FlightGear configuration via XML

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Next to using graphical launchers like FGRun or FGx or parsing console commands to FlightGear's binary, FlightGear's configuration can also be set by means of two .xml files.

preferences.xml

This is FlightGear's main configuration file and located within $FG_ROOT. It contains nearly all options that can be set, enabled or disabled to configure FlightGear to the user's preference. All options contained within this file get parsed to FlightGear's binary file upon its startup.

Personalized settings

If you are doing modifications to preferences.xml, keep in mind that those might cause problems with your FlightGear installation and that changes to these files will be lost when you install a newer version of FlightGear or uninstall FlightGear.

In order to have your settings separated from preferences.xml and be used instead of the default settings you could add your changes to a separate configuration file and adding this command-line parameter either in .fgfsrc or when you start FlightGear:

--config=/home/<user name>/.fgfs/<my-preferences>.xml

autosave.xml

autosave.xml is a child of preferences.xml in user space. Location depends on the operating system used.

  • Windows Vista/7/8: C:\Users\{Your username}\AppData\Roaming\flightgear.org\
  • Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\{Your username}\Application Data\flightgear.org\
  • Linux/OS X: ~/.fgfs

If not present, it is generated upon launching FGFS with the options set in its parent file Preferences.xml. Any changes you do within FlightGear's user interface are saved into autosave.xml, so a manual edit is, in most cases, not necessary. The next time you launch FGFS, the settings stored in autosave.xml will be used.

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