This page provides definitions for codebase-specific terms, jargon, and domain concepts used within the Mission Planner project.
The primary entry point and main form of the Mission Planner application. It inherits from System.Windows.Forms.Form and manages the high-level UI state, including the menu icons, connection status, and the switching between different GCSViews.
menuicons MainV2.cs58-60MissionPlanner.Program.Main Program.cs93-96 which invokes Program.Start Program.cs125-126The primary abstraction for communicating with a vehicle using the MAVLink protocol. It handles the underlying serial/network stream and provides events for packet reception and transmission.
ICommsSerial base stream ExtLibs/ArduPilot/Mavlink/MAVLinkInterface.cs32-34OnPacketReceived ExtLibs/ArduPilot/Mavlink/MAVLinkInterface.cs69-70 and OnPacketSent ExtLibs/ArduPilot/Mavlink/MAVLinkInterface.cs114-115A class representing the real-time status of a connected vehicle. It stores telemetry data such as altitude, GPS position, battery voltage, and attitude.
MAVState and is updated as MAVLink packets are parsed. It handles unit conversions for display (e.g., multiplierdist, multiplierspeed, multiplieralt) ExtLibs/ArduPilot/CurrentState.cs27-38A namespace containing the primary functional screens of the application. Each "View" is typically a UserControl that is swapped into the main workspace of MainV2.
HUD and myGMAP controls GCSViews/FlightData.cs44-46| Term | Definition | Code Pointer |
|---|---|---|
| HUD | Heads-Up Display. A graphical overlay showing flight instruments. Supports both GDI+ and OpenGL rendering. | ExtLibs/Controls/HUD.cs123-124 |
| Tlog | Telemetry Log. A record of MAVLink packets exchanged during a flight session. | ExtLibs/ArduPilot/Mavlink/MAVLinkInterface.cs27 |
| DataFlash / DF | On-board logs stored on the vehicle. Parsed via DFLog and DFLogBuffer. | ExtLibs/Utilities/DFLog.cs1 |
| SITL | Software In The Loop. Simulation environment. CurrentState tracks imutime for SITL speedup calculations. | ExtLibs/ArduPilot/CurrentState.cs115-124 |
| WP | Waypoint. A coordinate and command (MAV_CMD) that forms part of a mission. | GCSViews/FlightPlanner.cs92 |
| Geofence | A virtual perimeter. Managed via GMapOverlay geofence in FlightData. | GCSViews/FlightData.cs49 |
| QuickView | Small UI panels in FlightData used to display specific telemetry values. | GCSViews/FlightData.Designer.cs39-48 |
The following diagram illustrates how a MAVLink message moves from the hardware interface to the UI.
Title: MAVLink Data Flow
Sources: ExtLibs/ArduPilot/Mavlink/MAVLinkInterface.cs30-70 ExtLibs/ArduPilot/CurrentState.cs135-153 GCSViews/FlightData.cs40-45 ExtLibs/Controls/HUD.cs72-74
Mission Planner distinguishes between "Telemetry Logs" (recorded by the GCS) and "DataFlash Logs" (recorded by the Autopilot).
ZedGraph.
Title: Log Entity Association
Sources: Log/LogBrowse.cs45-64 ExtLibs/ArduPilot/Mavlink/MAVLinkInterface.cs27-30 ExtLibs/ArduPilot/CurrentState.cs17-20 Log/LogBrowse.cs30
Mission Planner frequently translates between different coordinate representations:
Sources: