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DataRefTool

DataRefTool (DRT) is a development and debugging tool for X-Plane 12 that allows browsing, watching, and editing datarefs as well as triggering commands.

Background

  • Developer: Lee C. Baker
  • Website: datareftool.com
  • License: v1 was open source (MIT, GitHub); v2 is closed source
  • Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux (native binaries)
  • Compatibility: X-Plane 12.1+ (v2); X-Plane 10/11 (v1)

The plugin has existed since X-Plane 10. Version 2 was released as a closed-source rewrite for X-Plane 12 and uses the dataref enumeration API (XPLM400) introduced in X-Plane 12.04.

Features

  • Dataref browser: Read, write, and search all datarefs (including arrays)
  • Command browser: Search for and execute commands directly
  • Change detection: Highlight datarefs that have changed recently
  • Watch window: Monitor specific dataref values in a separate panel
  • Regex search: Multiple search terms, regular expressions, optional case sensitivity
  • Plugin/scenery reload: Trigger reloads directly from DRT
  • Multi-window: Multiple DRT windows can be open simultaneously
  • Ignore list: drt_ignore.txt in the Resources/plugins/ directory to exclude problematic datarefs

Value in Flight Simulation

DRT is the standard tool for plugin development and troubleshooting in X-Plane. It enables real-time observation of all datarefs, which is invaluable for analyzing plugin conflicts or developing custom FlyWithLua scripts. With windows open, DRT reads all datarefs every frame, which can reduce FPS — with windows closed, the performance impact is zero.

Installation

Download: datareftool.com/download

Extract the ZIP file to Resources/plugins/. Minimum system requirement on Linux: Ubuntu 20.04+ (or equivalent glibc version). No additional system packages are required. There are no known Linux-specific issues.

Sources