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Contents

Soccer ScoreSheet

by KazMax

(Click Here For OurTelephone Number)

Copyright 1994-1996 - All Rights Reserved

100025.1566@compuserve.com

http://homepages.enterprise.net/kazmax/

kazmax@enterprise.net

How Do I ..... ???

DISCLAIMER

Soccer ScoreSheet and extents is provided as-is, and without warranty, either expressed or implied. The user is obliged to accept all responsibility for the installation and/or use of this software and any consequential effects that might result from this installation/use. The authors cannot be held responsible for any harmful effects which might result from installing/using this software. This disclaimer is binding and non-negotiable.

All terms and conditions relating to this software shall be immediately superceded by any later version which is made publicly available by the authors, without exception. Publicly available means any version which is uploaded to an on-line service where ordinary members of the public can access it directly.

All rights relating to Soccer ScoreSheet, including but not limited to copyright and all intellectual rights, belong in perpetuity to the authors of this application and shall never be transferred to the user or a third party under any circumstance.

General

These options provide the user with general information about the application.

Introduction to Soccer ScoreSheet

Version Information

Change History

Known Problems

Technical Support

The Shareware Concept

Registration

Registration Form

Forms Of Payment

Preparing For A New Season

Printing Considerations

Please Note.....

Terms And Conditions

Association Of Shareware Professionals

Thanks To.....

De-Installation

Functional Dialogs

These dialogs provide the general functionality of the application, and are arranged here in the heirachical order in which they can be accessed.

Main Dialog

System Options Dialog

League Dialog

Division Dialog

Team Dialog

Team Review Dialog

Match Review Dialog

Fixtures Dialog

Match Review Dialog

Import Dialog

Import Summary Dialog

Exchange Dialog

Export Dialog

Fixture Scheduling Dialog

Prediction Dialog

Statistics Dialog

Graphical Analysis Dialog

Prediction Configuration Dialog

Perm Configuration Dialog

Match Review Dialog

Configuration Dialog

Utility Dialogs

These dialogs provide additional functionality for the application, and can be accessed from multiple places as a feature of needing to select options to carry out a task. There is no particular heirachy to the order in which these dialogs might appear - they will only do so as a result of the user selecting an option from one of the other dialogs shown above.

Calendar Dialog

File Dialog

Clipboard Dialog

Further Information

The following topics will provide more information relating to this application and the sport of soccer etc.

The Algorithms Explained

Illegal Software

Creating A New Database

Internet Sites

SDF File Format

Automatic Updates

Setting Up Data Distribution

The SOCCxx.INI File

How Do I ..... ?


Version Information

This help file is current for Soccer ScoreSheet version 8.07.xx, which is available in both a Windows 3.x 16-bit version, and a Windows 95/NT 32-bit version.

The version of the software which you are using is shown in the top right corner of the Main Dialog, immediately underneath the application logo.


Introduction

.....check this out!

.....you might also want to take a look at the section on How Do I ..... ?

Welcome to Soccer ScoreSheet, the soccer league fixture and data management application designed for flexibility and ease-of-use. This application is available in both a Windows 3.x and Windows 95/NT version, however if you only have the Windows 3.x version please don't worry - this version works on either platform and is identical in operation. We have had to take a decision to distribute only the Windows 3.x version for evaluation purposes to save cost, space and download time.

If you are a new user you should note that the data files supplied with the shareware version will be out of date, simply because there will be a delay between when we made your version available and when you finally try it. The data files quite literally get out of date on a daily basis. This isn't by our design as a ploy to get you to register. However, please note that a benefit of registration is that our most up-to-date data files will be supplied.

If you are an existing user then quite probably a lot of things will have changed in this latest version. Please take the time to check out the Change History to see what new and enhanced features have been worked on.

Right from the outset we need to draw to your attention that this application is released under the shareware concept. That means it isn't free, or sort-of free, under any convenient misunderstanding that you might seek to apply. You are entitled to try out this software free of any charge for a preset evaluation period, and thereafter you are required to either pay the registration fee to the authors, or discontinue use and delete all related files from your system. Please also refer to the terms and conditions to ensure that you are fully aware of warranty and other important matters relating to this software.

Perhaps we should also point out that Soccer ScoreSheet is not designed or intended to be used by computer novices (people who do not know how to use Microsoft Windows for example), or by anyone who is not familiar with soccer league arrangements (and/or football pools competitions if applicable). The authors cannot offer help on how to use the application from first principles of, for example, using the PC mouse.

Soccer ScoreSheet is actually two highly-configurable applications rolled into one. Firstly, it manages data relating to soccer leagues. This breaks down into divisions, teams, and fixture information, in just the way that a normal soccer league system does. Secondly it provides a number of features designed specifically to assist with football pools management - this includes fully configurable prediction algorithms, perms support, automatic points analysis, and so on. This will suit either individual or syndicate requirements. However please note that we do not try to suggest that this application will promise an instant fortune on the pools, and we try to set your expectations accordingly.

About 50% of our satisfied registered users do not use both league and pools management features - they use the application simply as a means to easily manage their local teams and leagues, such as Sunday afternoon or other minor arrangements. There is absolutely no reason why you should assume you have to make use of all the features in this application either - if you want a soccer data management application please do not be put off by any suggestion that this application is just for the football pools enthusiasts - it isn't.

We want you to be very satisfied with this application - in fact we want you to be delighted more than satisfied, so we try our best to ensure you understand our policy when it comes to making claims about capabilities. And to make our commitment to you even better we offer a no-quibble full refund guarantee in the event that you find you aren't delighted after you have registered. This is explained in more detail in the section covering registration benefits. We don't expect you to want to take advantage of this arrangement, however if we fail to live up to the expectations we set before you registered this shareware then you have every right to expect us to respond positively to your notification of that situation.

And with version 8 we have introduced a referral payback scheme, so that if you are so delighted with this application that you cause other registrations to come about, we'll reward that activity. Introduce enough new registrations and you would have paid for your own 'free' registration, or even make a profit on the arrangement!

In the event that you receive a illegally registered copy of this software please let the authors know. We will be delighted to give you a FREE legal copy of this software if we are able to trace the originator of your illegal copy - you will not be identified in this process.

Finally, could we bring to your attention one possibly misunderstood attribute of the shareware distribution arrangement. The greatest strength of this arrangement is that shareware can (typically) be distributed freely, by anyone, to literally anywhere. But unfortunately this is also its greatest weakness - authors such as ourselves usually have no control at all over where you may have obtained this application from, and thus when we release an updated version there is no immediate means at our disposal of our being able to replace every earlier version in existance. We do try to replace as many outlets as possible, but we can never reach every copy. As you can appreciate, we can only reasonably be held liable for the terms and conditions as defined in the latest publicly released version of this software, and at all times that latest version shall supercede and obsolete all earlier versions. For the purposes of a clear definition about what is the latest publicly released version, this shall mean the latest version that has been made available for download via Compuserve.


Illegal Software

Soccer ScoreSheet is released under the shareware concept as a single-user license only. That license is obtainable only from the authors and nowhere else. We do not sell licenses through agents or organisations. If you have a registered version of this software which did not come from a payment to the authors, then your copy is illegal and you would be subject to prosecution.

It is not in our interests to prosecute innocent end-users. If you tell us about this illegal copy and we can trace the originator (we shall not identify you in this situation) then you will receive a FREE personalised and registered copy from us.


Refund If Not Delighted

If you decide to register Soccer ScoreSheet and feel that we have let you down in what we promised to provide you with (see the section on Registration), then we offer a no-quibble full refund guarantee. Just send back the registration materials - disk etc - within 15 days of receipt with a clear explanation of why you weren't satisfied and we will refund your registration fee, in full.


Please Note.....

Your attention is drawn to our policy of ensuring that you are not misled with regard to the capabilities of this application. We know other software packages are available that may suggest that they will substantially increase your chances of winning on the football pools. Maybe they do, and maybe they don't - that is up to the user to decide. As the authors of this application we make no claims whatsoever about its effectiveness or otherwise at predicting the outcome of football matches yet to be played.

If you find this software helps you to be more effective on the pools then that is your perception - but we are definitely not trying to sell this application on the basis of it being a 'pools prediction program'. Sorry, if you want one of those we would really much prefer you purchase an alternative - we do not want to be held responsible in the event that your dreams have not been realised.


Major Updates (Version 8.01.xx)
Major Updates (Version 8)

These are some of the major features added at version 8 of this software.

Two Versions!

Soccer ScoreSheet is now supplied in both a Microsoft Windows 3.xx 16-bit version, and Microsoft Windows 95/NT 32-bit version. These share a common database and other attributes, and thus a user who may wish to move between platforms can do so without any loss of their data or configuration.

Automatic Database Updating

There is no doubt about it - the most inconvenient feature of this software is the requirement to keep on top of match results, and that can literally take several hours every month, even though the data entry is as simple as it could be.

We may be able to reduce this commitment substantially - take a look at the help section on Updates.

Good Author Relations!

We have always strived to provide the best possible level of service to our customers, and were interested to find from joining the ASP that perhaps we could improve our service level even further through just a couple of small but significant changes.

The first option is that we will now guarantee to provide a full refund to a newly registered user in the event we fail to live up to what we promised prior to documentation. In fact this isn't a change at all - we have always been willing to do so (and on one occasion actually did). The only change here is that we are publicly confirming that fact.

The second option pertains to several users who have contacted us in the past asking if they could act as sponsored distributors of this application. Unfortunately the answer to that enquiry was always no - and for reasons of legal responsibility and accountability is still no. However we have now introduced a referral payback scheme, so anyone who introduces a new registration to us will directly benefit from doing so. We hope this will go some way to providing a reward for helping to distribute this application to a wider audience.

We invite all users to contact us in the event we might be able to improve our service even further.

User Registration

Soccer ScoreSheet is now supplied with a user registration system built in, which means that if we release a new version the user is able to download that version from an on-line system (if appropriate), and immediately gain access to the latest features. Of course, we shall still maintain our policy of being able to provide shipment direct to the user as a costed option, for those people who do not have on-line access.

This scheme will also allow us to be more responsive to people who decide to register via the SWREG scheme operated by Compuserve, as we shall be able to immediately provide the necessary registration information by return Email (registration benefits will still be supplied via normal mail).

Note: This re-registration of updated versions can only be guaranteed where the major version number does not change. For example the user name/serial number supplied for version 8.xx.xx will be guaranteed to work for all versions beginning with '8', but not necessarily '9' or beyond. We reserve the right to request further payment for an upgrade if another major version is released (this should not imply that this will definitely be the case).

Shareware Changes

The shareware (unregistered) version of this application will now operate as a fully registered version for 45 days from first installation, to give the new user ample time to decide whether they wish to register or not. Towards the end of this period the shareware version will provide non-intrusive feedback to advise that the evaluation period is nearing an end.

Although the shareware version will continue to operate after 45 days to allow the user to access the data they previously entered, some non-critical functions will be permanently disabled, hardcopy will be embossed with a heavy watermark advising of the unregistered status, and the user will be annoyed with continual shareware reminder screens. These attributes will never be applied to the registered user, and upgrading to registered status will immediately remove all limitations imposed after the evaluation period is over.

Dialog Changes

There have been quite a lot of dialog changes implemented - far too many to explain here. However here are the major changes.....

On first startup the established user will immediately notice that the Main Dialog is of a different format. In fact it goes way beyond what was available before - the user can now independently configure via a new Configuration Dialog all 8 pages of team information - each page contains 12 user configurable columns, and thus for each team there are now up to 96 different pieces of statistical information which can be made accessible in whatever arrangement the user chooses. The new Match Review Dialog, accessible from several other dialogs, also allows the user to peruse this information on a per-match basis.

Another significant change is that there is no longer a separate fixtures and scores dialog, both of these are now incorporated into a combined Fixtures Dialog.

Team League Position History

One of the major requests which we could not implement earlier was that our users wanted to be able to review the changing position of a team within the league structure over time, to gain an insight into whether the team was moving up or down the league table.

This is now fully implemented, and via the new Configuration Dialog the user can define options which show either the position of the team, or its relative change for up to the last ten weeks of the season.

A drawback of this new functionality is that it takes a considerable amount of time to recalculate the team positions each week. On a fast PC this will probably be acceptable, but on a slow machine this time may be far too long. Thus the user can enable/disable this option via the new System Options Dialog.

Prediction Algorithms

Previously there were some preset algorithms provided to those interested in using this application in pursuit of their football pools competition entries, but those algorithms were fairly fixed - and not explained in detail. This may have given a misleading impression that we were not being open about how the algorithms were working internally.

The user is now provided with 8 different statistical options for each of the 4 algorithms via the Prediction Configuration Dialog, plus the options are fully explained in the section on Algorithms. Whilst we do not try to pretend that these algorithms will do anything to help win on the football pools, at least the user is aware of what the algorithms are trying to compare between teams playing each other, and can thus make their own decision about how to use these options.

Match Review

The Match Review Dialog has been substantially reworked, and the user is now able to independently show different pages of statistics for the home and away teams. This is of particular interest to football pools enthusiasts, so to compliment this we have added a brand new feature for league coordinators.....

Division Sorting

In version 7 of this application we introduced functionality to allow the user to define the team sorting order within each division, and that extended the usability quite a bit.

With version 8 we have taken this even further and allowed the team sorting to be defined on an even wider range of statistical information. This is enabled via the Division Dialog. This will potentially allow the different combinations of team sorting to run into millions of different options.

Colour Schemes

Soccer ScoreSheet now makes even more use of colour, particularly in relation to prediction schemes implemented via the Prediction Dialog and other places. And all these colours are now fully user-configurable to suit personal taste via a new System Options Dialog.

Furthermore, the user can set unique colours for their favourite teams via the Team Edit Dialog. This will allow much easier location of those teams when these appear in a list of fixtures and so on.

And it is even possible for the user to define different colours for the Main Dialog so that the promotion and relegation zones are immediately obvious, tailored for each division via the Division Edit Dialog.

Outstanding Results Etc.

One of the noticable drawbacks of earlier versions was that whilst it was possible to immediately see whether there were any fixtures on a given date, there was no indication whatsoever about whether those fixtures had been completed, or whether these were pools matches. The Calendar Dialog only showed dates with fixtures in a different colour.

The all-new Calendar Dialog is very different. It not only shows which dates have matches defined, but those dates are now colour-coded using the user-defined colour scheme set via the new System Options Dialog. It is thus possible to see immediately whether results are outstanding for a particular date - and which dates are pools coupon orientated.

Graphical Analysis

The graphical analysis options provided in earlier versions are still available, however we have worked hard to make improvements in this area also. For example the pools number statistics dialog allows the user to set a date range, whereas before it was a take it or leave it full season analysis.

Similar changes have been implemented for the graphical analysis of the predicted versus actual results graph.

Setting The Draw Window

Whilst the draw window still operates the same way and has the same meaning as far as the application is concerned, setting the window is now radically different. It is now only possible to set this window via the Graphical Analysis Dialog, and this is achieved simply by clicking on the graph itself to move the lower and upper limits to a new position. This is a lot less complicated than before - and the statistical feedback available on this dialog will be a lot more helpful as well as it relates directly to the pools points achieved over time for the entire graph, and the subset to which the draw window applies. The user can now include/exclude match result types on this dialog, thus making it far easier to see where the home/away wins and draws are occuring in relation to the predicted results.


Known Problems

As is our normal policy, Soccer ScoreSheet has been put through a beta test arrangement before being formally released to the general public. That beta test should have caught any major problems which may have been present, although as with all complex software projects we obviously can never guarantee perfection. We are extremely grateful to those individuals who contributed by playing a part in the beta test, and any failure to catch problems before public release can never be attributed to their dedication in helping us to achieve a viable product.

If any user experiences a problem with this application the authors would be extremely grateful to be informed of this.

All Versions

Some users have reported that the results produced on their printers give different hardcopy quality to other users, in so far that page titles overlap box edges, and detail sometimes appears to be overlaid within a report.

To overcome this difficulty we have enabled the user being able to modify the font used for printing - please refer to the help section on Printing Considerations for further information.

Windows 3.x Version

No known problems at the time of release.

Windows 95/NT Version

There is a known bug whereby the background colour of listboxes (configurable by the user via the new System Options Dialog) does not fill the complete listbox. This only affects listboxes which are only partly complete.

Unfortunately this seems to be a quirk of the system. The authors have tried to remedy this situation, but to no avail. This will continue to be worked on as time progresses.

This is not a serious problem - it is cosmetic only.

Another notable feature of Soccer ScoreSheet is that it does not support the long filename convention introduced with Windows 95. In use it is quite probable that it will work fine, but automatic data importing definitely has a problem with long file naming conventions.


The Shareware Concept

See also:	Registration

Payment

Our Telephone Number

Please Note.....

Illegal Software Version

Previous Version Warning

Like a great many other successful applications, Soccer ScoreSheet is released under the shareware concept. This concept aims to provide high quality products at a very moderate cost to the user.

The great advantage of a shareware product is that the user really does get to try the software for real before having to part with any money, and if they don't like it then they never have to pay a penny. You don't usually get that priviledge with commercial software, and even where a company might offer to accept a return with money back guarantees there is invariably some penalty attached (restocking and postal charges etc.). Apart from the small costs involved in obtaining the shareware version of an application, it is free from all costs associated with making up your mind that you really do want to purchase it.

Please Note: It is possible that you may have paid a small sum to a shareware distributor to obtain the shareware version. None of that money goes to the authors, and it definitely does not form part of any registration cost. The authors will never become involved in a dispute between a distributor and end-user over any issue.

The reason that shareware is much less costly (usually - some shareware isn't) than commercial software is very simple - the authors of the products generally do not have to support a large sales and support organisation, plus the product does not have to be provided in glitzy shrink-wrapped packaging which are of no further use once the product is removed from that packaging. Shareware is actually a method of distribution rather than a description of the product.

Commercial software is often assumed to be in some way superior to shareware, because it has a familiar company name on the label, so of course it must be better, mustn't it? In fact some people (and many companies) will not use shareware because they believe that it simply can never be reliable or useful to them, and they have a notion of 'you pay for what you get'. In other words, they feel uncomfortable with any software which they have not needed to pay enormous sums of money to own the right to use. Of course, there is shareware available which does not do justice to the concept, and perhaps these individuals who do not like shareware have had a poor experience with such a product - but there is no justifiable reason why all shareware has to be classified as being of poor quality.

As with a great many other shareware products, Soccer ScoreSheet has been conceived, designed, implemented and supported by a professionally trained and experienced Windows software developer of many years standing, who as an author-member of the Association of Shareware Professionals continues to seek improvements in the product as time passes. Like the vast majority of shareware authors we will actively and urgently respond to feedback from all users - and if we can resolve a problem for you - we will. We aim to give a much better support service than many high-profile companies which we could name.


Registration

See also:	The Shareware Concept

Payment and Cost

Our Telephone Number

Please Note.....

Illegal Software Version

Previous Version Warning

Registration Form

Registration of a shareware product such as Soccer ScoreSheet is a very simple and painless exercise. You pay a small one-time fee to the product authors, and for that fee you receive the right to continue using the product without further time limit. Plus, you receive some other benefits (see below) which are never made available to non-registered users.

Please print and complete the registration form provided in this on-line help, and send it to the address shown for the authors with your payment. Alternatively use the SWREG service on Compuserve.

The user should be aware that the registered version of this software may never be made available to others, or distributed in any way. The registration fee provides a single personal copy of the registered version, and it is not possible to register a copy for a named club or organisation (obviously the secretary or other committee member can take out a registration). The reason for the latter is to assist in the prevention of mass distribution and the making of illegal copies of the software - we would be happy to negotiate a reduced registration fee in the event that a number of individuals wish to register at once.

We must also draw your attention to the terms and conditions relating to use of this product. Both authors and users have obligations which they must meet.

Shareware Evaluation

During the evalation period this software will provide full capabilities to enable the user to make an informed decision about registering with the authors, with internal limitations being applied to just the ability to copy a league, and a restricted number of records processed in importing and exporting.

On completion of the evaluation period the shareware version will automatically impose limitations on its functionality. The software will still be generally usable, but some of the features which were available during the evaluation period will stop working until such time as registration takes place. These include the options for summary reporting, configuration changes, and import/export of data.

Registration Benefits

When you register Soccer ScoreSheet you will immediately receive the following benefits from the authors.

Satisfaction Guaranteed. If you decide that you do not wish to be a registered user within 30 days of shipment of your registered version, we guarantee to return your registration fee in full providing you return the registration materials (disk etc.) to us with an explanation of why you no longer wish to be a registered user (please note that this guarantee will only cover your registration fee, not shipping and other charges which might be incurred). If you aren't happy we would like to know why so that we can try to improve our service for everyone's benefit.

Right To Use. The authors provide you with a non-exclusive and non-transferrable right to continue using this software, without further time penalty (this permission is revocable in the event that you are perceived to be acting against the bona-fide interests of the authors, but we aren't going to take that action without there being good cause).

Personalisation Of Software. Your copy of the software will be personalised specifically for you, and show your name in the main title bar and elsewhere.

Multiple Database Support. The registered version of this application supports loading and saving from/to an unlimited number of data files. In the shareware version this is limited to just one file - SOCCER.STK.

Unrestricted Features. The registered version of the software will not be restricted in functionality. In general the shareware version is not restricted - only the league copying and import/export functions are limited, however this will change when the evaluation period is complete - registering the shareware will remove these limitations once more.

League Copy Option. There is one feature which isn't made available in the shareware version, which will become available in the registered version. When you select the option from the Main Dialog to add a new league you will be given the option of copying the currently selected league definition. This will copy all of the division and team structure to a new league definition - very useful at the end of one season in preparation for the next season.

Latest Version. The latest available version of the application will be sent to you on a floppy diskette. Both Windows 3.x and Windows 95 versions are supplied, and the installation utility lets you decide which you want to install. You may already have the latest version - but you may not - check out our Internet and/or Compuserve postings if you have on-line access.

Latest League Tables. This software makes use of soccer league tables, and you will almost certainly have an out of date copy of the English data files for your evaluation (simply because you will have obtained the shareware version some time after it was released, not because the authors have chosen to release an old data file). Upon registration the authors will provide you with the latest English league tables which they have available. There can however be no absolute guarantee that these are completely up to date - if this is of concern to you please contact us prior to registering this product and we will confirm the current availability.

Previous Season League Tables. The authors will provide you with the league tables they have available for previous seasons - this can be useful for evaluation of teams over a longer period of time than a single season (these league tables are not published with the shareware version).

Availability of Regular Email Database Updates. The authors may be able to provide a regular (weekly) Email database update file for the UK soccer league system. This will incur a small additional cost to cover a preset period of time, such as a season, but subject to confirmation will be free for the first three months following a registration to enable the user to verify that it may be of use to them - applicable only to users with an Email account.

Support From The Authors. In the event that you need some assistance with the product then the authors will always do their best to help your use of the application in whichever way they can. Registered users are always given priority over non-registered users, and whilst the authors will try to help a non-registered user, the latter will tend to find that over a period of time their support will become much less responsive.

Low-Cost Upgrades. Where applicable, when a significant new version of the application is released, the authors will advise previously registered users and make available a low-cost upgrade path. If you have access to the Internet you will probably be able to download a free upgrade from our web site.

Referral Payback. In the event that a previously registered user introduces a new registered user, the authors will provide a cash incentive to the person making the introduction.


Registration Form

See also:	The Authors

Our Telephone Number

Registration Fee

Terms and Conditions

Shareware

Registration

There are several different methods you can use to register this application. For further details please refer to Forms Of Payment. If applicable please print this application form, complete, and mail to KazMax.

Note: Your details will be treated in the strictest confidence. We will never provide these to others (except in a very rare situation where you authorised this action in advance). Your details are used by us to keep you informed of future developments.

Please print/write legibly - and show your name as you wish it to appear in the registered version! Sorry - to protect our copyright and help prevent mass distribution registration is only available to named individuals, so please do not express a club or organisation here.

Your name	________________________________________

(24 chars max)

Address	________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

________________________________________

Email Address	________________________________________

Version

Evaluated	________________________________________

Where did you obtain the shareware version from? (This helps us to keep that source updated with new versions - please be as specific as possible)

_______________________________________________________________

Registration Commitment

In providing this registration to the authors of Soccer ScoreSheet I am agreeing that I have read, understood, and agreed with all of the aforementioned sections (those expressed in the 'See also' section at the top of this form). I agree that I shall be bound by the terms and conditions expressed herein.

Signed	________________________________________

Dated   	________________________________________


Contacting The Authors

The authors of Soccer ScoreSheet can be contacted directly via the following means. If you have access to the World Wide Web please visit our home page (shown below) for information on the very latest version.

Email

Send Email to 100025.1566@compuserve.com, or to kazmax@enterprise.net.

By Post

Send to:	KazMax

3 Yorkshire Place

Warfield

Bracknell

Berkshire

RG42 3XE

UK

Tel:	01344-642580 (UK)

(44) 1344 642580 (International)

The latest shareware version of this application will be maintained on Compuserve (GO SPORTS and search the SOCCER library for SSCOR.ZIP), and the World Wide Web at location http://homepages.enterprise.net/kazmax/.

If you cannot find this file on Compuserve, GO PCFF and search for filename SSCOR.ZIP. Sometimes things move on Compuserve.


Telephone

If you wish to contact us you can telephone us on the following number.

From the UK	01344 642580

International	(44) 1344 642580


Older Version Warning
Previous Version Warning

If you are evaluating a shareware version of this application, please be aware that a later version may have been released. That newer version may have changed some or all of the attributes concerning such things as functionality, benefits, and cost.

The authors have no direct control over the shareware distribution channel, and whilst they will use their best efforts to ensure that any earlier versions are removed from the distribution channel, they cannot be held accountable for such a version being made available to any user.

The latest version of Soccer ScoreSheet will be that made publicly available by the authors on Compuserve or the Internet (due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control it can take time to update both sources to the same level - whichever is the later is the latest version). It shall be this version which the authors will be held liable for meeting whatever terms and conditions there may be. If an earlier version appears to offer you a free lifetime supply of gold and diamonds, then it will be hard luck that you missed the opportunity - because the later version definitely will not have that advantage for you.

At all times the latest version shall supercede and obsolete any and all previous versions.


Terms And Conditions

Both the authors and the user have obligations relating to this software.

Author Obligations

The authors shall be responsible to the user, and only to that user, for providing the registration benefits to the user upon payment of the full registration fee, as expressed in the section on registration. These benefits (and the registration fee) may have been modified in a later version of the software which has been made publicly available (on Compuserve), and thus the authors shall be liable only as expressed within those later terms and conditions. If such a later version should exist then these obligations as expressed herein are null and void.

The authors would also like to make clear that the options relating to automatic database updates are subject to other terms and conditions, with this functionality being based upon use of facilities over which the authors have no direct control we obviously cannot provide a guaranteed service. The user shall accept that we shall use our best efforts with regard to this service, but that we cannot be held responsible in the event that the service is less than desirable.

With the sole exception of defective media which we will gladly replace upon notification and return within 10 days of receipt, this software application is supplied without any warranty whatsoever, either implied or explicit. The authors cannot be held accountable or liable for any problem that installing and/or using this software might present, whether unforeseen or otherwise. If this software wipes out your lifetimes work, or causes your house to catch fire by making the computer work too hard, or any other situation which you aren't pleased as a result of, that's your problem, not ours. We (the authors) cannot be held liable for any event involving or associated with this software. If you do not like or accept this situation then your only alternative is to discontinue further use of this software.

In no event will the authors be liable for any sum exceeding a single registration payment.

Please note that the authors operate a policy of automatically assuming that a user with a version of Soccer ScoreSheet which is two or more major versions out of date will no longer be interested in receiving notification materials. We can only reasonably support the current version, plus the immediately previous major version, and it is not financially attractive for us to keep mailing notifications to users who are a long way out of date. For example with the currently shipping version being version 8 we will continue to send notifications to version 7 users and version 8 users. By implication this means that we operate a policy of offering support for a finite period of time which is embraced by the major version launches - this support will be a minimum of six months duration from the time of registration, or subsequent upgrade.

User Obligations

The user is obliged to abide by the terms and conditions of using this software, as expressed herein and in other respective places. They are also required to uphold the shareware concept by evaluating the software for a reasonable period of time, and then either discontinuing using the software - or paying the required registration fee to the authors.

The user is also required to protect the bona-fide interests of the authors, and shall not under any circumstance give cause for another unauthorised person to make use of or gain access to the registered version of this software. This includes but is not limited to the uploading of the registered version (or instruction thereof) to publicly accessible bulletin board systems and the like. To do so is illegal, and any recipient of your illegally provided software who contacts us will be able to receive a free registered copy for themselves - this action will quite probably result in our identifying the source of the illegal software and litigation will follow.

The user shall also acknowledge that all rights pertaining to this application, including but not limited to copyright, belong in perpetuity to the authors. The act of registration does not and shall not confer rights to the user beyond that relating to continued permission to use the software beyond the evaluation period. These rights shall never be transferred to the user under any circumstance.

The user shall not attempt to reverse-engineer the software, and neither shall they attempt to defeat or modify the shareware evaluation period in order to provide an extended evaluation period. Such defeat/modification includes but is not limited to modifying internal code and/or data, or use of third-party utility software which seeks to achieve the same objective.

In essence, we request users to respect our interests pertaining to this software, and to treat this with the respect they would have for their own hard work and dedication. A significant product such as Soccer ScoreSheet takes quite literally thousands of hours of personal development time.


The Association Of Shareware Professionals

KazMax have always taken pride in trying to provide the best-possible support for their software, and will always try to resolve all problems that are brought to their attention. However if you feel we are not doing enough, or our response is not appropriate for any reason, please feel free to contact the ASP ombudsman. We are under obligation to honour the ASP code of conduct for shareware authors.

This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). The ASP wants you to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or problem with the ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at:

The ASP Ombudsman

545 Grover Road

Muskegon

MI 49442-9427

USA

Fax:	616-788-2765

Compuserve:	ASP Ombudsman - 70007,3536


Thanks To.....

Soccer ScoreSheet and its associated components could never have been produced without the following individuals or companies playing a part, and to whom the authors are very grateful. These individuals/companies own the respective rights to their particular products. We are of course registered users of all products mentioned - note that we do not only offer shareware products, we actively support the concept ourselves by registering what we use.

We hope that we have given due reference to all those individuals and companies that have helped bring our product together, but just in case we forgot anyone along the way please accept our apologies - we do recognise your copyright with regard to your product, and if you would care to let us know about your omission we will gladly rectify the situation for the next release.

Our Users!

Without the many users of this application we wouldn't have the enthusiasm to keep working to make this better. Thanks to everyone who has helped us with their suggestions, comments and criticisms. And also our grateful thanks for not being too hard on us when we've had to take a little time to resolve problems.

Our Beta Testers!

No matter how hard we try to produce a perfect product, when it eventually gets released to the beta-test team they always manage to collectively find problems that somehow eluded our careful testing procedures.

We are and always will be grateful to these individuals for their help and cooperation in making this product even better. As a matter of policy (to protect the innocent in the event that something unforeseen makes its way through even this rigorous testing phase) we do not identify the individuals concerned. They know who they are, and they know how grateful we are for their time and effort.

Individuals who may wish to be considered as future beta testers should contact the authors. We make no promises about this, but invariably beta-testers are scarce when you most need them.

Inst/Setup

Mr Kurt P. Herzog

1440 N.E. Tenth Street

Grants Pass

OR 97526

USA

CIS ID:	72122,2023

Email:	72122.2023@compuserve.com

Inst/Setup is a shareware product, available on Compuserve and elsewhere.

We searched long and hard for an easy to use Windows installation utility which would compliment our product in a professional way, and nearly gave up in the process. Sure, there are a lot of installation utilities out there, but the really good ones didn't seem to be even close to the limits of our budget. And the not so good ones weren't going to compliment our product. Then we found Inst/Easy and our troubles were over. This excellent utility has continued to evolve over time, and we highly recommend it for anyone who might have a need to create Windows installation solutions and who really doesn't want to have to spend a lot of time putting it all together (users of this superb product do not need to have any programming or technical knowledge at all).

EasyHelp/Web

Mr James Holroyd

Eon Solutions

12 Juniper Rise

Upton Priory

Macclesfield

Cheshire

SK10 4XT

England

Web:	http://www.u-net.com/eon

Tel:	UK 0973 209667

Fax:	UK 01625 827037

Email:	eon@cix.compulink.co.uk

EasyHelp/Web is a shareware product, available on Compuserve and elsewhere.

The help file you are currently perusing was created using this excellent and easy to use package, which works in conjunction with Microsoft Word for Windows. We use it for creating all our help files. If further recommendation were needed, we were already registered users of another shareware product to produce on-line help files which we had been actively using for some time when we came across EasyHelp/Web, and it didn't take much to persuade us that this was the superior product, authored by someone who earns a living from this expertise.

Quma Version Control System

Jim Voris

20 Warren Manor Court

Cockeysville, MD  21030

USA

Web:	http://www.clark.net/pub/jimv/qvcsman.htm

FTP:	ftp.clark.net

Email:	jimv@clark.net

All good software developers always take great care to ensure that they save their work in such a way that they can retrieve that work at a later time - no matter what changes may have been implemented in the meantime. The process of doing so is termed a version control system. Imagine a software project which has several tens of source files, and trying to keep track of all of these source files for every release that is ever made - it is very difficult to do. For some authors this may be as simple as a collection of floppy disks which are carefully managed - however you only have to accidentally overwrite one disk and.....

We came across QVCS from Jim Voris almost by accident on the Internet, downloaded it and were so impressed by it's MS Windows user interface to the extent that we used it to replace the other VCS system we had been using all along - because it was undoubtedly better in many respects. This software allows us to check in any type of file (binary or text) and manage our complex projects very easily in the familiar point-and-click way. It has all the advanced features that professional developers require - multi-user, multi-branch, merging, etc. Very highly recommended for anyone who needs to manage any type of computer file which is subject to change over time.

Borland C/C++ For Windows

Borland International, Inc.

100 Borland Way

Scotts Valley

CA 95066-3249

USA

Tel:	(408) 431-1000

This whole application was written using the Borland C/C++ for Windows development suite. As any professional developer knows Borland, Microsoft, and one or two others actively compete for a leadership position in the professional software development tools marketplace. Our continued use of this excellent product stems from historical familiarity as much as anything else. But as we've never been disappointed with Borland we've stuck with it over the last few years.

4Dos

J P Software Inc.

P.O. Box 1470

East Arlington

MA 02174

USA

Tel:	(617) 646-3975

Fax:	(617) 646-0904

We will be the first to admit that 4DOS is actually required for the production or use of our product, so we could have left this out and no-one would have been any the wiser. However 4Dos has made our life so much easier over a period of time that that they deserve a mention. Highly recommended as alternative to standard MS-DOS, not least because of its very rich batch scripting language which is a superset of normal MS-DOS.

Boxer (Text Editor)

Boxer Software

P.O. Box 3230

Peterborough

N.H. 03458-3230

USA

Tel:	800-98-BOXER (800-982-6937)

Fax:	(603) 924-4471

BBS:	(603) 924-3859

Once again, this product was not strictly necessary for the development of this application as there were other alternatives available. However Boxer is our text editor of choice from several years experience. Very highly recommended as a highly configurable editor to suit almost everyone's requirements (also available as an O/S2 version).

Microsoft Word for Windows

Microsoft Corporation

One Microsoft Way

Redmond

Washington 98052-6399

USA

Microsoft Word for Windows version 6 was used in conjunction with EasyHelp/Web mentioned above to create the Windows on-line help file you are reading.

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Corporation

One Microsoft Way

Redmond

Washington 98052-6399

USA

During the development process of this application we used Microsoft Windows for Workgroups and Windows 95. And without one or other of these operating systems this application would be completely useless.


De-Installation

We hope that you have enjoyed evaluating Soccer ScoreSheet, and even if you do not intend to become a registered user the authors would be grateful to receive your feedback. Perhaps you were looking for a feature that we don't yet support? Please tell us, as we may be able to consider adding that feature in a future release.

Removing this software from your PC is very simple. Unlike some other applications which you may have experienced this software will not have modified your system files (beyond what we indicate below), and it will not have installed files which you would not be able to find all over your disk.

File Removal

Most of the files used by this application are installed into one sub-directory on your hard disk. This is the directory that you specified during installation when you ran the SETUP.EXE program. Delete this directory and everything it contains.

Windows Groups/Folders

You will also need to delete the Windows group/folder into which Soccer ScoreSheet was installed during installation.


Creating A New Database

Creating a new database which has no definitions at all is very easy. All you need to do is make sure there is no file called SOCCER.STK in your application directory - and delete (or perhaps temporarily rename) your SOCC.INI file. If you then start Soccer ScoreSheet it will initialise a brand new file called SOCCER.STK.

It is perhaps recommended that you keep a blank data file somewhere on your system, and if/when a new database is required you just need to load it and then save it to a new filename. That way you will never need to worry about renaming/deleting your SOCC.INI file, or modifying the contents.


Main Dialog

See also:

How Do I ..... ?

This is the master dialog for the entire Soccer ScoreSheet application. Everything starts and finishes from here, by the user selecting available options. Some of these options are not immediately obvious and are implemented as hidden features - see below. One such feature is the ability for the user to copy information shown on the main dialog to either the Windows clipboard or to a text file of the users choosing. This option is selected by clicking on any part of the main dialog which does not contain a Windows control (button or other object), which immediately presents the Clipboard Dialog. Using this option the page range set by the user relates to the divisions defined in the league.

This dialog is the only place within the application where the league structure and attributes can be defined and modified.

Please note the use of colour within the main listbox on this dialog. These colours are user configurable via the System Options Dialog, and for each team via the Team Edit Dialog. Setting a unique colour for a favourite team will provide an easy visual means of finding that team on this dialog.

The user can select other options via the System Options Dialog which will affect the presentation of data on this dialog. For example, if multiple games/rounds are enabled it is possible to either treat each round seperately, or to combine all rounds into a single league table. Furthermore, the user might wish to enable an option which allows the highlight bar to be toggled on/off by clicking on a team so that the contents of the listbox can be used in other publications using screenshot techniques.

The following assets of the dialog are taken in left to right, top to bottom order.

These controls allow the user to select, change and delete a league. Whilst it is possible for more than one league to be defined (thus giving multiple entries for selection in this combobox) the authors recommend having only one league per data file (multiple leagues may give rise to resource shortages within the MS Windows environment). It may also be apparent that the application will become slower as more leagues are added.

To change from one league definition to another click on the league name.

Clicking this button allows the user to add a new league definition, using the League Dialog. If a league is active when this button is selected Soccer ScoreSheet will offer the opportunity of copying the existing league definition (registered users only), so that the new league will have the same structure in terms of divisions, teams and points awarded as the already defined league. Each team definition will also be modified so that the data relating to last season is automatically reflected as being the league which was copied.

Copying a previous league is obviously useful at the end of one season and in preparation for the next. Although several teams will have moved up/down between divisions most will remain in the same division - it will only be necessary to edit each team which has changed, and modify the division to that which it has been transferred to.

Clicking this button will delete the currently selected league. This will require confirmation by the user. If this action is confirmed the league and all of its parts is irretrievably purged from the database.

Clicking this button allows the user to edit the currently selected league definition via the League Dialog.

These controls allow the user to select, modify or delete a division within the league which is displayed on the main dialog.

To change the currently selected division, click on the division name.

Clicking this button allows the user to add a new division to the currently selected league, using the Division Dialog. Initially this division will have no teams defined - this will require teams to be added.

Clicking this button results in the currently selected division and all of the associated teams to be deleted from the database. Confirmation of this action will irretrievably purge the division and teams from the database.

Clicking this button allows the user to edit the currently selected division definition, using the Division Dialog.

This logo (which is in fact a button) provides access to a hidden feature of the main dialog - clicking on it accesses the System Options Dialog, from where a number of system-wide options can be set.

Clicking this button will allow the user to add a new team to the currently selected league and division, using the Team Dialog. If necessary this team can be moved between divisions by re-editing the team definition.

Clicking this button will delete the currently selected team and all fixtures associated with that team from the database. Once confirmed by the user this will be an irretrievable action.

Clicking this button will allow the user to edit the currently selected team definition, using the Team Dialog.

These buttons allow the user to change the currently selected page. Soccer ScoreSheet has eight pages in total, all of which are completely configurable by the user to show exactly the detail they wish (via the Configuration Dialog described below).

Underneath the team listbox are two dates which represent the start and end of the season. Usually these dates will automatically update to reflect the fixtures defined in the database, however it is possible that the user will wish to see the league table as it was for only part of the season. To do so click on the date (either start or end) and select a new date from the Calendar Dialog. This will cause the league table to be updated, after which the main dialog will show the table according to the dates selected.

Note that changing the date is only a transitory situation. The next time the application needs to modify the league table (an automatic process when any relevant change has been made to the database) these dates will revert to the true start/end of the season.

This button provides the only exit from the application, and on completion of using the application the user should always terminate using this option before closing Windows down.

This button allows the user to either save the current database (all leagues which are defined will be saved), or load a new definition. This is achieved via a further selection on the File Dialog. Note however that the shareware version of this application will only load/save to a single file called SOCCER.STK.

Note that Soccer ScoreSheet automatically saves the database whenever a modification is made (this only occurs when on the main dialog), and thus it is not necessary to perform the save action every time - save is more useful in the context of saving to a new database file, perhaps for backup purposes.

This button provides access to the fixture definitions.

This button accesses the Fixture Scheduling Dialog, from where the user can produce viable schedules for any and all divisions in the league table. This is an ideal time-saver for league coordinators who carry responsibility for setting up match schedules.

Note that this option requires the availability of a file called SCHEDULE.SCH, which must be located in the same directory as the application EXE file. If for any reason this file cannot be found, an error will definitely result.

This button provides access to the prediction functionality of the application, via the Prediction Dialog.

Clicking this button allows the user to print a hardcopy of a division summary report. This shows a table of home/away results to give instantaneous access to the result of league matches played between two teams (in the same division). The result and date of the match are shown in two separate tables on the same page.

Note that the printer selection dialog which follows selection of this button will request a page range. Page 1 is the first division in the league, page 2 the second division, and so on. Thus to print a summary for one division only define the page range according to the division rank in the league (this can be gleaned from the division selection combobox).

Clicking this button allows the user to print a hardcopy of the page which is currently selected for display on the main dialog (as shown in the team listbox). Multiple, or all, divisions can be printed at once if required - see the comment for the summary report given immediately above.

If you experience any problems with printing, please refer to the help section on Printing Considerations.

This button allows access to the team listbox page Configuration Dialog, where all of the pages can be defined according to the users personal preference.

Clicking this button accesses this on-line help. Requesting help from any dialog will always result in help being offered for the dialog which is currently being negotiated.

Team Listbox

A hidden feature of this listbox is that double-clicking any team shown in the listbox will provide immediate access to the match history for that team, via the Team Review Dialog.


Hidden Feature

A 'hidden feature' is a function which is not readily identifiable to the user. To save cluttering of the application dialogs with multiple buttons these features have been made available via other means, but still using standard MS Windows features.


Evaluation Period

Soccer ScoreSheet is released under the shareware concept, to allow the user to satisfy themselves that the application meets or exceeds their personal needs. If it isn't useful to you then just discontinue use and delete it from your system.

This is not free software! During the initial shareware evaluation period (45 days, or 30 hours of accumulated use) the application will be virtually fully functional. Towards the end of the evaluation period the user will begin to receive advisory messages that the evaluation period is nearly over. Once this period is over then the application will prevent access to some non-critical functions and will annoy the user with pop-up message boxes advising of the expired shareware status, plus print a heavy watermark over all printed reports.

Registration will restore full operation. Please note that at no time will the application wantonly destroy any of your data or configuration - that would be completely unacceptable.

Please support the shareware concept by registering the shareware that you find of use. Thank you!


The Draw Window
The 'Draw' Window

The Soccer ScoreSheet draw window is a concept which embraces the idea that any match yet to be played will result in only one of three possible results - a win for the home team, a win for the away team, or a draw. If we ignore abandoned matches then no other result is possible.

This application evaluates all matches by applying user-configured mathematical algorithms to produce a numerical value. If the value is large and negative then the prediction concept suggests that the away team has the advantage in the match. If large and positive then the home team is reckoned to have the advantage. And if a relatively small value (positive or negative) is the result then the teams are considered to be relatively even based upon the algorithmic predictions. Those predictions are always based upon team form information.

The draw window is the user-defined (via the Graphical Analysis Dialog) 'window' within which any matches which produce a mathematical result which fall within this area will be considered to be predicted draws.


Check This Out.....

Soccer ScoreSheet has a lot of features, some of which will not be immediately obvious. This section will hopefully point you towards the major features which you might find useful.

It's A Lot Of Data Entry!

We know, and it can't be avoided. Unless.....

We have been evaluating the feasibility of providing an automatic database update service, which will be of particular interest to people with Email accounts. This will never be offered as a free service because there are some overheads incurred which will need to be covered. However, it isn't likely to prove that expensive either, and would potentially save you a considerable amount of work.

If you are interested in obtaining database updates, please contact the authors.

But I Don't Do The Pools.....

And nor do a lot of other people, so don't worry! We try our best not to make Soccer ScoreSheet look too much like a pools prediction program for two very good reasons. The first is that if we told you this was a pools prediction program you might even believe us, and start spending money which you wouldn't otherwise do - and we do not want to be responsible for setting an expectation which probably would not repay you (no computer program can ever predict match results with great accuracy before the matches are played!).

The other reason is that Soccer ScoreSheet really is two applications in one. We know for a fact that many people (and recently several football clubs too) use this application just for keeping their league information up to date, without the need for prediction facilities. That's absolutely okay - Soccer ScoreSheet was designed specifically to manage league information, and the prediction features were almost an add-on.

What's This 'Draw Window' Thing?

If you don't wish to use this application for pools purposes, then it doesn't matter, so skip this section. The draw window is used entirely for pools prediction purposes.

First and foremost, please do not expect this application to provide you with the magic 8 draws that are definitely going to appear on next weeks pools coupon. It will not do so. What it might do (please be very sceptical!) is suggest a list of 30 or so matches where the draws are most likely to occur - and often most of the draws will tend to be in this list, so that's possibly a good starting point for marking your coupon. And choosing from 30 matches is a whole lot better than choosing from the total number of matches shown on the pools coupon (this number is configurable via the System Options Dialog). However, you must never, ever, rely entirely on this application to provide your pools predictions because if we don't believe it is possible to produce a computer-generated accurate prediction of matches yet to be played (and we certainly do not), why should you?

Let us assume for the sake of argument that you compare the home and away goal difference for any fixture (this is only an example so don't get too carried away by this comparison.....). And let's say the home team statistics indicate they aren't going to give away that many goals to the away team based upon previous performance. At the same time, the away team in this match don't seem to have scored many goals away from home - but have got a knack of allowing the opposing team to score quite a few. Wouldn't these statistics tend to indicate that the home team are going to win this match?

We can compare quite a few pertinent statistics between the opposing teams, and these are all user-adjustable via the Prediction Configuration Dialog. In the end for completing a pools coupon you are really trying to determine in advance what the match results are going to be. And there can only be three possible results - home win, draw, or away win.

For prediction purposes all we do is prepare (adjust) a particular algorithm which produces a numerical result. We aren't actually bothered what that number is - all we care about is whether it is large and negative, close to zero, or large and positive. The 'close to zero' situation is where the algorithms are suggesting draws are most likely to take place - if the algorithm is working reasonably well - and remember, it quite probably won't. If large and positive then we've most likely got a home win coming up, and of course that leaves large and negative which will indicate the away team are strong compared to the home team.

Essentially the draw window is nothing more than a window of mathematical results produced by the same algorithm being applied to all fixtures, within which the indications are that draws will tend (but only tend) to occur in that region. It isn't possible to be wholly accurate with this facility, but most pools enthusiasts would be delighted if they could discount those matches which are considered to be dead certs for a home (or away) win. Obviously there are some pools competitions where you want to predict these wins, and you can use the application for that arrangement just as for trying to spot those elusive 8 draws!

The user can adjust the algorithms, and the draw window. Over time it will be necessary to fine tune the arrangement to suit actual versus predicted results.

We draw the users attention to the fact that we do not wish to misrepresent the capabilities of this application. It is impossible to produce a mathematical algorithm which can reliably predict the results of all matches yet to be played, and all this application can do is to give a general indication of what is considered likely by carrying out some very simple statistical comparisons. Some weeks this will be reasonably good - other weeks it will be absolutely dreadful! Please do not risk your money on the football pools on the basis of what this application seems to be telling you - you cannot blame the authors in the event you do not win the fortune you hoped for, any more than we would expect to share in your winnings if you did!

I Want To Create A New Database!

No problem. If your soccer arrangements don't include the UK league system that is supplied with the application, and you want to start again, just follow the instructions for Creating A New Database. You do not need to go through the pain of deleting a currently defined database at all, though that would of course be another option.

Match Scheduling?

Yes, it's here. Soccer ScoreSheet can provide league coordinators with a handy match schedule to cover a complete season, with a minimum amount of work.

We do not suggest this scheduling arrangement is as perfect as it might be, and it will probably require a little manual intervention by the user to create a perfect schedule (whatever that is!). But with the Fixture Scheduling Dialog you can at least start with a viable schedule where you know each team in a division is guaranteed to be playing every other team in a particular sequence, both at home and away.

Hidden Features et al.....

There are several hidden features of this application which you will not discover unless you read the on-line help file (that's the help you are reading right now.....), and we therefore highly recommend that you take the time to review the on-line help for every dialog you visit. This will obviously take a little time, but we often get queries from users who put forward a suggestion for an improvement - and the feature they really want to see has been there all the time!

Colour Coding

Many options within the application are made available with colour coding. These colours can be modified via the System Options Dialog. So if you find that your monitor seems to display some colours in a hue that you do not find easy to work with, you can change these colours to suit your setup and preferences.

Recalculating Team Positions Each Week

Whether or not you may find it useful, Soccer ScoreSheet is able to recalculate team positions within the league on a weekly basis - you can even set which day of the week to do the recalculation on. This is enabled/disabled via the System Options Dialog. Please bear in mind that enabling this option will have a noticable effect on league table recalculation, most especially on systems with a slow CPU speed - the calculation involved in sorting out league positions is very intensive. Therefore unless you have the bees knees of a CPU we only recommend enabling this if you really need it. Try it out anyway - if it is too slow for you then you can disable it again.

Configurable Team Pages

There are 8 different pages of statistical information available on the Main Dialog, and every one of the 12 columns on each page is user-configurable via the Configuration Dialog. Therefore you can show any mix of 96 different statistics you want to see.

It's An Automatic.....

We've tried to make everything that can be automatic, automatic. That means that obvious things like league table regeneration whenever something in the database changes will just take place at the appropriate time without you having to do anything. This applies to things like calculating the pools points on your pools coupon too - if you tell Soccer ScoreSheet which selections you have made on your coupon at the time you send in the coupon, when the results come in the application will automatically calculate the maximum points you scored.

We Are Only Human!

If you notice something that could be improved upon, please tell us. We do take notice, and this does lead to enhancements for everyone's benefit. We try to make sure that this software is of high quality and as bug-free as it is possible for us to make it.

Referral Fees And Guarantees

As a registered user, if you then introduce a friend as a new registered user we will be happy to reward you for that activity. We also operate a full refund guarantee if you aren't delighted with the registered version you receive.

Clubs and organisations should contact us about this arrangement - we would be happy to consider using this referral feature to assist with their private fund-raising if appropriate.


Technical Support

Please submit all problem reports to the authors - thank you!

If you do experience any problems with trying to use this application, we really would like to know. It will enable us to resolve those problems for everyone's benefit. Our objective is to provide the most reliable product possible.

Please note - you do not have to be a registered user of this software in order to report problems. This is particularly the case if you are unable to make some feature work for you. We do not mind hearing about your experiences in trying to use the application, because if several people seem to be sharing the same experience of not understanding how to use a feature, it is just as much a problem as if there had been some bug in the program itself!

If reporting a problem, we would find the following information very useful.

Contact Information

How can we contact you to confirm the problem, and if necessary advise you about the solution? Name, address, Email address etc. Don't forget your telephone number if you don't mind us calling to discuss the problem with you.

General Details About Your System

What type of processor does your system have (486/Pentium, etc)? What CPU speed does it operate at? How much memory is installed?

About MS-Windows

Which version of MS-Windows are you using?

Which Version?

Which version of this application are you using? This should be a number with a format similar to '9.99.99.99' - which is available just underneath the logo on the Main Dialog (top right corner).

What Is The Problem?

In what way does the application seem to fail?

Can We Re-create The Problem?

Is there a particular sequence of instructions  that will cause this problem to be repeatable?

How Serious Is This?

Some problems can be termed as 'cosmetic', meaning that some feature of the presentation could be improved upon, but the accuracy and reliability of the detail is not affected.


How Do I .....?

This section is intended to provide a quick reference to performing various operations with this application. Over time this section will be enhanced, based upon user feedback received. If you have any questions or suggestions relating to Soccer ScoreSheet, please send these to us.

How Do I Register?

Full instructions and pricing are given in the section covering registration.

Where Do I Get Support?

Technical support is provided direct from the authors of this application. All users are entitled to support - but registered users will always have priority. Support for unregistered users is not available after the evaluation period has ended.

How Do I Start A New Empty Database?

This is actually very easy, and does not involve manually deleting the contents of an existing database (although that option is available if you wish!). See the reference on Creating A New Database.

Drawn Results Are Not Being Shown In The League Table....

This problem seems to make an appearance frequently from users in the UK. Users elsewhere (such as in the USA) do not have a concept of a drawn match, and games that end with no clear win for either side are resolved in a penalty shoot-out. There is an option to enable/disable this shoot-out support that directly affects whether drawn matches are taken care of in the league table.

Click on the logo in the top right corner of the Main Dialog. This will present you with the System Options Dialog. You will probably find that the checkbox option for "Enable Shoot-Out Competition?" is checked. Uncheck this checkbox, and return to the Main Dialog.

How Do I Change The Colour Scheme?

There are (currently) two basic configuration options for setting colours. The main one is via the System Options Dialog, where system-wide colours (amongst other things!) can be defined - click on the logo in the top right corner of the Main Dialog to reach this configuration dialog.

Individual team colours are defined for each team via the Team Edit Dialog.

How Do I Enter Fixtures and Scores?

The Fixtures Dialog handles this requirement. To define a fixture the first step is to select the date on which the fixture is to take place. Then double-click the home team followed by the away team (in the righthand listbox).

To set the score for the fixture it is necessary to click once (or several times to cycle the status) on the match status column for the fixture (in the lefthand listbox), to change the status to something representing a fixture that has actually been played - typically 'League', but anything other than "---" will do fine. Then, and only then, is it possible to click in the home/away scores columns to define the score - don't forget that the left mouse button increments the score, the right mouse button decrements.

Finally, if your league is defined as a "shoot-out" competition (see the System Options Dialog for this setting), then you can set the flag to indicate the winning team for the fixture simply by clicking on the home or away team name.


System Options Dialog

The system options dialog is accessible only from the Main Dialog, and is used to set several system-wide options which affect the way the application behaves or shows detail. Each option offered is explained below.

(Registered users only) The user can define their own world-wide-web URL here, and this will be printed on the top of each page of each printed report produced by the application. This should be useful to league coordinators who distribute league information to others.

(Registered users only) The user can define their own Email address here, and this will be printed on the top of each page of each printed report produced by the application. This should be useful to league coordinators who distribute league information to others.

The user has the option of defining any column(s) for any page within the team listbox on the Main Dialog to represent recent form. These columns can depict either a score (if this checkbox is checked) or a generic type of result (H=home win, A=away win, etc.).

This option has no effect on the actual data within the database, only the representation of that data.

Placing a checkmark against this checkbox will enable Soccer ScoreSheet to intelligently move the contents of a listbox by one row if the user clicks on an entry at the top or the bottom of the listbox. If there is detail beyond that limit in the listbox then the listbox is scrolled by one item to show the next item.

This option makes it easier to negotiate the listbox, for example when moving through the league table, as the user only needs to keep the mouse pointer in the same position to cause detail to scroll into view (this is not standard Windows behaviour).

Placing a checkmark against this checkbox will allow the application to physically move the mouse pointer whenever the listbox is auto-scrolled (the auto-scroll feature just described must be enabled). This may be desirable for example when entering results. When the listbox is auto-scrolled to bring a new item into view this option will allow the mouse pointer to stay in line with the option which was clicked on (this is not standard Windows behaviour).

Several options provided by Soccer ScoreSheet change or delete data in a way which is not reversible. If this option is checked then the application will ask for confirmation prior to carrying out the action.

Checking this option allows the Fixtures Dialog to remove teams from the team listbox when they are selected to play in a match. The unchecked state allows these teams to remain in the listbox, but they are disabled (no longer available for selection). This does not affect the team selection functionality - only the presentation.

If this option is checked then each time the league table is recalculated detail will be recorded about the physical team position in the table on a specific day each week (as selected from the radiobuttons described below). However the drawback of doing so is that it takes rather more time to perform these calculations and on a slow processor this could be extremely tiresome.

Leaving this option unchecked will provide for the fastest league table recalculation, but it will not allow use of the team position (or position change) detail.

Note that this option enables/disables the weekday selection buttons explained below. These will have no effect in the event this option is not checked.

Check this option if you wish to show the calculated prediction value on the Prediction Dialog instead of the pools points for the result.

Check this option if you wish the application to change its scoring algorithms to support the US-style league system whereby there are no drawn matches. If after standard time has been completed the result is a draw then the teams are required to provide a result based upon penalty shoot-outs.

This may also be appropriate for some international competitions where a result has to be achieved via penalty shoot-outs.

Check this option if you wish to display and print zeroes instead of a minus sign to represent a zero value. This does not affect the application, and is a personal choice for the user.

This application allows multiple games (or rounds) to be played on a single date for any team, and this option enables/disables that functionality.

When this option is checked the radiobuttons for selecting a round are enabled on the Calendar Dialog, allowing the rounds to be selected individually.

When checked, all of the different rounds configured into the system will be combined into a single league table, rather than being treated seperately. It is possible, though perhaps not desirable in most cases, for up to 7 different league tables to be maintained by the application.

Note that this option has no effect unless the option described immediately above is checked.

Some users use the application to manage their league tables, and then wish to take a screenshot of the resulting league table for use in other applications and publications. Checking this option enables the user to toggle the highlight bar by clicking on the same listbox item repeatedly (currently this only affect the team listbox shown on the Main Dialog).

These radiobuttons allow the user to set the weekday on which the team positions will be recalculated. This will be the team positions at the close of play on that day. So if for example the radiobutton for Sat(urday) was checked then the league table would be recaculated for the entire season, and the team positions at midnight every Saturday would be entered in the database.

Note that these radiobuttons are only enabled in the event that the user has checked the team positions checkbox explained above.

These buttons allow the user to define their own colour preferences for the results depicted in colour via the prediction capabilities of the application. It is difficult to provide a generic set of colours that will work satisfactorily on all equipment, and thus the user is free to define those colours which work best for them on their own equipment.

These buttons allow the user to define their own colour preferences which will be used on the calendar dialog to depict fixtures against dates. These colour codes enable immediate identification of dates with missing results and so on.

These buttons allow the user to set the generic colour scheme for listboxes used throughout the application. Four options need to be defined - the listbox background colour, the promotion/relegation highlight background colour, the 'normal' text colour, and the 'disabled' text colour.

Please note that changing the normal and disabled colours will not affect the colours relating to team presentation. This is because each team has its own set of unique colours definable via the Team Edit Dialog.

The number of matches on the football pools coupon can be changed with this edit control. This will not prevent data being entered, but it will affect the graphical dialogs which check to see that exactly this number of pools entries have been defined (and completed) before including the date in the search for detail.

Use this value with care, and do not change it during a running season or the dates which do not have this number of pools matches defined will be excluded from the analysis dialogs.

This button returns control to the Main Dialog.

This button provides access to this on-line help.


Team Review Dialog

The team review dialog is accessible only from the Main Dialog, and is used as a quick reference to a particular teams match history. It is highly configurable for the detail which is to be shown to the user.

There is a hidden feature available on this dialog - double-clicking on any fixture shown in the listbox will automatically provide the Match Review Dialog so that the user can compare the form of both teams in that match.

Another hidden feature of this dialog is the ability to copy the detail shown to either the Windows clipboard or a text file of the users choosing, so that this detail can be used by another application. This functionality is accessed by clicking on an empty area of the team review dialog (where there are no buttons, listboxes, and so on), resulting in the Clipboard Dialog being presented.

Note that the colours used within the listbox on this dialog are user configurable, via the System Options Dialog, and also for each team from the Team Edit Dialog.

This checkbox allows the user to set either an ascending or descending date order for the presentation of the fixtures in the listbox above.

This group of checkboxes allows the user to specify exactly what to show in the listbox above. It is possible to include/exclude all match types, and also to include/exclude home and away detail.

Note that the actual legends for the match status shown here will be dependent on whatever the user has defined for these via the Configuration Dialog.

Clicking this button returns control to the Main Dialog.

Clicking this button allows the user to print a hardcopy of the information shown in this dialog.

Clicking this button accesses this on-line help.


File Dialog

The file dialog accessible from several other dialogs which have an option for loading and saving of detail. This provides the means of loading and saving files for the Soccer ScoreSheet application.

This button allows the user to save the current definition to a new or existing file.

This button allows the user to load a new definition from an existing file. This will replace the currently loaded definition.

This button is used to access this on-line help.

This button is used to cancel the load/save operation prior to any action taking place.


Calendar Dialog

The calendar dialog is a utility dialog popped-up by several other dialogs to allow the user to select a valid date.

These date buttons (only a subset shown here) allow the user to select a particular date from the month currently on display. To select a date the user simply clicks on the date of interest.

Note the use of colour coding. The actual colours used on this dialog are user-configurable via the System Options Dialog, and represent the status of the matches available on a given date. This allows the user to see immediately whether any matches in the fixture list have been missed for results purposes, and whether or not a particular date has been marked in the fixture list as being a pools date.

These radiobuttons provide the means by which the user can define and/or select between multiple games (or rounds) for a single date. Up to 7 games can be defined for any team and any date. Internally these games are managed in their own right, although it is possible to request the application to combine all results into a single league table using an option provided on the System Options Dialog.

These controls are enabled/disabled via a setting on the System Options Dialog.

This button allows the user to move the calendar back one complete year from the month currently on display.

This button allows the user to move back one month from that shown.

This button allows the user to immediately set the calendar dialog to today's date, but without actually selecting that date.

This button accesses this on-line help.

This button cancels the date selection process.

This button moves the calendar dialog forward by one month from the current month on display.

This button moves the calendar dialog forward by a complete year from the current month on display.


Fixtures Dialog

The fixtures dialog is accessible only from the Main Dialog, and is where all of the fixture detail is added, modified or deleted.

The user should note that the fixture listbox (the one on the left) will respond and update with a single click of the mouse button. This may tend to be a little unfamiliar to some users, however it quickly becomes an adopted practice.

Colours are used effectively on this dialog to represent certain conditions. These colours are user configurable via both the System Options Dialog, and for individual teams via the Team Edit Dialog.

A hidden feature of this dialog is the ability to copy the fixtures detail to either the Windows clipboard or a text file of the users choosing, so that this detail can be used by another application. This functionality is accessed by clicking on an empty area of the fixtures dialog (where there are no buttons, listboxes, and so on), resulting in the Clipboard Dialog being presented.

Fixture Listbox

The fixture listbox on the left contains all of the information necessary to describe the fixture. Updating of this listbox with new fixtures is described via the team listbox in the help section below. Each of the columns of this listbox are described as follows.

P

This column indicates to  Soccer ScoreSheet whether the match is to be included on the pools coupon or not. If the user is using this application in support of their pools competition entries then they will need to take care to ensure that only those matches that are on the coupon are checked here.

It is essential to understand that an exact number of matches are defined as being pools matches, regardless of how many there may be on this dialog for a particular date. More or less than this number will definitely impact the prediction facilities within this application. The actual number of matches on the pools coupon is configurable via the System Options Dialog.

To change the state of the checkmark use a hidden feature - simply click (once) on the checkbox.

Cpn

This column shows the pools coupon number for the match, but only if the 'P' column just described has been checked.

Status

This column shows the match status. When first defined a match should have a status of unplayed - that way the prediction and recalculation facilities will effectively ignore the match because the result is assumed to be invalid.

Do not set any match to type 'League' unless it is in fact a league match! The reason is that this application will include any league match in the league table recalculation whenever that occurs, and if a non-league match does get included the league table will not reflect reality.

Home Team

This is the name of the team playing at home. Obviously in some competition games neither team will be at home, so in those cases the user will need to use their own discretion about which to place in this column.

If the option to enable shootout competition support is enabled (via the System Options Dialog), clicking on the team name will inform the application that this team has won on penalties. This will be signified by a small black rectangle placed alongside the team name. Click the team name again to toggle this flag off.

h - a

This column shows the score of the home and away teams - but only if the user has set the status column to be anything but unplayed status.

Updating the score is achieved via a hidden feature by clicking on the value with the left mouse button to increment, and right mouse button to decrement.

Away Team

This is the name of the team playing away. Similar to the home team, in those competitions where there is neither a home or away team it will be necessary to use judgement in some cases about which team to declare home, and which away.

If the option to enable shootout competition support is enabled (via the System Options Dialog), clicking on the team name will inform the application that this team has won on penalties. This will be signified by a small black rectangle placed alongside the team name. Click the team name again to toggle this flag off.

This checkbox allows the user to see an expanded view of the fixtures in the listbox above which includes the division name to which each team belongs. These division names are colour coded according to the definition given on the Division Edit Dialog, thus making it easy to see when teams from different divisions are playing each other.

Team ListBox

The team listbox on the right hand side of the dialog is used to select teams for matches. By default these entries are colour coded to reflect whether the teams are available for selection, or whether they have already been selected for the current date, however the user can modify this presentation style via the System Options Dialog so that when a team is selected into a match it is not shown in this listbox.

Adding a match to the current fixture list is very easy. First double-click the team name for the home team, then double-click the away team. Repeat this process for all matches in the fixture list.

This button allows the user to cycle the currently displayed team list to the previous division. If at the top of the division list this will wrap round to the last division in the list.

This button allows the user to cycle the currently displayed team list to the next division. If at the bottom of the division list this will wrap round to the first division in the list.

Use this button to select another fixture date. This will present the Calendar Dialog from where the date can be selected.

Use this button to bring up the Match Review Dialog. This enables the user to compare the form of the two teams playing each other.

Use this button to delete the currently selected match in the fixture listbox. This will automatically re-enable the two teams for selection in the team listbox.

Use this button to insert a new match before the currently selected match in the fixture listbox.

The user does not need to insert matches except where absolutely necessary. The application will automatically search for empty (inserted) slots in the fixture list and if none are found the matches will be appended to the end of the list.

This button returns the user to the Main Dialog. If necessary the application will then proceed to automatically recalculate the league table based upon changes that were made within the fixture dialog.

This button allows the user to import fixture details from an external data file. This is controlled via the Import Dialog.

This button allows the user to export fixture details to an external data file for sharing with other applications. This is controlled via the Export Dialog.

This button will change (increment) the match status for all matches in the fixture list, thus making it unnecessary to manually change each entry separately.

Use this button to print a hardcopy of the fixture list.

If you experience any problems with printing, please refer to the help section on Printing Considerations.

This button accesses this on-line help.


Match Review Dialog

The match review dialog is accessible from several places within Soccer ScoreSheet, for example the Fixtures Dialog, Team Review Dialog, and the Prediction Dialog. Its purpose is to provide a quick reference to the form of the two teams playing each other in a match.

The detail shown in this dialog for each team is exactly as for that shown on the Main Dialog team listbox, and is fully configurable by the user, but with the advantage that the home and away team statistical details are independent of each other regarding the page of information presented for each. For example, the user may wish to show the home statistical information for the home team, and the away statistical information for the away team.

The top section of this dialog shows the home team in the match currently being reviewed, with the away team occupying the central section of the dialog.

There are two sets of these controls on this dialog, one for the home team and the other for the away team. These allow the user to switch between pages of statistical information for the teams. For example it may be relevant to show the home statistics for the home team, and the away statistics for the away team.

These 'pages' are described more fully via the Main Dialog, and the Configuration Dialog.

Use this button to return to the dialog which initiated the match review dialog.

Selecting this button will move the match review dialog to the previous match in the list.

Selecting this button will move the match review dialog to the next match in the list.

This button selects this on-line help.

These checkboxes show the state of the pools selection columns as set via the Prediction Dialog. Depending on where the match review dialog was called from these checkboxes may or may not be enabled for updating.


Prediction Dialog

The prediction dialog is only accessible from the Main Dialog, and is used in conjunction with football pools competition support options (this is completely optional on the user, who does not need to be a pools enthusiast in order to obtain good service from this application).

This dialog will at first appear to be quite complex, but with a little perseverence it will become straightforward to understand. In essence it does nothing more than present detail in an informative way. One of these methods is via the use of colour, and like many other features of this application these colours are user configurable via either the System Options Dialog, or for each team via the Team Edit Dialog.

Prior to making use of this dialog it is necessary for the user to have defined fixtures for the date(s) for which this dialog is to be utilised. And those fixtures, whether played or not, have to be declared as football pools matches by checking the 'P' column in the fixture listbox of the Fixtures Dialog. Failure to do this will mean that no matches will appear in the prediction dialog!

A hidden feature of this dialog is the ability to copy the prediction details to either the Windows clipboard or a text file of the users choosing, so that this detail can be used by another application. This functionality is accessed by clicking on an empty area of the prediction dialog (where there are no buttons, listboxes, and so on), resulting in the Clipboard Dialog being presented.

In explaining the dialog below it is split into sections, with the explanation proceeding from left to right and top to bottom.

Prediction ListBox

The main component of this dialog is the listbox which occupies the top half of the dialog. Within this are shown the fixtures defined as being football pools matches (non pools matches are not shown at all). Each of the columns are explained below.

Each of the matches depicted in this listbox should have a one-to-one relationship with the pools coupon - without that this dialog is not going to be very useful.

Cpn

This column gives the pools coupon number for the match. Usually this is in ascending order, but the user may have modified this order with the 'Sort' button explained below.

A - H

These eight columns represent the check columns on the pools coupon, in which entries are marked for submission. And just as on the pools coupon these boxes can be marked with your pools selections - just click once on any box and it will check/uncheck.

Note there are up to four sets of perms which can be defined, and thus four different sets of selections can be made. The currently perm set is defined via the 'Perm' radiobuttons underneath this listbox.

Home Team

This column gives the home team name for the match.

h - a

This column gives the home and away score for the match (note: only if the match has been given a status other than 'unplayed' - this is changed via the Fixtures Dialog).

Away Team

This column gives the away team for the match.

Actual

In this column coloured boxes will appear once the match has been played and the result is validated (via the Fixtures Dialog changing the match status). These colours are user configurable via the System Options Dialog to suit personal preference. Furthermore this column shows the number of points awarded for the result, as set via the League Edit Dialog.

Note that this column represents the actual result, and is not influenced at all by any prediction criteria.

Predict

This column represents the predictions that the application makes about the match according to the criteria that the user has defined. In an ideal world this column would accurately reflect the 'Actual' column described above and the colours would match up, however that is probably unlikely to happen all the time because soccer is not perfectly predictable - if it were there would be no need to play the matches! The best that can be hoped for is that most of the time most of the matches will behave in a reasonably predictable way.

This application makes no attempt to distinguish between a no-score or score draw for prediction purposes, and thus all draws will be depicted in the same colour.

In order for this column to show anything other than away wins (which is a default condition) the user will have had to set up his/her prediction algorithm(s) via the Algorithm Dialog, and then selected the 'Calculate' button which is described below. This is not an automatic process!

Note that only one set of prediction results are shown in this column at a time. There are four algorithms which can be set up (only a minimum of one need be used - this is optional on the user). The currently selected algorithm is the one shown in the listbox.

These radiobuttons allow the user to select which perm arrangement should be current. The user does not need to define all four - it would be perfectly acceptable for just one perm set to be defined.

Four perm arrangements have been made available in order that the user can make direct comparisons between different perm arrangements, without having to keep changing the perm settings around.

This statistics box shows the user information about the columns selected (A-H) and the current perm arrangement. This will total the points scored for each checkbox column according to the perm which has been defined via the Perm Configuration Dialog.

This statistics box shows the user information about the predictions made by the prediction algorithms. Up to four algorithms may have been defined by the user, though this is completely optional.

The lower part of this box (the bottom row) has no direct relevance to the information above. The 'Pts' value is the maximum pools points the user has acquired with his current selections (taking into account that the perm arrangement will have discounted several entries automatically). The 'Wnd' value is the maximum pools points available in the draw window. And the 'Cpn' value shows the maximum pools points that were available on the entire coupon.

This button allows the user to select a new date for prediction purposes.

This button accesses the Pools Coupon Statistics Dialog, which gives a graphical representation of the 'hot' and 'cold' pools numbers according to the number of draws and wins against each coupon number. In theory this should be meaningless because statistical analysis should predict that all numbers have an equal bearing on the results - but in practice it seems not to be the case!

Use this button to invoke a recalculation of the prediction values. The application will never attempt to modify the predictions made, so the user must always use this for each fixture date.

Note that this option automatically recalculates all of the predictions at once, for all four of the algorithms. These algorithms are as defined via the Algorithm Dialog.

This button allows the user to automatically fill the pools coupon entries using a random number technique combined with the draw window. It will use its best efforts to fill only the draw window entries, however if the algorithm cannot find enough entries in the draw window then it will seek to fill any of the coupon numbers.

The coupon perm definition will be as described via the Perm Configuration Dialog.

This button clears all of the coupon entries at once, which will be a convenient way of starting the pools coupon all over again.

This button toggles the sort order of the prediction listbox. Normally the order is as per the coupon number, however it may be more useful to the user when selecting their coupon entries to show the coupon ordered by the prediction algorithms. In this substitute sorting order the predicted home wins will be at the top, the draws grouped together in the middle (somewhere!), and the away wins at the bottom of the listbox. Alternatively the latter sort order can be inverted by clicking this button once more.

There are three sort orders altogether, and this button cycles these one after the other.

This button returns control to the Main Dialog.

This button accesses the Graphical Analysis Dialog, where actual and predicted results can be directly compared to see how well the user-configured algorithms are performing.

This button provides access to the Algorithm Dialog, where the user can configure their own algorithms to provide predictions.

This button provides access to the Perm Configuration Dialog where the user defines their own perm arrangement. Up to four completely separate perm arrangements can be defined.

This button allows the user to print a hardcopy of the coupon information presented by the prediction dialog. This can be used directly with results analysis whilst results are arriving.

If you experience any problems with printing, please refer to the help section on Printing Considerations.

This button accesses this on-line help.


Graphical Analysis Dialog

This dialog is only accessible from the Prediction Dialog, and is used to directly compare predicted results with actual results. This dialog is also used to set the upper and lower limits of the draw window, which is shown as a dark gray area on the background of the graph. The idea behind the draw window is to keep that area as narrow as possible (this will tend to reduce the number of suggested draws on the pools coupon), whilst keeping as many of the actual draws which occur within the window (this will tend to increase the number of suggested draws on the pools coupon). Obviously this is a trade-off situation, but with some experimentation reasonable results can be achieved.

Setting The Draw Window

Setting the draw window is very easy - just click on the graph at the point where you want the upper or lower limit to be moved to - the nearest of either the upper or lower limits to this point will physically move to the new point, plus the statistical information underneath will be updated.

Ideally the user should aim to set as narrow a draw window as possible whilst still embracing as many of the drawn results as possible. Then when further predictions are made by the algorithms about games yet to be played hopefully only a small subset of the pools matches on that pools coupon will be suggested as draws - these will be the matches that fall into this draw window.

Obviously setting a draw window the entire width of the graph is possible, but that would indicate to the application that regardless of the predictions made by the algorithms all matches will be predicted as draws.

Note that the number of matches on the pools coupon is configurable via the System Options Dialog.

Graph Description

The horizontal axis of the graph represents the prediction horizon. If the algorithms worked perfectly then the away wins would be grouped on the left hand side, the home wins on the right hand side, and drawn games would be grouped in the centre of the graph.

The vertical axis of the graph represents a notional frequency value - the higher the bar on the graph, the more matches resulted in a particular match result at that horizontal point on the graph. As with the horizontal axis there is no absolute scaling values - there is no need. All that needs to be considered with this technique is relative positions and heights across the graphs spectrum.

The vertical bars which make up this graph are colour coded - these colours can be set by the user via the System Options Dialog. Let us assume in the following description that away wins are shown as green bars, home wins are blue bars, and draws as red bars (there is a distinction between 0-0, 1-1, and high-score draws available, but for now assume all draws are in the same colour for simplicity). These colours may not be representative of your configuration.

Note that the sizes of the coloured boxes on the graph are relative to the pools points awarded for that result, and the relative size of (for example) a blue box to a red box is in direct proportion to the pools points awarded for these two different results. Typically it should be expected that the draws would be visually larger than wins in terms of box mass.

In an ideal world where the prediction algorithms worked perfectly all of the green bars would be grouped at the left end, the blue bars at the right end, and the red bars in the middle, with little or no overlap. That will probably seldom happen - but it is interesting to note that the application of a simple algorithmic prediction based upon home and away goal difference will tend to indicate the actual results do fall into this general pattern (there will be quite a lot of overlap however).

These radiobuttons provide the user with the ability to change the prediction algorithm, so that the different results can be compared. If the user has set up more than one algorithm (up to four are available) then a different graph can be shown for each. This may be useful in determining which algorithm gives the better result over time.

These buttons adjust the horizontal scale of the graph to suit the users preference for showing the data. This enables the graph to be adjusted according to the CALC values shown in the graph.

Selection Checkboxes

Immediately underneath the graph are five checkboxes with which the user can indicate which type of results to include or exclude from the graphical analysis. If a box is unchecked then the corresponding match result coloured boxes are removed from the graph. Thus it is instantly possible to identify which type of match result is performing reasonably well from the prediction algorithms settings.

This value indicates the total number of pools points in the entire graph, based upon all of the games and all of the results included in the search for results. This is given simply for informational purposes.

This value indicates the total number of pools points which fall within the draw window. This value will update as the draw window is adjusted by the user (by clicking on the graph itself). The wider the draw window, the more points will be within the window - but the trade-off is that more predicted draws will be presented when trying to prepare a pools coupon for submission.

This is the percentage of points which are within the draw window against the total points shown in the graph. This is in fact quite an important piece of information, as experience has shown that having this value around the 80% mark will tend to produce meaningful predictions for pools entry purposes. However, some weeks will always be better than others.

Click on this button to return to the Prediction Dialog.

Click on this button to access this on-line help.

These start and end date buttons provide the user with a means of defining the range of dates to include in the analysis. Either a single date can be defined (where start and end dates are the same), or a complete season of results can be analysed.

Clicking on either of these buttons will present the Calendar Dialog, from where the appropriate date can be set.


Statistics Dialog

The coupon statistics dialog is only accessible from the Prediction Dialog, and is intended to show the user details about which lines on the pools coupon appear to be favourable for achieving most pools points. Please note that the colours shown on this dialog can be adjusted to suit user preference via the System Options Dialog.

The first thing to note is that this dialog never adjusts or manipulates the values provided. Unlike some other representations shown by the application (notably those involving the prediction algorithms which do calculate values) the values shown are either counts or accumulations of factual data, and thus the result is meaningful.

The idea behind this dialog is that some pools coupon lines appear to yield on average more pools points than others, and however unlikely this might seem the facts do speak for themselves. This dialog can therefore suggest (and it is only a suggestion!) which coupon lines might be preferable to place marked entries on, and which to avoid.

Simple statistics should tell us that all lines shown on the pools coupon should have equal weighting for scoring pools points - after all the lines themselves have no relationship at all with the teams which are playing in a match. Or is this really the case? Actually, the lines on the coupon can have a relationship with the teams in a match, because on a week by week basis a home team will tend to appear on the same line as before - this is not wholly accurate obviously, but there is a potential relationship which cannot be ignored, and if that home team happens to draw games quite frequently, then perhaps a particular line on the coupon might show a slightly increased chance of providing a drawn result.

Over a short period of time such as that for a single season it will almost always be the case that some pools coupon numbers will show preferential results for obtaining pools points. However over a much longer period of time (several seasons of results) it would be anticipated that the coupon numbers would balance out.

These radiobuttons allow the user to select which of the four available perms to use - each perm is stored separately and thus the user is free to choose different pools coupon selections for each if necessary.

These radiobuttons allow the user to select which of the four available algorithms to use. Each algorithm produces a different prediction, which will be reflected in this dialog.

A - H

These columns represent the columns to be marked on the pools coupon. The user simply needs to click on any row/column in order to select or deselect.

Cp

This is the coupon number for the listbox entry.

Freq

This is the frequency (count) of values for the coupon line, and is dependent on the 'Include' options described below.

Points

This is the total number of pools points scored on the coupon line across the date range selected.

Pred

This is the predicted result column, which will be identical to that shown on the Prediction Dialog. This will only apply to the current prediction date (chosen from the Prediction Dialog) and not the whole range of dates.

Bargraph

This is a bargraph showing the relative sizes of different lines on the pools coupon.

These checkboxes allow the user to select/deselect which actual match results to include in the analysis. This will be of use to pools enthusiasts who will probably wish to identify which coupon numbers are most likely to produce draws based upon factual evidence.

These radiobuttons allow the user to select whether the graph above should be sorted into ascending or descending order.

These radiobuttons allow the user to set the sorting criteria for the graph above. This can be by coupon number, count (frequency), or pools points.

Select this button to return to the Prediction Dialog.

Select this button to access this on-line help.

These two date buttons allow the user to set the date range to be shown in the graph above. Typically the entire season of results will be analysed, but there may be interest in showing part of a season of results.


Prediction Configuration Dialog

The prediction configuration dialog is only accessible from the Prediction Dialog, and is used to configure the four available prediction algorithms. Each algorithm is totally independent on the other algorithms.

There are no particular recommendations for the user - the best way of identifying which weightings to apply is to try various combinations and then test the result via the Graphical Analysis Dialog. Some combinations will probably work better than others, but do take into account that any one week of results should never be taken in isolation - there will be good and bad weeks in any season of results, and in the particularly good and bad weeks the algorithms will produce very misleading results.

The Algorithms

There are eight parametric values which will combine to produce a final result which becomes the prediction for a match. These are explained in detail in the section on Algorithms. Exactly the same algorithm will be applied to all matches in a fixture list and thus whilst the values of these calculations are not of any real significance, their relationship to each other will be of interest. Essentially the X-axis of the graph shown on the Graphical Analysis Dialog will be the results of applying the algorithms, and affected directly by the settings made here.

The eight parametric values available on this dialog should be reasonably self-explanatory from the descriptions shown on the dialog, but to take the first (top) as an example this will take the home team goal difference, subtract the away team goal difference, multiply by the multiplier, then add the offset. This will produce a value - if this is large and positive then it will tend to indicate the home team has an advantage - if large and negative then the away team has the advantage - and if close to zero then neither team has an advantage.

These radiobuttons allow the user to select which of the four available algorithms to configure. The algorithms are identical in their capabilities.

These scrollbars allow the user to set a weighting value, with the central position being neutral (at this position the result will always have a null effect for the algorithm). These weighting values are relative, but not strictly so. Thus a weighting value of 200 on one scrollbar will not necessarily be exactly equivalent to 200 on another scrollbar. It will require experimentation to adjust the scrollbars to an optimum position.

Obviously the multiplier could be positive or negative. It should be expected that these would normally be used in their positive domain, however there may be occasions where a negative domain setting might be useful (doing so will tend to reverse the meaning of home and away wins, so please take care!).

These scrollbars provide an offset after the multiplier has been applied. Thus they will tend to shift the result one way or the other relative to other parameter values.

The user may find these scrollbars to be surplus to requirements - they are provided simply to provide more flexibility to the algorithm configurations.

Select this button to return to the Prediction Dialog.

Select this button to return all scrollbars to their neutral position.

Select this button to access this on-line help.


Algorithms

The actual algorithms used for prediction purposes (via the Prediction Dialog) are explained in detail below, in the order these are presented on the Prediction Configuration Dialog.

The purpose of these algorithms is to produce a single numerical result for each fixture that is to be played, and whilst the value of this result is not critically important, its magnitude in comparison with other results is. Essentially if the result is towards the negative (or lower) end of the results spectrum then the match is considered likely to produce an away win. If towards the positive (or higher) end of the results spectrum then the match is considered likely to produce a home win. If in the central part of the results spectrum then a draw is considered most likely - because the teams are considered to be fairly evenly matched.

This is not a precise science, however in practice these algorithms (reasonably adjusted by the user) will tend to give useful indicators of the likely match outcomes. There will however always be results which will be totally unexpected.

All of the following algorithms can be mixed together in whatever blend the user feels is suitable. However please be aware that the relative scaling of these algorithms (that is, the effect of manipulating the slider bars for each algorithm) is not preset - so one algorithm may be affected significantly more than another by the same amount of change to its slider bar.

Note that in the following, the reference to the home team infers that only those results pertaining to the home record will be considered, and similarly for the away team only those results pertaining to the away record will be considered. Thus an away team which plays brilliantly at home but very poorly away will tend to give an indication of being poor when playing away, etc.

Division Ranking

The first step in applying the algorithms is to provide a starting point. This is the comparison of the teams based upon the ranking of the division in which they belong (this ranking is set via the Division Dialog). If the two teams in the match are from the same division then this comparison will produce a zero result, meaning all square as far as the teams are concerned.

A positive result here will tend to indicate that the home team has an advantage because they are placed in a higher ranked division. A negative result indicates the away team has the advantage because they are from a higher ranked division.

It is thus important to provide a division ranking for each division defined which is reasonably scaled to the heirachy of the divisions in terms of advantage. This ranking does not need to be accurate by any means, but should reflect the playing strength of different divisions in the league heirachy.

Note that this is an automatic comparison - the user cannot change the effect other than via the division ranking set from the Division Dialog.

Home And Away Goal Difference

This is the total goal difference comparison for both teams in the match. The actual calculation looks like this:

Result = (HomeFor - HomeAgainst) - (AwayFor - AwayAgainst)

Home For vs Away Against

This compares the home goals for and the away goals against. The calculation looks something like this:

Result = HomeFor - AwayAgainst

Home Against vs Away For

This compares the home goals against and the away goals for. The calculation looks something like this:

Result = HomeAgainst - AwayFor

Home Won vs Away Lost

This compares the number of games won by the home side against the number of games lost by the away side. The calculation looks something like this:

Result = HomeWins - AwayLost

Home Drawn vs Away Drawn

This compares the number of matches drawn by the home team against the number of matches drawn by the away team. The calculation looks something like this:

Result = HomeDrawn - AwayDrawn

Home Loss vs Away Win

This compares the number of matches lost by the home team against the number of matches won by the away team. The calculation looks something like this:

Result = HomeLost - AwayWin

Home vs Away Form

This evaluation is slightly more complicated, in that a comparison is made of the form of the two teams playing home and away. The form is such that a decaying algorithm is used, where the most recent match played gives the strongest indicator, the match before that has less effect, and so on.

The algorithm is such that the calculation is based upon previous match scores, and these results are accumulated for all previous matches, with the decay value decreasing by 20% each time. Thus towards the end of the season the matches at the start of the season will have a negligible effect.

Home Points vs Away Points

This compares the team points of the home and away teams. The team with the highest number of points will have the advantage. The calculation looks something like this:

Result = HomePoints - AwayPoints

Prediction Result

The user will have defined a draw window which will have a lower and upper boundary. After all of the previous weighted (by the user) calculations have been made a comparison to the draw window is made. If the final calculated value is below the lower limit of the draw window then that result is assumed to indicate an away win is most likely. If above the upper limit then a home win is most likely. If between the two limits then a draw is most likely.


Perms Definition Dialog

The perms definition dialog is only accessible from the Prediction Dialog, and is used to define the permed arrangement for the selection of entries to football pools competitions.

It is possible that this dialog may seem slightly confusing to someone who is not familiar with marking and submitting football pools coupons. If this is the case then it would be a good idea to obtain a pools coupon for reference purposes, and cross-reference the detail here with the coupon.

The definitions made by this dialog will be used by the auto-fill and automatic coupon scoring functions available on the Prediction Dialog.

These columns (A - H) are identical in principle to the selection columns on a pools coupon. Essentially the idea is to place a check mark against rows and columns to represent the permed entry of the submission. Checkmarks are set/reset simply by clicking on the row and column where these are to appear.

The simplest of all perms is a single line 8 from 10 entry, where the submitter marks any 10 rows on the coupon, and the best 8 results (pools points awarded) will be selected when the results come in to make a final pools point total. This would be represented on this dialog with column 'A' (it could actually be any column) having 10 checkmarks placed in a vertical line. It does not actually matter exactly which rows are marked for the column, however for simplicity these would normally start in the topmost row of the grid and work progressively down.

A slightly more complex perm arrangement would be having two lines consisting of the best 4 from 8 on each line, and combining these to provide a final pools point total. This is easily entered into this dialog by checking 8 rows in column 'A', and another 8 rows for column 'B'. However do not check the same rows for columns 'A' and 'B'!

Established pools enthusiasts may well have much more complex perm arrangements, and it may or may not be possible to describe these using this dialog. This dialog can manage fairly complex perm arrangements, but undoubtedly there will be some arrangements which are just too difficult to implement here.

Note that it is possible to mark more than one column on the same row. This will indicate that on that row on the pools coupon there will indeed be two marks made in the different columns. Some perm arrangements do call for this, and it is not a problem to use the application in this way.

This table provides feedback to the user about the perm definition. As checkmarks are placed in columns A - H this table will automatically update.

Note there is a hidden feature available with this table. The row labelled 'Best' is in fact a row of buttons (these do not look like normal buttons!), and clicking on any value will change that value - use the left mouse button to increment, and the right mouse button to decrement.

Thus, taking our example above of a single line perm of 8 from 10, the user would first place checks against 10 of the rows in column 'A' in the grid, and then click on the 'Best' option in ths table for column 'A' several times to increment the value to 8. The application would then know that this perm arrangement was for the best 8 from 10 selections for column 'A'.

The nCr row of this table represents the statistical value of how many different subsets are available in the total population for the column. Taking the example of the best 8 from 10 selections, in a total population of 10 there will always be 45 different combinations of a subset of 8 available. This figure is directly related to the payment required to the pools company, as they charge directly by the number of effective lines on the coupon. So a simple single line 8 from 10 arrangement is deemed to be a 45-line arrangement.

It would of course be possible to define a single line perm of taking the best 8 from 58 (if there were 58 lines on the coupon), where the coupon had a mark on every row on the coupon. The number of subsets of 8 in a total population of 58 (the entire coupon) is an enormous figure, and in fact relatively few people in the world could even afford to submit such an entry. This would be a guaranteed jackpot regardless of the actual match results, and in fact the person submitting the arrangement would find that they paid more for the submission than they would ever get back from the winnings. So it just isn't a practical arrangement.

This is really intended for more complex multi-column perm arrangements. Basically the application will assume that only one column (the best one) will be used for scoring purposes, so if two lines of 8 from 10 were submitted then whichever yielded the best pools points total would be the one selected by the Prediction Dialog for showing the points total.

However the slightly more complex arrangement of having two columns of 4 from 8 would require the radiobutton '2' to be selected here, to indicate that the best two columns should be used to provide the total points score, and so on. Some perm arrangements will have even more columns, and it might be the case the the best 4 columns out of the 5 defined (for example) should be selected for points scoring purposes.

This figure gives the total statistical lines available from the perm arrangement. If a single column perm then this value will be the same as for that column in the statistics table described above.

It can get complicated trying to work out this figure, and this calculation is not guaranteed to always be accurate for all perm arrangements. For relatively simple arrangements it should be fine, but where there are different numbers of checkmarks in multiple columns it could come unstuck. Thus please do not assume this figure is right for all cases!

For simple mathematical reasons it is also possible that the calculation of this figure could suffer from a roll-over problem. If the statistical information becomes excessively large then the result would be meaningless.

Select this button to return to the Prediction Dialog.

Select this button to clear the perm selection grid.

Select this button to save the perm arrangement to a discrete file on the hard disk for later retrieval. This file will not be of use in another application, but provides quick functionality to be able to copy perm definitions from one league file to another.

Select this button to access this on-line help.

These radiobuttons allow the user to select which of the four available perms to work on. There is no obligation to use all four - this is up to the user.


League Dialog

See also:	Preparing For A New Season

The league dialog is accessible only from the Main Dialog, and is used to define several parameters for the current league definition. Several of these parameters have a system wide capability.

This is where the league name is defined (you should never delcare a blank name). This name is then used to reference the league system - note that the league combobox on the Main Dialog is alphanumerically sorted by this name.

These edit controls allow the user to describe points awarded to the team and against the pools coupon results.

Select this button to return to the Main Dialog. This will save the detail just entered in the dialog, and also cause the league table to be recalculated.

Select this button to return to the Main Dialog. This will not save the information just entered, and it will not cause recalculation of the league table.

Select this button to access this on-line help.


Preparing For A New Season

Please Note: In the SHAREWARE version of this application the user will not be able to carry out these instructions. This is the only function which is not made available for evaluation purposes at any time. Such users have no option but to copy the current league table to a new file, then delete every fixture which exists in the new database - quite a lengthy process.

At the beginning of a new season the user will want to prepare the system for the new fixtures which are going to start appearing. What basically needs to happen is to copy the previous season definitions, but not the fixture information for that season. The registered version of Soccer ScoreSheet makes this very easy.

From the Main Dialog the steps involved in preparing for a new season are:

1.	Load the previous season data file.

2.	Without making any changes, save to a NEW data file.

3.	Select the 'add league' button.

4.	You will be asked whether you wish to copy the existing structure (YES).

5.	Define the new league (season) name when the League Edit Dialog appears.

At this point you have a (new) data file with TWO separate leagues/seasons defined within. It is possible to use this arrangement - but it is not recommended as the more data there is in a single file, the slower the application will become - so over time you will gradually find the application less responsive. It is highly recommended that you use one data file for each season of results, regardless of whether the application allows you to keep more than one in a file or not.

Still with the new data file, select the OLD league into the league combobox, and select the 'Delete League' button. This will remove the old league from the data file, giving you a virgin league almost ready for next season.

The final step is to move the promoted and demoted teams in each division to a new division. This is achieved by editing these teams individually, and the Team Edit Dialog will allow you to change the division to which the team belongs.

In carrying out the above procedure Soccer ScoreSheet will have automatically populated the last season statistics for each team, based upon the final statistics from which the new league was copied. This can be verified via the Team Edit Dialog if need be.


Division Dialog

See also:

Division Sorting Orders

The division dialog is accessible only from the Main Dialog, and is used to define the divisions within the league definition.

Whilst the dialog is not as cluttered as some other dialogs it is important to understand the significance of the various options provided on this dialog.

This is the definition of the division name. Note that this will be used in conjunction with the division ranking detail described below to provide sorting of the divisions in the division combobox on the Main Dialog.

Alongside the division name are two buttons for setting the colour to be associated with the division. These buttons reflect the colour displayed in the fixture list on the Fixture Dialog, when the user has elected to show division names for each fixture (this is an option on the Fixture Dialog).

This scrollbar defines the relative ranking of the division against all others within the league, so the higher the ranking, the higher the division is implied to be within the league. Note this is a relative rather than absolute setting, so whether the division is set at 90 or 99 is irrelevant, providing that peer divisions are accordingly scaled to their relative playing strengths within the league system.

In the English league system the topmost (and thus highest ranked) division will be the Premiership.

This setting also affects the order of the divisions as shown in the division combobox on the Main Dialog. It will also play a part in the prediction analysis when two teams from different divisions play each other - see the section on Algorithms.

This setting allows the user to set the number of teams in the division which will appear in highlight at the top of the team listbox on the Main Dialog. This is the number of automatic promotion places available within the division.

The highlight colour is set via the System Options Dialog.

This setting allows the user to set the number of teams in the division which will appear in highlight at the bottom of the team listbox on the Main Dialog. This is the number of automatic relegation places available within the division.

The highlight colour is set via the System Options Dialog.

Soccer ScoreSheet allows each division in the league to be sorted according to criteria which is definable via this listbox and associated options (refer to Division Sorting Orders).

On the left of this group are three radiobuttons - Home, Away, and Total (the latter means home and away combined). Only one of these may be active at any time, and these have a direct bearing on the contents of the listbox alongside.

Basically the user double-clicks on items in this listbox to move that item across to the listbox on the right. The order of setting these items is crucial to the sorting of teams within the division. The first chosen is the first sorting criteria, and so on.

These are the sorting options which have already been selected for team sorting purposes. The highest (topmost) option takes precedence over the next in the listbox, and so on.

Team sorting can be arranged by any legitimate ordering sequence that the user wishes, and can be a combination of home and/or away data.

Double-clicking any option in this listbox will cause that option to be de-selected, and made available to the listbox on the left. In a situation where options have been selected in the wrong order it wil be necessary to delete the options and then re-select them in the proper order.

Select this button to return to the Main Dialog, saving the options selected and causing the league table to be recalculated.

Select this button to return to the Main Dialog. Options are not saved, and the league table will not recalculate.

Select this button to access this on-line help.


Division Sorting Orders

In the UK premiership league system the divisions use the following sorting order for the teams.

Premier League

Team Points

Goal Difference

Goals For

Team Name

Other Divisions

Team Points

Goals For

Goals Against

Team Name


Team Dialog

The team dialog is accessible only from the Main Dialog, and is used to define the teams within a division.

This is the team name which is to be used for display and reporting purposes. The user may have set team ordering within the division (refer to the Division Dialog) to include the team name option, in which case this information would be used for that purpose.

This combobox allows the user to set the division to which the team belongs. At the end of a season it will be an easy matter to promote/demote teams between divisions via this means.

Selecting this radiobutton allows the edit controls immediately below to be used for the team statistics at the end of last season. This provides a handy reference to the team for last season.

Selecting this radiobutton allows the edit controls immediately below to be used for offset values to be applied to the current season.

Occasionally the user might miss a fixture or two, and this option provides a means of fooling the application into thinking it has all of the right results for a team. Also, sometimes the football league can impose penalties on a team (deduction of points etc.), and this is also catered for by this technique.

The user may optionally set unique colours for a given team, which will help identify the team in amongst a list of fixtures etc. This button sets the normal colour for the team.

The user may optionally set unique colours for a given team, which will help identify the team in amongst a list of fixtures etc. This button sets the disabled colour for the team.

Select this button to return to the Main Dialog. This will save the data just entered, and cause the league table to be recalculated.

Select this button to return to the Main Dialog. This will not save the data just entered, and the league table will not be recalculated.

Select this button to access the on-line help.


Configuration Dialog

The configuration dialog is only accessible from the Main Dialog, and is used for two purposes - the configuration of the listbox pages available on the Main Dialog, and the definition of the 8 match status strings which are used to describe the Match Type.

These radiobuttons allow the user to select which of the 8 available pages to edit.

This edit control allows the user to define the small legend that will appear over columns 2 thru 6 of the Main Dialog team listbox for this page. In a typical representation of the league table this might be 'Home' to indicate home results.

This edit control allows the user to define the small legend that will appear over columns 7 thru 11 of the Main Dialog team listbox for this page. In a typical representation of the league table this might be 'Away' to indicate away results.

The user can define up to 12 columns for the team listbox shown on the Main Dialog. The comboboxes and other controls are described below.

There are 12 of these control sets on this dialog - all identical in functionality. Each set relates to a specific column on the team listbox shown on the Main Dialog. Note that columns do not have to be defined - they can be left empty if that is what the user desires.

On the left hand side is the column number (1 - 12).

The combobox allows the user to select which type of statistic to show for the column. There are a number of options available.

Alongside the combobox is an edit control, which allows the user to set the text to be shown as the title for the column (maximum 4 characters wide).

On the right are checkboxes for home and away. Place checkmarks to represent the statistic status. Some options in the combobox will ignore this setting, but most are dependent on defining the right option here.

These 8 edit controls allow the user to set their own text for each type of match status. Note that positions 1 and 2 have a special purpose as described below.

Position 1 is reserved for matches that have not yet been played, and the status should indicate this.

Position 2 is reserved for matches that have been played as part of the league system. Only matches with this status will be included in the league table recalculation exercise.

Positions 3 thru 8 are not reserved for any special purpose, and in all respects are identical in nature. These are intended for the user to set to whatever they feel is appropriate to reflect matches that have been played and for which a result is valid - however the match will never feature in the league table recalculation. Some suggestions here would be Pools Panel, VOID, CUP, etc.

These edit controls allow the user to define characters which represent the match result. This is used for reviewing team recent form, where instead of showing the result of the match the user can instead show a generic character to represent the result.

There are only 5 different categories of result: Home Win, 0-0, 1-1, High Score Draw (X-X), and Away Win. Each of these categories can be assigned a character to represent that result.

Select this button to accept the selections defined, and return to the Main Dialog.

Select this button to return to the Main Dialog without saving the definitions just made.

Select this button to access this on-line help.

Select this button to load/save configuration settings from/to an external disk file. This file will not be of any use to an external application, but is intended to provide a quick method of exchanging configuration settings between league tables saved in different files.


Welcome Dialog

The Welcome Dialog is always presented automatically by Soccer ScoreSheet upon first startup. There will be a short delay until the options of this dialog are enabled. In the non-registered version the user will have to select an option to continue, whereas in the registered version this dialog will clear automatically.

This edit control enables the user to enter their registration name. If validated via the serial number (provided by the authors) the application will enable itself as a registered version.

Leave this field blank unless registering!

This edit control enables the user to enter their personal serial number, which is provided by the authors when the user registers the application.

Leave this field blank unless registering!

Select this button to proceed to use the application. This is not necessary in the registered version as the application will automatically clear this dialog.

Select this button to access this on-line help.


Clipboard Dialog

The clipboard/file dialog provides the user with a means of saving information to either the Windows clipboard or a text file, thus allowing this detail to be imported into other applications.

Where available this dialog is accessed via a hidden feature, by clicking on another dialog in an area where there are no other Windows controls.

This is the starting page for the copy operation. For some dialogs from which the clipboard dialog is initiated this will be meaningless, as the information being copied will only apply to a single page.

This is the ending page for the copy operation. For some dialogs from which the clipboard dialog is initiated this will be meaningless, as the information being copied will only apply to a single page.

This checkbox allows the user to specify that the detail is to be copied to the Windows clipboard, from where the user can paste it into another application.

This checkbox allows the user to specify that the detail is to be copied to a text file. When the user clicks on the Continue button (see below) Soccer ScoreSheet will prompt the user for the filename to be used. This filename will always be forced to have an extension of .CLP.

This button signals the application to proceed with the copy operation to either or both the Windows clipboard and/or a text file of the users choosing.

Note that it is not possible to select neither the clipboard or a text file - attempting to do so will result in a pop-up message box to alert the user to this requirement.

This button provides access to this on-line help.


History

See also:

Upgrading from 8.02

Upgrading from 8.01

Upgrading from earlier versions

This section provides the update history of the application, with the most recent release first.

Note: We now have a telephone number if you need to contact us:

From the UK	01344-642580

International	(44) 1344 642580

Version 8.07.04

UPGRADE BUG: Fixed a small bug which caused a problem upgrading a version 8.06 database. This is an automatic process, and when there were multiple leagues defined in the database the upgrade process could go into a loop. As is often the case, one line of code moved before the previous line fixed the problem!

IMPORT FILES: A user put forward a suggestion that he was finding some difficulty sharing fixture and prediction data with his spreadsheet program, because that program could not wrap some fields in quotation marks. Without the quotation marks Soccer ScoreSheet would not import the data. This has been modified so that the quotation marks are no longer needed, but if they are there it won't matter.

VERSION UPGRADES: Introduced some new logic that will force the user to enter their registration information each time a new upgrade is installed. Although this was implemented previously, we discovered there were ways around this. It is absolutely vital that this re-registration takes place because there are invariably dependencies relating to automatically upgrading the database files used by the application.

Version 8.07.03

NEW TELEPHONE NUMBER: The telephone number shown above is now available for all enquiries relating to Soccer ScoreSheet. This number has an answering machine should you wish to leave a message.

PREDICTION CALCULATIONS: With the UK season now well underway it has become apparent that the prediction arrangement was skewing the CALC values markedly enough to bring the predictions under suspicion. This was because after producing the CALC value the entire set of CALC values were scaled to fit into a predefined range of values. Whilst okay for any single week, when multiple weeks were combined this gave false indications. Scaling has now been removed from the CALC values, and the result of the calculation is as-calculated. Users upgrading to version 8.07.03 should recalculate all predictions since the beginning of the season.

SCALABLE PREDICTION GRAPH: To allow for the above change to the prediction algorithms it has proved necessary to provide buttons on the Prediction Graph to allow the horizontal axis to be scaled up and down to suit the CALC values.

PRINT YOUR OWN EMAIL/URL: Following user feedback we have introduced the ability for each user to print their own Email and world-wide-web address on each printed page heading. This is accessed via the System Options Dialog.

MULTI-ROUND CALENDER SUPPORT: The Calendar Dialog was not correctly showing colour representations for other than round 1, when the user had defined matches for rounds 2-7. This was a bug, and it is fixed.

Version 8.07.02

REVERSED SORT ORDER: The sorting order for Goals Against was the reverse of what it should have been. This problem has been there some time - it isn't a recently introduced problem. It was a bug. It is fixed.

ON-LINE HELP: Beefed up the on-line help in a few places, mostly relating to legal obligations and so on. Also updated the RELEASE.TXT file supplied with the software to reflect the same changes. These changes are not intended to change anything which might affect the average user, but in today's world where a growing number of people see lawyers as a way to make easy money out of others we have to protect our interests in the best way we can. We do not intend giving away or transferring any of our rights to Soccer ScoreSheet simply because we forgot to mention in plain English that all rights belong to us in perpetuity. The recent debacle with the Compuserve change of terms and conditions which state "we own everything you ever upload to us and can do anything we want with it" brought this into focus - sorry Compuserve, you do NOT own or have any rights to this application, and you cannot do anything you want with our software. You have to ask us for permission first.....

Version 8.07.01

SHOW DIVISIONS: The Fixture Dialog has a new checkbox, which allows the user to show division names for each team in the fixture list. This functionality makes it easy to determine which matches are being played across division boundaries. When unchecked (default), the behaviour is exactly as before.

DIVISION COLOURS: Associated with the above change to the Fixture Dialog is an enhancement to the Division Edit Dialog, which now has another two buttons for setting the colour for the division name when shown on the Fixture Dialog.

DATABASE UPDATING: Although automatic database updating between versions has always been implemented, the user has never been advised that the update is taking place. New pop-up message boxes have been added so that when the application recognises a database that needs to be automatically updated, the user is advised this is taking place. No user action is required, this is for information purposes only. Note: This feature will present a blank pop-up message box the first time the application is started on an existing system - this affects Windows 3.x users only, and is due to Windows not having loaded part of the application code at the time the message box is presented - this blank message box is not a bug, and it should be ignored. No problem will result from this situation. We are not going to try and fix this situation because it is of such low importance.

Version 8.06.02

OUT OF LIMITS: A user spotted an anomoly with the prediction graph - if the CALC value was 500 (which it had every right to be) then that result was not shown on the graph. This was due to a rounding error. The top/bottom limits of the CALC range have been adjusted by one, which corrects this problem.

DEFAULT INSTALLATION OPTION: The registered diskette version of this application did not have a default for either the Windows 3.x or Windows 95 versions. This could cause this to be overlooked by the user, resulting in an installation where there was no program file installed on the hard disk! Changed the installation so that it will install the Windows 3.x version by default - Windows 95 users will have to modify this option during installation to suit their requirement (however, the Windows 3.x version does run successfully under Windows 95).

Version 8.06.01

MULTIPLE GAMES PER DAY: Some soccer/football competitions (for example 5-a-side knock-outs) involve teams playing more than one match on a single date. Soccer ScoreSheet now allows multiple games to be configured for any team on any date. This is enabled via the System Options Dialog, and implemented via a change to the Calendar Dialog.

DIALOG REDESIGN: The System Options Dialog has over time become somewhat cluttered, and whilst functionally the same as before (plus changes introduced with this release) has been redesigned.

LISTBOX HIGHLIGHTS: Some users take screenshots of information presented by this application and use these screenshots in other applications, or for publishing on the world wide web. The highlight bar presented by default by Windows detracts from the presentation of such information. An option has been added to the System Options Dialog to enable these highlights to be toggled on/off by single-clicking listboxes. Currently only implemented for the team listbox shown on the Main Dialog.

HOME/AWAY SCHEDULING: In previous releases one of the major problems relating to scheduling was that teams would regularly be scheduled to play each other home and away in consecutive weeks. Sometimes this was severe enough where several such incidents would occur in a single teams schedule. This has now been fixed - and teams are guaranteed to be playing home and away matches against each other a half-season apart.

FIXED SCHEDULING PROBLEM: Although scheduling was working fine in the previous release, that was only true when there were an even number of teams in a division. It did not work properly for an odd number of teams, and caused the internal master scheduling table to become corrupted.

Version 8.05.02

ZERO OR MINUS: User feedback suggested that some users would prefer to display and print a zero rather than the habitual minus sign where a value was zero. This has been implemented as an additional option on the System Options Dialog.

NEVER ON A SUNDAY: There was a slightly strange problem where the application would not include matches played on a Sunday, when those matches were the last in the schedule list. Adding a dummy match to another day after the Sunday would cause these matches to be included. Fixed.

SCHEDULING ERROR: Fixed a problem when scheduling a division containing 7 or 8 teams. This was not a programmatic bug, but a slightly corrupt SCHEDULE.SCH file which had been shipped with slightly earlier version 8's.

FORCED RECALCULATION: Updating any of the checkboxes on the System Options Dialog will now cause the league table to be recalculated. Previously only one or two caused recalculation.

MATCH REVIEW DIALOG: The Match Review Dialog had become slightly corrupted due to some other changes that were made recently, and it was unable to properly display both the home and away teams as it should have done. Fixed.

Version 8.05.01

Fixed a relatively serious problem with team scheduling, plus a couple of other trivial problems, with various changes to the shareware version. Users definitely need to upgrade if they intend using the scheduling options.

SHAREWARE VERSION: We have made some changes to the shareware version of this application. The most important of these changes is the ability for us to provide a temporary registration number upon notification that a registration has been submitted (this will obviously affect users with on-line access mostly). The shareware version also supports only a single data file.

CALC VALUE: The Prediction Dialog was not showing (or printing) the CALC value as it should have done, when the match status was unplayed.

COLUMN POINTS: The column points summary on the Prediction Dialog wrongly indicated a random value when there were no pools entries selected.

SCHEDULING ERROR: When there was an odd number of teams in a division and that division was scheduled, it would cause the internal algorithms to gradually destroy the schedule dates due to an unprocessed value - this being a cumulative problem. This never affected divisions with an even number of teams.

Version 8.04.04

Minor updates, affecting fixture import facility only. This update will be useful only to those who intend to use the fixture import facility.

RE-DESIGNED IMPORT DIALOG: The Import Dialog has been re-designed, as the import file button was not wide enough to accomodate a full pathname.

NEW IMPORT OPTION: The fixture import functionality would always force a new match status for an existing record, regardless of the status of the record being replaced. This may not always be desirable. Thus a new user-selectable option has been added to the Import Dialog, to allow the user to choose whether the status should be forced to update to that in the incoming record (note: the status will always be updated when the original status is of type unplayed). Normally this option will be left unchecked, as it would be expected that once the status has changed from unplayed to something else, it should never change again via the import process.

Version 8.04.03

Users who need the scheduling facility will need to upgrade to this version.

SCHEDULING ODD NUMBER OF TEAMS: Whilst it was possible to schedule an odd number of teams, the application would manage to "forget" the last couple of dates in the schedule list upon return to the Main Dialog. This was the result of a small bug in the program, which has been permanently fixed.

SCHEDULING 8 TEAMS: Scheduling a division containing 8 teams caused some teams to be playing two matches on a single date. This was due to a value in the master scheduling table which had been accidentally duplicated. Fixed.

Version 8.04.02

Minor release, incorporating fairly trivial changes.

FIXTURE UPDATE FLAG: Almost a 'hidden' feature, in that the user will not actually see anything resembling a change here. When a fixture is updated, a flag is set for that fixture within the database. The Export Dialog can then use this flag to export just the records that have changed. An additional option was added to this dialog to accomodate this change, so that the user can select whether or not to make use of the update flag.

'LOST' HEADER FILE: In version 8.03 we introduced new import/export functionality, and part of the export functionality was the ability to pre-define a standard header file. This got lost in the move to 8.04.01 - it wasn't intended that way, so here it is again!

ENLARGED EXPORT DIALOG: The Export Dialog was too slim to accomodate long path names on the buttons, so it has been widened quite considerably.

UPDATED SHAREWARE REMINDERS: Made the shareware reminders less aggressive. Still pops-up a reminder but only half as frequently, and with a gradually increasing disable period. Also removed very heavy watermarking of printed reports and replaced by a single randomly placed watermark.

EXTRA INI FILE SETTINGS: Added further INI file settings for use with the import/export functionality. These settings are not for use by the user, but maintain information between import/export sessions.

Version 8.04.01

Not quite a 'major' release, but significant enough for us to encourage users of earlier versions to upgrade.

SCHEDULING DIALOG: After a short enforced absence, it's back! We've sorted out the scheduling problems and made it more versatile. Now when you want to schedule a whole season of matches for your divisions, click on the Schedule button and get an instant match schedule.

PRINT CANCEL PROBLEM: There was a problem, now resolved, where cancelling a print operation could cause the application to crash. Unfortunately there was usually no direct timing relationship between the print cancellation and when the crash occurred - which made it kind of hard to track down. Inspection showed that this affected three different print operations within the application, but not all. It was the usual single line of code which caused this mayhem.

TEAM LOOKUP ERROR: There was a very obscure bug where some teams were not being looked up properly in the database. Often this would result in the wrong team being shown in the league table - yet trying to edit that team would always show the team that you thought you defined! This problem has been there since version 8 was released, and is now fixed. Considering the number of people that have been using the application, it is perhaps slightly surprising that we hadn't been advised of this problem earlier!

IMPORT SUMMARY DIALOG: To enhance the fixture import operation even further we have added a new Import Summary Dialog, which is automatically presented once the import process has completed. This dialog provides instant feedback on the success (or failure) of the operation, plus allows the user to view the error log generated during the import.

SAVING TO FLOPPY DISKETTE: There was another weird problem whereby it just wasn't possible to save to floppy diskette. Caused by a poor piece of program logic - fixed.

DIVISION DIALOG UPDATE: The sorting definition shown on the Division Edit Dialog did not redraw properly when options were deleted and added, and there would be 'phantom' entries shown. This dialog has been updated to cure this problem.

NEW CLOSING DIALOG: Shareware users will now see a new closing dialog as they exit the application. This dialog also allows the user to gain access to the registration information contained within the on-line help. We have also added a registration button to the initial welcome dialog, and made the pricing information a little easier to find within the on-line help (quite how we managed to make this a little difficult to find isn't clear - the on-line help has grown considerably over time, and no doubt it gradually managed to move away from being instantly accessible).

DUPLICATE INI FILES: The Windows 3.x version of this application now uses the INI file called SOCC16.INI, whereas the Windows 95 version uses SOCC32.INI. In all other respects these files are identical, as explained in the section on INI Files.

POOR DIALOG DISABLING: After selecting an option on the Main Dialog, it was still often possible to invoke the Clipboard/File Dialog (for example) by clicking on the Main Dialog background. This was both annoying, and potentially unsafe as multiple operations might try to access the database concurrently. We have therefore tightened up the disabling of the Main Dialog so that this cannot happen.

Version 8.03.04

No enhancements made in this version - in fact the opposite is true. For the very first time (and we hope the last!) we had to remove a piece of functionality which was not working properly, so that we could work on resolving it.

REMOVED SCHEDULING DIALOG: The team scheduling dialog proved to be working incorrectly, and was not reliably scheduling teams as it was supposed to. This has been removed whilst we try and resolve the problems associated with this dialog.

Version 8.03.03

By anyone's standards, this was a minor release.

EXTRA DEBUG INFORMATION: This was only a minor release, where we have added some minor changes to the SOCC.INI file to assist with future debugging activity. This is a precautionary measure - we aren't investigating any such problems at this time.

Version 8.03.02

A relatively minor release.

AUTOMATIC DATA IMPORT: This application now supports automatic data importing, via the user having set up an association between an import file extension and starting Soccer ScoreSheet. This includes setting up a new Export Header File, and Setting Up Data Distribution.

SOCC.INI FILE CHANGES: To conform with standard practice the SOCC.INI file is now located in the Windows directory, rather than in the application directory. This file also records some additional information, which may be of use for debugging purposes.

Version 8.03.01

A very significant new release for version 8 users. Lots of new and enhanced features, plus one or two bug-fixes.

SHOOT-OUT COMPETITION SUPPORT: We have received feedback from the USA that their league system had no concept of a drawn match - all matches produce a win. This was also the way the recent European Championships resolved matches in the later stages. Such an arrangement has never been supported within this application. There is a new option on the System Options Dialog to enable shoot-out support. This also affects the League Edit Dialog and team scoring arrangements. It is essential that anyone who has upgraded to version 8.03 from a previous version refers to the upgrade notices (refer to the 'See also' options above), as this shoot-out support has entailed some small but signification structural changes to the database.

SCHEDULE DIALOG: Added a major new dialog. This follows several requests from league coordinators who wanted to see an option for automatically generating fixture lists at the beginning of a season. The Fixture Scheduling Dialog performs automated match allocation, allowing the user to block-book fixtures.

IMPORT/EXPORT: Added import/export functionality, which is accessible via the Fixtures Dialog. Data files are in SDF format, and both import and export support multiple date range. The import facility also supports automatic updating of incoming team names, so if the information is generated by another source this application will ensure the team names match up with the database.

AUTOMATIC SHIPMENT OF DATABASE UPDATES: The new import/export functionality allows us to make available regular updates to Email-enabled users for the very first time. Anyone with a Compuserve or Internet account should be able to receive Email updates on a weekly/regular basis. For cost reasons this is not really applicable to non-Email users. Please note that this is subject to a small subscription charge to cover the costs of Emailing updates, as Compuserve (etc.) levy a small charge for Email's after a certain number, and we also obtain data from another source which we have to subscribe to in order for this to work. Please contact the authors for further information.

MATCH REVIEW DIALOG ENHANCED: The Match Review Dialog has been enhanced substantially, with the home and away teams now having independent statistical page information selectable by the user. It is now possible to show the home team statistics relating to home form, and away team statistics relating to away form. This enables the user to directly compare home and away form, and switch statistical pages independently for the two teams.

PROMOTION/RELEGATION HIGHLIGHTS: Added the ability to highlight promotion and relegation zones in a different colour on the Main Dialog. This is configured individually for each division via the Division Edit Dialog, with the highlight colours being set via the System Options Dialog.

RECALCULATION: Fixed a small bug where if there was only one fixture date the application would not recalculate the league table.

NEW LEAGUE: Adding a new league to an existing data file caused the existing league to be renamed, rather than the creation of another league (registered version only). Fixed.

DATA FILE OVERWRITE: Fixed a bug where user data files were being overwritten. This was caused by a user opening a data file (for example on startup), then opening another file and making a modification to the new file. In this situation the original (OLD) data file that was loaded got overwritten by the new data file. This was caused by the application not updating the SOCC.INI file during the load operation.

ICON WHEN MINIMISED: When minimised the application showed a small gray rectangle instead of an icon. This was visible only in the Windows 3.x version. The application will now correctly show the icon.

COLOUR SELECTION: Colour definition has now been extended, allowing the user to define customised colours for each of the available options shown on the System Options Dialog, and also the Team Edit Dialog.

PREDICTION DIALOG: The presentation of the Prediction Dialog has been enhanced with the addition of a third sorting order, following user feedback. The detail can be sorted by the order of the pools coupon number (default), or by the ascending/descending prediction calculated value. The latter option is new, and allows the displayed/printed list to be inverted according to user preferences.

PREDICTION CONFIGURATION: Following the significant update to the prediction configuration introduced with version 8.02.01, each of the 8 available algorithm settings now incorporates a blank field at the beginning of the list of options to indicate that the particular algorithm is not used. This does not affect the functionality in a major way (existing users of 8.02.01 will need to re-edit their algorithms to modify settings).

Version 8.02.01

A fairly significant release, in that all  preceding version 8.01.xx users must upgrade to this version as soon as possible.

KazMax now has a new Internet/WWW site, plus a new Internet Email account. The very latest shareware version of this software will be maintained on that WWW site at all times.

TEAM STATISTICS: Fixed a fairly significant problem relating to the upgrading of one season to the next, where the team statistics were apparently not being properly copied. This was actually a problem relating to the Team Edit Dialog - the statistical copy operation did in fact work perfectly.

PREDICTION CONFIGURATION: The prediction configuration has been overhauled, allowing the user to select at random which statistical comparisons to make. There are four independent and available algorithms, with each algorithm consisting of up to eight blended (and user-definable) statistical comparisons. Plus every one of these statistics is configurable for the current season or the previous season. This design will make it much easier for us to add new statistical methods in the future, without impacting previously configured algorithms. This functionality takes the prediction configurability way beyond anything that was in a previous version of this application.

POOLS MATCHES: The football pools companies have been evaluating whether to reduce the number of pools matches on the coupon each week, in order to be more competitive (in terms of jackpot winners) with the lottery companies. Previously we have hardcoded this to 58 matches because that was always the number available, regardless of the company that issued the coupon. Now the user can configure the number via the System Options Dialog.

DIVISION EDIT: Introducing the GPF fix in version 8.01.06 brought about the user not being able to edit any division, other than the Premiership (if using the standard supplied data file). This has been fixed.

ADDING TEAMS: Fixing the GPF problem also brought about incorrect division detail being defined when the user added a new team to a division. This has been fixed.

RESULT REPRESENTATION: User-feedback suggested that the recent form summary showed a 1-1 draw as being depicted as '1'. This was in fact correct according to our interpretation, but the user wished this to be 'X' instead. These result characters were hardcoded, but are now definable by the user, via new options made available via the Configuration Dialog.

'CALC' VALUE: We have enabled an option for the user to be able to view the prediction calculation value, as it used to be in previous versions of the application. The user can still use the new pools points values if required. This is enabled via the System Options Dialog.

FLOPPY DISK SUPPORT: Although the user can still save data to a floppy disk, the application will automatically 'forget' the floppy disk path, and revert to the current directory after the save is complete. A user had reported a problem whereby saving to floppy disk was being remembered by the application, leading to problems if the diskette was removed.

COMMAND LINE OPTION: The user can now supply a command-line option, which the application will use as the data file to open. This will allow the user to set up multiple icons in a Program Manager group to be able to access one of a number of data files quickly (note: the user should never open more than one instance of the application at one time as these would share the same SOCC.INI file - data loss would result).

Version 8.01.06

WINDOWS 3.X GPF: Fixed a serious problem which was causing Windows 3.x systems to crash after extended use. This did not affect the Windows 95 version at all.

REPORT DATE RANGE: Reports available for printing from the Main Dialog now show the inclusive date range for the report.

DIALOG SIZE: Reduced the vertical size of the master dialogs, as in 640x480 mode these were a fraction too large.

Version 8.01.05

KazMax is now an 'official' trading name, and we are at last able to accept payment made out to this name.

PRINTER FORMATTING: There was a problem where some printers showed bad formatting of the output, with a common problem being the spillage of text outside of marked boundaries on the page. This was due to default font selection on these printers (or perhaps the Windows drivers). The application now requests a specific font, plus this is made available as a configuration option within the SOCC.INI file.

BWCC.DLL LOCATION: The BWCC.DLL was giving one user a particular problem with it being installed in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory. This was in fact a new arrangement introduced with version 8, as we had always previously installed this to the application directory. Although installing this file in the Windows directory structure is the preferred method, we have now reverted to the way it used to be installed to save any further problems with other installations.

ON-LINE HELP LOCATION: The setup utility was initialising the program manager group such that the on-line help file could not be found.

TEAM COLOURS: The Team Edit Dialog did not default the team colours, and upon initialising a new team the setting was black on black.

CREDIT-CARD PAYMENT: Registration is now possible via credit card, using a third-party company who can accept these transactions (see Forms of Payment).

Version 8.01.04

PRINTER PAGE RANGE: It was not possible to set a range of pages for printing, due to an oversight on the print configuration dialog.

Version 8.01.03

First public release of version 8.


Upgrading From Version 8.02 to 8.03

Whilst the changes to the data file structure have not been too significant, it has proved to be impossible to incorporate an automatic upgrade process for all features. Therefore the following specific actions need to be taken by the user. This is a once-only requirement to be undertaken immediately after the version 8.02 data file has been loaded for the first time.

Main Dialog Configuration

It will be necessary to visit the Configuration Dialog (available via the Config button on the Main Dialog), and update several of the column markups for each page defined. Although not all markups are affected, those that are will have been offset by one value due to the introduction of the shoot-out option which has been added to all comboboxes.

Alternatively (and much the easier option), visit the Configuration Dialog and use the FILE | LOAD option to load the MASTER.CFG file supplied. This will automatically update the configuration to a known standard, with the drawback being that any special configuration that the user has defined will be lost.

Division Sorting

Each division will need to be edited in turn, via the Division Edit Dialog. The introduction of the shoot-out option has displaced some of the division sorting criteria by one, and thus the division sorting will have to be modified.

The user might also want to take advantage of the new features relating to promoted and demoted teams, by setting the promotion/demotion options on this dialog. This will cause the promotion and relegation zones for each division to be shown in a different colour (providing that these colours have been set via the System Options Dialog).

Promotions/Relegations

Visit the System Options Dialog (click on the logo shown at the top right of the Main Dialog), and modify the new promotion/relegation colour setting for the listbox options to suit personal taste. This change requires that the divisions are individually modified to set the number of promotions and relegations, via the Division Edit Dialog.


Upgrading From Version 8.01 to 8.03+

All of the options relating to upgrading from version 8.02 to 8.03 need to be carried out. It is also recommended that users refer to the Change History to ensure they are aware of all of the changes that have recently taken place.


Earlier Versions

Versions of Soccer ScoreSheet previous to version 8 are no longer supported, and due to the very significant changes introduced to the database with version 8 there is no backwards compatibility automatically provided.


Upgrading To Version 8.07.03

Users who make use of the prediction features who are upgrading from earlier version 8's to 8.07.03 will need to bear in mind that at 8.07.03 the prediction calculations were changed. It is essential that all dates since the start of the season are recalculated, otherwise the CALC values will be skewed. Whilst this will work okay, it is not desirable to have CALC values that have been produced via different algorithm settings.


Internet Sites

The following Internet and WWW sites may be of interest to users of this application as they have a specific content involving the sport of soccer. Except for our page which is shown first (as you might expect), these are listed in alphabetic order so as to not suggest a recommendation.

The Home Page For KazMax

Please check this site for latest information about the application.

http://homepages.enterprise.net/kazmax

FIFA

http://www.fifa.com

Sky Sports

http://www.sky.co.uk/sports/football

SoccerNet

http://www.soccernet.com


Forms Of Payment

See also:	Registration Fee

If you wish to become a registered user of this shareware you have several options available to make payment. We prefer direct payment to us as it means we aren't paying third-parties for the transaction taking place or introducing delays in payment reaching us, however we would encourage you to use whichever method is best for you!

Payment to third parties does involve additional expense in one form or another. Please accept that we do not profit from situations where payment via a third party is higher than payment direct.

Direct Payment

You can make payment directly to the authors. Cheques etc should be made payable to KazMax.

Compuserve SWREG

If you are a Compuserve member, or have a friend who is willing to submit a registration on your behalf, you can register via the Compuserve SWREG scheme.

Public (software) Library

PsL are able to accept credit card payments via several different means. This option may be of particular interest to international registrants, as other means of submitting UK funds may be prohibitively expensive to arrange.


Public (software) Library

See also:	Registration Fee

Don't forget that you can also register direct with the authors in either UK currency or your own currency.

KazMax have undertaken an arrangement with PsL to allow users to pay for registration by credit card. This can be undertaken via mail, telephone, Fax, Email, or Internet. Registration will incur the registration fee.

PsL do not work weekends, and a small delay may be incurred by using this service whilst your credit card details are authenticated.

	Please Note: PsL are only acting as agents for KazMax and cannot provide support or respond to any other product related enquiry. You cannot contact the authors via PsL. Do not contact PsL for any other reason than to submit an order as we get charged for this activity!

To register Soccer ScoreSheet with PsL you will need to quote reference 14690.

The Procedure

When you submit a registration request to PsL they will take your details and pass these on to KazMax. It will be KazMax who will be responsible for fulfilling your order.

Note that at no time is KazMax made aware of your credit card information! Your monetary transaction is between you and PsL - the transaction between PsL and KazMax is wholly separate! The only information we receive about you is that required to complete your order.

Once your order has been accepted following confirmation by your credit card company, PsL will immediately advise KazMax of the new order. We shall ship this immediately we have this confirmation.

In the event that there is a problem concerning your order, please contact KazMax directly, not PsL.

Information Required By PsL

Please ensure that the following information is provided to PsL when submitting an order.

•	Your name (as you wish it to appear in the registered version).

•	Your full mailing address.

•	Your credit card number (and type of card).

•	The expiry date of the credit card.

•	A reference to Soccer ScoreSheet.

•	Reference number 14690.

Order By Mail

Send the above details to:

Public (software) Library

P.O. Box 35705

Houston

TX   77235-5705

USA

Order By Telephone

Call either 800-2424-PsL or 713-524-6394 (both in the USA). You will need to supply the above details.

Order By Fax

Send the above details to PsL's Fax on 713-524-6398 (USA).

Order Via The Internet

If you have access to the World Wide Web, access our home page first and select the link which connects you to PsL.

Order Via Compuserve

If you wish you can place an order to PsL via Compuserve ID 71355,470. However please note that if you are a Compuserve member you can use the SWREG service instead - this may be slightly quicker given that it will be the shortest route. It will also be slightly less costly for you.


Registration Fee

Cost: 19 UK pounds (=40 US dollars or equivalent)

There are several ways to register this application - direct payment to the authors, via the Compuserve SWREG scheme, or by credit card via the Public (software) Library.

Before you register, please ensure you have evaluated the very latest shareware version available in case the terms and conditions have changed. If in doubt, please contact the authors first. The authors shall only be liable for the terms and conditions as defined in the latest release version. If you are not evaluating the latest version then the terms and conditions, benefits, costs, etc., may have changed.

The authors reserve the right to amend pricing, deliverables, and terms and conditions without notice. In this situation you will be entitled to a full money-back guarantee if we set the wrong expectations.

Please make cheques etc payable to KazMax.


Payment In UK Pounds

A cheque or postal order (or cash - the latter is recommended to be delivered via a recorded delivery scheme for your own safety) made out in UK pounds and from a UK bank. The cost of registration will be 19 UK pounds.

If registering from outside of the UK, please add another one pound to cover additional shipping charges (thus, 20 UK pounds total for non-UK registrations).

See also Payment In Foreign Currency.

Please make cheques etc payable to KazMax.


Payment In Foreign Currency

You may optionally wish to consider payment in your own local currency, using your own bank. This is a relatively costly option, but quite possibly the most convenient for you.

You may send us a cheque made out in your own currency, which must be the equivalent value of 25 UK pounds, or 40 US dollars. Please use exchange rates which are current at the time of ordering.

These amounts INCLUDE all shipping charges - we would like to make it clear that we do not gain from this extra amount.

Please make cheques etc payable to KazMax.


Direct Payment To The Authors

Send a cheque, money order or cash direct to the authors. You may make payment either in UK pounds, or in your own currency.

Please note that (from version 8 onwards) the authors operate a referral payback scheme for previously registered users who subsequently introduce a new registration.

Please make cheques etc payable to KazMax.


Payment Via Compuserve

You must already be a Compuserve member to use this service. GO SWREG and follow the instructions for registering shareware. The SWREG ID for this application is 4036. The cost of this method is $35 (THIRTY-FIVE US DOLLARS).

This amount, translated by Compuserve into your own local currency, will be charged to your monthly Compuserve account. Registering via SWREG automatically triggers a notification to the authors, and your registration will be processed promptly.

You may use your Compuserve SWREG facility on behalf of others if you wish, but please ensure that you provide their information when registering, not yours! (it would be a good idea to send a private Email to the authors as well, to explain this circumstance). Note that we do use the name given to SWREG to produce your unique serial number!

SWREG is potentially the quickest method of registering, as we check our Compuserve account twice daily most days, and will respond to you immediately we receive the notification.


Referral Payback

This applies to version 8 onward only. The individual making the introduction must be a bona-fide registered user of the current major release, and for obvious reasons this option cannot be applied to any new registration.

Any previously registered user of Soccer ScoreSheet can receive a credit of £5 (five UK pounds) for introducing a new registration to the authors. To qualify for this credit, either the new user or person making the introduction must advise the authors of the name of the person making the introduction within 7 days of the registration taking place - if registering direct with the authors then this detail should be recorded on the registration form. Otherwise, please send an Email/letter to the authors explaining this circumstance.

This credit can be implemented in any one of the following ways:

1.	A cheque/postal order to the value of £5 sent to the person making the introduction (UK funds only)

2.	A 'free upgrade' to be sent to the person making the introduction if/when the next version appears.

3.	A reduction of £5 against the new registration fee (doesn't apply to SWREG  or PsL registration for technical reasons - sorry).

Please note that only one of the above can apply! The authors reserve the right to modify this scheme without notice.


Printing Considerations

This is perhaps the most difficult area of this application to get right, simply because what works perfectly on one printer steadfastly refuses to work correctly on another printer - even when the printer in question is another model from the same manufacturer!

You can modify the printer font being used via the SOCC.INI file (this is located in the application directory). Within this file you will find a section similar to the following:

[Printer]

Font=Arial

The 'Arial' font seems to work well for a great many printers, however in order for this to be successful you do need to have this font installed on your PC (it certainly should be for a default Windows installation). However we have also found that substituting 'Arial' for  'Times New Roman' also gives acceptable results.

There are quite possibly other fonts which are supported by your printer. One way of verifying different printer fonts is to create and print a word processor document which has several different test fonts within. There will be no harm done trying different font names in this INI file, however many fonts definitely will not give pleasing results. Ideal fonts are likely to be those that are defined as TrueType.

If your printer output is unsatisfactory and the information given above fails to solve the problem we at KazMax would be delighted to hear about the problem so that we can try and resolve this. In particular the following information would be most useful:

•	Which operating system are you using?

•	Which type/model of printer?

•	Which revision of printer driver?

Thank you in anticipation of your help!


Export Dialog

See also:

Updates

Import Dialog

Data Distribution

Automatic Import

SDF File Format

This dialog is only accessible from the Fixtures Dialog, and is used to export fixture information to the industry standard SDF, or comma-delimited, format. The format of this file is explained in the help topic SDF File Format. Exporting of detail in this way ensures that the information in the Soccer ScoreSheet database can be shared with other database or spreadsheet applications. Fixture information can also be imported via the Import Dialog, using identical file formatting - thus a file created via this export procedure can be immediately imported via the import process.

The purpose of this dialog is to define user-configurable parameters which affect the SDF file export. The user can set a date range (including the whole season of results if necessary), the filename to which the information is to be saved, and also some additional parameters which are explained below.

It is recommended that the user accept the defaults initially (assuming that the current date has some fixtures defined). The resulting file can then be analysed to gain an understanding of the file format - this is in human readable format.

The shareware version of this application limits export to 50 records - this limit is removed upon registration.

This button accesses the Calendar Dialog, from where the starting date of the export operation can be set. By default the current PC date is automatically selected.

This button accesses the Calendar Dialog, from where the ending date of the export operation can be set. By default the current PC date is automatically selected.

This button allows the user to specify a file to be used as a header file for the export. This header file is a standard ascii text file, potentially with some special markups which the application will replace with information about the export as it takes place.

The purpose of this file is to provide standard information at the top of the export file such that distribution to and use by other users is potentially easier to manage.

This button allows the user to define the filename to which the export operation will send the results, in SDF File Format. By default today's date is used to construct a valid filename, however this may be overridden by the user if appropriate.

If this checkbox is ticked the export operation will append the CALC values to the end of each record processed (this CALC value is explained in the help topic on the Prediction Dialog). This will only really be useful if further analysis is to be undertaken by another application. Note that only matches which have been selected as pools matches will have these values set.

If this checkbox is ticked the export operation will only include those matches which have been selected as pools matches.

If this checkbox is ticked the export operation will append the fixture information to an existing file, if appropriate. Otherwise any existing file will be overwritten without notice.

Checking this checkbox allows the user to save the fixture information to the Windows Clipboard instead of a disk file, enabling the detail to be pasted into another application directly.

When fixtures are updated in the database a flag value is set. This can be used by the export routine to just select those fixtures which have experienced some modification.

Note that checking this option will cause the flag values to be reset during the export process, thus the export cannot be repeated. If this option is not checked, the flag values are left untouched.

Checking this checkbox will disable the use of an export header file, and the fixture details will be exported without a standard header.

This button enables the export operation to proceed.


Import Dialog

See also:

Updates

Data Distribution

Export Dialog

Automatic Import

SDF File Format

The Import Dialog is accessible only from the Fixtures Dialog, and is used to import fixture information from an external SDF file. This is an industry standard file format, thus allowing this application to share data with another application. It is also possible to semi-automatically import data into the database.

This dialog provides several features which affect the importing of detail. These features are explained below.

The shareware version of this application limits export to 50 records - this limit is removed upon registration.

About Importing

Importing provides slightly more complex facilities than may be first appreciated, as described below. Essentially there are two modes of operation - importing brand new fixture information, and importing update information for matches which have already been defined in the database.

In the simplest case the details being imported relate to matches which are not yet defined in the database, and this causes Soccer ScoreSheet to insert these matches in the order in which they arrive. It does not matter whether these matches are in the future or in the past, the date is irrelevant.

However, if the import data contains definitions for matches which have already been defined the picture is slightly more involved. What happens is that the application checks the fixture list for the date being imported, and if it finds a match entry for the home and away teams then it will only replace certain data fields - the home and away scores, and the match status. Also, if the imported data contains references for the CALC values then these too will be imported.

It is therefore possible to import details of matches yet to be played, and then at a later time import the results of those matches. In this situation the original match definitions are not completely overwritten - only the fields described above are affected.

This functionality preserves the CALC values, providing that the imported data does not contain new CALC values.

One other point of interest relating to import/export of detail is that the importing system should have appropriate team definitions for the data being imported - it is permissible to have small variations on team names etc., because these can be managed via the Exchange Dialog. However there would be no point at all trying to import data from the UK Premiership into the Australian league table, and vice-versa. This can be taken care of using the automatic importing facilities provided within the application.

On completion of importing the application will present the Import Summary Dialog, which provides instant feedback on the success (or failure) of the import process which has just taken place, and also allows the user to review the error log created whilst importing.

If this checkbox is ticked the application will accept all fixture information from the import file, regardless of date. If unchecked the user can set a valid date range from the buttons explained below - any incoming fixture information which lies outside of the range will be ignored.

If this checkbox is ticked the application will import fixture information from the Windows Clipboard. This data must have previously been pasted to the Clipboard by another application.

If this checkbox is checked then any existing match will have its match status updated to whatever the imported record defines. Normally this option should be off, which will indicate that the status will only be changed for an already existing record when that status is of type unplayed.

In other words, when this option is on, the status will reflect whatever the import record is defined as (the status will be forced to that of the import record). When this option is off, the status will be changed only when the original status is of type unplayed.

This button accesses the Calendar Dialog, from where the user can set the starting date for the information being imported. Any data which refers to dates before this selected date will be ignored.

This button accesses the Calendar Dialog, from where the user can set the ending date for the information being imported. Any data which refers to dates after this selected date will be ignored.

This button allows the user to set the filename to be imported. It is necessary to define this filename, as there is no automatic default value.

Replace/With Listbox

This listbox shows two team names on each line. On the left hand side is the team name which is expected to appear in the import file, and on the right is the team name which is to replace it. This is an automatic operation as the import proceeds, and necessary because fixture data might be obtained from a variety of sources that use subtlely different team names. The contents of this listbox are modified via the Exchange Dialog.

For example in the UK league system Man Utd might be one derivation of Manchester United, as defined within the current data file. Defining Man Utd as the name to be replaced and the replacement being Manchester United will ensure the data is properly updated as the import takes place.

Any number of names may be modified using this technique, and thus over a period of time the user should expect to build a small library of changes which have to take place appropriate to different data sources, without having to worry about making changes within the database itself.

The application will however define a fixture if the team name cannot be resolved within the database. In this situation the team name appearing in the Fixtures Dialog will appear as '???'. Such incidents will require the user to manually re-define the match. This action would usually require the user to define team name changes via the Exchange Dialog facility.


Exchange Dialog

This dialog allows the user to define two strings - a team name to look out for in the imported data, and the team name to replace it. This dialog is accessible only from the Import Dialog.

Examples of from/to strings might be:

Man Utd (Manchester United)

Manchester Utd (Manchester United)

Manchester United (Man Utd)

The bracketed values are the replacement strings - these should match the definition for the team as entered in the database, which will be forced due to the definition only being made available from a combobox filled with all of the choices available.


SDF File Format

See also:

Updates

Export Header File

Export Dialog

Import Dialog

The SDF file format (used by both the Export Dialog and the Import Dialog) is an industry standard format, otherwise known as comma-delimited format. Most popular personal computer applications which are able to read/write data files will be able to support this format, and thus Soccer ScoreSheet will be able to share data with a wide variety of other applications for analysis purposes.

The SDF file is in human-readable format, and is expressed as simple text. Each data record is terminated with a carriage return/line feed. Note that although import/export data will be expressed in chronological order within these files the date order is not at all important. The order in which fixtures are defined for a particular date is important, and will define the order in which the matches are to be imported.

A snippet from a file created by this application (without any header information having been added) is shown below.

"19960702",1,1,"Brentford",2,0,"AFC Bournemouth",686,0,0,0

"19960702",2,1,"Bristol Rovers",2,1,"Wycombe Wanderers",385,0,0,0

"19960702",3,1,"Burnley",2,1,"Shrewsbury Town",565,0,0,0

"19960702",4,1,"Carlisle United",2,1,"Bristol City",613,0,0,0

"19960702",5,1,"Chesterfield",1,0,"Notts County",481,0,0,0

These parameters are explained in sequence below. Simple logic will be applied by the application during importing to verify that the detail being imported is meaningful, however this process is not foolproof.

1: Date

This is the date of the fixture, in 'YYYYMMDD' format.

2: Pools Coupon Number

This is a simple counter value indicating the pools coupon number within the database (note: changing this number for import purposes will not reorder the data!). A value of zero indicates this match is not declared as a pools match.

3: Match Status

There are 8 different match status' available. '0' indicates a match that has not yet been played. '1' indicates a league match, where the information is included in building the league table. The other 6 values (2-7) are as defined by the user via the Configuration Dialog.

4: Home Team Name

The name of the team playing at home. Note that this name can be modifed during import if appropriate (see the Import Dialog).

5: Home Score

This is the number of goals scored by the home team.

Note that if shootout competition support is enabled (see the System Options Dialog), this score will have a '+' appended after the score to indicate that the home team won on penalties.

6: Away Score

This is the number of goals scored by the away team.

Note that if shootout competition support is enabled (see the System Options Dialog), this score will have a '+' appended after the score to indicate that the away team won on penalties.

7: Away Team Name

The name of the team playing away from home. Note that this name can be modified during import if appropriate (see the Import Dialog).

8: CALC Values (optional)

These four values represent the CALC value, which is calculated by the Prediction Dialog. When exporting, these values are dependent on the user selecting that these values should be exported, via the Export Dialog. For importing, if the data is available it will be accepted, but if it isn't available these values will be automatically set to zero within the database.


Export Header File

The export header file is a user-defined ascii text file. This can (optionally) contain some special markups which the application will replace automatically as the export file is created.

This file is not actually required. However it is encouraged if the user wishes to share fixture data with others using the semi-automatic database update process.

The main user of this file is a database administrator who is distributing export files for others to update their databases. Essentially the administrator can record some standard text at the top of the file so that others can understand what is contained within the file, such as the originating database filename and the date range of the data. Not only that, but one particular special markup will allow two different systems to synchronise their data semi-automatically.

Example Header File

An example header file is shown below.

***   FILE(%FileName%)

***   Author      :  %UserName%

***   Version     :  %Version%

***   Created     :  %Date%

***   From Date   :  %Start%

***   To Date     :  %End%

This is a very simple file, designed to give the very basic information necessary to any user who receives the resulting export file.

In actual fact the file can be formatted in any way the user chooses - it does not have to take the form as shown above, and thus if the user wishes to create a more descriptive export header file with the header markups expressed within other text this is perfectly feasible. It is not necessary to define any of the markups at all - this is up to the user.

Resulting Export File

Using the above header file on a range of dates would produce an export file similar to the following.

***   FILE(UK199697.STK)

***   Author      :  KazMax

***   Version     :  8.03.02

***   Created     :  Thu 25 Jul 1996

***   From Date   :  Sun 28 Apr 1996

***   To Date     :  Sat 04 May 1996

"19960428",0,1,"Manchester United",5,0,"Nottingham Forest"

"19960428",0,1,"Derby County",2,1,"Crystal Palace"

"19960428",0,1,"Bromsgrove",1,1,"Northwich"

"19960428",0,1,"Welling",1,2,"Macclesfield"

.....etc...

Notice that the markups have been exchanged for live data used to create the export file.


Export Markups

The following special markups are available when defining the Export Header File. These markups can be embeded within other text if necessary.

FILE(%FileName%)   is replaced by the database filename used to create the export file (should always appear in the very first line of the file to enable automated processing by the recipient).

%UserName%   is replaced by the name of the registered user creating the export file.

%Start%   is replaced by the start date of the export data.

%End%   is replaced by the end date of the export data.

%Date%   is replaced by the date on which the export took place.


Data Distribution

The import/export functionality for this application is very powerful, and will allow an  administrator to update a central database on their own system, and thereafter distribute updates (probably based upon date range) to other users to keep those systems synchronised. In this way only one person needs to enter the data - everyone else can just import the fixture changes. This represents a considerable saving of time.

The SDF file format employed for import and export is identical. That is to say the user can export an SDF file from one system and immediately import that same file without any changes whatsoever into another system.

There is however one difficulty with this. Whilst the export process creates an export file, that file only contains references to the fixtures which have taken place, and teams are referenced by their ascii name. It is quite possible to attempt to import this file into a completely different database (for example that from another country), in which case the team names will not match up and thus the fixture information will be meaningless.

To overcome this potential difficulty the administrator (that is, the person exporting the file for others to use) can make use of a special feature of the SDF export file. That feature is to force the system which is importing the file to automatically load the relevant database file prior to the import taking place. To do so it is necessary to make use of an export header file, and place a special markup on the first line of the export file. This markup does not need to be placed in the first column - it can be placed literally anywhere on the line, the only criteria being the very first line. The required markup is:

FILE(%FileName%)

It does not matter whether there is text before or after this markup.

When this file is automatically imported into another system the application will recognise the filename from which the file was exported, and automatically load the same named file prior to the import taking place.

Please note that this functionality will only work if the file is automatically imported as a result of it being placed upon the application command line - and not if the file is manually imported.


Automatic Importing

See Also:

Setting Up Data Distribution

Soccer ScoreSheet supports semi-automatic importing, so an export file created on one system can be semi-automatically imported into other systems, saving the importers from much of the work. Let us show an example of how this can work.

Note: This functionality will probably fail in the Windows 95 version if the long filename convention is being used for the Soccer ScoreSheet directories or data files. We recommend that you do not use long filenames with this application if you intend to make use of automatic file importing.

UserA creates an export header file, in which the first line of this file contains the special markup FILE(%FileName%) somewhere on the line (it doesn't matter where, just so long as it is on the very first line of the file). UserA then exports a data file called EXPORT.KMX (the name and extension do not actually matter too much, but care should be used not to choose an extension used by other applications), and passes this file onto UserB via Email or some other process.

Because the import/export file is completely text-based it can be passed between users as a straightforward Email message, without any need at all to use compression tools etc. The sender will just paste the contents of the file he/she has just exported into an Email message, and the receiver uses the facilities of their Email reader to save the message to a text file on their system.

UserB places this EXPORT.KMX file into a known place on his hard disk, potentially the same directory where the normal database files are kept.

UserB has already created a file association from within Windows File Manager (or Windows Explorer on Windows 95), so that Windows knows that if a file with an extension of 'KMX' is double-clicked or entered as a command, it is to start Soccer ScoreSheet and pass the path to that file to the application via its command line.

UserB then uses the Windows Run option to 'execute' the EXPORT.KMX file. As a result, Soccer ScoreSheet will be automatically started and given this filename. The application recognises this as an import file, loads the database file identified from the special FILE(%FileName%) markup (if it can!), and auto-imports the entire contents of the file.

As a result of this process, UserB can semi-automatically update his fixtures database from an export file provided by UserA, using just a few keystrokes. And because the import and export files are 100% text based it is possible to distribute these files worldwide via any Email system.


Setting Up Data Distribution

See also:

Automatic Importing

There are two specific setups that need to be catered for - the data provider, and the data receiver(s). The provider is the person who is responsible for entering all the data into their database and then shipping the update files to others, who are the receivers.

Setting Up - General

Both provider and receiver need to agree on standard database naming in order for this process to work successfully. Usually this will involve the provider defining the database at the start of a season, and sending a copy of that database to all receivers.

For the sake of this description, we will assume that the database is called DATA.STK.

Also, Windows 95 users please note - whilst long file naming conventions should work most of the time, this is not supported for automatic data importing. Please use standard 8.3 DOS naming conventions for directories and files.

Setting Up The PROVIDER

The provider needs to define an export header file where the first line of this file contains the following special markup:

FILE(%FileName%)

Other sundry detail can be entered into the header file if the provider so wishes, but this is optional. What this definition does is to tell the system importing the file which database file to import to - on both the sending and receiving systems the database name should be consistent (however, they do not strictly have to be - but auto-importing cannot work without this).

The provider should then use the export facilities to produce an export file (EXPORT.KMX for example). This process should make use of the export header file defined by the exporter.

The provider will then distribute this file, perhaps as an Email message (or on floppy diskette) to the receivers.

Setting Up The RECEIVER

The receiver doesn't need to do anything special with regard to configuration of his/her import/export system - the configuration required is a once-off step for Windows as detailed below, however it is vital that the database name the provider has used to create the export file is available and configured the same (in terms of team names particularly). That database does not need to have been the most recently used file - it just has to be accessible to the application. So in this example they should have DATA.STK available.

The receiver will receive either a discrete file, or quite possibly an Email message containing the fixture information. If an Email message then the user should use the facilities of his Email reader to save the message in a standard text file on his hard disk. The name does not strictly matter, but let us assume here that it will be EXPORT.KMX.

Previously the receiver must have configured his/her Windows system such that a particular file extension (KMX in this case) will auto-start Soccer ScoreSheet. This configuration is carried out slightly differently for Windows 3.x and Windows 95 systems, but is essentially the same in practical terms.

Either attempting to run EXPORT.KMX, or double-clicking with File Manager (or Explorer) will cause Soccer ScoreSheet to launch. In turn it will recognise the availability of the import file, and proceed to automatically import the entire contents of that file.

Thus on a weekly (or regular) basis the receiver can very easily keep their database file(s) up to date by receiving a single Email from the provider.


Windows 3.x

1.	Start FILE MANAGER

2.	From the File menu select Associate

3.	Enter KMX, and associate Soccer ScoreSheet with this extension

4.	Close FILE MANAGER


Windows 95

1.	Start EXPLORER

2.	Click on View then Options

3.	Select tab File Types

4.	Click on New Type...

5.	Define an action for file extension KMX

6.	This action should be to open *.KMX files with Soccer ScoreSheet


Import Summary Dialog

The import summary dialog is presented automatically to the user following fixture import, for the purpose of advising on the success (or failure) of the import operation.

This dialog is self-explanatory. If there have been any errors encountered during the import process the user will be able to review these using the View Errors button. This action will start Windows NotePad, and present the file named IMPORT.ERR which was created during the import process.

Each line of the IMPORT.ERR file refers to one line in the original import file that was being read. The line number affected is shown on the left, followed by the import line which could not be deciphered.

The only reason that a line will appear in the IMPORT.ERR file is if the home or away team name could not be resolved. If there is anything in this file, verify and if necessary update the team names within the currently loaded database, then re-import the file again.


Updates

See also:

Automatic Import

There are two different types of update - those made available for the application itself (to provide enhanced functionality and/or fix problems), and those relating to updating the database.

Application Updates

From time to time the authors release new versions of this application. The latest version is always deemed to be the latest version which has been made publicly accessible for ordinary members of the public on an on-line system.

Minor updates are always announced to registered users who have Email capability, via a simple broadcast message. Major updates are announced to all registered users (note: providing that the user is within TWO major revisions of the current version), by post, newsletter, or whatever is deemed at the time to be the most relevant means possible.

With version 8 a new registration scheme was introduced whereby the user could obtain any future version 8 from whichever source they wished, and it would be guaranteed to work as a fully registered version without requiring further payment to the authors. This particularly suits people with access to either Compuserve or the Internet, as these updates can be downloaded as required.

Another option available to all users is to send us a 1.44 Mb 3.5in diskette and two first-class stamps to cover return postage - international users will need to provide 2 x IRC's (International Reply Coupons). We will update the diskette with the latest shipping version and mail this back to you. Note that this option can be repeated as often as you wish.

Unfortunately we have to charge to provide new versions if we are to supply these on floppy diskette which we source ourselves. In doing so we only try to cover our costs. This arrangement is automatically offered to all users whenever a major update is announced.

Database Updates

There is a lot of (regular) work involved in keeping a database up to date, and there is usually no easy way around this. However with version 8 we have also introduced a new scheme whereby database updates can be sent out automatically. There are several important features of this facility, as explained below.

First and foremost we are obliged to point out that this option is subject to being withdrawn at any time, without prior notice. We would hope this will never be the case, but if it proves impossible for us to continue servicing this arrangement we will have no option but to discontinue it.

The costs involved with mailing diskettes are quite probably prohibitive to making this viable for all users (however, contact us if you feel you want to explore this option - it may be feasible to offer a monthly update service rather than weekly). As such, we feel it is only likely to be useful for people who have an Email account, where we can send out a regular Email containing the latest information for importing into the database.

This is not, and will never be, an ongoing free service. It will be made available only to registered users. We have to cover our costs with regard to shipment of regular Emails, and this includes our subscription to another service provider who regularly ships data to us, plus the other sundry costs involved with Email. However, we are not intending to make a substantial profit out of this arrangement either.

Finally, we are obliged to point out that our obligations cannot extend to a guaranteed service, nor of the accuracy and quality of any data provided. We have no control over the Internet and other service providers and occasionally it is to be expected there will be a fluctuation in normal service. We shall always use our best efforts to provide the data which we have undertaken to provide, subject to circumstances beyond our control, and also that the data supplied shall be as clean and error-free as we can make it.


The SOCC.INI File
The SOCCnn.INI File

Note: The Windows 3.x version uses the file SOCC16.INI, and the Windows 95 version uses the file SOCC32.INI. Apart from the name, these files are compatible in terms of their functionality.

This INI file is located in the Windows directory (typically C:\WINDOWS), and contains some specific information about the application. If it does not exist, it will be automatically created by the application.

As far as the user is concerned there is nothing in this file that is of any real worth, and no user changes are required - the application will always manage the various settings without assistance. If the user experiences problems with the application we will request a copy of this file to provide extra information about the actual installation.

The sections of this file are explained below.

[Files]

'HomeDir=' defines the home directory for the application.

'LastDataFile=' defines the last data filename accessed (with path).

[Version]

'VersionNo=' defines the current version number for the application.

[Debug]

'Resources=' is used only by the Windows 3.x version. If set to '1' then diagnostic information about resource utilisation is displayed on the Main Dialog (has no effect in the Windows 95 version).

'VersInfo=' is a string of various flag values, which will be meaningless to the user. This is for debugging purposes only.

[User]

'InstalledOn=' is the date on which the application was originally installed.

'RegisteredOn=' is the date on which the registration was registered.

'UserName=' is the name of the registered user.

'LastUsed=' is the last date the application was used.

'FirstStartUp=' will always be '0', except on the very first startup. This setting initiates the automatic display of the on-line help file for a brand new user.


Fixture Scheduling Dialog
Match Schedule Dialog

The match scheduling dialog is accessible only from the Main Dialog, and is intended for use by soccer league coordinators who have responsibility for producing wholesale schedules.

Schedules are produced one division at a time, and the limitations of this application are that the divisions must consist of between 3 and 30 teams. Using any lower or higher number of teams will definitely result in an inappropriate schedule being produced.

Note that if a division being scheduled has an odd number of teams, this scheduling option will automatically create a "dummy" team for the purposes of scheduling. This team will be named as "---" simply as a placeholder, however the matches scheduled for the team will never enter the database.

How This Scheduling Works

A match schedule consists of a number of teams playing each other, both at home and away in any single season. As an example, let us consider a situation where there are 20 teams in the division.

With 20 teams, each team will play 19 games at home, and 19 games away. Therefore the number of games involved for every team is 38. Generically we can express this as a formula:

Matches = 2 x (Number of Teams minus 1)

So for 20 teams there will in total be 2 x (20 - 1) matches to be scheduled, or 760 in all.

To complicate matters further, obviously no team can play two matches on a single date (or perhaps they can - but it is to be avoided!).

It may sound as though this is a fairly simple arrangement, but on top of this we would also want to ensure that no team plays home or away in a long series - in other words we need to ensure that home and away matches are as interspersed as possible. There are other considerations too - such as trying to ensure that no two teams play each other in a home/away reversal over any two weeks.

It is at this level that things get really complicated. And Soccer ScoreSheet can help to take away a lot of the overhead associated with trying to arrange a large volume of matches.

Creating A Match Schedule

There are several steps involved in producing a match schedule.

The first step is to select the division for which scheduling is to be performed (divisions can be processed one at a time). When this is undertaken Soccer ScoreSheet will automatically produce a schedule - at this point it may be acceptable, and it may not. For the purposes of this explanation, assume that it is not acceptable.

Then the user clicks the Schedule button. It is perfectly acceptable to click this button several times in succession - there is no limitation on the number of times.

Clicking this button will produce another schedule - and the two bargraphs shown in the top right corner of this dialog will probably (but not necessarily) be coloured red. What these bargraphs are indicating is the number of successive home/away games there are as a worst case within the schedule overall. And the colour red is to be avoided - this is quite probably informing you that there are 8 or more matches scheduled somewhere in the arrangement which run in succession of home and/or away. This is not a good solution for your match schedule, because the fans of some teams might not be able to attend a home match for a considerable period of time!

It is possible at this stage that the schedule produced is workable, with the two bargraphs showing blue (not necessarily a good indicator, but certainly a lot better than a red colour). But what we really need to do now is to adjust that schedule as far as possible so that the maximum number of matches home or away in succession is as small as possible everywhere in the schedule. This is called optimising the schedule, and is accomplished by use of the Optimise button.

The optimise process is designed to break up the worst-case situations where long sequences of home or away matches exist. It applies a combination of logic and randomness to 'jiggle' fixture dates. This is a recursive process in so far as the process will keep repeating itself until it finds it can no longer improve the schedule it is dealing with.

The optimise process can be repeated as many times as you wish, but it is quite probable that it will not produce a better schedule after the first time it is run. Thus if you end up with a less than desirable schedule after using the optimise process, go back and repeat the use of the Schedule button, then Optimise once more.

This combobox provides a list of currently defined divisions, from which any one can be selected at one time. To produce a schedule for an entire league it will be necessary to navigate and schedule each division in turn.

These radio buttons change the presentation of the scheduling dialog and associated printed reports. Presentation can be either fixtures based, or team based.

This listbox has two presentation formats, depending on the current selection of the Fixtures/Teams radiobuttons explained below.

The Fixtures presentation displays a list of fixture occurrences (Fixture 01, Fixture 02, and so on). These generic titles can, and should, be replaced with actual match dates. This is performed by double-clicking the entry and selecting the date from the Calendar Dialog.

Note that selecting a date (and optionally the round - see the Calendar Dialog) does not instantly commit these matches to that date - there is still time to change the date. Soccer ScoreSheet wil prompt for confirmation if the user tries to leave the dialog, or if a new division is selected. Do not define only a partial range of dates, because it will not be possible to get back to this exact schedule at a later time! Do all of the dates in one session, or none at all.

The second presentation shows the list of teams in the currently selected division. This allows the matches for each team to be evaluated. With this representation a dual-coloured bargraph is shown against each team name. These colours represent home and away matches making it instantly possible to see whether a particular team has a long series of home or away matches (these colours are set via the System Options Dialog, and are the same as the home/away win colours).

These bargraphs give instantaneous feedback to the user about the viability of any schedule produced. Essentially what the user needs to do is produce schedules where both these bargraphs are to the right as far as possible. This will indicate that the worst-case scenario within the currently defined schedule is that there is no long sequence of home (or away) matches taking place.

There will still be some matches taking place in repeated succession of home or away, but the number of matches where this is the case will be reduced to a minimum where these bargraphs are stretched to the right the most.

The user should at all costs avoid a situation where either bargraph is shown in red. This situation would indicate that there is a sequence of matches somewhere in the schedule where 7 or more matches in succession are being played either at home or away. This is not a good situation for any team!

This listbox can show one of two formats, depending on the setting of the radiobuttons explained above. The listbox will show either a list of two teams playing each other for a particular date, or a list of home/away matches for a particular team. In the latter case the home and away matches are shown with a coloured block against the schedule to represent home and away - this is intended to give a quick reference to whether a team is playing too many games in succession home or away. These colours can be modified via the System Options Dialog, for the home/away wins colour selections.

This presentation is up to the user - it has no effect on the schedule itself.

This button returns control to the Main Dialog. If necessary the application will prompt the user about whether to save the current schedule - this will only happen if dates have been selected and defined.

This button recalculates a brand new schedule for the currently selected division.

After recalculating a new schedule, that schedule will quite probably require optimising to reduce the home/away repeated matches which will tend to occur in a new schedule. This is a recursive process.

Tihs button will provide printed output of the schedule which is currently defined. Note there are two printing formats, which are dependent on the current selection made with the fixtures/teams radiobuttons.

This button selects this on-line help.