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USER DOCUMENTATION for THE POOL MANAGER (tm) Version 1.2 A Football Pool Organizer and Database Copyright (C) 1985, 1988 by Andy Kunz Andy Kunz American Systems Post Office Box Five Blue Island, IL 60406-0005 Compuserve: 72446,316 - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents .......................... i Version 1.2 Enhancements ................... ii First Things First ........................ 1 Introduction .............................. 2 How the Pool Works ........................ 3 Features .................................. 4 Hardware Requirements ..................... 5 File Descriptions ......................... 5 Program Structure ......................... 6 Reference/Tutorial - Pool Setup ........... 7 Reference/Tutorial - Pool Data Entry ...... 10 Reference/Tutorial - Pool Operation ....... 14 The User Supported Concept ................ 17 Restrictions on Copying ................... 18 User Response Form ........................ 19 Appendix A ................................. 20 Appendix B ................................. 22 -i- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) VERSION 1.2 ENHANCEMENTS + Execution speed of the Program has been increased considerably. + Intermediate standings are now sorted on the basis of total points possible. Where the highest potential score is the same, the participant with the highest number of points scored is placed ahead in the standings. This change applies to both the actual standings and standings calculated using the `What If?' scenario. + Data entry has been made easier with four changes: 1. Team numbers have been added to the picksheet so you do not have to find each one on the displayed list. 2. Automatic setting and resetting of the CAPS LOCK key has been eliminated. 3. NFL Team Preload module added. Instead of typing in the same team names each week, all you have to do is indicate the opponents for each game. The team names and abbreviations (including Phoenix) are already in the program. 4. You can immediately enter the next name after inputting an individual's picks without going through the main menu. + Capability to customize the display colors to any desired combination. + Ability to change the pool title, date, and picksheet note at any time before the entering the prize data. + Capability to print an individual's picks added. This should prevent any misunderstandings of an individual's choices. Unfortunately, data files from earlier versions of The Pool Manager are not compatible with Version 1.2. See Appendix B for a procedure to convert these files if necessary. -ii- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE FIRST THINGS FIRST If you didn't read the file README.DOC, the procedure for preparing to use The Pool Manager (tm) is repeated below. 1. Make a backup copy (using the DOS DISKCOPY command) of your original Pool Manager disk. Put the original in a safe place. 2. Print out this documentation if you haven't already done so. Follow these steps: A. Put your Pool Manager backup disk into the "A" drive. B. Set your printer to top of form. C. Be sure you have enough paper ready. The documentation is about 22 pages long. D. In response to the A> enter the following: COPY POOLMGR.DOC PRN Margins have been set to enable you to bind this User's Guide in a three ring or report folder. 3. Create a working disk: A. Format a new disk using the /S option. B. Copy the NFLPOOL.EXE and NFLPOOL2.EXE files onto this disk. The README.DOC and POOLMGR.DOC files are not needed on your working disk and will just occupy disk space needed for data. Do not put a write protect tab on your working disk. 4. To start the program, put the working disk in the "A" drive and enter NFLPOOL -1- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE INTRODUCTION The Football Pool Manager was written for anyone who wants to run a football pool. Whether it's the featured event at a private party or the regular office pool, this program eliminates all the tedious work. All you need to do is enter the basic information and results; The Pool Manager handles everything else. From generating a worksheet for participants to indicate their picks, to printing the final standings, The Pool Manager has many features that ensure an interesting and error free pool. The program has extensive error protection to prevent inadvertent mistakes as well as catch an error made by a participant in the pool. It has complete flexibility to handle any combination of college and pro games - up to 18 games and 90 participants in a single pool. The Pool Manager has over 20 pages of clearly written documentation that describe each feature of the program, complete with examples of how to use it. Extensive report cabability includes: A picksheet for participants to indicate their selections A listing of an individual's picks A spreadsheet indicating everyone's picks on all the games Current and final standings Potential standings "IF" a certain team wins Results of all games played A new routine optionally loads all NFL teams. You just select the opponents for each game. The program has display color selection in addition to several other features that allow you a high degree of customization. Since The Pool Manager is User Supported Software, you are afforded the unique opportunity to influence its improvement. Please read the section on user support on page 17. Enhancements currently under consideration are listed on the User Response Form. As you evaluate The Pool Manager, keep a list of problems or inconveniences that you encounter as well as improvements that you would like to see made in the program. Please include and rate them on the User Response Form when you contribute. Enhancements will be made based on the priorities established by contributing users. Please take time to read this User's Guide and set up a complete dummy pool to become familiar with the requirements and capabilities of this program. -2- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE HOW THE POOL WORKS The games to be included in the pool should be arrived at by general agreement. The Pool Manager (tm) can handle anywhere from 2 through 18 games. The pool operation is very simple. All you have to do is pick the teams you think will win, and assign a confidence number to each. The details are described below. + Pick Winning Teams Each entrant picks the team that he/she thinks will win each game. A team is picked to win, but not against the point spread. ** + Assign Confidence A confidence number, (ranging from 1 to the number of games in the pool) is assigned to each team that was selected to win. Each number can be used only once. Your strategy should be to assign the highest numbers to the teams that you are the most confident will win. + Determine the Winner If the team you picked actually wins, the confidence number assigned to that team is added to your score. If the team you picked loses, you get no points for that game. The entrant with the highest score after all the games have been played is the winner. + Ties If a game ends in a tie, no points are awarded for either team. It is scored as if both teams lost. ** It is possible to pick against the spread, but you must determine the "winning" team manually. The Pool Manager (tm) is not currently designed to accept the actual scores and point spreads which would enable it to calculate the winners. This feature is under consideration for a future revision. (see page 19) -3- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE FEATURES THE POOL MANAGER: + Accomodates up to 90 participants and 18 games. + Generates and prints a Picksheet, complete with pool directions, for entrants to mark their picks for winners. + All NFL teams (including Phoenix) are stored in the program, eliminating the need to type them in each week. Just indicate the opponents for this week's games. (This module is optional; you can still define any 18 games for a pool) + Prevents inadvertent input mistakes on all information entered into the program through full error protection. + Maintains and displays on command a list of all participants who have had their picks entered into the program, and the total number of participants entered to date. + Generates and prints a report of any individual's picks. This can be given to an entrant in confirmation of his picks. + Generates and prints a spreadsheet that shows all the teams and each individual's picks for all the games. + Has the capability to customize display colors to any desired combination. + Calculates each individual's score. Also, the number of points lost and the number of points still pending are calculated to give an indication of potential in the remaining games. + Maintains up to date standings and results of games played. + Prints out the standings or displays them on the screen. + Determines what the standings would be IF a certain team wins. Calculating these "What If?" scenarios can be done any time after the prize information is input and before the result of the last game is entered. + Allows the customization of each pool. Provision is made for: > Pool Title > Note to Appear on Spreadsheet > Date of Event > Prizes (First through Third) > Note for Picksheet > Additional Prize Category + Enables entering the fundamental information weeks in advance. The ability to revise the pool title, date, and picksheet note makes this feature even more attractive. -4- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Computer: IBM PC, PC/XT, PC/AT, PCjr or compatible with at least 256K RAM. Operating Sys.: DOS 2.0 or later (2.1 for PCjr). Monitor: Color (preferred) or Monochrome. Drives: One, double sided (360k). Printer: Epson FX-80 & 100, MX-80 & 100, Star Micronics 10X, IBM Graphics Printer or equivalent dot matrix printer. If you elect not to take advantage of the printing features, the program can be operated without a printer. Another option is to enter all the data at home (without a printer) and do the printing at work. FILE DESCRIPTIONS The following files constitute The Pool Manager and should be on your original disk: README.DOC General Information and instructions for preparing to use The Pool Manager and printing the User's Guide. POOLMGR.DOC Complete User's Guide for The Pool Manager. NFLPOOL.EXE The Pool Manager Main Program. NFLPOOL2.EXE The Pool Manager Operation Program. The following files are generated by The Pool Manager for a pool with the filename XXXX : XXXX.DAT Contains all team and pick data for the pool. XXXX.CUR Contains current status of the pool and custom data. XXXX.RES Contains the results of games played in the pool. XXXX.STA Contains the current standings for the pool. MONTYPE Contains the color/contrast setting for your monitor. -5- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE PROGRAM STRUCTURE There are three basic modules in The Pool Manager. They are Set Up, Data Entry, and Pool Operation. The content of each of these modules is summarized below and covered in detail on the following pages. 1. Set Up * The following information is entered: - FILENAME - POOL TITLE - DATE OF EVENT - TOTAL NUMBER OF GAMES - DECISION TO USE THE NFL TEAM PRELOAD FEATURE - NOTE TO APPEAR ON THE PICKSHEET (optional) - ALL TEAMS AND THEIR ABBREVIATIONS (if applicable) - IDENTIFICATION OF NFL GAME OPPONENTS (if applicable) 2. Data Entry * The following information is entered: - EACH ENTRANT'S NAME, TEAMS PICKED TO WIN, AND CONFIDENCE NUMBERS - PRIZE INFORMATION - NOTE TO APPEAR ON THE SPREADSHEET (optional) - MODIFICATIONS TO SOME SETUP INFORMATION AND COLORS * The following information is output: - A PICKSHEET LISTING ALL THE GAMES FOR ENTRANTS TO MARK THEIR CHOICES TO WIN AND CONFIDENCE NUMBERS - A LIST OF ALL PARTICIPANTS ALREADY ENTERED IN THE POOL - A LISTING OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S PICKS TO THE PRINTER + It is good practice to make backup copies of the .DAT and .CUR files after the prize data has been entered and before any actual results are entered. (See page 5 for file descriptions) 3. Pool Operation * The following information is entered: - ACTUAL RESULTS - THEORETICAL RESULTS * The following information is output: - A SPREADSHEET, SHOWING EVERYONE'S PICKS AND THE PRIZE INFORMATION, TO THE PRINTER - CURRENT STANDINGS TO THE SCREEN OR PRINTER - THEORETICAL RESULTS TO THE SCREEN OR PRINTER - RESULTS OF GAMES PLAYED TO THE SCREEN OR PRINTER - A LISTING OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S PICKS TO THE PRINTER -6- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE PROCEDURE TO SET UP A POOL General - This section is designed to be half reference and half tutorial. Therefore, the information on each input, output, and screen is detailed, and is presented in the sequence required to set up a pool. If you haven't set up a pool before, please set one up as you read through this section. Just invent the data as you go along. Statements prefaced with a + are included to direct your activity in setting up the pool. The important thing is to become familiar with how the program works, its capabilities, and the terminology used. You will be prompted for all the required information. Any mistakes you make entering this information will be described, along with a recommendation for corrective action, near the bottom of the screen. Limits on the type and length of each input are described in detail below. To Start - Bring up DOS in the usual manner and place your Pool Manager working disk in the "A" drive. In response to the A> type NFLPOOL and press enter. The program will load & run. The first time the program is run, you will be asked whether or not your monitor can display several colors. This information will be stored in a file called MONTYPE and loaded directly in subsequent use of the program. Once in the Data Entry Module, you can change the colors if desired. + Read the statement of user support, then press any key to begin. <<< FILENAME >>> Enter the filename that you want to use to uniquely identify this pool. It may contain up to a maximum of 8 characters and may not have a file extension. Limit yourself to using letters and numbers. Punctuation, spaces or other symbols may cause unpredictable results. The program will, however, catch serious errors and ask you to try again. To access this pool again later, you will have to enter this same filename when you restart the program. Examples of pool filenames: WEEK2 COLLEGE NFL10 The purpose of the filename is to identify the data stored for this pool and distinguish it from data stored for other pools on the same disk. It will not be printed anywhere else during the program operation. + Since you are setting up a new pool, the program will not find the filename that you just used and the question will appear: Is this a new Pool? Answer Y and press enter. (If this question appears when you are trying to run a pool that has already been set up, it means that you had a typing error or that the data files for this pool are not on this disk. Answer N and try again.) -7- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SETTING UP A POOL (continued) <<< POOL TITLE >>> Enter the title you would like to use for this pool. The title can be a maximum of 39 char- acters long. It will be printed on all the documentation (picksheet, spreadsheet, and standings) to uniquely identify this pool. Don't confuse the filename with the pool title. Examples of XYZ Corp. Football Pool Week #4 Pool Titles: Kelly's Bar College Pool - Week 2 The 1988 College Bowl Season Pool <<< DATE OF EVENT >>> Enter the date when most of the games in the pool are played. For NFL pools, it would be Sunday and for College pools it would be Saturday. For a bowl season pool, January 1 would probably be used. There is a limit of 18 characters for the date. <<< NUMBER OF GAMES >>> Enter the total number of games to be played in the pool. The Pool Manager can handle a maximum of 18 games in a single pool. Remember to enter the number of games to be played and not the number of teams involved. If you want to use the NFL Team preload (described below), you must enter at least 14. <<< NFL TEAM PRELOAD >>> Enter Y if you want to utilize this feature. It is designed to save repeated entry of the same teams each week. You have the opportunity to include college or high school games in addition to a full slate of NFL games in the pool, up to the maximum of 18. After the Picksheet Note (next page) has been entered, you will be presented with a screen listing all NFL teams. All you have to do is indicate who the home and visiting teams are for each game to be played. Do this by first entering the team number of the visiting team, then the team number of its opponent. Continue this process until all games for the week have been defined. If you make a mistake, press FUNCT. 5 then Enter. You will then have the opportunity to reenter the correct pairings. If more than 14 games are in the pool, you will be presented with a screen to define the teams competing in these games. This screen is also described in detail on the next page. -8- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SETTING UP A POOL (continued) <<< NOTE FOR PICKSHEET >>> Enter a message to be printed on the Picksheet. The picksheet is a worksheet that each entrant in the pool will mark his/her choices on. This note is intended to give information specific to this pool. The note can be a maximum of 78 characters long. Examples: * All sheets must be turned in to Jim by 12-11-88. Good Luck! * Picks due 9-21 @ noon. Congrats to last winner Sue Wille. If you do not want to enter a message for the picksheet, just press enter. + The next screen (if you didn't use the NFL Team preload module) will prompt you to enter the teams playing each game. If you make a mistake, press Function 5 and then press enter. You then can correct the mistake but must reenter all the teams. <<< TEAMS >>> The cursor is first positioned under the Visiting Team column. Enter the name of the visiting team for the first game in the pool. The team name may be up to 15 characters long. <<< ABBREVIATIONS >>> Now the cursor is positioned under the left abbreviation column. Enter a 4 letter (max) abbreviation for the Visiting Team. The abbreviation is used to head the team column on the Spreadsheet. (See page 14 for a description of the spreadsheet) + Now the cursor should be positioned under the Home Team column. Enter the name of the home team for this game and then its abbrev- iation. Repeat this process for each game in the pool. Example: ILLINOIS ILLI vs ALABAMA BAMA MICHIGAN MICH vs OHIO STATE OSU CHICAGO CHGO vs LOS ANGELES RAMS Once you have entered the teams and abbreviations for the last game in the pool, you have another opportunity to correct any mistakes. To correct a mistake, enter N in response to the question: "Is this correct?" and reenter all the teams. If everything is correct, enter Y. All setup data will now be written to disk and program control is transferred to the Data Entry Module. At this point, you may wish to switch to another pool and enter the setup data for the following week's pool. The Data Entry Module is described in the following section. -9- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE POOL DATA ENTRY You will be presented with the Data Entry Module menu upon completion of all the initial information. Each of the eight menu selections is described in detail below. 1) ENTER NAMES AND PICKS - Press 1 and you are given short instruc- tions on how to enter the names & picks. You're also offered the opportunity to return to the main menu if this key was pressed in error. If you're ready to continue, press C and then enter the participant's name as prompted near the bottom of the screen. Please limit the name length to 20 characters and spaces. + The next screen will list all teams in the pool and the team number that The Pool Manager has assigned to each. The team numbers are the same as those listed on the picksheet. The cursor should now be positioned on the left side of the screen under the heading TEAM #. Use the following procedure to enter the participant's choices for winning teams and confidence numbers: A. Enter the team number of the team selected to win the first game. The team name will be printed for confirmation under the TEAM heading and the cursor should now be under the CONFIDENCE # heading. B. Enter the confidence number assigned to the team that you just entered. The cursor should now be under the TEAM # heading on the right side of the screen. Enter the team number for the team chosen to win the second game, and then its assigned confidence number. + Repeat this process until the chosen winning teams and their confidence numbers have been entered for all games in the pool. EXAMPLE: TEAM # TEAM CONFIDENCE # TEAM # TEAM CONFIDENCE # | 1 DePAUL 6 | 4 VALPARAISO 15 5 ROSARY 7 | 7 CONCORDIA 9 9 GEORGIA 4 | 12 PITT 2 -10- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE POOL DATA ENTRY (continued) If you attempt to enter the same team number twice, try to use the same confidence number twice, or make other common mistakes, The Pool Manager will catch your error. A message on the bottom of the screen will describe the problem, and you will be able to retry the entry. This feature is particularly useful to catch errors that participants have made in their choices. (Better now than on Sunday afternoon!) If your mistake was entering the wrong team or confidence number, press FUNCT. 5 then press ENTER. You may now correct the mistake, but must reenter the picks. Remember you must press ENTER after you press FUNCT 5 to activate this feature. Another opportunity to correct an error is after all the picks have been entered. In response to IS THIS CORRECT? Y/N , answer N. The picks will be cleared and you have the opportunity to reenter and correct any errors. If you answer Y, the name and picks will be stored on the disk and you have the opportunity to enter another participant's name and picks. There is no facility for changing the picks after they have been stored on the disk. After 90 participants have been entered, control will automatically be transferred to the List Participants Section. 2) LIST PARTICIPANTS - Press 2 and a list of participants whose picks have already been entered is displayed. Also displayed is the total number of participants that have been entered. This feature is useful when working with large pools. It allows you to verify the entry of a participant's picks. It also keeps you aware of the total number of participants so that the limit of 90 is not exceeded. 3) LIST INDIVIDUAL PICKS - Press 3 to get a printed report of any individual's picks. This report lists the pool name, the date, the participant's name, the teams selected to win, and their confidence numbers. Be sure to set your printer to top of form, then enter the number of the entrant whose picks you want to list. If the person you're interested in is not displayed, press ENTER and another screen of names will be displayed to select from. The first 45 persons entered will be displayed on the first screen and the remainder on the second. After the report is printed, control is returned to the Data Entry Module Menu. 4) PRINT PICKSHEET - Press 4 and you can print up to 10 picksheets at a time. The picksheet should be distrib- uted to each participant. It provides a place for each individual to indicate his/her name, winning teams, and confidence numbers. Be sure that participants don't confuse the team number with the confidence number. The team number has been placed on the picksheet only to make data entry easier. The Picksheet also lists which team is home and which team is visiting for each game and contains short directions on how the pool works. -11- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE POOL DATA ENTRY (continued) + Be sure your printer is on and the top of form is properly set before entering the number of copies required. Enter the number of copies of the picksheet you want printed and the printer will start immediately. If you want to stop the printing process before it is complete, press FUNCT. 5, then press ENTER. Control will then be returned to the Data Entry Module menu. 5) ENTER PRIZE DATA - When you press 5, the most important thing to remember is: NO MORE PARTICIPANTS MAY BE ADDED TO THE POOL ONCE THE PRIZE DATA HAS BEEN ENTERED. CONTROL IS TRANSFERRED TO THE POOL OPERATION MODULE AND WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE DATA ENTRY MODULE. If you pressed this key by mistake, the opportunity to return to the menu is offered. To actually enter the prize data, type PROCEED as indicated. There is a maximum of 15 characters and spaces allowed for each prize entry. After entering the third prize, you have the opportunity to define a fourth prize category, and then name the prize for that category. If you don't wish to define a fourth category, just press ENTER. Finally, you have the opportunity to enter a note (78 characters & spaces max.) that will appear on the spreadsheet. This is similar to the note you entered earlier to appear on the picksheet. Examples: * Party begins at noon Sunday - 405 Washington. Admission: 6-pack * Picks due Wed. (Thu game) Include $1.00 to pay for this software If you don't want to include a note, just press ENTER. Once the prize entry is complete, control is transferred to the Pool Operation Module, all data is loaded, and The Pool Manager is ready to accept results of the games as they are played. It is good practice to make backup copies of the .DAT and .CUR files (see page 5) immediately after the prize data has been entered & before entering actual results. This makes recovery from entering the wrong team as a winner much easier. (Appendix A) -12- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE POOL DATA ENTRY (continued) 6) MODIFY PRIMARY DATA - You can modify four items of primary data through the use of this module. When you press 6, the following items are presented to select from: 1) POOL TITLE - To change the Pool Title, press 1. The current title is displayed and you're given the opportunity to enter a new one. If you decide to leave the title unchanged, just press ENTER. 2) POOL DATE - To change the date, press 2. The current date is displayed as well as the opportunity to enter a new date. If you decide to leave the date unchanged, press ENTER. 3) PICKSHEET MESSAGE - To change the picksheet message, press 3. As above, enter the new message or press ENTER to leave the current message unchanged. 4) COLORS FOR DISPLAY - To change the display colors, press 4. Now you can specify different colors for the foreground, (the color of the characters) the background, and the screen border. The color number currently in use is indicated on the left. Select the color you would like to use and enter its number. Note that the background must be a color in the left column (1-7). The color of the characters (foreground) and the border can be any of the colors listed. The colors used by The Pool Manager are determined by the content of a file called MONTYPE. Once you have changed colors, this file is rewritten, and these revised colors will be used until you change them again. 5) Press 5 after all modifications have been completed, and control will be returned to the Data Entry Module Menu. 5) SWITCH TO ANOTHER POOL - Press 5 and you are returned to the in- itial screen containing the statement of user support. The current pool is cleared from memory. Press any key and you may then enter the filename of another pool. This feature eliminates the need to reload the program if you want to switch pools. It is especially useful when you are loading the initial information for several weeks of games at one session. E) EXIT THIS PROGRAM - Press E when you want to terminate use of The Pool Manager. You will be returned to DOS. -13- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE POOL OPERATION After the prize information has been entered for a particular pool, control is transferred to the Pool Operation Module. Subsequently, the Pool Operation Module will be loaded directly when you enter the filename. Again, there is no facility for adding more participants to the pool once the prize information has been entered. Each of the seven menu selections is described in detail below. 1) LIST CURRENT STANDINGS - Press 1 and you are offered the choice of having the standings displayed on your screen or sent to the printer. Please note that no standings can be shown until at least one game has been completed and the result entered. Both the 1) List Current Standings and 5) List Results of Games Played keys will not operate until the actual result of at least one game has been entered. + Enter S and the standings will be displayed on the screen immediately. + Enter P and the standings will be printed. Be sure your printer has been turned on and is properly set to top of form. Next enter the number of copies you want, (up to 10) and printing will begin. If you wish to terminate the printing before it is complete, press FUNCT. 5 then press ENTER and you will be returned to the Pool Operation menu. The standings will reflect the results of all games entered to date. The winning team in the last game entered will be shown in the heading both on the screen and printed output. Once all games in the pool have had their results entered, the heading will indicate FINAL STANDINGS. 2) PRINT SPREADSHEET - Press 2 and you are given directions to set up your printer and asked to enter the number of copies you want printed. Be sure your printer has been turned on and is properly set to top of form. As soon as you enter the number of copies desired, printing will begin. If you wish to terminate the printing before it is complete, press FUNCT. 5 then press ENTER and you will be returned to the Pool Operation menu. Up to ten copies of the spreadsheet can be printed at one time. The Spreadsheet lists all the teams across the top of the page and the names of the participants down the left side. Each participant's picks are shown across from his/her name under the appropriate teams. The prize data is printed near the bottom of the page. -14- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE POOL OPERATION (continued) 3) UPDATE ACTUAL RESULTS - Press 3 only when you want to enter the result of a game that is finished. If you press this key in error, the opportunity is offered to return to the Pool Operation menu. + If the game is over and you are SURE of the winning team, enter PROCEED to continue. You will then be prompted for the winning team number. Once you enter the winning team number, the winning and losing teams are displayed for your confirmation. The Pool Manager's error detection routines will catch and allow you to correct the following mistakes: A) Entering the same winning team twice. B) Entering the opponent of a team that was previously entered as a winner. ******* IMPORTANT ******* THERE IS NO RECOVERY IN THE PROGRAM FOR ENTERING THE WRONG TEAM AS A WINNER. THE RESULTS ARE WRITTEN TO DISK AND CAN'T BE CHANGED UNLESS THE DOS EDLIN UTILITY IS USED TO MODIFY THE DATA FILES.** ******* ******* If you don't use the DOS EDLIN utility, the only recourse is to enter the results of the remaining games, then correct each participant's totals manually. Be sure to make backup copies of the .CUR and .DAT files before entering any actual results to avoid this problem. If you have backed up these files, see page 21 for the correction method. If you find yourself in the Update Actual Results mode by mistake, press FUNCT. 5 then press ENTER and you will be returned to the Pool Operation menu. + If the team number you have selected is incorrect, answer N to the question Is this correct? Y/N/Tie then enter the correct team No. + If you have selected the correct winning team number answer Y . + If the result was a tie, select either team in the game as the winner. (It doesn't matter which one) Then, in response to the question Is this Correct? Y/N/Tie enter Tie. As noted on page 3, no points are awarded for tie games. ** See the Appendix A for complete directions on the use of the DOS EDLIN utility to correct a mistake in the entry of a winning team. -15- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE POOL OPERATION (continued) + After storing the data, you are offered the opportunity to enter the results of another game. Answer Y if you have additional FINAL results to enter or N to be returned to the Pool Operation menu. 4) CALCULATE `WHAT IF' SCENARIO - Press 4 and you can see what the standings would be "IF" a certain team were to win. All you have to do is indicate the team number of the "winning" team. You are then offered the opportunity to see the `what if' standings displayed on the screen or have them sent to your printer. This feature is very popular at parties because individuals can anticipate the standings "IF" their team wins. Calculation of theoretical results and standings has no effect on the actual results and will not be stored on the disk. The Pool Manager forgets the `what if' results as soon as they are printed or displayed, so there is no limit to the number of times that this feature can be used. 5) LIST RESULTS OF GAMES PLAYED - Press 5 and you are offered the choice of having the results of games that have been completed displayed on your screen or sent to the printer. Similar to the 1) List Current Standings selection, this key will not operate unless the result of at least one game has been entered. + Enter S and the results will be displayed on the screen immediately. + Enter P and the results will be printed. Be sure the printer has been turned on and is properly set to top of form. Then press any key to begin printing. The winning and losing teams in each game will be indicated. Games resulting in a tie will also be identified. 6) LIST INDIVIDUAL PICKS - Press 6 to send a report of an individual's picks to the printer. This is identical to item 3 of the Pool Data Entry menu. See page 11 for details. E) EXIT THIS PROGRAM - Press E when you want to terminate use of The Pool Manager. You will be returned to DOS. -16- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE USER SUPPORTED CONCEPT The Pool Manager is User-Supported software. If you find this program to be useful, a contribution of $20 will be appreciated by the author. Andy Kunz American Systems Post Office Box Five Blue Island, IL 60406-0005 Regardless of whether you make a contribution or not, you are encour- aged to copy this program within the terms of the Restrictions described below. The User-Supported concept is based on the following three principles: 1. The value and utility of software is best assessed by the user on his/her own equipment. 2. The creation of personal computer software can and should be supported by the computing community. 3. Copying of programs should be encouraged rather than restricted. Free distribution and voluntary contribution eliminates the need for and cost of marketing, advertising, and copy protection. This eliminates hassle for the author and gives the user quality software at a greatly reduced cost. After you've had a chance to use this program on your equipment, you are trusted to send the contribution or discontinue use of the program. If you think the above principles are worthwhile, your contribution is requested to make them work. Obviously, without user support, extensive enhancement and improvement of The Pool Manager is not practical. Your $20 contribution entitles you to the following benefits: + A disk with the latest versions of the program and User's Guide. + A semi-annual newsletter (issued before and after the football season) for three years to keep you informed of program improvements, and the availability of new `Sports' products similar to this one. + Ability to influence the development of this program. You may voice your opinions when you contribute (on the User Response Form) and anytime thereafter. -17- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE USER SUPPORTED CONCEPT (continued) + Availability of updates free or at nominal cost. Contributing users may obtain updates for free by sending American Systems a blank, formatted diskette with a self addressed, prepaid mailer. If you prefer, an update can be mailed to you for $7. + Direct user support via Compuserve or the mail for specific problems that you encounter. + Immediate notification of any bugs discovered in the program with recommended corrective action. It is important to complete the information on your equipment (requested on the User Response Form) in the event that any equipment specific bugs are discovered. + Evaluation copies of the program are available for $7, which will be credited toward contribution. Contribution is particularly easy if you split the cost among the regular participants in the pool. Providing software would be a considerate gesture to the individual who has volunteered personal time to run the pool. Enhancements and improvements to The Pool Manager (tm) will be made based on the priorities established by the contributing users. Features currently under consideration for the next revision are listed on the User Response Form. RESTRICTIONS ON COPYING - Individuals are granted permission by the author to copy The Pool Manager (tm) for their own use or for others to evaluate as long as: 1. It is copied in its entirety. (All four files: README.DOC, POOLMGR.DOC, NFLPOOL.EXE, and NFLPOOL2.EXE) 2. The program and documentation are not altered in any way. 3. No price or other consideration is charged. The Pool Manager (tm) may not be included as part of any "package" that is sold. The "distribution charge" or "media charge" levied by computer clubs and other organizations may not exceed $9.00. 4. The printed material may not be copied without express written permission from the author. -18- - User Response Form American Systems Post Office Box Five Blue Island, IL 60406-0005 Name: _____________________________________ Date:_________________ Address:_____________________________________ Do you want to receive City, State:_________________________________ the newsletter? Zip: _______________________ Yes _____ No _____ Enclosed is my $20 contribution. Please register me as a contributing user and send me the latest version of The Pool Manager (tm). + Describe below the equipment you will be using to run this program: Computer:_______________________ Disk Drive Size(s):_________________ Printer make:___________________________ Model:______________________ + Add any features you would like to see incorporated in the program to the list below. Then rate all the features according to this scale: 5 -Very important to implement, 3 -Would like to see, 1 -Not important _____ Addition of a Tiebreaker. (Total points on the last game) _____ Provision to pick winners "against the spread" _____ Collection and compilation of year end performance statistics for all participants _____ Ability to print a preliminary spreadsheet from the Data Entry Module _____ Ability to select a separate drive for a data disk _____ Capacity greater than 90 participants. How many? ______ _____ Special weekly printout of individual status & performance. _____ Capacity greater than 18 games. How many? _______ _____ _______________________________________________________________ _____ _______________________________________________________________ _____ _______________________________________________________________ _____ _______________________________________________________________ + How would you rate the overall performance of The Pool Manager? 10___ 9___ 8___ 7___ 6___ 5___ 4___ 3___ 2___ 1___ -Excellent- -Poor- + Where did you get your copy of The Pool Manager? If purchased on a shareware disk, what was the cost? Name of source: ____________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________ Cost: $______ Please use the back for any comments or suggestions. Thank you for your support, Andy Kunz -19- TPM/1.2 - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE APPENDIX A The procedures for recovery from entering the wrong team as a winner in the Update Actual Results mode are described in this section. If you did not made backup copies of the .DAT and .CUR files, follow the directions in Part 1. See page 5 for descriptions of the files generated by The Pool Manager. If you did make backup copies of these files, use the procedure described in Part 2 on page 21. PART 1 - You will need your DOS disk and the Pool Manager disk containing the files of your problem pool. The filename for the pool used in the instructions is XXX. Substitute your pool's filename for XXX whenever you encounter it. For example, if your pool's filename is WEEK4 the substitution for XXX.CUR would be WEEK4.CUR A. Bring up DOS in the usual manner. B. Copy the EDLIN.COM utility from your DOS disk onto your Pool Manager disk. C. With the Pool Manager disk in the A drive, enter: EDLIN XXX.CUR The display should now look like this: A>EDLIN XXX.CUR End of input file * D. Enter 1 . The content of the .CUR file for your pool is displayed. The FORMAT of the display should resemble the following example: A>EDLIN XXX.CUR End of input file *1 1:*45,32,12,"XXX",2,"Pool Title","Pool Date","Picksheet Note" 1:* E. Your objective is to change the third number (12 in the example) to 0 and leave the remainder of the file unchanged. Copy the first two numbers (beginning with 45 in the example) and commas exactly, then 0 (not the letter O) for the third number. Now press FUNCT 3 and the remainder of the file will be typed in for you. Now compare the top and bottom lines. The ONLY difference (including ALL punctuation) should be a zero for the third number. If it is OK, press ENTER. The format of the display should now resemble the following example: A>EDLIN XXX.CUR End of input file *1 1:*45,32,12,"XXX",2,"Pool Title","Pool Date","Picksheet Note" 1:*45,32,0,"XXX",2,"Pool Title","Pool Date","Picksheet Note" * -20- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE APPENDIX A (continued) F. Press E then press enter. The revised file will be written on your disk and you will be returned to DOS. You may wish to erase the XXX.BAK file and the EDLIN.COM file to free up storage space on your disk after you have verified that your pool has been returned to proper operation. G. Erase the XXX.STA and XXX.RES files. For example, enter: ERASE XXX.STA ERASE XXX.RES (Substituting XXX for your filename) H. Now run the Pool Manager program and reenter the CORRECT results for all games completed in this pool. REMEMBER: It is good practice to always make backup copies of the .CUR and .DAT files immediately after the prize data has been entered and before any actual results have been entered. Then if you have a problem, the backups can be used instead of going through this procedure to correct the problem file. PART 2 - If you did make backup copies of the .CUR and .DAT files for this pool, recovery is simple. Just copy these two files back onto your working disk and erase the XXX.STA and XXX.RES files as described above. Then run the Pool Manager and reenter the CORRECT results for all the games completed in this pool. One Caution - Be sure you make your backup copies of these files AFTER the prize information has been entered and BEFORE any actual results have been entered. -21- - THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE APPENDIX B CHANGES TO MAKE VER 1.1 FILES COMPATIBLE WITH VER 1.2 What needs to be done is the movement of the Pool Title, Pool Date, and Picksheet Note from the .DAT file to the .CUR file. To accomplish this, use the DOS Edlin utility to change these files. Get familiar with use of the Edlin Utility (EDLIN.COM) described in Appendix A and copy it onto the disk with the files that need to be converted. Remember XXX is a representation of the filename in the following examples. First, let's clean up the .DAT file. A. Edit the XXX.DAT file by entering EDLIN XXX.DAT B. Press 1 then ENTER C. Copy the Pool Title, Date, and Picksheet Note in the correct order onto a piece of paper. (For later reference) D. Press ENTER E. Press 1D then ENTER to delete this information. F. Press E then ENTER to write the corrected file to disk. Now add these items to the .CUR file as follows: A. Edit the XXX.CUR file by entering EDLIN XXX.CUR B. Press 1 then press ENTER C. Press FUNCT 3 This types in the first part of the file for you. D. Now type (at the end of the displayed XXX.CUR file) a comma, the Pool Title, Date, and Picksheet Note you copied down earlier. Each of these items should be enclosed in quotes and seperated by commas. The precise punctuation is VERY important. E. The format when complete should generally resemble the following: 1:*21,28,0,"Pool Title","Pool Date","Picksheet Note" F. Once you're satisfied that it is correct, press ENTER. G. Press E then ENTER to write the corrected file to disk. Now copy these files onto your Version 1.2 working disk and run the program. If you have already entered the results of some games, the XXX.STA and XXX.RES files must also be erased and the results reentered as described in Appendix A. -22- -