vatSys Window Manager Plugin

A plugin for vatSys that saves and restores window layouts, ASD (display) state, and common window-specific settings. Useful for quickly restoring complex desktop arrangements for different positions (sectors/roles) or for automatically applying preferred layouts when switching positions.

Features

• Save the current vatSys window layout (window positions, size, show state).
• Restore saved layouts for the current position (layouts are only visible/usable in the position they were saved for).
• Auto-load a chosen layout for a given position.
• Remember the controller's selected sectors and re-apply them on restore.
• Save and restore ASD state (center coordinates and range (range not working yet) ).
• Restore window-specific metadata where available: chat recipients, ATIS callsigns, sequence/arrival windows, strip windows (beacon/type/state), checked map layers, ASD display position/type and range (with retries for display position to catch late UI init).
• Manage plugin-created windows (they will be closed before a restore).
• Manage Z-order for non-main windows to keep tool windows on top.
• UI integration via a Window Layouts menu.

Installation

• Download the plugin from the releases section: https://github.com/RealLeviticus/vatSysWindowManager/releases
• Right-click the downloaded ZIP file, select Properties, and click Unblock (if present).
• Unzip the archive.
• Copy the plugin DLL (and the Layouts folder, if present) to the base vatSys plugins directory:
  • [...]\Program Files (x86)\vatSys\bin\Plugins
• Start vatSys and verify the plugin is installed by checking Info > About.
• Ensure the following setting is turned on in vatSys so position/activity is available to the plugin:
  • Settings > Activity Privacy > Display current activity as a status message

Notes:

• The plugin targets .NET Framework 4.7.2 and uses Newtonsoft.Json and PInvoke.
• The plugin uses reflection against internal vatSys types — incompatible vatSys versions may break functionality.

Usage

• Open vatSys and set up the windows and ASD exactly as you want them saved.
• From the Windows vatSys menu: Window Layouts:
  • Save current layout — saves a snapshot. You'll be prompted for a layout name (default is the current position).
  • Layouts — opens a hierarchical menu grouped by position. For each saved layout you can:
    • Load — apply the layout immediately.
    • Auto load for this position — toggle automatic loading for that position.
    • Delete — remove the layout file.

Behavior details:

• When restoring, plugin closes any plugin-created windows it previously opened, then re-creates windows found in the saved snapshot.
• Any open vatSys windows not present in the target layout (except the main form) are closed during restore to match the saved snapshot.
• If a layout saved controlled sectors, those sectors are re-applied during restore (when they exist in the current data set).
• If a saved layout included ASD state, the ASD center and range are applied; ASD windows remember their view center and zoom level.
• Automatic restore on startup/position change only happens when an Auto load for this position mapping exists; otherwise layouts stay idle until you load one from the menu.
• For some window types (chat/PM, ATIS, sequence/arrival, strips) the plugin will use vatSys API methods to open the right window with the saved parameters.
• Map layers and ASD range are applied when possible.

Files and storage

• Layout files are saved as JSON files with extension *.layout.json.
• Default storage location (created automatically):
  • %USERPROFILE%\Documents\vatSys Window Manager\
  • If Documents is unavailable, it falls back to <plugin-folder>\Layouts\.
• On load, the plugin will migrate any legacy layouts/autoload config found next to the plugin DLL (<plugin-folder>\Layouts\) or %USERPROFILE%\Documents\vatSysWindowManager\ (and %USERPROFILE%\Documents\vatSys Window Manager\) into the current layout root. Existing files in the destination are left untouched.
• Layout file naming:
  • POSITION__LayoutName.layout.json (safe-file-name normalized)
  • Legacy single-file layout: POSITION.layout.json
• Auto-load configuration is stored at autoload.json inside the layout root. It maps position name -> layout name.

Example:

• %USERPROFILE%\Documents\vatSys Window Manager\LONDON__MyOps.layout.json
• %USERPROFILE%\Documents\vatSys Window Manager\autoload.json

You can manually edit autoload.json if you need to set autoload entries outside the UI. The file is a simple JSON dictionary.

Building from source

• Target: .NET Framework 4.7.2, C# 7.3
• NuGet packages: Newtonsoft.Json and PInvoke (or equivalent).
• The plugin uses MEF export [Export(typeof(IPlugin))] and depends on the vatsys assemblies (the host app).
• After building, copy the compiled DLL into vatSys plugin folder as required by the host.

Limitations and compatibility

• The plugin relies on reflection into internal vatSys types and private members (e.g., ASD internals, MMI fields, vatsys.* types). Changes to vatSys internals may break the plugin.
• Not all window state can be restored in every vatSys version — some controls or internal fields may not exist.
• The plugin tries to be resilient; failures during reflection are ignored and logged via System.Diagnostics.Debug.WriteLine.
• Restores that require invoking non-public methods or setting private fields may be subject to permission and version constraints.

Troubleshooting

• Menu not visible: wait a short time after vatSys starts — the plugin waits for the UI to be ready before adding the menu. Ensure the plugin DLL is loaded by vatSys (check vatSys plugin logs if available).
• Layout not applied: check that the layout file exists in the layout directory and that it contains the expected Windows entries.
• ASD/range/maps not restored: vatSys internals may have changed; check debug output for reflection exceptions.
• If windows fail to re-create, ensure vatSys APIs used by the plugin (for opening PM/ATIS/arrival/strip windows) are available in your vatSys version.

Troubleshooting tips (quick)

• Layout root: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\vatSys Window Manager.
• Debug output: run vatSys under a debugger or inspect Debug.WriteLine output to diagnose reflection/restore issues.
• To clear an autoload mapping, either use the UI Auto load for this position toggle or delete/modify autoload.json.

Contributing / Development notes

• The project uses reflection heavily. When updating for new vatSys versions, search for field and method name changes (e.g., mainASDCentre, MAIN_ASD_RANGE, positionsToolStripMenuItem, OpenPMWindow, etc.).
• Keep Newtonsoft.Json and PInvoke versions compatible with the host.
• Add additional metadata capture/restore for other windows by extending CaptureMetadata, CreateWindow, and TryRestoreWindow.

License & Warranty

• Use at your own risk. The plugin is provided without warranty. Review the repository LICENSE file (if present) for license details.