Real Time Parameters and Commands¶
A number of commands and many parameters can be changed while DOFLinx is running. This is made possible by sending commands via Windows inter-process communication. A small utility DOFLinxMsg.exe is included as one way to do this. Another way is a simple VBS script, again an example is included.
Real-Time Commands¶
These commands allow you to control DOFLinx or perform some action outside of those setup per game to occur. Commands are sent from the messaging utility like:
Multiple commands can be placed on one line. They need to be separated by a #. So for some colour and a shaker:
The commands are:
ATTRACT_MODE=0/1¶
Turn attract mode on / off.
GAME_FLAG_FILE=PPPP\FFFF¶
PPPP is the path and FFFF is the file.
When an emulator process is in the PROCESSES list and a GAME_FLAG_FILE
is provided, DOFLinx will only wake up if the file name provided, with
the extension ".DOFLINX" exists.
This allows for emulators that have some tables correctly DOF'ed to be
added to the PROCESSES list. Then in the 'Launch Before' section you run
something like:
If you then create a file in your tables folder with the same name as
the table you want DOFLinx to wake up for with the extension of
".DOFLINX" then it will provide rudimentary DOF with no additional
effort. Of course I do encourage people to continue to add DOF to VP and
FP tables, that's proper DOF. It is quite handy for custom tables, just
to give them a little more 'feeling'.
This is designed for use when DOFLinx is running in Set and Forget mode.
LIGHT_BUTTONS_NOW¶
Used to immediately turn on all of the buttons that have been defined by BUTTONS_LIT= . This is handy when you define some RGB buttons that you want to turn on when your front end is running but DOFLinx is not fully active because no emulator is running. Just issue the command via DOFLinxMsg or similar.
KILL=XXXXX¶
This sends a Windows kill message to all instances of the process name provided. It does not wait for the process to exit, it just sends the message and continues.
The double quotes are used on the above since the process has a space in its name. This sample command will send a kill message to all instances of Pinball FX2 running at the time. You would use this as Launch After command when exiting Pinball FX2 back to the menu if you want to ensure that all instances are closed. I use it for those occasions when PinballX doesn't manage to close things on exit.
OUTPUT_NOW_TIMER=DOOO,MMMM,DOOO,MMMM, etc¶
DOOO is the device / port combination, and MMMM is how long that output will be left on in milliseconds. So, "DOFLinxMsg OUTPUT_NOW_TIMER=1015,2000" will turn on device 1, output 15 for 2 seconds. This will occur regardless of DOFLinx being awake for a game or not, so you can have a DOF device triggered by anything you can think of and create a batch file for.
OUTPUT_NOW_COLOUR=DOOO,MMMM,CCCC,DOOO,MMMM,CCCC, etc¶
DOOO is the Red device / port combination for the RGB device, MMMM is how long the RGB displays colour CCCC. This will occur regardless of DOFLinx being awake for a game or not.
OUTPUTS_OFF¶
Turn off all outputs now. Handy if you have LED buttons that you turn on at different points and want them all off when you do something like exit your front end. This command can easily be issues vis DOFLinxMsg.
QUIT¶
Shutdown DOFLinx immediately. This is much nicer than killing the process from the operating system. It allows DOFLinx to neatly close devices, pipes and return other resources to the operating system.
START_DOF2DMD¶
Starts up DOF2DMD. You may want this if you didn't start it when DOFLinx started, often because you've got a mixture of pinball and Mame.
STOP_DOF2DMD¶
Sends the shutdown command to DOF2DMD. This is far preferable to trying to kill the process. Likely used if you have a mixed arcade and pinball cabinet and want to stop DOF2DMD after you've played a MAME game.
SUP_INI=¶
This is the same as the command line argument, but parsed in real-time. It allows a SUP_INI file to be processed without the need to stop and restart DOFLinx. The parameters processed in real-time must abide by the same rules as messages, ie BUTTONS_ON can only be changed while DOFLinx is asleep. If DOFLinx is awake when parsed this parameter, it will be ignored.
SHOW_IN_TASKBAR=[0|1]¶
DOFLinx starts up with this set to 0 (Off)
Setting this parameter to 1 (On) will display DOFLinx in the Windows Taskbar rather than hide it completely. Very handy when you are playing around to get things working, etc.
SHOW_VARIABLES¶
Displays all the key variables in the log file to assist with debugging. This command takes a moment to process, so may cause a slight pause in operation.
Parameters That Can Be Changed Only When DOFLinx is Sleeping¶
Setting these parameters via the messenger will replace the setting from the INI until you change it again or restart DOFLinx.
BUTTONS_ON
FORCE_ACTIVE
KEY_TO_COLOUR
KEY_TO_COLOUR_TIMER
KEY_TO_COLOUR_TOGGLE
KEY_TO_OUTPUT
KEY_TO_OUTPUT_TIMER
L_FLIPPER_KEY
L_FLIPPER_OUT
MAX_FLIPPER_ON
OUTPUT_GAME_NAME
R_FLIPPER_KEY
R_FLIPPER_OUT
RGB_MIN_TIME
RGB_OUTPUT
RGB_STYLE
RGB_TRIGGER
QUIT_AFTER_PROCESS
These parameters can only occur in the DOFLinx.INI file¶
Sending Commands To DOFLinx¶
Commands are sent to DOFLinx via a named pipe "DOFLINX". This means you can use the utility provided (DOFLinxMsg), or anything else that will write to the named pipe. A file Sample.vbs is included that shows how to use VB Script to write directly to the named pipe. This allows a lot of flexibility in how you send commands to DOFLinx.