-png.29453


While some may 'say a prayer' or otherwise "invoke" some sort of 'mojo' during first startup of new FS utilities ;), I simply started up ADE again after its forced exit (this time successfully), and navigated:

ADE Menu > Settings > Options > {Folders tab} > Scenery.Cfg Folder


The path "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\FSX" was in Red, and when I checked, that folder did not physically exist (because I do not have FSX fully installed on the "test" computer to which I installed ADE 1.70).

I created the above folder anyway (although it is still empty).


BTW: Why does ADE look there on this Win-7 64-bit computer, when there is already a C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\FSX that physically exists ...is it perhaps because that folder also is empty ? :confused:

Or is it perhaps because I have not yet put the FSX registry path entries into the Windows-7 registry on that 'test' computer ? :scratchch


FYI: I just want to run ADE 1.70 'production' on the test computer for now, despite there not being a full install of FSX on it. :oops:



NOTE: One additional concern is that, in:

ADE Menu > Settings > Options > {Folders tab} > SHP2Vec Folder


...the folder path pointed to:

[ADE 170 Production install path]\FSX


However, there is not a copy of SHP2VEC in that folder (yet).

Is this perhaps because the SDK was copied to this test computer from my FS development computer with a fully installed and registered FSX with SDK, thus ADE does not know where to find it (even though I ran [FSX SDK install path]\SDK\ConfigSDK.exe after I copied the SDK onto the 'test' computer) ?


UPDATE:

After exiting ADE 1.70 and over-writing the original [ADE install path]\Global\MFDB.dbs file with the ZIP-ped one linked above, ADE will no longer startup for FSX mode as it had previously done on my 2nd try.

ADE will also not startup for FS9 mode (even though FS9 is fully installed on that 'test' computer described above).


ADE now only throws the same error in the screenshot above during attempted startups. o_O


Thanks in advance for your further advice on how to run ADE 1.70 on computers without full FSX installs. :)

GaryGB
 

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Thanks for the reply, Jon. :)

So ADE 1.70 will not work with only a full FS9 installed at this time ? :confused:


Curiously, ADE did not write a "log.tx1" into the [ADE install path]\FS9 folder, but it did write a "log.tx1" into the [ADE install path]\FSX folder. :scratchch


As for FSX, I will first try to install ADE 1.70 onto my main FS development computer (the one referenced above with a fully installed / registered FSX with SDK) to see how it behaves there; then I will report back here on that result ...prior to considering log submission. ;)

GaryGB
 
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Yes it will work with only FS9 or P3D or FSX - I said that it required a full FS installation - not a specific version. Any one or more of FS9, FSX, P3D v1, P3D v2, or P3D v3.

If ADE does not recognise FS9 on this computer then there is an issue with the registry entry. If you don't send me the logs then I can't confirm what happened on your machine. If the log is in the FSX folder then ADE started in FSX mode - why I can'y say if I don't have the log
 
scruffyduck said:
Yes it will work with only FS9 or P3D or FSX - I said that it required a full FS installation - not a specific version. Any one or more of FS9, FSX, P3D v1, P3D v2, or P3D v3.

If ADE does not recognize FS9 on this computer then there is an issue with the registry entry. If you don't send me the logs then I can't confirm what happened on your machine. If the log is in the FSX folder then ADE started in FSX mode - why I can'y say if I don't have the log
Click to expand...

Hi Jon:

The initial FS mode selection was my error; out of habit, I clicked FSX (not FS9) on the ADE initialization mode selector when ADE_170 was loading. :oops:

Apparently after I had selected that mode, it was written into the [ADE install path - main folder]\Global.ini.

When I edited [ADE install path - main folder]\Global.ini. and replaced 'FSX' with 'FS9', ADE started up and promptly offered to import settings from other prior installed versions of ADE.


FYI: When I clicked the "browse folder path" icon to do that import settings from other prior installed ADE versions, ADE_v170 threw this error:

ade_170_fs9_mode_import_settings_prior_version_browse_path_error-png.29471



* I was able to re-start ADE_v170 in FS9 mode, and was not presented with a prompt to import settings from a prior installed version of ADE.


I then navigated:

ADE Menu > Settings > Options > {Folders tab} > Scenery.Cfg Folder


The path "[ADE_v170 install path]\FS9" was in Red, and when I checked, the "Active" FS9 Scenery.Cfg file did not physically exist in that folder.

I subsequently manually copied the "Active" FS9 Scenery.Cfg file from my [FS9 install path main folder] into "[ADE_v170 install path]\FS9".


* I was able to open a 3rd party *.AF2 airport file via "Open Airport from BGL".

* I have not tested other ADE_v170 functions yet on that particular computer.


PS: The standard FS9 registry strings for a full FS9 installation do exist in the Win-7 64-bit registry on that computer at:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator\9.0

...and at:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator\9.0


Today I shall test the ADE_v170 installation on my main FS development computer (the one referenced above with a fully installed / registered FS9 and FSX with respective SDK's) to see how it behaves there; then I will report back here on that result ...prior to considering log submission. ;)

GaryGB
 

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Load stock airport and it hangs:(.
I waited and I waited but it still hangs. The hour glass keeps on turning.
 
It is probably generating detailed footprints. This can take forever, just hang in there Roby.

I have developed five airfields from stock using 1.7.
 
I can't determine errors unless I see the log Gary
 
I will hang in George, but ..
I did not at first and started clicking everywhere because that still worked and then suddenly the program asks me if I want to save this airport:confused:!
But I suppose you have given the answer.
I should be more patient and go on holiday and then when I come back, it will have done its job;).
 
I was not yet ready to use that one, Jon.
I first wanted to try it out without the footprints a I am using IS3 (like, as George said, most people do).
But I downloaded it just now.
Will be back afterwards.
 
Not installing the database does not stop ADE from creating footprint data for the database unless you turn it off in Settings. Installing the database just saves you time
 
I downloaded the footprint database and installed it (without knowing exactly where but hoping to be lucky) in the default MSFS folder.
It worked.
But only so and so.
I click on load stock airport, browse to Aruba>Aruba Island, find Queen something airport TNCA and click on find. It hangs!!!
Closing the program down, doing the same as before but then double clicking on (now I know the name) Queen Beatrix Intl airport, only then it opens up although it does not when I click on 'find now' and it does not show up in the bar left of the 'find now' as an ICAO, airport name or whatsoever.
 
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