What sort of code is this?

I have been given some source code to a fairly well known program. The author no longer has time to enhance it, however he felt it fair enough to give me the source code as it would help a great deal in what I am trying to do.

I'm a model maker so it means very little to me but the significance of having the source is not lost on me. Looking at one of the files, (seems to be the main one in charge of all the others) it says at the very top:

"Microsoft Visual Studio Solution File, Format Version 8.00"

So what sort of coder am I now looking to find to tackle the programming side of this project?

Um, looks like a VS2005 SLN (solution). That gives no indication of language.

I saw mention of c# whatever that is.

So does that help?

Well then it's C#.

Yes, it's your answer :)

[edit] Bah, beaten to it :P

its a visual studio c#(sharp) souiltion i guess then, look for somone that can program c#.
edit: same here :P

Thanks, sadly I don't know what to do with this information.

How would anyone find a coder based on knowing that little bit?

Am I into some sort of state secret area here?

The following link contains info about the Express Edition of C#...

http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/express/visualcsharp/default.aspx

If you look in the support menu on that page you will see a link to the Express Forums, you may find a few C# coders in there.

Or you could ask here or at IndieGamer... http://forums.indiegamer.com

Thanks very much Vip3r, very helpful.

[update]
Looks like all those places want to jsut talk about it, no one seems to actually do anything but talk about it.
<sigh>
[update]

Looks like you've bitten off far more than you can chew. No advice short of learning c# will help you.

I ummmm... don't see where that's just "a little bit". It's all you need to know. Cripes. C#. It's a language. Just like Blitz. Just like Visual Basic. Just like C++. How do you find a coder? Um. Ask around. C# is a pretty popular language and it's only growing stronger as time goes on.

Well here's the thing, I am a modeller, I make models and had this really perverse idea in my mind that coders might just make code.

Is looking for a coder who can code biting off more than I can chew? Are we saying that coders just don't code, so learning it myself is the only way to get it coded?

I'm looking to do something for the benefit of others and not just for myself here, but can't seem to connect with anyone else having a similar mindset.

Maybe I should just not bother then, maybe you're all right in some round about sort of way.

Sure would not have been my first thought for what might happen next, but there it is.

It's pretty frustrating as results go.

Oh the irony.

No they aren't. I might know a few people who can probably help you, but they'll need to know a lot more specifics on what you want to do. Like the name of the progam you've got the source for, what it does, and what you want it to do. That kinda thing.

True, but it can be a day-and-night difference depending on what language you're talking about.

Since you're a modeller, you know that there are a bunch of different modeling tools, and you can probably figure out a different program fairly quickly.
Switching programming languages is more complicated than switching modellers, since it's not just a matter of finding the right menu item or toolbar button to do what it is you want to accomplish -- depending on the language, there can be thousands of commands doing work 'under the hood' that you need to read up on and understand, with little direct visual feedback of what's going on.

Anyway, bottom line: the application is written in C#. If you want to do anything with it, you'll either need to find a proficient C# programmer (and depending on the type of program, probably something who has experience in the field that the application tries to cover. Eg. someone with an accounting background has a much easier time making changes to an accounting program, etc.), or you'll need to find a generic 'programmer' who's willing to learn C# -- but be aware that that the latter would be a fairly long ordeal to do, and the end results might be worse that someone starting out with a decent knowledge of the language.

Thanks guys, helped a bit more.

@ Flameduck: It's My-FS Panel.

It enables different set of dials from the flightsim ones to be displayed. Proably more important though, it enables it to happen on another computer which is not running flight sim, in fact it won't even have it installed on it. This way additional lowerspec machines can be used and so reduce the individual load on each machine. In my personal case I'd like to show them on an old laptop which is not really fit for anything much else. Anyway, this program does fair 2d dials, but I'd like to use fair 3d ones.

What I'd really wish is that it enables say DirectX dial models to be used, thus also opening the chance for people to make better and bettter dials as add ons for FS.

It uses another bit of software to run on the slave mahcines, and that's called FSUIPC.

So far I have collected together the SDK for that and the source for Jurgen Haible's program which is quite excellent in it's 2d approach to this. I've built a whole panel, and populated it almost 50% now with some fair dials, which are at this stage place holders. I've done some test renders and it looks pretty fine compared with other ways of doing this.

I've also had some testing with a blitz 3d coder just to see if blitz can do what needed and mostly it can. What it does not seem able to do is link the FSUIPC dll (or library as it may be, but docs got a bit sketch for my skillset). I've also located a good tool for seeing what's going on with the variables we'd be reading.

For a model maker I think I've done quite a lot of leg work for a coder should they decide to help out. Maybe it just seems that way to me though as I really don't "get it" with code today at all.

The method for working with all this boils down to five library function calls a connect, and a disconnect, a request for data, aread for data and some other one which kinda had me scratching my head, but I sort of got it.

Anyway, the end result would be that it would suddenly free the making process to something sensible and the end user viewing experience to something quite special in the right hands.

Oh and just so it's clear, this is not actually modding as I had it put to me, this is a program in it's own right just like all the other additional programs one can get for use with flight sim.

The basic concept as laid out in the SDK is simple enough that even I can more or less grasp it. I can make models for it and I can easily see how things might be improved over what is currently avalable.

I've worked out some fairly specific ideas on how one could make it all happen.

Do you still think you might know a few people who could help me out here?

Is this secret code???

@Rook Zimbabwe: not sure why you ask? Would you enlilghten me please?

I'll code it for you. I just need to learn c# first. O.o

@-=..Amon..=-

" I'll code it for you. I just need to learn c# first. O.o "

I'm not quite sure if or how that get's us much further forward.

I don't know if you read the advice someone posted above but it was to look for an experienced coder, and this would seem to go against that advice.

Perhaps you did read it.

FYI,

Version 7 - VS2002
Version 7.1 - VS2003
Version 8 - VS2005

OK,thanks for that Matt, narrowing it down can only help.

I'm a c# guy :D

I've read your post up there, but I'm not quite sure what it is that you're trying to do. The only part I got is that you are displaying gauges for a flight sim?

O.o

That is it!

Two machines, first one runs flight sim 98/2000/2002/2004. That installation of FS also has it's add on called FSUIPC which exposes the variables of FS for reading and in some cases for writing. It also has an extra program called widefs, this runs on a second machine and convinces FS helper programs that FS is installed and running, but simply passes it to FSUIPC on the first machine and handles the reading and writing from the second machine in that way.

This means the first machine does not have to be burdened with the extra programs. Thus a lower speced machine than one would normally use can be used for running the helper programs only. You can then turn off the dials on the main machine and it can breathe a little easier as it's got a bit less work to do.

The more you do this, then the lighter the load on any one machine. Sometimes folks have been known to run up to maybe 10 machines, certainly 5 or 6 is fairly common among those that do it at all.

Also you get more monitors involved which can also help considerably in ways that just having two on the main PC can not. In my case the second machine is just for the panel full of instruments. Many folks do this in one or two ways, but since a laptop has a screen and CPU it can be pretty handy, and that's why some of us find this an attractive option for a laptop that is otherwise sat there doing nothing while you fly. Other users again would run flight planner software and or moving map displays on theirs. All sorts of handy things are possible in this way.

What is this O.o thing I keep seeing posted? <shrug> Does it have an equivalence in English?

Pretend they are eyeballs... One raised... One not. Basically it's a skeptical eye... or a look of bewilderment.

oO