Original post:


          

The latest version can be downloaded here.

Note: when updating to a newer version, uninstall the old version before installing the new one if upgrading from a version before 0.2.4.

Change log:

  v0.1.0:
    Initial Release.
  v0.1.1:
    Fixed a bug where FLSPop would stop updating if the date changed while it was running.
  v0.2.0:
    Fixed a rare bug where FLSPop would stop updating if the date changed between the first and second checks.
    The icon in the system tray is now always there if the program is running.
    Right clicking on the icon now brings up a menu, with options to check for players on the server (will list all of them) and exit the program.
  v0.2.1:
    Double clicking on the icon will now check for players on the server.
    Added the option to automatically start FLSPop on user logon in the installer.
    Installer will now prompt the user as to whether they want to start FLSPop after it is installed.
    Updated the readme and added the changelog to the installer.
  v0.2.2:
    No longer uses download.exe for getting the webpage.
    Now shows the 16x16 icon in the taskbar instead of one of the larger ones by scaling it down.
    Shows more useful error messages.
  v0.2.3:
    Icon tooltip now also shows version.
    Error reporting with the new download method improved; no longer needlessly crashes.
    Other misc bug fixes.
  v0.2.4:
    Replaces HTML character entities with actual characters so they show in popups.
    If FLSPop is running and the uninstaller is run, FLSPop is closed before it is uninstalled.
    Old versions are uninstalled automatically by the installer.
  v0.3.0:
    Added two commands to the right-click menu - "Start Freelancer" and "Options".
    Options dialog added - though command line switches still work as well.
    The total number of players on the server is now always displayed in the popups.
    Spruced up the installer.
    The source is included in the installer.
  v0.3.1:
    The tooltip now shows how many players are online the server, according to the last check.
    The icon of the options dialog is now FLSPop's.
    Installer script cleanup/fixup.
  v0.3.2:
    The CPU usage when checking for players should be reduced.
    Now uses a slightly different method of checking to see whether it is time to check for updates, which should improve the responsiveness of FLSPop.
    The installer includes msinet.ocx, which was assumed installed before.
    The source now includes the VB .frx files, which are needed to load the project without errors.
  v0.3.3:
    Compatibility improved! Should work with more output types (there was a version that was outputting linebreaks as linefeeds only, instead of carriage return + linefeed).
    Process now exits immediately after exiting program.
  v0.3.4:
    Added checkbox on menu setting whether new player notifications are shown
    Streamlined code that saves settings to file
    Allows use of the windowed switch (-w) when starting FL from menu

can't run the program on my old XP notebook
I keep getting an error
"MSINET.OCX" is not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid

This should be fixed in the latest version; I had assumed that msinet.ocx was included in all windows installs when it actually is not. Try reinstalling with the latest version (0.3.2).

works better now, thanx

A new version has been released which fixes some compatibility bugs and improves the program's exit. It is recommended that you upgrade to this version.

did you fix the bug where everytime it checks it minimizes my game? that gets annoying. and its why i dont use it. (i run alot of full screen stuff)

I...wasn't aware of this bug, since I don't experience it. I'll look into it though.

never affect me...when it says theres a ne wplayer for me it only shows..after i closed my game...

Yeah, I have to recheck otherwise I get annoying reports that are several hours old (I leave games on overnight)

A New Bug just appeared, There are people on the server (Trigger, Spectre, Sonic, and Sojourn) and yet FLpop says no one is on. Also, it seems to be frequently giving errors.

Edit: Just forget what I said, it seems to have righted itself. Maybe the problem was due to the recent server outage.

What a fantastic little tool!!

Just 1 Q.. will it work on most FL server's ? i play on a few.. be nice to know who's were so i can budget what flight time i have accordingly

It should work on any server that has a Players Online page, you just have to change the "Webpage address to check" field in the options to that page's address.

Question: Can i play in windows mode using the FLSpop tool? because when i add the -w switch onto the path to freelancer.exe it does not work.

I tested it, and for some reason the window doesn't appear in windowed mode when you launch FL from FLSPop, although FL seems to start. Not sure what's causing it, but I'll look into it.

I've released a new version that fixes the bug Dofod reported and adds a small new feature in - look at the changelog for more information.