Frustrated with RR and IG3 embedding...

Pseudo Nim · 12-17-2006, 12:14 PM

Hey all,

I'm at wits end with this, dunno if anybody experienced this problem or not. I'm using RR with the default BMV2 skin (I still somehow like it the most, maybe cause it matches my dash panel color... anyway). I'm using Skinbedder v3 for IG embedding. So I'm driving and want to use my GPS. I hit the GPS button. One of the following happens, with approximately equal probability factor:

1. The IG3 screen comes up. It's offset so that the bottom status bar is invisible, and the top is slightly covered by the top of the BMV2 titlebar. But it works. Fine, I won't complain.

2. The IG3 screen comes up. It fails to reconnect to the GPS.

3. A white screen comes up. I have to hit Start | Shutdown | Restart, it tells me Skinbedder is not responding, I have to kill it, reboot, etc.

4. A white screen comes up. Computer locks 100%. Have to park, turn off car engine and wait 60 seconds for cold power shutoff (no power switch with easy access) (was kind of considering shifting into neutral, turning off the engine and rolling - wonder if that would work? but the car is auto, so I don't think it would restart on gear shift like manuals do...).

Additional bonus:
- if I turn off the engine while IG3 is running fine, when I come back and restore from hibernation I have about a 50/50 chance that it will reconnect back to the GPS - sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. If it doesn't and I close it and attempt to restart again, see points 1-4 above for possible outcomes.

I've no idea what's going on. I'm sure other people have successfully integrated IG3 and it functions as supposed to. What's wrong with this damn thing

Maybe I don't need Skinbedder?

I tried IGnative, but that didn't work because Skinbedder sends the Alt+keys to reconnect to the COM port, and IGnative doesn't - and my IG3 just simply does NOT remember the last used COM port when used inside RR. In standalone mode it works, but not in RR - and I've checked the RR port, it's set to 0.

If anyone has any ideas, I'm all ears...

MGD · 12-17-2006, 01:03 PM

For Road Runner and IG3 you need XPort3, the com port splitter. No need for skinbedder or iGLaunch.
Set ignative=true in rr.ini
Put this line in exectbl.ini
"GPS","LOAD;EXTERNAL_GPS.skin;Navigation;C:\Progra m Files\iNav\iGuidance\iGuidanceUMPC.exe;iGuidance"
Don't copy the space in Program!
Now just call it by the command "GPS" on your button.
Here is screen cap of mine running.

Pseudo Nim · 12-17-2006, 01:42 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by MGD

For Road Runner and IG3 you need XPort3, the com port splitter. No need for skinbedder or iGLaunch.
Set ignative=true in rr.ini
Put this line in exectbl.ini
"GPS","LOAD;EXTERNAL_GPS.skin;Navigation;C:\Progra m Files\iNav\iGuidance\iGuidanceUMPC.exe;iGuidance"
Don't copy the space in Program!
Now just call it by the command "GPS" on your button.
Here is screen cap of mine running.

Ok, I'll look into that today. Btw, the last time I tried it that way (besides the COM port not working) it would show up stretched such that I saw the bottom status bar, but the top (i.e. next turn's name) was cut off, since it was running 'full screen' and BMV2's titlebar was overlapping with the top of it. What's the reason for that?

RichP714 · 12-17-2006, 06:07 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Pseudo Nim

Ok, I'll look into that today. Btw, the last time I tried it that way (besides the COM port not working) it would show up stretched such that I saw the bottom status bar, but the top (i.e. next turn's name) was cut off, since it was running 'full screen' and BMV2's titlebar was overlapping with the top of it. What's the reason for that?

That can happen if your skin is trying to position the iGuidance window so it's title bar is off screen on the top...some of them did that to hide the title bar before iG went native. Look at the A line in skin editor and make sure the x and y are not off screen at the top.

As for the com port not loading under RR, that's probably how you have xport set up.

With nothing running, launch xport and grab the 'real' com port, then make two virtual ports, one for RR and one for iGuidance; setup RR and iG respectively. Everytime you re-boot XPort will launch and start these two virtual ports for use from the real port. If you select any services on the bottom area they will be re-started when coming out of stand-by or hibernation.

I had trouble with this too, and didn't want to spring for Franson gpsgate, so I wrote a batch file that kills and re-starts xport on resume, this works for me everytime

In EXEC.TBL:

"ONRESUME","RUNQ;C:\Program Files\Road Runner\restartxport.bat"

RESTARTXPORT.BAT:

if you are running XP pro

taskkill /f /im xport.exe
"c:\Program files\Road Runner\Xport\xport.exe"

For XP Home

tskill xport
"c:\Program files\Road Runner\Xport\xport.exe"

Hope this works for you...

Enjoy!
RIch

mike827 · 12-17-2006, 08:53 PM

whoa dude, what skin are u using?!

MGD · 12-18-2006, 08:54 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by mike827

whoa dude, what skin are u using?!

Just my personal skin. Will relase it when I'm finished.

Pseudo Nim · 08-13-2007, 11:18 AM

So I tried this (sorry to revive a dead thread), but what happens is RR flashes IG and then it disappears, and I'm left with a top toolbar of RR (I'm using the BMV2 skin) and a see-through view of my desktop. If I return to RR and click GPS again, I get a flash of iG once more, and it goes back to the same thing. It's almost as if it's actually _running_ in the backgorund, but not _showing_. Any ideas, anyone?

JohnWPB · 08-13-2007, 11:24 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Pseudo Nim

So I tried this (sorry to revive a dead thread), but what happens is RR flashes IG and then it disappears, and I'm left with a top toolbar of RR (I'm using the BMV2 skin) and a see-through view of my desktop. If I return to RR and click GPS again, I get a flash of iG once more, and it goes back to the same thing. It's almost as if it's actually _running_ in the backgorund, but not _showing_. Any ideas, anyone?

Open the External+GPS.skin in notepad, and look for a line that begins with the letter "C" and numbers after it.

Something like:
CXX,XXX,XXX,XXX,XXX

Remove that line, as that is a "clipping area" and is not needed to embed iGuidance. The clipping area is designed to "punch a hole" in iGuidance, and show something running behind Road Runner.

Also make sure you have the window name in RR config set to "iguidance" without the quotes.

Pseudo Nim · 08-19-2007, 09:36 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by JohnWPB

Open the External+GPS.skin in notepad, and look for a line that begins with the letter "C" and numbers after it.

Something like:
CXX,XXX,XXX,XXX,XXX

Remove that line, as that is a "clipping area" and is not needed to embed iGuidance. The clipping area is designed to "punch a hole" in iGuidance, and show something running behind Road Runner.

Also make sure you have the window name in RR config set to "iguidance" without the quotes.

Ok sweet - that did the trick, now it shows up. However, the problem now is that iGuidance won't remember the COM port. When Skinbedder ran, it would 'ALT+V, C, up twice, enter' which would set it to COM16 and it would automatically reconnect (80% of the time, anyway); now iG just starts up and does nothing. I've not installed XPort yet, as my GPS is on COM16 and XPort can't see anything above COM8 (have to do that registry hack to wipe the COM port database, etc.....). Do I need XPort for iG to start working again, or is there something else I can do to make it remember the port? Standalone doesn't work either, and since I only have a mouse (no keyboard) I can't go into the menu because fullscreen mode is permanently on (in fact, is there any way to get out of full-screen without using the keyboard?).

-pN

MGD · 08-19-2007, 09:40 AM

IG does not like com ports over 9, and yes you need XPort for iG and RR.

Pseudo Nim · 08-19-2007, 10:15 AM

But it used to work by itself... and COM16 is listed in the port list.

You're saying if I find a way to force it back down to <7 it will auto-remember it?

+q: is there any way to exit full-screen mode with just the mouse?
+q: would anybody have a quick link on what to delete in the registry to force Windows to rescan the ports? I seem to remember it was some key to change, but I can't find the URL...

MGD · 08-19-2007, 12:29 PM

1. Yes
+q. No
+q. Sorry, don't have one

Pseudo Nim · 08-19-2007, 12:43 PM

Ok I dug up an old hard drive backup, and here's the link for anybody looking for a way to lower your COM port:

http://www.aximsite.com/boards/ipaq-...ong-sorry.html