Universal FMC Keyboard Input is a high-performance native C++ X-Plane plugin that revolutionizes flight management computer and GPS interaction across multiple aircraft types. This plugin eliminates the tedious point-and-click operation by enabling direct keyboard input, allowing pilots to type flight plans, waypoints, and navigation data directly into FMC/GPS systems using their physical keyboard.

The plugin features intelligent multi-aircraft detection, dual FMC support for both pilot positions, real-time visual feedback, and seamless integration with X-Plane's command system. Built from the ground up in C++ for optimal performance and stability, it provides a more realistic and efficient flight simulation experience across a wide range of aircraft.

• ZIBO 737: Full dual FMC support with intelligent +/- state management
• Default 737: Native dual FMS support (FMS/FMS2 systems)
• Default A330: Complete dual FMS integration
• Default SR22: GPS GCU keyboard input support

• Direct Keyboard Input: Type directly into FMC/GPS systems using your keyboard
• Intelligent Key Mapping: Automatic adaptation to each aircraft's command structure
• Smart Character Handling: Proper +/- support where available, automatic key filtering
• Multi-System Support: FMC, FMS, and GPS systems all supported

• Dual FMC/FMS Support: Switch between Captain and First Officer positions
• Aircraft Auto-Detection: Automatically detects and adapts to current aircraft type
• Visual Indicators: Real-time display showing active system and position
• Seamless Switching: Hot-swap between different aircraft without restart

• Native Performance: C++ implementation for optimal performance and stability
• Cross-Platform: Universal support for macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon), Windows, and Linux
• Modern SDK: X-Plane 11/12 compatible with XPLM 300+ features
• Custom Commands: X-Plane commands for easy key binding and joystick integration

The plugin seamlessly integrates with X-Plane's input system to provide natural keyboard interaction across multiple aircraft:

1. Automatic Recognition: Monitors aircraft ICAO codes and command availability
2. System Identification: Distinguishes between ZIBO vs default aircraft automatically
3. Real-time Adaptation: Switches command mappings when you change aircraft

1. Smart Key Mapping: Automatically adapts key names for each aircraft type
2. System-Specific Commands: Routes input to correct FMC/FMS/GPS system
3. Position Awareness: Handles Captain/FO distinction where applicable

1. Load Any Supported Aircraft: ZIBO 737, Default 737/A330, or SR22
2. Toggle Activation: Use keyboard shortcuts for Captain or First Officer position
3. Direct Input: Type naturally - characters appear in the active system
4. Visual Feedback: Status indicator shows current aircraft and position
5. Seamless Operation: Switch between aircraft without plugin restart

This universal approach eliminates tedious mouse clicking across all supported aircraft types, making flight planning faster and more realistic regardless of your aircraft choice.

• Operating System: macOS 10.15 or higher, Windows 10+, or Linux
• X-Plane: X-Plane 11 or X-Plane 12 (supports XPLM 410+ SDK)
• Supported Aircraft:
  • ZIBO 737 (ICAO: B738) - Full dual FMC support
  • Default Boeing 737 (ICAO: B738) - Dual FMS support
  • Default Airbus A330 (ICAO: A330) - Dual FMS support
  • Default Cirrus SR22 (ICAO: SR22) - GPS GCU support
• Development Tools (for building from source):
  • Xcode Command Line Tools (macOS)
  • CMake 3.16 or higher

# Install Xcode Command Line Tools (macOS)
xcode-select --install

# Install CMake (using Homebrew)
brew install cmake

# Clone or download this project
cd ZIBOKeyboardInput

# Build plugin
./build.sh

# Or clean and rebuild
./build.sh clean

# Auto-install to X-Plane directory
./install.sh

# Or manually specify X-Plane path
./install.sh "/Applications/X-Plane 12"

After successful build, the plugin file mac.xpl will be installed to:

X-Plane/Resources/plugins/ZIBOKeyboardInput/mac.xpl

The plugin automatically adapts key mappings based on the detected aircraft:

Key Mapping Notes:

• Plus/Minus: ZIBO and default aircraft support intelligent +/- state management
• SR22 Limitations: GPS systems don't support slash or +/- operations
• Case Sensitivity: Automatically handled per aircraft (ZIBO/SR22: uppercase, Default: lowercase)
• Command Routing: Automatically routes to correct FMC/FMS/GPS system based on aircraft

The plugin provides universal X-Plane commands that work across all supported aircraft:

• Universal/FMC_Keyboard/Toggle_Keyboard_Input_Captain - Toggle Captain FMC/FMS/GPS keyboard input
• Universal/FMC_Keyboard/Toggle_Keyboard_Input_FO - Toggle First Officer FMC/FMS keyboard input

Command Behavior by Aircraft:

• Dual System Aircraft (ZIBO 737, Default 737/A330): Commands toggle Captain vs First Officer systems independently
• Single System Aircraft (SR22): Both commands control the same GPS system for convenience

The plugin provides intelligent visual feedback that adapts to each aircraft:

Status Window Display:

• Dual FMC Aircraft (ZIBO 737): Shows "KB:CAP" or "KB:FO" indicating active FMC position
• Dual FMS Aircraft (Default 737/A330): Shows "KB:CAP" or "KB:FO" indicating active FMS position
• Single GPS Aircraft (SR22): Shows "KB:SR22" indicating GPS system is active

Visual Features:

• Bottom-right corner: Floating status window with bright green text
• Real-time feedback: Appears only when input is enabled, automatically hides when disabled
• Aircraft-adaptive: Only displays when a supported aircraft is loaded and plugin is active
• Position-aware: Clear indication of which pilot position or system is currently active

1. Load Any Supported Aircraft: ZIBO 737, Default 737, Default A330, or SR22
2. Configure Keybindings: Assign keyboard shortcuts to the plugin commands in X-Plane Settings > Keyboard:
   • Search for commands starting with "Universal/FMC_Keyboard/"
3. Activate Input: Press your assigned key to toggle keyboard input
   • Captain command: Activates Captain-side system
   • FO command: Activates First Officer system (or same system for SR22)
4. Type Naturally: When enabled, characters appear directly in the active FMC/FMS/GPS
5. Monitor Status: Check the green status indicator to confirm active position
6. Toggle Control: Switch between positions or turn off input as needed

Multi-Aircraft Workflow:

• Load different aircraft without restarting X-Plane
• Plugin automatically adapts to each aircraft's system
• Keybindings remain consistent across all aircraft types

ZIBOKeyboardInput/
├── README.md                     # Project documentation
├── BUILD_INSTRUCTIONS.md        # Detailed build instructions
├── LICENSE                      # License file
├── CMakeLists.txt              # CMake configuration file
├── build.sh                    # Build script
├── install.sh                  # Installation script
├── mac_exports.txt             # macOS symbol export list
├── win_exports.def             # Windows symbol export list
├── linux_exports.txt           # Linux symbol export list
├── .gitignore                  # Git ignore file list
├── src/                        # Source code directory
│   └── main.cpp # Main plugin code
└── XPLM-SDK/                   # X-Plane SDK
    ├── CHeaders/               # C/C++ header files
    └── Libraries/              # Platform-specific library files

If you prefer to manually build using CMake:

mkdir build && cd build
cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release ..
cmake --build . --config Release

The plugin supports the following architectures:

• macOS: Universal Binary (Intel x86_64 + Apple Silicon arm64)
• Windows: x64 architecture
• Linux: x64 architecture

1. Download the X-Plane SDK from developer.x-plane.com
2. Extract the SDK to the project directory as XPLM-SDK/
3. Ensure the directory structure matches:

   XPLM-SDK/
   ├── CHeaders/
   │   ├── XPLM/
   │   └── Widgets/
   └── Libraries/
       ├── Mac/
       ├── Win/
       └── Lin/
   

• Use the plugin only when actively entering data into the FMC
• Toggle off keyboard input when not needed to avoid interference
• Bind commands to easily accessible keys for quick toggling

• Verify the plugin is in the correct directory: X-Plane/Resources/plugins/ZIBOKeyboardInput/
• Check X-Plane's Log.txt for error messages
• Ensure the plugin file has the correct extension (.xpl)

• Confirm you're using the ZIBO 737 (other 737s are not supported)
• Verify keyboard input is enabled (look for the red indicator)
• Check that the FMC is powered and operational
• Try toggling the input off and on again

• Restart X-Plane after installing the plugin
• Search for commands starting with "Zibo" in Settings > Keyboard

We welcome contributions from the community! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for detailed information on:

• Setting up the development environment
• Code style and standards
• Submitting bug reports and feature requests
• Pull request process and testing requirements
• Platform-specific development considerations

Quick Start for Contributors:

1. Fork this repository
2. Follow the setup instructions in CONTRIBUTING.md
3. Make your changes and test thoroughly
4. Submit a pull request with a clear description

For questions or discussions, please create an issue or use GitHub Discussions.

Code of Conduct: This project follows our Code of Conduct to ensure a welcoming environment for all contributors.

Security: For security-related concerns, please review our Security Policy and follow the responsible disclosure process outlined there.

This plugin operates through a sophisticated multi-aircraft architecture:

1. ICAO Monitoring: Monitors sim/aircraft/view/acf_ICAO dataref for aircraft identification
2. Command Probing: Tests for aircraft-specific commands to distinguish variants (ZIBO vs Default)
3. Configuration Mapping: Automatically selects appropriate command sets and key mappings
4. Real-time Updates: Continuously adapts when aircraft changes

1. Key Interception: Registers a key sniffer callback to capture keyboard input
2. Aircraft-Specific Mapping: Dynamically converts key names based on detected aircraft
3. System Routing: Routes commands to correct FMC/FMS/GPS based on pilot position
4. Smart Filtering: Ignores modifier combinations and unsupported keys per aircraft

• Position-Aware Display: Shows CAP/FO for dual systems, aircraft type for single systems
• Aircraft-Specific Indicators: Displays relevant information based on detected aircraft
• Real-time Updates: Status changes immediately when switching aircraft or positions

• Plus/Minus State Management: Intelligent +/- handling for ZIBO and default aircraft
• Case Sensitivity Handling: Automatic uppercase/lowercase conversion per aircraft requirements
• Dual Input Support: Both main keyboard and numpad keys supported
• Modifier Key Safety: Prevents interference with X-Plane shortcuts

• 🛩️ MAJOR UPDATE: Multi-aircraft support across 4 aircraft types
• ✈️ ZIBO 737: Full dual FMC support with intelligent +/- state management
• ✈️ Default 737: Native dual FMS support (FMS/FMS2 systems)
• ✈️ Default A330: Complete dual FMS integration
• ✈️ SR22: GPS GCU keyboard input support
• 🔍 Intelligent Detection: Automatic aircraft type recognition and adaptation
• 🎯 Universal Commands: New universal command structure works across all aircraft
• 🔧 Smart Key Mapping: Automatic key conversion based on aircraft requirements
• 📊 Adaptive UI: Status indicators show relevant information per aircraft type
• 🚀 Seamless Operation: Switch between aircraft without plugin restart

• 🚀 Stable C++ implementation with enhanced reliability
• 🎯 Advanced visual feedback system with floating status indicators
• 🔧 Comprehensive cross-platform support (macOS Universal, Windows x64, Linux x64)
• 🎛️ Intelligent key mapping with special character support
• 📱 Modern X-Plane SDK integration (XPLM 300+)

• 🎮 Initial Lua script implementation
• ⌨️ Basic keyboard input functionality for ZIBO 737 only
• 👥 Support for Captain and FO positions

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

• ZIBO 737: Outstanding work by the Zibo aircraft development team
• Laminar Research: X-Plane simulator and comprehensive SDK development tools
• Default Aircraft: High-quality default 737, A330, and SR22 implementations
• X-Plane Community: Beta testers, contributors, and feedback providers
• Multi-Aircraft Testing: Pilots who helped test across different aircraft types

For issues, suggestions, or questions:

1. Check Compatibility: Ensure you're using a supported aircraft (ZIBO 737, Default 737/A330/SR22)
2. Review Documentation: Check the troubleshooting section and key mappings above
3. Check Logs: Review X-Plane's Log.txt for error messages starting with "Universal FMC Keyboard"
4. Report Issues: Create an issue on the project repository with:
   • X-Plane version and operating system
   • Aircraft type and ICAO code
   • Detailed description of the problem
   • Relevant log file entries

Getting Help:

• Search existing issues for similar problems
• Include system specifications and aircraft details
• Describe expected vs actual behavior clearly

✅ Fully Supported Aircraft:

• ZIBO 737 (ICAO: B738) - Complete dual FMC functionality with +/- support
• Default Boeing 737 (ICAO: B738) - Dual FMS support with +/- functionality
• Default Airbus A330 (ICAO: A330) - Full dual FMS integration
• Default Cirrus SR22 (ICAO: SR22) - GPS GCU input (no +/- or slash)

🔄 Automatic Detection: The plugin automatically detects your aircraft and adapts its functionality accordingly. Simply load any supported aircraft and the plugin will configure itself for optimal compatibility.