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FS2004 Question about ADE & its various file extension formats

b3burner

b3burner

Messages
168
Country
unitedstates
Hi,

I'm still learning my way around ADE, and have a few questions:

1. I mostly save work I've done on airports as compiled .bgl's, but for the first time last night I ran into a problem. I made some guide-markers and guide-lines to assist in my runway placement. When I went to save it as a compiled .bgl and then reopen it... my guide marks and lines disappeared! Yet all my other changes were saved... I wonder why?

2. So then I got the bright idea of saving it as an .ade/.ad2 file... and this time it saved my guide markers and guide lines, in addition to the changes I made to the airport itself. But after placing the saved .ad2 file into my Addon Scenery folder, and opening the simulator, it wouldn't display my airport.

2a. My question being is saving in .ade/.ad2 format, *ONLY* for editing the airport in ADE, and it's not supposed to be used for viewing the airport in the simulator?

2b. To view my work in the simulator, does the finished .ade *ALWAYS* have to be compiled as a .bgl first?

3. What is the difference between .ade and .ad2, or are they pretty much the same thing?

4. Finally, when is it more advantageous to place an airport file in the AddOn Scenery as an .xml file instead of a .bgl file? Or is it always better to use .bgl as the file format?

Thanks,

-- John
 
1. I mostly save work I've done on airports as compiled .bgl's, but for the first time last night I ran into a problem. I made some guide-markers and guide-lines to assist in my runway placement. When I went to save it as a compiled .bgl and then reopen it... my guide marks and lines disappeared! Yet all my other changes were saved... I wonder why?
Click to expand...

Do not load the compiled Bgl file back into ADE and use that as the saved project file (AFCAD and AFX do it this way but ADE does not). You found out why and answered your own question. ADE uses its own format and that format contains a lot of information that cannot be stored in the Bgl format

2. So then I got the bright idea of saving it as an .ade/.ad2 file... and this time it saved my guide markers and guide lines, in addition to the changes I made to the airport itself. But after placing the saved .ad2 file into my Addon Scenery folder, and opening the simulator, it wouldn't display my airport.
Click to expand...

The ADE format is only of use in ADE . FS does not recognize it

2a. My question being is saving in .ade/.ad2 format, *ONLY* for editing the airport in ADE, and it's not supposed to be used for viewing the airport in the simulator?
Click to expand...

Correct

2b. To view my work in the simulator, does the finished .ade *ALWAYS* have to be compiled as a .bgl first?
Click to expand...

Yes

3. What is the difference between .ade and .ad2, or are they pretty much the same thing?
Click to expand...

.ade is the original format for ADE projects. It was superceded by .ad2 some time ago. ADE will read the .ade format but will now save only in .ad2. There are differences in those formats. An old version of ADE that saves to .ade would not understand the .ad2 format.

4. Finally, when is it more advantageous to place an airport file in the AddOn Scenery as an .xml file instead of a .bgl file? Or is it always better to use .bgl as the file format?
Click to expand...

Never. FS does not understand the XML file and will just ignore it. You must put the .bgl file into FS to get your modifications recognized
 
Jon,

Thank you so much for your reply. You answered all my questions and I appreciate that.

-- John
 
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