AIRPORT DESIGN EDITOR 9X 1.45 README

ADE 1.45 is the latest version of Airport Design Editor.  In addition to a number of bug fixes and enhancements this version introduces support for FS9.  For full details of what's new in 1.45 please check the change log.

PRE-REQUISITES
Microsoft Flight Simulator 9 and/or
Microsoft Flight Simulator X with SDK
Microsoft .Net Framework 3.0 (Download http://www.microsoft.com/DOWNLOADS/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=10cc340b-f857-4a14-83f5-25634c3bf043)
Microsoft XML (Download http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=3144b72b-b4f2-46da-b4b6-c5d7485f2b42&displaylang=en)
Peter Dowsons FSUIPC (Download http://www.schiratti.com/dowson.html)


INSTALLATION
The installer for version 1.45 is very sophisticated.  It will offer you a number of options during the installation process including what documentation to install and whether or not to download tutorials.

The installer is a full install and will not over write or update older versions from 1.40 or earlier.  This is because the new version contains support for both FS9 and FSX.

Documentation is available in English or German.  The tutorials are based on an older version of ADE but are still completely relevant to this version.

ADE will offer you the chance to install two additional utilities. It is strongly recommended that you install ADE Environment Checker.  This program will check that your computer has everything needed to run ADE sucessfully.  It is also capable of fixing some of the common problems encountered with getting the program to work properly.  AI-Aircraft Editor is a tool that enables you to edit the configuration files for your AI aircraft.  In many cases these need to be changed for things like wing span or airline.  If you do not think you need to do this then you can always pass on the installation now and install it later if you wish.

Once you have completed the installation you can run ADE from the last screen of setup or from an icon or the start programs menu.  All ADE programs and files are located in the Airport Design Editor Folder.

You will be asked to complete the new user wizard for each version of ADE that you install.  After completion of the wizard please close and re-open ADE to make sure that all the information, and in particular folders, is stored and activated

If for any reason ADE fails to start properly then please run ADE Environment Checker.  This provides a detailed analysis of your system and the features needed to successfully run the application.  Before reporting problems to us please run the checker and take a copy of the output.

UPGRADING FROM VERSION ADE 1.40 FOR FSX
ADE9X is a new installation and as mentioned above will install into a new directory.  If you are a current user of ADE 1.40 for FSX and wish to upgrade then we recommend the following.  This is a manual procedure and requires that you copy some configuration files into the new installation. First install ADE9X 1.45. Now go to your ADE 1.40 main application folder and copy some files into the FSX folder in the new ADE9X installation.  So for example if you have installed each version in the recommended folders you will need to make the file copy from C:\MSFS\FS Design Tools\Airport Design Editor\ to C:\MSFS\FS Design Tools\Airport Design Editor 9x\FSX\.  The files you will want to copy are:
- settings.ini
- mruAirlines.dat  (this may not be present if you have not used airline codes for parking spaces)
- adeObjectList.dat
- colors.dat
- parkingSpecs.dat

These files contain any data or settings that you have made in 1.40.

It is very important that you do not copy these files into the FS9 folder.  If you have both FS9 and FSX available then you will need to configure ADE9 from scratch to avoid problems.

UPGRADING FROM ADE9X BETA OR RELEASE CANDIDATE VERSIONS
If you are a user of the beta or release candidate version of ADE9X then you can copy those files listed above from FSX to FSX and FS9 to FS9 folders.

UNINSTALLATION
Please use the uninstaller from the start programs menu.  This will ensure that all files and folders are cleaned up.  Please note that ADE Environment Checker and AI Aircraft Editor use .ocx files.  If you remove the programs via the uninstaller any .ocx files will not be removed.  This is because they may be used by other programs and removing them would result in these other programs failing to work.  If you do wish to remove them then there are brief instructions below

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Please be aware that AI-Aircraft Editor requires 6 Microsoft controls and will install them into your %WINDIR%\system32 folder if not already present.

COMDLG32.OCX, MSADODC.OCX, MSCOMCTL.OCX, MSHFLXGD.OCX, TABCTL32.OCX, MSBIND.DLL

ADE Environment Checker only needs COMDLG32.OCX.

For security reasons these controls stay after deinstallation of ADE. You can de-register each file with the command "regsvr32 /u <%path%>\<%filename%>" and delete it if appropriate.
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KNOWN ISSUES
In any software as complex as ADE there are hidden gems that the programmer puts there to trip himself and others up.  When we find them we try to fix them but we do not always succeed.  We like to think that the program is stable and works as advertized but......

ADE is still not able to create freeway traffic.  We hope to fix this in a later version.

Some others may be listed in the manuals or release notes.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A full list of all those people involved in the development of ADE is shown in the manuals.  Please do read about them all. However I would like to make a special thank you to:

Martin Gossmann. Martin is the author of ADE Environment Checker, AI Aircraft Editor and the ADE installer.  Martin is also the Release Manager for ADE.

Helmuth (Helli) Hauck who has labored long and hard to produce an excellent ADE Manual in German and who has now taken over from Bob Keeshan as author of the English Manual

The whole ADE Development Team - y'all know who you are.  I lose count of the countries over which they are spread but be assured we have residents of Europe, North America, South America and Australasia on the team.


LEGAL STUFF
ADE is freeware.  If you paid for it in any way (other than if you made a domation through our web site) please let us know.

You use this program at your own risk.  We cannot be held responsible for the effects that using it may have on you, your computer or your FSX Installation

If you are using or modifying the work of others then it is your responsibility to ensure that you have their permission

ADE is copyright ScruffyDuck Software.  



CONTACT
The best place for support on ADE and all its supporting tools is www.fsdeveloper.com.  The ADE Support Forum lives there and the whole team will try and help.  Alternatively feel free to email me at jon@scruffyduck.co.uk


Jon Masterson
ScruffyDuck Software
ADE Development Team
