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-- have some questions about creating userfactors

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have some questions about creating userfactors

STUBALL
2/7/2014
11:06:02 AM

can i add a track specific userfactor for 1 track to say userfactor3..the one in there is not track specific.
i want to create 1 for DED(example) but when i try to
do it it won't allow me to put track in...is there a video to walk me thru userfactors

Stuball

jeff
2/7/2014
11:43:48 AM

On the left side (classic view) of the UPR Tools Interface both the Track and AvoidTrack fields are initially rendered smaller than they actually are.

Once either field gets focus, the field is rendered wider - to allow you more room to work with a list of track codes. (Same info model as a UDM: multiple track codes separated by dashes.)

Several years ago when I wrote that functionality, common screen resolutions were (1024 by 768) and (800 by 600) and virtually all graphics cards were capable of rendering the Track and AvoidTrack fields as either smaller or expanded/wider.

Fast forward to today. Screen resolution on my newest laptop is set to (1366 by 768) and I am unable to get into the Track field using a mouse click delivered by a wireless mouse. I'm guessing because my graphics card and/or chip configuration can't deal with the task of widening the textbox while concurrently maintaining the image of the mouse cursor and/or running the driver for the wireless mouse.

However, I CAN get into the Track field in the following manner:

1. Click on the Weight field (giving focus to the Weight field.)

2. Press and hold the Shift key - and while holding the Shift key down - hit the Tab once. (Put another way: Shift-Tab while in the Weight field to back into the Track field.)

You should be able to get into the Track field in this manner - and once you do - the Track field should widen so that you can key in multiple track codes if need be.

Hint: If your graphics card/chip configuration, etc. gives you trouble about using a mouse click to get out of the Track field...

Get out of the Track field the same way you got into it: Use the Tab key or the Shift-Tab key to navigate to and from the various fields on the UPR Tools interface.

-jp

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jeff
2/7/2014
11:47:22 AM

No video on hand crafting UserFactors.

(There is a video for a guided tour approach, but personally, my preferred way of doing things in the UserFactors-UPR department is to hand craft the entries using the classic view or left hand side of the UPR Tools interface.)

-jp

.

~Edited by: jeff on: 2/7/2014 at: 11:47:22 AM~

jeff
2/7/2014
12:04:16 PM

--quote:

"can i add a track specific userfactor for 1 track to say userfactor3"

--end quote

Short answer: Yes.

Longer answer: You do have to give it some thought.

The interface is going to attempt to execute all of the active table entries under a given GroupName (in this case the GroupName is USERFACTOR3) during a Calc Races or Build Database routine - whether they are track specific or not.

The entries that ARE track specific - or entries that have one or more track codes sitting in the Track or AvoidTrack fields - are handled by the interface in the following manner:

Track field: The track code for the current race being processed is compared against the track list sitting in the Track field. If a match is found - that ImpactValues table record is processed. If a match is not found, that ImpactValues table record is skipped or not processed.

AvoidTrack field: The track code for the current race being processed is compared against the track list sitting in the AvoidTrack field. If a match is found - that entry is skipped or not processed. If a match is not found, that entry is processed.

When an ImpactValues table record within a GroupName is processed: The final "score" for that GroupName (in this case the final score for USERFACTOR3) for the current horse will reflect whatever it is you've seen fit to capture in the matched pairs table entries for that record.

More to come...

-jp

.

jeff
2/7/2014
12:10:58 PM

The records that are NOT track specific - or records that do not contain anything in the Track field and do not contain anything in the AvoidTrack field - are handled by the interface in the following manner:

They are used in the GroupName (or in this case the USERFACTOR3) calculation whenever possible.

They may get skipped for other reasons... surface, dist, fieldsize, classDescriptor, etc.

But so far as track code matches are concerned: When the Track and AvoidTrack fields are empty, the interface always makes an attempt to use such table records in the GroupName (or USERFACTOR3) calculation.

-jp

.

jeff
2/7/2014
12:56:13 PM

Ok. All of that said...

Q. What's the best way to use the classic view or left hand side of the UPR Tools interface to create a hand crafted track specific set of records for USERFACTOR3?

1. The first thing I would do is make a backup of the c:\2004\JCapper.mdb file (just in case.)

2. The second thing I would do is get rid of all existing records in the table under GroupName USERFACTOR3.

I normally do this by opening the c:\2004\JCapper.mdb file in Access... and then open the ImpactValues table in Access... and in Access sort the GroupName column alphabetically... and then being extremely careful about what I am doing: highlight the rows for USERFACTOR3 only... and after double checking to verify that the only rows in the table that are highlighted are the rows for GroupName USERFACTOR3... hit the delete key once and answer Y at the prompt.

If you do not have Access installed on your machine, alternately, you can bring up USERFACTOR3 in the classic view or left hand side of the UPR Tools interface... and then being extremely careful about what you are doing: Delete the 1st USERFACTOR3 record in the table... then page to the next USERFACTOR3 record and delete... and repeat (one record at a time) until there are no more records in the ImpactValues table for USERFACTOR3.

3. The next step is to map out my new table entries for USERFACTOR3.

Some of them are not going to be track specific - and will "fire" if at all possible depending on things like surface, dist, field size, classdescriptor, etc.

Some of them ARE going to be track specific - and will "fire" only when the current race being processed matches the track code(s) keyed into the Track field. (In your case DED will have been keyed into the Track field.)

Some of them are going to be track specific - and will "fire" only when the current race being processed DOESN'T match the track code(s) sitting in the AvoidTrack field. (In your case DED will have been keyed into the AvoidTrack field.)

It is important to note here that you want to map out the track specific records for your GroupName in such a way that the same thing only "fires" once.

Example: Suppose you are using a record containing a set of matched pairs entries for COMPAOUNDAP. But for DED you want the weight for those entries to be 65. But you want the weight for the same set of matched pairs entries to be 85 at all other tracks.

So you map out a set of matched pairs entries for COMPOUNDAP where Weight is 65 and where the Track field is DED.

And you map out a second record that contains an identical set of matched pairs entries. But here Weight is 85 and the Track field is empty and the AvoidTrack field will contain the characters DED. (If you were to leave the AvoidTrack field empty, the interface is going to execute both sets of matched pairs entries during number crunching for races at DED... something you don't want.)

4. With your matched pairs entries carefully mapped out - It's time to use the classic view or left hand side of the UPR Tools interface to key them in - one record at a time.

Your GroupName is going to be USERFACTOR3 for all of them and it's likely you will use the NEW button to create the first record and make use of the CLONE button to create the initial framework for subsequent records... No they are not going to be exact clones of each other. But sometimes it's easier to edit a clone of the previous record than it is to key in a new record entirely from scratch.

5. With all the mapped out records keyed in - VERIFY them!

Hint: run a Detail report and compare the content of the USERFACTOR3 records against what you mapped out ahead of time. (Make edits as needed.)

6. Build some databases from scratch.

7. Do some R&D in the Data Window and see what it is you've created.

8. Adjust/tune as needed.

-jp

.

~Edited by: jeff on: 2/7/2014 at: 12:56:13 PM~

JCapper Message Board

JCapper 101 -- have some questions about creating userfactors

JCapper 101
-- have some questions about creating userfactors