Here's version 1.1 of MAKEPINK, my popular utility for FS2000 that adds
the soft pink night lighting to older gauges made for FS98 or CFS. This
version expands the number of gauges that can be "pinked." In particular, it
now works with the large CFS "clustered" gauges and with a wider variety of
third-party gauges created with Microsoft's SDK. Remember that gauges will
only display the pink lighting in FS2000.
To install, simply put the MKPINK11.EXE file in the same subfolder with
the gauges you wish to modify, and run it from there. This could be the
\GAUGES subfolder of FS2000 but, to be safe, it might be better to create a
special subfolder for gauge fiddling. As with any utility that changes
files, you should always make copies of your gauges BEFORE modifying them,
and keep the copies in a safe subfolder.
Because MKPINK11.EXE was written with Visual Basic 4.0, it requires that
some specific driver files exist in your \WINDOWS\SYSTEM subfolder. These
files are widely available in such places as the "Must Have Files" library
at www.SurClaro.
Although version 1.1 has a better algorithm for finding gauge elements, I
still can't guarantee that this utility will work with all gauges. I suggest
you test each modified gauge before modifying another. In that way, if
trouble arises, you'll have a better idea which is the offending gauge. If
version 1.1 does not work well on a gauge, it's possible that the original
version (MAKEPINK.EXE) might.
TECHNICAL NOTE: If you receive a "file access" error, check the "properties"
of your GAU files to make sure the "Read-only" property is turned off (by
removing the check mark).
USAGE:
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The user interface was designed to be as simple as possible. When the
program is run, it basically presents a list of all GAU files in the current
subfolder. You may choose a file with any of the standard Windows methods,
such as scrolling with mouse or keyboard, typing the first few letters of a
file name, etc. When the desired file is highlit, simply double-click it or
press the Enter key. A small "PLEASE WAIT" sign will appear while the
program searches and modifies the file. For most gauges this shouldn't take
very long. When the process is complete, the wait sign disappears and you
may hear a small "beep." At this point, you may click the EXIT button to
end the program, or you may select and modify another gauge.
The first selectable option is the "Include Digits" button. Some gauges
include digital readouts. Making them display soft pink at night with the
panel lights on may or may not be what you desire. It depends upon factors
such as the color of the digits and whether you want to see them with the
lights off. Making them pink cancels their original night lighting
characteristics. Toggling the button allows you to include the digital
readouts in the "pinking" process or not. The default condition is "NO."
Version 1.1 adds the "ONLY" option which adds night lighting only to digital
readouts and not to gauge bitmaps.
Because people requested it, version 1.1 adds another selectable option
button called "Color." The default condition is "Pink" which adds the soft
pink FS2000 night lighting to whatever is selected under "Include Digits."
Clicking the button toggles to the "White" option which adds the old-style
FS98 night lighting characteristics to the selected gauge. "White" does not
really describe this lighting well, but I decided it was a reasonable code
word. Although it displays in FS2000, CFS and FS98, this effect usually
looks better in FS2000 and CFS than in FS98. However, it can sometimes be
made to look better by repainting the bitmaps in a different palette. Keep
in mind that this night lighting cannot be toggled on and off with the panel
lights switch. By employing both option buttons and a little logic, you can
create effects such as pink gauges with "white" always-on digits.
******************************************************************************
A NOTE TO SDK GAUGE DESIGNERS:
-----------------------------
Adding the pink night lighting to new gauges is relatively simple. In the
C file, just replace the image flag IMAGE_USE_BRIGHT with the number 16384.
For example, the following typical line:
IMAGE_USE_ERASE | IMAGE_USE_BRIGHT,
would be changed to read:
IMAGE_USE_ERASE | 16384,
That's all there is to it.
******************************************************************************
At the last minute, I decided to add a very simple utility called GPSCOL
to this package. If you feel (like I do) that the default GPS gauge in
FS2000 looks crappy at night, GPSCOL.EXE will change the background bitmap.
The four buttons are: NONE, which turns the lighting off; PINK, which makes
the background soft pink; WHITE, which turns the default lighting back on;
and EXIT, which ends the program if you decide on none of the first three.
Clicking any of the first three buttons changes the GPS.GAU and immediately
closes the utility. As usual, you should make a safe copy of GPS.GAU before
using GPSCOL.EXE. Like MKPINK11, it goes in the \GAUGES subfolder and needs
VB4 drivers. I created GPSCOL because MKPINK11 does not work well with
FS2000 gauges and, in any case, it's not selective in deciding which bitmaps
to modify. In my opinion, only the background needs to be unlit. Enjoy.
I hereby declare these utilities to be in the Public Domain. Anyone may
use them for any non-violent purpose, including commerce, without permission.
You don't need to acknowledge me as the original author, but it would be nice.
If you happen to earn any money from them, feel free to send me some. Aside
from the odd gauge occasionally locking-up your computer, the utilities
should not harm your equipment. If you imagine that they have, I accept no
liability.
Chuck Dome
chdome@worldnet.att.net
Visit my home page at http://home.att.net/~chdome
