Introduction
The GoFlight Interface Tool (GIT) is a very powerful tool that enables the interfacing of all types of default and complex aircraft to GoFlight hardware. It is not a plug and play type tool - it is an interfacing tool which means it can appear complex.
However, you do not necessarily need to do any interfacing work yourself and thus avoid having to understand all the details of GIT. There are a number of pre-built configurations for various aircraft, that can be downloaded and imported into GIT via a few simple steps.
Why Can't GIT Be "Plug & Play"?
The answer is simple. There are no enforced standards for the creation of aircraft in X-Plane. What this means is that a Command that works in one aircraft; lets say activates the WXR button on an EFIS, may not work in another aircraft as the aircraft designer has created their own custom Command for the WXR button.
So its next to impossible to build software that comes pre-configured to interface hardware to all aircraft built for X-Plane. There is of course the option to hard code support for every aircraft into the software as aircraft are released or updated; but this would be very costly to develop and maintain; and would increase the price of GIT to unaffordable levels.
There are some exceptions however. For example, generally COM, NAV, and ADF functions tend to stick to standard Commands which is why GIT has the option to automatically configure a GF166 as a COM, NAV or ADF unit.
So GIT cannot be "Plug & Play" like GoFlights GFConfig software because by doing so it would be limited to default aircraft only and would behave inconsistently because even the default aircraft do not always use the standard Commands.
Where Should You Start?
It is highly recommended that you use some pre-built configurations from the Downloads section of the website before delving into GIT any deeper. By using pre-built configurations you will start to get a high-level overview of how GIT works. You will also be able to reference the work done in the pre-built configurations when reading the manual which should help your understanding.
So being a new user to GIT, it is highly recommended to follow these steps carefully:
1) Make sure you install GIT correctly by following the steps in this article: https://www.pollypotsoftware.org.uk/support/user-guide/goflight-interface-tool-x-plane/33-installation/78-installation.html
2) Identify a plane that you have from the Downloads section of the website and download the pre-built configuration from here: https://www.pollypotsoftware.org.uk/downloads.html (make sure you click the X-Plane tab!)
3) Install the pre-built configuration by following the first section of the following article: https://www.pollypotsoftware.org.uk/support/user-guide/goflight-interface-tool-x-plane/33-installation/98-how-to-load-downloaded-aircraft-configuration-files.html
Automatically Configure Devices
On some tabs within GIT you will see buttons that enable that particular type of GoFlight hardware to be automatically configured using default X-Plane Commands and Datarefs. The MCP PRO, MCP, LGT, GF166 have these options. There is no guarantee that devices automatically configured will work with all aircraft as explained previously.
To use automatic configuration do the following:
1) Load the relevant aircraft and get the Virtual Cockpit visible.
2) Click on the relevant hardware tab in GIT.
3) Pick a device from the dropdown list.
4) Click the button that will automatically configure the device.
5) Enable the device.
6) Its usually best to now quit GIT and restart GIT.
Technical Support
If you have any issues or questions about using GIT, technical support is provided Monday to Friday 10am to 6pm GMT on the support forum. The support forum can be found here: https://www.pollypotsoftware.org.uk/support/forum.html. Note that you need to register to join the forum as its a separate account from the Shop. VERY IMPORTANT: Please post in the Discussions section and not in the Activity section as we are only notified of posts in the Discussions section.
If you have problems registering the software, please use the general enquires form found here: https://www.pollypotsoftware.org.uk/contact-us.html
Documentation & Tutorials
Rob Ainscough from Avsim has kindly produced the following video tutorial. This is part II and it covers all versions of GIT. Part 1 covered GIT for FSX/P3D so is of little use for X-Plane users. You can find it here: https://www.pollypotsoftware.org.uk/vanillaforums/discussion/816/goflight-interface-tool-tutorial-part-ii-of-iii#latest
There is a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) article here: https://www.pollypotsoftware.org.uk/support/user-guide/goflight-interface-tool-x-plane/40-faq/96-faq.html
Full online documentation can be found here: https://www.pollypotsoftware.org.uk/support/user-guide/goflight-interface-tool-x-plane.html