Copyright: 1997 by Meadowlark Software


Table of Contents

Entering Hands

Hand Controls

Hand Generation

Menu Selections

Uses for the Hand Librarian

Whats new


Welcome to the Meadowlark Bridge Demonstration Diskette

We would like you to try out Meadowlark Bridge and the Hand Librarian. If you like the product you can order it from:

Meadowlark Software

2718 N. Broadway #283

Fargo, ND 58102

or call

701-235-5113 (Visa & MC accepted)

Meadowlark Bridge and the Hand Librarian are $59.95 + $5.00 shipping and handling.

The Hand Librarian can be purchased separately for $39.95 + $5.00 shipping and handling.

The Meadowlark Bridge and the Hand Librarian can also be purchased in a Student Package for $99.95 + $5.00 shipping and handling. The Student Package includes Meadowlark Bridge and the Hand Librarian plus a license for ten copies for classroom use.

Restrictions of this demonstration diskette

In the demonstration version of Meadowlark Software some of the features of the full program have been disabled:

You cannot create new tournaments. You can only play the tournaments included with the software. You cannot print hands.

You can only play two rubbers of rubber bridge.

Have Fun!!


Entry Controls
The Add Hand button clears the Hand Display and shows the Card Entry area with no cards entered.


Shuffle Hands

This menu selection scrambles the order of the hands in the currently open hand file. This is useful when you have generated hands of several types and wish to mix them together.


About Meadowlark Hand Librarian
Meadowlark Bridge Hand Librarian

The Meadowlark Hand Librarian (HL) is a program that works in conjunction with Meadowlark Bridge (MB). MB bids and plays bridge hands while the HL is used for inputting and printing out hands. Once hands have been input into HL they can be imported into MB. When it does so the hands are imported as tournaments.

The HL can also be used for generating hands for printout and for practice.


Shuffle Hands while Printing

Checking this box causes the hands to be printed in a random order. This does not change the order of the hands in the currently open file.


Entry Controls
The Cancel button causes any selections, additions or changes to be lost.


Entry Controls
This controls saves the hand you are currently entering. If you were adding a hand the hand is entered at the end of the file; inserting a hand makes this the currently displayed hand and moves other hands up one position in the file; or editing a file simply makes the changes to the currently displayed hand.


Entry Controls
This button allows you to make changes to the hand currently displayed. Clicking on this button displays the Card Entry area and checks the proper cards, dealer and vulnerability. When you have completed making the changes to the hand, click on the Save Hand button.


Hand Controls
This button advances the display to the next hand in the file.


Last Hand
This button advances the display to the last hand in the file.


Previous Hand
This button moves the display to the previous hand in the file.


First Hand
This button moves the display to the first hand in the file.


Set Dealer Box
This indicates the currently displayed hand number/number of hands in the file.


Set Vulnerability Box
Indicate the direction of the vulnerability by checking the direction in the Vulnerability box.


CardArea
The check boxes for the cards are used to assign the cards to the hands. Clicking on a check box in this area causes the card to appear in the Hand Display in the seat direction checked in the Select Hand area. To remove a card from a hand click on the checked box. The check mark will clear and the hand will disappear from the Hand Display area.


Hand Selector
The hand checked here will indicate the hand the cards are to be placed in from the Card Selection Area below.


Hand Counter
Indicate the dealer by checking the seat position in the Dealer box.


Hand Controls

There are three areas of Hand Controls: The Hand Display Control, Entry Control Buttons, and the Card Entry Area. To get help on any specific button, click on the button or control.

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 The Hand Display Control allows you to move through your hand file. Click on each button to learn its purpose. During file open and saving operation this control is replaced by a meter indicating the progress of the operation.

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 The Entry Control Buttons allow you to add, edit, and save your hands. These buttons are not always visible. If the button is not needed for the current operation, it is not displayed.

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 The Card Entry Area allows you to indicate the cards to place in each hand and to specify the dealer and vulnerability for the hand. The keyboard provides a very rapid method of entering hands. See Keyboard Entry.


Bidding Practice
Uses of the Hand Librarian

Bidding Practice

One of the Hand Librarian's most practical uses is to generate hands for bidding practice. The Hand Librarian can generate hands of 21 types (See Hand Generation for a detailed description of the hand types.). If you and your partner wish to practice bidding slams, the Hand Librarian will generate a file of slam hands. Then you print out all the North hands, then print the South hands. Each hand is numbered on each printout. You and your partner can then go, hand by hand, through the set bidding each hand and discussing your bids and responses.

Tournament Creation

While Meadowlark Bridge can generate tournaments with all the types of hands, all the hands in a tournament must be of the same type. In the Hand Librarian types of hands can be mixed in a tournament.

For example, you can create a tournament with 12 random hands, 3 slam hands, 4 pre-empt hands, 5 weak two bid hands, and 3 balanced hands. This flexibility is a valuable tool for creating tournaments or the hands for a duplicate session.

Teaching

The Hand Librarian is a valuable aid for bridge teachers. This flexibility in tournament creation helps you quickly create hands for your students. For example, if you taught Stayman last week and weak two bids this week, you can create weak two hands to demonstrate this week's lesson,  Stayman hands for review of last week's lesson, and mix in random hands for variety. The Hand Librarian generates these hands quickly and prints out the hands for dealing the boards or play in Meadowlark Bridge.


Entering Hands

Entering hands into the Hand Librarian is a simple process. You may use either the keyboard or the mouse. Using the mouse is simpler, but using the keyboard is much faster.

 Click for help on using the mouse

Click for help on using the keyboard


Using the Mouse
Using the Mouse to Enter or Edit Hands

Adding or Editing hands in a Hand Librarian File with the mouse is done as follows:

	Using the Mouse
1.	Click on the Add button on the Card Display. Click on the Edit button to change the hand currently displayed.
2.	In the Dealer box click on the button to the left of the seat to be dealer.
3.	In the Vulnerability box click on the button to the left of the vulnerability direction.
4.	Click on the button to the left of North, East, South, or West to set the hand to receive the dealt cards
5.	To enter cards click on the boxes in the Card Area. For example, to enter the 4♠. Move across the Spade Row until under the 4 column, click on this box. The 4♠ will appear in the Card Display Area above. To remove a card from the hand click on the checked box. The check mark will disappear and the card is removed from the Card Display Area.
6.	After entering all the cards in this hand, click on the next hand (North, East, South, or West). Continue entering cards until three of the four hands are filled.
7.	Click on the Fill button and the remaining cards will be dealt into the last hand.
8.	Click on the Save button to save this hand. Click on Cancel to not save the hand.
9.	Click on the Add Button to begin adding the next hand.

See also: Saving hands, Printing Hands, Keyboard Key Chart


Using the Keyboard
Using the Keyboard to Enter or Edit Hands

	Using the Keyboard  (All key assignments)
1	Type Alt-E,A to begin adding a hand. Click on the Edit button to change the hand currently displayed.
2	Press the F3 key to change the dealer selection.
3	Press the F4 key to change the vulnerability
4	Press the Left or Right Arrow keys to move the indicator for the hand to receive the dealt cards.
5	Use the Up Arrow and Down Arrow keys to select the suit of the cards you wish to enter. The suit label will change to indicate the suit currently selected. Type the number of the card, digits for spot cards, and the first initial of the card name for face cards. When all cards for a suit are entered, press the Down Arrow key to move to the next suit. To remove a card press its key again, and the card will be removed and unchecked.
6	Use the Right Arrow key to move to the next hand. Enter cards for this hand. Continue entering the cards until you have filled three of the four hands.
7	Click on the Fill button and the remaining cards will be dealt into the last hand.
8	Click on the Save button to save this hand. Click on Cancel to not save the hand.
9	Press Alt-E,A to begin adding the next hand.
See also: Saving hands, Printing Hands, Keyboard Key Chart


Clear Button
The Clear Button erases the hand currently on the screen.


Keyboard Entry of Hands
Keyboard Entry

When entering a hand you can use the mouse to click on the buttons for each of the cards, vulnerability, and dealer, or you can use the keyboard.

The keyboard has keys that are equivalent to all the screen controls and menu functions. The following chart shows the key functions in the Hand Librarian:

To select the:	Press		Action	Press
North Hand	F5		Clear Hand	Home
East Hand	F6		Fill Hand	End
South Hand	F7		Move suit selector up	Up Arrow
West Hand	F8		Move suit selector down	Down Arrow
A	A		Move suit selector down	Enter Key
K	K
Q	Q		Delete Hand	Delete
J	J		Insert Hand	Insert
10	T or 1
9	9		Change Dealer	F3
8	8		Change Vulnerability	F4
7	7
6	6
5	5
4	4
3	3
2	2
0	Smallest card in selected suit


Filling out a hand
The Fill Button is used when you simply want to deal all the rest of the cards. For example, when you have entered the cards in the North, East, and South hands, press the Fill Button to deal the remaining cards into the West Hand.

If you enter cards in the North and South Hands the Fill Button will randomly deal the remaining cards in the East and West hands.

Pressing the Fill Button with all hands empty will deal a random hand.


Number of Hands to Generate
Enter in this box the number of hands to generate. The default value is 12. The number of hands generated cannot cause the total number of hands in the file to exceed 128.


This will take you to an appropriate section of the Help System for help on this dialog box.


This will close the dialog box and cancel any selections made.


This will start the Hand Generation process. A meter will appear at the bottom of the dialog box to keep you informed of the progress.


Hand Comments
This provides a short comment explaining the characteristics of the hands generated


Hand Generation

The Hand Librarian generates hands for use in creating tournaments or bidding practice. We have provided a large number of hand types to allow you flexibility in generating hands for almost any bidding situation. Click on a control in the Hand Generation Dialog box to the left for help.


Select Hand Types
Type of Hands to Generate

Select one of the following hand types from the below list and enter the number of hands to generate.

Balancing Hands - West opens the bidding, North and East pass, South makes a balancing bid.	Opponents One Notrump Opening - Unbalanced hands after RHO opens one notrump	Strong Notrump -  Strong Notrump openers opposite any hand.
Drury - 5 card major opener in 3rd seat; support	One Diamond - Two Club Response - Always a difficult bidding sequence	Strong Notrump and Two-suited - Strong notrump hand opposite a two-suited hand.
Equal Hands - One player has an opening hand, but the partnerships will have approximately the same number of HCPs.	Overcalls - Overcalls with the balance of power.	Strong Two Bids - Opener has Strong Two bid, partner is dealt a random hand.
Five Card Major Hands - The South Hand has a Five-Card Major Opening hand, North will have between 11-20 HCPs.	Pre-empts - The South hand will have a seven card suit with fewer than ten high card points. Partner will have from 9-20 HCPs.	Strong Balanced Hands - South has balanced hand with 16-18 HCPs, East has 3 or fewer points, all other hands are balanced with HDCs spread randomly.
Flannery - Five heart and four spade opening hands.	Pre-empts by Partner - North will have a seven or eight card suit with fewer than ten high card points.	Takeout Double - Deals opening hand to East, South has a Takeout Double hand, North has 8-12 HCPs.
Forcing 1NT - Forcing 1NT response after major opener.	Pre-empts by RHO - The East hand will have a seven card suit with fewer than ten high card points. Partner will have from 9-20 HCPs.	Takeout Double by RHO - Bidding after RHO makes a takeout double
Free Bids - Free bids over an overcall.	Partner Pre-empts leading to Slam - Getting to slam after partner makes a pre-emptive bid"	Two Suited Openers - Opening hands with 5-5 or 6-4 distribution, partner has 9-15 HCPs with random distribution.
Jacoby Two Notrump - Jacoby response to major opener	Random Hands - All hands are dealt randomly, anything is possible.	Void Suited Hands - Voids galore.
Jump Shift - Strong hands with greater than 17 pts in response.	Random Hands Strong - North has ten HCPs, South 15-25, all other aspects of hand are random.	Weak Jump Overcalls - One player is dealt an opening hand, the following player is dealt a hand with a six or seven card suit and 8-10 HCPs.
Lebensohl - Competitive sequences after strong NT opener.	Random Openers - South has 13-20 HCPs, North has 12-20 HCPs, distribution is random.	Weak Notrump - A balanced opening hand with 12-14 pts. All other hands are dealt randomly.
Minor Suit Openers - Opening hand with either five Clubs or Five Diamonds, partner has 10-15 HCPs with random distribution	Raises - Raising major suit openers.	Weak Two Bids - A six-card major suit with 8-10 HCPs. Other hands are dealt randomly.
Major Suit Raises - Opening hand will have a five or six card major suit, partner will have support, the partnership will have 23-26 HCPs.	Slam on Fit - A slam hand where the power lies in the right fit, not the number of high card points.	Weak Two Bids by RHO - The East hand opens a with a Weak Two Bid, South has a 13 point hand, West has 12-16 point hand.
Negative Doubles - South will have a five card suit and 12-18 HCPs, the will be a fit in a major suit with partner. Partnership will have 20 or more HCPs.	Slam Hands - A partnership will have more than 32 HCPs.
	Slams by Jacoby Transfers - Strong hand with 5 card major after standard NT
You can mix types of hands in a file. Select the Hand Generator menu selection and select another type of hand and number of hands. These hands will be added to the end of the current file of hands. You are limited to 128 hands per file.


Opening Hand Files
Open Hand Files

Click on any part of the above Open Files dialog box for an explanation of that particular button or list box. Use the File Open menu selection to load hands previously saved. The Hand Librarian uses the standard Windows File Open requester. Find the hand in the File Name list and double click on the file name to load the hand file. "HND" is the default file extension.


File Types
Use this to select the type of files available to the Hand Librarian. The default file extension for Hand Librarian files is "HND" Use this file extension for all Hand Librarian files.


File Types
Use this area of the dialog box to select the drive where the Hand Librarian files are located. Click on the down arrow on the right to see the full list of drives available. Click on the entry to select the drive.


File Types
Click on the OK button to open the file after you have made your selection.


File Types
Use the Directory Selection area of the dialog box to select the directory to look for Hand Librarian files. Double click on the top entry to move up the directory tree, and on the lower entries to move to that directory.


File Name Box
The file name box contains a list of files available to open. To select a file you can click once on the file name, then click on the OK button, or you can double click on the file name.


Menu Selections

The Hand Librarian uses the following menu selections. Click the menu selection to see the help for that selection.


Save Hand

Use this menu selection to save the hand currently being edited.


Copy Hand

This menu selection copies the currently displayed hand to the clipboard.


Cut Hand

This menu selection deletes the hand currently displayed and copies it to the Clipboard.


Paste Hand

This menu selection pastes the hand you have previously cut or copied to the Clipboard into your hand file.


Insert Hand

This menu selection will allow you to enter a hand in your file at any position.

Position the hand control to the point you want to enter the new hand.

Select Edit/Insert Hand from the menu.

Enter the cards in the hand and set the dealer and vulnerability.

Click on the Save Hand button.

The Hand Librarian will insert the hand you entered at this position.


Exit

Use this menu selection to quit the program. If you have not saved the hand, you will be prompted to save the hand before the program exits.


Add a Hand
New

This menu selection allows you to begin work on a new hand file. The current hand file is automatically saved, and then the screen clears for you to begin entering new hands.


Add a Hand
Click here to jump to the hand number entered in the above box.


Add a Hand
Enter the number of the hand to jump to in this box.


Add a Hand
Go to Hand

This menu selection allows you to display any hand in the file by entering the file number in the Go to Hand dialog box and clicking on OK.


Add a Hand
Delete Hand

Use this menu selection to delete a hand from the file. Deleting the hand removes it from the file and reduces the number of hands in the file by one.


Add a Hand
Add Hand

Use this menu selection to insert a hand at the current hand number.


Printer Setup
Click on this button to accept the changes you have made to the printer settings.


Printer Setup
Select the printer you want the Hand Librarian to use. The entries in this box are controlled by the Windows Control Panel Printer program. See your Windows documentation for information on how to install new printers or change the settings of a currently installed printer.


Printer Setup
This will bring up a dialog box in which you can change the settings for your printer. You should not need to make any modifications, except to check that the print orientation is set to Portrait, and If your printer has an option for "Print True Type fonts as Graphics," select this option. If you do not select these options the Hand Librarian may not print properly to your printer.


Printer Setup

This menu selection allows you to configure your printer for printing from the Hand Librarian. Click on any list box or button in the dialog box for specific help.


Printing
Printing Hands

To get help on any control in this dialog box just click on the control.

The File/Print Menu Selection offers three types of output:

All hands in the file

The file currently displayed

All the hands in one seat

All the hands for a partnership


Printing All Hands
All hands in the file

This prints out each hand in the file. The hands are printed in the same fashion as hands printed in a newspaper bridge column. Six hands per page are printed with a notation with each hand of the vulnerability and the dealer. This report is useful for generating hands for a duplicate bridge tournament. The boards can be easily made up from the output of this menu selection.


Printing the Current Hand
The file currently displayed

This selection prints out only the hand currently displayed on the screen. The hand is printed in the same newspaper bridge column format.


Printing the Individual Hands
All the hands in one seat

This printout will let you print separate bidding sheets for any seat at the table. For example, click on the button before the North Hand label. The Hand Librarian will print out all the North hands in your file. Each hand will display only the North cards, and will have a notation for the vulnerability, dealer, and the hand number. Now, print all the South hands. Each partner takes their sheet and practices bidding each corresponding hand.


Printing the Individual Hands
All the hands for a partnership

This selection prints all the North/South or East/West hands with indication of hand number, dealer, and vulnerability.


Click on the OK button to begin printer the hands.


File Types
Click on the OK button to save the file after you have entered the new file name.


New features for Hand Librarian Version 1.3
New Features

The Meadowlark Bridge Hand Librarian was completely rewritten for the Version 1.3 release.

Of the new features the most noticeable is the implementation of MDI. The Multiple Document Interface allows copying and pasting of hands between different files since more than one file can be opened at a time.

Also, in the previous version the Hand Librarian could cause problems if started before Meadowlark Bridge was run, and both were being used. This has been fixed.


Saving Hands
Saving As

For specific help on any part of the Save As dialog box click on the button or list box. Use the Save As menu selection to save a new set of hands. The Hand Librarian uses the standard Windows Save As requester. Enter a file name in the File Name box. Click on OK.

Your hands should be saved into a file shortly after you begin entering hands into a file. It is important that you periodically save your file.

If you enter hands and then attempt to exit the Hand Librarian, you will receive a warning about the unsaved hands.