Ice’s Falcon BMS Profile Updated for BMS 4.35
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Hi linknet,
Also, I use the Alternate Launcher, so copy and pasted the key file over the BMS - Full key file that AL uses and point to this file in the Profile EditorJust a small point, if you had copied and pasted the new key file into the C:\Bin\KeyFile folder as well as the BMS config folder you wouldn’t have had to point to the file in the profile editor.
Edit:
If you want to get confused about keyfiles then read on, otherwise skip to post 151 on page 16 for the latest keyfile guide.
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Just a small point, if you had copied and pasted the new key file into the C:\Bin\KeyFile folder as well as the BMS config folder you wouldn’t have had to point to the file in the profile editor.
But on the other hand if any changes to the keyfile used in BMS are made they would have to be made the the one in C:\Bin\Keyfile as well.
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But on the other hand if any changes to the keyfile used in BMS are made they would have to be made the the one in C:\Bin\Keyfile as well.
If you are only adding the HOTAS additions to the end of the keyfile in BMS then it’s not required to edit the C:\Bin\KeyFile. You would only need to edit it if you are making changes which affect the profile, which means that you would also have needed to edit the profile as well.
The idea was to make the profile independent from the BMS installation path.
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Ok I have a different understanding of the usage of the keyfile in the Helios Falcon Interface.
If a user want’s to make changes to callback Keybind, let’s say because he still uses the keyboard alongside and is not happy with a key combination and want to swap the keybinds of 2 callbacks. He would then need to make these changes in his keyfile as well as the keyfile referenced in the profile and open the profile and save it again.
If the keyfile used in BMS is referenced the user could rebind an existing callback used in the profile to another keyboard key with the tool of his choice AL, ExcelKeyfile Edit or manually with an Texteditor and in oder to have Helios pick up that change only opening the Profile in Editor and resave would be required -
Ok I have a different understanding of the usage of the keyfile in the Helios Falcon Interface.
If a user want’s to make changes to callback Keybind, let’s say because he still uses the keyboard alongside and is not happy with a key combination and want to swap the keybinds of 2 callbacks. He would then need to make these changes in his keyfile as well as the keyfile referenced in the profile and open the profile and save it again.
If the keyfile used in BMS is referenced the user could rebind an existing callback used in the profile to another keyboard key with the tool of his choice AL, ExcelKeyfile Edit or manually with an Texteditor and in oder to have Helios pick up that change only opening the Profile in Editor and resave would be requiredYes, that’s quite true, you can swap keybinds without having to modify the profile but this is going beyond what the original instructions were intended for, and in that case you would need to edit both keyfiles. The original instructions were meant to provide an easy installation for a new user but for an experienced user it’s easier just to scrap the C:\Bin\Keyfile and just carry out all modifications to the one in BMS and point the profile at it.
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Yes, that’s quite true, you can swap keybinds without having to modify the profile but this is going beyond what the original instructions were intended for, and in that case you would need to edit both keyfiles. The original instructions were meant to provide an easy installation for a new user but for an experienced user it’s easier just to scrap the C:\Bin\Keyfile and just carry out all modifications to the one in BMS and point the profile at it.
So, by inferring from this conversation and taking a quick look at the profile HPF file - which doesn’t seem to bind any actions to the keyboard (apart from the Airport stuff and used for LUA scripting and the comms menu, which is “immutable” anyway) - it seems to me there is no need to change the BMS config (BMS - Full in AL’s case) at all?
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So, by inferring from this conversation and taking a quick look at the profile HPF file - which doesn’t seem to bind any actions to the keyboard (apart from the Airport stuff and used for LUA scripting and the comms menu, which is “immutable” anyway) - it seems to me there is no need to change the BMS config (BMS - Full in AL’s case) at all?
This is getting confusing. The Helios profile and BMS need to see an identical set of bindings for the actual keybinds that the profile uses. The profile looks in the keyfile it is pointing to and uses the callback name to get the corresponding keyboard key which it then sends to BMS and BMS acts on that keyboard key to find the correct callback from its own keyfile. So it all must match.
To clarify the Helios profile doesn’t store any keys directly apart from sections like the comms menu, where direct keys have to be sent, it stores everything as callback names which it uses to get the corresponding keyboard key from the keyfile it is pointing to.
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So, by inferring from this conversation and taking a quick look at the profile HPF file - which doesn’t seem to bind any actions to the keyboard (apart from the Airport stuff and used for LUA scripting and the comms menu, which is “immutable” anyway) - it seems to me there is no need to change the BMS config (BMS - Full in AL’s case) at all?
So That how it works
1. You push an Input element that has
2. A send callback function in this case SimEmergencyJettision
3. Helios will look up that callback in the Keyfile set up in the keyfile referenced in the Helios Falcon Interface pick the assigned keyboard key(s)
4. Send the keyboard keystroke(s) picked up in 3 to the active applicationNow let’s assume you are using the profile as assumed by linknet.
in the keyfile provided with the profile SimEmergencyJettision is bound to the keyboard key “j” but in BMS-full.key SimEmergencyJettision is bound to CTRL+j and the keyboard key j in the Full key file is assigned to SimECMOn.
So if you just start the profile as is and BMS with Alt Launcher what happend if you press the Jettision button in your pit the Jammer would turn onSo in case that AL is used with BMS to ensure that the keyboard keys and callbacks match you would have to copy the content of the ICE provided keyfile into your BMS-Full.key file. If you have done that in my point of view it then makes no more sense to have the profile pointing to the ICE keyfile in C:\bin but better point it to your BMS Full-keyfile in BMS 4.35/User/config
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https://up.picr.de/40483689no.png
If you have done that in my point of view it then makes no more sense to have the profile pointing to the ICE keyfile in C:\bin but better point it to your BMS Full-keyfile in BMS 4.35/User/config
That’s just a matter of choice, but wouldn’t just renaming the the Ice keyfile to BMS-Full.key be easier than copying whole sections ? Copying across carries the very real problem of inadvertently creating duplicate key bindings.
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That’s just a matter of choice, but wouldn’t just renaming the the Ice keyfile to BMS-Full.key be easier than copying whole sections ?
In doing so you would loose all your HOTAS DX bindings. Don’t recommend it.
I have helped a few users in setting up your profile in combination with Alternative Launcher and the fastest way without messing any HOTAS related settings was to copy the keyboard related section from your keyfile and replace the keyboard related section in the full keyfile. -
That’s just a matter of choice, but wouldn’t just renaming the the Ice keyfile to BMS-Full.key be easier than copying whole sections ?
I’m still not with you on that point as having the key file in Helios pointing to the keyfile that is loaded in BMS, any rebinding/changing in the BMS used keyfile won’t require only a restart of the HeliosControlCenter to pick up those changes.
Sure if the user removes a keybind of an callback used in the profile that would break the usage of the profile. But any rebind would be much simpler as you won’t have to deal with syncing 2 different keyfilesFrom the point of view of a software developer you are forcing the user to have redundant data which I would always avoid where possible.
In most cases the user would have to use the open the profile in the profile Editor to Reset Monitors. In your setup giude you alredy state to copy the keyfile to user/config and load in BMS, so why not add one simple step to guide and point the interface to the same location and file.As an example some post above we already figured out that the keybind for SimPilotToggle is broken with your provided key file. The user is now forced have that fixed or at least checked in 2 locations. If you load your keyfile in the Excel Keyfile Editor you would immediatly see the this callback is broken. Helios on the other hand doesn’t get that error so in the end the user currently no working keybind for toogleing the Pilot model
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I’m still not with you on that point as having the key file in Helios pointing the the keyfile that is loaded in BMS any rebinding changing in the BMS used keyfile won’t require only a restart of the HeliosControlCenter to pick up those changes.
Sure if the user removes a keybind of an callback used in the profile that would break the usage of the profile. But any rebind would be much simpler as you won’t have to deal with syncing 2 different keyfilesAs I said, that’s a matter of choice, unless of course you are regularly changing keybinds. I would have copied the HOTAS DX bindings to the end of Ice’s keyfile and then renamed it to BMS-Full.key.
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As I said, that’s a matter of choice, unless of course you are regularly changing keybinds. I would have copied the HOTAS DX bindings to the end of Ice’s keyfile and then renamed it to BMS-Full.key.
Sure that’s a matter of choice if I copy Section 1 from File A to B and save it as B or copy section 2 from file B to file A and save it as B.
But still for anyone asking me for support on setting up a Helios profile my advice will be to point Helios always to the keyfile used by BMS in the User/Config folder (after make sure it contains the proper callbacks used by the Helios profile)
And By the way maybe that will all be obsolete in the furture as I’ currently looking into making a PR for the Helios Falcon interface to read the keyfile used by BMS dynamically from the shared memory and do a preflight check if all used callbacks have a proper keystroke assignment in the BMS used keyfile
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How does Helios know which key file to use from c:/Bin/KeyFile?
Looking at the code on github, “/user/config/BMS - Full.key” is hard coded but I can’t find any reference to “c:/Bin/KeyFile/*.key”
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How does Helios know which key file to use from c:/Bin/KeyFile?
Looking at the code on github, “/user/config/BMS - Full.key” is hard coded but I can’t find any reference to “c:/Bin/KeyFile/*.key”
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In open the profile in Profile Editor. On the Interface Status tab open the settings for the Falcon Interface. The key file which is referenced in that tab is the one used by the profile
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Sure that’s a matter of choice if I copy Section 1 from File A to B and save it as B or copy section 2 from file B to file A and save it as B.
But still for anyone asking me for support on setting up a Helios profile my advice will be to point Helios always to the keyfile used by BMS in the User/Config folder (after make sure it contains the proper callbacks used by the Helios profile)
And By the way maybe that will all be obsolete in the furture as I’ currently looking into making a PR for the Helios Falcon interface to read the keyfile used by BMS dynamically from the shared memory and do a preflight check if all used callbacks have a proper keystroke assignment in the BMS used keyfile
The initial idea was to assume the user would point the Falcon interface in Helios to the same key file BMS is using but linknets use of a second key file with only keyboard callbacks is a very useful idea with one caveat to the user if they want to change one of the callbacks. While this is a more advanced setup i don’t feel that we should force the user to only do it one way.
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My point is the caveat that BMS only recognized callbacks that are assigned in the key file loaded in BMS.
So a user new to Helios will most likely have most callbacks used in Helios profiles not set up as keyboard users they will have for most switches have a single callback toggle callbacks instead of multi state callbacks.
So in order to get the profile to work in any case they have to integrate key file/callbacks into the key file that is loaded in BMS.
Which in my point of view makes the usage of a second key file with the same content in another place obsolete.From the end-user point of view having 2 key files in 2 location but with the requirement to have the same callbacks and even more the same keybind for every of those callbacks is just confusing
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I agree it’s redundant all for the sake of a ready to go profile.
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For the experienced Helios user of course the use of a second keyfile is redundant. However I still feel fully justified in using a setup in which Helios already points to its own keyfile. The reason being that this was intended to be as simple an install as possible and judging by the countless number of PMs I’ve received just saying great, thanks and that after following the Setup Guide it worked perfectly first time, it must have been the correct decision. They aren’t interested in swapping keyboard keys etc. they just want to install it with the least possible hassle and just use it. The only thing for them to do was to copy their HOTAS profile to the end of the supplied keyfile, which for most people is easier than trying to insert the other way around, and point BMS to the new keyfile.
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Then maybe all the users that contacted me on various Discords are just the other way round. Most of them where where Alternative Launcher users which just can’t follow you procedure by the book
3. Depending on which HOTAS profile you intend to use copy the relevant keyfile from the
Setup \FalconBMS Keyfiles folders to the Falcon BMS 4.35\User\Config\ folder.
4. Load and save the chosen keyfile in Falcon BMS 4.35 Setup.This is just not gonna work for any users with Alternative Launcher.