MANUAL:  GETTING STARTED USING RACEAID
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INTRODUCTORY NOTE

To help you get started using the program, the following material has been extracted from the RACEAID Manual.  The manual is 120 pages long.  It is abundantly illustrated, comes with an extensive reference chapter, and contains lots of helpful hints to make your event go smoothly.  

I'm afraid I can't give the manuals away free since I had to pay to have them printed.  The cost is $35.00.  Drop me a line (see information below) if you'd like a copy.  I hope to get the manual on-line someday, but for the time being it's only available in hard copy.

For more information--or to obtain a manual: 

(a) Log on my (Ron Watters) website:  
http://www.isu.edu/~wattron/ .  (Follow the "Software" and 
"RACEAID" link)  

(b) Send me email at wattron@isu.edu  

(c) Call 1-208-232-6857

(d) Write to me at 1135 East Bonneville, Pocatello, ID 83201.  


Since the material, below, was extracted from the manual, you'll find places where it refers to illustrations.  The illustrations couldn't be reproduced in this text file.  Thus, it is recommended that you have the program up and running on your computer at the same time you are reading through the text.  Be prepared to make up a few names, bib numbers and times, and enter them in RACEAID as you work your way through the following two practice sessions.


ONE ADDITIONAL NOTE  

RACEAID is a freeware program, but donations are gladly accepted!  I'm pleased to offer RACEAID to individuals, schools, clubs and other organizations at no cost, but if you use it, please consider sending a small donation for the software.  

Of course, a donation is purely up to you, but there is one thing I do ask in return for use of the program.  It's just a simple request:  if you find RACEAID useful, drop me line.  After lots of late nights and hours and hours of testing and re-testing, it's nice to know when someone when appreciates your work.



RACEAID PRACTICE SESSION

To help you get started learning how to use RACEAID, the following material will guide you through a racing event.  The practice session concentrates on major functions of the program, but as you are going through the practice session, you may wish to dabble and try out some of the other features.  If you need any help on any aspect of RACEAID refer to the chapter in the printed manual entitled, RACEAID REFERENCE.  

Two different practice sessions are covered in this chapter.  The first is a fun run which is a good starting point since it includes the elements of many types of other races.  The second is a cross-country running race which involves the scoring of teams.  Both of the practice sessions start here.  If you are intending to do the cross-country race practice session, you'll be directed to branch off to a point later in the chapter where you'll finish.  If you won't ever be involved with cross-country running races, then the first practice session should be adequate to get you started with your own events.


DOS USERS: FLOPPY DISK USE

If you are using a floppy disk system, you'll need a formatted floppy disk on which you can store some practice files.  Only a small portion of the disk will be needed for this practice session, and you may wish to use a disk that already has other files stored on it.  

Note for Floppy Disk Users:  Most of the time, you'll probably want to start out using an empty formatted disk for your files, particularly for events with large numbers of individuals.  In this way you'll have plenty of disk space for the necessary RACEAID files.


DOS USERS: STARTING RACEAID FROM A FLOPPY DISK

Place the DOS diskette into drive A: and turn on the computer.  After you enter today's date and the time, the A> prompt will appear.  Insert the RACEAID disk which contains the MAIN MENU program file in the disk drive.  Type in the word:  RACEAID and press <ENTER>.  The disk drive will whirl as it loads RACEAID into memory.  


DOS USERS: STARTING RACEAID FROM A HARD DISK

DOS USERS:  If you have a hard disk, turn on the computer.  At the hard disk prompt (usually C>), type in: CD\RACEAID and press <ENTER>.  The command, CD\RACEAID, directs the hard disk to change to the RACEAID directory so that all of RACEAID's program files can be accessed. 

Now, type in RACEAID and press <ENTER>.  The program will be loaded. 


WINDOWS USERS: STARTING RACEAID

If you are using Windows as an operating system, click on "Start" and "Run."  Then click on the "Browse" button.  Locate the RACEAID directory, and select the "Raceaid.exe" file and click "Open".  Finally, select "OK" and the program will start.


A REMINDER TO WINDOWS USERS

RACEAID is DOS-based.  That means you won't be able to use a mouse with it, but most folks don't find the lack of mouse support much of problem.  When you use RACEAID, you'll be using it primarily for data entry, and whenever you need to do a lot of data entry, the keyboard is, by far, the quickest and most efficient way to do it. The information, below, describes how you move around in RACEAID and make selections in the dialog boxes by using your keyboard.


MAIN MENU

After starting RACEAID, the Main Menu will appear on the screen:  

The Main Menu provides access to nine different major functions of the program.  You can circulate through the functions by pressing the UP and DOWN arrow keys on your computer keyboard.  A short message describing each function appears in the HELP window at the bottom of the screen as you highlight each function.  To activate a function, move the highlight to it and press <ENTER>, OR press the first letter of the function (which is bolded).

For our practice session we are beginning a new event and we'll need to start with Preliminary Information . . . so at this time press "P." 


HINT:
If you find that you have gone too far in RACEAID and need to return to the previous screens or the Main Menu, use the <ESC> key on your keyboard.  It will back you up through the menus and help you get oriented again.


PRELIMINARY INFORMATION

When Preliminary Information starts it begins with an initial dialog box.  Any rectangular box on the screen in which you make choices by moving a selection dot ( * ), or in which you type in information is called a dialog box.  To move around in any dialog box, press the <TAB> key on your keyboard.  Try it now.  It will move the cursor highlight from the selection dot  ( * )  to the <OK> button,  then to the <Cancel> button, then to the <Help> button and back up to the selection dot.  To move the selection dot, use the UP and DOWN arrow keys.

Let's try the HELP feature.  Using the <TAB> key on your keyboard, move to where the <Help> button is highlighted.  When the HELP button is highlighted, press <ENTER>.  A message will appear on the screen which provides information  explaining the current dialog box.  To return from the HELP message, press any key.  A short cut way of reaching HELP is to use the F1 function key on your keyboard.  If you try pressing F1 now, you'll see that it also activates the HELP screen.

In addition to HELP, you also have two other "buttons" at the bottom of the window.  The Cancel Button does the same thing as pressing the <ESC> key on your keyboard. It allows you to back up and go to the previous screen display.  When the OK button is highlighted and you press <ENTER>, RACEAID will accept any choices you might have made in the dialog box and move you on to the next part of the program.

For this practice session we want to enter information for a new event.  Let's do that now.  Using the TAB key on the keyboard, move the cursor to where it is flashing under the selection dot.  Then using the UP or DOWN arrow keys on your keyboard, move the selection dot to "Enter information for a new event."  Now press <ENTER>.   Since the <OK> button is on, the program will move onto the next dialog box,  "Filing Information."  If for some reason, you made the wrong choice, press <ESC>, and you'll be able to go back.


AT THIS POINT THE FILING INFORMATION WINDOW APPEARS:

NAME OF FILE:  In this blank, you enter the name of a file which will be used to store all the information  generated during the course of the event.  File names can be up to eight letters long.  For the purposes of RACEAID you should not preface the file name with the drive designation (i.e. don't type in B:MARATHON.RUN, rather just type in MARATHON). 

As you probably know, file names can also include an extension.  A file extension is a period followed by three letters.  In RACEAID, however, you should not include a file extension (i.e. don't type in MARATHON.RUN, rather just type in MARATHON).

For the purpose of this practice session, type in EXAMPLE.  If you are using floppy drives, don't press <ENTER> yet.  


DRIVE/DIRECTORY.  If you are using floppy drives, you need to tell RACEAID which drive you will be storing files on.  For an example, you may have RACEAID program files in A: drive and the files in B: drive.  If that's the case you would type in B: in the Drive/Directory blank.

If you have a hard drive, you can indicate a directory where you want your files stored.  You may, for an example, decide to store them in the C:\RACEAID\FILES directory.  If you leave the Drive/Directory blank empty, then your files will be stored on the RACEAID directory.

For this practice session, if you are using RACEAID on a hard drive, leave the Drive/Directory blank empty.  

When you have entered the file name (EXAMPLE) and the drive/directory (if needed), then press <ENTER>.

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CROSS-COUNTRY RACING EVENT PRACTICE SESSION BRANCHES OFF.  If you wish to do the practice session for cross-country running races, you should now go to PRACTICE SESSION FOR A CROSS-COUNTRY RACING EVENT.
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Upon exiting from Filing Information, the Preliminary Information dialog box will appear on the screen.  NOTE:  If the wrong dialog box appears, press <ESC> and start again.



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SAMPLE RACE NUMBER 1
PRACTICE SESSION FOR A FUN RUN


PRELIMINARY INFORMATION DIALOG BOX

To move from blank to blank in the dialog box, use the TAB key.  We'll go through each of the choices:


NAME OF EVENT. In the first blank in the dialog box, RACEAID wants to know the name of your event.  You have enough room for 35 letters.  The name you enter will be used as a title on the race result sheets.

For our example, type in the following:  Bear Lake Fun Run

The Bear Lake Fun Run will be a four-mile run and it will have a couple of different categories.  We'll get to the categories shortly.  But first a word about typing errors.

HINT:

As you're typing, if you type in a wrong letter, you can correct it by using the BACKSPACE key.  Or you can use the arrow keys to back up to the middle of the word to make a deletion with the DELETE key on your keyboard.  You can also insert letters by turning on the INSERT function (the cursor box will appear larger reminding you that INSERT is ON).

When you finish typing in the event's name, press <TAB> to move to the Date blank.


DATE. The next piece of information needed is the date of the event.  Type in today's date, i.e.  10-22-00.  When typing in dates use a xx-xx-xx format so it all fits in the blank. 

Press <TAB> when you're finished with the date.


NUMBER OF TIMED LEGS IN EVENT?  RACEAID needs to know if you plan to take split times of any of the legs in the event.  Often, you'll be taking only the final time of each participant, which is the same as ONE timed leg.  But in other races you may want to take split times.  For example you may want splits at each 440 lap of a mile run (which would be 4 timed legs) or you might want kilometer split times for a five-kilometer run (5 timed legs).

In the Bear Lake Fun Run, we will take a time half way through the race at the two mile mark and the final time.  That will give us two timed legs, the first two miles and the last two miles of our race.

Type in 2 and press <TAB>


NAME LEGS?  Next, RACEAID wants to know if you would like to name the legs.  If you don't name them, they will be called "1st Leg," "2nd Leg," etc.  For practice let's name them.

Move the selection dot to "Yes," name them.


TYPE OF START.  Next, RACEAID asks you if the event is an interval start event where racers are sent out at interval times; or a normal start event where all racers start at the same time.

For the purposes of this practice run, everyone will start in a mass start, so move the selection dot to "Normal start."


TEAMS TO BE SCORED?  We won't be scoring teams in the Bear Lake Fun Run, so move the selection dot to "No team scoring" and press <TAB>


INCLUDE EXTRA COLUMNS.  Race results printed by RACEAID include the competitor's name, bib number and time.  But if you would like to have additional information you can include up to 3 extra columns.  For the purposes of the Bear Lake Fun Run, let's include 2 extra columns:  one will be for the person's age and the other for the person's hometown.

Move the selection dot to "Two extra columns."

When all is correct, press <ENTER>.


NAMES OF LEGS DIALOG BOX

The next dialog box appears.  If you do not have the same dialog box on your screen, you'll need to back up (by pressing <ESC>) and double check your previous responses.


NAMES OF LEGS.  In this dialog box, RACEAID wants to the know the names of each of the timed legs in the event.  The name of each leg may not exceed a limit of eight letters.  In the Bear Lake Fun Run, we have decided to take times at the 2-mile point and at the finish.

In the "Leg 1" blank type in 2-MILES.  Use your <TAB> key on the keyboard to move to the "Leg 2" blank and type in 4-MILES.


INFORMATIONAL COLUMN LABELS. The next part of the dialog box is for the names of the extra informational columns.  As you'll remember from the previous page, we've decided we want the result sheets to include the competitor's hometown and age.

Use <TAB> on your keyboard to move to the first blank for informational columns.  Type in the word:  TOWN.  Press <TAB>, and in then second blank, type in AGE.


When everything looks like the dialog box, below, press <ENTER>.


CATEGORIES DIALOG BOX

RACEAID displays the next dialog box of the Preliminary Information series.  (If the dialog box on your screen does not resemble the one shown below, you'll need to back up, by pressing <ESC> and make sure that your responses are the same as those illustrated on the last three pages.)

In the Bear Lake Fun Run, we will be setting up some categories.  Using the DOWN arrow key on your keyboard, move the selection dot to "YES, designate categories."

The second part of the window asks whether you want extra blanks for names, bib numbers, etc.  This deserves a closer look.  This question will always appear if you have an event with more than one timed leg.  Generally, you don't have to worry about it unless you are running a triathlon or duathlon.  In addition to solo categories, triathlons may also have teams of competitors.  If you have this situation, then you would check "Include a NAME blank WITH EACH leg on entry forms."  You may check other choices depending on the type of race--see the REFERENCE chapter for more details.

In our practice session, we are dealing with a fun run, and we'll want to leave this area blank.  Press <ENTER> when you are ready to move on.


SELECTING CATEGORIES

At this point, RACEAID provides a number of ways of designating categories for the event.  These are selected from the next dialog box that appears on the computer screen.  (If the dialog box on your screen is not the same as what is shown below, press <ESC> to back up to the previous dialog box and make sure that the selection dot is on "YES, designate categories.")


SEX CATEGORY.  RACEAID gives us three possible sex categories: none, a combination of men and women, and a combination of men, women and mixed.  You would use "mixed" if your event happened to have teams.  For instance, triathlon races may be composed of teams made of both men and women competitors.  

In our event, the Bear Lake Fun Run, we don't have teams, but we will have separate placing for men and women placers.  Move the selection dot to "Two sex categories: Men & Women."


CLASS CATEGORIES.  The next eight blanks are for class categories.  Class categories can be such entities as Open Class, B-Class, Fun Class.  Or it can be such possibilities as Junior Division, Senior Division, etc.

For the sake of this practice session, we will not have class categories.  Using the <TAB> key on your keyboard, move through the boxes and stop at "TEAM categories."


TEAM CATEGORY.  The team category is useful in triathlon events where some competitors might be doing the triathlon solo while others may be on a team.  

In the Bear Lake Fun Run everyone does it individually, so this category doesn't apply.  Make sure the selection dot is on "NO team categories," and press <TAB>.


OTHER CATEGORIES.  We have one last option for setting up categories in our event.  We can designate age categories if we would like to have the competitors placed among those with similar ages.  Or, if desired, you can make up your own categories which is the "Design your own" option.  RACEAID will allow you to make up as many 200 different categories for the event.

For our practice session, we'll use the age categories option.  "Age" and "Design your own" categories use the same approach, and if you understand how to work with one you'll be able to work with the other.

Move the selection dot to "Age categories."  Then using <TAB> on your keyboard, move to the next box: "If Age or Design-your-own categories . . . ." In this box, type in: 5.


When all information looks like the window below, press <ENTER>


AGE CATEGORIES DIALOG BOX

Our next step is to define what those five age categories will be.  The following display appears: 

Before we start typing we need to decide what our age categories are.  It is a good idea to start with 1 year old and end with 99 years old for a race that covers a wide spread of ages.  We'll  probably never get a one-year old entered, unless a mother runs through with a baby carriage, but we'll start there anyway.  The ranges can vary depending on the type of race you will be running, but we'll use the following for this practice session:  "from one year old to 10," "from 11 years old to 13," "from 14 years old to 16," "from 17 years old to 29," and "30 and upwards."

Now we're ready to start typing.  The cursor is in the first blank of RANGE.  Type in "1".  Now press <TAB>.  TAB will move you to the next blank in RANGE.  In this blank, type in "10".  The cursor will jump to the next blank.  If you type in a number at the end of a blank, the cursor automatically moves to the next blank. (The way the cursor jumps at the end of a blank can be altered, see "Auto-terminate" in the reference section.)

Now you are in the LABEL blank.  Here, type in "1-10 Years Old."

Continue typing in some ages that you make up.

Notice how the range doesn't overlap.  If you would have typed in "1 to 10" and "10 to 13,"  the age would have overlapped at "10" and would have created havoc later on in the program when RACEAID tried to sort competitors in their respective categories.

To make corrections on age category information, you have full use of the editing keys on your keyboard.  The DELETE, INSERT, RIGHT and LEFT cursor keys on your keyboard can be used.  To move forward from blank to blank, use the TAB key.  To move backwards, press SHIFT and TAB together.

The bottom line of the screen has information about several useful keys:  pressing the function key, F1, brings up a help message, F7 saves your work and allows you to continue; <ESC> allows you to back up to the previous dialog box.  Pressing function F5 permits you to add or subtract the number of age categories.  If you want more than five age categories, you can press F5 and change it to the number that you desire.

The top of the screen is a pull down menu.  It is activated by pressing the <ALT> key on your keyboard and then pressing the first letter of the desired menu.  For instance, pressing  <ALT> and F will open the file menu.  The pull down menu does all the functions accomplished by the function keys (F1, F5, F7 and <ESC>).  Plus, it has additional features.  You may wish to review those features in the REFERENCE chapter.

Check to make sure your age categories look like the ones in the illustration to the left.   When everything is correct, press the F7 function key.


PRELIMINARY INFORMATION SUMMARY PAGE

When you finish Age Categories by pressing the F7 function key, the "Preliminary Information--Summary Page" appears.

On this screen you'll see all the values and information that you have just entered.  The only items not listed are Age Categories, but you can review Age Categories, if desired. 

To see Age Categories, press the F2 function key.  The screen clears and the Age Categories screen appears.  If you need to make any corrections, you can easily do it at this point.   When you are ready to return to the Summary Page, press the function key F7.

Look over the Summary Page, again. If you see anything that needs to be corrected, you can make necessary changes by typing the letter of the item OR by moving the selection bar and pressing  <ENTER>.  You will be returned to the original dialog box where corrections can be made. After making corrections, you will end up at the Summary Page again.


PRINTING PRELIMINARY INFORMATION

The "Summary Page" display screen also allows you to make a printed copy of the preliminary values for an event.  We highly recommend that you make a hard copy since it is very helpful when you are assigning categories to competitors.

To make a printed copy, you'll need to have a printer properly connected to your computer.  If you don't have a printer, save the values by pressing F5 and return to the Main Menu.  To continue this practice session go to "Typing-in Entries" on the next page. 

Printing the preliminary values begins at the Summary Page.  Press F4.


PRINTER INFORMATION DIALOG BOX 

The "Printer Information" dialog box will appear.


NUMBER OF COPIES.  Make sure that "Number of copies" has a 1 in the blank.


NUMBER OF LINES.  The "Number of lines" blank should contain the number of lines your printer prints per page.  This is normally 66 for dot matrix, impact and ink-jet printers and 60 for Laser Jet Printers.  If you forget, TAB to the HELP button and press <ENTER> for a reminder message.  You also can set this value in RACEAID's Main Menu under the Defaults & Colors Function.  RACEAID keeps default values in a file, and you won't have to worry about keeping track of it next time you use the program for an event.


PAUSE.  The Pause feature is for printers in which you need to change each page manually.  If you have such a printer, move the selection dot to YES, otherwise leave it at NO.


When the information in the dialog window is correct, press <ENTER>.  A copy of the preliminary values should be printed by your printer.  If you have problems, see "Printing Problems" found in the REFERENCE chapter.



AFTER PRINTING

When you are finished printing, RACEAID will return to the Summary Page.  Press <F5> to save the preliminary values.

A message appears, telling you that your preliminary values have been saved in the file:  EXAMPLE.pre.  Now that you have finished with preliminary information, you can start typing in entries for your event.  Press <ENTER> and you'll be returned to the Main Menu.	



TYPING-IN ENTRIES

Now you should be looking at the RACEAID Main Menu.  If not, press the appropriate keys to return to the Main Menu.  

Our next step is to start entering information.  RACEAID provides you with two ways of entering data.  One method uses a card format (CARD ENTRY), where information is typed in on a card which appears on the computer screen.  It's comparable to filling out an entry form for a race.  The other method (SPREADSHEET ENTRY), uses a spreadsheet format, and the racers' names, bibs, categories and times are listed in columns and rows.  You can move between the two, entering some information in Card Entry and then later change to Spreadsheet Entry or vice versa.  For the Practice Session we'll use the Spreadsheet method.

Move the selection bar to Spreadsheet Entry and press <ENTER>.


SPREADSHEET ENTRY BEGINS A DIALOG WINDOW:

If it's not already there, type in EXAMPLE in the "Name of File" box.  Then take a look at the lower part of the dialog window: "Select one of the following entry modes."  Each entry mode sets up different columns on the spreadsheet.  The first mode sets up columns for bib numbers, competitor's name and categories.  It doesn't include a column for time.  That's taken care of in the next mode that includes columns for bib numbers and time. And the last mode sets up columns for everything (bib, name, categories, time, etc.).

For this practice session we'll start out with the first mode, "Name, Bib and/or Category Entry."

Make sure the selection dot is on "Name, Bib and/or Category Entry."  Then press <ENTER>.  

After pressing ENTER, the Spreadsheet screen will appear.  Type in the information as shown in the illustration, below. (NOTE:  You can move from column to column by using TAB or ENTER.  The cursor keys will move you right or left or up or down.  You can edit any typing mistakes by using the DELETE, INSERT or BACKSPACE keys on your keyboard.)

When you are finished, activate the pull down menu by pressing the ALT key on your keyboard.  To save the information, start by pressing F for "File."  Then press E for "Exit (Save and Return to Main)."  This will save your work and return you to the Main Menu.


LIST OR PRINT ENTRIES

Now that we have the competitor's names entered, we should double check everything before we start entering times.  A good way of doing that is to use the "List or Print Entries" function of RACEAID.

From the Main Menu, move the selection bar to List and press <ENTER>.


LIST

After selecting "List or Print Entries" in the Main Menu, the following screen appears:

List gives you several options.  You can have the list sent to the printer which is  the best procedure for double checking names, bib numbers, etc.  Or the list can be displayed on the screen for a quick review of what has been entered thus far.  You can also sort the list.  There are various ways of sorting which we'll talk about shortly.

Make sure that EXAMPLE is in the "Name of File" blank.  Under display options, keep the selection dot on "Screen."  And under "Sort First?" move the selection dot to "YES."  Now press <ENTER>.

Since we'll be sorting, RACEAID displays the dialog box shown below.  In this box, you can indicate how you wish to sort the entries.  If desired, you can have the list sorted in order by bib number, town, age, time or name.  For this practice session, we'll sort by name.  Under "Primary Sort Key," type in 2.  Then press <ENTER>.

RACEAID gives us one last choice before listing the entries.  It can sort the names as entered, or if desired, RACEAID will reverse the last and first names and sort as if you had typed in the last name first, then the first.  So let's do that.

Move the select dot to "Reverse first and last names, then sort."

Now the screen lists all the entries in alphabetical order by last name: 

If desired you can also have the list sent to the printer.  For the time being, we'll go back to the Main Menu.  Press <ENTER> to continue.  Then press <ENTER> again at the "Return to Main Menu" dialog box.


ADDING TIME TO ENTRIES

At this point, we are ready to add times to each entry in the race.  To do this, we'll use a special feature of Spreadsheet Entry, Time Entry Mode, which is a relatively quick way of entering times.

Start at the Main Menu and press S for Spreadsheet entry.  The following dialog window appears:

Make sure "EXAMPLE" is the Name of File.  Then TAB to the selection dot and move it so it is at "Time Entry."

Since we have two timed legs in the event--one at the 2-mile point in addition to the final time--RACEAID needs to know which time we'll be entering.

Use the arrow keys to highlight "Time of Leg 1" (if it is not already highlighted), and then press <ENTER>.


SPREADSHEET SCREEN

The Spreadsheet screen now appears, below.  On the screen, you'll see a column for bib number and a column for time.  This format makes it relatively easy to enter times.  All you need from race officials is a list of bibs and times.

In our case, we are beginning the process of entering times by typing in the split times from the first 2-mile leg of the race.  Type in the following on your computer screen:

We have finished entering split times; next, we will type in final times. When you are ready, press <ALT> and then F to activate the File Menu.  Press O for Open.  RACEAID will automatically save what you have on the screen before continuing.

By pressing O in the pull down menu, RACEAID will return us to the Opening Dialog box in Spreadsheet Entry.  Since we are entering final times for the race, the selection dot should again be moved to "Time Entry," if it is not already there.  Press <ENTER>.

Again, we have our choice of the leg for which we want to enter times.  Move the highlight bar to "Final Time" and press <ENTER>.

Since we are entering final times, RACEAID gives us one last choice.  It will create one of two types of files to hold the times.  One file, the Regular Time File, holds bib numbers and times.  The other, an Auto Placing File, holds places, bibs and times.  For this practice session, we'll use a Regular Time File which is the most common way of keeping times:

The selection dot should be on "Regular Time File."  If not, use the UP or DOWN arrow key to get it there and press <ENTER>.

And again the spreadsheet screen appears with a column for bib number and time.  Type in the following information:

This is the last of the data that you'll need to enter.  It's time, now, to get the final results printed.  To exit from Spreadsheet Entry, press <ALT> and F for the File Menu, and then press E for "Exit (Save and Return to Main)."



FINAL PLACING

Make sure you are at the Main Menu.  Move the selection bar to Final Placing and press <ENTER>.  

First RACEAID checks your file name.  Make sure that EXAMPLE is still listed as the "Name of File."  If everything is OK, press <ENTER>.  The following screen appears:


OPENING DIALOG BOX IN FINAL PLACING

The Opening Dialog Box in Final Placing gives you a variety of choices of how the results are displayed.  For instance, you can select which categories you want displayed and in what order.  If you have competitors which have been given the same time--as in a bicycle race where packs of riders may cross the finish line--you have considerable flexibility.  They can be automatically given the same place, you can manually adjust their place--or if you have created a Time File in Spreadsheet Entry, RACEAID will place them in the order that they were entered in the file.  If you activate the "More Options" button (see the dialog box above), RACEAID will also print the competitors' pace (time per unit distance) along with his or her time.  For more information on these features and other aspects of RACEAID, be sure to refer to the reference section of this manual.

For the practice session, we'll use the category feature of Final Placing.  Let's say that we'd like view the overall results of the race and the results by sex and age categories.  

First use the TAB key and move to "Results to Be Displayed."  Move the selection dot, using the UP or DOWN arrow key to "Both Category & Overall."  Leave everything else as it is.  Press <ENTER>.

RACEAID will then display the overall results:

After viewing the overall results, press <ENTER>, and RACEAID will display the results according to categories:


END OF GENERAL PRACTICE SESSION FOR A FUN RUN

That's it for the general practice session.  You might want to return to the Opening Dialog Box in Final Placing and experiment with other display features.  The remainder of this chapter is a practice session for cross-country running races.  If you are interested in doing this second practice session, start at the beginning of this chapter and follow the directions for a cross-country event, branching off where instructed.





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SAMPLE RACE NUMBER 2:
PRACTICE SESSION FOR A CROSS-COUNTRY RACING EVENT

If you have followed the introductory instructions at the beginning of this chapter, you should now be in Preliminary Information and have the following dialog box appearing before you on the screen of your computer.  (If you don't, go back to page 11 and follow the instructions until the text directs you to break off and come to this section)


PRELIMINARY INFORMATION FOR A CROSS-COUNTRY RACE

To move from box to box in the window shown above, use the TAB key.  We'll go though each choice:

NAME OF EVENT. In the first blank in the dialog box, RACEAID wants to know the name of your event.  You have enough room for 35 letters.  The name you enter will be used as a title on the race results.

For our example, type in the following:  Bear Lake Cross Country Race


HINT:
As you're typing, if you type in a wrong letter, you can correct it by using the BACKSPACE key.  Or you can use the arrow keys to back up to the middle of the word to make a deletion with the DELETE key on your keyboard.  You can also insert letters by turning on the INSERT function (the cursor box will appear larger reminding you that INSERT is ON).

When you finish typing in the event's name, press <TAB> to move to the "Date" blank.


DATE. The next information needed is the date of the event.  Type in today's date, i.e.  10-22-00.  When typing in dates use a xx-xx-xx format so it all fits in the blank. 

Press <TAB> when you're finished with the date.


NUMBER OF TIMED LEGS IN EVENT?  If you want to have split times included on the race results' sheet, RACEAID needs to know at this point.  For example, you may want to include the split times at each kilometer for a five-kilometer run.  In such a case you would enter a "5" in the "Number of timed legs" blank.  RACEAID considers a race in which you provide only the final time as an event with ONE timed leg. 

In the Bear Lake Cross-country Race, we will be recording only the final time.  Check to make sure there is a "1" already in the blank; then press <TAB> to go to the next blank.


NAME LEGS?  RACEAID, then asks if you would like to name the legs.  This is handy for split times, but since we have only one leg, it isn't necessary to name them, so keep the selection dot at "No" and press <TAB>.


TYPE OF START.  Next, RACEAID wants to know if the event is an interval start event where racers are sent out at interval times; or a normal start event where all racers start at the same time.

Everyone will start in a mass start, so keep the selection dot at "Normal" start and press <TAB>.


TEAMS TO BE SCORED?  Since this is a cross-country race in which teams will be scored, move the selection dot to "Score teams . . ." and press <TAB>.


INCLUDE EXTRA COLUMNS.  Results sheets printed by RACEAID have the competitor's name, bib number and time.  But if you would like to have additional information you can include up to 3 extra columns.  For the purposes of the Bear Lake Cross-country Race, let's include 2 extra columns:  one will be for the name of the competitor's school and the other will be the competitor's year in school.

Move the selection dot to "Two extra columns."


Look everything over. It should look like the screen shown below.  When all is correct, press <ENTER>.


EXTRA INFORMATIONAL COLUMN DIALOG BOX

The Extra Informational Column dialog box will appear.  If you do not have the same dialog box as shown below, you'll need to back up (by pressing <ESC>) and double check your previous responses.

In this dialog box, you are being requested to type in a label which will appear above each extra informational column on the final results' sheet.  Starting with the cursor in the first blank, type in SCHL for the competitor's school, and in the second blank, type in YEAR for the competitor's year in school.  When finished, press <ENTER>


SCORING DIALOG BOX

Since we are scoring teams, RACEAID needs some specific information on how it should compute scores.  The next dialog box that appears will look like:

The dialog box, above, shows what responses you should enter on your screen.  Each response is explained below:

SCORE BASED ON PLACING OR TIME.  RACEAID has two ways of calculating the scores of teams: by adding the team member's places or by adding their times.  In cross-country races, scoring is by place, so make sure the selection dot is on:  "Score Teams based on over-all PLACING of team members."

NUMBER OF TEAM MEMBERS.  Our practice race is a traditional cross-country race consisting of teams made up of seven individuals.  Of the seven team members, five will count towards the score.  Enter "5" in the blank:  "Number of team members whose places or times count toward score."

TEAM NAMES NOT NEEDED.  For some types of events, it may not be necessary to name teams.  If so, you would place an "X" between the brackets by pressing the SPACEBAR.  For cross-country races, team names are necessary, so leave it empty and TAB to the next box.

NUMBER OF TEAMS IN EVENT.  At this point, you need to enter the number of teams that will be in the race.  For the Bear Lake Cross-country race, there are two teams, so enter "2" in the "Number of teams" box.

GENERATE TEAM NUMBERS AUTOMATICALLY.  If you are scoring a cross-country race with many teams, you can have RACEAID automatically assign each team a number.  Since this is a small race with only two teams, we'll skip it.


Make sure that everything on your screen is the same as the dialog box on the previous page. When ready, press <ENTER>.


TEAM NUMBERS AND NAMES

The Team Numbers and Names screen appears.

On this screen, you are to assign a number to go along with each team in the event.  The numbers can be arbitrary, but it is usually easiest if you start with "1" as the first team number, "2" as the second team, and so on.  The team numbers are used as a quick way of identifying each competitor's team. When you are entering information on each competitor of a large event, it saves considerable time over repeatedly typing in a team name.

Type in the information shown above.  You can move from column to column by using TAB. Cursor keys move you up or down.  Changes can be made by using DELETE, INSERT or BACKSPACE.  A brief summary of some helpful "quick" keys are on the bottom of the screen.  Other functions are also available by activating the pull down menu line (by pressing ALT) on top of the screen.  If you are interested in trying out the pull down menu, the next chapter, REFERENCE, has more details on using it.

When you have finished entering the information, above, press F7, which saves your work and moves you to the last part of Preliminary Information.


SUMMARY PAGE

The next dialog box that appears is the Summary Page.  It summarizes all the Preliminary Values that you have selected.  The Summary Page gives you one last chance to make corrections before moving on in the RACEAID program.

To make changes in the Summary Page, move the selection bar by pressing the UP or DOWN arrow keys on your keyboard.  When the selection bar is in the appropriate place, pressing <ENTER> will activate a dialog box that allows you to make changes.

At this time, we should make one correction.  Instead of using EXAMPLE which is the file name of the first practice session, let's change it to another name.  To do so, press A on your keyboard.  This, like moving the highlight bar, will activate the "Name of File" dialog box.  

Under "Name of File," type in EXAMPLE2, then press <ENTER>.  After pressing <ENTER>, you'll be returned to the Summary Page again.  Make one last check to make sure your values are the same as shown above. 


PRINTING PRELIMINARY INFORMATION

In addition to providing a screen display, the Summary Page also allows you to make a printed copy of the preliminary values of an event.  You'll find that a printed copy is handy to have.  The list of team numbers and names on the printed version of the Summary Page is particularly useful while you are typing information on each competitor.

To make a printed copy, you'll need to have a printer properly connected to your computer.  (If you don't have a printer, save the values by pressing F5 and return to the Main Menu.  To continue this practice session go to Typing-in Entries on page 33.) 

To begin the printing process, start at the Summary Page.  At the bottom of the screen, you'll see that F4 is the key to press to print.  Press F4.


PRINTER INFORMATION DIALOG BOX

The Printer Information dialog box will appear:

NUMBER OF COPIES.  Make sure that "Number of copies" has a 1 in the blank.


NUMBER OF LINES.  The "Number of lines" blank should contain the number of lines your printer prints per page.  This is normally 66 for dot matrix, impact and ink-jet printers and 60 for Laser Jet Printers.  If you forget, TAB to the <Help> button and press <ENTER> for a reminder message.  You also can set this value in RACEAID's Main Menu under the Defaults & Colors Function.  RACEAID keeps default values in a file, and you won't have to worry about keeping track of it next time you use the program for an event.


PAUSE.  The Pause feature is for printers in which you need to change each page manually.  If you have such a printer, move the selection dot to YES, otherwise leave it at NO.


When the information in the dialog window is correct, press <ENTER>.  A printed copy of the preliminary values should appear at your printer.  If you have problems, see "Printing Problems" found in the REFERENCE chapter.

When you are finished printing, RACEAID will return to the Summary Page.  Press F5 to save the preliminary values.


AFTER PRINTING

A message appears, telling you that your preliminary values have been saved in the file:  EXAMPLE2.pre.  Now that you have finished with Preliminary Information, you can start typing in entries for your event.  Press <ENTER> and you'll be returned to the Main Menu.	



TYPING-IN ENTRIES

Now you should be looking at the RACEAID Main Menu.  If not, press the appropriate keys to return to the Main Menu.  

Our next step is to start entering information.  RACEAID provides you with two ways of entering data.  One method uses a card format (CARD ENTRY), where information is typed in on a card which appears on the computer screen.  It's comparable to filling out an entry form for a race.  The other method (SPREADSHEET ENTRY), uses a spreadsheet format, and the racers' names, bibs, categories and times are listed in columns and rows.  You can move between the two, entering some information in Card Entry and then later change to Spreadsheet Entry or vice versa.  For the Practice Session we'll use the Spreadsheet method.

Move the selection bar to Spreadsheet Entry and press <ENTER>.


SPREADSHEET ENTRY

Spreadsheet Entry begins a dialog window:

If it's not already there, type in EXAMPLE2 in the "Name of File" box.  Then take a look at the lower part of the dialog window: "Select one of the following entry modes."  

The first entry mode will create a spreadsheet with a column for the competitor's bib number, the competitor's name and his or her team number.  It doesn't include a column for time.  Time is taken care of in the next mode which creates a spreadsheet with a column for the person's bib number and a column for his or her time. The last mode sets up columns for everything (bib number, name, team number, time, etc.).

For this practice session we'll start out with the first mode, "Name, Bib and/or Category Entry."  Make sure the selection dot is on "Name, Bib and/or Category Entry."  Then press <ENTER>. 

The spreadsheet screen appears.  Type in the information as shown below.  You move between columns by using TAB.  The cursor keys move you right or left, or, up or down.  You edit by using DELETE, INSERT or BACKSPACE. 

When you are finished, activate the pull down menu by pressing the ALT key on your keyboard.  We want to file the information so press F for "File."  Then press E for "Exit (Save and Exit)."  This will save our work and return us to the Main Menu.


LIST

After entering information on each competitor, it is a good idea to double check everything before starting to enter times.  An easy way of doing that is to use the LIST function of RACEAID.  Before continuing further, you might want to take a little time to experiment with LIST.  In the previous practice session, on page 22  are directions on how you can display an alphabetical list of the competitors in your event by last name.  If you would like to do that, leave now, and then return here when you are ready to continue.


RECORDING TIMES

At this point, we are ready to add times to each competitor in the race.  We'll use the Time Entry mode of Spreadsheet Entry which is the best way of entering times for cross-country races.

If you are not there already, get back to the Main Menu.  At the Main Menu, press S for Spreadsheet Entry.  The following dialog window appears:

Make sure EXAMPLE2 is the "Name of File."  Then TAB to the selection dot and move it with the DOWN arrow key so it is at "Time Entry."

Since we are entering final times, RACEAID gives us one last choice.  It will create one of two types of files to hold the times.  One file, the "Regular Time File," holds bib numbers and times.  The other, the "Auto Placing File," holds bib numbers, times and places.  For this practice session, we'll use a Regular Time file which is the most common way of keeping times.

The selection dot should be on "Regular Time File." If not, use the UP or DOWN arrow key and move it there. Press <ENTER>.

A spreadsheet screen appears with a column for bib number and time.  Type in the following information:

All the necessary information for the event is now entered.  It's time to get the final results printed.  Press ALT and F for the File Pull Down Menu and then press E for Exit (Save and exit).


FINAL PLACING

When you have returned to the Main Menu, move the selection bar to Final Placing and press <ENTER>.  

First RACEAID checks your file name.  Make sure that EXAMPLE2 is still listed as the "Name of File."  If everything is OK, press <ENTER>.  The following screen appears:


OPENING DIALOG BOX FOR FINAL PLACING

The opening dialog box in Final Placing gives you a variety of choices of how the results are displayed.  If you activate the "More Options" button (see the dialog box on the previous page), RACEAID will also print the competitor's pace (time per unit distance) along with his or her time.  For more information on these features and other aspects of RACEAID, refer to the reference section of this manual.

For the practice session, we'll keep everything the same on the dialog box.    Press <ENTER> and the "Team Scoring Options" dialog box appears:


TEAM SCORING OPTION DIALOG BOX

The Team Scoring Options dialog box gives you control of how the scores are computed.  Team scores will vary if the places of independent racers are included in the totals.  They will also vary if a team does not have a sufficient number of team members making it to the finish line.  

In this practice session, all team members finished and there are no independents, so leave the selection dot on the last choice.  Press <ENTER> to continue.

RACEAID will then display the overall results:

You'll notice that in the overall placing display shown on the previous page, two competitors had the same time (second and third place).  Since you created a time file in Spreadsheet Entry, RACEAID used the same order as the times were entered.  

After viewing the overall results, press <ENTER>, and RACEAID displays the team placing results:


END OF CROSS-COUNTRY RACE PRACTICE SESSION

That's it for the practice session.  Although, there are many features of RACEAID that have not been covered here, this should give you enough basic information to start using the software on your own.  For more details on any aspect of RACEAID refer to the REFERENCE chapter in the manual.

