XPLMUtilities API

FILE UTILITIES

The XPLMUtilities file APIs provide some basic file and path functions for use with X-Plane.

Directory Separators

The XPLM has two modes it can work in:

  • X-Plane native paths: all paths are UTF8 strings, using the unix forward slash (/) as the directory separating character. In native path mode, you use the same path format for all three operating systems.

  • Legacy OS paths: the directroy separator is \ for Windows, : for OS X, and / for Linux; OS paths are encoded in MacRoman for OS X using legacy HFS conventions, use the application code page for multi-byte encoding on Unix using DOS path conventions, and use UTF-8 for Linux.

While legacy OS paths are the default, we strongly encourage you to opt in to native paths using the XPLMEnableFeature API.

  • All OS X plugins should enable native paths all of the time; if you do not do this, you will have to convert all paths back from HFS to Unix (and deal with MacRoman) - code written using native paths and the C file APIs “just works” on OS X.

  • For Linux plugins, there is no difference between the two encodings.

  • Windows plugins will need to convert the UTF8 file paths to UTF16 for use with the “wide” APIs. While it might seem tempting to stick with legacy OS paths (and just use the “ANSI” Windows APIs), X-Plane is fully unicode-capable, and will often be installed in paths where the user’s directories have no ACP encoding.

Full and Relative Paths

Some of these APIs use full paths, but others use paths relative to the user’s X-Plane installation. This is documented on a per-API basis.

XPLMDataFileType

These enums define types of data files you can load or unload using the SDK.

NameValueDescription
xplm_DataFile_Situation"1" A situation (.sit) file, which starts off a flight in a given configuration.
xplm_DataFile_ReplayMovie"2" A situation movie (.smo) file, which replays a past flight.

XPLMGetSystemPath

XPLM_API void       XPLMGetSystemPath(
                         char *               outSystemPath);

This function returns the full path to the X-System folder. Note that this is a directory path, so it ends in a trailing : or / .

The buffer you pass should be at least 512 characters long. The path is returned using the current native or OS path conventions.

XPLMGetPrefsPath

XPLM_API void       XPLMGetPrefsPath(
                         char *               outPrefsPath);

This routine returns a full path to a file that is within X-Plane’s preferences directory. (You should remove the file name back to the last directory separator to get the preferences directory using XPLMExtractFileAndPath).

The buffer you pass should be at least 512 characters long. The path is returned using the current native or OS path conventions.

XPLMGetDirectorySeparator

XPLM_API const char * XPLMGetDirectorySeparator(void);

This routine returns a string with one char and a null terminator that is the directory separator for the current platform. This allows you to write code that concatenates directory paths without having to #ifdef for platform. The character returned will reflect the current file path mode.

XPLMExtractFileAndPath

XPLM_API char *     XPLMExtractFileAndPath(
                         char *               inFullPath);

Given a full path to a file, this routine separates the path from the file. If the path is a partial directory (e.g. ends in : or / ) the trailing directory separator is removed. This routine works in-place; a pointer to the file part of the buffer is returned; the original buffer still starts with the path and is null terminated with no trailing separator.

XPLMGetDirectoryContents

XPLM_API int        XPLMGetDirectoryContents(
                         const char *         inDirectoryPath,
                         int                  inFirstReturn,
                         char *               outFileNames,
                         int                  inFileNameBufSize,
                         char **              outIndices,    /* Can be NULL */
                         int                  inIndexCount,
                         int *                outTotalFiles,    /* Can be NULL */
                         int *                outReturnedFiles);    /* Can be NULL */

This routine returns a list of files in a directory (specified by a full path, no trailing : or / ). The output is returned as a list of NULL terminated strings. An index array (if specified) is filled with pointers into the strings. The last file is indicated by a zero-length string (and NULL in the indices). This routine will return 1 if you had capacity for all files or 0 if you did not. You can also skip a given number of files.

  • inDirectoryPath - a null terminated C string containing the full path to the directory with no trailing directory char.

  • inFirstReturn - the zero-based index of the first file in the directory to return. (Usually zero to fetch all in one pass.)

  • outFileNames - a buffer to receive a series of sequential null terminated C-string file names. A zero-length C string will be appended to the very end.

  • inFileNameBufSize - the size of the file name buffer in bytes.

  • outIndices - a pointer to an array of character pointers that will become an index into the directory. The last file will be followed by a NULL value. Pass NULL if you do not want indexing information.

  • inIndexCount - the max size of the index in entries.

  • outTotalFiles - if not NULL, this is filled in with the number of files in the directory.

  • outReturnedFiles - if not NULL, the number of files returned by this iteration.

Return value: 1 if all info could be returned, 0 if there was a buffer overrun.

WARNING: Before X-Plane 7 this routine did not properly iterate through directories. If X-Plane 6 compatibility is needed, use your own code to iterate directories.

XPLMLoadDataFile

XPLM_API int        XPLMLoadDataFile(
                         XPLMDataFileType     inFileType,
                         const char *         inFilePath);    /* Can be NULL */

Loads a data file of a given type. Paths must be relative to the X-System folder. To clear the replay, pass a NULL file name (this is only valid with replay movies, not sit files).

XPLMSaveDataFile

XPLM_API int        XPLMSaveDataFile(
                         XPLMDataFileType     inFileType,
                         const char *         inFilePath);

Saves the current situation or replay; paths are relative to the X-System folder.

X-PLANE MISC

XPLMHostApplicationID

While the plug-in SDK is only accessible to plugins running inside X-Plane, the original authors considered extending the API to other applications that shared basic infrastructure with X-Plane. These enumerations are hold-overs from that original roadmap; all values other than X-Plane are deprecated. Your plugin should never need this enumeration.

XPLMLanguageCode

These enums define what language the sim is running in. These enumerations do not imply that the sim can or does run in all of these languages; they simply provide a known encoding in the event that a given sim version is localized to a certain language.

XPLMError_f

typedef void (* XPLMError_f)(
                         const char *         inMessage);

An XPLM error callback is a function that you provide to receive debugging information from the plugin SDK. See XPLMSetErrorCallback for more information. NOTE: for the sake of debugging, your error callback will be called even if your plugin is not enabled, allowing you to receive debug info in your XPluginStart and XPluginStop callbacks. To avoid causing logic errors in the management code, do not call any other plugin routines from your error callback - it is only meant for catching errors in the debugging.

XPLMInitialized

XPLM_API int        XPLMInitialized(void);

Deprecated: This function returns 1 if X-Plane has properly initialized the plug-in system. If this routine returns 0, many XPLM functions will not work.

NOTE: because plugins are always called from within the XPLM, there is no need to check for initialization; it will always return 1. This routine is deprecated - you do not need to check it before continuing within your plugin.

XPLMGetVersions

XPLM_API void       XPLMGetVersions(
                         int *                outXPlaneVersion,
                         int *                outXPLMVersion,
                         XPLMHostApplicationID * outHostID);

This routine returns the revision of both X-Plane and the XPLM DLL. All versions are at least three-digit decimal numbers (e.g. 606 for version 6.06 of X-Plane); the current revision of the XPLM is 400 (4.00). This routine also returns the host ID of the app running us.

The most common use of this routine is to special-case around X-Plane version-specific behavior.

XPLMGetLanguage

XPLM_API XPLMLanguageCode XPLMGetLanguage(void);

This routine returns the langauge the sim is running in.

XPLMFindSymbol

XPLM_API void *     XPLMFindSymbol(
                         const char *         inString);

This routine will attempt to find the symbol passed in the inString parameter. If the symbol is found a pointer the function is returned, othewise the function will return NULL.

You can use XPLMFindSymbol to utilize newer SDK API features without requiring newer versions of the SDK (and X-Plane) as your minimum X-Plane version as follows:

  • Define the XPLMnnn macro to the minimum required XPLM version you will ship with (e.g. XPLM210 for X-Plane 10 compatibility).

  • Use XPLMGetVersions and XPLMFindSymbol to detect that the host sim is new enough to use new functions and resolve function pointers.

  • Conditionally use the new functions if and only if XPLMFindSymbol only returns a non- NULL pointer.

Warning: you should always check the XPLM API version as well as the results of XPLMFindSymbol to determine if funtionality is safe to use.

To use functionality via XPLMFindSymbol you will need to copy your own definitions of the X-Plane API prototypes and cast the returned pointer to the correct type.

XPLMSetErrorCallback

XPLM_API void       XPLMSetErrorCallback(
                         XPLMError_f          inCallback);

XPLMSetErrorCallback installs an error-reporting callback for your plugin. Normally the plugin system performs minimum diagnostics to maximize performance. When you install an error callback, you will receive calls due to certain plugin errors, such as passing bad parameters or incorrect data.

Important: the error callback determines programming errors, e.g. bad API parameters. Every error that is returned by the error callback represents a mistake in your plugin that you should fix. Error callbacks are not used to report expected run-time problems (e.g. disk I/O errors).

The intention is for you to install the error callback during debug sections and put a break-point inside your callback. This will cause you to break into the debugger from within the SDK at the point in your plugin where you made an illegal call.

Installing an error callback may activate error checking code that would not normally run, and this may adversely affect performance, so do not leave error callbacks installed in shipping plugins. Since the only useful response to an error is to change code, error callbacks are not useful “in the field”.

XPLMDebugString

XPLM_API void       XPLMDebugString(
                         const char *         inString);

This routine outputs a C-style string to the Log.txt file. The file is immediately flushed so you will not lose data. (This does cause a performance penalty.)

Please do not leave routine diagnostic logging enabled in your shipping plugin. The X-Plane Log file is shared by X-Plane and every plugin in the system, and plugins that (when functioning normally) print verbose log output make it difficult for developers to find error conditions from other parts of the system.

XPLMSpeakString

XPLM_API void       XPLMSpeakString(
                         const char *         inString);

This function displays the string in a translucent overlay over the current display and also speaks the string if text-to-speech is enabled. The string is spoken asynchronously, this function returns immediately. This function may not speak or print depending on user preferences.

XPLMGetVirtualKeyDescription

XPLM_API const char * XPLMGetVirtualKeyDescription(
                         char                 inVirtualKey);

Given a virtual key code (as defined in XPLMDefs.h) this routine returns a human-readable string describing the character. This routine is provided for showing users what keyboard mappings they have set up. The string may read ‘unknown’ or be a blank or NULL string if the virtual key is unknown.

XPLMReloadScenery

XPLM_API void       XPLMReloadScenery(void);

XPLMReloadScenery reloads the current set of scenery. You can use this function in two typical ways: simply call it to reload the scenery, picking up any new installed scenery, .env files, etc. from disk. Or, change the lat/ref and lon/ref datarefs and then call this function to shift the scenery environment. This routine is equivalent to picking “reload scenery” from the developer menu.

X-PLANE COMMAND MANAGEMENT

The command management APIs let plugins interact with the command-system in X-Plane, the abstraction behind keyboard presses and joystick buttons. This API lets you create new commands and modify the behavior (or get notification) of existing ones.

X-Plane Command Phases

X-Plane commands are not instantaneous; they operate over a duration. (Think of a joystick button press - you can press, hold down, and then release the joystick button; X-Plane commands model this entire process.)

An X-Plane command consists of three phases: a beginning, continuous repetition, and an ending. The command may be repeated zero times in its duration, followed by one command ending. Command begin and end messges are balanced, but a command may be bound to more than one event source (e.g. a keyboard key and a joystick button), in which case you may receive a second begin during before any end).

When you issue commands in the plugin system, you must balance every call to XPLMCommandBegin with a call to XPLMCommandEnd with the same command reference.

Command Behavior Modification

You can register a callback to handle a command either before or after X-Plane does; if you receive the command before X-Plane you have the option to either let X-Plane handle the command or hide the command from X-Plane. This lets plugins both augment commands and replace them.

If you register for an existing command, be sure that you are consistent in letting X-Plane handle or not handle the command; you are responsible for passing a balanced number of begin and end messages to X-Plane. (E.g. it is not legal to pass all the begin messages to X-Plane but hide all the end messages).

XPLMCommandPhase

The phases of a command.

NameValueDescription
xplm_CommandBegin"0" The command is being started.
xplm_CommandContinue"1" The command is continuing to execute.
xplm_CommandEnd"2" The command has ended.

XPLMCommandRef

typedef void * XPLMCommandRef;

A command ref is an opaque identifier for an X-Plane command. Command references stay the same for the life of your plugin but not between executions of X-Plane. Command refs are used to execute commands, create commands, and create callbacks for particular commands.

Note that a command is not “owned” by a particular plugin. Since many plugins may participate in a command’s execution, the command does not go away if the plugin that created it is unloaded.

XPLMCommandCallback_f

typedef int (* XPLMCommandCallback_f)(
                         XPLMCommandRef       inCommand,
                         XPLMCommandPhase     inPhase,
                         void *               inRefcon);

A command callback is a function in your plugin that is called when a command is pressed. Your callback receives the command reference for the particular command, the phase of the command that is executing, and a reference pointer that you specify when registering the callback.

Your command handler should return 1 to let processing of the command continue to other plugins and X-Plane, or 0 to halt processing, potentially bypassing X-Plane code.

XPLMFindCommand

XPLM_API XPLMCommandRef XPLMFindCommand(
                         const char *         inName);

XPLMFindCommand looks up a command by name, and returns its command reference or NULL if the command does not exist.

XPLMCommandBegin

XPLM_API void       XPLMCommandBegin(
                         XPLMCommandRef       inCommand);

XPLMCommandBegin starts the execution of a command, specified by its command reference. The command is “held down” until XPLMCommandEnd is called. You must balance each XPLMCommandBegin call with an XPLMCommandEnd call.

XPLMCommandEnd

XPLM_API void       XPLMCommandEnd(
                         XPLMCommandRef       inCommand);

XPLMCommandEnd ends the execution of a given command that was started with XPLMCommandBegin. You must not issue XPLMCommandEnd for a command you did not begin.

XPLMCommandOnce

XPLM_API void       XPLMCommandOnce(
                         XPLMCommandRef       inCommand);

This executes a given command momentarily, that is, the command begins and ends immediately. This is the equivalent of calling XPLMCommandBegin() and XPLMCommandEnd() back to back.

XPLMCreateCommand

XPLM_API XPLMCommandRef XPLMCreateCommand(
                         const char *         inName,
                         const char *         inDescription);

XPLMCreateCommand creates a new command for a given string. If the command already exists, the existing command reference is returned. The description may appear in user interface contexts, such as the joystick configuration screen.

XPLMRegisterCommandHandler

XPLM_API void       XPLMRegisterCommandHandler(
                         XPLMCommandRef       inComand,
                         XPLMCommandCallback_f inHandler,
                         int                  inBefore,
                         void *               inRefcon);

XPLMRegisterCommandHandler registers a callback to be called when a command is executed. You provide a callback with a reference pointer.

If inBefore is true, your command handler callback will be executed before X-Plane executes the command, and returning 0 from your callback will disable X-Plane’s processing of the command. If inBefore is false, your callback will run after X-Plane. (You can register a single callback both before and after a command.)

XPLMUnregisterCommandHandler

XPLM_API void       XPLMUnregisterCommandHandler(
                         XPLMCommandRef       inComand,
                         XPLMCommandCallback_f inHandler,
                         int                  inBefore,
                         void *               inRefcon);

XPLMUnregisterCommandHandler removes a command callback registered with XPLMRegisterCommandHandler.

X-PLANE USER INTERACTION

WARNING: The legacy user interaction API is deprecated; while it was the only way to run commands in X-Plane 6,7 and 8, it is obsolete, and was replaced by the command system API in X-Plane 9. You should not use this API; replace any of the calls below with XPLMCommand invocations based on persistent command strings. The documentation that follows is for historic reference only.

The legacy user interaction APIs let you simulate commands the user can do with a joystick, keyboard etc. Note that it is generally safer for future compatibility to use one of these commands than to manipulate the underlying sim data.

XPLMCommandKeyID

These enums represent all the keystrokes available within X-Plane. They can be sent to X-Plane directly. For example, you can reverse thrust using these enumerations.

enum {
          xplm_key_pause=0,
          xplm_key_revthrust,
          xplm_key_jettison,
          xplm_key_brakesreg,
          xplm_key_brakesmax,
          xplm_key_gear,
          xplm_key_timedn,
          xplm_key_timeup,
          xplm_key_fadec,
          xplm_key_otto_dis,
          xplm_key_otto_atr,
          xplm_key_otto_asi,
          xplm_key_otto_hdg,
          xplm_key_otto_gps,
          xplm_key_otto_lev,
          xplm_key_otto_hnav,
          xplm_key_otto_alt,
          xplm_key_otto_vvi,
          xplm_key_otto_vnav,
          xplm_key_otto_nav1,
          xplm_key_otto_nav2,
          xplm_key_targ_dn,
          xplm_key_targ_up,
          xplm_key_hdgdn,
          xplm_key_hdgup,
          xplm_key_barodn,
          xplm_key_baroup,
          xplm_key_obs1dn,
          xplm_key_obs1up,
          xplm_key_obs2dn,
          xplm_key_obs2up,
          xplm_key_com1_1,
          xplm_key_com1_2,
          xplm_key_com1_3,
          xplm_key_com1_4,
          xplm_key_nav1_1,
          xplm_key_nav1_2,
          xplm_key_nav1_3,
          xplm_key_nav1_4,
          xplm_key_com2_1,
          xplm_key_com2_2,
          xplm_key_com2_3,
          xplm_key_com2_4,
          xplm_key_nav2_1,
          xplm_key_nav2_2,
          xplm_key_nav2_3,
          xplm_key_nav2_4,
          xplm_key_adf_1,
          xplm_key_adf_2,
          xplm_key_adf_3,
          xplm_key_adf_4,
          xplm_key_adf_5,
          xplm_key_adf_6,
          xplm_key_transpon_1,
          xplm_key_transpon_2,
          xplm_key_transpon_3,
          xplm_key_transpon_4,
          xplm_key_transpon_5,
          xplm_key_transpon_6,
          xplm_key_transpon_7,
          xplm_key_transpon_8,
          xplm_key_flapsup,
          xplm_key_flapsdn,
          xplm_key_cheatoff,
          xplm_key_cheaton,
          xplm_key_sbrkoff,
          xplm_key_sbrkon,
          xplm_key_ailtrimL,
          xplm_key_ailtrimR,
          xplm_key_rudtrimL,
          xplm_key_rudtrimR,
          xplm_key_elvtrimD,
          xplm_key_elvtrimU,
          xplm_key_forward,
          xplm_key_down,
          xplm_key_left,
          xplm_key_right,
          xplm_key_back,
          xplm_key_tower,
          xplm_key_runway,
          xplm_key_chase,
          xplm_key_free1,
          xplm_key_free2,
          xplm_key_spot,
          xplm_key_fullscrn1,
          xplm_key_fullscrn2,
          xplm_key_tanspan,
          xplm_key_smoke,
          xplm_key_map,
          xplm_key_zoomin,
          xplm_key_zoomout,
          xplm_key_cycledump,
          xplm_key_replay,
          xplm_key_tranID,
          xplm_key_max
};
typedef int XPLMCommandKeyID;

XPLMCommandButtonID

These are enumerations for all of the things you can do with a joystick button in X-Plane. They currently match the buttons menu in the equipment setup dialog, but these enums will be stable even if they change in X-Plane.

enum {
          xplm_joy_nothing=0,
          xplm_joy_start_all,
          xplm_joy_start_0,
          xplm_joy_start_1,
          xplm_joy_start_2,
          xplm_joy_start_3,
          xplm_joy_start_4,
          xplm_joy_start_5,
          xplm_joy_start_6,
          xplm_joy_start_7,
          xplm_joy_throt_up,
          xplm_joy_throt_dn,
          xplm_joy_prop_up,
          xplm_joy_prop_dn,
          xplm_joy_mixt_up,
          xplm_joy_mixt_dn,
          xplm_joy_carb_tog,
          xplm_joy_carb_on,
          xplm_joy_carb_off,
          xplm_joy_trev,
          xplm_joy_trm_up,
          xplm_joy_trm_dn,
          xplm_joy_rot_trm_up,
          xplm_joy_rot_trm_dn,
          xplm_joy_rud_lft,
          xplm_joy_rud_cntr,
          xplm_joy_rud_rgt,
          xplm_joy_ail_lft,
          xplm_joy_ail_cntr,
          xplm_joy_ail_rgt,
          xplm_joy_B_rud_lft,
          xplm_joy_B_rud_rgt,
          xplm_joy_look_up,
          xplm_joy_look_dn,
          xplm_joy_look_lft,
          xplm_joy_look_rgt,
          xplm_joy_glance_l,
          xplm_joy_glance_r,
          xplm_joy_v_fnh,
          xplm_joy_v_fwh,
          xplm_joy_v_tra,
          xplm_joy_v_twr,
          xplm_joy_v_run,
          xplm_joy_v_cha,
          xplm_joy_v_fr1,
          xplm_joy_v_fr2,
          xplm_joy_v_spo,
          xplm_joy_flapsup,
          xplm_joy_flapsdn,
          xplm_joy_vctswpfwd,
          xplm_joy_vctswpaft,
          xplm_joy_gear_tog,
          xplm_joy_gear_up,
          xplm_joy_gear_down,
          xplm_joy_lft_brake,
          xplm_joy_rgt_brake,
          xplm_joy_brakesREG,
          xplm_joy_brakesMAX,
          xplm_joy_speedbrake,
          xplm_joy_ott_dis,
          xplm_joy_ott_atr,
          xplm_joy_ott_asi,
          xplm_joy_ott_hdg,
          xplm_joy_ott_alt,
          xplm_joy_ott_vvi,
          xplm_joy_tim_start,
          xplm_joy_tim_reset,
          xplm_joy_ecam_up,
          xplm_joy_ecam_dn,
          xplm_joy_fadec,
          xplm_joy_yaw_damp,
          xplm_joy_art_stab,
          xplm_joy_chute,
          xplm_joy_JATO,
          xplm_joy_arrest,
          xplm_joy_jettison,
          xplm_joy_fuel_dump,
          xplm_joy_puffsmoke,
          xplm_joy_prerotate,
          xplm_joy_UL_prerot,
          xplm_joy_UL_collec,
          xplm_joy_TOGA,
          xplm_joy_shutdown,
          xplm_joy_con_atc,
          xplm_joy_fail_now,
          xplm_joy_pause,
          xplm_joy_rock_up,
          xplm_joy_rock_dn,
          xplm_joy_rock_lft,
          xplm_joy_rock_rgt,
          xplm_joy_rock_for,
          xplm_joy_rock_aft,
          xplm_joy_idle_hilo,
          xplm_joy_lanlights,
          xplm_joy_max
};
typedef int XPLMCommandButtonID;

XPLMSimulateKeyPress

XPLM_API void       XPLMSimulateKeyPress(
                         int                  inKeyType,
                         int                  inKey);

This function simulates a key being pressed for X-Plane. The keystroke goes directly to X-Plane; it is never sent to any plug-ins. However, since this is a raw key stroke it may be mapped by the keys file or enter text into a field.

Deprecated: use XPLMCommandOnce

XPLMCommandKeyStroke

XPLM_API void       XPLMCommandKeyStroke(
                         XPLMCommandKeyID     inKey);

This routine simulates a command-key stroke. However, the keys are done by function, not by actual letter, so this function works even if the user has remapped their keyboard. Examples of things you might do with this include pausing the simulator.

Deprecated: use XPLMCommandOnce

XPLMCommandButtonPress

XPLM_API void       XPLMCommandButtonPress(
                         XPLMCommandButtonID  inButton);

This function simulates any of the actions that might be taken by pressing a joystick button. However, this lets you call the command directly rather than having to know which button is mapped where. Important: you must release each button you press. The APIs are separate so that you can ‘hold down’ a button for a fixed amount of time.

Deprecated: use XPLMCommandBegin.

XPLMCommandButtonRelease

XPLM_API void       XPLMCommandButtonRelease(
                         XPLMCommandButtonID  inButton);

This function simulates any of the actions that might be taken by pressing a joystick button. See XPLMCommandButtonPress.

Deprecated: use XPLMCommandEnd.