Help & tour

Help isn't in the sidebar — it lives behind the Replay welcome tour button on the Support page's Resources tab and fires automatically the first time you launch FFB-Bridge. It's a tabbed action hub: a short start path, troubleshooting routes, a support-bundle workflow, and resource links without leaving the app.

Start tab — Get flying

The Start tab is the shortest useful path from launch to force feedback. Two cards side by side:

• Get flying — a numbered four-step path with a jump button per step:
  1. Run Support checks — confirm the stick and sim connection before tuning. (button → Support page)
  2. Pick a profile — start from the closest aircraft and duplicate it before edits. (button → Profiles)
  3. Tune in layers — spring first, then load, then vibration effects. (button → Tuning)
  4. Arm when ready — arm from Dashboard after the aircraft and stick are safe. (button → Dashboard)
• Current setup — a live status panel beside the four steps. Shows DEVICE / SIM / SOURCE / PROFILE / ARM state right now, with the same lamp colour-coding the top status strip uses, plus a one-line status summary at the bottom.

Troubleshooting tab — Find the right tool

Pick the symptom, then jump to the page that can prove or fix it. Four rows, each with the symptom, the likely cause, what to do, and a jump button:

• No force or limp stick — device disconnected, not armed, or spring too low. Run Support checks first, then check Dashboard engagement and the Tuning spring layer. → Support.
• Forces feel reversed — pitch or roll polarity may be inverted, or the two axes swapped. Use the axis test on Settings → Hardware (invert + pitch/roll swap) before changing aircraft profiles. → Settings.
• Sim not connecting — MSFS SimConnect or X-Plane UDP may be unreachable. Run Support checks; on Linux, use the SimConnect fix when Support offers it. → Support.
• Too much vibration — engine, ground, aero, and mechanical effects stack up. Watch Dashboard activity, then lower one effect group at a time in Tuning. → Tuning.

Support tab — Bundle and send

The shortest path to a useful report. Two cards:

• FFB-Bridge support (left card) — a numbered four-step checklist:
  1. Reproduce the issue — keep the aircraft / profile and simulator state as close as possible to the problem.
  2. Export a support bundle — Support diagnostics includes logs, current tuning, check results, and system details.
  3. Attach it to feedback — the feedback form accepts free text, screenshots, and the Support diagnostics bundle.
  4. Tell us what changed — aircraft, profile, sim, and the last action before the issue are the highest-signal details.
• Send report (right card) — two buttons. Open Diagnostics jumps to the Support page's Diagnostics tab so you can export the bundle; Send to support opens the feedback form. The bundle stays local until you choose to upload it.

Resources tab — Docs and manual

Four cards arranged in a 2×2 grid:

• Official docs — the online docs carry the full setup and tuning guide. Shows the docs URL and an Read docs online button that opens it in your browser.
• PDF manual — a printable manual ships with releases and matches the online guide. Shows the manual URL and an Open PDF manual button (falls back to the online manual if the bundled PDF isn't present in your install).
• Welcome tour — a Show welcome dialog button that replays the first-launch guide when you want the basics again, without resetting any preferences or profiles.
• Publisher — publisher footer line with the legal / publisher attribution. Support remains under the FFB-Bridge name; Rohsam Inc. is the application publisher.

When to leave Help

Every Help tab points you to the page that owns each workflow: Dashboard for live force visibility, Tuning for slider changes, Profiles for profile management, the Support page for device and sim health checks, and Support bundles for reports.