Miiilesss: The Versatile Race Scorer
User's Manual
Version 1.0

Myles Bogner

April 14, 1996

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in Miiilesss. Miiilesss allows for cross-country meets to be scored quickly and effectively. With Miiilesss, all race information is pre-entered in advance in an extremely flexible manner. This includes being to designate runners in advance, dead man score the race, and include teams which will not count in the meet's score. Races can be run using names, numbers, or both to identify finishers. Miiilesss was written with runner's being able to wear bar codes as their race numbers in mind. Runners can be simply scanned in when they cross the finish line. When last runner crosses the line, the Score button can be pressed, the results printed, and teams can go home. Later, times can be entered or simply downloaded if the appropriate timer is used. Enjoy Miiilesss, it is an exciting program.

The Quick Steps to Run A Competition

To run a competition, the following steps must be performed:
  1. Create Teams
  2. Create a Scoring Scheme
  3. Create a Race Specification
  4. Create an Event by incorporating the desired Teams, Scoring Scheme, and Race Specification.
  5. Begin Competition on the Event and enter the runner's finish places. Times do not have to be entered at this point. When the Score button in the New Competition window is pressed, the meet is scored.
  6. Choose to View the Team Scores or View Adjusted Results to see the appropriate scores. The results can also be printed.

Starting Miiilesss

To start Miiilesss, put the Miiilesss disk into the Macintosh floppy drive. Double-click on the disk icon to open the disk window. Double-click on the Miiilesss application. The other files on the disk are sample files. Upon double-clicking the application, the Miiilesss opening window is seen. Press enter or press the Race button. Miiilesss is now ready to be utilized.

Miiilesss and, if desired its sample files, can also be moved to a folder on a hard disk. A common folder name to place these items in is Miiilesss Folder.

About Miiilesss

To see information on Miiilesss, choose About Miiilesss from the Apple Menu.

Creating a New Team

To create a new team, choose New Team from the File menu. A window will then appear entitled Enter a New Team. Type the name of the team in the New Team Name field. If the team is not to count in scoring, uncheck the Count Team in Scoring check box. A checked box means the team will count in scoring. Upon pressing the return key or clicking on the OK button, the team will be created. If the Cancel button is pressed, the team will not be created. Figure one shows the Enter a New Team window.
 
Enter a New Team Window
\begin{figure}\epsfig{file=new_team.eps}\end{figure}

Each new team has a file associated with it. The filename is the same name as the team's name when the team is created. However, changing the name of the file does not change the name of the team. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the team filenames are not changed. To delete a team, simply drag the team file to the Trash on the desktop.

Upon pressing return or OK in the Enter a New Team Window, the Enter a team's Runners window appears. Enter the each of the team's runners in the Name field and Number in the Number field. Press the tab key to switch between these two fields. Figure two shows this window.

Enter a Team's Runners Window
\begin{figure}\epsfig{file=open_team.eps}\end{figure}

For each meet, whether or not runners must be designated in advance to count in scoring can be specified. If runners do not have to be designated in advance, then all of a team's runners are specified as counting in scoring whether or not they are designated as scorers. However, if runners do have to be designated in advance, then the check box entry in the Enter a Team's Runners window is utilized. For each runner, if the Designated Scorer box is checked, the runner will be a designated scorer. If the box is not checked, the runner will not count in scoring.

Upon pressing the return key or the Next button, the runner information will be included with the runners to be added the team. If a bar code scanner is being used set it to send both a line feed and a carriage return (on most scanners this is the default). When scanning in a bar code with these settings, Miiilesss will automatically display the runner information in the portion of the screen showing the runner information.

Upon pressing the Done button, the added runners will be saved to the team file just created. If the Cancel button is pressed, the information will not be saved.

It is of note that two runners on any team cannot have the same number or number. Therefore, to remove a runner from the information to be added to the team, enter either the runner's name in the Name field or the runner's number in the Number field and press the Remove button.

Creating a New Scoring Scheme

Miiilesss currently only allows for cross-country meets and variations on standard cross-country scoring to be used. However, future versions will allow greater scoring flexibility including the ability to score track meets. Therefore, when choosing New Scoring Scheme from the File menu the Choose a Race Type window appears. If you hit Cancel the window will disappear. Pressing the Cross-Country button or pressing the return key will open the Enter a Cross-Country Scoring Scheme window. The other options are currently not implemented. Figure three shows the Cross-Country Scoring Scheme window.
Cross-Country Scoring Scheme Window
\begin{figure}\epsfig{file=scoring_scheme.eps}\end{figure}

The Enter a Cross-Country Scoring Scheme window initially appears with the most traditional cross-country scoring scheme. The lowest score wins. Five runners count towards the team score and the sixth and seventh runners act as pushers, affecting the other teams' scores. To save this type of scoring scheme, enter name in the Scoring Scheme Name field and press the OK button or the return key. For example, the name ``Cross-Country Scheme could be entered." The file will be written to the same directory as the Miiilesss application and the filename will be the same name as the Scoring Scheme's name. Changing the filename will not change the Scoring Scheme name, so it is not recommended that you change the filename. To delete the Scoring Scheme file, simply drag it to the Trash.

In some instances, meets may require that a team's top seven runners be to be designated in advance. If the Runners Must Be Designated In Advance is checked, only those runners who are marked as a designated scorer will be eligible to receive an adjusted place. However, if Runners Must Be Designated In Advance is not checked, all runners are considered possible scorers. It is up to the meet director to decide how many runners will be allowed to be designated as possible scorers.

Miiilesss supports the Dead Man Scoring convention. Dead Man Scoring is utilized if the team has a number of finishers less than the number of runners which receive a score (five using standard cross-country scoring). For teams which do not have the minimum number of runners, Dead Man Scoring gives the needy teams the necessary runners by adding to the teams an adjusted place greater than the last adjusted place until the team has a complete team. For example, if the Memphis Track Club only has three runners and the last adjusted place in the meet is one hundred, then for scoring purposes the Memphis Track Club will also have runners with adjusted places one hundred one and one hundred two.

With Miiilesss, the number runners which receive scores can be changed. Simply enter a number other than the default five in the Number of Runners Which Receive Scores field. At the same token, the Number of Runners Which Affect Scoring can be changed. Simply enter a number in the Number of Runners Which Affect Scoring field. If the Number of Runners Which Affect Scoring is greater than the Number of Runners Which Receive Scores, Miiilesss will not give the teams a score.

Creating a New Race Specification

To create a new Race Specification, choose New Race Specification from the File menu. The Race Specification is used to enter the annual race information. In the Race Name field, enter the name of the race. For example, enter The Boston Marathon, which is run every year. The Race Name becomes the Race Specifiation's filename. It is not recommended that you change the name of the file as the name of the Race Specification is stored inside the file independently of the filename. To delete the Race Specification file, simply drag it into the Trash. Figure four shows the Race Specification window.
Race Specification Window
\begin{figure}\epsfig{file=race_specification.eps}\end{figure}

To run a meet, the only required item in the Race Specification field is the Race Name field. However, it is highly recommended that the other fields be filled. What goes in the fields is up to the user's discretion.

Once a Race Name has been entered, pressing the OK button will save the Race Specification. Instead of the OK button, the return key can be pressed in the Race Name, Race Type, or Location fields to also save the specification.

Creating a New Event

The Event brings all the meet information together for a specific race occuring on a specific day. For example, an Event for the Boston Marathon would be the 1996 Boston Marathon. An Event is made up of the Event name, the desired Race Specification, the desired Scoring Scheme, and the competing teams. Figure five shows the Event window.
Event Window
\begin{figure}\epsfig{file=event.eps}\end{figure}

To create an Event, enter the name of the Event in the Event Filename field. The Race Date, Start Time, and Weather fields are optional, but it is highly recommended for record keeping and paper printout purposes that they be filled. Next, press the Add Race Specification button. A dialog box will appear containing the names of all the Race Specifications. Upon choosing one, the Race Specification name will appear in the Race Specification box. Next do the same to choose a Scoring Scheme: press the Add Scoring Scheme button, choose a Scoring Scheme, and the Scoring Scheme will appear in the Scoring Scheme box. To add the competing teams, press the Add Team button. Teams can be continued to be added in this window until the Cancel button is pressed. Once teams have been added, they can be removed by the Remove Team button.

Once Teams, a Scoring Scheme, a Race Specification, and an Event Filename have been entered, the Event can be saved. To save the Event, press the OK button or press the return key.

Upon saving the Event, Miiilesss will check to make sure Event is a valid one and will notify the user of the problems. For example, Miiilesss will let the user know that a team will not be scored if the Scoring Scheme specifies that Runners be designated in advance and a team does not have the necessary number of designated runners. Also, Miiilesss will check to make sure that there are not duplicate runner names or numbers across teams. When runners finish, Miiilesss allows either for the runner name or number to be entered. Therefore, to make sure that the runner name and the runner number can always be matched up, in any Event there can only be one occurance of a runner name and/or number.

Modifying a Team's Runners

To change a team's runner information, choose Open Team from the File menu. A window containing all the teams will appear. Upon selecting a team to open, the Enter a team's Runners window appears. This window is described in the Creating a New Team section.

If a team is modified after a meet has been run with the team, the meet must be rescored to include the changed team information. Rescoring a race is described in the Opening the Competition section.

Modifying a Scoring Scheme

To modify a Scoring Scheme, choose Open Scoring Scheme from the File menu. A window containing all the Scoring Schemes will appear. Upon selecting a Scoring Scheme to open, the appropriate Scoring Scheme window will appear. This window can then be modified as described in Creating a New Scoring Scheme section. It is of note that changing the Scoring Scheme name will create a new Scoring Scheme.

If a Scoring Scheme is modified after a meet has been run with the Scoring Scheme, the meet must be rescored to include the changed Scoring Scheme information. Rescoring a race is described in the Opening the Competition section.

Modifying a Race Specification

To modify a Race Specification, choose Open Race Specification from the File menu. A window containing all the Race Specifications will appear. Upon selecting a Race Specification to open, the specification's information will appear in the Race Specification window. This window can then be modified as described in Creating a New Race Specification section. It is of note that changing the Race Specification name will create a new Race Specification.

If a Race Specification is modified after a meet has been run with the Race Specification, the meet must be rescored to include the changed Race Specification information. Rescoring a race is described in the Opening the Competition section.

Modifying an Event

To modify an Event, choose Open Event from the File menu. A window containing all of the Events will appear. Upon selecting an Event to open, the Event's information will appear in the Event window. The Event information can then be modified as described in Creating a New Event section. It is of note that changing the Event filename will create a new Event.

If an Event is modified after a meet has been run with the Event, the meet must be rescored to include the changed Event information. Rescoring a race is described in the Opening the Competition section.

Printing

To print, choose Print from the File menu. Then press on the button of the item that needs to be printed. For each item, a window will appear containing only the appropriate files. For example, choosing Comprehensive Results will bring up a window showing only the result files. At this point, Miiiless acts like any standard Macintosh application; it accesses the Chooser information to determine the printer configuration. After an item has been printed, the program returns to the window which appeared when Print was chosen from the File menu. Another item can now be printed if desired. To conclude all printing, press the Done button. Figure six shows the print window.
Print Window
\begin{figure}\epsfig{file=print.eps}\end{figure}

Exiting Miiilesss

To exit Miiilesss, choose Quit from the File menu. At any time while running Miiilesss, Quit can be chosen by the mouse. The Command-Q menu hotkey option, however, can only be chosen when a Miiilesss menu option is not opened.

Running the Race

To run a meet, choose the New Competition item from the Score menu. Upon choosing this option, the standard Macintosh open dialog box will appear containing only the Events. After selecting an Event, a window titled Running Event: followed by the Event name will appear. Figure seven shows the competition window.
Competition Window
\begin{figure}\epsfig{file=new_competition.eps}\end{figure}

In the Results Filename field, place the name of the file where the results are to be saved. Runners from the Event's teams can now be entered. Simply enter either the runner's name or the runner's number in the Enter Runner Name or Number field. Upon either pressing the Next button or the return key, the runner information will be displayed in the framed rectangle below the header information and the Enter Runner Name or Number field will be cleared. Miiilesss will notify the user if the wrong information has been entered. At this point the time information does not have to be entered; this can be done later under the Enter Times option in the Score menu.

If using a bar code scanner to enter runners, make sure that the bar code scanner is sent to send both the line feed and the carriage return symbols. A bar code scanner can only be used effectively to initially enter the finishers. Therefore, it is highly recommended that runners are given both names and numbers; it is easier to deal with names than bar code numbers.

If a runner is not to be counted in scoring due to cheating or misconduct, enter their name in the Enter Runner Name or Number field and check the Disqualified check box. When the runner information is displayed in the lower portion of the screen, there will be an exclamation point in front of the runner's name signifying that the runner will not receive an adjusted place and, therefore, will not affect any teams' score.

If the Scoring Scheme being used for the Event specifies that runners are to be designated in advance and a runner finishes who is not a designated scorer, there will be an asterick before the runner's name.

If a name is placed in the Enter Runner Name or Number field and the Insert button is pressed, a window asking for a place to insert the runner will appear. Simply enter the unadjusted place where the runner should appear and the runner will appear in the appropriate position. The unadjusted places for the other runners will be automatically corrected if necessary. Miiilesss notifies the user if the place entered was invalid.

If a runner's name or number is placed in the Enter Runner Name or Number field, that runner has finished, and the Edit button is pressed, the runner's time and Disqualified status will be displayed in the appropriate fields in the upper portion of the screen. Pressing the Next button or the return key after pressing the Edit button will cause the runner information to replace the existing pertinents for that runner; the Next button at this point will not cause the runner to be placed as the last finisher. It is of note that if an entered runner is not disqualified and does not have a time entered, pressing the Edit button for that runner will appear not to do anything. However, if a time is entered and/or the runner is marked as disqualified, the runner's information in the lower portion of the screen will be replaced.

If a runner's name or number is placed in the Enter Runner Name or Number field, that runner has finished, and the Remove button is pressed, the runner will be removed from the finishers and the finishers' unadjusted places will be changed appropriately.

If the Score button is pressed, the Running Event window will disappear and the results file will be written to the same subdirectory where the Miiilesss application resides. When the results file is visible in the window where the Miiilesss application resides, scoring has been completed.

If the Cancel button is pressed, the work done in the window will not be saved.

Opening the Competition

To open the unadjusted results, select Open Competition from the Score menu. When doing so, a dialog box containing the results files will appear. Upon selecting a file to open, the Running Event window will appear and the unadjusted finish information can be modified as described in the Running The Race section. The information can be overwritten by leaving the Results Filename the same or saved into a new file by changing the filename in the field.

Viewing the Adjusted Results

To view the individuals' adjusted results, choose View Adjusted Results from the Score menu. A window containing the result files will be displayed. Upon selecting a file to open, the adjusted results will be displayed. Pressing the return key or the OK button will close the window.

Viewing the Team Scores

To view the team scores, choose View Team Scores from the File menu. A window containing the result files will be displayed. Upon selecting a file to open, the team scores will be displayed. Pressing the return key or the OK button will close the window.

Changing a Team's Scoring Status

When a new team is created, the user can choose whether or not a team counts in scoring. To change this, choose the Change Team's Scoring Status option from the Score menu. Upon doing this, a window with the team's name will appear. If the team is to count in scoring, check the window's one check box labeled Check the Box if the Team Counts in Scoring. Otherwise, make sure the check box is blank. Upon pressing the OK button or the return key, this information will be saved and the window will close. Pressing the Cancel button will not save the information and will close the window. Figure eight shows the window where a team's scoring status is changed.
Change a Team's Scoring Status Window
\begin{figure}\epsfig{file=change_scoring_status.eps}\end{figure}

If a team's scoring status is changed and the team is in a results file, the results file must be opened and rescored to obtain the changes to the team. Changing the team's scoring status affects future scoring, not Events that have already been scored.

Entering Times for a Results file

To enter times for a meet that has been scored, choose the Enter Times option from the Score menu. A window will appear containing all the results files. Upon selecting a results file, The Entering Finish Times window will appear containing the runner finish information in the lower portion of the screen. The upper portion of the screen contains an Unadjusted Place field, a Time field, a Next button, a Cancel button, and an OK button. Simply enter a time for the unadjusted place displayed in the Unadjusted Place field and hit the return key or the Next button. The time will be added to the runner information and the unadjusted place in the Unadjusted Place field will be incremented by one. When the Entering Finish Times window first appears, the Unadjusted Place field contains the number one. Therefore, times can be downloaded if the race uses the appropriate timers. Simply have the timers send the carriage return and line feed after the time. Figure nine shows the Enter Times window.
Enter Times Window
\begin{figure}\epsfig{file=enter_times.eps}\end{figure}

If a time is entered for the last unadjusted place, the number in the Unadjusted Place field will not be incremented but will remain the same.

If the OK button is pressed, the window will close and the time information will be saved to the results file.

If the Cancel button is pressed, the time information will not be saved to the results file.

Additional Notes

The following information applies to windows in Miiilesss. For fields in windows which allow users to enter text, the Cut (command-x), Copy (command-c), and Paste(command-v) standard hotkeys work even though these menu items are not highlighted.

Miiilesss currently comes packaged as preferring 800k. It may require much less memory, however. The exact amount of memory necessary has not yet been determined. However, no problems at the 800k have been reported.