Tutorial: Method for Automated SimCity 4 Screen Mode Switching

[Cyclone Boom 16,875]

A Neat Little Tool to use with the "Raise the UI Mod"

Here is a tutorial explaining how to automatically raise SimCity 4's user interface (UI) when switching to windowed mode. This may specifically be useful for those who wish to alternate between running SC4 windowed and in full screen.
 

Please Note
To achieve this, it requires copying and saving simple command line scripts (.cmd), and adjusting relevant paths.

The problem being, when running the game windowed and with a custom resolution, you may notice the taskbar inconveniently overlays the UI like so:

To workaround this limitation, in Windows it's possible to use the "Auto-hide the taskbar" option from Taskbar Properties. This does what it says, and makes the taskbar hidden from view when not hovered over. However, this requires toggling back the setting once exiting the game. So while that works it's not the most ideal solution since to run the game windowed, it may be desired to have quick access to the taskbar at all times.

A means of fixing this is by raising up the UI slightly. Then the taskbar can still be seen in full view while not obscuring the lower-positioned menu options in the game. A useful mod which does exactly this is the appropriately named Raise the UI Mod.

Which upon installation in Plugins, will solve the problem like so:

 

However...

What if you'd then wish to play the game full screen, or often swap between both modes? Perhaps doing so would be useful if needing convenient access to other programs while playing. But later would like to change over based on your monitor configuration, or to benefit from the reduced memory usage in full screen. At least from testing, I found there was around 18% less system RAM used in a fully loaded large tile.

This can be done manually by moving the mod in and out of Plugins when needed. But in terms of automating the process, that's where my little command line scripts may come in handy. Should that sound of interest, keep on reading on...

Note: This is really intended for those comfortable working with batch files, and so this may not be the ideal solution for everyone.

 

---

Prerequisites

• SimCity 4 Deluxe / RH installed and patched at least to the EP1 update. Digital versions other than Origin should come fully pre-patched.
• Although Notepad or a plain text editor will do the job, I recommend using Notepad++ to benefit from syntax highlighting.
• A Windows operating system (this has been tested on Win 7).
• Download the Raise the UI Mod created by @warrior.
• A local folder created outside of Plugins.

 

---

Setting Up

First of all, the initial step is to decide where you'd like to store the mod when not needed. This will be a holding folder and can be anywhere outside from your Plugins folder. Then when running the game windowed, it'll be moved into your Plugins so then the UI is raised accordingly.

So either create a new folder, or copy the path of an existing folder where Raise the UI Mod.dat can be stored.

A simple way of copying the path is by right clicking the location bar in Windows Explorer:

Then click the "Copy address as text" option as highlighted.

 

At the top of both scripts (which we'll get to in a moment), there are 4 adjustable options:
 

• File=<File Name>
  • Description: This is the file name name of the mod, so needn't be changed unless renaming the actual file.
  • E.g.
    File=Raise the UI Mod.dat
     
• PluginPath=<Path>
  • Description: The location inside your Plugins folder to contain the mod. This can be in the root or inside a subfolder structure of your choice. Unless modified it should be the one in Documents. Leave out quotes since those are added in the main body of the code.
  • E.g.
    PluginPath=C:\Users\<Account>\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins
     
• HoldPath=<Path>
  • Description: Here is the location of the holding folder where the mod will be stored. Use the "Copy address as text" method described earlier to make sure this is correctly specified. It can be set anywhere of your choice, providing the folder is fully accessible.
  • E.g.
    HoldPath=C:\Users\<Account>\Documents\SimCity 4\Hold UI Mod
     
• TheGame="" "<Game Location>" <Shortcut Parameters>
  • Description: It wouldn't be any use without starting the game itself, and that's what this option does. Here there are 2 variables which can be tailored specifically. The location of the game's executable file, and also the parameters (switches) used to set a custom resolution, toggle windowed or full screen, force SC4 to run on a single core, skip the intro, or any other such options.
     
  • E.g. Disc based game:
    TheGame="" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CustomResolution:enabled -r1600x900x32 -w
     
  • E.g. Digital game from GOG:
    TheGame="" "C:\GOG Games\SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CustomResolution:enabled -r1600x900x32 -w
    
     
  • For a custom resolution, this must be specified to the desired screen width and height. The above examples represent my own monitor's size of 1600x900 pixels. The x32 at the end is the bit colour depth, which in normal circumstances can be safely left as is.
     
  • Those using Steam or other launchers may need to experiment with workarounds to start the game directly for this to work.
     
  • The empty quotes ("") at the beginning are required since they pass a null title in the command. However the rest of the command can simply be copied over from an existing desktop shortcut Target line, with the format being identical.

 

Note: Where applicable for it to be valid, the <Account> path must be changed to the name of your user account.

 

---

Windowed Script

Here is the script for running the game windowed.

It does the following:

1. First checks whether Raise the UI Mod.dat is located in your Plugins folder.
   1. If found, the game is started using any parameters specified.
       
2. If not present, it moves Raise the UI Mod.dat from the holding folder to your Plugins, before starting the game.
   1. Should the file not be found in the holding folder, a message pops up in a command window making that known.

 

For Example   (Modify custom paths as needed)

@Echo Off

Set File=Raise the UI Mod.dat
Set PluginPath=C:\Users\<Account>\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins
Set HoldPath=C:\Users\<Account>\Documents\SimCity 4\Hold UI Mod
Set TheGame="" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CustomResolution:enabled -r1600x900x32 -w

If Not Exist "%PluginPath%\%File%" (
     If Not Exist "%HoldPath%\%File%" (
	   Start "" cmd /C "Echo %File% not found in: &Echo( %HoldPath% &Echo( &Pause"
	   Goto :End
	 )
     Else
       Move "%HoldPath%\%File%" "%PluginPath%"
	  
 ) Else (
     Goto :StartSC4
)

:StartSC4
Start %TheGame%

:End
Exit

Important: For the game's parameters, it's essential the -w switch is used, or else the game won't be told to run windowed.

 

---

Full Screen Script

Here is the script for running the game in full screen.

It does the following:

1. Checks whether Raise the UI Mod.dat is located in your Plugins folder.
   1. If found, it moves the file back to your holding folder, then starts the game.
   2. If not found, it just starts the game, also using any parameters specified.

 

For Example   (Modify custom paths as needed)

@Echo Off

Set File=Raise the UI Mod.dat
Set PluginPath=C:\Users\<Account>\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins
Set HoldPath=C:\Users\<Account>\Documents\SimCity 4\Hold UI Mod
Set TheGame="" "C:\Program Files (x86)\Maxis\SimCity 4 Deluxe\Apps\SimCity 4.exe" -CustomResolution:enabled -r1600x900x32 -f

If Exist "%PluginPath%\%File%" (
    Move "%PluginPath%\%File%" "%HoldPath%\%File%"
 ) Else (
    Goto :StartSC4
)

:StartSC4
Start %TheGame%

Important: For the game's parameters, it's essential the -f switch is used here, or else the game won't be told to run in full screen.

 

---

Saving the Scripts

Both work by saving them as command line scripts with the .cmd file extension. This can be done using any plain text editor, including Windows Notepad.

Personally as hinted above, I would recommend Notepad++ for the benefit of the code syntax highlighting. It also handily comes with many other features for manipulating text, featuring a powerful find & replace tool with regex ability (advanced search mode). But in terms of what's required here as a simple copy, paste and save to file, these are just little extras which you may find useful for other projects in future.

The end goal is to have both scripts saved, ideally for convenience to the same folder.

For instance:

 

The actual task of saving is very simple. I'll describe the steps for both Notepad++ and Windows Notepad using the windowed mode code. However as this part may well be self-explanatory, feel free to skip the following instructions and continue onto setting up the desktop shortcuts.

 

Using Notepad++

Spoiler

Step 1 of 7

First open the program. Then a new blank document (new 1) will be displayed as follows:



 

Step 2 of 7

Copy either the windowed or full screen code as I've posted above.  (Fully select and press Ctrl+C or use the context menu.)

 

Step 3 of 7

Paste into the open blank document. It'll look like this:

Note: Don't worry about any squiggly underlined text shown here, since these just represent what it thinks are spelling mistakes.

 

Step 4 of 7

At this point it's where you'll need to modify those options at the top of the script.

As a quick recap of what's what:

• File=<File Name>
• PluginPath=<Path>
• HoldPath=<Path>
• TheGame="" "<Game Location>" <Shortcut Parameters>

Remember the first option for the File only needs modifying to match a renamed Raise UI mod file.
The default name is as provided, and can otherwise be left alone.

 

Step 5 of 7

Click File on the toolbar at the top, then in the dropdown menu choose the Save As option:



 

Step 6 of 7

A dialog window will appear like so, from where the file can be saved:

Navigate to a folder location where you'd like to save the script file. This can be any location on a local or external drive.
For the purpose of this tutorial I've created a "Scripts" folder at: C:\Users\<Account>\Documents\SimCity 4\Hold UI Mod\Scripts

Specify whatever file name you'd like to call it. This can be anything, and I decided to name mine: StartSC4_Windowed.cmd

The most important part here is to provide the .cmd extension at the end (or alternatively .bat will also work if preferred). Since the code is still saved as plain text no matter what, setting an extension doesn't change the file format itself, but simply tells the operating system how to open it.

Note: The "Save as type" dropdown menu allows the extension to be chosen from a list, but that isn't required.
I didn't bother posting a preview of said list since we only need one of the 50 odd file formats Notepad++ supports.

Continuing on to the most important step of all in these steps...

 

Step 7 of 7

See that Save button?  Hit it.

This writes the data to the specified named file with the chosen extension (.cmd), inside the navigated to folder.

Then Notepad++ will format the code with the pretty syntax highlighting I mentioned before.

Like so:

Done! 

Then repeat these same steps for the "Full Screen Script" or vice versa. Remember the aim to have both scripts saved to file.

OR

Using Windows Notepad

Spoiler

Step 1 of 7

First open the program. Then a new blank document (Untitled) will be displayed as follows:

(By the way, to enable the status bar at the bottom, I used this trick.)

 

Step 2 of 7

Copy either the windowed or full screen code as I've posted above.  (Fully select and press Ctrl+C or use the context menu.)

 

Step 3 of 7

Paste into the open blank document. It'll look like this:

 

Step 4 of 7

At this point it's where you'll need to modify those options at the top of the script.

As a quick recap of what's what:

• File=<File Name>
• PluginPath=<Path>
• HoldPath=<Path>
• TheGame="" "<Game Location>" <Shortcut Parameters>

Remember the first option for the File only needs modifying to match a renamed Raise UI mod file.
The default name is as provided, and can otherwise be left alone.

 

Step 5 of 7

Click File on the toolbar at the top, then in the dropdown menu choose the Save As option:

 

Step 6 of 7

A dialog window will appear like so, from where the file can be saved:

Navigate to a folder location where you'd like to save the script file. This can be any location on a local or external drive.
For the purpose of this tutorial I've created a "Scripts" folder at: C:\Users\<Account>\Documents\SimCity 4\Hold UI Mod\Scripts

Specify whatever file name you'd like to call it. This can be anything, and I decided to name mine: StartSC4_Windowed.cmd

The most important part here is to provide the .cmd extension at the end (or alternatively .bat will also work if preferred). Since the code is still saved as plain text no matter what, setting an extension doesn't change the file format itself, but simply tells the operating system how to open it.

Note: The "Save as type" dropdown menu allows the extension to be chosen from a list, but that isn't required.

And finally...

 

Step 7 of 7

At this point, it might be a very good idea to Save the file.

This writes the data to the specified named file with the chosen extension (.cmd), inside the navigated to folder.

Nothing else will visibly change in Notepad, other than the title bar displaying the file name.

Done! 

Then repeat these same steps for the "Full Screen Script" or vice versa. Remember the aim to have both scripts saved to file.

 

---

Creating Desktop Shortcuts

To run either of the scripts, it's possible by navigating to their folder and double clicking on them. This will do the job just fine. However for accessibility and since it's probably what you're already familiar with, I recommend linking each via a shortcut placed on your desktop (or wherever is convenient).

Then there will be two shortcuts – One referencing the windowed script, the other for full screen.

 

Step 1 of 3

First make a copy of your existing SC4 shortcut.

Or if you don't have one already, go to your game's installation path and open the Apps subfolder. Then right click the executable file ( SimCity 4.exe ), and in the context menu choose: Send to > Desktop (create shortcut). Then make a duplicate copy so you've got two exactly the same.

Rename accordingly to whatever you'd like them called.

For example:

For the next steps I'll explain the process with the windowed shortcut. Repeat the same for your full screen one...

 

Step 2 of 3

The next task involves editing the Target path in the shortcut.

Right click and open the Properties. Then remove the current path pointing to the game's executable. This is no longer needed because the script does this part, along with passing the parameters to set a custom resolution and toggle between windowed or full screen modes.

Then paste in the path to the script like so:

Note: This can be easily obtained by navigating to the script, holding the Shift key, then right clicking and choosing the Copy as path option.

If you copied in a path which didn't contain spaces, the quotation marks will automatically be removed from the Target line upon saving and opening the shortcut Properties. Those are only needed to preserve a path should there be any spaces included.

 

Step 3 of 3

Click Apply, then OK and close the shortcut.

Repeat for the full screen shortcut or vice versa.

At this point it's good to go, but there is an additional adjustment possible should you wish...

Spoiler

Step 1 of 3

Open the shortcut Properties back up and it'll look slightly different with a few additional tabs available (applicable to command windows).

As highlighted below:

What this next adjustment involves is to make the initial command prompt window hidden when running either of the scripts. By default it will popup for a split second before completion and the command to start the game. To work around this, I've found it's possible to adjust a property in the shortcut.

 

Step 2 of 3

Click the Layout tab now shown at the top.

Then in "Window position" there are two options: Left and Top

These represent the width & height, from where the command window will be displayed relative to your monitor's size. Uncheck the checkbox below if it's specified to let the system position the window, which then allows custom values set above.

Set this to your monitor's full native resolution.
For example, with a 1600x900 monitor I set my Left and Top values as follows:

 

Step 3 of 3

Click Apply, then OK and close the shortcut.

Upon opening it again you may notice the values are rounded down by 8 or so pixels each, but this should be enough to prevent the command window from appearing momentarily when running the script. Should Raise the UI Mod.dat not be found, the info prompt displayed uses a separate window called from within the code, so this won't be affected by the position being set here.

 

---

Addendum

A big thanks to @CorinaMarie for inspiration behind this idea, helping me with technical aspects, and also sharing many valuable suggestions along the way.

There could be other uses with this or similar techniques.

For example, to potentially expand and tailor scripts specifically to:

• Move another mod file in and out, such as the Diagonal Bridge Enabler.
• Control sets of custom content by moving multiple files in and out of your Plugins folder as needed.
• Have a multiple choice option in the command line for using certain shortcut parameters.
• Log the time when starting SC4 to keep track of how long you're in the mayor's office.
• Create incremental backups of your Regions before starting the game.

So that brings this tutorial to a conclusion. Once you've saved both scripts and created the shortcuts, the game can then be fully enjoyed in either full screen or windowed mode with a simple double click. Hopefully this may come in useful and even inspire other possibilities. Be creative!

Any feedback, comments or questions welcome.

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

I am always amazed at the level of detail you employ when creating tutorials. This is both thorough and a delightful help for advanced players to automate the mundane task of swapping specific mods in or out of the plugins folder. It saves time and insures there are no mistakes.

There was a question some time back where the player wanted to use different specific terrain mods on a per city tile basis. This would be ideal for that as well.

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

18 hours ago, Cyclone Boom said:

in Windows it's possible to use the "Auto-hide the taskbar" option from Taskbar Properties. This does what it says, and makes the taskbar hidden from view when not hovered over. However, this requires toggling back the setting once exiting the game.

Well, you're not required to change back. Some of you might take a liking to auto-hide and decide to keep it.

[Cyclone Boom 16,875]

9 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

I am always amazed at the level of detail you employ when creating tutorials.

I suppose anything worth doing is worth overdoing.

 

9 hours ago, CorinaMarie said:

There was a question some time back where the player wanted to use different specific terrain mods on a per city tile basis. This would be ideal for that as well.

I can certainly see potential scope here for other mods. In terms of a single file it'd be the case of continuing on with two scripts: One for with the mod, the other for without. Then modifying the File= <File Name> option in both. Finally if so desired, adjusting the parameters to make each start either windowed ( -w ) or full screen ( -f ).

The same I suspect could also be done by moving an entire folder containing multiple files. Or expanding the code to perform additional move processes.

 

1 hour ago, jeffryfisher said:

Well, you're not required to change back. Some of you might take a liking to auto-hide and decide to keep it.

True, it is indeed the personal choice of each user as with any option. The only reason I say "required" is since to restore the configuration how it was before starting the game and using said workaround, the auto-hide setting must be toggled back and unchecked.

Of course in the scope of this tutorial, preserving the Taskbar is needed or else there probably isn't much point in raising the UI when running windowed.

[Haljackey 17,302]

You can also use a program to assist.

I use Shiftwindow. All you need to do is specify what monitor and what program you want to be full screen and your window'd program now fits perfectly. You can also use your other monitor without trouble at all!

Just hit trigger and you're all set!

 

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

39 minutes ago, Haljackey said:

I use Shiftwindow.

What part of that would move the Raise the UI Mod.dat in and out of plugins?

[Cyclone Boom 16,875]

8 hours ago, Haljackey said:

All you need to do is specify what monitor and what program you want to be full screen and your window'd program now fits perfectly.

Understandably command line scripts aren't for everyone.

So from what I gather, ShiftWindow would replace the need to raise the UI since the window could be stretched to full screen. Or alternatively by adjusting the "Shift to" options, for a specified width and height with coordinates. Then it would be possible to position and resize the game's window above the Taskbar if so desired. Is that correct?

Really the idea behind my method is for there to be two shortcuts, allowing the game to be started either way with a familiar double click. Which in turn moves the mod file in or out of one's Plugins folder to benefit from the raised UI (keeping the Taskbar visible). Or whenever preferred, to run SC4 in full screen as normal. Also being batch scripts that Windows recognises by default, they aren't dependent on external programs which may not be a like-for-like solution to move the mod file as described.

I'm also curious on the possible other uses to manage sets of custom content. Because batch files are simply a set of repeatable instructions.