Click on the part of the image below that you want to learn more about.

Associated File or Application

Each profile has a file associated with it.  In most cases this is an executable file for the game or application for which the profile is intended to be used.

• This is the file that will be executed when you launch the game through Pinnacle
• Its also the owner of the windows that will receive the commands sent by Pinnacle (see Persistent Profile below for more information).
• This is the file that Pinnacle will be watching for when set to auto-detect and apply game profiles.

Tool Palette

Browse Tool

The Browse Tool opens a dialog box that allows you to select a file to associate with your profile.

Although you can browse to locate the executable file, the Shortcut Dropzone is the recommended method because it will make sure that any command line parameters used by the game are also used by Pinnacle when launching the executable. If you are having trouble locating the path to the executable file, see the Frequently Asked Questions.

User Access Control

Some applications require administrative rights.

Finder Tool

To use the Finder Tool drag the magnifying glass icon over any window to find the executable file that created that window. If the game loads in "full screen" mode, you can still use the Finder Tool by pressing SHIFT+F12 to automatically find the executable file of the active window.

Expanded EXE Options

• By clicking the green arrow icon you can expand the interface which will allow you to specify different executable files for Launch EXE and Detect EXE
• By clicking the green arrow you can collapse the interface so that the Launch EXE and Detect EXE are hidden from view. The collapsed view is the default state for the window.
• Whenever you use different Launch and Detect EXEs, Pinnacle's messages will be sent to windows spawned by any of these files.

Shortcut Dropzone

The "Shortcut Dropzone" is the quickest and easiest way to locate your game's executable file.

Drag and drop any Windows shortcut from the desktop or start menu to the "Shortcut Dropzone". Pinnacle will then take the executable file path from the "target" of the Windows shortcut. This is also the best way to make sure that you choose the correct executable file (with parameters if needed) to launch the game properly through Pinnacle the same way it is normally launched when you use the game's shortcut.

Profile Name

The Profile Name is the name that Pinnacle will use to refer to this profile throughout the program. You can use whatever name you want.

Notable Locations

You will see this name in the following notable places:

• Startup Screen
• Hot-swap
• System Tray
• Launcher Gadget

Grouping Profiles into Folders

You can group profiles together by using the > character in the names of your profiles (for example: "My FPS Games > Quake 4", as seen in the image below, would place a profile named "Quake 4" into a group called "My FPS Games" ).

Profile Subtitle

You can also use an optional Subtitle to further describe the profile.

Subtitles only appear on the Startup Screen.

Icon for Profile

This is the icon that Pinnacle will use to represent the game profile in the main window and in the Launcher Gadget.

You can choose from generic icons, internal icons from the game's executable file, or even import your own icons.

Supported formats:

• .ICO
• .DLL
• .EXE files.

Profile Settings

Send commands to other executable files from the same folder

Normally Pinnacle will only send controller commands to windows created by the associated executable file; however, because many games use "launcher" files to start the game, this setting is generally recommended to allow Pinnacle to apply this profile to other exe files found in the same folder as the main executable file (seeing as it would most likely be for the same game).

Launch as persistent profile

By default Pinnacle will only send controller commands to windows created by the executable file (and other exe files found in the same folder with the setting above). This works perfectly for most games; however, some games that use out-of-folder "launcher files" or other complex process structures (that cause the game to be played in windows not created by the executable file) will require the "Launch as Persistent Profile" setting to be enabled. Using this option will cause Pinnacle to send controller commands to your computer even when the active window was not created by one the executable files of the profile.

Never auto-apply this profile

When this setting is used, the profile will not be auto-applied when Pinnacle detects you've started the executable file. If the 'Detect and apply profiles to games automatically' setting on the Preferences window is not checked, then this profile setting is ignored.

Do not start the exe file when profile is launched

When this setting is used, the profile will never launch the executable file for the profile. Pinnacle will always try to detect when it should or should not launch the executable file, but still there are times you may wish to always suppress the loading of the exe file.

Notes and Tips

• If the game does not seem to respond to Pinnacle's commands, try enabling the 'Launch as Persistent Profile' setting.
• The 'Shortcut Dropzone' is the generally recommended method for finding the correct executable file for most games.
• Another easy way to find a game's executable file is to start the game and press SHIFT+F12 and the executable file will appear in the box.
• If the game uses command line parameters, just surround the file name in quotation marks and put the parameters behind the file path (as seen in the image below). So it works just like command line parameters work elsewhere in Windows.
• More profile settings that can be accessed from the toolbar of the Controller Configurations window, so this window only displays basic profile settings.
• You can group profiles together by using the '>' character in the names of your profiles (for example: "My FPS Games > Quake 4", as seen in the image below, would place a profile named 'Quake 4' into a group called 'My FPS Games' ).
• Even website addresses can be used for an executable file, which is perfect for playing web-based games (like Flash and Java).