Looking for TACTICAL (.tac) File Structure
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Hello everyone,
I was searching to find a file definition (or file structure) of a .tac but didn’t find any post about it. Maybe I’m searching the wrong keywords.
I’m currently programming a 3rd party tool to get the COMMS Plan in PDF File format for BMS 4.34.2
I know there is “Weapon Delivery Planner (WDP)” out there, but I’m looking to program something else.I’m unable to find this technical document. I need to get the airbase id (Airbase callsign id) position inside the .tac (Arrival, Departure and Alternate). I also need to extract other data from this tactical .tac file (Ex: All info in the briefing).
I don’t want to use the “Briefing.txt”, and I know that option exist in the Briefing screen. That’s not what I currently need.Did somebody know where I can find this TE “file definition” structure?
I need to stick with the “BMS Team” official Database structure for my 3rd party project.Thanks for your help and sorry about my poor English!
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A tool is already doing all this stuffs : Mission Commander
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Hello Bad Boy,
Thanks for your reply.
The “Mission Commander” software is a very impressive tool, but it doesn’t give me the “file definition” from a programmer stand point. This tool allow changes to be done directly in the “.tac” file. That’s not exactly what I need or maybe I missed something.Sure, I can use the “Mission Commander” to try and test every available options to see which bit and bytes became different in the .tac being modified and using an Hex file tool to compare two different files to find the match.
But, this is a very very very long task to figure out everything…I was only asking for a technical document, specs or a C program header file (similar to “ShareMem”) was available for the .tac file.
If u are a programmer, you know what I’m talking about.I continue my research. Thanks Bad Boy.
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Spyder, what do you exactly need?
- just one flight
- a whole package
- all flights in the tac file?
For the first two just use the printed briefing (txt or html) or your callsign.ini.
Freqeuncies are all stored in radiomap.dat (flights, common frequencies) and stations+ils.dat (airbases). -
Spyder, what do you exactly need?
- just one flight
- a whole package
- all flights in the tac file?
For the first two just use the printed briefing (txt or html) or your callsign.ini.
Freqeuncies are all stored in radiomap.dat (flights, common frequencies) and stations+ils.dat (airbases).Hi Kolbe,
I really don’t want to bother you with my request. I know you have so many other things more important to do here…
I was just looking for a file definition for tactical (.tac). This technical document probably doesn’t exist, so I will try another way to find some info inside the TAC file.I’ve started yesterday to understand the complex file structure (save process) of flights id and airbases station id using “Mission Commander v0.5.11.403”.
But I hit a big wall very hard! (See included image).After opening a fresh new BMS 4.34.2 101-TEST-MC.tac file with only two (2) flights in the same package.
I made a file copy of “101-TEST-MC.tac” to 101-TEST-MC-INITIAL.tac" before any data modification.
Then, I open 101-TEST-MC.tac with “Mission Commander” and save it without changing anything.
I made a simple “File Compare” with these two files (supposed to remain identical in my mind), but they were already different after a SAVE !?So, I realize that Mission Commander is not saving the data the same ways “Falcon BMS” does by default, and I’ve understand at that moment, that my best tool available to understand something in the file structure will now be impossible for me with that tool without having hard time.
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I was just looking to find all “Flights Callsign Id” for the BLUE Team and all “Station_id” for theses bleu flights (Departure, Arrival and Alternate) in the Package, inside the tactical (.tac) file.
If the “Flight Callsign Id” for four flights in the same package (ex: BLUE Team) are always located at the same spot, that will be nice for me, because my program can read the .tac file at an exact file position or shifted file position number (depending how many flights inside the tac and so on).
These magic numbers (ex: Falcon1 / CampId=1413) and the Station_Id (Ex: Kunsan AB) can be read directly from the .tac file to obtain those id’s, and my program will be able to do the job without entering any briefing from Falcon BMS for each of those flights.
In fact, I was only looking to see if any technical documents were easily available to obtain the same kind of information the developer of “Weapon Delivery Planner” and “Mission Commander” were able to obtain when reading a mission .tac file.
So, my best bet will probably be;
1- Trying to obtain more information directly from the developer of Weapon Delivery Planner (Falcas);
2- Trying to understand myself the “File Read programming process” from an old Falcon4 source code already available on the Net and trying to figure out what changes have been done since theses old days (i.e.: Id and position data change inside the file, etc.).
3- Continue to enter each “briefing page” for each flight in a mission, PRINT BRIEFING, exit Falcon, rename the briefing.txt to keep it, redo all those same operations for every flights, and then finally, produce my final official squadron briefing and technical documents to release it to all my human virtual pilots team one day before our weekly flight. I’m doing that process since 1998. I was just looking for a better way to produce my own technical documents with my new program via a simple file read process of my tactical mission.Thanks for reading me Kolbe, and also many many thanks for all what you do for the Falcon community since many years.
Incredible work! QuebecAirForce.com members are flying Falcon every weeks since 1998, and we learn something new every day. This sim is always an infinite discovery and the best thing in my life…
Have fun everybody. Falcon 4 ever… -
I can also ask for a new button option beside every flight name in the Falcon BMS briefing page or: “PRINT PACKAGE BRIEFING”
This button can create a briefing files for every flight when looking the briefing of one flight, ex:
Briefing-Falcon1.txt (or html…)
Briefing-Chalis1.txt
Briefing-Cowboy1.txt
Briefing-Amber1.txtI know that request must be relocated in another section on this forum, but added this comment to clarify my goal and complete this discussion.