The JCapper Card Loader

 

General Overview

 

The Horseplayer’s Daily Cycle

Once you get past the basics and have an understanding of how to operate the JCapper software, you will discover that there is a daily cycle that comes with being a horseplayer who uses software. This cycle refers to a series of logical steps you will perform each race day.

 

These are the steps that make up the cycle:

  1. Download Data and Results Files
  2. Unzip Data and Results Files
  3. Clear Previous Day’s Files from the Program
  4. Clear Scratches
  5. Load New Day’s Files into Program
  6. Get Scratches
  7. Run a Calc Races
  8. View Reports (and make decisions during Live Play)
  9. Build  Database
  10. Perform R&D using the Data Window (as the mood strikes)
  11. Capture Ideas from R&D as new UDMs/Adjust existing UDMs
  12. Repeat, repeat, repeat…

 

At the start of each new race day, the cycle starts all over again. The user clears out the previous day's race cards, clears scratches, loads race card files for the new current day, crunches numbers, finds the current day's plays, and plays or passes accordingly.

 

The JCapper Card Loader has nothing to do with getting race card files into a database. Other modules in JCapper were designed for this purpose. They are: The Database Builder, The Quick Index File Extract Tool, and of course the Data Window.

 

The Card Loader was designed to perform steps 3, 4, and 5 above from the cycle so that you can get to step 8: Viewing Reports and Making Decisions during Live Play.

 

 

Clearing Race Cards and Scratches

 

Clear Loaded Cards Button

The first thing that should be done at the start of each new race day is to Clear the previous day's race cards from the card file. This is done simply by clicking the Clear Loaded Cards Button.

 

When this button is clicked, a confirmation message is presented offering the user a chance to cancel the Clear Race Cards Operation. Click Yes on the confirmation message.

 

 

 

 

After clicking Yes, a message is presented offering the user the chance to clear the previous day's scratches. Click Yes on this message box.. This will clear the previous day's scratches from the scratches file.

 

 

 

 

When the scratches file has been cleared a confirmation message box will appear. Click OK.

 

 

 

When the card file has been cleared a confirmation mesage box will be presented. Click OK. That's it. The previous day's race cards and scratches have now been cleared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loading Race Card Files

 

Prerequisites: Data Vendor Setting

JCapper supports data files from both HDW and Brisnet. The following places exist in JCapper where you will find settings that correspond to the data files that you will be using, and your settings must match your data file type:

 

  1. User System Definitions Screen – From the Main Module click Settings. On the System Settings Interface, click System Definitions. On the upper left hand area of the User System Definitions Screen there is a row with two checkboxes on it labeled Data Vendor. If you are using HDW data files check the HDW box and click the Save button. If you are using Brisnet data files check the Brisnet box and click the Save button.
  2. On the face of the Card Loader there is a drop down that enables you to select the specific type of data file that you will be using. If you are using data files from HDW select HDW JCapper Data File (*.jcp). If you will be using Brisnet’s DRF Single Format data files select Bris $1.00 DRF Single Format Data File (*.drf). If you will be using Brisnet’s  Multicaps data files, select Bris Multicaps Data File (*.mcp). You should only have to make this setting once. After you make this setting, it should auto persist so that you can move on to other things.

 

 

Prerequisite: Comma Delimited Text Data Files

One prerequisite must be satisfied before using the Card Loader to load a race card file. You must first have one or more (unzipped) comma delimited text data files sitting in a folder somewhere on your machine.

 

JCapper supports the following types of comma delimited text data files:

  1. .JCP Data File created by the file export routine in the HDW File Manager
  2. Brisnet .DRF Single Format Data File – downloaded from Brisnet.com
  3. Brisnet .MCP Multicaps Data File – downloaded from Brisnet.com

 

All data files must be unzipped and sitting in the current pointed to folder.

 

Unzipping Race Card Files

The JCapper Card Loader does not unzip race card data files. JCapper comes with a separate module called the JCapper File Unzipper that has been specifically designed for the purpose of unzipping race card files downloaded from Brisnet.com. If you are using HDW data, the HDW File Manager auto unzips data files downloaded from HDW as part of the .JCP File Build/Export routine.

 

Brisnet also provides a module called the PKUnzip tool, available as a free download from their site. You can also utilize Winzip to unzip files. Winzip is not free software, but you can obtain an evaluation version from their site at: http://www.winzip.com/

 

The choice of which unzip tool to use is entirely up to you. Race card files can be decompressed using any number of unzip utilities that are out there.

 

Browse and Load Individual Race Cards Button

When this button is clicked, the Load Race Cards dialog box will open. All Bris DRF files in the current folder will be displayed in the dialog box. If no file names appear in the large window of the Load Race Cards Dialog Box, this means that no race cards are present in the current folder. The folder drop down (upper white box) of the Load Race Cards Dialog Box does provide functionality for browsing to a different folder. As folder navigation takes place, any DRF Files that reside in the new pointed to folder will display in the large white window and may be loaded by clicking on the file name followed by clicking Open.

 

To load any race card, simply click on the file name in the dialog box and then click the Open button. The file will be loaded and a file loaded confirmation message will appear.

 

Screenshot: Load Race Cards Dialog Box- User has selected the JCP File for SAR0823

 

 

Screenshot: File Loaded Confirmation Message for SAR0823

 

 

 

Find and Load All Cards For Race Date Button

The Find and Load All Cards For Race Date Button allows the user to do just what the name implies: find and load all cards for one race date in a single step.

 

After clicking this button, a dialog box will appear. The user will be prompted for a race date. Enter the race date in the format requested by the dialog. Separate the month, day, and year with dashes as shown and click OK. Logic in the Card Loader will then search the current pointed to folder for Bris DRF data files and automatically find and load all files with a match for the date keyed in at the prompt.

 

Screenshot: Dialog for Find and Load All Cards For Race Date

 

 

After the Card Loader has loaded all race card files matching the date keyed in at the prompt, a confirmation message will appear showing what card files were loaded.

 

Screenshot: confirmation message

 

After clicking OK on the confirmation message, all currently loaded race card files will be displayed on the face of the Card Loader screen. This is true no matter what method is used to load the card files.

 

 

Screenshot: Loaded Card Files are Displayed

 

 

The Folder Icon Nav Tool

The Folder Icon Nav Tool provides an interface to browsing the folders on your system very much like that of Windows Explorer. To use the Folder Icon Nav Tool, simply click on the Folder Icon displayed on the upper left of the Card Loader screen. After clicking the Folder Icon, the Folder Navigation Tool will become visible. The Folder Navigation Tool always opens to the Default Data Folder which is always displayed on the face of the Card Loader screen just above the buttons.

 

Browsing to a Different Folder With the Folder Icon Nav Tool

Using the Folder Nav Tool to browse to a different folder is easy. To browse to a different folder, simply double click on the desired target folder. This will cause the current pointed to folder to change to the folder just double clicked. The new current pointed to folder will be displayed on the face of the screen just above the buttons.

 

Loading Race Card Files With the Folder Icon Nav Tool

Loading Race Card Files with the Folder Icon Nav Tool is easy. Each time a new folder is browsed to, all Bris DRF single format data files are displayed in the the file list box on the right hand side of the Nav Tool itself. To load a race card file, simply double click on the file name. After double clicking on a file name, that race card file will be loaded into the card file and a confirmation message will appear.

 

Closing the Folder Icon Nav Tool

To close the Folder Icon Nav Tool, simply click anywhere on the grayscale area of the Card Loader screen outside of the border of the white Folder Icon Nav Tool.

 

 

Screenshot: The user is about to load the card file for SAR0823 JCP File using the Folder Icon Nav Tool

 

 

Screenshot: confirmation message

 

 

 

Exiting the Card Loader

To exit the Card Loader, simply click either the exit button or the red X located in the upper left hand corner of the screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Screenshot: User System Definitions Screen

Note that the user is using HDW data files and has HDW checked as the Data Vendor Selection.

If the user wanted to run a Calc Races using Brisnet data files, the Brisnet box would need to be checked first and the setting persisted by clicking the Save button.