Huge problems with profiles

[AGM]

Hi there,

I have lots of problems getting my SpaceNavigator to run properly with the recent beta. It resets options, doesnt switch profiles properly and misses important features I need for 2D mouse function. Funny I dont see many complaints about this. So I guess I am doing something wrong.

So how do I make it work properly? Do I have to install more software than the 3DWare Beta? Do I have to delete all profiles I dont need? Do I have to use XML editing to make it run as I want?
Is there a guide somewhere how to edit the XML files, because I dont really understand how to edit them. For example I simply dont know all the possible commands.

Thank you.

[jwick]

What applications are you trying to get it to work with?
What functionality are you trying to create with those applications?
Please be specific.

[AGM]

I'm trying to get a Centrafuse 4 profile to run and several 2D Mouse profiles for games, Firefox, the desktop and all other normal programs.

[jwick]

The driver can generate a log file of what it is doing, or maybe doing wrong in your case. Can you turn this on (in the last tab of the 3DxConfig GUI), run through your failures, then send it to us at apisupport-win at 3dconnexion dot com? If you would, please zip up your profiles and send them along as well.

The log file is in %appdata%\3dconnexion\3dxware\3dxservice.log and your profiles are under the directory in the Cfg subdirectory.

Thanks.

[AGM]

Oh and the functionality of those is broad. For Centrafuse for example I dont need 2D mouse function. Only key combinations. But even those make problems for me because the Win-button setting doesnt work when I activate it via the 3Dware GUI and the threshold settings reset all the time.

For all the others I need proper 2D mouse functions plus some keypresses for games. Normal 2D mouse function for desktop and other programs (default).

Those all need different thresholds. The 2D mouse ones dont need high threshold since I will never use it when my car is moving and I need it to be as accurate (thus comfortable) as possible. Centrafuse needs a very high threshold setting, though. Because it will be used all the time when the car is in motion and I dont want vibrations to activate skip song or increase volume or pause/play, etc just because of a roadbump or my arm accidentally touching the controller.

It would also be nice if you could explain how I can edit an XML file to assign left mouse button to the controller cap (press).

[AGM]

The driver can generate a log file of what it is doing, or maybe doing wrong in your case. Can you turn this on (in the last tab of the 3DxConfig GUI), run through your failures, then send it to us at apisupport-win at 3dconnexion dot com? If you would, please zip up your profiles and send them along as well.

The log file is in %appdata%\3dconnexion\3dxware\3dxservice.log and your profiles are under the directory in the Cfg subdirectory.

Thanks.

I would, but I dont even know how I can create a default profile that will work in any program except those that have an own profile. I tried a few times but it only works when a program is open and wont work when theres just the desktop.
How do I do that?
Should I delete all the profiles I dont need?

[jwick]

There may be a misunderstanding of what you are able to do.

You can only create profiles for applications. One profile for each application. You can not have multiple profiles per application (without some hacking on your part).

When you create a profile, you specify the name of the application's executable. When the driver notices this application in focus, it switches to your profile. If the application never gets focus, say it doesn't have a window, the driver will never know that it is supposed to use your profile.

You don't have to have the application running to create a profile for it, though it is easier since you can use the GUI to select the application executable. If it isn't running, you have to find the correct executable name. If the application doesn't have a window, that is a good indication that we won't be able to detect it. There are occasionally some permissions issues that prevents us from detecting an application. Running as admin may help those issues.

There are ways of hacking around this design, but I'd have to specifically work with you to let you know what you can and can not do.

In particular, you probably have noticed that there is a special "desktop" profile. This is used if there isn't a recognized application in focus. I think we now call that the "Default Profile" in the GUI. This profile can be made to do desktop-type things, such as moving the cursor around, mouseWheeel, etc. The buttons can be mapped to 2D mouse buttons. You can modify this profile to your heart's content, but there is only one of them.

We are assuming that you will mouse around to start, or switch to, an application. Then you will have a profile for that application.

Does all that make sense so far?

If this doesn't match with the way you were assuming the driver worked, it may be best to delete all your saved profiles (save them somewhere) and start over.

[AGM]

No, I dont want to have multiple profiles for one application. I just want like 5 or 6 different profiles for different specific applications (Centrafuse, Firefox, 3 different games, Google Earth) and all other programs on my computer should use the default profile, which in my case would be a 2D mouse with some added hotkeys like volume control or task switching.
As I said I tried to get the default profile to work, but it will not work with no application open.

Are you telling me that what I want is not possible?

[AGM]

Cant edit posts here?

With "all other applications" I also meant the Windows desktop, which doesn't work for me.
Well, it does work, but only if there is any other application open (I'm not talking about background programs) that also uses the default profile. So for example if I open notepad.exe and leave it open, I can go anywhere on the desktop, click everything on it, hit the start button, etc. But as soon as I close that notepad.exe, the default profile wont work anymore on the desktop and I cant control anything anymore with the SpaceNav, even though its supposed to be the default profile that works anywhere?

[jwick]

What you are asking for should work as far as I can tell.

Do all the other profiles work: Firefox, games, Google Earth, "Centrafuse"?

A log file might help to diagnose what is going on.

Does Centrafuse take over your background/screen? This is a CarPC application, right?

[AGM]

Ill try to make a log.

I cant tell if the other profiles are working since I haven't tried much further after noticing this huge problem with it not working on the desktop.

Centrafuse is a carpc frontend application. I dont know what you mean with take over background/screen. Its a normal application. It looks fullscreen, but can be taskswitched like every other application.

[coildecoiler]

if I open notepad.exe and leave it open, I can go anywhere on the desktop.

[AGM]

I tested more. I seem to get very erratic bugs.
I said before that it reset the threshold on itself to 0. It doesnt do that anymore now, but instead I cant configure the second to last of the axis I want to configure. I put in the keyboard presses I want it to do, set my threshold and everything else, and when I click apply, it simply will reset that axis to the default 3D mouse settings. I cant save anything to that axis. Doesnt matter which axis it is, its always the second to last one I choose to configure. The last one works again.

Even after removing all profiles I dont need (keeping the default and ones that dont show up in the profile list in the GUI), profile switching is still very buggy. It works more often now, but still stops working for no apparent reason when switching to another application (that doesnt even have its own profile and thus should use the same active default one) or opening context menus.

Should I reproduce all of this and send the log file to the mentioned email address with a description of the bugs?

[jwick]

AGM,

Yes, please zip up a log file and the offending profiles (xml files) and send them to apisupport-win at 3dconnexion dot com.

Thanks.
Jim

[AGM]

Its only one profile so far (the default one). Should I still put all profiles in my folder into the zip file?