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____________ \ \ \ \ \ |\ \ \ \ \ \ ||\ \ \ \ \ \ | \ \ \ \ \ \ \ - - - - ---- USER DOCUMENTATION for THE POOL MANAGER (tm) Version 2.0 by Andy Kunz A Sports Pool Organizer and Database Copyright 1985, 1988, 1990 by Andy Kunz _______ Andy Kunz ____|__ | (tm) American Systems --| | |------------------- Post Office Box 604 | ____|__ | Association of LaGrange, Illinois | | |_| Shareware 60525-0604 |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- Compuserve: 72446,316 |___|___| MEMBER THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents .......................... i Version 2.0 Compatibility ................. ii Version 2.0 Enhancements ................... iii Features .................................. 1 Hardware Requirements ..................... 2 File Descriptions ......................... 2 First Things First ........................ 3 Introduction .............................. 4 How the Pool Works ........................ 5 SECTION I Setting Up a Pool Data Directory & Pool Filename .......... 6 Group Association ....................... 6 The Major Options ....................... 7 Preliminary Information ................. 8 SECTION II Running the Pool - The Main Menu Print Picksheet ......................... 11 Enter Names and Picks ................... 12 Print Individual Picks .................. 14 Enter Point Spread ...................... 14 Enter Prizes and Spreadsheet Note ....... 15 Custom Notes and Color Preferences ...... 15 Group Statistics ........................ 16 Back up Current Pool Data Files ......... 18 Print Pick Summary Spreadsheet .......... 19 Update Actual Results ................... 19 Print Results of Games Completed ........ 20 Current Standings ....................... 21 Calculate `What If' Scenario ............ 21 Switch to Another Pool .................. 22 Exit this Program ....................... 22 SECTION III Shareware Definition of Shareware ................. 22 Disclaimer; Copying Restrictions ........ 23 Registration Benefits & Procedure ....... 24 The ASP Ombudsman ....................... 25 Registration Form ....................... 26 -i- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE VERSION 2.0 COMPATIBILITY Version 2.0 cannot use data files created with previous versions of The Pool Manager. If you want to keep pools created with these versions, copy them onto other disks and delete them from your hard disk. Depending on your path, the program may attempt to load them. If you're using a floppy system, start your use of version 2.0 with a clean working disk. Version 2.0 is not compatible with the PCjr. American Systems will continue to support Version 1.2 and offer schedules for 1.2 for PCjr users and those who choose not to upgrade to Version 2.0 UPGRADES Registered users of earlier versions of The Pool Manager may upgrade to version 2.0 For the upgrade cost of $8.00, you will receive: - Version 2.0 of The Pool Manager with complete documentation - The SQRPool print utility used to run a variety of square pools for all sports - A complete NFL season of pools set up on disk for each week of the current NFL season -ii- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE VERSION 2.0 ENHANCEMENTS NEW POOLS - Option to score without confidence points (wins and losses only) - Option to determine winning teams by applying the point spread - Option to apply a tiebreaker to any type of pool UTILITY - Main Menu shows complete information on and status of current pool - Ability to specify the drive and directory for data files - Pool and group files resident on the data directory are displayed when starting the program - Easy correction of errors on picks, results, and other data without reentering - Extensive use of pop-up message and dialog boxes for help information and description of errors - On line help screen for interpretation of point spreads - The ESC key is used instead of Funct.5, Enter to back up or exit - Back up current pool (and group) files directly from the Main Menu GROUP PERFORMANCE - Compilation of seasonal performance statistics for each participant in your group or organization. Stats maintained: > Number of Pools played > Total Games Won > Total Points Scored > Total Games Lost > Average Points per pool > Overall Winning percentage - Print statistics/standings for the organization at any time - Export Group Statistics to a comma delimited ASCII file - Select group participants for entering picks from a menu after the completion of the first pool PRINTING - Today's date added to each report and titles to subsequent pages - Print a spreadsheet at any time - Standings report indicates the number of complete games in the pool - The number of games won, lost, and winning percentage is listed as part of the standings - Six vs four character team abbreviations for the Spreadsheet - Prize data is a single line, printed under the spreadsheet note. - If used, each person's tiebreaker is included on the Spreadsheet and on the Standings Report - Instructions on Picksheet specific to the type of pool being run - Option to print the pointspread (if used) on the Picksheet - Results report lists point spread and indicates whether or not each team covered (if point spread was applied) MISCELLANEOUS - Capacity increased to 120 people per pool with 140 max in a group - "What If" Scenario able to cover any number of games up to the number remaining to be played. - NFL Preload feature can be used for any number of NFL games - Expanded use of color and complete color control - Convenient operation from a single Main Menu - Option to sort standings by most points won or best possible score -iii- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE FEATURES + Accommodates up to 120 participants and 18 games. + Generates and prints a Picksheet, complete with pool directions for entrants to mark their picks for winners. + All NFL teams are stored in the program, eliminating the need to type them in each week. Just indicate the opponents for this week's games. Use of this module is optional; you can define any 18 games for a pool. + Full error protection prevents inadvertent input mistakes on all information entered into the program. + Maintains season long statistics for a regular group of people. + Generates and prints a report of any individual's picks. This can be given to an entrant in confirmation of his/her picks. + Generates and prints a spreadsheet that shows all the teams and each individual's picks for all the games. + Has the capability to customize display colors to any desired combination. + Calculates each individual's score and winning percentage. Also, the number of points lost and the number of points still pending are calculated to give an indication of potential in the remaining games. + Maintains and prints results of games played. + Prints the standings or displays them on the screen. + Determines the standings IF a certain team or teams win. + Allows the customization of each pool. Provision is made for: > Pool Title > Note to Appear on Spreadsheet > Date of Event > Prizes information on the Spreadsheet > Note for Picksheet > Group Title and Listing Note + Enables entering the fundamental information weeks in advance. The ability to revise the custom information makes this feature even more attractive. -1- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Computer: IBM PC, PC/XT, PC/AT or compatible with at least 384K RAM. Ver 2.0 is NOT compatible with the PCjr. Operating Sys.: DOS 2.1 or later Monitor: Color (preferred) or Monochrome. Drives: One, double sided (360k). Printer: Epson FX and MX series, Star Micronics 10X, IBM Graphics printer or equivalent dot matrix printer. FILE DESCRIPTIONS The following files constitute The Pool Manager and should be on your original disk: README General Information and instructions for preparing to use The Pool Manager and printing the User's Guide. POOLMGR.DOC Complete User's Guide for The Pool Manager. NFLPOOL.EXE The Pool Manager Program. REGFORM Registration Form to purchase the program. The following Pool Data files are generated by the Program. [For a pool with the filename XXXX and a Group with the filename ZZZZ] XXXX.DAT Contains general information specific to this pool. XXXX.TEM Contains data related to teams in the pool. XXXX.PIK Contains data related to participants in the pool. ZZZZ.GRP Contains all statistics for a Group. ZZZZ.ASC Comma delimited ASCII file of group statistics. DISCOLOR Contains the color/contrast setting for your monitor. -2- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE FIRST THINGS FIRST If you didn't read the file README, the procedure for preparing to use The Pool Manager is repeated below. 1. Make a backup copy (using the DOS DISKCOPY command) of your original Pool Manager disk. Put the original in a safe place. 2. Print out this documentation if you haven't already done so. Follow these steps: A. Put your Pool Manager backup disk into the A drive. B. Set your printer to top of form. C. Be sure you have enough paper ready. The documentation is about 25 pages long. D. In response to the A> enter the following: COPY POOLMGR.DOC PRN Margins have been set to enable you to bind this User's Guide in a three ring binder or report folder. 3. Create a working disk: FLOPPY SYSTEM A. Format a new disk using the /S option. B. Copy the NFLPOOL.EXE file onto this disk. The README and POOLMGR.DOC files are not needed on your working disk and will just occupy space needed for data. There will only be room for approximately 14 full pools (18 games, 120 people, with a group) with the program on the same 360K disk. It is strongly recommended to use a separate data disk in the "B" drive for your pool data files. Do not put a write protect tab on your working disk. HARD DISK A. Create a subdirectory for The Pool Manager. In response to the C> enter MD POOL B. Put the backup disk in the A drive and enter the following in response to the A> COPY *.* C:\POOL/V 4. To start the program: [Be sure to set the time and date for your system because today's date will be printed on all the reports] A. Floppy System - Put your working disk in the A drive Hard Disk - Change to the POOL subdirectory by entering CD\POOL B. Enter NFLPOOL and the program will load and run. -3- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE INTRODUCTION The Pool Manager is for anyone who wants to run a sports pool. Though it was originally written for and is still customized for football, the program has been proven to work well with any sport. Whether it's the featured event at a private party or the regular office pool, this program eliminates all the tedious work. All you need to do is enter the basic information and results; The Pool Manager handles everything else. From generating a worksheet for participants to indicate their picks, to printing the final standings, The Pool Manager has many features that ensure an interesting and error free pool. The program has extensive error protection to prevent inadvertent input mistakes as well as catch an error made by a participant in the pool. It has complete flexibility to handle any combination of college and/or pro games - up to 18 games and 90 participants in a single pool. There is an option to load all NFL Teams. Just select the opponents for each game. The program has display color control in addition to several other features that allow you a high degree of customization. There are over 20 pages of clearly written documentation that describe each feature of the program, complete with examples. Extensive report capability includes: A picksheet for participants to indicate their selections The pointspread can be optionally included on the Picksheet Listing of an individual's picks A spreadsheet indicating everyone's picks on all the games Current and final standings Potential standings "IF" a certain team or teams win Results of all games played Group Standings reflecting all pools completed this season Group Statistics can also be downloaded to an ASCII File Since The Pool Manager is Shareware, you are afforded the unique opportunity to influence its improvement. Please read Section III on Shareware on page 22. As you evaluate The Pool Manager, note any problems or inconveniences you encounter as well as improvements that you would like to see made to the program. Please include them on the Registration Form when you register. Enhancements will be made based on the priorities established by registered users. Please take time to read this User's Guide and set up a complete dummy pool to become familiar with the requirements and capabilities of this program. -4- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE HOW THE POOL WORKS The games to be included in the pool should be arrived at by general agreement. The Pool Manager can handle anywhere from 2 through 18 games. The pool operation is very simple. All you have to do is pick the teams you think will win. Points are awarded as described below under SCORING. The individual that accumulates the most points wins the pool. SCORING Confidence Numbers A confidence number, (ranging from 1 to the number of games in the pool) is assigned to each team that was selected to win. Each number can be used only once. If the selected team wins, the participant is awarded the number of confidence points assigned. If the selected team loses, no points are awarded. Your strategy should be to assign the highest numbers to the teams that you are the most confident will win. Wins and Losses only One point is awarded for each winning team selected. Ties If a game ends in a tie, no points are awarded for either team. It is scored as if both teams lost. An exception is when the point spread is applied. In a tie, it is possible that one team may have covered the point spread, thus winning the game or "covering the spread" -5- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SECTION I - SETTING UP A POOL To start, follow the directions under item 4 of First Things First. The first time the program is run, you will be asked whether or not your monitor can display several colors. This information will be stored in a file called DISCOLOR and loaded directly in subsequent use of the program. You can change the colors if desired later from the Main Menu. DEFINING the DATA DIRECTORY The current drive and directory for pool data files is displayed at the top of the screen. If you want to use it for your pool data files, press enter to accept. The filenames of any pools that currently reside on this drive and directory are displayed in the box at the bottom of the screen. If you are loading an existing pool, the pool filename must be displayed in this box. If you want to use another drive or directory, enter it at the prompt. An error message will appear if there are any problems. Once the drive and directory you want to use is displayed, press enter to accept and you will be prompted for the pool filename. POOL FILENAME Each pool must have a unique filename. The filename should be a valid DOS filename with a maximum of 8 characters and no extension. Limit yourself to using letters and numbers. Punctuation, spaces or other symbols may cause unpredictable results. The program will catch serious errors and ask you to try again. To access this pool again later, you will have to enter this same filename when you restart the program. Examples of pool filenames: WEEK2 COLLEGE NFL10 The purpose of the filename is to identify the data stored for this pool and distinguish it from data stored for other pools on the same disk, so use something descriptive. GROUP ASSOCIATION Use this feature if you want to maintain season long statistics for a regular group of people. The statistics maintained for each individual are: > Total pools played > Winning percentage > Total wins > Total points scored > Total losses -6- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SETTING UP A POOL You must also supply a filename for the group. Similar to the pool filename, it must be a valid DOS filename. Group files residing on the drive and directory you have selected will appear in a box at the bottom of the screen. The pool and group data files must reside on the same drive and directory. After specifying the filename, you will be prompted for the group name. The name will appear on the group printouts and may be changed later. There are two guidelines for maintaining group statistics that must be observed. (See page 17 under Group Statistics for complete information) 1) You cannot run more than one pool at a time with the same group of people. The final results of the current pool must be added to this group's statistics before you can begin entering picks for the next pool using this same group. 2) All pools run with a given group must use the same scoring method. If the first pool run for the group used confidence points, all subsequent pools run with this group must use the confidence points scoring method. Pools run with a given group may or may not utilize the tiebreaker, and may or may not have the point spread applied. The only thing that has to be consistent between all pools run with a group is the scoring method. THE MAJOR OPTIONS There are three major options that determine how the pool will operate: 1) Scoring - You have the option to assign confidence points to each game or to score on the basis of wins and losses only. A. Wins and Losses Only - If you select wins and losses only, the winner of the pool will be determined by the greatest number of games picked correctly. One point is awarded for each correct choice. B. Confidence Points - If you select confidence points, a confidence number (from one to the number of games in the pool) must be assigned by the participant to each game in addition to picking the winner. If the team selected wins, you receive the number of confidence points assigned. The winner of the pool is the person who gets the most points. Regardless which method is selected, tie games lose. -7- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SETTING UP A POOL 2) Tiebreaker. The tiebreaker is used to break ties in total points scored to determine the standings. A participant who's tiebreaker pick is closest to the tiebreaker result (whether above or below) will be placed ahead of other participants he's tied with. Most commonly, people use the total points scored in the Monday night game. It can also be total yards rushing for a given team or even the number of penalty yards assessed. The only restriction is that it be an integer from 0 to 999. At this point, you only need to indicate whether or not a tiebreaker is to be used in this pool. You will be prompted for a text description of what the tiebreaker is when you furnish the Preliminary Information in the next section. 3) Pointspread. Select Point Spread Applied if you want the "winners" of each game to be determined by applying the pointspread to the score. You will be prompted for the line on each team later from the Main Menu. When the pool is scored this way, participants will receive points for teams they select that cover the pointspread, whether or not that team actually wins the game. There is also the possibility that neither team in a game covers, so all points are lost. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION 1) Pool Title. A 39 character text description of the pool. It will be printed on all the documentation (picksheet, spreadsheet, and standings) to uniquely identify this pool. Don't confuse the title with the pool filename. Examples of XYZ Corp. Football Pool Week #4 Pool Titles: Kelly's Bar College Pool - Week 2 The 1988 College Bowl Season Pool 2) Date. Date that most games are played, most commonly Sunday for NFL pools and Saturday for college pools. For a bowl season pool, January 1 would probably be used. There is a limit of 18 characters for the date. 3) Number of games in the pool. There can be from 2 to 18 games in a pool. Remember to enter the number of games to be played and not the number of teams involved. -8- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SETTING UP A POOL 4) NFL Team Preload feature. This feature saves you from repeatedly entering the NFL teams and their abbreviations for every game in the pool each week. You will be prompted for the number of NFL games to include. Beginning in 1990, each team has one open date so there will be several weeks when less than 14 games are played. The preload feature now enables you to load any number of NFL games. Later you will be presented with a screen listing all NFL teams. (See Defining the Games below) All you will have to do is match up the opponents for each game. You may also include college or high school games in addition to the NFL games up to a maximum of 18. 5) Picksheet Note. This is an optional note that will appear on the heading of the Picksheet which is distributed to participants to indicate their selections for this week's pool. It is intended to give information specific to this to this pool and can be up to 78 characters long. If you don't want to include a note, just press enter. You can add or edit this note later under Custom Notes and Color Preferences (see page 16). Examples: All sheets must be turned in to Jim by 12-11-88. Good Luck! Picks due 9-21 @ noon. Congrats to last winner Sue Wille. 6) Tiebreaker Description. Enter a description of the tiebreaker. This item will appear only if you previously decided to include a tiebreaker in the pool under the major options selection. Examples: Total points, Bears vs Rams on Monday night. Total rushing yards for San Francisco. 7) Defining the Games A. With the NFL Team Preload Feature Selected After the Preliminary Information has been entered, you will be presented with a screen listing all NFL teams. All you have to do is indicate who the home and visiting teams are for each game. Do this by first entering the team number of the visiting team, then the team number of its opponent. Continue this process until all games for the week have been defined. Once all NFL games have been defined, you will be presented with the Input Teams and Abbreviations screen (described below). You may then edit any team or abbreviation and, if there are more than the NFL games in the pool, enter teams competing in the remaining games. -9- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SETTING UP A POOL B. NFL Team Preload not used After the Preliminary Information has been entered, the Input Teams and Abbreviations screen will appear. On this screen, you will be prompted for the teams in each game. You will also be asked for an abbreviation of each team. The abbreviation is used for the team heading on the spreadsheet and on the "What If" standings listing. TEAMS The cursor is first positioned under the Visiting Team column. Enter the name of the visiting team for the first game in the pool. The team name may be up to 15 characters long. ABBREVIATIONS Now the cursor is positioned under the left abbreviation column. Enter up to a 6 letter abbreviation of the Visiting Team. Example: ILLINOIS ILLINI vs ALABAMA BAMA MICHIGAN MICH vs OHIO STATE OHIOST CHICAGO BEARS vs LOS ANGELES RAIDER Press the backspace, left, up, or down arrow keys or ESC to make corrections. Use Alt-C to clear a field. Once you have entered the teams and abbreviations for the last game in the pool, you have another opportunity to correct any mistakes. To correct a mistake, enter N in response to the question: "Is this correct?" If everything is correct, enter Y. All Major Option data and Preliminary Information is written to disk and program control is transferred to the Main Menu. -10- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SECTION II -- RUNNING THE POOL THE MAIN MENU PRINT PICKSHEET The Picksheet is distributed to each participant for them to indicate their picks for this week's pool. The Picksheet indicates which teams are home and visiting, and contains short instructions on how the pool works. The instructions are customized to the type of pool being run as selected earlier under Major Options. The Picksheet Note you entered with the other Preliminary Information will be printed near the top. If you need to add or modify this note, select "Custom Notes and Color Preferences" from the Main Menu. If you elected to score by confidence points, a blank is provided to indicate the confidence points for each game. Be sure participants don't confuse the team numbers with the confidence number. The team number has been placed on the Picksheet to make data entry easier. If you elected to have the winners determined by applying the point spread, you may optionally print the point spread for each team on the Picksheet. You must first enter the line for each team. (See page 14). If you need to distribute the Picksheets before the pointspread has been published, you can print the picksheet without it. Before printing, be sure your printer is properly set up and on line. Then enter the number of copies you want printed. To interrupt printing, press Funct. 5 and you'll be returned to the Main Menu. NOTE: [THIS APPLIES TO ALL PRINTED REPORTS] If your printer is off line or runs out of paper, the program will pause for about 50 seconds for you to correct the problem. After that, an error message will be displayed and you can try printing the report again. While the program is waiting, the Funct. 5 key will not interrupt and return control to the previous menu. This key is only effective while the report is printing. -11- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU ENTER NAMES and PICKS Step 1. Enter the Name A. Pools not associated with a group or the first pool with a group Enter the participant's name as prompted near the middle of the screen. Please limit the name length to 20 characters and spaces. Proceed to Step 2, Enter the Tiebreaker. B. Second or subsequent pools associated with a group First, you have the option to enter picks for a person already in the group or add a new person to this pool that hasn't been in a pool with this group before. Use the arrow keys to highlight your selection and press enter. If you elect to enter picks for an individual who participated in an earlier pool, you will be presented with a screen listing all people in this group. Use the arrow keys to highlight your selection and press enter. There will be up to 44 names displayed on the first screen. If the individual you're looking for isn't on the first screen, press END to highlight ++Display More Names++ then press enter and 44 more names will be displayed to select from. Once you have entered this person's picks, his/her name will be removed from the list. This prevents you from inadvertently entering picks for the same person twice. It also serves to indicate which group members have not had their picks entered into this week's pool. If you elect to add a new person, you will be prompted for his/her name near the middle of the screen. The Pool Manager checks new names against everyone in the group. A message will appear if you try to enter a new participant with EXACTLY the same name as a current group member. Capitalization and spaces must be exactly the same for the program to catch this error. For example, Bob jones is not the same as Bob Jones. Step 2. Enter the Tiebreaker (if applicable) If you decided to include a tiebreaker to break ties in the standings, you will now be prompted to enter the participant's tiebreaker pick. If the pool is not using a tiebreaker, this prompt will not appear and you will be taken immediately to the screen for entering picks on the games, Step 3. -12- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU Step 3. Enter Picks on Games This screen lists all games in the pool and the number that The Pool Manager has assigned to each team. The team numbers are the same as those listed on the picksheet to make data entry easier. 1. Enter the team number of the team selected to win the first game. The team name will be printed for confirmation under the TEAM heading. 2a. If the pool is scored with Confidence Points, the cursor should now be under the CONFIDENCE # heading. Enter the confidence number assigned to the team that you just entered. 2b. If you elected to score by Wins and Losses only, there will be no CONFIDENCE # column and the cursor will be positioned under the next TEAM # column. Enter the team number of the team chosen to win the second game. 3. Repeat this process until the chosen winning teams and their confidence numbers (if applicable) have been entered for all games in the pool. The teams can be entered in any order and do not have to be entered in the order printed on the picksheet. EXAMPLE: (for Confidence Point pool) TEAM # TEAM CONFIDENCE # TEAM # TEAM CONFIDENCE # | 1 DePAUL 6 | 4 VALPARAISO 15 5 ROSARY 7 | 7 CONCORDIA 9 9 GEORGIA 4 | 12 PITT 2 If you attempt to enter the same team number twice, try to use the same confidence number twice, or make other common mistakes, The Pool Manager will catch your error. A message will describe the problem, and you will be able to retry the entry. This feature is helpful in finding errors that participants have made in their choices. Better now than on Sunday afternoon! To make corrections, press ESC and then ENTER until you reach the field that needs to be revised. After all picks have been entered, you will be asked "Is this correct?" If you answer Y, the name and picks will be stored on the disk and you have the opportunity to enter another participant's name and picks. There is no facility for changing the picks after they have been stored on the disk. -13- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU PRINT INDIVIDUAL PICKS This report lists the pool name, the date, the participant's name, the teams selected to win, and their confidence numbers (if used). Use the arrow keys to highlight the participant whose picks you want to print. If the person you're interested in is not displayed, press END to highlight ++Display More Names++ then enter and another screen of names will be displayed to select from. The first 44 persons entered are displayed on the first screen and the remainder on following screens. After the report is printed, control is returned to the Main Menu. ENTER POINT SPREAD If you elected to apply the pointspread to determine the winner of the games, use this menu selection to enter the line. You must enter the line for each team. The line must be entered prior to printing the Picksheet if you want it to appear on the Picksheet. Whichever team beats the opposition after adding that team's line to its actual score (not the opponent's score) is considered the winner. Online help is available from this screen by pressing F1 which summarizes the following information. What you enter for each team depends on on how the line on the game is expressed. Examples of the three basic methods are presented below. 1) Favorite Points Underdog Chicago 3 Green Bay When the line is expressed this way, enter -3 for Chicago and +3 for Green Bay. Scoring: For Chicago to cover, they must actually beat Green Bay by 4 or more points. For Green Bay to cover, they must beat Chicago or lose to them by 2 points or less. If Chicago wins by 3 neither team covers and all points on this game are lost. 2) Favorite Points Underdog Cincinnati Pick 'em San Francisco When the line is expressed this way, enter 0 for Cincinnati and 0 for San Francisco. Scoring: Whichever team actually wins the game will cover. If the game ends in a tie, neither team covers. -14- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU Enter Point Spread (Continued) 3) Seattle -7 New England +6 When the line is expressed this way, enter -7 for Seattle and +6 for New England. This is the usual format of the weekly parley card. Scoring: For Seattle to cover, they must beat New England by 8 or more points. For New England to cover, they must beat Seattle or lose by 5 points or less. Remember, if the score is a tie after being adjusted by the pointspread, that team does not cover. ENTER PRIZES AND SPREADSHEET NOTE There are two 78 character text fields that appear on the heading of the spreadsheet. The prize field is printed immediately below the spreadsheet note. These notes are intended for general and prize information specific to this pool -- similar to the Picksheet Note. This information will be stored and can be edited later. Examples: Party begins at noon Sunday - 405 Washington. Admission: 6-pack First: $50.00 Second: $20.00 Third: $10.00 Last: $2.00 Picks due Wed. (Thu game) Include $1.00 to pay for this software First: $35.00 Best Winning Percentage: $10.00 Both of these fields are optional. They will be left blank if no information is entered. CUSTOM NOTES AND COLOR PREFERENCES You can modify four custom notes and the display colors with this feature. Use the arrow keys to highlight your selection and press ENTER. You can use INS, DEL, Backspace and the right & left arrow keys for editing. Use ALT-C to clear a field completely. 1) Pool Title - The current title is displayed. You may edit it or enter a new one. If you decide to leave the title unchanged, press ESC. 2) Pool Date - The current date is displayed. You may edit it or enter a new one. if you decide to leave the date unchanged, press ESC. -15- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU 3) Picksheet Note - The current Picksheet Note is displayed. You may edit it or enter a new one. If you decide to leave the note unchanged, press ESC. 4) Change Display Colors - You can specify different colors for the foreground and the background for Primary and Highlight colors. Primary colors are used for all screens. The emphasis foreground color is used with the same background to emphasize specific data. The foreground is the color of the characters. Highlight colors are used for message boxes, data entry and menu selections. Highlight colors should provide good contrast with Primary colors. The color number currently in use is filled in. Select the color you would like to use from the list on the right and enter its number. The allowable values for each are indicated in the Range column. The program will not allow you to specify the same color for both the foreground and background. This would make the character invisible. The colors used by The Pool Manager are determined by the content of a file called DISCOLOR. Once you have changed colors, this file is rewritten, and the revised colors will be used until you change them again. 5) Return to Main Menu GROUP STATISTICS The group statistics feature allows you to accumulate individual performance results from each week's pool as the season progresses. All you have to do to accomplish this is specify the same group filename when setting up each subsequent pool, then add the results of each pool to this group's statistics when the pool is complete. Group standings can be printed any time after the results of the first pool have been added. Participants are listed in the order of most points scored. There is no tiebreaker applied to the Group Standings even though it may have been applied in the pool. Statistics maintained are the number of pools each person has participated in, the person's overall won/lost record and winning percentage. To provide maximum flexibility, this data can be exported to a comma delimited ASCII file which can be imported into your spreadsheet or database program for further manipulation. -16- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU Another advantage to maintaining group statistics is eliminating the need to enter every participant's name each week. When entering picks, just select the individual's name whose picks you want to input from a list of people in the group. Rules for maintaining group statistics: 1) Only one pool can be run at a time with a given group file. The current pool must be completed and its results added to group statistics before any picks can be entered on subsequent pools using this group file. Several pools can be set up with Major Options and Preliminary Information in advance, but individual's picks cannot be entered until the results of the prior pool have been added to group statistics. 2) All pools run with a given group file must use the same scoring method. If the first pool run with a particular group file utilizes confidence points for scoring, all subsequent pools using that group file must score with confidence points. If the first pool run with a particular group file is scored by wins and losses only, all subsequent pools using that group file must score with wins and losses only. 3) There are no other limitations. Subsequent pools run with the same group may have different numbers of games, may or may not utilize the tiebreaker, and may or may not have the point spread applied. These features can be used in any combination in pools from week to week as long as the scoring method remains the same. Selecting Group Statistics from the Main Menu presents you with the following choices: 1) Group Listing Note - Similar to the Picksheet, Spreadsheet and Prize Notes, this is an optional 78 character text field. It appears in the heading of the Group Standings report. Examples: Jaycees Football Pool Standings through Week #4 XYZ Corp. Baseball Pool standings through July 11 Unlike the other notes, however, the Group Listing Note is not stored on disk. It remains in memory only as long as you're working with this particular pool. The assumption is that group statistics will be printed infrequently and the note will probably be different each time the results are printed. -17- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU 2) Print Group Standings - Prints the statistics on all participants in the group sorted by most points scored. This selection will not operate until the results of at least one pool has been added. 3) Edit Group Name - Use this selection to modify the group name you assigned when initially setting up the group under Major Options Selection. Press ESC if you change your mind and want the group name to remain unchanged. 4) Add this Pool to Group Statistics - Use this selection when the results of all games have been entered and the pool is complete. Be sure all results entered are correct, because there is no recovery if inaccurate data is added to group statistics. Suggestion: First print the Results of Games Played and verify that it's accurate. Once you have added this pool to group statistics, you may enter names and picks in the next week's pool using this same group file. This selection will not operate until the results of all games in the pool have been entered. 5) Export Group Statistics to an ASCII File - This selection writes the group standings information to a comma delimited ASCII file. This enables you to import this data into a spreadsheet or database to further arrange and sort to your specific needs. Also included is each person's permanent ID number for the group. The ID numbers begin with 3. The name of the file written will be the group filename with an ASC extension. For example, if the group filename is LEGION, the ASCII file will be LEGION.ASC It will be written to the same drive and directory that the pool and group data files are on. WARNING: Since the filename will always be the same for a given group, be aware if you exported this group file earlier, it will subsequently be overwritten. 6) Return to Main Menu BACK UP CURRENT POOL DATA FILES This selection will make backup copies of the current pool data files. You need to assign a filename which can be any valid DOS filename but should be something descriptive such as WK2BU You cannot use the current pool filename for the backup. Optionally, you may specify a path along with the filename if you want the data backed up to a different drive or directory. If you don't specify a path, the files will be backed up to the data drive and directory currently in use. For Example: WK2BU Data will be written to the current data drive & dir. B:\WK2BU Data will be written to Drive B C:\DATA\WK2BU Data will be written to the data subdirectory on Drive C -18- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU Back up Pool Data Files, continued If the pool is associated with a group, the group data file will also be backed up. Its filename will be changed to add a tilde (~) as the last character in the filename. This is done to ensure that a backed up pool has an up to date companion group file with it in the event the backup is required. If you attempt to use the filename of a pool that already exists, you will be warned and given the opportunity to overwrite it or to go back and change the filename you assigned. PRINT PICK SUMMARY SPREADSHEET The Spreadsheet lists abbreviations of all the teams across the top of the page and the names of the participants down the left side. Each participant's picks, including the tiebreaker if applicable, are shown across from his/her name under the teams selected to win. As soon as you enter the number of copies desired, printing will begin. To interrupt printing, press FUNCT. 5 and you will be returned to the Main Menu. UPDATE ACTUAL RESULTS Use this selection to enter the results of completed games and the result of the pool tiebreaker, if applicable. If a tiebreaker is included, you will be presented with the choice of entering the tiebreaker result or the result of a game. Use the arrow keys to highlight your selection and press enter. This menu will not appear if the tiebreaker is not included. Tiebreaker Result - Enter the number of the tiebreaker result when prompted. (Total Points, total yards, etc.) If you make a mistake, you may return and change it later. Game Result - You will be prompted for the number of the winning team. Once you enter the winning team number, the winning and losing teams are displayed for confirmation. If the result was a tie, enter either team number (It doesn't matter which one). The Pool Manager's error detection routines will catch and allow you to correct the following mistakes: A) Entering the same winning team twice. B) Entering the opponent of a team that was previously entered as a winner. -19- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU Update Actual Results (Continued) In either case, you can change the result of a game previously entered if that's where the problem is. See the section below entitled Changing Results of Games Previously Entered. In response to the question Is this Correct? Y/N/Tie : 1) If you have selected the correct winning team number enter Y 2) If the team number you have selected is incorrect, enter N 3) If the game was tied, enter TIE. If the pointspread is applied to determine winners for this pool, you will now be prompted to enter each team's score. Be sure these numbers are accurate because the calculations to determine which team covers the spread will be determined by the number of points scored by each, not by which team was indicated as the "winner." To correct a mistake, press ESC at any point in this process. After storing the data, you are offered the opportunity to enter the results of another game. Answer Y if you have additional final results to enter or N to be returned to the Main Menu. CHANGING RESULTS of GAMES PREVIOUSLY ENTERED - If you already entered the results of the Chicago-Minnesota game, for example, and want to change those results, use the following procedure: 1) Select Update Actual Results from the Main Menu. When prompted for the winning team number, enter either Chicago's or Minnesota's number. 2) You will be notified that the result of this game has already been entered. Answer Y in response to the prompt ""Do you want to change the results of this game?" 3) Enter the correct outcome of the game. PRINT RESULTS of GAMES COMPLETED The winning and losing teams in each game will be indicated. Games resulting in a tie will also be identified. If the pointspread is applied to determine the winners, the pointspread and whether or not each team covered will be indicated. Before printing, be sure your printer is properly set and on line. Then press any key to begin printing. To interrupt printing, press Funct. 5 and you will be returned to the Main Menu. Similar to the Print Current Standings selection, this feature will not operate unless the result of at least one game has been entered. -20- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU CURRENT STANDINGS You are offered the choice of printing the standings or displaying them on the screen. Use the arrow keys to highlight your selection, then press enter. The standings can be sorted by the total points scored so far or by the best possible score. Sorting by best possible score essentially arranges participants from fewest points lost to most points lost. This method of sorting is meaningful when less than all the games in the pool have been completed. If all games have been completed, both methods of sorting will yield the same results. The standings will reflect the results of all games entered so far. The number of games completed will be shown in the heading, both on the screen and printed output. Once all games in the pool have had their results entered, the heading will indicate FINAL STANDINGS. To interrupt printing, press FUNCT. 5 and you will be returned to the Main Menu. Similar to the Print Results of Games Completed selection this feature will not operate until the actual result of at least one game has been entered. CALCULATE "WHAT IF" SCENARIO This feature enables you to determine what the standings would be "IF" a certain team or teams were to win. All you have to do is indicate the team number of the "winning" team. If the pointspread is applied, you will need to guess at the final score. After selecting the sorting method, indicate whether you want to see the `what if' standings displayed on the screen or have them printed. (See Current Standings for details on sorting) You can include as many games in the scenario as you want up to the number remaining in the pool. If you print (rather than display) the standings, the teams you chose as "winners" in the scenario will be printed on the heading. This feature is very popular at parties because individuals can anticipate what the standings would be if their team wins. Calculation of theoretical results and standings has no effect on the actual results and will not be stored on the disk. The Pool Manager forgets the `what if' results as soon as they are printed or displayed, so there is no limit to the number of times that this feature can be used. -21- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE THE MAIN MENU SWITCH to ANOTHER POOL You are returned to the initial screen to specify the drive and directory for pool data. The current pool is cleared from memory. Confirm the drive and directory, then enter the filename of another pool. This feature eliminates the need to reload the program if you want to switch pools. It's especially useful when you are loading the initial information for several pools at one session. EXIT the PROGRAM You are returned to DOS in the drive and directory from which you began the program. All data is saved. SECTION III -- SHAREWARE DEFINITION OF SHAREWARE Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue using it, you are expected to register. Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. Because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't use the product, you don't buy it. Individual programs differ on details -- some request registration while others require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With registration, you get anything from the simple right to continue using the software to an updated program with printed manual. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software, and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the method of distribution. The author specifically grants the right to copy and distribute the software. -22- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SHAREWARE DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT Users of The Pool Manager must accept this disclaimer of warranty: "The Pool Manager is supplied as is. The author disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential, which may result from the use of The Pool Manager." The Pool Manager is a shareware program and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your friends, but please do not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of User Supported software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If you find that you are using The Pool Manager, you must make a registration payment of $25 to American Systems. The $25 registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. Other benefits of registration are described below. You must treat this software just like a book. An example is that this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Anyone distributing The Pool Manager for any kind of remuneration must first contact American Systems at the address below for authorization. This authorization will be automatically granted to distributors recognized by the (ASP) as adhering to its guidelines for shareware distributors, and such distributors may begin offering The Pool Manager immediately (However American Systems must still be advised so that the distributor can be kept up-to- date with the latest version of The Pool Manager). Whether you register or not, you are encouraged to copy this program within the terms of the Restrictions described below. RESTRICTIONS ON COPYING - Individuals are granted permission by the author to copy The Pool Manager (tm) for their own use or for others to evaluate as long as: 1. It is copied in its entirety. (All four files: README, POOLMGR.DOC, NFLPOOL.EXE, and REGFORM) 2. The program and documentation are not altered in any way. 3. No price or other consideration is charged. The Pool Manager may not be included as part of any "package" that is sold. The distribution charge or media charge levied by computer clubs or commercial disk vendors may not exceed $8.00. 4. The printed material may not be copied without express written permission from the author. -23- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SHAREWARE REGISTRATION of THE POOL MANAGER If you find this program to be useful, purchase it. The price is $25. Registration is particularly easy if you split the cost among the regular participants in the pool. Providing software would be a considerate gesture to the individual who has volunteered personal time to run the pool. To print the registration form, place your backup disk in the A drive and enter the following in response to the A> COPY REGFORM PRN Complete the Registration Form and mail it with $25 to American Systems at the following address: Andy Kunz American Systems Post Office Box 604 LaGrange, Illinois 60525-0604 Registration entitles you to the following benefits: + A disk with the latest version of the program and User's Guide. + A disk with the SQRPool print utility and the entire current season's NFL schedule set up in weekly pools. (Schedules for subsequent years are available to registered users only for $8.) SQRPool is described on the next page. + A semi-annual newsletter (issued before and after the football season) for three years to keep you informed of program improvements, and tips from other users. + Ability to influence the development of this program. You may voice your opinions when you register and anytime thereafter. + Availability of updates free or at nominal cost. Registered users may obtain updates for free by sending American Systems a blank, formatted diskette with a self addressed, prepaid mailer. If you prefer, an update can be mailed to you for $8. + Direct user support via Compuserve or the mail for specific problems that you encounter. + Immediate notification of any bugs discovered in the program with recommended corrective action. It is important to complete the information on your equipment (requested on the Registration Form) in the event that any equipment specific bugs are discovered. Evaluation copies of the program are available from American Systems for $8, which will be credited toward contribution. -24- THE POOL MANAGER (tm) USER'S GUIDE SHAREWARE SQRPool - Provided only to registered users of The Pool Manager SQRPool is a print utility that produces grids for running square pools. If you are running a season-long pool, odds are you are also called on to run a square pool for the conference playoffs in basketball, baseball, and football as well as the World Series and Super Bowl. SQRPool prints 10X10 grids with one, two, or four score rows and 5X5 grids with two or four score rows. This offers you the opportunity to introduce some new pools and saves the hassle of making up a grid at the last minute. SQRPool is an exclusive benefit to registered users of The Pool Manager. You are specifically requested not to duplicate (except for backup) or distribute it to anyone. THE ASP OMBUDSMAN This program is produced by a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants 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 an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at P.O. Box 5786, Bellevue, WA 98006 or send a Compuserve message via easyplex to ASP Ombudsman 70007,3536. REGISTRATION FORM The Pool Manager(tm), Version 2.0 (Form D) American Systems Post Office Box 604 LaGrange, Illinois 60525-0604 Date__________________ Name ____________________________________ Do you want to receive Address _________________________________ the Newsletter? _____ City, State _____________________________ Zip __________________ Enclosed is the $25 Registration Fee. Please send me the latest version of The Pool Manager, the SQRPool print utility, and this season's NFL schedule set up on disk. Please complete the following information. It is needed to continue to improve this program to better meet the user's needs. The hardware information is important in the event any equipment specific bugs are discovered in the program. HARDWARE Computer make/model:______________________________________ RAM:_______ Chip: __ 8086 __ 8088 __ 80286 __ 80386 __ 80386SX Speed:______Hz Disk Drives/sizes _______________ Display Make/Model____________________ Display Type: __ MONO __ HERC __ CGA __ EGA __ VGA PROGRAM Check the major options for the type of pool you normally run: Scoring Establishing Standings Determining Winners ------- ---------------------- ------------------- __ Confidence Points __ Without Tiebreaker __ Without Point Spread __ Wins & Losses Only __ Tiebreaker Included __ Point Spread Applied Average No. of people in a weekly pool ____ Total people in Group ____ How would you rate the overall performance of The Pool Manager? Excellent __10 __9 __8 __7 __6 __5 __4 __3 __2 __1 Poor What inconveniences or problems do you have with the program? __________ ________________________________________________________________________ What improvements would you like to see? _______________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Where did you get your copy of The Pool Manager? Source:_______________________ Address: _______________________________ If purchased on a Shareware disk, what was the cost? ________________