
                               LADDER MAKER

                 ͻ
                       Ladder Maker     Version 1.6    
                                                       
                   Copyright(c) 1995 by Phillip Bowden 
                                                       
                          All Rights Reserved          
                 ͼ

You are authorized to include the shareware program included on this disk
in your catalogue, library, or bulletin board, under the following
conditions:

     The author assumes no liability for damages, direct or consequential,
     which may result from the use of Ladder Maker ver 1.6

You are authorized to copy this program and distribute to others at no cost
to any individual, but if a sporting club or association wishes to use this
program there is a registration fee of $30.  This is a full copy of the
program.  Registration will guarantee supply of any update if any are
written.

To register your copy of ladder maker send a cheque for $30 to:

                         Phillip Bowden
                         PO Box 93
                         Kyabram
                         VIC  3620
                         Australia

If you can think of any improvements that could be added to the program to
make it useful to more sports (or the one that you are interested in) or
just have any comments at all, I can be contacted at the above address or
by phone : 058 532051.  (I can't afford a fax).

Special thanks go to my friend Andrew Smith who helped with the LISTER
program for listing past ladders.

The ladder maker program is designed to maintain competition ladders for up
to 18 teams (I have chosen 18 because of the size of the screen).  All that
is needed is the final scores for each team to be entered after each round.

The program assumes that there will be no points awarded for a bye, and
that if there is a draw half the points awarded for a win will be awarded.

There is also allowance for the AFL style of ladder where the position on
the ladder is calculated by match ratio.

If two teams have the same amount of points the relative positions are then
determined by the team with the higher percentage.

All information is maintained in dBase III type files, and the past ladders
are saved as ASCII files.

To run LADDER MAKER you will need a minimum of an XT with 256kB of memory
and a hard disk (colour monitor is optional).  To start the program make
sure that the file LADDER.EXE is on your hard disk.  At the DOS prompt type
LADDER.

Files that are needed to run LADDER MAKER are:
          LADDER.EXE
          LISTER.EXE
          README.TXT (This file)

To start the program type LADDER at the DOS prompt.  Once you are in the
program you are presented with the opening menu.  To move through the menu
use the up arrow or the down arrow or the number of your choice.  When your
selection is highlighted in reverse colours press <ENTER> to accept.

                    ͻ
                              LADDER MAKER          
                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~          
                                                    
                      1 Load a ladder               
                                                    
                      2 View ladder                 
                                                    
                      3 Edit ladder                 
                                                    
                      4 Set up a new ladder         
                                                    
                      5 List past ladders           
                                                    
                      6 Delete a ladder             
                                                    
                        About LADDER MAKER          
                                                    
                        Exit to DOS                 
                                                    
                    ͼ


1.   LOAD A LADDER

This menu option is chosen to load a ladder into memory from the disk.  All
ladder files are saved as dBase type files and the only data that is saved
is the team, the round number and the points for and against.  When the
file is loaded the calculations are done by the program and stored in
memory.  If you wish to update an existing file this option must be chosen
first.

Once selected you will be presented with a list of ladders that you have
already saved on disk.  The name of the file is the same as the name of the
ladder.  To select a ladder move the cursor next to the ladder and press
<ENTER>.  If you have not saved any ladders or you wish to go back to the
main menu without loading a ladder just select an option that does not have
a ladder name.



2.   VIEW LADDER

Once a ladder has been loaded into memory you can view the ladder as it
appears now.  If you have not yet loaded a ladder an error message will
appear on the screen telling you so.  It is necessary to load a file before
it can be viewed.

If a ladder has been loaded you are then presented with a choice of viewing
the ladder on the screen, printing the ladder or sending the ladder to a
file.  The first two options are obvious (screen or printer), but the third
choice has a very important function if you wish to see the ladder round by
round.

After you have entered the current round of results and you are satisfied
that they are all correct then you would send the ladder to the file (the
name of the ladder with a .TXT extension).  After the following round the
next ladder is appended to the end of the file and so by the end of the
season you will see each ladder as the season has progressed.  Because the
file is a text file any word processor could be used to edit it if so
desired.



3.   EDIT LADDER

This option is for when you wish to enter results or to amend incorrect
results entered in.

When you choose this option you asked to enter the round number of the
results you wish to enter or amend.  There will be a default value already
in the round number equal to 1 more than the last round saved.  So if you
are about to enter the first of the current round's results then the
default value will already be correct.  If you wish to go back and amend a
previous round you will have to type in the relevant round number.

It is possible to enter some results for a round one day and enter the rest
of the round at a later date.

Once a valid round number is entered a screen comes up that lists all teams
in alphabetical order with a space for the score that the teams achieved
and the score that the opponents achieved.  Each match result will need to
be entered twice - each of the teams in a match will have their scores
entered.

Once all the available results have been entered you move the cursor to the
bottom of the screen and save the results.  The results are saved to the
hard disk now so if you decide that you do not want the results saved you
would exit and don't save.  If you later want to cancel or change a result
you can select the relevant round and type over the result that you want
altered.

It is possible that when entering results that a typographical error can
occur.  There is an error checking mechanism here (although not fool proof)
that adds all the scores FOR and all the scores AGAINST.  If they don't add
to give the same figure you are presented with a warning and then returned
to the input screen to amend the error.  You will not be allowed to save
until that error is fixed.



4    SET UP A NEW LADDER

At the start of a season or competition a new set of teams will need to be
entered.  When this option is chosen you are asked for the name of the
ladder (eight letters and no space as this is the filename that is used to
save the ladder) and the number of teams.  You are also asked how many
points are awarded for a win (default is 4) and you are then presented with
a choice of whether you wish to have the ladder sorted by wins or match
ratio.  If you are using this for the AFL then you will choose the match
ratio method.

All this information is saved with the file and so it is possible to have
some ladders that are sorted by wins and some that are sorted by match
ratio.  If you decide to sort by wins the match ratio column will not be
present on your ladder.

You are then given a screen to fill in with the names of the teams.  If you
choose SAVE then the teams are automatically saved to the disk.



5    LIST PAST LADDERS

At the end of each round (ie after all the results have been entered for
that round) it is advisable to view the ladder to a file which appends the
resultant ladder to a text file with the same name as the ladder.  This
option allows you the chance to view each ladder as they were saved.



6    DELETE A LADDER

If you wish to remove unwanted ladders it is possible to delete a ladder
that is no longer needed.  Choose 6 from the main menu and then select the
ladder you wish to delete from the list presented.  To select a ladder for
deletion move the cursor next to the desired ladder and press <ENTER>.  You
are given a warning to make sure that you are deleting the correct ladder.
If you have chosen this option by mistake and wish to return to the main
menu - select a null.



     ABOUT LADDER MAKER

                       ͻ
                           About LADDER MAKER     
                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~     
                               VERSION 1.6        
                              26th Oct 1995       
                                                  
                               Written by         
                             Phillip BOWDEN       
                              Kyabram  VIC        
                                                  
                        Press <ENTER> to continue 
                       ͼ



     EXIT TO DOS

Will leave the program and return to the operating system.


