gTally v0.3 Description =========== gTally is a simple score keeper for racing games. It can be used to keep track of almost any type of championship where the highest points are awarded to the fastest drivers. This version supports a maximum of 42 drivers and 40 race events. The point system is user-definable, and a maximum of 20 drivers may receive points per event. Installation ============ The configure script has been omitted from this package due to its size and the fact that it doesn't work on all systems. Instead, you run an autogen script which creates the configure script. If you need to pass any parameters to the configure script, you can do so on the autogen.sh line. Other than that, installation is pretty much the same as usual: tar zxvf gtally-0.3.tar.gz cd gtally-0.3 sh autogen.sh make make install The Anjuta Project File ======================= This package includes an Anjuta 1.2.2 project file. Because of the missing configure script, "Build|Build" won't work initially; you'll need to select "Build|Auto generate..." first. The Preferences Dialog ====================== When you start this program for the first time, it may be a good idea to take a look at the Preferences dialog and set any desired global options. You can access this dialog by choosing "Preferences" from the "File" menu. The options are: Automatically Save Score File (Current Championship Data) On Exit ----------------------------------------------------------------- If this option is set, the current championship data will be saved when you exit this program. If you don't set this option, you'll need to remember to manually save before exiting. Automatically Save History File After Finalizing The Last Race Of The Season ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- If this option is set, the current championship will be added to the History file after finalizing the last race of the current season. If you leave this option off, you can still add championships to the History file later. If you open a Score file with a finished season and the season isn't already in the History file, there will be an extra item in the File menu labeled "Add To History". Font For History / Statistics ----------------------------- You can use the Font button to set the font used for the History/Statistics screen. Since the History/Statistics screen uses a textbox instead of a listbox, it's best to choose a fixed-width font (otherwise the text won't line up nicely). Show Entrybox For The Currently Selected Driver ----------------------------------------------- If this option is set, the Time Entry Line will include the selected driver's name in a non-editable entrybox. If you're running with a screen resolution of less than 800x600, it's best to leave this option off (otherwise parts of the main window will be offscreen). Show SpinButton For Bonus Points (Extra Points For Fastest Lap, etc.) --------------------------------------------------------------------- If this option is set, the Time Entry Line will include a spinbutton for assigning extra points to the selected driver. Show RND Button For Random Time Entry ------------------------------------- If this option is set, the Time Entry Line will include an RND button for assigning a randomly-generated time for the selected driver's race result. This is basically for testing purposes but isn't very useful otherwise. Show Notebook Tabs (For Modes) At: Top or Bottom ------------------------------------------------ If this option is set, the notebook widget will display its tabs at the top or bottom of the main window. This makes it easier to switch between the modes but decreases the space available for the main window (scoreboard, setup, etc.). The User Interface ================== The main window consists of a 3-page notebook that's used for the 3 main modes: Championship Setup, Current Championship, and History/Statistics. Championship Setup ================== This is the startup mode if you're starting gTally for the first time. In this mode, you can supply various bits of info for the current championship. You can also use this mode to add races and/or drivers mid-season. The fields of this mode are described below: Season Title ------------ The name of the championship. This will be the name used when the History file is written to, so it should be a name that hasn't already been used for a previous championship. Start New --------- If this checkbox is set, all of the race results of the current season will be cleared (reset) to the start of the season. If you set this option, you should also change the Score file to one that doesn't already exist; otherwise the existing Score file will be overwritten with an empty scoreboard. Point System ------------ This is a space-separated list of the points assigned for the fastest race results. The first number is for 1st place, the second number for 2nd place, and so on. Score File ---------- This is the filename used to store the current championship data. History File ------------ This is the filename used to store data for previous championships. Note that the History file will only be created or written to at the end of the season. Races ----- The races of the championship. The listbox is editable, and you can use the buttons to add or delete races. Competitors ----------- The drivers and teams competing in the current championship. The listbox is editable, and you can use the buttons to add or delete drivers/teams. Once you've set all of the info for the current championship, you can have gTally accept the changes by switching to another mode; this has the same effect as pressing the OK button in the old Setup dialog. Note that you _must_ switch modes for the changes to take effect; if you exit the program before switching modes, all changes will be lost. Current Championship ==================== This is the startup mode if an existing Score file is specified in gTally's configuration file (~/.gtally.cfg). The parts of this mode are described below: Mode ---- The dropdown at the top left is used to switch bewteen Drivers' Championship or Constuctors' Championship. Current Race ------------ The dropdown at the top right will usually show the current race, but can also be used to view the results of previous races of the current championship. Scoreboard ---------- This listbox shows the current standings for either the Drivers' Championship or Constuctors' Championship. If Time Entry is enabled and the listbox has the focus, you can use the SpaceBar or Enter key to set the selected driver's time to the time shown in the Time button (the one between the OK and DNF buttons). While the listbox has the focus, the following keys also have special meaning: 'd' (DNF), 'e' (Erase/DNS), 'r' (Random/RND). Time Entry ---------- The Time Entry Line consists of various entry fields and buttons. The five single-digit Time fields can be set using the keyboard or by pressing one of the 'quick-set' buttons: time button (for setting 01:00.0 - 42:00.0), DNS ("-------"), DNF ("--DNF--"), or RND (for a randomly-generated time). The Bonus spinbutton is used to assign extra points which aren't handled by the standard point system. Note that pressing a 'quick-set' button is the same as entering a time and then pressing OK, so you'll need to set the Bonus field (if applicable) before pressing any of those. The FRB button can be used to fill the remaining blank ("-------") times with DNFs ("--DNF--"). When you've finished setting the times for all of the drivers, you can press the Finalize button to tally the results and move on to the next race. History / Statistics ==================== This mode consists of a single textbox and a dropdown to select which statistics to view: Current Standings, Championship Winners, Highest Ranking Drivers, Highest Ranking Constructors, Most Wins, Most Starts, and Most Points. Miscellaneous Notes =================== - This version of gTally doesn't use command line arguments (i.e., you can't specify the Score and/or History files on the command line). Instead, the filenames of the Score and History files are stored in gTally's configuration file and are read on startup if they exist. - This version of gTally writes Score files in one of two formats. If the current championship consists of more than 20 races, the file is written as a V2 file; otherwise, a V1 Score file is written. The format of the History file has been left unchanged. - For Driver and Team names, you can use parentheses to enclose bits of info that can change from season to season (e.g., car numbers and engines). If you don't use parentheses, and you use "Williams FW22" one season and "Williams FW23" the next season, you'll end up with a History file containing two entries for the Williams team. To avoid this, use "Williams (FW22)" and "Williams (FW23)" instead so that the history routines recognize both as the same team. - The "Bonus" field of the Time Entry Line is used internally for the current race only and is not stored in the Score file. This means that if you save the Score file before finalizing the current race, you'll need to set the Bonus field again after reloading the Score file. - The "Finalize" button is disabled until there are at least NumPnts+1 drivers with valid times. If the points table is set so that the first 6 drivers are awarded points, then 7 drivers need to have valid times before the "Finalize" button becomes enabled. - If you discover that you've made a time entry mistake after pressing the Finalize button, you'll need to exit the program and edit the Score file. On the 3rd line, there are 2 numbers (the number of drivers and the current race). Open the file in a text editor (e.g., GEdit, KEdit, etc.), subtract 1 from the 2nd number, and then save the file. Then, restart gTally. - Statistics are stored in a History file (gtally-history.thf, by default). The file, if it exists, is read on startup before reading the Score file. It is also read each time a new Score file is read via "File|Open". However, the file is only _written_ after finishing a championship. Therefore, the file will not exist until at least one championship has been completed. Limits ====== This version of gTally uses the maximum limits listed below. The 'v' number in parentheses is the version of the data file (not the gTally version); gTally v0.1 can read and write v1 data files only, whereas gTally v0.2 and v0.3 can read and write either v1 or v2 data files. If the limit for a v1 data file is exceeded, a v2 data file is automatically written. Score File Limits: ------------------ Drivers in championship: 42 Drivers that can receive points: 20 Races in championship: 20 (v1) or 40 (v2) History File Limits: -------------------- Championships: 100 (v1) or unlimited (v2) Drivers: 250 (v1) or unlimited (v2) Teams: 100 (v1) or unlimited (v2) Maximum Name Lengths (in characters): ------------------------------------- Season Title: 50 Driver Name: 30 Team Name: 32 Track Name: 16 Bug Reports =========== Although some effort has been made to make this program as robust as possible, there may be bugs that I don't yet know about. If you find any bugs, please let me know. For information on how to contact me, see the README file on my website.