1           GENERAL INFORMATION

 

Underlined text marked in green are cross-references to the relevant section for more details.

 

Figure 1-1  SBC Overview

The SOFTBALL/BASEBALL TEAM CALCULATOR (referred to as the SBC) is a simple yet powerful application for keeping team batting statistics and division standings.

 

It is very easy to use allowing the user to:

 

• Create a new Team Worksheet
• Add players to either of two rosters 
• Add teams to the division
• Maintain a game schedule and results
• Transcribe/update the batting results from the game scoresheets
• Import game statistics collected from a mobile stats app or file
• Combine stats from individual seasons into a unified multi-season (career) Team Worksheet
• Calculate team batting leaders in up to 19 categories
• Maintain and automatically calculate the division standings
• Enter line scores and create box scores for a completed games
• Print reports
• Create a web site optimized for both desktop and mobile web browsers with a single command !

1.1          Program Availability and Licensing

The SBC is ADD-FREE and is offered as Donationware and is available for download at the SBC website at:

 

http://sbc.aces-softball.com

 

The SBC represents thousands of hours of development and testing. If you find the program to be useful, a donation via PayPal would be appreciated ! The SBC website at: http://sbc.aces-softball.com has instructions for donations. Alternative methods are available.

 

Known errata, limitations and revision history are available at the SBC web site under the Support and Downloads tab.

 

The author encourages your comments/suggestions via email at: support@sbc.aces-softball.com

1.2          Acknowledgements

Excel, Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Bing, Edge are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

MacOS, Macintosh, OS X, iOS, Safari, iPhone, iPad are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.

Firefox is a trademark of the Mozilla Foundation.

W3C is a trademark of the World Wide Web Consortium.

Google, Google Analytics, Android OS are trademarks of Google, Inc..

PayPal is a trademark of PayPal, Inc.

iScore and iScore Baseball are trademarks of iScore Sports,  Faster Than Monkeys

League Lineup is a trademark of Leaguelineup.com

Show My Weather is a trademark of the Show My Weather  web service

Rec League (beer can masthead logo) is a trademark of Harpoon Brewing

 

All other programs and applications are trademarks of their respective organizations

Mac VBA and Excel Ribbon Tricks and Fixes – Courtesy of Ron DeBruin https://www.rondebruin.nl

Ribbon and masthead icons courtesy of icons8.com

1.3          Specifications

Maximum number of teams in division:   35

Maximum schedule entries - Single-Season Mode:  500

Maximum game entries per player - Single-Season Mode: 500

Maximum season entries - Multi-Season Mode:  500

 

Maximum number of Active (full-time) roster players:   unlimited*

Expansion roster size for alternates/part-time players:   unlimited*

 

Number of batting leader categories:  19

Maximum number of entries in each leader category:  10

Number of player entries in the game box score: 30

Number of linkable web graphics images: 25

 

* Limited only by the capacity of Excel worksheets which can vary by version. However, the recent versions are more than adequate for single and multi-season Team Worksheets. Rosters increase/decrease in size as required.

1.4          Operating Environment

The SBC is an application that runs with a legal copy of Microsoft Excel^® (not supplied). A 1 GHz processor or faster is recommended for best performance.  In addition to processor speed, actual performance may vary among specific versions of Excel.

 

The SBC operates within the confines of the user’s system and does not perform any Internet operations other than invoking the default system browser for access to the on-line user manual, revision history and SBC web site when desired. The SBC macro, Ribbon and Team Worksheet files are internally protected to prevent corruption.  File operations are all under user control and are limited to web site files creation, importing of stats, standings, roster files and creation of schedule and roster export files.

1.5          Excel Compatibility

The SBC has been validated on the following US English language versions of Excel in these environments:

 

Excel Version	SBC User Interfaces
	SBC Ribbon UI	SBC Legacy UI
Windows:
2019  (v16)	Y	Y
2016  (v16)	Y	Y
2013  (v15)	Y	Y
2010  (v14)	Y	Y
2007  (v12)		Y
Mac OSX:
2011 (v14)		Y
2004 (v11)		Y

`

Table 1-1  Supported Excel Versions

 

1.5.1          Max OS X Support

The SBC runs on only Excel/2004 and Excel/2011under OSX due to limited (and deteriorating) macro language support on this platform..

1.5.2          Validation

The SBC has not been recently validated and may not work on older versions of Excel. The SBC may not function on some international versions of Excel.

 

Attempts have been made to validate the functionality of the SBC on multiple Excel versions on both Microsoft Windows and MacOS X platforms . Due to platform availability and time, validation is a work in progress.  If you encounter a situation where the SBC does not function correctly, please file a technical support request.

1.6          Recommended Environments

The SBC is optimized for use with Excel versions with the fluent ribbon interface on Windows (SBC Ribbon UI). The SBC maintains support for the legacy menus and toolbar interface (SBC Legacy UI) for other environments.

1.7          Support

1.7.1          On-Line Support

On-line support can be found at the SBC web site at http://www.sbc.aces-softball.com.  There are helpful hints plus an on-line user manual. The on-line manual can be accessed from within the SBC as well.

1.7.2          Contacting Support

If you run into a situation that is not documented or where the SBC does not perform as expected, file a technical support request via email to: support@sbc.aces-softball.com

 

Responses to email queries will originate from:

support@sbc.aces-softball.com

Ensure that you add this to your email address book and/or spam filter whitelist as a valid address

 

 Please try to capture the following information:

 

1. SBC version information*
2. Version of Microsoft Excel*
3. Operating system platform and revision (Microsoft Windows or Macintosh OS X)*
4. What operation was attempted ?
5. Is the issue repeatable ?
6. The sequence of events that led to the problem
7. Any alert messages that were posted
8. Contents of the window message bar area
9. In the event of a macro error fault, capture the information reported and the line number.

 

*This information is available via the SBC Help / Info button command.

1.7.3          Revision History

Enhancements and bug fixes for the current version plus known limitations can be viewed via the SBC Help / Support button command (active internet connection required). History for previous versions can be viewed at the SBC web site at: http://www.sbc.aces-softball.com. 

1.7.4          Comments and Feedback

General comments and suggestions via email to: support@sbc.aces-softball.com

 

2           SBC OVERVIEW

The SBC is an application that maintains statistics for a baseball or softball team. It is organized around a Team Worksheet that stores player rosters, division standings, schedules and the results of all entered and calculated statistics. The SBC runs under Microsoft Excel. The user interacts with the SBC via a custom ribbon interface (SBC Ribbon UI).

 

The SBC can be used, at a minimum, to maintain a team roster and player statistics.

2.1 Major Operating Modes

2.1.1          2.1 Major Operating Modes

2.1.1          Single-Season Mode

This is the default mode of operation to track individual and team statistics for a Single-Season on a game-by-game basis.  Batting statistics, division standings, schedules and game results can be tracked as well. Box scores can be computed on a game-by-game basis. Batting Leaders in 19 selectable categories can be calculated.

 

Statistics, schedules, standings and rosters can be entered manually or imported via files from external sources.

 

In addition to printed reports, a complete web site can be automatically generated with a single One Step Web Site command.  Web pages are generated for optimum viewing on both desktop and mobile browsers. No additional apps are necessary.  No web page authoring knowledge is required. CREATING A BASIC WEB SITE describes how to use this feature.

2.1.1.1         Basic Command Set Mode

A set of commands has been selected to provide functionality that should be adequate for most users. This keeps the user interfaces streamlined. The supplied sample and blank Single-Season Team Worksheets are configured in this mode.

2.1.1.2         Expanded Command Set Mode

A more extensive set of commands is available for added functionality and control of generated web sites.

2.1.2          Multi-Season Mode

In this mode, the statistics are captured and organized by seasons. The main intent of this mode is to track career batting statistics over multiple seasons. 

 

A composite set of statistics is compiled from multiple Single-Season Team Worksheets into a Multi-Season Mode Team Worksheet. In addition, a Multi-Season Mode Team Worksheet can accept stats from other Multi-Season Mode Team Worksheets as well as statistics generated by other apps.

 

Multi-Season Mode Team Worksheets always operate in Expanded Commands set mode. The supplied sample and blank Multi-Season Mode Team Worksheets are configured in this mode.

2.2          Strategies For Organizing Stats

2.2.1          Conventional Approach

The conventional approach is to maintain each seasons’ game-by-game statistics in separate Single-Season Mode Team Worksheet files and then combine these stats into a composite set of career stats in a Multi-Season Mode Team Worksheet.

 

 

Figure 2-1  Conventional Multi-Season File Structure

2.2.2          Alternative Approaches

Other strategies can be deployed based on how the user chooses to maintain statistics. Figure 2-2 shows an example where regular season, playoffs, and tournaments stats are maintained in separate Single-Season Mode Team Worksheet files and then combined into a composite set of stats for the 2012 season.  This can also be done on a Single-Season or multiple season basis. Other combinations are possible as well.

 

Figure 2-2  Alternative Multi-Season File Structures

2.3          SBC User Interfaces

2.3.1          Overview

The SBC is controlled via a custom set of commands, organized by major areas of functionality. They are accessed via  the SBC Ribbon UI, supported on Windows/Excel versions 2010 or later. This manual is oriented towards operation via this interface. Throughout this manual, command references are shown as:

 

SBC Ribbon UI Command

 

For users that prefer a menu-centric and toolbar interface, the SBC Legacy UI  is always accessible via the Add-ins tab. It can be used on all versions of the SBC.  Each command in the SBC Legacy UI has corresponding commands in the SBC Ribbon UI (Table 25-1). 

 

The SBC Legacy UI can be used as the sole interface or used simultaneously with the SBC Ribbon UI.

2.3.2          SBC Ribbon UI _4.50

Figure 2-3  SBC Ribbon UI

This is a full featured fluent ribbon design that conforms to the Microsoft guidelines for custom ribbons.

 

The commands are organized by major functional groups. All relevant commands and preferences are contained within each functional group. Appendix A contains expanded reference charts for the commands for each major operating mode.

 

The standard Excel File, Home, View, Add-ins and Help tabs are included as well as a Quick Action Toolbar (QAT).

 

Commands which are not active for a specific operating mode or condition are hidden or dimmed.  Descriptive Tooltips appear when the cursor is positioned over a given button, dropdown menu or command. Keyboard shortcuts are provided for frequently used commands as well.

 

In most cases, the large buttons will navigate to the relevant area of the Team Worksheet.

2.3.3          Copy to Clipboard

Copy to Clipboard commands are provided for most major areas of the Team Worksheet. Navigate to the desired area by clicking on one of the large buttons (e.g.: Batting Leaders). Click on Copy to Clipboard to copy the relevant area to the system clipboard for pasting in other apps. In Expanded Commands mode, a web page of the area can be created as well.

2.4          Player Rosters

The rosters are divided into two areas referred to as the Active and Expansion rosters. The Active roster is intended for full-time players. The optional Expansion roster is intended for part-time or substitute players and can be renamed as desired.  The differences between the two rosters are shown in Table 2-1.

 

Feature	Active Roster	Expansion Roster
Statistics Organization	Separate page for each player	Single page for all players
Roster Limits	No limit*	No limit*
Batting Leaders Inclusion	All players	Selectable

 

* limited only by the version of Excel.

Table 2-1  Active vs. Expansion Rosters

 

Players and their stats can be transferred from one roster to the other at any time. Statistics from multiple players can be merged into a single player entry.

2.5          Statistics Tracking Modes

The SBC can track statistics for slow-pitch softball, fast/modified pitch softball, and baseball.

 

When the Track Slow Pitch Stats Only mode is enabled, SB, HBP and SACB stats are not tracked. This applies to the player stats, player updating, batting leaders, box score, web site generation and printing.

 

When this mode is disabled, the full set of statistics is tracked.  This is the mode for modified/fast-pitch softball or baseball. The sample SBC Team Worksheets are configured in this mode.

 

Fines tracking is an optional category.

2.5.1          Formulas Used in Statistics Calculations

The SBC uses commonly accepted formulas and abbreviations as defined by Major League Baseball at:  http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/baseball_basics/abbreviations.jsp.  The formulas are also summarized at the Wikipedia web site.

 

At Bats (AB): H + Outs + FC + ROE – BB – SF – SACB – HBP – CI

 

Batting Average (AVG.): H

 AB

 

 Slugging Pct (SLG): 1B  + 2*(2B) + 3*(3B) + 4*(HR)

 AB

 

On Base Pct (OBP): H + BB + HBP

 AB + BB + HBP + SF

 

On Base Plus Slugging Pct (OPS): OBP + SLG

 

The SBC does not track reached on catcher’s interference (CI) as a unique statistic. However, if you record a Plate Appearance (PA) in this case, the overall statistics will be correct.

 

When the Track Slow Pitch Stats Only mode is enabled, SB, HBP and SACB stats are not tracked and, therefore, not factored into the AB, OBP or OPS calculations.

2.6          Team Worksheet Structures

The Team Worksheet contain player rosters, standings, schedules and the results of all entered and calculated statistics. Critical areas of the Team Worksheet are protected against accidental user corruption.

 

In the descriptions that follow, command and button references to the SBC Ribbon UI are highlighted.  Clicking on a group button will navigate to the page. A Copy to Clipboard command is provided to copy the relevant area to the system clipboard for use in other apps.

2.6.1          Top Level Team Summaries Page

 

Figure 2-4  Team Summary Page

 

The Team Summary Page is organized into the following areas:

 

• Header / masthead area
• User customizable area for notices and general team information
• Division standings including wins/losses/ties, winning percentage and Games Behind Leader
• Box score and line score for a selected game
• Summary of team batting leaders with the top player for each category

 

This page is also a framework for a team web site home page.

 

2.6.2          Batting Summary Pages

   

Figure 2-5  Batting Summary Pages

 

This is a summary of computed batting statistics for each Active roster player plus a composite summary of all player statistics in the Expansion roster. The Expansion roster players line will be blank if there are no player entries in that category. The user can navigate to the Batting Summary page via the Batting Summary button or to the Expansion Roster Players page via the Expansion Roster Players sub-command. See PLAYER ROSTERS for more details on the creation and maintenance of the rosters.

 

In Single-Season Mode, the total games is the largest number of games as derived from:

 

1. Main Team Name Wins-Losses-Ties
2. 2. Maximum number of games with stats and/or line scores (completed games).

In Multi-Season Mode, the total games is the largest number of games as derived from:

 

1. Main Team Name Wins-Losses-Ties
2. Maximum number of games played by any player

 

2.6.3          Game-by-Game Player Statistics Pages

 

Figure 2-6  Player Game-by-Game Stats Pages

 

Separate pages hold individual batting statistics for each Active roster player for each game (Single-Season Mode) or each season (Multi-Season Mode) played. A separate page tracks statistics for the Expansion roster area. The user can navigate to specific player stats via the commands in the Stats menu. Additional commands provide for management of the entries under the Stats menu.

 

See PLAYER BATTING STATISTICS  for more details.

2.6.4          Batting Leaders

Figure 2-7  Batting Leaders Page

 

A display of the results of calculation of batting leaders in each category. In addition, the top leader in each category is displayed on the Team Summary Page.  The Preferences sub-command controls the content of the Batting Leaders page.

 

See BATTING LEADERS for more details on calculating Batting Leaders.

2.6.5          Game Schedule and Results

Figure 2-8  Game Schedule Page

 

In Single-Season mode, a composite schedule and results of all games is displayed on a separate page. The schedule can be created/edited manually or imported from an external file.  The schedule can be exported to a file for inclusion in popular calendar applications.

 

Season W-L-T record, current Win/Loss Streak, averages of runs scored/allowed, winning/losing margins are computed.

 

See  GAME SCHEDULE MANAGER  for more details.

 

2.6.6          User Notes Area

 

Figure 2-9  User Notes

This is a separate page with an unprotected block of cells. Some possible uses of this area are:

 

• Personal notes for the maintainer of the statistics
• Additional area for notices for the team, league, etc.
• Custom game schedule and upcoming events
• Detailed team roster information (e.g. player contact information)

 

See USER NOTES AREA for more details on deploying the User Notes area.

 

 

 

3           PROGRAM INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION

3.1          Distribution Files

WARNING:

The SBC does not require a password to install, use, or uninstall !!!

 

There are web sites that claim to offer keygen or uninstaller programs for the SBC.

These are rogue programs that can install viruses and/or cause damage to your system if executed.

 

The distribution contains the following files and folders. Copy these files into a working folder on your hard disk. No restriction on folder names is enforced. The SBC_Macros.xlm , SBC_Ribbon.xlam and Team Worksheet files must be in the same folder. However, an alias of a Team Worksheet file may be created to launch the SBC from a different location.

 

Program Files

SBC_Macros.xlm - The main controlling functions for the program

SBC_Ribbon.xlam - Optional Ribbon interface add-in when running under Windows Excel versions 2010 or later.

 

Single-Season Mode Files - Folder with example files for Single-Season Mode

SBC_Blank_Team.xls - A blank Team Worksheet

SBC_Sample_Team.xls - A sample Team Worksheet with active teams and players

 

Multi-Season Mode Files - Folder with example files for Multi-Season Mode

SBC_Blank_Team_MS.xls - A blank Team Worksheet

SBC_Sample_Team_MS.xls - A sample Team Worksheet with active teams and players

 

Sample Import Files – Samples and template files from various 3^rd party apps

6-4-3 Sample Import File.csv – Sample file as generated by the 6-4-3 Baseball Scorecard mobile app

iScore Sample Import File.csv – Sample file as generated by the iScore Baseball mobile app

KforCE Sample Import File.csv – Sample file as generated by the KforCE Baseball mobile app

 

Import Template Files

example schedule – sbc format.xls – Sample file to display the schedule import file format

example schedule – general format.xls – Sample file to display the general schedule import file format

 

SBC Sample Roster File FN LN.csv – Sample file to display the roster import file First Name / Last Name format

SBC Sample Roster File LN FN.csv – Sample file to display the roster import file Last Name / First Name format

SBC Sample Roster File LN,FN.csv – Sample file to display the roster import file Last Name, First Name format

 

General Template File - AB Format.xls - A sample template file specifying AB’s for custom game stats importing

General Template File - PA Format.xls - A sample template file specifying APA’s for custom game stats importing

 

SBC Season Stats Import Template - PA Format.xls - A sample template file specifying PA’s for custom season stats importing

SBC Season Stats Import Template - AB Format.xls - A sample template file specifying AB’s for custom season stats importing

 

Web Site Files –

Folder with files for web site processing. The web site files should be placed in a separate folder.

sbc-logo-72.png –  Default SBC logo graphics file for web page mastheads

baseball.png –   Optional masthead graphics file

softball.png –   Optional masthead graphics file

player1.png –   Optional masthead graphics file

player2.png –   Optional masthead graphics file

recleague.png –   Optional masthead graphics file

 

favicon.ico – Graphics file for desktop browser icon display

home_page_content_template.html – Sample template for use on Home Page

apple-touch-icon-xxx.png –  Nine files used for bookmarks on mobile devices

3.2          Excel Configuration

Due to differences in the various version of Excel, the SBC requires some one-time configuration and security setups based on the operating system (Windows or Mac) and the specific version of Excel.

3.2.1          Security Settings In Excel Versions

The SBC operates within the confines of the user’s system. The only Internet operations are those invoked explicitly by the user. Both the SBC macros, ribbon and Team Worksheet files are internally protected to prevent corruption.  File operations are all under user control.

 

Each version of Excel has its’ own method of dealing with macro security. For the SBC to operate, Excel must be configured to allow macros to execute.

NOTE:

In Excel 2007, the File tab is not present - Clicking on the Excel globe: performs this function.

In Excel 2010 and beyond, the File tab has been restored.

3.2.1.1         Security Configuration For Windows/Excel 2007 and Later

With the advent Excel 2007, the user needs to configure the security settings for proper operation of the SBC. Note that These settings should be performed with a blank Excel document.

Figure 3-1  Trust Center Trusted Locations Dialog

Excel must be configured to allow the SBC to execute from the directory where the SBC files are intended to be stored. This is controlled in the Trust Center by the File/Options/Trust Center/Trusted Locations tab. Click on the Add New Location tab to add the directory/directories.

 

Figure 3-2 Trust Center Macro Settings Dialog

Macro security must be configured to allow the SBC to execute. This is performed in the Trust Center under the File/Options/Trust Center/Macro Settings tab. The default setting is Disable all macros with notification. This is the safest setting. 

 

Figure 3-3 Trust Center File Block Settings Dialog

Configure the File Block Settings to allow Excel/4 worksheets, workbooks and macros by unchecking the associated Open checkboxes.

3.2.1.2         Launching the SBC On Windows/Excel 2007 and Later

After the Trust Center configuration has been completed, a one-time sequence needs to be performed.

 

1) Launch the SBC by clicking on the SBC_Macros.xlm file. If you see a warning about the file format, answer Yes:

 

Figure 3-4  File Format Warning Notification

2) After Excel loads, you will see a  security prompt to allow macro execution. Depending on the version of Excel, the alert will show in the message bar at the bottom of the window or just under the Ribbon area. Click on the Enable Content button to continue:

Figure 3-5  Security Warning Notification

3) Select any SBC  Team Worksheet file to open. The SBC should launch normally at this point.

 

4) After you see the SBC READY message in the message bar, quit the SBC via the Quit button. No need to save the Team Worksheet file at this point. 

 

Subsequent launches of the SBC can then be performed by clicking on a Team Worksheet.

3.2.2          SBC Ribbon UI Setup - Windows Excel 2010 and Newer

For Excel versions 2010 or newer under Windows, the SBC establishes its’ own Excel Ribbon (SBC Ribbon UI). As it is customized for SBC operation, it has no value when working with non-SBC documents. Excel will revert back to the built-in Excel Ribbon.

 

The SBC Ribbon UI is contained in a custom Add-in file. Place the SBC_Ribbon.xlam file in the same directory as the SBC_Macros.xlm file. This allows the SBC Ribbon UI to be used strictly for SBC operation.

 

Do not place the SBC_Ribbon.xlam file in the default Excel Add-ins directory !!!

 

The use of the SBC Ribbon UI interface is optional. To bypass using it, remove the SBC_Ribbon.xlam file from the directory and restart the SBC. The user interface will revert to the SBC Legacy UI.

The file: SBC_Ribbon.xlam  must not be renamed !!!

3.2.2.1         Excel Add-ins Coexistence

During SBC initialization, a test is performed to determine if any other Add-ins are active. The user will be alerted to this condition.

Figure 3-6 Excel Add-ins Alert

> You can Continue with SBC operation if desired, but be aware that these may cause conflicts or erratic behavior, especially with non-Microsoft 3^rd party Add-ins.  To activate the other Add-ins, it will be necessary to do this manually after the SBC is loaded.

 

If you choose Deactivate, these Add-ins will be disabled but not removed from the Excel Add-ins directory. The SBC will be closed. If these add-ins are needed subsequently, they will need to be re-enabled manually.

 

3.2.3          SBC Legacy UI  Setup - Windows/ Excel 2007 and Newer

With these versions, the SBC menus and toolbar will appear under the Add-Ins tab.  The SBC will activate this tab at startup time if it is visible on the ribbon. If not, the user will be notified to enable this tab via the Excel File tab under Options/Customize Ribbon command. If the SBC Ribbon UI is active (Windows / Excel 2010 and newer), the SBC tab will take precedence.

 

Figure 3-6  Excel Options Under Windows Ribbon Interface

NOTE:

On some versions of Excel, the SBC tab and ribbon do not get activated after initialization. If this occurs, simply hit the SBC tab.

3.2.4          Windows /Excel 2016 and 2019 Notes

The SBC is compatible with Excel 2016 and 2019 on Windows. However, these versions do not co-exist with previous versions of Excel on the same machine.

NOTE:

Excel 2019 runs under Windows 10 ONLY !!!

 

Microsoft has not changed the base revision for 2019. Thus, the SBC Help / Info button will still show as Excel version 16.

3.2.5          Mac OSX Excel Versions

The Windows and Mac versions of Excel are totally different implementations and have a major impact on SBC functionality and performance.  In general, the Windows versions have more robust and stable macro capabilities which are essential for SBC operation.  For example, it is not possible to provide the custom SBC Ribbon UI interface or the SBC command progress windows on any Excel version on the Mac.

 

If you wish to run the SBC on the Mac, the only viable Excel versions are 2004 or 2011. Running the SBC under Excel 2008, 2016 or later  on the Mac is not supported as critical macro functionality has been dropped in these versions of Excel on the Mac.

3.2.5.1         Limitations – Excel 2011 Mac OSX

1. The SBC Team Worksheets are configured for Page Break View mode. The Excel macro support for this is broken. This is strictly cosmetic for screen viewing. Printing and web page generation are not affected. There is no workaround for this.
2. When prompted for file or directories, the previous directory location is not always preserved. There is no workaround for this.
3. When executing commands that take a fair amount of time, the contents of the window may appear to jump/ flash. This is cosmetic only.
4. A script menu and separate Excel Help menu is displayed on the custom SBC menu bar.  The SBC cannot block these.

3.3          Deinstalling the SBC

WARNING:

The SBC does not require a password to use or an uninstaller to remove from your system !!!

 

There are web sites that claim to offer keygen or uninstaller programs for the SBC.

These are rogue programs that can install viruses and/or cause damage to your system if executed.

 

The SBC may be deinstalled by simply dragging the SBC_Macros.xlm, SBC_Ribbon.xlam and Team Worksheets to the trash. The SBC does not create any configuration, log files or .plist files.

 

 

4           STARTING THE SBC

4.1          Starting From a Team Worksheet File

After doing the basic installation of the files, and reviewing the overall structure of the SBC, it is beneficial to get a flavor of the SBC operation using actual team data on a Team Worksheet. Ensure that the Excel application is not running. Then, double-click on the SBC_Sample_Team.xls file.  This is the preferred method as it will launch Excel and the SBC Macros, and load the ribbon at the same time.

 

The SBC  macros will be automatically started. Watch the progress window or the Excel message bar at the bottom left of the Team Worksheet for progress information. When the watch/hourglass cursor stops, you’ll see SBC READY.

 

Figure 4-1  File Format Warning Example

When a Team Worksheet is launched with a new revision of the SBC, a “thanks for downloading” message will appear.

If you find the SBC useful, please consider a donation at this time or later via the SBC Help / Donate button.

 

After the Team Worksheet is saved, this message will no longer appear on subsequent launches. Configuration messages may also appear depending on the version of Excel.

 

After you see the SBC READY message in the message bar, you are now ready to begin!

4.2          Starting From the SBC Macros File

Alternatively, the SBC may be started by double-clicking the SBC_Macros.xlm file. A Prompt for a Team Worksheet will appear. Note that some versions of Excel may post an alert at this time indicating a possible file format issue with the SBC_Macros.xlm file. These can be ignored by clicking the Yes button.

 

If you encounter security alerts, check the Trust Center configurations.

 

Figure 4-2  File Format Warning Example

4.3          Status Bar Messages

The standard Excel Status Bar area at the bottom left of the active window is used for status and progress messages from SBC operations. When the SBC is ready to accept a command from the user, the status bar will display: SBC READY – xx Games

 

Where xx indicates the number of completed games. When a command is running, the Status Bar will indicate the operation(s) being performed.

 

If there are any notifications that need to be addressed, the Status Bar will indicate this:

 

Figure 4-3  Status Bar With Notifications Alert Example

In addition, the SBC Help / Notices button will display the notifications (if any) and can then be used to view the specifics.

 

For long operations (e.g.: Initialization, One Step Web Site, Calculation of Batting Leaders), the Status Bar will also indicate the percentage completion of the command.

4.3.1          Games Display - Single-Season Mode

Given the variety of ways that the SBC can be used, the number is the largest number of completed games as derived from:

 

1. Main Team Name Wins-Losses-Ties
2. Games with stats entries
3. Total number of schedule entries.

 

Thus, if you are using the Game Schedule feature, the number will reflect the total number of games in the schedule. Otherwise, it will reflect the total number of complete games played.

4.3.2          Games Display - Multi-Season Mode

The number of seasons with stats entries is displayed.

 

4.4          Progress Window

When running the SBC under Windows Excel, the progress for complex commands will appear in a modeless window on the screen. No user intervention is required.

 

Figure 4-4  Progress Window Example

4.5          Operating Environment Detection

At startup, the SBC will automatically configure its environment based on the version of Excel and the operating system (Macintosh or Windows). If this cannot be determined, the user will be prompted to select the version of Excel:

 

Figure 4-5  Manual Selection of Excel Version

This prompt will occur any time the SBC cannot detect the operating environment. However, the SBC will attempt to preserve the previous selection as the default for subsequent launches under this situation.

 

Due to major differences/limitations in the underlying macro support, the SBC may not be usable under international versions of Excel, especially non-English language versions.

NOTE:

The SBC has not been internationalized. All interfaces and messages are in English.

4.6          Quitting the SBC

The preferred way to quit the SBC is via the  icon in the SBC Ribbon UI, or by the ctl+alt+Q keyboard shortcut.

 

The user will be prompted with a file save dialog box for the Team Worksheet. Then, the SBC and the Excel application will be terminated normally. The SBC closes the SBC_Macros.xlm file (and SBC_Ribbon.xlam file if active) automatically at termination. In the unlikely event that a prompt occurs to save the SBC_Macros.xlm file, always hit the Don’t Save button.

 

The window close control in the window title bar may be used. However, if depressed, the Cancel function in the dialog will be ignored. This is due to the inability of the SBC to detect the cancel action in this situation.

 

It is not recommended to exit via the Excel/Quit or Excel/Exit command as extraneous prompts to save the SBC_Macros.xlm macro file may appear. As is the case with the window close button, the Cancel dialog button will be ignored.  In addition, when executing this command on some Windows versions of Excel, a macro error may occur.

4.7          Document Compatibility Issues

4.7.1          Team Worksheet Compatibility

The SBC provides forward compatibility for Team Worksheets that were created using previous SBC versions. When a previous version Team Worksheet is first launched with the latest version of the SBC, all applicable patches will be applied to bring it up to date. The message bar/progress window will show the progress of the patch processing. Once the Team Worksheet is saved, the patches are permanent. The Team Worksheets supplied with the SBC releases already incorporate these patches.

4.7.2          File Format Differences in Excel Versions 12 and Greater

Starting with Excel version 12 (Office 2007 on Windows, Office 2008 on the Mac), Excel was enhanced to support the Office Open XML file standard. Files in this format have an .xlsx suffix. When saving an SBC Team Worksheet, make sure to save it in the original .xls format. If you save it in the .xlsx format, you will not be able to re-launch the SBC next time.

4.7.3          Running The SBC With Other Excel Documents Open

Only a single Team Worksheet can be open at a time. Once the SBC has been started, non-SBC documents may be opened, if desired. Users may switch between documents by clicking on them or by using the Window menu (non-Ribbon UI versions of Excel). See Excel Configuration for limitations when running under certain versions of Excel.

 

Import operations (e.g.: Schedule, Stats, Roster) will close all open documents except the active Team Worksheet. The user will be prompted to save any documents that have been modified.

 

 

5           CONFIGURING A TEAM WORKSHEET

A Team Worksheet can be configured by using an existing file or from a copy of one of the supplied sample or blank files.

5.1          Configuring New Team

This command configures a Team Worksheet for a new team. If you are a first time SBC user, launch the SBC with a copy of the SBC_Blank_Team.xls Single-Season Mode Team Worksheet.

 

When the initialization completes, run the General / Configure / New Team command. You will see an alert:

 

Figure 5-1  New Team Confirmation Alert

Hit OK to continue.

 

You will then be prompted for some basic configuration information:

 

Figure 5-2  New Team Configuration Prompt

When this operation is completed, perform the following steps to organize a new Team Worksheet:

 

1. Set up your GLOBAL CONFIGRATION SETTINGS
2. Set up the print options by executing the General  / Print / Page Setup command (PRINTING REPORTS)
3. Set up the player entries for your rosters (PLAYER ROSTERS).
4. If available, set up the game schedule.  This process can automatically populate the Standings if desired.
5. If available, set up the teams in the division standings.

5.1.1          First Time Users Notes

Sample Roster and Schedule files are including in the SBC distribution for importing. It is suggested to understand how to use import files as it is significantly faster to configure your Team Worksheet than entering the values manually.

5.2          Configuring New Season

This is similar to configuring a New Team except that basic team and standings information is preserved. This is useful for the start of a new season or for playoffs, tournaments, etc. Run the General / Configure / New Season command.

 

Figure 5-3  New Season Confirmation Prompt

Hit OK to continue. Follow the prompts that follow for basic configuration values.

5.3          Changing Worksheet Format

A Team Worksheet exists in either Single-Season or Multi-Season format. When in Expanded Commands mode, the format can be changed by the General / Configure / Worksheet Format command. This change will clear most of the entries on the existing Team Worksheet.

 

Figure 5-4 Change Worksheet Format Confirmation Prompt

Hit OK to continue. Follow the prompts that follow for basic configuration values.

 

 

6            SBC RIBBON UI – BASIC COMMANDS SET

When running under Windows/Excel versions 2010 and newer, the commands are organized into the SBC Ribbon UI. 

 

A traditional menus and toolbar interface (SBC Legacy UI) is the standard UI for Windows versions of Excel prior to Excel 2010 and all Excel versions on the Mac OSX.  See SBC LEGACY UI  for more details.

 

The Basic Commands set is sufficient for the majority of users for Single-Season Mode Team Worksheets. This keeps the user interfaces streamlined. A more extensive set is available for added functionality. See SBC RIBBON UI - EXPANDED COMMANDS SET. See Appendix A for expanded views of the SBC Ribbon UI with commands in each mode.

 

Figure 6-1  SBC Ribbon UI – Basic Commands

Commands that are not applicable for a given operating mode or state will be dimmed or not visible.

 

Tooltips appear when the cursor is positioned over a given button or command. Keyboard equivalents for common commands are identified where applicable. See Table 6-1 for a summary of all keyboard shortcuts.

 

Where applicable, a Copy to Clipboard function copies the area to the system clipboard for transferring the contents to another application.

6.1          General Command Group

 

These commands incorporate basic file and printing operations plus global configuration functions.

6.1.1          Quit SBC (ctl+alt+Q)

This command quits the SBC application.

6.1.2          Save (ctl+S) / Save As

Same as normal Excel menu functions to save the Team Worksheet or a copy. These functions are also in the QAT toolbar above the Ribbon.

 

WARNING:

Make sure to save the Team Worksheet as an .xls format file, not an .xlsx file.  Otherwise, you will not be able to re-launch the SBC from this Team Worksheet.

6.1.3          Print Group Commands

 

The Print button  (ctl+P) invokes a structured printing of the Team Worksheet.  This functions is also in the QAT toolbar above the Ribbon. See PRINTING REPORTS for more details on printing.

 

The dropdown menu contains additional print-specific functions:

6.1.3.1         Print Selection (ctl+alt+P)

Allows a specific area of the Team Worksheet to be printed.

6.1.3.2         Page Setup

Same as normal Excel File / Page Setup

6.1.3.3         Default Page Setup

Same as Page Setup, except reverts to built-in default settings for the SBC.

6.1.3.4         Printer Setup

Allows selection of the printer from within the SBC. This is a Windows-only command.

6.1.4          Import and Export Commands

 

These commands facilitate importing from exterior files. See the relevant sections for more details. The Summary commands will recall the summary of the last Import or Export operation.

6.1.5          Configure Commands Group

6.1.5.1         General Preferences

This invokes the legacy General Preferences dialog (GLOBAL CONFIGRATION SETTINGS). Most of these options are now available in their respective command groups. The    icon in the lower right-hand corner of the General group will also invoke the General Preferences command.

6.1.5.2         New Season

Command to Configuring New Season. Preserves existing rosters, team names.

6.1.5.3         New Team

Command to Configuring New Team.

6.1.5.4         Expanded Commands

Enables the SBC RIBBON UI - EXPANDED COMMANDS SET

6.1.5.5         Informational Messages

When checked, provides additional information and confirmation messages during command execution. Useful when getting started with the SBC.

6.1.5.6         Track Fines

Enables the optional Track Fines category for players. See Stats Tracking Options

6.1.5.7         Track Slow-Pitch Stats Only

Reduces stats tracking to those that are applicable to Slow Pitch Softball. Uncheck this option for Fast Pitch / Modified Softball or Baseball. See Stats Tracking Options

6.1.5.8         SBC Legacy UI

Controls the legacy menus and toolbar interface under the Add-ins tab. By default, the SBC Legacy UI is disabled when the SBC Ribbon UI is active. When activated, the focus will switch to the Add-ins tab. To disable, switch back to the SBC tab and run the command again.

The SBC Legacy UI can be used as the sole interface or used simultaneously with the SBC Ribbon UI.

6.1.6          Repeat (ctl+alt+Y)

Where applicable, repeats execution of the previously executed SBC command. The title of the command will be shown in the tooltip when applicable or Can’t Repeat if not feasible. This is unique to SBC commands.

 

The standard Excel Repeat (ctl+Y or QAT function ) can be used in some limited instances as well for non-SBC commands such as Copy, Paste, etc.

6.2          Web Composer Command Group

 

6.2.1          One Step Web Site (ctl+alt+W)

 

Generates a web site for both desktop and mobile browsers (CREATING A BASIC WEB SITE).

6.2.1.1         Processing Summary

Displays statistics and primary navigation links for the most recently created web site.

6.2.2          Preferences

 

These options and preferences control the contents of the generated web site (CREATING A BASIC WEB SITE). An extensive set of preferences are available in Expanded Commands Mode.

6.3          Team Command Group

    

These commands facilitate operations associated with the team and division.  The main buttons navigate to the area on the Team worksheet.

6.3.1          User Notes

 

An optional area for additional team or league information. (USER NOTES AREA).

6.3.2          Team Schedule

 

See SCEHDULE MANAGER for details on creating and managing the team schedule and game results.

6.3.3          Division Standings

 

See  DIVISION STANDINGS for details on creating and managing the division standings.

6.3.4          Box Scores

 

See BOX SCORES for details on creating and managing box scores.

6.4          Summary Command Group

Navigates to the top-level Team Summary page.

6.5          Players Command Group

       

 

These commands facilitate operations for roster and player statistics.  The main buttons navigate to the area on the Team worksheet.

6.5.1          Batting Summary

 

Navigates to the Team Batting summary or Expansion Roster stats page.

6.5.2          Stats

 

The Stats button invokes the Stats Update command for manual game stats entry or updating. The background will navigate to each detailed player stats area during the update session.  Commands in the dropdown menu facilitate display and management of the individual player batting statistics. ( PLAYER BATTING STATISTICS).

6.5.3          Batting Leaders

 

Commands to display, configure and compute the Batting Leaders.  (BATTING LEADERS)

6.5.4          Rosters

Commands to manage the Active and Expansion rosters. (PLAYER ROSTERS)

6.6          Format Command Group

See MODIFYING CELL FORMATS for more details on text format modifications.

 

6.6.1          Select All (ctl+A)

This command will select all active areas of the Team Worksheet. The header/masthead areas are not included in the selection. This is useful for making global formatting changes.

6.6.2          Cells

 

These commands provide for basic formatting while preserving the Team Worksheet protection.

6.7          SBC Help Group

 

These commands provide assistance for the proper operation of the SBC.

6.7.1          Info

Displays basic revision and configuration information.

 

Figure 6-2  Info / About SBC

In Single-Season Mode, Completed Games includes games that have been resolved according to Table 8-1. Last Completed Game is only shown in Single-Season Mode. In Multi-Season Mode, the Schedule Entries is replaced by Seasons.

6.7.2          Notices

Several operations of the SBC may require follow-up intervention after the command has been executed. If this occurs, the user will be alerted in the Status Bar message as well as the Notices icon with the number of pending notices. The Notices command can then be used to view the specific items that may need attention:

 

Figure 6-3  Pending Notifications Summary Example

Dimmed items do not require attention. Select the desired item and then hit Fix to run the appropriate supporting command.

 

Batting Leaders needs updating

Normally, the result of deferring this operation after running a command where one or more players appears in the current Batting Leaders. Re-run Batting Leaders / Update command.

 

Box Score needs updating

Normally, the result of deferring this operation after running a command where one or more players appears in the current Box Score. Can also indicate errors as a result of Box Score calculations such as missing field(s), mismatch of line score runs vs Box Score runs totals.  Correct as necessary and re-run Box Scores / Update command.

 

Division Standings needs updating

An attempt to enter more than the maximum number of teams into the Standings. This could be the result of an incorrect schedule import. Correct as required and re-import the schedule.

 

Also, can be the result of the main Team Name not selected. Correct and re-run Standings / Calculate update.

 

Player stats validation errors

This can result from importing a corrupted stats import file. Run the Stats / Validate Stats command for details. Ideally, they should be corrected at the source.  Then, rerun the import operation.

 

Schedule entries incomplete

This is common at the beginning of the season when an incomplete schedule has been entered. Examples would be where the date was entered for a game, but time/field/opponent fields specifics were not available. Correct as necessary. See Editing Game Schedule XE "Game Schedule" Entries.

 

Unknown or duplicate players in roster

During stats or roster importing, player names that do not already exist in the rosters or exist in both rosters will be flagged. Ideally, the issues should be corrected at the source. Then, re-run the import operation.

 

SBC Software Updates

Indicates that there is a newer version of the SBC available or that the revision test could not be performed automatically.

 

 

SBC Ribbon UI loader issues

This will occur on Windows/Excel versions 2010 or newer if the SBC could not install the SBC_Ribbon.xlam file at startup or if the revision is incorrect for the SBC version that is running. This is not a fatal error as the Legacy SBC UI can still be used under the Add-ins tab. To use the SBC Ribbon UI, hit Fix and follow the corrective action.

6.7.3          Updates _4.60

This command checks for newer releases of the SBC. The results will be reported to the user with an option to access the newer version from the SBC web site. Requires an active internet connection.

 

When running under Excel on OSX platforms, the SBC cannot perform the check automatically, but will allow the user to access the SBC web site to check manually.

6.7.4          Shortcuts

This command as well as the HELP key (or ctl+alt+?) will display the keyboard shortcuts for selected SBC commands. On Windows versions of Excel, this is a moveable display that persists until the X icon  is pressed.

 

The mappings have been chosen to avoid conflicts with common Excel shortcuts. Note that some shortcuts may not be functional on some versions of Excel due to inability to override built-in Excel shortcuts.

 

  

Table 6-1  Windows OS Keyboard Shortcuts

6.7.5          User Manual

Opens the on-line SBC User Manual as a web page in the system default web browser. Requires active internet connection.

6.7.6          Support

Opens a web page in the system default web browser with SBC support notes and developer contact information. Revision history is also available at this web page. Requires active internet connection.

6.7.7          Ribbon

Re-syncs the SBC Ribbon UI with the SBC Legacy UI under specific conditions. ( SBC Ribbon UI Issues)

6.7.8          Donate

Opens a web page in the default system web browser with instructions to make a donation (always appreciated ☺) for on-going SBC support and future development. Requires active internet connection.

 

 

7           DIVISION STANDINGS

7.1          Division Standings Structure

This section describes the operations to configure and maintain the team and division standings. The user may choose to bypass tracking of division standings. However, a minimum entry of your team name in this area is required as it is used in other functions.  This will be referred to as the main Team Name. The user will be prompted to enter a value when the Team Worksheet is configured. It can be modified as desired via the General / Configure / General Preferences command.

 

The user interface is streamlined to minimize the number of operations required. A large number of teams can be entered to accommodate for inter-divisional or tournament teams.

 

The Division Standings can be updated manually if the standings are used to track the W-L-T records of all teams, or automatically derived from the schedule results if the user is just tracking W-L-T records against the main Team Name.

 

A snapshot of the division standings area is shown:

 

Figure 7-1  Division Standings Display / Data Entry Area

The gridlines have been activated and areas of interest have been highlighted.

 

7.1.1          Changing The Division Name

1. Navigate to the division standings area of the worksheet via the Standings button.
2. Move the cursor to the title cell area over the division standings and enter the appropriate title for your league/division. Note that the cell immediately following is automatically updated with the standings date when the division standings are calculated.

 

The banner above the division standings area (“Division Standings as of:”) is automatically generated when the standings are updated. It can be modified as desired. The SBC will check to see if this label is blank at startup. If this is the case, the default banner for the area will be regenerated.

 

For example, you may want a title such as:  "Over The Hill Division Standings as of:” during the season. At the end of the season, you may wish to change the title to something like:  "Final Over The Hill Division Standings".  The date cell may be altered or blanked out as desired.

7.1.2          Entry of Team Names

Two methods exist for entry of the team names:

7.1.2.1         Automatic Entry From Schedule

The Import / Schedule  command provides an option to extract the team names from the schedule file and add them to the Division Standings. See Importing a Game Schedule for more details.

7.1.2.2         Automatic Entry From File  _4.60

The Import Standings command provides the ability to import the team names from a structured file or another SBC Team Worksheet. See   Importing Team Names and Standings  4.60 for more details.

7.1.2.3         Manual Entry

The Edit Teams command can be used to add/modify/rename/delete teams in the standings.

7.1.3          Division Team Names Management

The Edit Teams command provides for maintenance of the teams in the standings.

 

Figure 7-2  Edit / Division Team Names Dialog

7.1.3.1         Adding Teams

Enter a team name in the edit box and hit the Add button. The entry will be tested to ensure that the team name does not already exist in the standings. A team name can be a text, alphanumeric or purely numeric value. Teams can be added in any order.

 

Additional teams can be added up to the maximum number defined in Specifications. The dialog shows the current status.

7.1.3.2         Renaming a Team

Select the Team Name from the dropdown list and hit Rename. A secondary dialog box will appear. Edit the team name as desired. The entry will be tested to ensure that it is not blank and it does not already exist in the standings.

 

The main Team Name cannot be modified if there are entries in the schedule. This prevents inadvertent corruption of the schedule. Thus, to modify the main Team Name, the schedule must be cleared first.

7.1.3.3         Deleting a Team

Select the Team Name from the dropdown list and hit Delete. The Team Name will be removed from the standings. The main Team Name cannot be deleted if there are entries in the schedule.

7.1.3.4         Clearing All W/L/T Records

The Clear W/L/T Records command will clear all the records for all teams in the standings. This is useful at the beginning of the season or playoffs when the teams in the division remain unchanged.

7.1.3.5         Clearing All Teams

The Clear Teams command will remove all teams and W/L/T except for the Main Team Name from the standings. This is useful when starting a new season.

7.1.3.6         Selecting the Main Team Name

The main Team Name identifies the name of your team. It is utilized extensively so it is important to set this parameter. Commands that require the main Team Name parameter will be dimmed (disabled) if this parameter is not defined .

 

The main Team Name cannot be changed unless there is at least one team entry in the standings. To prevent schedule corruption in Single-Season Mode, the main Team Name cannot be modified if there are entries in the schedule.

 

Use the  Edit Teams command, select the desired team, and hit the Set Main Team function.

 

Alternatively,

 

1. Go to the General / Configure / General Preferences command.
2. Select your team from the Team Name dropdown list of team names.

7.1.4          Updating Division Standings

7.1.4.1         Division Standings Calculations

Standings are calculated and then sorted using the following rules for tiebreakers (as required):

 

1. Highest winning percentage
2. Most Wins
3. Most Ties
4. Fewest Losses
5. Team Name

 

Winning PCT percentage is calculated as:

 

PCT = (Wins + (Ties/2)) / (Wins + Losses + Ties)

 

Games Behind Leader (GBL) is calculated relative to the first-place team (highest WP) as:

 

GBL = +1/2 point for a win + 1/4 point for a tie -1/2 point for a loss

 

The GBL values are updated when the division standings are recalculated.

7.1.4.2         Manual Updating of Division Standings

If the Auto-Update Standings mode is inactive, the standings can be manually updated by performing the following:

Figure 7-3  Division Standings Options Dialog

1. Navigate to the standings area by via the Standings button.
2. Update the wins, losses, and ties as required for each team. Entries must be positive, numeric values >=0.
3. Run the Calculate command. W-L-T entries will be validated and errors reported.
4. You will be prompted for the standings date (default is today's date) and other options.

 

The displayed date may be changed manually or, as might be the case at the end of the season, blanked out.

 

The Calculate command can be run at any time based on the current W-L-T records  in the standings.

7.1.4.3         Automatic Updating of Division Standings

In Single-Season Mode, the user can choose to automatically recompute the standings from the scores that have been entered into the Game Schedule by enabling the Auto Update Standings option. This mode is useful when just tracking the head-to-head match-ups of the other teams in the division to your team. The W-L-T area is locked to prevent inadvertent corruption.

 

W-L-T records are extracted from the schedule results only for teams that appear in the standings. A division standings update is automatically invoked whenever the schedule contents changes.

 

A team that appears in the schedule but not in the standings will not be included. This allows for non-divisional game results to be tracked in the schedule but not factored into the standings. The user will be alerted to this situation when this mode is activated and after a schedule update has been completed.

 

A team that appears in the standings but not in schedule will need to have their W-L-T records updated manually. To perform this operation, temporarily disable the Auto Update Standings option to unlock the W-L-T area. Re-enable it after updating.

 

It is desirable to disable the GBL display via the Display GBL option as it has limited value in this mode.

7.1.4.4         Highlight Main Team Name

If this option is checked and a main Team Name has been selected, it will be shown in bold text in the standings.

7.1.5          Importing Team Names and Standings  _4.60

The Import Standings command provides the ability to import the team names and standings from external files.

 

This is useful to initially populate the team names in the division. It also provides a mechanism when the division standings are maintained by another source. Division team names and standings can be imported from other SBC Team Worksheets as well.

 

A main Team Name must be selected prior to importing. That team must be included in the import file as well.

7.1.5.1         General Importing File Structures

The import file can be in Excel .xls or .xlsx format or in .csv format.

Figure 7-4  Import Standings File Format

Line 1 must contain identifying labels as shown for proper identification as a Standings import file. The standings labels only need to include the first identifying letter. Thus, W, Won, Wins, Ties, Tied, etc. are all acceptable. Entries can be in any order.

 

Column A entries contain team names. If blank, the line will be ignored.

 

W-L-T entries are optional and, if specified, must be positive integer values >= 0. They can be left blank if you are just importing team names. They will be mapped to 0’s in that case.

 

When importing from an SBC Team Worksheet, the current teams and W-L-T records will be imported.

 

In either case, the current Division Standings teams  and W-L-T records will be overwritten with those from the import file. PCT and GBL values are not needed as they will be re-computed during the import process.

7.1.5.2         Import Procedure

The Import Standings command will invoke a file selection dialog box.

 

DO NOT SELECT THE ACTIVE TEAM WORKSHEET AS A SOURCE FILE

OR UNEXPECTED RESULTS CAN OCCUR !!1

 

The import file contents will first be validated for the following:

 

1. Correct labels in Line 1 (Generic formatted files only)
2. Current Main Team Name is one of the teams in the import file
3. No duplicate team names
4. Number of entries does not exceed the size of the Division Standings
5. If present, all W-L-T entries are positive integer values >= 0

 

After validation, any blank W-L-T entries will be mapped to 0’s. Then, the current Division Standings will be overwritten with the entries from the import file and a normal Division Standings update will occur.

 

7.1.6          Export Standings  _4.63

Export Standings command will export the current Division Standings to a .csv formatted file. The format is the same as shown in Figure 7-4 for Import Standings . Team names, W-L-T and PCT entries will be included. If the Display GBL option is active, then the GBL value will be included.

8           GAME SCHEDULE MANAGER

NOTE:

This capability is not available in Multi-Season Mode

as individual game statistics are combined into composite season statistics.

 

The SBC maintains identifying information for individual games on the Game Schedule page.  The schedules can be entered manually or imported from an external file. It can be modified manually after importing as well.

 

The Schedule button can be used to view the current schedule. The display of the schedule page is refreshed automatically whenever there are changes.

 

There are five lines above the column headers that can be used for user-defined information.

8.1          Game Schedule Attributes

For each game, the following attributes are maintained:

 

1. Game Number
2. Home Team Name
3. Visiting Team Name
4. Date
5. Time
6. Field
7. Line score results (maintained by the BOX SCORES Manager)
8. Status (optional)

 

8.1.1          Game Number

Game Numbers are always positive integer values greater than 0.

8.1.2          Status Field

The use of the Status field is optional. Some common entries are contained in the dropdown list (Table 8-1). Hit Add/Update to update.

A Status field value marked as N is considered a resolved (completed) game. Games with Status field entries can still have line scores and/or stats entries as desired. Examples would be for Suspended, Forfeit, Forfeit – Loss, or Forfeit – Win.

Value	Default Highlighting
Date/Time Change	Y
Field Change	Y
Makeup Game	Y
Practice	Y
Pre-Season Practice	Y
Schedule Change	Y
Scrimmage	Y
Scrimmage Game	Y
TBP	Y
To Be Played	Y
Canceled	N
Forfeit	N
Forfeit - Loss	N
Forfeit - Win	N
No Game	N
Postponed	N
Rainout	N
Suspended	N

Table 8-1  Predefined Status Field Values

 

Any undefined, non-blank status field entry will inhibit the Highlight First Unplayed Game function for that game. To override this, put a leading asterisk (*) in the entry.

8.1.3          Games With Stats Entries Only

Games with player stats but without attribute information or a line score will appear with the identifying Game number. The Status field will be marked with Stats Only to indicate this condition.

8.2          Schedule Entry Methods

The Schedule can be populated manually via the Schedule / Edit command or imported from a formatted schedule file. Given the large amount of data in a schedule, importing is the preferred method as it significantly faster and less error prone than manual entry.

 

The teams in the Division Standings can be automatically populated during this process as well if the Add New Teams to Division option is enabled during importing.

8.3          Importing a Game Schedule

 

A game schedule may be imported into a Team Worksheet via the Import / Schedule command. This command will be dimmed if a main Team Name has not been selected.

 

The file can be either an Excel .xls, .xlsx worksheet or a comma-separated variables .csv file.

 

The supported file formats are:

• SBC
• General

8.3.1          Schedule File Format - SBC

Three game entries are shown for simplicity.

 

The first line of the file identifies the file as an SBC formatted schedule file with the identifier: SBC Schedule in cell A1.  The Title1 and Title2 lines contain optional identifying information in cells B2 and B3 respectively for the schedule and will be placed on the first two lines of the Schedule page if the Process Titles option is selected. If the B2 or B3 cell is blank, then the corresponding line on the Schedule page will be unchanged.

 

A header line (A4-F4) describes the cell locations of the attributes of each game. Subsequent lines describe individual game entries. The games can be in any order. A blank line entry (Example: Row 8) terminates the import process.

 

Figure 8-1  Schedule Import File Format With Opponents - SBC

The rules for the game attributes are as follows:

 

Game Positive integer value identifying the game by number.

Date, Time, Field Attributes that identify the game. These can be any value or blank.

Status Optional information about the game. This can be any value or blank.

Opponent This can be another division or non-division team. If the Opponent team is not known, leave the field blank. If this is an away game, annotate the game with a leading ‘at ‘ or “@” prefix before the Opponent team name. 

 NOTE: The Opponent team name cannot be the same as the Main Team name.

 

Alternatively, the matchups may be entered with the Visitor and Home teams.  Either the Visitor or Home team (but not both !) must be the main Team Name:

 

Figure 8-2  Schedule Import File Format With Visitor/Home - SBC

8.3.2          Schedule File Format – General

The General format is a flexible format that automatically detects the locations of the field identifiers.  Schedules can be created by a user with a text editor, Excel or via an export file from a third-party scheduling program.

 

A truncated schedule is shown for simplicity:

 

Figure 8-3  Schedule Import File Format – General

 

A header line describes the ten possible cell locations of the field identifiers. Subsequent lines describe individual game entries.  Only the minimum field identifiers are necessary for a schedule entry. The minimum required field identifiers are as follows:

 

• Date 
• Time
• Field or Location or Venue 

 

Team matchups must be specified as well. The General format can accept one of two team matchup definition methods:

 

Visitor or Visitors or Visiting Team

Home or Home Team One of these teams should be the main Team Name. If the matchups are not determined,

 leave the field(s) blank.

 

or:

 

Opponent This can be another division or non-division team. If this is an away game, annotate the game with a leading  at  or @ prefix.  If the Opponent team is not known, leave the field blank.

 

WARNING:

The Opponent team name cannot be the same as the Main Team name.

 

Game or Game #

The General formats allow for a Game number field but this is not required. If not specified, a sequential Game number will be assigned to each entry during the import process.

 

An optional Status or Notes field may be included. This can be any value or blank. A number of predefined values are shown in Table 8-1.

 

A blank line entry (Example: Row 7) terminates the import process.

 

NOTE:

If the import file type is .csv, fields cannot have embedded commas (e.g.: MMM DD, YYYY).

 If this is unavoidable, enclose the field with quotes (e.g.: ”MMM DD, YYYY”).

8.3.3          Import Processing Options

Invoking the Import / Schedule command will prompt the user for processing options:

 

  

Figure 8-4  Schedule Import Processing Options

File Format:

Select the file format consistent with the source of your schedule.

 

Processing Modes:

Sync Games With Existing Schedule

This option will add any new games from the import file to the existing schedule.

 

Entries that match an existing game schedule entry will be overwritten if the team names match. Existing line score will be preserved. If the team names do not match, the user will be prompted for confirmation. If confirmed, the schedule information and will be overwritten and the line score will be cleared.

 

Append New Games Only

Only games from the file that do not exist in the schedule will be added. Matching games will be ignored.

 

Overwrite Existing Schedule

Any existing Game Schedule entries and associated line scores (if any) will be cleared. The user will be alerted to confirm this operation.

 

Processing Options:

Add New Teams to Division

Any new team names that do not exist in the Division will be added with a record of 0-0-0. This will only occur for processed schedule entries. This can be useful when setting up a new schedule to automatically populate the division teams. The number of new teams added will be reported at the end of the import process.

 

Process Titles (SBC Format Only)  

Controls whether the Title1 and Title2 entries will be placed on the title lines of the Schedule page. If unchecked, the existing titles on the Schedule page remain unchanged.

 

Processing option settings will be preserved for subsequent recalls of the Import / Schedule command.

8.3.3.1         Import Processing File Validation

The importer will pre-scan the import file for basic formatting and data entry errors:

 

SBC Format:

1. Cell A1: Missing SBC Schedule identifier
2. Cell A2: Missing Title1 field identifier
3. Cell A3: Missing Title2 field identifier
4. Missing or incorrect labels in Cells A4-F4
5. Game numbers that are not positive integer values
6. Invalid team matchup names
7. Duplicate game numbers
8. Duplicate Date/Time combinations

 

 

General Format:

1. Missing or incorrect labels in first row
2. Invalid team matchup names
3. Duplicate game numbers (if game numbers were specified)
4. Duplicate Date/Time combinations

 

Any errors detected will be reported to the user with the source line where it occurred and a description. The schedule will not be updated.

8.3.4          Import Processing Summary

At the end of the import process, a summary of the processing will be displayed. This can be recalled by the Import / Import Summary command.

 

The Starting Schedule Size and Updated Schedule Size values reflect the number of games that have schedule entries. This may be less than the total number of active games if some game stats were entered without schedule information.

 

 

Figure 8-5  Schedule Import Processing Summary

If the Add New Teams to Division option was enabled during import, a count of the number of new teams added to the Division is displayed. If there was insufficient space in the Division to add all new teams, an asterisk will be shown next to the count. The user will be alerted to this condition. If this occurs, check the Opponent team names in the source schedule file and the resulting Division area to resolve.

 

 If the Add New Teams to Division option was disabled, the New Teams Added: will show as n.a.

8.4          Schedule Processing Options

These options are also available as a group under the General / Configure / General Preferences sub-menu.

8.4.1.1         Display Game Numbers

Option Active:

The number assigned to each game will be displayed in the first column. Games will be displayed in ascending order by sorted by Game Number.

 

Option Inactive:

The  Game Number is not shown. Games will be displayed in ascending order by sorted by Date and Time.  This allows for flexibility in assigning game numbers for practice games, playoffs, exhibition games, etc. Then, games with stats entries but no corresponding schedule entry will be shown. The Status filed will mark these games as:

 

Game xx: Stats Only

 

The cells in the Game column and the column title will be blanked out initially. As these cells are unprotected, the user may leave them blank or chose to put other information. Subsequent schedule updates will not affect these cells.

8.4.1.2         Auto-Update Standings

When checked, this option automatically recomputes the Division Standings from the scores that have been entered into the Game Schedule. The update will occur anytime there have been changes in the scores including when game(s) have been deleted. This is useful when just tracking the results of the other teams in the division to your team (head-to-head match-ups). 

 

Uncheck this option if you wish to enter the W/L/T values and compute the Division Standings manually.

8.4.1.3         Highlight First Unplayed Game

When checked, the first game in the schedule that has not been played (no line score) and not marked with a Status field entry will be highlighted. The Highlight Color and Marker character can be chosen as well (Web Composer / Preferences / One Step Web Site Preferences) .

 

Figure 8-6  Next Unplayed Game Highlighting

If there is space, this will be posted in the first empty slot in the Notices area on the Summary page. An example is:

 

Next Game: Apr 25 8:10pm at Marvin vs. Steamrollers

 

The font and styling in the Notices block for this entry is unchanged. This entry will be removed from the Notices area if there are no un-played games left.

 

A pre-defined list of Status field entries is described in Table 8-1. The table indicates, by default, which values will allow Next Unplayed Game Highlighting. The user can override the default and force highlighting by putting a leading asterisk (e.g.: *Suspended) in the Status field value. This is valid for user-defined custom Status field values as well.

8.4.1.4         Mark Unplayed Games as TBP

If checked, a schedule entry without a line score can be marked:

 

• TBP (To Be Played) - If the game date is today or beyond
• NR (Not Reported) - If the game date has passed

 

A non-blank Status field entry (e.g.: Rainout) will override the marking.

8.4.1.5         Include for Print and Web

This controls the inclusion of the Schedule page for both printing and web page. If you use a custom formatted schedule via the User Notes page or via a custom external link to a league web site., you may choose to disable this option. The internal schedule page will still be visible and active. Auto-update of division standings and display of game numbers are still functional.

 

8.5          Managing Schedule Entries

 

     

 

Schedule entries may be modified by using the Edit  command (ctl+alt +S). Any bulk changes can be made in the source schedule import file and re-imported.

 

The Game Numbers may be modified individually or as a group via the Game Numbers command (ctl+alt+N).

8.5.1          Editing Game Schedule Entries

The user can manually create a new entry or modify an existing entry via the Edit command.

 

The dropdown Game list will show all available games. Changing the game selection via the dropdown list will update the display. The Next and Previous buttons can be used as well to sequence through the game list.

 

The selected game will be evaluated for:

 

• Schedule entry, attributes and line score
• game stats availability

 

If there is a line Score for the game, it will be displayed. If not, n.a. will be shown.

 

Figure 8-7  Edit Schedule Dialog

The current attributes for the game will be displayed.  A sub-status line will indicate the following, if detected: 

 

• No schedule entry. Stats only
• Line score but no stats entries

8.5.2          Modify An Existing Game Schedule Entry

The attributes for a specific game can be modified as desired.  Any line score or player stats associated with this game are unchanged.

8.5.2.1         Status Field

The Status field is optional and can be used for additional identifying information for the game. Examples might be to flag a game as canceled, rained out, postponed, tournament info, highlights, etc. A dropdown list of common values are shown in Table 8-1.

 

WARNING:

The user will be warned when attempting to modify an Opponent team or Home Game status for a game that has been played as it may have an impact on an existing line score for that game.

Use caution when if this condition exists.

8.5.3          Adding A New Game Schedule Entry

An entry for a new game which is not in the list can be added by modifying the Game field and associated attributes.  Hit Add/Update to add. The new Game number can be any unassigned positive integer value.  The Game Number can be useful to re-sequence the game numbers especially if this new game is between existing games in the schedule.

8.5.4          Deleting A Game Schedule Entry

The Delete Game function will remove the schedule entry for the selected game. This will also remove the line score associated with this game if one had been entered.  A check will be performed to see if there are player stats for this game. The user will be asked to verify this operation as it is un-doable.  This operation will not delete any player stats for this game. If desired, this can be performed by the Stats / Delete All Player Stats by Game Range command.

8.5.5          Clearing Dialog Box Attribute Fields

The Clear Attributes function will reset all of the fields in the dialog to blank entries.  The dialog box remains open.

8.5.6          Deleting All Game Schedule Entries

The Delete All Games function will remove all game schedule and associated line score entries.  Use caution as this is an un-doable operation. The user will be prompted to confirm this operation. Optionally, the W/L/T records for all teams in the Division Standings can be cleared at this time.

8.5.7          Deleting a Line Score

The Clear Score function will remove the line score entry for the selected game.  Use caution as this is an un-doable operation. The user will be prompted if the line score does not exist.

8.5.8          Deleting All Line Scores

The Delete All Scores function will purge all available line scores. Game attribute information will remain unchanged. Use caution as this is an un-doable operation. The user will be prompted to confirm this operation. Optionally, the W/L/T records for all teams in the Division Standings can be cleared at this time.

8.5.9          Impact on Box Score

If the selected game is the same as the current game displayed in the Box Score, the user will be prompted to update the attribute fields in the Box Score area. The Line Score (if any) will be unchanged.

8.6          Schedule Analyzer

At startup and any time the schedule has been modified, a verification will be performed for consistency. The following conditions will be reported:

•   Games with missing Schedule info (Stats only)
•   Schedule entries missing Date, Time, Field attribute information
•   Schedule entries missing one/both team names (matchups)
•   Duplicate schedule entries with the same Date and Time
•   Team names in the Schedule that are not present in the Division Standings
•   Games with line score but no stats entries
•   Games with stats entries but no line score

 

Figure 8-8  Schedule Analysis Example

This analysis can also be performed manually by the Analyze command. Games that have been resolved otherwise (Table 8 -1) are considered completed games and therefore not analyzed.

 

8.7          Game Number Manager

Each game is identified by a unique game number. Thus, it is possible for the game numbers to be out of sequence with the Date/Time values in the schedule. This can occur with an imported schedule or via manual modifications. 

 

The game numbers can be modified individually or as a group via the Game Numbers command (ctl+alt+N). Use of this command will modify the game number in the Game Schedule as well as the associated individual player stats (if any) as well.

 

Figure 8-9  Game Number Processing Options

The following processing options are available:

 

Renumber Selected Game

The game number from the selected game in the dropdown list of available games can be modified to a different number. The current schedule information (if any) will be shown for validation. The New Game Number cannot match an existing game.

 

Re-sequence All Games

This will re-assign a new number to all game number references sequentially starting with the Starting Game Number. The logical order of the games does not change. The Starting Game Number value can be any positive integer value. The Select Game Number dropdown list has no function.

 

Re-sequence All Games Sorted by Date/Time

This is the same as the Resequence All Games option except that the games are first re-ordered by Date/Time before the new game numbers are assigned. This option will be dimmed (inactive) if there are player stats entries for a game without a corresponding schedule entry as the results could be misleading.

8.8          Schedule Exporter

 

The game schedule can be exported to a file via the Export / Schedule command for subsequent importing into popular Calendar apps. Each entry in the schedule will result in a unique calendar event.

 

Figure 8-10  Calendar Event Example

The Game Number and team matchup will be shown as the event title. If the opponent team hasn’t been entered in the schedule, it will appear as TBD. The Location and game times will be shown if available as well. Times will be displayed based on the user’s local time setting. The game score (if available), and Status info will be shown as well.

8.8.1          vCalendar File Format (.ics)

This type is suitable for importing to most popular calendar apps. The generated file conforms to Version 2 of the  RFC5445 Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object Specification. Most calendar apps such as Google Calendar, Outlook, Android, iOS and OS X Calendar, BusyCal and others recognize this format. The SBC avoids any app-specific calendar extensions to ensure the best compatibility.

8.8.1.1         Special Processing

Games that have been marked in the schedule with status field values: Canceled, Rainout or Postponed will be encoded as canceled. Most calendar apps will flag this to the user. For example, Apple Macintosh OS X or iOS calendar apps will display the title of the event with a strike-through the text.

 

The example above would be displayed as:

Game 20: Aces at Nomads

 

 The note field will show the final score if available or the actual status (Canceled, Rainout or Postponed).

 

Games that do not have a starting time specified in the schedule will normally be shown in the calendar app as an All-Day event. Games that have a starting time specified but where the Game Duration has been set to 0 will be shown just with the starting time.

8.8.2          Comma-Separated Variable File Format (.csv)

This is a tabular format for calendar apps that cannot accept the vCalendar format. It can be modified as desired with a text editor or other applications for use with other calendar apps. This format does not have the extent of features of the vCalendar format but is significantly easier to modify by the casual user.

 

An example of this file which has been imported into Excel is shown:

 

 Figure 8-11  CSV Formatted File Example

This format conforms to the Google Calendar specification for .csv formatted calendars. Text fields will be quoted to accommodate entries that may have embedded commas.

8.8.3          Procedure

Run the Export  / Schedule command. The schedule will be analyzed to ensure that a calendar file can be created. A minimum of a date for each game must be specified. Any problems will be reported for correction. 

 

Figure 8-12  Schedule Export Processing Options

8.8.3.1         Schedule Export Processing Options

File Format

Choose the desired file format type.

 

Game Duration

This parameter is used to compute the ending time for each calendar event. A dropdown list has common values. However, the use may enter any integer value greater than or equal to 0. This field cannot be blank.

 

Private

When checked, this option will mark all calendar events for the games as Private which prevents viewing by others. When unchecked, this option will mark all calendar events for the games as Public which allows viewing by others that have permission to view the calendar.

8.8.3.2         vCalendar Format Options

Name

A unique name for the schedule should be entered. Most calendar programs will detect this name and place the game events there. Some calendar apps will offer the user to choose an alternative calendar. This name can be any length but it is suggested that it be kept short as it will appear in the list of calendars in the users’ calendar app. This field cannot be blank.

 

Version

The calendar apps use this value to resolve instances where there may be more than one instance of the same event/game. The event with the highest version number will take precedence.

 

The first time you create a calendar, set this value to 0. Then, for subsequent updates, increment the value by 1. A dropdown list of common values is provided. This field cannot be blank. The current calendar version is saved in the Team Worksheet and will be used as the default when a schedule export is invoked.

 

Time Zone

Select the time zone from the available dropdown list of US time zones.

 

After options have been selected, a standard File Dialog box will appear for the file to be created. The file name and destination directory can be changed as desired.

WARNING:

Do not change the file suffix (.ics or .csv)

 

At the completion of processing, a summary will appear with the processing results.

8.8.4          Transferring the File to a Calendar Application

After the file has been created, it can be imported into your calendar app. Most apps have an Import capability for this. It is strongly suggested that a unique calendar be used. This will aid in resolving any problems that might occur as the calendar can be simply deleted without affecting other personal calendar entries.

 

Most calendar apps that support the vCalendar format will detect the calendar Name (above) and ask to create a new calendar by that name if it does not already exist. If yours does not, create a unique calendar name before importing.

 

If you plan to re-issue schedule updates during the season, the new file can be re-imported into the same calendar. Each schedule entry creates a unique identifier based on Main Team Name, Season ID and Game Number. Most calendar apps will recognize the updates accordingly. If this causes problems, instruct your users to delete the calendar on their app prior to doing a new import.

 

If your calendar app supports subscription services, you may use that feature as an alternative to importing.

8.8.5          Calendar Issues

The generated .ics files have been tested on a number of calendar apps. However, compatibility issues can still occur. Contact SBC support at support@sbc.aces-softball.com for assistance if you have problems.

 

 

9           PLAYER ROSTERS

9.1          Overview

 

All commands for these activities are located under the Rosters menu unless noted otherwise. Commands that are dimmed indicate the command cannot be executed. This might be the case if the rosters and/or player statistics are empty or for commands that are specific to Single-Season or Multi-Season modes only.

 

The SBC will dynamically increase or decrease the roster size(s) as required. This may take some time to perform depending on processor speed. The progress will be shown in the message bar.

9.2          Roster Entry Methods

9.2.1          Single-Season Mode

Rosters can be populated manually via the  Add Player command or imported from a file via the Import / Roster command. Importing is the preferred method as it significantly faster than manual entry.

9.2.2          Multi-Season Mode

Rosters are populated automatically whenever a stats import operation is performed. Operations on the roster are available after import operations. However, it should be noted that any changes are not back-annotated into the origin import files.

9.3          Setting Up a New Player Roster

9.3.1          Manual Method

To set up a new roster for the first time:

 

1. Run the Delete All Players command to purge all roster names and their individual game batting stats from both rosters.
2. Use the Add Player function to add each player to the Active or Expansion roster. If successful, the user will be prompted to add another player. When finished, hit the Cancel button.

9.3.2          Automatic Method

Use the Import / Roster command. See  Importing Rosters for details.

 

The Active roster area will be re-sorted alphabetically at this time. The Expansion roster will be sorted by alphabetically  by name, or by game number based on the Sort Expansion Roster by Game option.

9.3.3          Player Name Entry Rules

When a new or modified player name is requested (e.g.: Add Player, Rename Player, etc.),  enter the desired name in the edit box. The name will be verified to ensure that it is not one of the following:

 

• Duplicate of an existing Active or Expansion roster name.
• Reserved name (e.g.: the current name assigned to the Expansion Roster area.)

 

Player names can be in  firstname lastname  or  lastname, firstname  format.  A single name is also acceptable.

 

The entries are not case sensitive. When a new player name is entered or modified, extraneous spaces and non-printable characters are removed. Names are automatically capitalized including the first character after a non-letter.

Examples:

dave smith is processed to: Dave Smith

dave smith (aa) is processed to: Dave Smith (Aa)

dave smith (12a) is processed to: Dave Smith (12A)

dave smith-jones is processed to: Dave Smith-Jones

dave o’neil is processed to: Dave O’Neil

 

To force capitalization within a name, use a / delimiter just prior to the letter.

For example, for the surname: MacNeil, enter in the form of: mac/neil.

 

To selectively override the proper name processing, use the \ delimiter just prior to the letter.

For example, to yield Dave Smith (12a), enter in the form: dave smith (12\a).

 

To override the name processing for the entire entry, put a ! delimiter as the first character.

For example, the entry: !dave smith-jones (a/a) will be unchanged to: dave smith-jones (a/a).

 

The formats will be adjusted as necessary during stats importing to match for format of the Team Worksheet.

 

The formats can be exchanged for all players in both rosters by using the Reformat Player Names command.

9.3.3.1         Player Name Suffixes

A suffix may be appended to a player name as desired. The suffixes can be in the form of (xxx) or a space plus hyphen. A hyphen without a leading space is treated as a name separator (e.g.:  Dave Smith-Jones).  Some examples might be to append the player’s number or team affiliation in the case of a substitute player.

 

Suffixes are preserved during any player name transformations during importing or the Reformat Player Names command.

9.3.4          Adding a New Player to the Roster

Players can be added to the Active or Expansion rosters via the Add Player command.  The dialog box allows selection of either the Active or Expansion roster via the two buttons in the Player Group area. Chose the appropriate group, enter the new player name and hit OK. The player name will be verified that it doesn’t already exist in the Active or Expansion rosters and isn’t a reserved name.  If the operation was successful, the user will be prompted to add another player. When finished, hit the Cancel button.

9.4          Maintaining the Team Roster

General conventions for roster maintenance operations.

9.4.1.1         Player Selection Dialog

All commands that request a player name and game number or just a player name utilize common dialogs:

 

   

Figure 9-1  Select Player Dialogs

Two buttons in the Player Group allow selection of a player from the Active or Expansion roster (“Substitutes” in the example). The button will be dimmed if no players exist in the respective group.

 

A player name from the group is selected from the alphabetical dropdown list of players followed by pressing the OK button. Alternatively, the next or previous player in the roster list can be selected by hitting the Next or the Prev button followed by pressing the OK button to perform the desired operation. These buttons will traverse both rosters. If a game number selection is not needed for the command, the game number box will not be present.

 

The Next and Prev buttons will be dimmed if there are less than two roster entries total.

 

For the Stats Update command, an indication of whether there are stats for the selected game will be shown. For all other player commands, the game count and plate appearances will be shown for this player. This is useful when performing roster maintenance operations. In Multi-Season mode, the count of the number of seasons will also be shown.

9.4.1.2         Player Name Selection Preservation

Where applicable, the SBC will attempt to preserve the player name selection as the default for subsequent commands. Thus, an Add Player command could be followed immediately by a Stats Update command for the new player.  Repetitive operations can be performed by using the Repeat command (ctl+alt+Y) which will re-invoke the most recent SBC command.

9.4.2          Modifying an Existing Roster

To minimize keystrokes, most roster maintenance commands (e.g.: Add Player) will prompt for a repeat of the same operation. In addition, the SBC Repeat command (ctl+alt+Y) will re-invoke the most recent SBC command.

9.4.2.1         Modifying a Player Name in the Roster

If there is an error/misspelling/capitalization in a players’ name, use the Rename Player command. The player name will be verified that it isn’t a reserved name or doesn’t result in a duplicate entry in the Active or Expansion rosters. If successful, the user will be prompted to change another player name. When finished, hit the Cancel button.

9.4.2.2         Removing a Player From the Roster

Use the Delete Player command. If successful and players remain in the roster, the user will be prompted to delete another player. When finished, hit the Cancel button.

 

After one of the above modifications is completed, a warning dialog may appear indicating that the leaders and/or the box score may be inaccurate. Run the Batting Leaders / Calculate  and/or the Box Score / Update commands as required.

9.4.2.3         Reformat Player Names

Use the Reformat Player Names command to exchange the firstname lastname and lastname, firstname  formats of all player names in both rothers. Any suffixes that have been appended will be preserved. The player names in the Box Scores and Batting Leaders will be adjusted as well.

9.4.3          Game Number Parameter Limits

In general, when a game number parameter or range is requested during an SBC command dialog, the default game number(s) will be set to the current display range settings. This range is usually the full range of games where there are player stats. Where applicable, a subrange of values can be entered.

 

The SBC does not impose a limit on the game numeric value or number of game entries per player.

9.4.3.1         Exceptions

The following commands always operate on the full game range of player statistics:

 

Roster

Delete Player

Delete All Players

Rename Player

 

Stats

Update

Transfer Player Stats

Merge Player Stats

Delete Player Stats

Delete Player Stats by Game Range

Reformat Player Names

9.5          Importing Rosters

Player names can be imported from an external file. The player names can be in the form of:

 

firstname lastname

or

lastname, firstname

 

and follow the conventions as described in Player Name Entry Rules. The names will be processed to match the existing format (firstname lastname or lastname, firstname) in the Team Worksheet rosters. If both rosters are empty, the format will default to the format of the import file.

 

The import files can be of type .csv, .xls or .xlsx.

NOTE:

When importing a .csv format file with player names in the lastname, firstname format, the entry must be bracketed by double quotes (e.g.: ”Mouse, Mickey” )

9.5.1          Importing a Roster From a File

 

A file consisting of player names can be imported with one player name per line. The player names can be in any order.  If Excel files are used, place the names sequentially in cells A1, A2, A3, etc.

 

The Import / Roster command will invoke the processing options:

 

Figure 9-2  Import Roster Processing Options

The only options available are the New Player Processing options. After hitting OK, a File Open dialog box will allow the user to select the import file.

 

It is difficult to completely verify the contents of a potential roster file. To prevent the possibility of importing a non-roster file, the following validity checks are performed:

 

1)   Empty file.

2)   More than 50 entries.

3)   Entries in cells other than Column A.

 

The user has the option of proceeding if conditions #2 or #3 are detected, but should do so with caution.

 

At the end of the import process, a processing summary will be shown:

 

Figure 9-3  SBC Roster Import Summary

This can be recalled at a later time by the Import / Import Summary command.

9.5.2          Importing a Roster From a Mobile App

The player names can be imported from a mobile stats app that has export capability. The export procedure varies by app but will result in a formatted file unique to each app. Once the file has been exported from the app, use the procedure in Importing a Roster From a File.

9.6          Exporting Rosters

The Export / Roster command can create a file with the contents of the SBC rosters. The Expansion roster entries can be optionally included. After hitting OK, a file save dialog box will occur. The default file name will be a combination of the main Team Name and today’s date and time. The name can be changed as desired. The file format is always .csv.

 

Figure 9-4  SBC Roster Export Options Dialog

At the end of the export, a summary of the number of players processed will be displayed.

9.6.1          Formats for Mobile Apps

The user can choose from a selection of mobile apps. The resulting roster file is then imported into the mobile app based on its’ procedure.

9.6.2          Generic Formats

9.6.2.1         SBC Roster File Format

This format will place each name from the roster(s) in the current format on the Team Worksheet. The player names will be in the form of: firstname lastname regardless of the format currently in use on the Team Worksheet rosters. The file is always in comma-separated variables format (.csv).

9.6.2.2         Number Plus Player Name Format

This format is the same as the SBC Roster format with a number placed before each player name. The SBC does not track player uniform numbers. As a placeholder, a sequential player number is created starting at 1.

9.6.2.3         6-4-3 Baseball Format

This format is suitable for importing into the 6-4-3 Baseball app.

9.6.3          Editing Roster Files

The roster files can be modified using traditional text editing applications. If the file is to be re-imported back into the SBC rosters, then use the  SBC Roster format of one name per line.

 

10       PLAYER BATTING STATISTICS

 

All operations are performed via the Players / Stats sub-menu commands unless noted otherwise. Operations can be performed/updated for any Active or Expansion roster player in any order and from any game in any order.

 

Player batting statistics are tracked by individual player and summarized in the Team Batting Statistics. Formulas Used in Statistics Calculations are defined by Major League Baseball.

10.1       Stats Tracking Options

10.1.1      Track Slow-Pitch Stats

The SBC can track a full set of batting statistics or the subset of categories that are applicable to slow-pitch softball. This mode is controlled by the Track Slow Pitch Stats Only option. When checked, SB, SACB, HBP stats are not tracked. 

 

When the SBC is switched from full stats tracking to Track Slow-Pitch Stats Only mode, statistics that are not applicable to slow-pitch softball will be cleared. This is to prevent erroneous calculations of average, on-base pct., slugging pct., and on-base plus slugging pct. As this is an un-doable action, the user will be warned prior to performing this. In addition, the user will be alerted to the fact that the box score and/or batting leaders may need to be re-calculated.  This mode affects these categories in team batting summary, individual player stats, batting leaders, box scores, printed pages and web sites.

10.1.2      Track Fines

The Track Fines command controls the display of the optional Fines category in team batting summary, individual player stats, batting leaders, printed pages and web sites. When checked, Fines statistics are displayed. When unchecked, Fines statistics are not displayed. Disabling the Fines category does not delete any player Fines entries.

10.2       Statistics Display Ranges – Single-Season Mode

At startup, the content of the batting summary and individual player statistics areas are displayed for all available games.

 

The user may choose to display a selected range of games. This can be useful to view a subset of games that are from a tournament. A separate web site or printed results can be generated. Banners over selected areas of the Team Worksheet can be modified as well.

 

The  Game Range (ctl+alt+R) command will display the maximum game range found in the individual batting statistics area.

 

The Start and End values can be modified to change the game range. A single game may be selected by setting the Start and End range to the same value.

 

Figure 10-1 Game Display Range Selection Dialog

The user may choose to update the batting leaders at the same time by checking the Update Leaders. The update will use the same game range. If a different range is desired, leave this box unchecked and run the Batting Leaders /  Calculate command separately.

 

The user may choose to update the box score at the same time by checking Update Box Score. The update will use the End value of the game range. If a different game is desired, leave this box unchecked and run the Box Score  / Update command separately.

 

Updating the Box Score will result in the correct box score for the currently displayed game number.

 

When this command is executed, an analysis of the selected range will be performed versus the maximum game number, current leader board game selection range, and box score game selection and number of games played by the main Team Name. Any discrepancies will be reported. This is for informational purposes and not considered an error. Entering a blank or 0 value for either game number will invoke this analysis without changing the display range or performing either the leaders or box score updating.

 

The Division Standings display is independent of this setting. In addition, player statistics updating can be performed on the entire statistics data set, regardless of this setting.

10.2.1      Game Range Display Conventions

The current game range is shown at:

 

• Message bar display
• Totals line the Team Batting Summary. This value always reflects total number of completed games.

 

The conventions for the game number are as follows where xx is the number of unique games found in the individual batting statistics area plus the Game Schedule. The current range or subrange will be shown in the Message Bar area of the window as:

 

• Full game range:   xx Games
• Subset of games:   Game Start-End Stats Only
• Single game selection where Start=End:   Game Start Stats Only
• Games in schedule but no stats entries: No Stats
• No scheddule entries: No Games

 

The resulting game number in the Team Summary, Batting Leaders and Batting Leaders Summary may be edited or blanked out as desired.

10.3       Manually Entering Statistics From a Recent Game

To enter new statistics from a recently played game, the user transcribes the individual batting stats from the game scoresheet into the SBC. The sequence is as follows:

 

1. Press the Stats button  (ctl+alt+U). The user will be prompted first for the desired game number and player name. The initial game number will default to the most recent game with stats or the current number of games played by the main Team Name.  Change the game number as necessary.
2. The player name will default to the most recently used player name. A different player name may be selected from the dropdown list. Hit OK.
3. The Player Stats Update dialog box will appear:

 

Figure 10-2  Player Stats Update Dialog

If stats were found for this player for the selected game, the dialog box drag bar will show Update Current Entry. If not, New Entry will be displayed.

4. Transcribe the applicable stats from the game scoresheet into the corresponding fields of the dialog box. The dialog box has been constructed to streamline the data entry process. The sequence of entries mimics the sequence of statistics normally found in most baseball/softball game scorebooks.  Use the TAB key to traverse forward to the next field or Shift+TAB to the previous field.
5. Hit the Update button. The entries will be validated for consistency. If they are OK, the stats will be updated for this player and the next player in alphabetical order in the group will be shown.
6. Repeat steps 2-5 until all statistics have been entered for each player.
7. Hit the Cancel button when all entries have been transcribed.
8. Next, recall the Box Score for this game. Then enter the Line Score for the game and update the BOX SCORES.
9. Finally, update the DIVISION STANDINGS.

10.3.1      Options During Player Update Dialog

Four buttons and a check box in the dialog box control the next step in the updating session:

10.3.1.1     Update

Entries in the update dialog box will be verified for consistency. The user will be alerted with specifics. When the entries have been corrected, stats for this player will be transferred into the Team Worksheet. The stats for the next player in alphabetical sequence will be displayed.

10.3.1.2     No Update

Any additions or changes to the stats for this player will be ignored. The stats for the next roster player in alphabetical sequence will be displayed.

10.3.1.3     Clear

All entries in the dialog box will be cleared. The Played but Did Not Bat box will be unchecked. The dialog box remains open.

10.3.1.4     Cancel

Same as No Update except that the user will be prompted for the next player name and/or game number.  Hitting Cancel again will exit the update session.

10.3.1.5     Played But Did Not Bat

If the player participated in the game, but did not bat (i.e., a defensive substitution, pinch runner, runner to the package store), check the Played But Did Not Bat box. This will ensure that the player gets credit for participation in the game. Only the player position field, runs scored, stolen bases and fines entries are allowed. Number of cases of beer provided are not tracked.

 

Checking this box will clear any existing entries in the dialog box. By un-checking the box, all statistics can be entered.

 

A special player POS value does not automatically invoke Played But Did Not Bat. For example, a pinch runner or defensive substitution may eventually stay in the game and bat.

10.3.2      Updating Statistics From a Previous Game

Sometimes errors or omissions may have occurred when the transcribing the statistics from the game scoresheet into the SBC.  If it becomes necessary to update statistics previously entered for a player or enter missing statistics, perform the following steps:

 

1. Use the Stats Update  command.
2. Select the specific player name and the game number for the statistics that need to be changed.
3. If there were entries for the player for the game specified, they will be shown in the Player Update Dialog Box. The dialog box drag bar will show Update Current Entry. If there were no stats for this game for this player, the entries will be all zeroes and the drag bar will show New Entry.
4. Make the necessary corrections/additions to the statistics and hit the Update button.
5. Repeat Steps 2-4 as required.
6. Hit Cancel button to exit the update session and Cancel again to terminate the command.

10.3.3      Notes on Player Statistics Updating

Statistics may be entered/modified from one or more games in any game or player order. After updating, the individual player statistics will be re-sorted by game number (Active Roster players). Expansion Roster entries are sorted optionally by game or player name as desired.

 

Legal at-bats (AB) will be calculated automatically from the number of plate appearances. If you do not track walks, sacrifices, sacrifice bunts, or hit-by-pitch stats, then the calculated at bats will equal the number of plate appearances.

 

By default, the SBC assumes the player did not play in the selected game if there are no plate appearances or the Played But Did Not Bat box is un-checked.

 

If the Stats / Track Slow Pitch Stats Only mode is active, the SB, SACB and HBP items will be dimmed.  If the Stats / Track Fines mode is inactive, the Fines entry will be dimmed.

10.3.3.1     Stats Entry Verification

After the Update button has been hit, the SBC will perform the following sanity checks on the entries:

 

• Must be numeric, positive integer values >=0 (except FINES values which are currency values and can be negative)
• Total of hits, sacrifices, sacrifice bunts, walks, reached-on-errors, fielder’s choices, strikeouts and hit-by-pitch must be less than or equal to number of plate appearances
• Number of runs scored must be less than or equal to plate appearances. (See exception – Played But Did Not Bat)
• Number of extra base hits must be less than or equal to hits

 

If the entries are valid, they will be transferred into the Team Worksheet and the update dialog for the next player in alphabetical order for this game will be shown.

 

During the course of the season the Delete Player Stats by Game command can be used to clear out all/some of an individual player's stats by game range.  This is useful if it is determined that an individual's stats have so many errors that it would be less work to re-enter them from scratch, rather than correct the errors game by game.

10.3.4      Optional Player Position Tracking

The user has the option of tracking the position played for each player on a game-by-game basis. The player update dialog has a Position edit/dropdown box to enter the player's position for the selected game. If stats for a new game are being entered and the Autofill Player Positions (POS) option is enabled, the SBC will suggest a position based on the most recently played game for this player. If none was found, the field will be blank.

 

The position abbreviations will appear in the individual player stats areas and in the box score area. New values can be entered in any of three different methods:

 

1. Predefined positions via the dropdown menu list.
2. A numeric value in the edit box.
3. Manual entry of a user-defined value in the edit box.

10.3.4.1     Player Postion Dropdown List

The dropdown menu list contains the standard scorebook positions P-C-1B-2B-3B-SS-LF-CF-RF-SF that can be selected via the menu or by their position number from 1-10.

 

An additional group of commonly recognized positions is also provided. The position can be selected via the dropdown menu, or by the relative position number in the menu.

 

Any numeric value entered in the edit box in the range of 1-18 will be converted to the equivalent abbreviation for the position. Any entry that does not match a predefined abbreviation or position number will be interpreted as a user-specified value. These could include the case where a player played multiple positions during a game (e.g.: LF-CF).

10.4       Importing Stats from External Sources

Stats can be entered via file import from popular 3^rd party apps as well as via a generic format. See  USING THE SBC WITH 3rd PARTY MOBILE STATS APPS  and IMPORTING STATS FROM OTHER SOURCES  for more details.

10.5       Player Roster and Stats Maintenance

10.5.1      Deleting Stats for Individual Player Name

To clear out all of the stats for a specific roster player, use the Delete Player Stats command. The player remains in the roster.

10.5.2      Deleting Player Stats for a Specific Game

Use the Delete Player Stats by Game command. Select the desired player name. A dialog with the available games for this player will appear. Select the game stats to be deleted.  Hit the OK.

 

If there are no additional player stats for this game number, the user has the option to delete the line score for this game.

10.5.3      Delete All Player Names and Stats From the Roster

To completely remove all player names and stats from both rosters, run the Rosters / Delete All Players command. This will also clear any box score and line score calculations that might have been run previously.

10.5.4      Delete All Player Stats by Game Range

The user has the choice of globally clearing all stats for all Active and Expansion roster players for all games or a selective game range clearing. By default, the entire game range of stats will be shown in the Start and End Game Range boxes. The player names remain in the rosters. This command will optionally clear any box score and line score calculations that might have been run previously.

 

Figure 10-3  Delete All Player Stats Dialog

Clear Entire Roster Stats

To delete all player stats from all games, simply hit the OK button. This is useful at the beginning of a new season or playoffs where the rosters are essentially intact.

 

Clear Selective Game Range Stats  

To delete all player stats selectively from a range of games, enter the desired range in the Start and End Game Range boxes.

 

Resequence Game Numbers Option  

This option is used when clearing selective game range statistics. It has no effect when performing a clear of all stats for all games.  Any box score and schedule entries will also be resequenced.

 

Consider the case where there were stats entries for games 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 with a game range of 3-5 selected:

 

Resequence Game Numbers box is unchecked:  The game numbers for the remaining stats will be unchanged. Thus, the remaining games would be unchanged at 1,2,6,8,9.

 

Resequence Game Numbers box is checked:  The game numbers outside the selected game range will be re-sequenced as follows:

Game numbers 1,2 stay unchanged as they are below the starting game threshold.

Game numbers 6,7,8,9 are beyond the end game threshold. They would be renumbered as 3,4,5,6 respectively.

 

The Edit Game Numbers command can also be used to adjust/re-sequence game numbers as well.

10.5.5      Transfer Player Stats

Transfer Player command allows the user to transfer a player and their statistics between the Active and Expansion roster areas. This mechanism is useful when a player moves from Active to Expansion roster status or vice-versa. 

 

After a transfer operation has completed, the user will be prompted for another player to be transferred. This speeds up roster cleanup, especially after importing operations.

10.5.6      Merge Player Stats

Rosters / Merge Players command allows the user to combine the stats from two players into a single entry.

 

The stats from the first player will be merged with the stats from the second player. Then, the first player entry will be removed from the roster.  Before performing this operation, the user should examine the two player stats areas to ensure that the merge operation will produce the desired results.

 

A prompt will occur for each player name. The players may be in the same or different rosters.

 

In Single-Season Mode, any stats from identical game numbers will be merged into a single entry. Prior to the merge, the first and second player areas will be examined for matching game numbers in both areas. If this condition occurs, the user will be alerted to this condition and whether or not to continue. 

 

In Multi-Season Mode, stats from each player will be merged into a single entry based on matching Stats Year entries.

 

TIP:

In Multi-Season Mode, the Consolidate Expansion Roster command

can be used to perform bulk merging based on a specific Stats Year or all stats years.

 

After a merge operation has completed, the user will be prompted for another player pair to be merged. This speeds up roster cleanup, especially after importing operations.

10.6       Validating Player Statistics

During normal player stats entry and importing stats from an external file, player statistics are checked for consistency on a game-by-game basis (Single-Season Mode) or season-by-season basis (Multi-Season Mode). Stats are validated according to the Stats Entry Verification rules. The Validate Stats command can be used to rescan for any inconsistencies. A report of the number of player stats records evaluated will be displayed.

 

Figure 10-4  Validate Player Statistics Summary – No Errors

If any inconsistencies are detected, a report of the total number detected and the first player and game number or Season ID with an error will be displayed:

 

Figure 10-5  Validate Player Statistics Summary – Errors Detected

The user has the option of repairing the error(s) at this point or deferring to a later run of the Player  / Validate Stats command.  Hitting the Repair button will report the specific error associated with each player record followed by the standard Player Update dialog box for the actual repair.  This sequence will be repeated until all detected errors have been resolved or the Cancel button has been pressed.

 

The Box Score / Update , Batting Leaders / Calculate, and One Step Web Site commands will also check for stats inconsistencies before proceeding.

 

 

 

WARNING:

Fixing the problems via the Validate Stats command allows other commands that depend on accurate stats to be executed.

 However, it does not back-annotate the changes to the source of the error(s) if they were a result of importing from an external file.

 

It is preferable to fix the problems at the original source and then re-import the stats to the SBC. This way, the data sets are consistent and will not re-occur in the event that the same data is re-imported.

 

 

11       BATTING LEADERS

Batting leaders in up to 19 categories can be automatically calculated.

 

11.1       Static Parameters For Batting Leader Calculations

Static parameters that effect the calculation of the leaders are in the Preferences dialog:

 

Figure 11-1  Static Batting Leaders Preferences Dialog

The user has the option of overriding some of the limits when the Update command is run.

11.1.1      Qualifiers

11.1.1.1     Min At Bats or Appearances Per Game

The user may choose to use either minimum AB or PA as a qualifier for the AVG, SLG, OBP and OPS leader categories. The Min Per Game parameter is multiplied by the number of games in the range to determine the total qualifying number of AB's or PA’s. This parameter can be any value greater than or equal to 0. Fractional values expressed in decimal notation are permitted.  The result will be rounded down to the nearest integer. The Batting Leaders / Update command will display the calculated minimum. The user may choose to override this value as desired.

11.1.1.2     Include Expansion Roster Players

When enabled, statistics from players in this category are included in the batting leaders calculations. Their stats are subject to the same rules as for Active roster players. If a number of players stats have been merged into a single entry (e.g.: all substitutes for a season), you may wish to disable this option to prevent misleading leaders results.

 

This option can be changed if desired when the Batting Leaders / Update command is run.

11.1.1.3     Auto-Update Batting Leaders

When enabled, the Batting Leaders will be automatically updated as needed. When disabled, the user will be prompted to update.

11.1.2      Category Limits

11.1.2.1     Leaders

This parameter controls the number of players that will be shown in each batting leader category. This value must be less than or equal to the Leaders Plus Ties value.

11.1.2.2     Leaders Plus Ties

This parameter controls the maximum number of leaders in a category the event of a tie for the final spot. This is an overflow area. This value must be less than or equal to 10 and greater than or equal to the maximum Leaders value.

 

In some instances, this overflow area may be insufficient to report all the players who have tied for the final spot (common when there are a small number of AB’s or PA’s at the beginning of the season, or in a tournament). When this situation occurs, a count of the number of players that have the final spot will be reported.

 

This will be in the form:

 XX tied with YY

 

Selected categories with no entries display a value of  None… This is common at the beginning of the season or in tournaments.

11.1.3      Leader Categories

This is an array of check boxes that allows the user to select which combination of leader categories will be displayed on the leader boards. Two check boxes (Select All and Deselect All) allow rapid selection or de-selection of all categories. Any combination of selections is valid. Check boxes that are dimmed are not valid for the current SBC tracking modes.

 

The enabled leader categories will be displayed in the following order:

 

1. AVG (Batting Average)
2. SLG (Slugging Percentage)
3. OBP (On-base percentage)
4. OPS (On-base plus slugging percentage)
5. R (Runs)
6. H (Hits)
7. RBI (Runs Batted In)
8. 2B (Doubles)
9. 3B (Triples)
10. HR (Home Runs)
11. FC (Fielder’s choice)
12. ROE (Reached on Error)
13. SF (Sacrifice Flies)
14. SB (Stolen Bases) *
15. BB (Bases on Balls / Walks)
16. SO (Strikeouts)
17. HBP (Hit by Pitch) *
18. SACB (Sacrifice Bunts) *
19. FINES **

 *   Indicates category not available in Slow-Pitch Stats Tracking Mode.

 ** Indicates category available when the Fines is enabled

 

A change to any of the Leader Board Categories from the current selections will result in a prompt to recalculate the batting leaders. The user can choose to ignore this and update the leader board at a later time via the Update command.

11.2       Calculating Batting Leaders

To perform this calculation:

1. Run the Update (ctl+alt+L) command. A display of the current parameters and options will occur:

 

 

2. The Game Range will display the current range of completed games.  The End value will be displayed in the title line of the Leaders page (eg: Batting Leaders Thru Game: 18).
3. Minimum AB or PA will be calculated based on the number of completed games.
4. Modify any parameters as as described below. Any changes will be applied just for this calculation.
5. Hit the OK button. The leaders will be automatically calculated in each of the selected categories.

Figure 11-2  Update Batting Leaders Preferences

11.2.1      Runtime Parameter Overrides

The number of Completed Games Played is used for the qualifier calculations.   The Completed Games and Minimum AB or PA values are automatically calculated based on the static setting in the Batting Leaders / Preferences.  For reference, the parameter for Minimum PA or AB per Game and number of Completed Games Played are shown.

 

You can change the Minimum PA or AB per Game to a specific value or enter a Minimum Games value and hit the option button to compute a new Minimum PA or AB per Game.

Inclusion of Expansion Roster (eg: Include Substitutes Roster Players) players can be changed as desired.

The Clear Leaders option will clear the Leaders Area. This will override any other setting.

Hit OK to initiate the Batting Leaders computations.

11.2.2      Leaders Summary Area

A calculation of the top leader in each selected batting category is also performed when the Update  command is executed. Ties for first place in a category will be computed as well. This area can be viewed by the Summary button.

 

Figure 11-3  Leaders Summary / Data Entry Area

 

 

 

12       BOX SCORES

NOTE:

This capability is not active in Multi-Season Mode

as individual game statistics are combined into composite season statistics.

 

A box score is a compilation of the inning-by-inning line score plus a batting statistics summary compiled from the stats of the participants of a game. The line score is entered manually for each game. Player stats are extracted automatically based on the game selection, if available.

 

The Schedule Manager is used to maintain the schedule and attribute information as well as adding placeholders for new games. However, any changes to game information (attributes or line score) using the box score functions will be annotated into the master game schedule.

The Box Score functions operate on games that appear in the schedule display. This includes games where there are batting stats but no attribute information (Stats Only). In the latter cases, Box Scores can still be generated, but they will not have the accompanying attribute information.

Where possible, the Game Number selection will default to the most recent game referenced in previous commands (eg: Player Stats Update).

12.1       Generating a Box Score

 

All relevant commands and options are in the Box Scores menu.

 

Figure 12-1  Box Score / Data Entry Area

12.1.1      Box Score Manager Operations

12.1.1.1     Recall Previous Games

To recall the box score and schedule information for a previous game, run the Recall command. Select the desired game number followed by OK.

 

12.1.1.2     Add New Game

If this is the first time a box score is to be calculated for this game, run the Recall command to extract the game information from the schedule. Select the game from the list and hit OK.

 

If a schedule entry was previously entered for this game, the team names and schedule information will be recalled. If not, enter the team names, Date, Time and Field location as needed for this game below the Line Score area.  The use of the Status field is optional.

 

The team names are not case-sensitive. Either the Home or Away team entry must match the main Team Name. Warnings will be issued appropriately. The ability to enter a non-division name allows box scores for inter-divisional, tournament or playoff games.

 

Next, enter the inning-by-inning line scores.

 

The entries for runs in each inning can be any of the following:

 

• Positive integer values
• Blanks
• Non-numeric (e.g.:  x, -)

 

The blank entries allow for shortened games. A hyphen or X value might indicate an inning where the home team did not bat in the final inning(s). Only integer values are computed into the total runs scored. The total runs for each team are updated after each entry. The innings labels can be modified as desired. This might be the case if a game goes beyond 10 innings.

 

Finally, run the Update command. Hit the Add/Update button followed by OK.

The user can sequence through the stored line/box scores by using the Recall Next or Recall Previous Box Score command. The direction is based on the Sort Order Ascending option.

12.1.1.3     Update a Previous Game

If changes need to be made to the team names, line score, Date, Time, Field location or Status of a game, recall the box score as above and make the changes. Then, run the Update command with the Add/Update option followed by OK.

12.1.1.4     Clear Line Score Display

The Clear Line Score command will purge the home and visitor team line scores in the current display. This is useful when a new line score needs to be entered. The innings labels will be restored to the maximum number of innings. The box score, team names and game attributes (Date, Time, Field and Status) are not affected.

 

The stored line score for this game is not updated by this function. To update, run the Update command. Hit the Add/Update button and then hit OK.

12.1.1.5     Clear Box Score Display

The Clear Box Score command will purge the stats area of the box score in the current display. This is useful if it is not desired to display the box score.  It does not delete any player stats associated with the selected game.

 

The line score and user definable areas of the box score display area (team names, Date, Time, Field and Status) are not affected.

12.1.2      Calculate Box Score Processing Options

12.1.2.1     Box Score Sort Order

If Player Name is chosen, the entries are sorted alphabetically by player name.

 

If Position is chosen, players with predefined positions will appear first followed by any user-defined positions. 

 

If player positions are not entered for the game, this option defaults to alphabetic sort by player name.

12.1.2.2     Box Score Statistics Selections

The user has the option to select either AB or PA plus two selectable statistics of interest that will be displayed in the last two columns of the box score in this dialog. The available set of statistics is dependent on the setting of the Slow-Pitch Stats Tracking mode setting.

12.1.2.3     Line Score Innings Labels Filtering

The Filter Innings Labels option determines how the innings labels will appear:

 

• If the box is checked (default), the innings number labels will appear only when there is an entry for either team in an inning.
• If the box is unchecked, all innings labels will appear. This is the normal setting when entering a line score.

 

After calculating the box score, the line score total runs for each team will be placed after the last valid inning score entry.

12.1.2.4     Line Score Innings Labels Filtering

When enabled, the current Box Score will be updated as needed. When disabled, the user will be prompted when the Box Score needs updating.

12.1.3      Box Score Update Processing

When the Add/Update function is checked and the  OK button is pressed, the following sequence occurs:

 

1. Home and visitor team names are validated as teams in the division. One non-division team name is allowed.
2. Either the Home or Visitor team must be the main Team Name.
3. The line score, date, time and field location are checked for a previous box score for the selected game. If there are differences, the user will be alerted to use the current displayed values or revert to the previously saved values.
4. The selected Game number from the dialog box will be compared to the Game number field in the Box Score display for consistency. This a check to insure that the user is indeed updating the correct game entry.
5. The line score innings labels are processed.
6. Stats for participating Active and Expansion roster stats are extracted for the selected game. This will include players with Played But Did Not Bat status for the game. Applicable entries can be displayed in alphabetical order or by position.
7. Statistics totals for the selected game are calculated.
8. Total runs scored for the main Team Name in the line score will be compared to the total from the individual player stats compilation. This acts as a crosscheck for possible stats and/or line score entry errors.

 

Any errors or inconsistencies will be reported to the user for reconciliation.

12.2       Resolving Current vs. Saved Line Scores

When the Update function is run, the currently displayed line score, team names, date, time and location are checked against the stored versions for the selected game. If there are differences, the user will be prompted to use the stored version or the currently display version.

12.3       Box Scores for Web Pages and Printed Reports

A compilation of all box scores can be included as part of the One Step Web Site processing or Print commands.

 

For web sites, the currently displayed game Box Score will be shown on the Home page. A separate web page contains all or just completed game Box scores. In Expanded Commands mode, the Web Composer / Preferences / One Step Web Site command allows the user to include or remove the Box Score from the Home page display.

 

Individual options for web pages (Web Composer / Include Completed Games Box Scores Only) and print (Print / Include Completed Games Box Scores Only) control inclusion of all games or just completed games (games with line scores). Games that have been resolved otherwise (Table 12-1) are included. Games with just stats entries and no line score are not included.

Status Field Value

Canceled

Forfeit

Forfeit - Loss

Forfeit - Win

No Game

Postponed

Rainout

Suspended

Table 12-1  Resolved Games Status

 

12.3.1      Box Scores Sort Order

The box scores are sorted by game number and can be displayed in Ascending or Descending order based on the Sort Order Ascending  option. This affects printed pages, the box score web page, and the Recall Next or Previous Box Score command.

13       USER NOTES AREA

Figure 13-1  User Notes

 

This is a separate page with an unprotected block of cells. Some possible uses of this area are:

 

• Personal notes for the maintainer of the statistics
• Notices for the team, league, etc.
• Custom game schedule and upcoming events
• Detailed team roster information (e.g.: player contact information)

 

Entries in an individual cell are limited to a maximum of approximately 200 characters. Entries wider than the cell will span across adjacent cells.

13.1       User Notes Formatting

The cells in this area are normally formatted for text entries but can be reformatted as a group via the Format command.

 

The default parameters are shown. The user has the option of selective re-formatting of a cell, or group of cells by checking the Apply to Selection Only option. If unchecked, the operations are performed on the entire User Notes area. 

 

Individual cells can be formatted by using the Format / Cells commands.

 

The Print / Include User Notes Page option controls printing of the area as a separate page when the Team Worksheet is printed.

Figure 13-2  Format User Notes Area Dialog

13.2       User Notes Web Page

NOTE:

If a web page is generated for the User Notes area, use discretion when including personal contact information to prevent possible misuse or indexing by web search engines or bots.

 

The Web Composer / Preferences / Include User Notes Page option controls inclusion of this area as a separate web page during the One Step Web Site command.

13.2.1.1     User Notes Web Pages Content and Layout

When a web page is generated, this area will be minimized both horizontally and vertically to the non-blank cell area and then centered in the web page content area.  The first non-blank cell in the area will be interpreted as a title line and highlighted in the web page. If this is not desired, place a single space in one of the cells in the first active row.

 

The SBC is configured to automatically render the User Notes content area as a mobile-first, Responsive Design web table. With Responsive Design,  the first 10 columns of the table are always visible on all devices. On intermediate width devices (481px to 768px wide), columns 1-15 are visible. On large width devices, all columns are visible. Consistent with mobile layout strategies, vertical scrolling is active, but horizontal scrolling is inactive.

 

If the target audience includes mobile device users, some consideration should be given to the amount of content to be incorporated for each device size range. Mobile devices have narrower viewing areas than desktop browsers. Therefore, the content should be kept sparse and more vertical in structure. Place the most important content in the first 10 columns and the next most important in columns 11-15. This will improve readability.

 

The Zebra Striping for Table Area option in the Web Composer / Preferences / One Step Web Site Preferences controls the application of zebra striping to the table area of the User Notes page. The title lines are not striped.

 

As the content of the User Notes page is under user control coupled with the wide range of mobile screen sizes and resolutions, this may take some experimentation.

 

In Expanded Commands mode, custom hyperlinks can be added to cells in the User Notes area via the Web Composer / Links / Edit Hyperlink command.

 

14       PRINTING REPORTS

14.1       General Operation

Printed reports are available via the Print command.  The SBC will configure critical printing parameters.  The print parameters may be modified from Properties functions in the Print dialog box on Windows OS (Figure 14-1). Alternatively, via the Page Setup command on Mac OSX (Figure 14-2). The most important settings relate to scaling and are shown.   Altering these parameters to other values may produce undesirable results.

 

Figure 14-1  Printing Options – Windows OS

Figure 14-2  Printing Options – Mac OSX

14.1.1      Header/Banner Rows

The SBC worksheet is preconfigured with a primary header area on the Team Summary page. A unique header area is on top of the Team Summary page and is used for the Team Summary and individual player statistics pages. A third header area is on top of the Batting Leaders area. A fourth header area is on top of the User Notes area. As these are different areas of the Team Worksheet, any changes made to one header area are not automatically reflected in the other area.

 

By default, the header rows will not be printed as a banner on each page (saves ink ☺). Enable the Include Mastheads option to include printing of the banners. 

14.2       Printing The Team Worksheet

14.2.1      Print (ctl+P)

This command will perform a structured printing of the SBC Team Worksheet in the following sequence:

 

Group 1

1. Team summary statistics / Home page
2. *Schedule (if enabled from Include Schedule Page option)
3. Team batting leaders
4. User Notes area (if enabled from Include User Notes Page option)

Group 2

1. Team batting summary
2. Individual stats for all Active Roster players (one page per player)
3. Expansion Roster stats (one page)

Group 3

1. *Box scores area. All scheduled games will be included or just the completed games if the Include Completed Games Box Scores Only option is active. The game order is controlled via the Box Score / Sort Order Ascending option.

* Single-Season mode only

 

Stats for each player are on a game-by-game basis (Single-Season mode) or season-by-season (Multi-Season mode).

 

A Print dialog will appear for each group.  Depending on the number of players in the rosters, Group 2 may result in more than one Print dialog.  Hit OK to print the group.

14.2.1.1     Selective Printing Options

In the Print dialog, hitting the Cancel button will bypass printing for that group of pages. The user can continue to the next group or stop printing.

 

During the print dialog in each group, the user may select specific pages of the worksheet using the traditional print page range options. A manually selected print area may also be printed by using the Print Selection command.

 

If the Configure / Informational Messages option is checked, the SBC will inform the user if there are potential mismatches in one or more of the game selection parameters.  See Game Selection Mismatch Warnings for more details.

14.2.2      Print Preview

For each Print dialog that occurs, a Preview button will allow the user to view the page prior to printing.

14.2.2.1     Excel on the Macintosh

 The Preview will open up the native Preview application and switch that application to the foreground.  After viewing the preview, switch back to Excel to regain control of the SBC.

14.2.2.2     Excel on Windows

The Preview will open the preview mode in the same window as the SBC. On most versions, there is a tab or set of controls for the preview mode functions. Once the Preview mode is terminated, control will be returned to the SBC.

 

If no controls are present in the preview window:

 

1. Go to the Windows Task Bar
2. Right-click on the Excel icon
3. Run the End Window or Close Window command to terminate the print preview and return control to the SBC.

14.3       Printing Problems

The most common problems that arise can usually be solved by reviewing the basic print settings or by re-running the Default Page Setup command. 

14.3.1      Small Print

If the text on the printed pages appears very small, this is usually due an incorrect printer resizing option which must be correctly manually. This is different that the Excel Print scaling factor in the Print dialog which should be set to Fit to 1 Page Wide.

The Fit to XX Pages Tall option must be left blank.

 

On Windows, this is the Resizing option which should be set to Actual Size.  On the Mac OSX, the Scale factor setting should be set to 100%.

 

Another option is to suppress printing of the banners by unchecking the Include Mastheads option. This also has the advantage using less printer ink.

15       GLOBAL CONFIGRATION SETTINGS

 

 

Under the SBC Ribbon UI, most options are under their respective functional groups. The global settings are under the Configure / General Preferences. Alternatively, the icon in the lower right-hand corner in the ribbon General group can be used.

 

Defined HTML color settings can be selected from the dropdown lists. Samples of these colors are shown in Appendix B. See HTML Color Management for more details on color parameter entry.

 

Figure 15-1  General Preferences Dialog in Single-Season Mode

15.1       Identity Settings

15.1.1      Team Name

This parameter is used to identify your main Team Name. A dropdown selection list displays the available team names extracted from the division standings area of the Team Worksheet. If you do not see a list of names, this indicates that the team names in the Division Standings have not been configured. A minimum of one team must be entered in the Division Standings.

 

The main Team Name cannot be changed unless there is at least one team entry in the standings. To prevent schedule corruption in Single-Season Mode, the main Team Name cannot be modified if there are entries in the schedule. Thus, to modify the main Team Name, the schedule must be cleared first.

15.1.2      Stats File Description

This field is used to provide a unique identifier for the statistics contained in this Team Worksheet. Traditionally, the calendar year associated with the stats is entered. However, it can be any non-blank entry such as playoffs, tournaments, etc.  This field is used during stats importing with other Team Worksheets in Multi-Season Mode.

15.2       Expansion Roster Settings

15.2.1      Expansion Roster Label

This parameter controls the label that is shown for this player category. It can be any non-blank text value.

15.2.2      Schedule Page Options

The Highlight Color determines the text color if the Schedule / Highlight First Unplayed Game option is active. The value is automatically set by the current Active Web Theme setting but can be overridden as desired.

15.3       Miscellaneous Settings

15.3.1      Source File Filtering

On older versions of Excel on the Mac (e.g.: Excel 2004 and earlier), the source file filtering does not always allow all file types to be allowed for import or export operations (Stats, Rosters, Schedules). If this happens, uncheck the Source File Filtering option. This option is always enabled on the Windows versions of Excel.

15.3.2      Shade Stats Category Titles

When checked, the Shade Fill Color will be applied to all category titles. This will be visible on the screen as well as on printed and web pages. The value is automatically set by the current Active Web Theme setting but can be overridden as desired. This can be disabled as desired to save on printer ink.

15.3.3      Default Text Color

This option allows global modification of the primary text color.  This color will be reflected on the screen as well as on printed and web pages.  The value is automatically set by the current Active Web Theme setting but can be overridden as desired. Individual cells can override this setting as desired.

15.4       User Alterable Cells

Certain cells on the Team Worksheet may be customized. The View tab options: Gridlines and Headings may be useful when performing these operations. The gridlines and headings options are for screen viewing only.

15.4.1      Masthead Banners

The header area from the Team Summary page is used as the header for the first printed page.  It is also used as the masthead area for all web pages. The user can propagate these changes to the other masthead banners via the Format / Cells  / Update Masthead Banners command.

15.4.2      Team Summary Area

Figure 15-2  Team Summary Page Layout

Use the Summary button to navigate to this area.

 

The user may alter certain cells directly:

  

• Masthead (header) area banner test
• Masthead area graphics (Expanded Command Set Mode only)
• Title over division standings
• Date over division standings
• Individual team names in the division standings plus applicable wins, losses and ties
• Title lines and game number over the box score and batting leaders summary areas
• Additional lines under the box score line score area

 

The banner above the division standings (“Division Standings as of:”), box score (“Box Score for Game:”), and leader summary (“Top Leaders Thru Game:”) areas may be modified as desired. This might be case at the end of the season. The dates and game numbers next to the banners could be blanked out if desired as well.

 

The SBC will check to see if any of these label areas are blank at startup and when the applicable Calculate command is invoked. If this is the case, the default banners for the areas will be regenerated.

15.4.3      Team Batting Summary Area

 

Figure 15-3  Batting Summary Page Layout

 

Use the Batting Summary button to navigate to this area.

 

The header area above the team batting summary is separate from the header areas above the team summary and batting leaders areas. It is used only on printed pages for the team batting summary, leaders, and individual player statistics pages. It is not used on web pages.

 

The banner above the team batting summary (“Team Batting Statistics”) may be altered as desired. For example, at the end of the season, you might want to change this to “Final Season Statistics”.

15.4.4      Batting Leaders Area

Figure 15-4  Batting Leaders Page Layout

 

Use the Batting Leaders button to navigate to this area.

 

The header area above the batting leaders is separate from the header areas above the team summary and team batting areas and is used only on printed pages for the team batting summary, leaders, and individual player statistics pages. It is not used on web pages.

 

The banner above the batting leaders (“Batting Leaders Thru Game:”) may be altered as desired. For example, at the end of the season, you might change this to “Final 2011 Batting Leaders”.  The SBC will check to see if this label area is blank at startup. If this is the case, the default banner will be regenerated. The game number next to the banner could be blanked out if desired as well.

15.4.5      Game Schedule Page

Figure 15-5  Game Schedule Page Layout

Use the Schedule button to navigate to this area.

 

The banners above the table in cells GO6 through G10 may be altered as desired. The cells in the Game column (G12 and below) are unlocked as well.

 

The Configure / General Preferences  Highlight Color controls the color for the Highlight First Unplayed Game (Game 20 in the example). The value is automatically set by the current Active Web Theme setting but can be overridden as desired.

 

16       MODIFYING CELL FORMATS

The formats of the Team Worksheet are predefined by internal settings and the Web Page Themes. However, the user may make modifications.

16.1       Safe Mode Formatting

 

These changes can be performed on any area of the Team Worksheet without possibility of worksheet formula corruption. Individual cells can be modified by selecting the cell(s) of interest. Then use the commands under the  Format / Cells menu. If you wish to make other global changes to all text on the Team Worksheet (except the header areas), click on the Format / Select All button first.

 

Defined HTML color settings can be selected from the dropdown lists. Samples of these colors are shown in Appendix B. See HTML Color Management for more details on color parameter entry.

 

Configure  / General Preferences:

1. Default Text Color – Global color for all areas except masthead and banners. 
2. Category Titles Shade Color – For print and web pages.

 

Format / Cells

 

1.    Font - Font style and color selection
2.    Borders – Selection of the standard set of cell borders
3.    Alignment – Text alignment within cell(s)
4.    Patterns – Cell fill patterns
5.    Row and Column sizing  (Expanded Commands Mode only)

16.1.1      Masthead Banners

If the Font command is executed with the Summary Page masthead text line selected, the user will be prompted to update all of the other mastheads with these changes. The Format / Cells /Update Masthead Banners command can be used at any time to propagate these changes as desired.

16.1.2      Formatting Commands for User Notes Area

NOTE:

These should be used in the User Notes are only. Otherwise, unpredictable results may occur. Ensure that you maintain a backup copy of your Team Worksheet when performing these operations.

16.1.2.1     Cell Sizing

Additional commands for Row Height, Column Width, and Restore Column Widths are provided.

16.1.2.2     Align Text

The Alignment command provides for basic changes for in text alignment within a cell or group of cells.  These include left, center, right and justify.

NOTE:

Some of the more esoteric alignment styles such as text rotation, vertical text display, etc. will not be reflected on web pages.

16.1.3      Cell Borders

There are a large number of potential cell border styles that can be applied via the Borders command.

16.1.3.1     Screen and Printed Pages

Any of these styles can be used for screen viewing and printed pages.

16.1.3.2     Web Pages

Cell borders incur significant additional processing for web pages. Thus, by default, cell border attributes are not mapped to web pages as the Team Worksheet themes do not employ borders.

 

To enable, activate the Process Border Style Overrides option under Web Composer / Preferences / General.

 

HTML/CSS web standards only define the four perimeter cell borders. Any of the more esoteric borders (e.g.: 45º, center cell lines) do not have a comparable CSS attribute and are ignored.

 

Each of the four cell-borders can be mapped separately with style and color.  Adjacent cells with borders are mapped into a single border.

 

HTML/CSS defines four possible border styles: solid, double, dotted and dashed. Thus, it is not possible to map every Excel border style to an equivalent web page border style. Table 16-1 shows the available mapping of Excel border styles to the equivalent CSS style. Styles mapped to the closest CSS style are marked with an asterisk.

 

Excel Style		Web Style Mapping
	thin solid	1px solid
	hairline	1px dotted
	thin dotted	1px dotted
	thin dash	1px dashed
	thin dot-dash	1px dashed*
	thin dot-dot-dash	1px dashed*
	thin double	2px double*
	medium solid	2px solid
	medium dash	2px dashed
	medium dot-dash	2px dashed*
	medium dot-dot-dash	2px dashed*
	medium hashed	2px dashed*
	thick solid	3px solid

Table 16-1  Cell Border Style Mapping

16.1.4      Fills and  Patterns

16.1.4.1     Screen and Printed Pages

The Patterns  command provides both foreground and background color and pattern fill control. The pattern fills will be reflected on the screen and on printed pages.

16.1.4.2     Web Pages

 As there is no equivalent web page style for patterns, any changes will be not be reflected on web pages.

 

 

17       CREATING A BASIC WEB SITE

 

Figure 17-1  One Step Web Site Structure

17.1       Overview

 

The SBC can generate a totally integrated web site optimized for viewing on both desktop and mobile browsers. The  SBC generates mobile-first, Responsive Design web files that will dynamically adjust the layout and content based on the user’s device. 

NOTE:

The web site pages do not contain ad-ware or hidden Internet tracking code.

They do not employ the use of web cookies.

All activity is solely a result of the user’s navigation of the site.

 

A single Web Composer / One Step Web Site (ctl+alt+W) command creates a web site. The user does not need to know anything about web page authoring. 

 

Figures 17-2 and 17-3 show examples of the home pages as viewed on a desktop browser plus iPhone^® and Android / Samsung Galaxy^® mobile devices. A masthead comprising of the banner text above the team summary plus a hyperlinked navigation bar will be generated on the top of each page.  The page content for mobile devices is in a columnar structure for the reduced viewing area.

 

All generated web page files will reside in the same folder. Assuming that the user has access to a web hosting service from their Internet Service Provider or other source, all that is needed is the procedure to transfer the resulting files from your computer to the appropriate web server location. Then, inform your users of the link to the home page. No app is needed to view the web site, only a browser.

17.1.1      Browser Compatibility

The SBC generates efficient, standards-compliant HTML5 and CSS web pages. It does not make use of any browser-specific functionality. As a result, the web pages appear similar on a variety of current browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera (full versions), Safari, Google Chrome, iPhone/iPad iOS mobile, Android mobile and others. Minimalist browsers such as Opera Mini may not provide acceptable results.

 

Java is NOT used to display the generated web pages.

However, Javascript must be enabled on the user’s browsers for proper viewing

and navigation of the generated web site pages.

The web pages do not create or access cookies.

17.1.2      One Step Web Site Navigation

Each web page will contain a navigation bar under the masthead area. The default navigation bar contains basic navigation links for home, schedule, box scores, stats, and leaders. The active web page will have its’ navigation link highlighted. When viewed on a desktop browser the navigation bar and tabs are always visible in a horizontal row.

 

Figure 17-2  Web Page Example Viewed on Desktop Browser

When viewed on a handheld/mobile device, the navigation bar is initially hidden to conserve screen space. Alternately tapping on the hamburger icon at the top right corner of the masthead controls visibility of the navigation links under the masthead.

The Hamburger icon will appear in red if Javascript is disabled.

 

In either mode, tapping/clicking in the masthead icon area will navigation back to the defined Home Page for the site.

A date indicating when the web site was created will be shown in the footer area.

 

 

 iPhone  iPhone  Samsung Galaxy S2

Figure 17-3  Web Page Examples Viewed on Mobile Devices

17.1.2.1     Scroll-to-Top Navigation

When a user scrolls down a web page, a Scroll-To-Top icon will appear in the lower right-hand corner of the page. Clicking on this icon will smooth scroll to the top of the current page. The fill color of this icon follows the Masthead Preferences / Background Fill Color setting for the active state. The highlight color follows the Content Preferences / Hyperlink Styles / Hover Color.

 

NOTE:

Not all current browsers support smooth scrolling.

Notable exceptions are Microsoft Edge^® and Apple Safari (both iOS and OS X versions). Clicking on the Scroll-To-Top icon on these browsers will result in a jump scroll to the top of the current web page.

17.1.3      Web Themes

Figure 17-4  Web Themes

The user can choose from a selection of pre-defined themes for your web site. Choose a theme by using the Web Composer / Preferences / Web Theme command. The Display Themes button will show samples of the pre-defined themes (requires internet connection). Note that the Selectable Masthead Logos selection is not part of the Web Themes.

 

Figure 17-5  Web Themes Dialog

Alternatively the themes are shown on the SBC web site under the Tutorial section. The Brown [SBC Legacy] is the theme that was the default in previous versions of the SBC.  Select the desired theme from the pull-down menu and hit the Load Theme button.

 

The Active Theme is the framework used by the One Step Web Site command to generate a web site. This selection is preserved when the Team Worksheet is saved.

 

In Expanded Commands mode, additional web styling changes can be performed on the Active Theme. The changes can be preserved as a user-defined theme. Both the Active Theme and Saved Theme are preserved.

17.1.4      Box Scores Summary Web Page

Javascript must be enabled on the user’s browsers for proper viewing or printing of the Box Score web pages.

 

Figure 17-6  Box Scores Summary Web Page Example

The Web Composer / Preferences / Include Completed Games Box Scores option determines inclusion of all or just completed games played. An example is shown below. For each game found, a one-line summary is shown with the game date and opposing team name.  Clicking/tapping on a Game will cause the line score and box score to be displayed. In the example below, the user has clicked on Game 17. Clicking on the Game again will cause the box score to disappear.  Clicking on another Game will cause the previous selection to disappear and the new selection will appear.

 

The order of the games is controlled by the Box Score / Sort Order Ascending | Descending option.

 

The WPC will indicate if the date and opponent can’t be found, the line score is missing, or if there is a mismatch in runs scored by the home team in the line vs. box score.

 

17.2       Procedure

The Web Composer / One Step Web Site generation can take a fair amount of time to complete depending on the quantity of players and stats entries. A progress window will be displayed in a non-modal box.  No user intervention with the progress dialog box is needed.

WARNING:

This operation will overwrite any web files that may exist with the same name in the selected target directory without prompting the user.

This is by design to prevent the need to answer the alert:

 

“File exists – Do you wish to overwrite?”

 

that would normally appear prior to creating each file. So, make sure that you’ve selected the correct directory ☺

 

To create the files for the web site, perform the following steps:

 

Figure 17-7  One Step Web Site Runtime Options Dialog

1. Run the Web Composer /One Step Web Site command. An options dialog will appear.
2. The user can modify the web site update date that will be shown in the web page footer area. By default, this will be the date from the Division Standings. If blank, then today’s date will be used. The user may override this with any text entry. Leave this field blank to omit the Updated line from the footer. Hit OK.
3. The current Web Theme selection will be shown as a reference.
4. A Select Folder/Directory dialog will be shown for a default target directory for the team web site files. Change the target directory as desired.  All files will be saved into this directory. A separate folder/directory should be used to save the web files so that they will not be intermingled with the SBC program (SBC_Macros.xlm), Ribbon (SBC_Ribbon.xlam), or Team Worksheets. Make sure that the SBC-supplied graphics files are placed in this target folder. Hit OK.

 

Figure 17-8  One Step Web Site Select Target Directory Dialog

5. The SBC will generate a series of files for the web site. When the processing has completed, a summary will be displayed. This summary can be recalled at a later time if required via the Web Composer / One Step Web Site / Summary command.
6. Copy the resulting files along with the graphics files (Distribution Files) to the web server location provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).  Place all files into the same directory/folder. Do not copy the SBC_Macros.xlm, SBC_Ribbon.xlam or Team Worksheet files. They are not needed for web site viewing.
7. Inform your users of the URL to the home page.

 

WARNING:

The One Step Web Site command automatically generates hyperlinks on each page for navigation.

Thus, it is imperative that the filenames must not be changed or the hyperlinks will not work correctly.

 

Figure 17-9  One Step Web Site Progress Window

17.2.1      One Step Web Site Processing Summary

Figure 17-10  One Step Web Site Processing Summary

The processing summary contains pertinent statistics from the latest One Step Web Site command processing. This can be recalled at a later time via the Web Composer / One Step Web Site / Summary command.

17.3       Notes on Generating Web Sites

17.3.1      File Name Conventions

 

Content Area:		Navigation Tab:                          File Name:
Home Page	Home		name_home_page.html
Team batting stats	Stats		batting_summary.html
Schedule (optional)	Schedule		schedule.html
Batting leaders	Leaders		leaders.html
Box Scores	Box Scores		box_score.html
Individual player stats files	none		name1_name2.html
User Notes area (optional)	See Options		user_notes.html
n.a.	n.a.		robots.txt

Table 17-1  Web Site Files

Table 17-1 summarizes the file names that are automatically generated by the One Step Web Site command where name is the main Team Name in lowercase characters.  Any blank or non-web compliant characters in the main Team Name will be mapped to underscores.

17.3.1.1     Player Filename Encoding

The filenames for detailed player stats will be generated automatically in the format:

 

name1_name2.html

 

Where name1 and name2 are the last/first (or first/last) name components of the individual player names depending on how they appear in the rosters.

17.3.2      Game Range Parameter Validation

If the Configure / Informational Messages option is checked, the SBC will inform the user if there are potential mismatches in one or more of the game selection parameters.

17.4       Options

In Basic Command mode, most processing options are preset for ease of use. However, some are available via the Web Composer / One Step Web Site Preferences command:

 

Figure 17-11  One Step Web Site Preferences in Basic Command Set Mode

17.4.1      Incorporating User Notes Area as a Web Page

WARNING:

 Use discretion when including any personal or contact information on this page if the web site will be hosted on a publicly accessible web server and therefore subject to search engine indexing (e.g.: Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.).

 

The user has an option to include the User Notes area into the web site. See USER NOTES AREA for possible uses of this area in the web site. In the example, the user has chosen to keep contact information on the page but not include it as a web page.

 

When enabled, a separate navigation tab will appear in the resulting web pages. The navigation tab label will default to Notices. The user may choose to modify the label as desired as long as it does not conflict with the pre-defined navigation tab names (Notes on Generating Web Sites).

17.4.1.1     Zebra Striping

The SBC generates fill patterns on alternate lines of the tables in the major content areas of the web pages. This is controlled via the Web Composer / Preferences / One Step Web Site / Stats Tables Zebra Striping option.

 

If the User Notes area contains tabular data, striping can be applied via the Zebra Striping for Table Area option. If the User Notes area has additional information to be included with the tabular data, place this information above the table followed by a single blank row of cells as a delimiter.

17.4.1.2     Schedule Next Unplayed Game Marker

When the Schedule / Highlight First Unplayed Game option is active, the selected marker character will be pre-pended. Select none for no marker.

17.4.2      Game Schedule and Results Page

The inclusion of this page is controlled by the Web Composer / Preferences / Include Schedule Page option.

17.4.3      Current Weather

The weather conditions can be displayed in the first content area of the home page. Simply enter the geographic location in the form of:

City, State (for US locations)
or
City, zipcode (for US locations)
or
City, Province (for Canadian locations)

 

The full city name must be entered. Either full or two-letter state/province abbreviations are acceptable. Due to limitations of the weather service, only US and Canadian locations are supported.

 

Then, check the Content Block 1 / Enable option. A hyperlinked text string will be displayed (eg: San Jose, CA Weather) which links to the weather service site. The Forecast options can be enabled as desired for a multi-day forecast.

 

No verification of the City, State or City, Province parameter is performed.

If you encounter problems, visit www.weatherWX.com site and verify that the location is in the correct format and is supported.

17.4.4      Graphics, WebClip and Favicon Icons

The graphics files are included in the SBC distribution media in the Web Site Files folder.

17.4.4.1     Selectable Masthead Icon _4.60

The user can choose from a list of icons that will appear on the masthead of each web page. The default logo is Base/Bat/Glove. This is the legacy SBC icon. Ensure that the icon files that come with the SBC distribution  are placed in the same directory as the files generated by the One Step Web Site command. Select None if no masthead icon is desired. Select Custom if a user-defined masthead icon file is desired.

Hit the Show Examples button to display examples of the icons (requires browser and active internet connection).

Selection of a predefined Masthead Icon places the corresponding filename into the Web Composer Masthead Preferences / Icon File URL field. In Basic Commands Mode, ensure t that the icon files that come with the SBC distribution are placed in the same directory as the files generated by the One Step Web Site command. If File and Directory Processing is employed, follow the same rules based on the resulting URL for the icon file.

Do not change the names of the icon files !!!

         

Base/Bat/Glove       Batter 1   Batter 2  Softball  Baseball  Rec League

Figure 17-12  Masthead Icons

17.4.4.2     WebClip Bookmark Files

For mobile devices, a set of files referred to as WebClip icon files are provided. These files provide a custom icon when the user saves a bookmark of one of the web pages to the device’s home screen.  Originally developed by Apple for the iPhone and iPad devices, these files are supported on other mobile operating systems although this varies by manufacturer.

 

The use of the WebClip icons is optional and does not affect the functionality or operation of the web site.

 

The WebClip icons have the general filename structure of apple-touch-icon-xxx.png. To become effective, these files must be placed in the root directory of your web site (e.g.: https://www.aces-softball.com/). If your ISP does not allow access to the root directory, contact SBC support at support@sbc.aces-softball.com for a method to get around this limitation.

 

Do not change the names of the WebClip icon files.

 

Figure 17-13  WebClip Icon Example

A default title consisting of the Main Team Name and the current Stats Year identifier will be generated by the SBC. The user may override this as desired when performing a Save to Home Screen operation on a mobile device.

17.4.4.3     Favicon Icon File

An optional favicon.ico file is also included. This file creates an icon for the SBC web pages in the browser location bar, tab, or favorites/bookmark areas depending on the browser. To become active, this file must be placed in the root directory of your web site (e.g.: https://www.aces-softball.com/favicon.ico). It will likely not be activated if it is placed in a subdirectory below the root directory.

 

Do not change the name of the favicon.ico icon file.

 

If your ISP does not allow access to the root directory, the SBC provides an alternative method for advanced users to address this limitation (Include favicon <link> tag).

 

Figure 17-14  Favicon Icon Example

17.4.5      Additional Options

In the Configure / Expanded Commands mode, additional options are available. These include the ability customize the masthead icons and colors, and to control the style of the content of areas. There are additional options for more complex web site structures. See ENHANCED WEB PAGE GENERATION for more details on the use of these options.

17.5       Caching of Web Sites

During the course of the season, your web site will likely undergo frequent updates. The SBC incorporates code on each web page to prevent browsers from caching the web pages. This ensures that the visitors will always see the most recent version of the pages. As the SBC-generated web pages are relatively small, this has minimal impact on the response time to render the pages.

Unfortunately, not all browsers obey these "no cache" directives. So it is good practice to inform your players to hit “refresh” on the page if they don't see the most recent stats updates.

There are other techniques to ensure the web pages are not cached, but they require special web configuration files (.htaccess) that are more complex to create and maintain. They are typically used on Apache-based web servers and may not work on your specific web host. If the SBC caching directives fail to prevent caching, contact your web hosting service for possible solutions.

17.6       Search Engine Indexing of Web Pages

The default mode of the One Step Web Site command is to allow web search engines (e.g.: Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) to index your web site pages.  You may wish to restrict the visibility of your site from search engine results. See Block Search Engines From Indexing Pages for details to activate this blocking feature.

17.6.1      Google Mobile Friendly Compatibility

The SBC generates web pages that are compliant with Google’s mobile friendly ratings and will be given higher search rankings.

 

18       WARNING MESSAGES AND TROUBLESHOOTING

18.1       Warning Messages

The following table describes common messages that may occur during the use of the SBC and the action required to reconcile the issue. Additional information can be found in the user manual section(s) identified in the Reference column. Display of informational messages (marked with an asterisk *) is controlled via the Configure / Informational  Messages option.

 

MESSAGE	USER ACTION	REFERENCE
Startup:
Unsupported version of Excel	Check the list of compatible Excel versions.	1.5
The SBC must be started with no open worksheets.	Only a single SBC Team Worksheet can be open.	4
The worksheet is not an SBC Team Worksheet.	Relaunch the SBC from a valid SBC Team Worksheet.
*Enable Add-Ins tab to view SBC menus and toolbars.	A reminder on Windows version of Excel versions with the Ribbon user interface.	4
Excel Add-ins detected. Continue or Deinstall ?	Potential conflicts running the SBC with existing Excel add-ins active.	18.2.3
Opening Files:
Can’t Open File	Generic operating system file access errors.	18.15
Primary Team Worksheet is an invalid file. An SBC Team Worksheet cannot be opened. File may be corrupted or in use by another application	Only non-SBC Excel documents can be opened. Verify the file and try again.	4
Convert Worksheet Format:
About to convert Team Worksheet format … This is not undo-able. Are you sure you want to continue ?"	All player rosters and stats will be cleared.	5
Stats File Description must be a non-blank value	Enter a unique description for the stats file.	5
Save Selection As Web Page:
Area must be a contiguous selection of cells for web page creation	Ensure the desired area is a contiguous selection of cells on Team Worksheet	22
Export Roster:
nn players found with >>> player marker. Process the player names and rerun the export.	Reconcile the player names before exporting the roster.	9
*Ensure that the filename suffix is .csv in the next dialog. Filename must have .csv suffix	Just a warning.	9
Can't create the file Filename. Check to ensure that the file is not open by another application and the target directory is not write-protected.	File might be busy or on a write-protected volume.	9, 18.15
Import Stats (Multi-Season Mode):
Import file is not an SBC Team Worksheet .xls file type. File is Not an SBC Team Worksheet or Import file.	Verify the filename and try again.	21, 18.15
Can’t open file for importing.	Verify the filename. Ensure it is not locked or in use by another application.	21, 18.15
The current Team Worksheet cannot be imported into itself.	You’ve attempted to import the current Team Worksheet into itself. Check the filename and retry.	21, 24
Unable to determine worksheet type ID. Unable to access critical parameters for processing	Verify the filename and try again. If the filename is correct, it may be corrupted.	21, 24
The file needs to be updated before the stats can be imported.	Quit the SBC and relaunch the import file to update it. Then, repeat the import process.	21, 24
The file has no roster entries	Check the import file as it appears to be empty	21, 24
The file does not have any player statistics. Do you wish to continue importing?	The import file has a roster but no player stats. If you continue, it will import the roster names for the selected season.	21, 24
Stats File Description for the imported stats must be a non-blank value.	Enter a unique description for the stats to be imported.	21, 24
Import file Season ID matches the target Stats File Description. Verify correct files and/or descriptions and re-import.	Enter a unique description for the stats to be imported.	21, 24
The import file is configured in full stats tracking mode…	The user has the option to change the primary Team Worksheet mode to match.	21, 24
Statistics already exist for the selected season	Entering OK will overwrite the existing stats for all players.	21, 24
*Statistics importing can take a fair amount of time.	Watch the window message bar for progress.	21, 24
One or more player names from the import file matches a player name found in both rosters.	Duplicates from import file marked with >>>>. Correct per instructions.	21, 24
Import Stats (Single-Season Mode):
Import file is not a .csv file type Import file is the current Team Worksheet. Unpredictable results can occur. Quit the SBC and DO NOT SAVE the file.	Check filename and re-import.	10, 23
The current Team Worksheet cannot be imported into itself.	You’ve attempted to import the current Team Worksheet into itself. Check the filename and retry.	10, 23
Unable to open file.	File may be corrupted or in use by another application. Check filename and re-import.	10, 18.15, 23
The file is not a known import stats file.	Check filename and format type and re-import.	10, 23
Invalid {file format type} file format.	Check filename and format type and re-import.	10, 23
nn Missing stats fields. First missing field is: aaa.	The import file is missing one or more critical stats fields. Check the stats selections in the mobile app vs. the required fields and recreate the file.	10, 23
Import file has no stats.	Check filename and format type and re-import.	10, 23
Game Number must be a non-blank /positive value	Pick a positive integer value.	10, 23
Stats for Game Number nn exists	Hitting OK will overwrite the stats for all players.	10, 23
Unknown player name detected…	One or more player names from the import file could not be found in either roster.  Players have been marked with >>>>. Correct as necessary.	10, 23
nn players found with new player markers. Process the new player names and rerun the import.	Players have been marked with >>>>. Correct as necessary.	10, 23
Change Stats Year
New Stats File Description must be a non-blank value.	Verify the new stats file description.	21
New Stats File Description matches the existing Stats File	Verify the new stats file description.	21
Description of the Multi-Season File. Choose another value.	Verify the new stats file description.	21
New Stats File Description matches an existing Season. Choose another value.	Verify the new stats file description.	21
Convert to Multi-Season Format
Stats File Description for the Multi-Season stats file matches the Season for the converted stats.	Verify the new stats file description.	21
Color Palette Editor
Color parameter must be a defined color name in hexadecimal [#RRGGBB, #RGB] or decimal [rgb(RRR,GGG,BBB), rgb(r%,g%,b%)] format.	Re-enter a valid R, G and B color code	22
Game Range:
* Possible mismatch in game numbers.	This is just a warning. The alert box indicates the mismatched values. This may or may not be incorrect depending on what the user wishes to display.	10
Maximum game number is: nn	An invalid game number was entered. Value cannot exceed the highest game number where there are detailed player stats.	10
Leaders Preferences:
Max Leaders must be less than Max Leaders Plus Ties	Change one or both of the preferences.	11
Max Leaders Plus Ties must be less than or equal to…	This value must be less than the program limit defined by the SBC.	11
Leader Board is no longer accurate. Hit OK to update	One of the Leader Board parameters was changed. Hitting OK will result in an update to the Leader Board. Hitting Cancel will bypass the updating.	11
General Preferences:
Stats File Description must be a non-blank value.	Enter a non-blank alphanumeric value.	15
Stats File Description matches an existing season	Multi-Season Mode: The stats file description must be unique.	15
Main Team Name selection has changed.	Rerun Division Standings/ Update to update highlighting	15
Paste Web Graphics
Paste command failed. The clipboard may be empty.	Re-select the desired area and try pasting again. If the command still fails, the target cell(s) may be protected.	20
The clipboard item is not a graphics image.	An attempt was made to enter a non-graphics object. If the item is a text entry, use the traditional Paste command.	20
The current selection is not a picture.	Attempt made to use the Web Graphics Info command on a non-picture object.	20
Web graphics image table entry not found for this image	The selected item does not have an entry in the Web Graphics table. It may have been created by an Excel drawing tool.	20
Web graphics table is full. Delete unused images and retry.	The internal table that store reference information for web graphics images is full. The image will still be pasted on the page and will be visible on printed pages. However, they will be ignored on web pages. Delete unused web graphics to make room and re-paste	20
File link for this web graphics image not defined. This image will not be displayed on web pages where it is included. Normal printing is unaffected.	Each web graphics item must have an associated graphics file.	20
Internal failure. Cannot paste graphics image	This is a fatal error and should not occur. Report this to SBC Support.	20
Format Cells:
Selection XXX is locked due to embedded formula. Use caution with formatting changes. OK to continue ?	A warning not to perform these operations in protected areas of the Team Worksheet	16
The selected cells are not in the User Notes area. Do not perform Center Across Selection or Merge Cells operations on this selection.	A warning not to perform these operations in protected areas of the Team Worksheet	16
Player and Roster Maintenance:
* [command] is not undo-able !!!	Most maintenance functions cannot be un-done. If you inadvertently answer OK and didn’t mean to, quit the SBC but DO NOT SAVE the worksheet.	9, 10
About to clear ALL roster names and stats. Are you sure you want to do this ?	This clears the entire team roster and associated stats.	9
Player name is blank !	heck the entry and try again.	9, 10
Player name cannot contain the string: >>>>	heck the entry and try again.	9, 10
The Year parameter must be a non-blank value.	heck the entry and try again.	9, 10, 21
New player name is a reserved name.	heck the entry and try again.	9, 10
New player name already exists in the expansion or active roster.	heck the entry and try again.	9, 10
* Changing player name will not clear stats for this player	Just a warning that the Rename Player operation leaves the stats unchanged.	9, 10
* Leader board and/or box scores are no longer accurate !	This warning indicates that it may be necessary to run the Calculate/Batting Leaders and/or Box Score commands at some point.	9, 10
Player name cannot contain the string: >>>	This is a reserved string. Pick another name for  the player without this string.	9, 10
Player name already exists in the Active Roster	Pick a unique name.	9, 10
Player name already exists in the Expansion Roster	Pick a unique name.	9, 10
OK to clear leaders and box score ?	This message will appear after the Player / Clear All Player Stats or Player / Delete All Players from Roster command was executed. This is a timesaver when setting up the Team Worksheet for a new season.	9, 10
player name is a reserved name.	Enter a unique non-blank value.	9, 10
Rename Stats Season ID
New Stats File Description must be a non-blank value	Enter a unique non-blank description	21
New Stats File Description matches the existing Stats File Description of the Multi-Season File	Enter a unique non-blank description.	21
New Stats File Description matches an existing Stats Description  in the Multi-Season File	Enter a unique non-blank description	21
Consolidate Expansion Roster
The new name for the stats group cannot be blank.		21
The new name cannot be a reserved name.	Enter a unique non-blank description	21
The new name cannot match an active roster player name.	Enter a unique non-blank description	21
Legacy SBC Toolbar
The file SBC_Macros.xlm is already open	The SBC had been previously used in a different folder. The SBC normally corrects for this at startup. If it does occur, run Restore SBC Toolbar command	4
Update Stats
Game number must be greater than 0	Ener a positive integer value.	10
Appearances must be a valid number !	Enter a positive integer value.	10
Extra base hits exceed hits !	Entry validation error. Check the entries against the scoresheet and re-enter.	10
Game not specified or not valid !	An existing or new game number must be entered.	10
Leader board is no longer accurate !	This warning indicates that it may be necessary to run the Calculate/Batting Leaders command before the leaders are printed or a web page created of this area.	10
H + BB + FC+ ROE + SAC + K + HBP + SACB must be less than or equal to appearances	Check the entries against the scoresheet and correct as needed	10
Invalid entry in one or more fields	Check to ensure entries are positive numeric values	10
Runs scored exceed plate appearances !	Entry validation error. Check the entries against the scoresheet and re-enter.	10
Only R, SB or FINES entries allowed if the player did not bat.	Recheck the stats entries for this player.	10
One Step Web Site:
* Possible mismatch in game numbers.	This is just a warning. The alert box indicates the mismatched values. This may or may not be incorrect depending on what the user wishes to display.	17
Invalid Custom Hyperlink Detected…	See  Web Site Navigation XE "one step web site: navigation" Does Not Work Correctly for corrective action.	17
* The File Save dialog that appears next is used to select the directory for the player stats web pages. The file name is ignored.	This is just a notification when the Save All Player Stats as Web Page or One Step Web Site command is about to be executed. The only parameter in the Save dialog that is used is the selection of the desired target directory. The filename field is ignored.	17
The contents of one or more cells contain too many characters…	Check the marked cells on the web page(s) and correct.	17
[Picture_ ID]  in the selected area does not have a link to the graphics file defined. Use the Edit/Web Graphics Info command to correct.	This message may occur at the end of a web page generation command. It indicates that one or more of the web graphics on the worksheet is missing a filename link.  Picture_ID will be set to the first missing link detected.	17
Unable to create file: "Dest_File_Name"	The specified filename could not be created. This may be due to a write-protected area of the users’ disk, an attempt to write to a read-only media (e.g. CD-ROM), a file that is already open for writing by another application, or a system error. Check the filename and directory location and re-run the command.	17
Area must be a contiguous selection of cells !	The Save Area as Web Page, or Save Area as HTML Table commands can only process a range of cells that are contiguous.	17
* Web page processing terminated. No file(s) saved.	This is a warning to indicate that the user terminated processing	17
Game number selection mismatch. Do you wish to continue ?	Differences among game display, home team game count, box score and leaders display settings detected. Change display range and/or run updates as desired.	17
No content area has been specified for the home page.	Check the One Step Web Site / Preferences settings  and rerun	17
* The web site creation takes time to execute…	This is just an informational message to remind the user that generation of a complete web site or saving of all the player stats as web pages can take a fair amount of execution time.	17
User Notes web page may be too wide…	See User Notes Web Pages Content and Layout for corrective actions.	13, 17
Web Composer General Preferences:
Webmaster email address not specified or has embedded spaces.	Correct webmaster email address specification	22
Web Composer Masthead, Content Preferences:
Color parameter invalid format .	Check the format and ensure that all color values are [#RRGGBB, #RGB] or decimal [rgb(RRR,GGG,BBB), rgb(r%,g%,b%)] format.	22
Color selection conflicts.	Correct conflicts such as choosing the same color for text, borders, background.	22
Web Composer Include Files Preferences:		22
URL is blank.	Each enabled include file must have a non-blank entry. Activate File and Directory Processing from the Web Composer  / Preferences  / General command	22
Ensure File and Directory Processing is enabled.		22
Preferences  / One Step Web Site:
Label not specified for the Home navigation link.	The label cannot be blank.	22
Label not specified for the User Notes navigation link.	If enabled, the User Notes label must not be blank. Change the label so that it does not conflict with the Home, Batting Summary, Leaders or optional navigation link labels.	22
Name specified for User Notes navigation link matches an existing navigation bar link name.		22
A User Defined Navigation Link must have a label and a link value.	If enabled, the User Defined Navigation Link and Label must both not be blank.	22
Name specified for User Defined Navigation Link matches an existing navigation bar link name.	Modify the name so that it does not conflict with the Home, Batting Summary, Leaders or User Notes link labels.	22
Link specified for User Defined Navigation Link matches an existing navigation bar link	Modify the link so that it does not conflict with the Home, Batting Summary, Leaders or User Notes link labels.	22
Spaces found in User Defined Navigation Link parameter. Recheck the link value before continuing.	User Defined links cannot contain spaces	22
Home Page URL…. Have been updated for Responsive Design…”		22
Batting Leaders:
Game range parameters are invalid.	Game numbers must be within the range of stats available in the file.	11
Number of entries in a leader category is less than the number desired.	Can occur in AVG, OBPCT, SPCT, or OPS if there are an insufficient number of players that meet the desired minimum AB or PA criteria.	11
Box Score:
Maximum game number is: nn	An invalid game number was entered.	12
A team name does not match a team within the division	Verify the spelling of the team name if both teams should be in the division. Correct the spelling and retry the command. This is not a fetal error.	12
Neither the Home or Away team is the Main Team.	One team name must match the identified main Team Name. Check the spelling, ensure a main Team Name has been selected and retry the box score calculation.	12
Unable to find any player stats for game XX	A scan of the detailed player stats did not find any entries for the selected game number. Check the game number selection and retry the box score calculation.	12
Line score exists for game XXX…	The Box Score Calculation for this game had been previously run and the currently displayed line score, date, time, or location information differs from the saved version. Choose which version to use.	12
Box score calculation was successful but there was no previous line score…	Enter the line scores and re-run the command.	12
Home or visiting team line score is empty.	Enter the line scores and re-run the command.	12
Date, Time or Field entry is blank	If these fields are being used, validate and correct as required, then re-rerun the command. This is not a fetal error.	12

 

Table 18-1  Error and Warning Messages

18.2       Problems Launching the SBC

18.2.1      Mac OS X Platform

This is usually a result of not having the SBC_Macros.xlm file and your Team Worksheet files in the same folder (PROGRAM INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION).

18.2.2      Windows Platform

This is usually a result of not having the SBC_Macros.xlm file and your Team Worksheet files in the same folder (PROGRAM INSTALLATION AND CONFIGURATION). In addition, if you had previously saved a Team Worksheet file as an .xlsx file, you will not be able to relaunch the SBC (File Format Differences in Excel Versions 12 and Greater).

 

If you encounter security alerts with Excel versions 2007 or later, this is a result of incorrect or incomplete Trust Center configuration settings (Excel Configuration).

18.2.3      SBC Ribbon UI Issues

The SBC Ribbon UI is active only when running under Excel versions 2010 or later on Windows. If the Ribbon does not appear, it is the result of the inability to load the Ribbon add-in file SBC_Ribbon.xlam. Ensure that this file is the one that came with the SBC distribution .zip file and is located in the same directory as the SBC_Macros.xlm file and that it has not been renamed.

18.2.3.1     Conflicts With Excel Add-ins

One or more Excel add-ins are active. This may cause a conflict with the SBC Ribbon UI add-in. The user has the option to Continue with the other add-ins active or Deinstall them and restart the SBC.  In the latter case, the other add-ins are not be deleted but will need to be re-enabled for subsequent non-SBC operation.

18.2.3.2     Ribbon Unresponsive

The SBC refreshes the states of the various buttons and commands on the ribbon (enabled/disabled, visible/invisible) at the termination of each command. The actual refresh may occur after the watch cursor returns to the normal state. This is an unfortunate result of the asynchronous nature of Excel ribbon processing that is beyond the control of the SBC. If the user attempts another command too quickly, the selected command may not work. In most cases, simply re-try the command.

 

If the SBC Ribbon UI becomes non-responsive, try switching to the Home or File tab, and then switch back to the SBC tab. Hit the button to refresh the SBC ribbon.

 

If that fails, perform the following steps:

1. Switch to the Add-ins tab
2. Go to the Display menu in the SBC legacy menus
3. Run the Restore SBC Ribbon UI command
4. Switch back to the SBC tab

 

If this is not successful, quit the SBC and launch.

18.2.3.3     ‘No Return or Halt’ Alert

Figure 18-1 Return or Halt Missing Alert

This is a rare occurence. In most cases, simply click OK and re-try the command. If that fails, try the steps in the  Ribbon Unresponsive section.

18.2.3.4     Ribbon Command States Do Not Match SBC Menus UI

By default, the SBC Legacy UI is disabled at startup when the and SBC Ribbon UI is enabled. When using both UI’s, there is the possibility that the command states in the ribbon can get out of sync with the SBC Legacy UI menu interface. If this occurs, hit the SBC Help/   Refresh button to re-synchronize.

18.3       Commands Not Visible or Dimmed

Commands that are not applicable for a given operating mode will be dimmed or not visible.  Some conditions that can cause this are:

 

• Basic vs Expanded Command Set Mode
• Single-Season vs Multi-Season Mode
• Specific states such as empty schedule, rosters or stats, main Team Name not defined

18.4       Game Selection Mismatch Warnings

The SBC will inform the user when there appears to be a mismatch in various game selection parameters such as display range, box score game or batting leaders range:

 

Figure 18-2 Game Selection Status

This is informational only and does not prohibit execution of the selected command. An asterisk (*) will appear next to the settings where the SBC has detected a potential setting mismatch.

 

If the Home Team Games Played entry appears as: -*, this usually indicates that a main Team Name has not been selected in the Configure / General Preferences. This could happen if the user renamed the main Team Name in the division standings and did not update the main Team Name selection in the General Preferences command.

 

The display of these messages is based on the Configure / Informational Messages setting.

18.5       ### Value Appears in Cells

This value will appear in a cell when the contents do not fit in the cell.  This is only an issue during screen viewing and printing. The SBC web page processing routines correct for this condition by FM. 

 

Modifications via the Format / Cells / Column Width command or use of the Shrink to Fit option in the Format / Cells /  Alignment command for the cell can address this.  This should be limited to cells in the User Notes area.

18.6       Web Site File Name Extensions Incorrect

This is the result of the Use Filename Extensions option check box being checked in the file save dialogs during web page creation. Uncheck this box and re-run the command. This should not occur during the One Step Web Site command.

18.7       Web Site Navigation Does Not Work Correctly

There are a number of potential causes for this. The Web Composer / Links / Navigation Links command (Display Computed URL Paths) may be helpful in diagnosing these problems. If you run into a situation that you cannot resolve, contact SBC support.

18.7.1      One Step Web Site

• The user has inadvertently renamed one or more files that were created.
• The user has moved or deleted one or more files out of the target directory. All files generated by this command in Basic Commands mode assume they will be in the same directory.

18.7.2      Manual Web Page Creation

• Incorrect filename extensions created due to the Use Filename Extensions setting in the File Save dialog.
• Incorrect settings for one or more of the directory or base address adders (General Processing Options).

18.7.3      Relative Addressing URL Error Warnings

If the Player Files Directory option is active (Player Files Directory Processing),  then all links must be resolved as absolute addresses so that they will be reachable on the player stats pages as well as those in the home page directory. The warning will indicate the first link found to be resolved as a relative address.  Use the Web Composer / Links / Navigation Links command to validate the change(s) and to detect other possible links that need to be corrected.

18.7.4      User Defined Custom Hyperlinks

On rare occasions, a custom hyperlink may get corrupted.  This is most common when running under older versions of Excel. The hyperlink value will typically revert to H or O. The user will be alerted to this condition when the One Step Web Site command is started. Use the Web Composer / Links / Edit Hyperlink command to correct.

18.8       Dropdown Navigation Bar on Mobile Web Site Pages Not Functional

The dropdown navigation tab feature uses Javascript to optimize the limited viewing area on mobile devices. If Javascript is disabled or unavailable on the browser, the Hamburger will appear but will show as red bars to indicate this.  The navigation tabs will be functional but will always be visible.

18.9       Web Site Graphics Do Not Appear on Web Pages

This can be caused by one or more of the following:

 

• Incorrect web graphics filename link specified or file in the wrong location
• Corrupted web graphics file
• Incorrect directory adders settings.
• Mismatch in file type extension
• URL coded as relative address when the Player Files Directory option is active. This will be evident if graphics not appear on the individual player web pages but appear on others.

18.10   Web Site Favicon Icon Does Not Appear in Browser

See Include favicon <link> tag for the correct placement of the favicon icon file.

18.11   WebClip Bookmark Icons Do Not Appear

See WebClip XE "WebClip" Bookmark Files for correct placement of the WebClip icon files.

18.12   Web Site Graphics Do Not Appear

18.12.1  Masthead Graphics

In Basic Commands Mode, see Masthead Logo File for correct placement of the masthead icon file. In Expanded Commands Mode,  see Masthead Background Icon File URL for correct setup of the masthead graphics file. If the graphics does not appear on the player stats pages but does appear on others, the problem is related to improper coding of the file as a relative URL.

18.12.2  Web Page Background Graphics

See Page Background File URL for correct setup of the page background graphics file. If the graphics does not appear on the player stats pages but does appear on others, the problem is related to improper coding of the file as a relative URL.

18.13   Player Stats Validation Errors

Player stats are evaluated for consistency with the Stats Entry Verification rules described for Single-Season Mode during:

 

1. Manual stats entry and updating
2. Stats importing from files
3. Box Score command
4. Batting Leaders command
5. One Step Web Site command

 

The Stats / Validate Stats command can be used to analyze and repair each entry that has an error.

18.14   Platform Specific Issues

The following are known limitations of the SBC due to differences in Excel versions and/or the Macintosh and Windows operating environments.

18.14.1  Font Library Variations

The  SBC is shipped with the Trebuchet MS font family selection as a default for screen viewing and printing. This is a sans-serif font that is available on Mac and Windows platforms.

 

The SBC themes utilize the Roboto Condensed font for web page generation along with a default of a sans-serif font where this font does not exist. If you chose to use other fonts, it is best to employ web safe fonts that can be found on most browsers.

 

A list of common web-safe font families can be found at:

 

http://www.w3schools.com/cssref/css_websafe_fonts.asp and http://cssfontstack.com/

 

Note that a specific font may not render the same look and/or size on all systems, printers or browsers.  In addition, some mobile browsers do not support all of these font families. So, it is best to test your font selections on your users’ expected target browsers.

18.14.2  Page Breaks

In most instances, the page breaks are only for visual screen reference. When using the Print or any of the web page creation commands, the SBC will paginate based on predefined areas. For example, each detailed player stats block will be printed on a separate page.

18.14.3  “Can’t Empty Clipboard” Alert

On some Excel versions on the Windows platforms, an error alert of Can’t Empty Clipboard may occur during the execution of some commands. This is a well-documented problem on older versions of Excel/Windows. Attempts have been made to limit this in the SBC. Unfortunately, some are beyond the capabilities of the SBC to block.  The SBC command operation is not affected.

18.14.4  Dimmed Format Menu Items

Some items in the Format / Cells menu may appear dimmed indicating that they are not available to the user.  This is a function of the version of Excel and/or of the ability of the SBC to manipulate these options.

18.14.5  Graphics Files Interchange Problems Between Mac and Windows

SBC Team Worksheets with embedded graphics that have been created on the Mac platform and then moved to the Windows platform may not be visible. This is a known Mac<>Windows issue. See Platform Issues With Graphics for more details and work-arounds.

18.14.6  Macro Error During Page Setup or Print Commands

This is usually caused by a printer not selected prior to executing these commands. This is more of an issue on the Windows platforms. Unfortunately, there is no way for the SBC to test for this condition in advance. The solution is to use the Print / Printer Setup command to select a printer. Alternatively, quit the SBC, select a printer, and relaunch.

18.14.7  Web Page Styling Does Not Match SBC Examples

Some older vintage browsers or browsers that have been stripped-down for mobile applications may not support features such as gradients, rounded corners or drop shadows. In these instances where the support is absent for a particular style, the gradients will appear as solid color fills, the rounded corners will appear square and the drop shadows will not be present.

 

On some really old browsers (e.g.,  Internet Explorer <=7), the navigation tabs will appear stacked vertically instead of horizontally.

18.14.8  Box Scores Web Page Issues

18.14.8.1 Detailed Box Score Won’t Display

Javascript must be enabled for this feature.

18.14.8.2 Box Scores Printing Issues

When a user prints the Box Score Summary web page,  the result will be an expansion of all available box scores in the list.

 

The box scores will be packed into as few pages as possible without splitting the results across page boundaries. Most browsers will honor the coding in the page to accomplish this. However, there may be instances where a game title and associated box score may appear on adjacent pages. Internet Explorer has difficulties accomplishing this under some conditions. Possible solutions are to adjust the page scaling factor downward,  reduce top and bottom margins, or suggest to users to employ a different browser such as Firefox, Chrome or Safari.

18.14.9  Import Dialog File Selection Problems

The SBC attempts to configure the file selection dialog box to show just the relative file types (file type filtering) for each import operation. On some versions of Excel, this function does not always work correctly. If you are not able to select a desired file, terminate the dialog box and disable the Source File Filtering option in the Configure / General Preferences command. Then, rerun the import command.

18.15   Generic File System Problems

On occasion, an attempt to open or save a file will result in an error. The SBC will detect this and report the internal Excel error code and description. Unfortunately, the description is not always helpful.

 

The scope of possible conditions that could cause this vary by operating system. Obvious situations are files that are busy, locked, read-only. An additional condition that can cause a 1004 error code could be the result of a pathname to the target file that is too long. This varies by operating system and Excel version.  Try using a target directory that is closer to the top of your home directory.

 

19       SBC RIBBON UI - EXPANDED COMMANDS SET

The Configure / Expanded Commands command activates additional commands.

19.1       Configure

 

Command to change the Worksheet Format is enabled.

19.2       Import

 

Commands to import Stats and Active Web Theme are enabled.

19.3       Export

 

Command to export the Active Web Theme is enabled.

19.4       Web Composer

19.4.1      Preferences

 

Additional preferences options are enabled to control attributes of web site processing ( ENHANCED WEB PAGE GENERATION).

19.4.2      Links

19.4.2.1     Navigation Links

Displays the navigation links (URL’s) associated with web site creation. Useful in resolving web site issues ( Display Computed URL Paths).

19.4.2.2     Edit Hyperlink

Facilitates management of user defined hyperlinks on web pages (User Defined Hyperlinks).

19.4.3      Selections

These commands allow creation of HTML pages for sections of the Team Worksheet. See Custom Web Site for more details.

19.5       Format

 

These commands provide formatting of selected areas of the Team Worksheet while still preserving protection of critical areas (MODIFYING CELL FORMATS)

19.5.1      Graphics

 

These commands provide support for user-supplied graphics objects and color palette management (IMAGES / PICTURES PROCESSING).

20       IMAGES / PICTURES PROCESSING

The SBC supports the inclusion of pictures or graphics on the Team Worksheet in two major classes:

20.1       Traditional Pictures and Graphics

Graphics and pictures may be created via external applications and copied to the system clipboard. They can be pasted anywhere onto the Team Worksheet by first selecting a cell near where you wish the graphic to appear and then using the Paste command (ctl+V) or Paste tool in the QAT. These objects float on the Team Worksheet and may be relocated by selecting and dragging the object to the new location. The limitation of these types of pictures or graphics objects is that they will appear only on-screen and on printed pages.

 

NOTE:

The Excel drawing tools (Draw tab)  are not supported.

20.2       Web Graphics

Management of web graphics are enabled when the Expanded Commands mode is active (Configure / Expanded Commands).

20.2.1      Masthead Graphics

This graphics object will appear in the masthead area. It can be either an icon or a full width masthead graphic. If a masthead graphic is specified, it will override any web graphics pictures that are placed in the masthead area. This method of including a graphic for the masthead is preferred over the Content Area Graphics method as it is only necessary to supply the link to the graphics file.

A set of predefined masthead graphics are available. See Selectable Masthead Iconsfor more details.

A custom icon can also be defined. These graphics can be in jpg, png, gif or any format that can be rendered by web browsers. The Web Composer /Preferences / Masthead command has the URL, positioning and scaling preferences for the masthead graphic. See Masthead and Navigation Processing Options for more details.

20.2.2      Content Area Graphics

 

These graphics objects will appear on the screen, printed pages and also on web pages. These objects are created via external applications. They are subsequently copied and then pasted onto the Team Worksheet by first selecting a cell near where you wish the graphic to appear on the Team Worksheet and then using the Format  / Graphics  / Paste Web Graphics command:

 

Figure 20-1  Web Graphics Object Information Dialog Box

The user will be prompted to enter an Image File Link for the object. This link is used during web page creation to create the HTML code necessary for the web browsers to locate the image file and place the picture at the correct location on the web page. The Image File Link URL will be added to the Image Files Directory value (if specified) and optionally to the Base URL value to create a composite URL to the image file. The value can be modified at a later time via the Format  / Graphics  /  Web Graphics Info command. The Web Composer / Links  / Navigation Links command can be used to show the actual path.

 

If the Image File Link value is not specified, a warning alert will occur.  The user can go back and fix this situation now by hitting the Fix button. Hit the Ignore button to continue without fixing.  The link entry can be added later via the Format  / Graphics  /  Web Graphics Info command.

 

These objects can be relocated by selecting the object and then by dragging it to a new location. However, any other manipulations via the traditional Picture Toolbar and/or Drawing Toolbar will only be seen on the screen and on printed pages. Thus, any changes to a web graphics image must be performed in an external graphics application and then re-pasted onto the Team Worksheet.

20.2.2.1     Web Graphics Info Command

This command allows the user to examine and modify attributes associated with web graphics that have been pasted into the Team Worksheet via the Format  / Graphics  / Paste Web Graphics command. A web graphics object is usually selected prior to using this command. If an entry is found in the Web Graphics tables for this object, the identifying information will be displayed. The user will be alerted if the current selection is not a graphics object or not found in the Web Graphics table. In this case, the user may use the pulldown menu to select a particular web graphics picture of interest. If the OK button is pressed, the window will shift to display the selected graphics object.

 

Image File Link

This allows the user to specify a specific filename for the picture when a web page is composed from the Team Worksheet. The Image File Link URI will be added to the Image Files Directory value (if specified) and optionally to the Base URL value to create a composite URL to the image file.

 

Ensure that the link results in an absolute URL address if the Player Files Directory option is active.

 

Nearest Cell to Top Left Corner

This identifies the nearest cell relative to the web graphic’s top left corner. The Nearest Cell value is useful to find a particular web graphics object when selected via the dropdown menu. The Nearest Cell value will change accordingly if the web graphic object is relocated.

 

Changes to the image file link do not become effective until the user hits the OK button.

20.2.2.2     Modification or Deleting Web Graphics

A desired web graphics object may be deleted by selecting the object and hitting the Delete key.

 

Modification of a web graphics object must be made externally in your graphics editing application to be reflected in subsequent web pages created by the WPC.   If changes are made to a web graphics object, they will not be reflected on the screen or printed pages until the updated image is re-pasted via the Format  / Graphics  / Paste Web Graphics command sequence.

20.2.2.3     Printed vs. Web Page Differences

Pictures and graphics will be printed as they appear on the Team Worksheet via the File / Print command.

 

If web pages are to be generated, the user must supply a link to the image file for each web graphics object used. The Format  / Graphics  /  Web Graphics Info command allows the user to view and modify the link value for each web graphics object. Note that a situation may occur whereby the screen/printed images do not match those on the composed web page if the user encodes a different Web Graphics file link than the image that was pasted.

 

Also, any modifications to a web graphics object via the Excel tools such as contrast enhancement, resizing, etc. will be reflected in the on-screen and printed images, but will not be reflected in the composed web page images.

20.2.2.4     Customizing WebClip Icons

A custom set of WebClip icons can be created to replace the set that is supplied with the SBC distribution.  There are a number of tools available that will create the set from a base graphics file. For example, Icon Slayer is a free web-based tool.  There’s excellent documentation there as well. Contact SBC support at support@sbc.aces-softball.com for tadeonal assistance.

20.3       Platform Issues With Graphics

Graphics that may have been added to the Team Worksheet on the Mac platform and then viewed on Windows may appear as a marquee outline with the warning: “Quicktime and a Decompressor Program Are Required…”. This is a result of a known incompatibility between Mac and Windows on some older versions of Excel. There is a fair amount of finger-pointing on both platforms as to who is at fault.

 

Possible solutions are as follows:

1. Avoid using the Macintosh Preview app to open a graphic file and subsequently copying it to the clipboard. Better to use a graphics editor app such as Graphic Converter as a source.
2. Move the graphics file(s) to the Windows platform. Open the graphics file with a graphics editor program on the PC. Then launch the SBC and re-paste the graphics.

 

 

21       MULTI-SEASON MODE

21.1       Overview

The SBC has the capability of compiling statistics from multiple Single-Season Team Worksheets into a single unified multi-season worksheet. The user tracks the game-by-game statistics for each season in separate Team Worksheets.  Then, a separate Team Worksheet configured for Multi-Season Mode operation can then import these statistics and produce a composite set of statistics.

 

Statistics in Single-Season Mode files are maintained on a game-by-game basis. Statistics imported into Multi-Season mode files are aggregated by season. Thus, if any game-specific corrections are required, they should be fixed in the appropriate Single-Season Mode file(s). Any modified Single-Season file can be subsequently re-imported into the composite Multi-Season stats file. 

 

A Multi-Season file can be imported into another Multi-Season stats file.

 

Additional capabilities are provided to import stats compiled on a season basis from external files is available.

21.2       Strategies For Organizing Stats

21.2.1      Conventional Approach

The conventional approach is to maintain each seasons’ game-by-game statistics in a separate SBC Team Worksheet file and then combine these stats into a composite set of career stats.

 

 

Figure 21-1  Conventional Multi-Season File Structure

21.2.2      Alternative Approaches

There are other creative strategies that can be deployed based on how the user chooses to maintain statistics. The figure below shows an example where regular season, playoffs, and tournaments stats are maintained in separate SBC Team Worksheet files and then combined into a composite set of stats.  This can also be done on a Single-Season or multiple season basis. Other combinations are possible as well.

Figure 21-2  Alternative Multi-Season File Structures

21.3       Functional Differences in Multi-Season Mode

Some features found in Single-Season mode operate differently or do not apply in Multi-Season mode.

21.3.1      Batting Leaders

Batting leaders can be calculated from the composite stats. An optional compilation of best Single-Season leaders can be produced.

21.3.2      Division Standings _4.60

Division Standings can still be maintained. Standings can be maintained manually or  imported from external files.  See Importing Team Names and Standings  4.60 for details.

21.3.3      Game Schedule Manager

In Multi-Season Mode, individual game by game statistics are combined into composite season statistics. Thus, this capability has no relevance and is disabled.

21.3.4      Box Score

In Multi-Season Mode, individual game by game statistics are combined into composite season statistics. Thus, the  Box Score function has no relevance and is disabled.

21.3.5      Stats Validation _4.50

Works the same as in Single-Season mode except that it operates on a season-entry basis.

21.3.6      Multi-Season Web Site

A separate web site can also be generated from these statistics. If the user maintains a primary team web site, the Multi-Season web site can be cross-linked to the primary web site.

21.4       Command Set Differences In Multi-Season Mode

Commands that operate based on game-by-game statistics are no longer applicable. Any changes to game-specific stats can be edited in the original Single-Season Team Worksheet files and subsequently re-imported into the Multi-Season mode file. See Appendix A for expanded view of the SBC Ribbon UI with commands.

 

 

 

 

     

Figure 21-3  SBC Ribbon UI – Multi-Season Mode

The following commands are not active in Multi-Season Mode:

 

• Configure / Expanded Commands – always set to Expanded Commands mode
• Configure / New Season
• All Schedule commands
• All Box Score commands
• Stats / Edit
• Stats / Game Range
• Stats / Delete Player Stats by Game
• Stats / Delete All Player Stats by Game Range
• Stats / Autofill Player Positions (POS)
• Roster / Add Player
• Import / Roster
• Import / Schedule
• Export / Schedule

 

Configure / Worksheet Format

This command will change the Team Worksheet format from Multi-Season Mode to/from Single-Season Mode.  All roster entries and batting statistics will be cleared.  The box score and batting leaders will also be cleared. This command is provided for convenience purposes.  A copy of an existing empty Single- or Multi-Season Mode file essentially serves the same function.

WARNING:

This operation is not undo-able !!!

 

Configure / New Seasons Group

This will reconfigure the team worksheet for a new set of career stats seasons. Existing rosters and stats, division teams WLT records and batting leaders will be cleared.

WARNING:

This operation is not undo-able !!!

 

Rosters  / Sort Expansion Roster by Season

As the statistics are tracked by season, sorting by Game number is replaced by sorting by Season ID (Stats File Description). If this option is unchecked, the Expansion Roster is sorted by player names.

 

Stats / Display Season Totals

This option determines if the total number of seasons is computed and displayed for each roster entry.  This is the normal display mode when the imported stats files are a full season. 

 

If the Multi-Season stats file is comprised of multiple entities for a Single-Season, then this option should be unchecked. Otherwise, the Season totals would be incorrect.

 

Roster / Rename Player

Roster / Delete Player from Roster

Stats / Transfer Player Stats

These commands operate the same. However, the user should take into account their impact on subsequent statistics importing to prevent duplicate statistics from being created.

 

Roster / Analyze Rosters

This command checks for the existence of player names that may exist in both the Active and Expansion Rosters as a result of an import process. If no duplicates were detected, a Roster OK message will be reported.

 

Otherwise, a report of the number of duplicates found will be reported.  Resolving Issues From Imported Stats describes the methods of resolving these issues.

 

Roster / Merge Players

This command allows the user to combine stats from two players into a single entry.  A prompt will occur for each player name. The players may be in the same or different rosters. The stats from the first player will be merged with the stats from the second player. Then, the first player entry will be removed from the roster.  Season identifier information is maintained in this process. Resolving Issues From Imported Stats describes some situations where this command is utilized.

 

 

 

Stats / Change Stats Season

This command allows the user to change the Stats File Description for a group of stats. The new value cannot be set to an existing value.

 

Stats / Delete Player Stats By Season

This command allows the user to remove the stats for a specific player for the specified Stats File Description. To maintain consistency, it is suggested that the user perform this function in the individual Single-Season stats files and subsequently re-import the stats.

 

Stats / Delete All Players Stats By Season

 

Figure 21-4  Delete All Player Stats By Season Options Dialog

This command allows the user to remove the entire set of stats for a specified range of seasons based on the Stats File Description values. This command is of benefit in the case where an incorrect set of stats had been previously imported.

21.4.1      Consolidate Expansion Roster

When a large number of stats files from multiple seasons have been merged into a Multi-Season Mode file, the number of entries in the Expansion Roster can get quite large. This command allows the user to consolidate multiple player entries for a specific season into a single composite entry.

 

Alternatively, all entries for all seasons can be condensed to one entry per season. Once executed, individual player names for the selected year will no longer appear.

 

When invoked, the user will be prompted for the parameters. The dropdown list will show the seasons that have more than one entry and therefore are candidate(s) for consolidation. After completion, the results will be reported. Then, the dialog will reappear for another operation if there are any additional seasons available.

 

Figure 21-5  Consolidate Expansion Roster Options Dialog

Note that if the New Player Name already exists, the stats will be consolidated into that players’ existing stats. So make sure that is what you intend to do as this cannot be un-done.

To consolidate the stats for all but a select set of players in the Expansion Roster:

 

1. Use the Roster / Transfer Player command to temporarily move the stats that you do not wish to consolidate to the Active Roster.
2. Run the Roster / Consolidate Expansion Roster command and click on the Select all seasons option
3. Finally, use the Roster / Transfer Player command to transfer the players back to the Expansion Roster.

21.5       Assembling a Multi-Season Mode Team Worksheet

Each Team Worksheet file (Single- and Multi-Season format) is identified by a unique Stats File Description parameter from the Configure / General Preferences setting in each file. This parameter may be modified for each file at import time or later as desired. 

21.6       Importing Stats

Statistics can be imported from another SBC Single-Season, Multi-Season Team Worksheet. In addition, season-oriented stats can be imported from other sources as well. This might be the case if you are migrating from another stats program or service. See  IMPORTING STATS FROM OTHER SOURCES  for details.

21.6.1      Roster and Stats Importing Methodology

If the player name already exists in either the Active or Expansion roster, the stats from the import file will be merged with existing stats for that player in the Multi-Season file. They will appear as a separate entry in their detailed stats block identified by the import file Stats File Description.  If the user is re-importing stats for the given Stats File Description, then the stats for the player will be over-written.

 

If the player name does not currently exist in the composite stats, a new roster entry will be created with the Stats File Description. The player stats will be added into the Active or Expansion roster based on the players’ roster location in the import file.

21.6.1.1     Roster Conflicts

If the import results in a player appearing in both rosters, the stats entry will be placed in the Expansion Roster and will be marked with >>> next to their name. This might occur if a player was in the Active roster one season and the Expansion roster in another. An alert will occur after the stats importing has finished.

 

In addition, there are means to resolve potential player name conflicts such as player names that might be spelled differently in different stats files. See Resolving Issues From Imported Stats for strategies to resolve these and other conflicts.

21.6.1.2     Importing of Expansion Roster Stats

The user may choose to preserve or ignore the Expansion Roster entries.  It is recommended that the Expansion Roster entries be preserved. They can be renamed, merged with other players, consolidated, or deleted at a later time as desired.

21.6.2      Importing Statistics From a Team Worksheet

Use the Import  / Stats command to select the Team Worksheet to be imported. The SBC will test the file integrity as an SBC file and the revision number.  A test to ensure that the active Team Worksheet has not been selected as the import file is also performed (attempt to import the active Team Worksheet into itself). Any issues will be reported. The user will be notified if the import file needs to be updated. If so, close the SBC.

 

With an open Multi-Season Team Worksheet, additional statistics from other seasons, tournaments, playoffs, etc. may be imported from their respective files. 

 

A prompt for the Stats File Description will be shown. If the Team Worksheet file has a previously defined Stats File Description value, it will be shown as a default. If not, enter a unique identifier for this group of statistics.

 

Figure 21-6  Worksheet Importing Options Dialog

Alternatively, the user can enter them under a different identifier. This might be the case if the Stats File Description in the import file was not entered correctly previously or that the user is choosing to change the identifier strategy. The stats in the import file should be verified as matching the desired identifier before performing this action. This should be performed with care to prevent duplicate stats entries.

 

If a stats group matching this identifier already exists, the user will be alerted to this condition. If this is acceptable, the imported stats will overwrite ALL of the existing stats for that Stats File Description. This is a normal situation when it is desirable to update the Multi-Season stats during the season with stats from the current season, playoff or tournaments.

 

The user will be alerted if the import file is in full stats tracking mode, but the primary Team Worksheet is in Slow Pitch Only mode. The user will have the option to switch to full stats tracking mode at that time.

21.6.3      Stats Import Summary

Figure 21-7   Worksheet Import Stats Summary

At the completion of the import process, a processing summary will be displayed. This summary can be recalled at a later time via the Import / Import Summary command.

 

If multiple player stats entries have been imported into the Expansion roster, the user will be prompted to optionally compress the stats for these players for this season down to a single entry (Consolidate Expansion Roster feature).  Alternatively, the user may choose to perform this operation at a later time via the Roster / Consolidate Expansion Roster command.

 

See Resolving Issues From Imported Stats for details on resolving potential issues that might occur as a result of the import process.

 

As a final step, the user has the option to recompute the Batting Leaders at this time. Alternatively, the leaders can be updated via the Batting Leaders / Calculate command at a later time.

21.6.4      Resolving Issues From Imported Stats

A number of potential issues can arise when importing statistics from different seasons, tournaments, playoffs, etc. The SBC provides mechanisms for dealing with the most common issues that may occur. 

21.6.4.1     Incorrect Player Name

A situation may occur where a player’s name may have been entered in the roster differently (e.g.: spelling) in different stats files. The Rosters / Merge Players command can be used to resolve this situation by combining the stats into a single player entry.  In addition, the Rosters / Rename Player and Rosters / Transfer Player commands may be useful.

21.6.4.2     Player Exists in Both Rosters

This could occur after importing if a player existed in different rosters in different stats files. The user will be alerted to this situation at the completion of the import process. Duplicate player names will be flagged with  >>> in the Active Roster. To resolve this issue, rename one or both of the player names with a unique identifier with the Rosters / Rename Player command.

 

Alternatively, use the Rosters / Merge Players command to merge them into a single entry. All individual season statistics will be preserved. The resulting stats entry can reside in either the Active or Expansion roster. The Rosters / Analyze Rosters command (PLAYER ROSTERS) can be used to ensure that all of these situations have be resolved.

21.6.5      Modifying the Stats File Description

It may be desirable to alter the Stats File Description for a particular block of stats. This might be necessary if the naming strategy has changed for the individual stats files or an error was detected in the Stats File Description spelling. The Stats / Change Stats Season command is used to accomplish this. 

 

Figure 21-8  Season Selection Dialog

The user is first prompted for the desired Stats File Description to be changed. This will be followed by a prompt to enter the new Stats File Description value. The new entry will be verified for a duplicate conflict. All player statistics matching the original identifier will be changed to the value.

21.6.6      Removing Stats Based On the Stats File Description

This situation may occur if it is determined that a wrong set of statistics had been imported.  The removal can be accomplished for all players stats matching the Stats File Description via the Stats / Delete All Players Stats by Season command.

 

A single player’s stats can be removed via the Stats / Delete Player Stats by Season command.

21.7       Calculating Batting Leaders

This capability operates essentially the same as in the Single-Season mode. The only difference is that a Game Range cannot be specified due to the lack of individual game statistics. 

 

Two types of leaders are calculated in each selected category:

 

• Composite leaders for all seasons. 
• Optionally, the top leaders for a Single-Season 

 

The default AB or PA eligibility value for AVG, OBP, SLG, and OPS is based on the maximum number of games played in the composite stats and the Leaders parameters in the Batting Leaders / Preferences command. Alternatively, the user may override this value by selecting a minimum number of games played or a specific number of AB or PA.

 

The user may choose to include or exclude players from the Expansion Roster in the leaders calculations.  Exclusion might be desirable if a number of players have been aggregated into a single entity (e.g.: all substitutes) and therefore might produce a misleading leader in one or more categories.

 

Figure 21-9  Career Leaders Dialog

The Single-Season parameters dialog includes a calculation of the Average Games Per Season for reference. The default Minimum PA/AB with be calculated based on this parameter. Modify the value as desired. Hit Cancel if you do not wish to include this Leaders summary.

 

Figure 21-10  Career Single-Season Leaders Dialog

21.8       Calculating Division Standings _4.60

Automatic calculations of Division Standings is not supported. However, as in Single-Season mode, the standings may be imported from an external file.

21.9       Creating a Web Site With Multi-Season Stats

21.9.1      One Step Web Site Mode

As in Single-Season Mode, the user may create a web site using the Web Composer / One Step Web Site command.  The web site will be a standalone set of files with its’ own home page. It is recommended that the user place these files in a unique folder, especially if a main team web site exists for Single-Season stats.

 

The content of the Multi-Season Mode web site is essentially the same as for Single-Season Mode with the exception that the Box Score and Schedules are not be included.  The User Notes capability can be deployed to contain additional information regarding the multi-season stats.

21.9.2      Cross-Linking to Main Team Web Site

The user can link the navigation of the web sites together by configuring the web site parameters for each set of files.  The user should be familiar with the ENHANCED WEB PAGE GENERATION capabilities.

 

Consider a configuration where the two sets of web site files reside in two different folders, identified as 2014 and career. To achieve this configuration, the basic web file sets must be generated to reside in their respective directories. This is accomplished by the Web Composer / Preferences / General settings:

 

 

Figure 21-11  Web Page Composer General Preferences For Linked Web Sites

Note that the Prepend Base URL settings are set to the respective folder names for each set of files.

 

To achieve the proper navigation link settings, the respective Web Composer / Preferences / One Step Web Site are configured as shown. 

 

The basic Home Page Navigation for each site is configured as follows:

 

Home Page Navigation – Single-Season Mode File

The label home defines the teams’ primary web site home page. The link points to the home page for the teams’ primary web site. The resulting home page URL would have its’ Base URL added to produce:

 

/2014/aces_home_page.html

 

Home Page Navigation – Multi-Season Mode File

The label career home defines the primary home page for the multi-season web site. The links point to the home page for the multi-season web site. The resulting home page URL would have its’ Base URL added to produce:

 

/career/index.html

 

The cross-site navigation is achieved by configuring the User Defined Navigation Links as follows:

 

 

Figure 21-12  One Step Web Site Preferences For Linked Web Sites

Cross-Site Home Page Navigation – Single-Season Mode File

The label career home refers to the web site home page for the multi-season stats. The link points to the home page to the multi-season stats web site defined as: 

/career

which will default to:

/career/index.php

 

Cross-Site Home Page Navigation – Multi-Season Mode File

The label aces home refers to the primary web site home page. The link points to the home page for the primary web site.

The link is defined as: 

/2014/aces_home_page.html

 

Note that each of the web sites have chosen to deploy different uses of the User Notes area capability.

The available Home Page Content settings are different in the Multi-Season Mode as the Box Score is not included.

 

Note that the masthead banner text is different for each site to aid in site identification.  Other attributes such as color differentiation could also be employed as desired via the Web Page Composer Preferences settings for each site.

21.9.3      Resolving Problems

It is desirable to generate each web site as a standalone entity first. This will assist in resolving the basic issues that might arise. Once this is satisfactory, then proceed to incorporate the cross-linking capabilities as desired. The techniques in Issues Resulting From URL Processing can be helpful in resolving these problems.  contact SBC support at support@sbc.aces-softball.com if you are still having difficulties obtaining the desired results.

 

 

22       ENHANCED WEB PAGE GENERATION

These capabilities are for advanced users that desire more extensive control over the resulting web pages. They are activated in Expanded Commands Set mode.

In Basic Command Set mode, the One Step Web Site command has been provided with predefined parameters for users that do not need these extended capabilities.

Contact SBC support  if you have any issues implementing any of these features on your web site.

22.1       Web Page Generation Overview

A custom-designed Web Page Composer (WPC) in the SBC generates the web pages. Unlike Excel’s built-in Web Page Generator, the WPC composes very compact and clean HTML5 and CSS code. In addition, the user has control over a number of additional options that are not available with the Excel HTML generator.

 

The WPC generates syntax-correct HTML5 based on the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standards version 5 and cascading style sheets (CSS1, CSS2, and  CSS3).  It also employs Javascript  and the jQuery library. These standards are the baseline used by most popular web browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari/Safari iOS, Opera, Android and others. In reality, the level of conformance to these standards varies by browser type and version.

 

The WPC composes web pages using Responsive Design techniques so that each same web page will dynamically adjust the content and style based on the user’s device and size. The web pages are also compliant with Google’s mobile friendly standards which will improve search engine ranking of your site.

 

Every attempt has been made to generate code that is cross-browser compatible. The WPC does not employ any browser-specific capabilities and thus, pages should appear similar on most recent vintage browsers. However, there may be differences in page appearance among various web browsers, browser versions, or the host platforms and OS releases (Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, iOS, Android, etc.). These differences may be due in part by font family variations or specific browser settings.

 

The WPC generates most of the content area as HTML tables in order to preserve the tabular data structure of the Team Worksheet.

22.1.1      Character Sets for URL Links

Unlike in a desktop environment, not all characters can be used to specify a link or file. The W3C standard (RFC3986) defines a sub-set of valid characters that can be deployed in a URL specification. The unreserved set is as follows:

A-Z a-z - . _ ~ : /

These can be used in any URL file or link specification. Note that spaces are not permitted. Best to use – or _ instead. The following reserved characters may be used in specific link specifications:

? # [ ] @ ! $ & ' ( ) * + , ; =

The WPC will validate each URL to insure conformity to the specification. For example, automatically generated navigation links employ the basic set only. Directory specifications (e.g: Prepend Base URL, Player Files Directory, etc.) are also limited to the basic set. User Defined Navigation Links can employ the full set.

22.2       One Step Web Site Command

 

In Basic Commands Mode, a basic web site is generated with all web files placed in a flat directory structure.  When the One Step Web Site command is executed, runtime processing options are presented.  In Expanded Command Set mode, additional customizations are available.

22.2.1      Processing Options

These options are accessible via the Web Composer / Preferences / One Step Web Site command.

22.2.1.1     Home Page Navigation Label

The label field can be any text value.  Leave the field blank to restore the default value HOME. This link always points to the home page.

22.2.1.2     Home Page URL

A unique filename or URL for the home page. If Web Composer / Preferences / General / Prepend Base URL is active, path processing can be applied.  The filename suffix will be evaluated for compliance with the settings for Include File Processing and the suffix will be automatically set to .html  or .php as required.

 

 

Figure 22-1 One Step Web Site Preferences in Expanded Command Mode

22.2.1.3     Home Page Content

The user may select any combination of content for home page.  If the Web Pages for Unselected Content is checked, any content that is not selected (except Box Score, Top Leaders, Notices and Weather) will be generated as a separate web page with a corresponding navigation bar tab. If the Web Composer / Preferences / Include Schedule Page (Print and Web) option is disabled, then the Schedule option is disabled for both Home Page Content and separate web page generation.

22.2.1.4     User Defined Navigation Links

This option allows additional navigation links to web pages or locations outside of the WPC generated pages.  For each active link, the Label and a Link URL must be specified. The label field can be any text value that does not conflict with any other navigation bar label. The Position on Nav Bar option determines the location of these links on the navigation bar relative to the predefined SBC tabs.

 

The Link URL must be a valid relative or absolute URL entry. If enabled, Prepend Base URL processing can be performed on these links.

 

In the example, the user has defined a custom link to a career site.  The Position on Nav Bar has been set to right. This would result in the navigation tabs as shown.

Figure 22-2  Customized Navigation Bar Example

22.2.2      One Step Web Site Processing Summary

Web Composer / One Step Web Site / Summary

In addition to the basic processing statistics, additional information about the User Notes processing area are displayed. These results can be helpful in adjusting the content/layout.

 

Figure 22-3  One Step Web Site Processing Summary

Page Layout

Responsive Design (default) – Content will dynamically adjust depending on the screen size and orientation. Mobile device scrolling is vertical only.

Force Wide Page – Horizontal scrolling is enabled to view all possible content .

Warn Only – Notify the user if the content may not fit on a mobile device. Content modifications, Responsive Design or Force Wide Page modes may be needed.

Web Theme - The name of the web theme that was used.

 

Table Layout

Automatic (default) - Indicates that the content area layout will be optimally rendered by the web browser. 

Follow Column Widths - Indicates that the browser will use the widths of the columns from the User Notes area.

Computed Content Width - An approximation of the width of the content area in pixels. An asterisk indicates a possible over-limit condition. A value beyond the limit indicates that the content may not be totally visible on small mobile device screens even if the column limit for small screens has not been exceeded.

Computed Column Count – A count of the number of columns in the content area. An asterisk indicates an over-limit condition, indicating that only a portion of the content area will be visible on small mobile device screens.

22.2.3      Customizing Web Themes

In addition to the built-in themes, the user can create their own custom theme. Typically, it is beneficial to start with one of the built-in themes as a baseline and then experiment with changes using the Web Composer / Preferences options for Masthead, Navigation and Content. There are a number of excellent resources on the web for selecting color schemes.

 

Your customized theme will now be the Active theme. It will be preserved for re-use as the Active theme when you save the Team Worksheet. If you wish to use your customized theme in addition to one of the predefined themes, use the Web Composer / Preferences / Web Theme command and hit the Save Theme button. This will save the Active settings as the Saved Theme for future recall.  In addition, if you attempt to load an alternate theme when there are modifications to the Active theme, the command will alert you to save the current settings if desired before loading.

 

Figure 22-4  Customizing Web Themes

If you wish to transfer your customized theme to another Team Worksheet, ensure that it is the Active Theme. Then, use the Export / Active Web Theme command  to create a file with these settings. This file can be imported into other Team Worksheets as desired via the Import / Active Web Theme command.

 

WARNING:

Do not modify the contents of web theme files as unexpected results can occur

22.2.4      User Defined Hyperlinks

User-defined hyperlinks may be placed in unprotected cells for subsequent web pages. This is primarily intended for use in the Summary Notices and User Notes areas. However, these may be placed in any unprotected cell.

 

Figure 22-5  Custom Hyperlink Dialog

To add a custom hyperlink, select the cell of interest and run the Web Composer / Links/ Edit Hyperlink command. The desired URL can be entered, modified or removed by this command. When file and directory processing is enabled, the URL’s are subject to the same processing rules for Prepend Base URL.   Cells that have an active hyperlink will have a small red marker.

Note:

A custom hyperlink cannot have a value of “H” or “O”.

 

The Open link in new window option will create a new window in the user’s browser when the link is clicked.

 

The User Notes / Format command can also be used to remove all hyperlinks in the User Notes area with or without clearing or reformatting the cell contents.

22.3       User Modifiable Attributes for Web Page Processing

 

The user has control over an extensive set of attributes that control the generation of web pages. Most of these options are contained in the Web Composer / Preferences submenu commands unless noted otherwise.

 

Defined HTML color settings can be selected from the dropdown lists. Samples of these colors are shown in Appendix B. See HTML Color Management for more details on color parameter entry.

22.3.1      General Processing Options

Figure 22-6 Web Page Composer General Preferences Dialog

22.3.1.1     HTML File Suffix

Displays the default file type extension for all web pages except One Step Web Site home pages. It will be .html if the SBC is configured for Basic Commands Mode, Include File Processing is inactive, or the Web Composer / Selections / Save Selection as HTML Table command is executed.  It will be .php if Include File XE "web page: preferences: include files: processing" Processing is active.

22.3.1.2     Files and Directory Processing

Your web site design may use a flat directory structure with all files in the same directory. In Basic Command Set mode, the One Step Web Site command generates a web site into a single target directory. If a more complex structure is desired, the WPC offers a number of additional capabilities for file and directory processing.

 

URL’s for files and directories can be absolute path references (e.g.: http:// or /) or relative references. 

 

WARNING:

Use absolute addressing specifications if the Player Files Directory option is employed. Do not use relative addressing.

 

When the File and Directory Processing option is enabled in Expanded Command Set mode, the WPC will evaluate each directory and file URL and makes a determination if the relevant directory prefixes should be appended.

 

For example, a path for a CSS style sheet file of:

 

my_styles.css  or styles/my_styles.css

 

would have the Prepend Base URL adder pre-pended to form the URL (if enabled). However, a URL specification of:

 

./my_styles.css, ../styles/my_styles.css, or /my_styles.css

 

would be left unchanged. The same holds true for the directory adders.

 

The Prepend Base URL specification can be either relative or absolute. The ability to enable/disable/change the Append Base URL specification allows web development in a wide variety of structures.

 

NOTE:

Global URL’s (e.g.: http://…) are not validated as they are outside of the scope of the SBC.

22.3.1.3     Prepend Base URL

When enabled, this option will conditionally apply the prefix to the following URL/filename parameters:

 

• Home Page URL
• CSS Stylesheet filename
• Favicon link filename
• Image file directory
• Player files directory
• Page background image filename
• Masthead background image filename
• Include files and include files directory
• Content area graphics
• User-defined navigation links
• Hyperlinks

22.3.1.4     Image File Directory URL

This option can be particularly useful to globally relocate the file link descriptions for the graphics file images and background images without the need to encode this for each file. 

22.3.1.5     Player Files Directory Processing

Figure 22-7  File and Directory Processing Hierarchy

This capability allows the user to specify a directory to contain the detailed player stats files. If specified, this value will be pre-pended to the hyperlink URL of the actual player files.

 

If this is activated in the One Step Web Site Processing mode, the WPC will prompt the user for the correct directory to place these files:

Figure 22-8  Web Page Composer Player Stats Directory Selection Dialog

The user must ensure that this directory path is consistent with the hyperlinks that will be generated for the detailed player stats files.

 

Absolute addressing specifications must be used  if the Player Files Directory option is employed.

Do not use relative addressing.

Use the Web Composer / Links/ Navigation Links command to verify that all links are absolute.

22.3.1.6     CSS Style Sheet URL

This option allows the use of a user-defined cascading style sheet (CSS ) file. If specified, the contents may override predefined style values from the Team Worksheet and/or Web Composer / Preferences commands. The CSS Stylesheet can be activated without the File and Directory Processing enabled.

22.3.1.7     Include favicon <link> tag

This option allows the inclusion of a <link> element to specify the location of your favicon file. Normally the favicon file is placed in the root directory of your web server. However, if access to this location is prohibited by your ISP, this URL may be used to specify an alternate location.  The favicon option can be activated without the File and Directory Processing enabled.

22.3.1.8     Include Webmaster Email Link

When enabled, this will append a hyperlink to contact the webmaster by email.  The link will appear as Contact Webmaster in the footer area.  If a user clicks on this link, their default email client will be invoked to with the Subject line encoded as:

 

Subject: main_team_name Web Inquiry

 

Where the main_team_name is as selected via the Configure / General Preferences command.  Ensure that a valid email address is entered.

 

WARNING:

Use caution when including this link !!!

The SBC uses a technique to obfuscate the email address from malicious web bots, but no method is 100% fool-proof. So, make sure that you employ a unique email address that you can easily de-activate if necessary.

 

22.3.1.9     Append Footer Text

When enabled, a text line will be appended at the bottom of each web page.  The user may enter any text string as desired. If disabled or blank, the footer text will not be added to the web page. In the example, the footer entry is used to append a copyright notice with the Unicode &copy; to generate the © symbol.

22.3.1.10 Block Search Engines From Indexing Pages

This option is usually inactive which allows web search engines (e.g.: Google, Bing,  etc.) to index your web site pages. However, if you wish to restrict the visibility of your site from search engine results, activate this option. When active, a unique meta-tag is generated to instruct web search engine crawlers from indexing the web pages.  Not all web crawlers honor the meta-tag.

Note that if you modify this setting, it may take several days for the web search engines to reflect the change.

A unique robots.txt file is generated as well. After creating or updating your web site, ensure that this file is placed at the top-level (root) directory of your web site. 

Do not change the name or contents of the file.

 

It should be noted that legitimate search engine indexing bots (e.g.: Google, Bing, etc.) will honor this setting. However, malicious web bots usually don't.  Any links, email addresses, personal information that you incorporate could be vulnerable.

 

22.3.1.11 HTML Document Type

Preset to HTML5. Supported by most current desktop and mobile browsers.

22.3.1.12 Generate Inline CSS Styles

Controls ability to generate the CSS styles in each file or to use an external global CSS stylesheet. Normally this option will be checked. When this option is checked, the CSS file above can be used in addition to the generated inline styles. Any common styles in the user-specified stylesheet file will override the internally generated styles.

 

When this option is unchecked, an external stylesheet can be used as specified by the CSS stylesheet parameter above. This option is for experienced web developers as unexpected results may occur. An image of the current CSS styles can be generated by using the Web Composer / Selections / Save CSS Styles command as a baseline.

22.3.1.13 Process Border Style Overrides

By default, cell border settings are not mapped to web pages as the Team Worksheet themes do not employ borders. This is to improve processing speed. To enable, check the Process Border Style Overrides option.

22.3.2      Content Processing Options

These options specify the overall page background and content cards design.

 

Figure 22-9  Web Page Composer Content Preferences Dialog

22.3.2.1     Page Background Fill Color

Specifies an optional background color for the web page if a background image has not been specified or if the background image file is not found or cannot be rendered by the browser. A predefined HTML web color may be entered from the dropdown list in the edit box. Examples of the predefined colors are shown in Appendix B.

 

Alternatively, a specific color value may be entered in the standard W3C color notation. HTML Color Management describes the various formats.

 

If specific background values are not specified, the web page defaults to a value specified by the user’s browser (generally white or light gray) or, optionally, via an external CSS background, background-color property.

22.3.2.2     Page Background File URL

Allows the user to optionally specify a path to a file that contains the desired background image. If a background image is not desired, leave the field blank.

 

This file is normally a graphics file (gif, jpg, png, etc.) in web-ready format (no preview). The entry in this field should be a path name description to the file relative to the location of where the web page will reside or an absolute URL path. If specified, the Image File Directory and Prepend Base URL are applied.

22.3.2.3     Content Cards Block Fill Color

Specifies the background color for all styled cards/blocks.

22.3.2.4     Content Cards Drop Shadow Borders

When checked, applies a dropped shadow effect to the bottom of each content area.

22.3.2.5     Content Cards Border Radius

Specifies rounded corner effect for each content area. Specify the value in pixels (e.g.: 2px). Enter a value of 0px for squared corners.

22.3.2.6     Notices Card Left Border Highlighting

When checked, this will apply a thick border to the left edge of the first content card (Notices).

22.3.2.7     Block Titles Text Color

Selects the color for the title line for each major content block. Leave this blank to follow the text color from the Team Worksheet.

22.3.2.8     Zebra Stripe Color

Controls the color of the alternate stripe color when Zebra striping is enabled.

22.3.3      Text Processing Options

WARNING

Use caution when modifying the font family, size and weight parameters

as they are highly interrelated and may affect the amount of visible content on the pages.

This is especially important when viewed the pages will be viewed on small mobile devices.

22.3.3.1     Default Worksheet Font Family and Text Color

This will display the most frequent text font family and color used on the Team Worksheet.

22.3.3.2     Font Family Override

Allows selection of an alternate font family for text. This will take precedent over the Default Worksheet Font family setting which will then become the second choice for the browser. Individual cell overrides of the font family/size/color/style are still processed. A dropdown list of common sans-serif and serif fonts supported by most browsers is shown. A custom font family may also be entered.  Leave the field blank to instruct browsers to use the Default Worksheet Font. 

 

Fonts identified with an asterisk in the list (*) are fonts from the Google font libraries. There are over 900 available fonts in this library !  If you enter a font from this library, make sure that you place an asterisk as the first or last character in the font family override name.

22.3.3.3     Text Color Overrides

This allows the base text color to be modified for the web pages.

22.3.3.4     Hyperlink Text Colors

Controls the color of hyperlinks.

22.3.4      User Notes Web Page Processing Options

Page Layout

• Responsive Design – Instructs the browser to dynamically adjust the amount of content displayed based on the devices’ screen width and orientation. This is the default in Basic Command Set mode and should be sufficient for most applications.
• Force Wide Page – This mode activates horizonal scrolling for the page. Less desirable than Responsive Design but does allow all content to be viewed on small device screens.
• Warn Only – The user will be alerted if the limits are exceeded but the page will still be rendered by the browsers as one page wide with vertical scrolling only.

Table Layout

• Automatic - Instructs browsers to render the content area in as small an area as possible. This is the default and should produce satisfactory results under most conditions.
• Follow Column Widths - Instructs browsers to render the content area column using the widths seen on the SBC application screen. This may result in a wider than necessary web page and may not produce satisfactory results, especially for mobile devices.

 

The Mobile Page Width Limit and Column Limit values are helpful in sizing the displayed content extracted from the User Notes page.

22.3.5      Masthead Processing Options

Figure 22-10  Web Page Composer Masthead Preferences Dialog

The options control attributes of the masthead area. The masthead height is automatically set to 80px for desktop and 50px for mobile browser viewing.

22.3.5.1     Masthead Background Fill and Gradient

If the Gradient Fill is enabled, the Start Color and End Color selections control the color span of the gradient. If the Gradient Fill is disabled or not supported by the users' browser, a fallback to a solid Background Fill Color will be used. This color is also used for the passive fill of the Scroll-to-Top Navigation icon.

22.3.5.2     Masthead Banner Text

The WPC will extract the text line from the Page 1 header area of the Team Worksheet and use this as a banner on the masthead.  The banner text will be sized to fit and centered in the masthead.  The Color Override and/or Font Family Override can override the worksheet values as desired.  A blank entry will extract the worksheet value. Note that the text color is a separate setting from the Content area colors options. Bold and Italic styling can be forced as well.

 

The banner text can be suppressed by unchecking the Display Banner in Masthead option. This might be the case if a custom icon or masthead background is deployed.

 

If the target audience will be using mobile browsers to view the site,

 the count of characters in the Masthead Banner should be limited

 to fit within the smaller viewing area.

Otherwise, the Hamburger and/or masthead logo icons might be occluded.

22.3.5.3     Masthead Banner Text Height Scaling

The banner text will be scaled by FM to fit the size of the masthead. This can be any integer value from 20% to 80%.

22.3.5.4     Masthead Background Icon File URL

The masthead Icon File URL describes an optional graphics file for an icon applied onto the masthead or a custom masthead background file. If enabled, the URL may be processed with the Image File Directory and Prepend Base URL specifications.

 

Ensure that the URL results in an absolute address if the Player Stats Directory option is active.

 

If the Scale Background Graphics to Masthead is checked, the WPC will automatically size the image to fit into the masthead and center it vertically.

 

If the graphic file is an icon, the Position option may be activated to offset the icon 2% from the left-most edge of the masthead. If a full-width image file is deployed, uncheck the Position option to align the graphic flush to the left edge.

 

_4.60 If the user selects one of the built-in masthead icons via the list in the Web Composer / Preferences / One Step Web Site Preferences command, then the corresponding icon file name will appear in this field. If the user choses to use a custom icon file name specification, then the Custom selection value will appear the next time the user opens that submenu.

22.3.6     Navigation Bar Styling

Figure 22-11   Web Page Composer Navigation Preferences Dialog

The WPC can produce a gradient-filled navigation bar (Gradient Fill) or a solid color.  The Start Color and End Color values shown style the gradient to match the color scheme of the default masthead styles.  The Background Fill Color determines a fallback color for the navigation bar if the gradient is disabled or not supported by a particular browser. A Drop Shadow effect on the bottom of the Navigation Bar can be applied as well as a Lower Border.

22.3.6.1     Navigation Bar Links Text Tab Styling

The style of the text in the navigation tabs can be specified by the Link Tab Text Style selection. The options are UPPERCASE, lowercase, or Capitalized.

22.3.6.2     Navigation Bar Borders Styling

A Border Color can be specified. Tab Borders can be applied between each of the navigation tabs. A Lower Border can be added under the navigation bar.

22.3.6.3     Navigation Bar Link Tabs Styling

The navigation link tabs Fill Color and Text Color can be styled separately for the Inactive or Active page states. Leaving a Fill Color blank will result in no fill. Leaving a Text Color value blank will result in inheriting the default text color.

 

The Underline Active Link Tab can be enabled for the current active page tab. The Thickness can also be specified. This can be used separately or in conjunction with the Active page fill and text colors. Enter the value in pixels (e.g.: 2px)

22.4       Include File Processing

When the File and Directory Processing mode is enabled, the user has the ability to add additional content at pre-determined locations in the web pages by means of “include” files. The file(s) are inserted into the HTML code via php include statements in the form:

<?php include ‘path_to_file’ ;?>

 

Thus, in order to use this option, the user’s web server must support server-side PHP pre-processing. The WPC will set the file suffix to .php for any file where the included code stub(s) is to be incorporated.

 

The path_to_file URL can be an absolute or relative path and is subject to the normal File and Directory Processing. The Display / Computed URL Paths… command can be useful in resolving issues regarding the use of these options. It should be noted that not all PHP processors will interpret full URL (http://) specifications.

 

If the path_to_file is an absolute path from the web server root location (e.g.: begins with “/”),  then the WPC will encode the PHP statement in the form:

 

<?php include $_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/path_to_file’ ;?>

 

The Web Composer / Preferences / Include Files command invokes the dialog box shown below.  The current state include file processing is shown for reference in the top line. This is controlled by the File and Directory Processing mode.

 

The following “includes” are available. Their insertion locations into the HTML and associated usage for each are suggested.

22.4.1      Include Files Directory URL

This option can be particularly useful to globally relocate the file link descriptions for the include files without the need to encode this for each file.

22.4.2      Include <head> Selector Stub File URL 

This allows the inclusion of additional tags from an external file into the <head> area of the HTML. When active, the contents will be placed just prior to the closing </head> tag in each web file.  Any valid <head> area HTML, CSS, Javascript tags or PHP code may be incorporated. Another possible use for this file would be to include the Javascript code stub for Google Analytics.

 

Figure 22-12  WPC Include Files Dialog

22.4.3      Body Area Files

22.4.3.1     Body Header File

This file can contain HTML, Javascript, PHP or other code. When specified, this file will be inserted at the top of the body area of the HTML just after the opening <body> element.

 

This include file must contain a <div id=body-container> entry in order to properly open this element for the remainder of the HTML code generated by the WPC. The designer has the option of placing the code inside or outside the

body-container element. If a Body Header file is not specified, the WPC will generate the opening body-container div.

22.4.3.2     Body Trailer File

Typical usage might be for visitor counters. This file can contain HTML, JavaScript, PHP or other code.

 

When specified, this file will be inserted at the bottom of the body area of the HTML just prior to the closing </body> element.

 

The designer has the option of placing the code inside or outside the body-container div. This include file must contain a closing </div> element in order to properly close this element for the remainder of the HTML code generated by the WPC. If a Body Trailer file is not specified, the WPC will generate the  </div>  to close the body-container element.

22.4.4      Home Page Content Include Files

The contents of this file are inserted after the last content block just prior to the footer line on the home page. This file can contain any valid HTML, Javascript, or other code that can be processed by the browser.  Unlike the Body Trailer file, this file is inserted into the main content-container div and is only applicable for content unique to the home page.

The URL for this file can be either relative or absolute to the Home Page URL. The URL and content validation is left up to the user. This can be useful for content that does not change when the web site is being updated such as links to previous season stats, field dimensions, league information, etc.

A sample file: home_page_content_template.html is included in the distribution media.

22.5       Issues Resulting From URL Processing

Due to the wide range of possible file and directory adder descriptions, the resulting web pages may not produce the expected results (e.g.: broken links, missing files, etc.).

 

When creating a composite URL (file name plus any Base URL and/or directory adders), the WPC will make an attempt to correct some basic entry errors such as missing or duplicate backslash (/) delimiters in the parameters.  For example, if the Base URL had a value of: 

 http://mywebsite.com

 

and the Player Files Directory  had a value of:

 PlayerFiles/

 

the WPC would correct the computed URL to:

 

 http://mywebsite.com/PlayerFiles/

 

The WPC will perform some basic URL validation prior to executing the One Step Web Site command and alert the user for corrective action. Validation of links that point outside of the basic web site structure (e.g.: www.mass-asasoftball.com/) is beyond the scope of the validator.  Correction of all possible URL errors is beyond the scope of the WPC.  However, there are a number of web development tools available that will detect broken and/or malformed link specifications. 

22.5.1      Display Computed URL Paths

The Web Composer / Links / Navigation Links command may be useful to diagnose issues when the resulting web pages do not display as desired or if a navigation link  does not activate the expected web page.  Two dialogs are displayed in sequence as shown below.

 

The first shows the computed URL’s for each possible URL processing option.  The second dialog is specific to the computed paths for the navigation bars.

 

For each dialog, the user can choose to show the results of Basic or Expanded command set mode, and the effects of the File and Directory Processing. Note that changing these settings are for purposes of display only. They do not change the current settings for these modes.

 

Due to an Excel dialog box limit, a shorthand description ( */) may appear in the URL display for the Base URL.

 

The built-in URL validator will assess the links after each dialog box display.

 

Figure 22-13  Navigation Links Command

22.5.2      Absolute vs. Relative Include File Processing

Although relative file processing can be specified, some precautions should be noted as each path specification to the target file will be evaluated relative to the location of each web page.  This can cause some issues if the Player Files Directory is specified as these pages will be at a different directory location than the main web pages. Therefore, it is imperative to employ absolute addressing specifications for all URL’s if a Player Files Directory is employed . This includes all Include Files, Base URL, background and icon files, etc., if specified. The built-in URL validator will assess the link integrity for possible broken links prior to web page processing.

22.6       Cascading Style Sheets

A user-defined cascading stylesheet file may be specified via the Web Page Composer / Preferences / General command. This facilitates a unified appearance of web pages generated by the SBC and other web pages that may be part of the team web site.  It also facilitates overriding/experimenting with style changes without regenerating the web pages via the WPC.

 

If a CSS style sheet filename is specified, it will be placed in a <link> container:

 

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="filename">

 

The link can be a relative or absolute path to the filename and may have the Base URL prepended subject to the File and Directory Processing Rules.

 

The WPC follows the rules of CSS cascading order as defined by the W3C standards. A user-defined CSS file can override specific style settings such as background fill color, background image file description, etc.

 

The WPC creates compact HTML code and encodes style information based on the WPC parameter settings plus individual cell attributes in the worksheet as required.  It will make a determination of the default style values based on the most frequently used styles in the selected area of the worksheet. These values will be overridden as required with style= elements on a cell-by-cell basis as each cell is processed.

 

Thus, there may be instances where entries in a user-defined CSS stylesheet may not be able to override the worksheet values. The use of the CSS !important modifier may be useful to assist in the override. In other cases, it may be necessary to modify the cell style attributes directly in the HTML or on the worksheet via the Format menu options to achieve the desired results.

 

A full tutorial on the implementation of CSS is beyond the scope of this document. Tutorials on CSS can be found at: http://www.w3schools.com/. There are a number of other references available on the web or in book form as well.

22.6.1      Saving CSS Styles

The WPC encodes the current css styles into each web page.  A separate css file is not required. For users that wish to utilize the current css style framework in custom web pages, a separate css formatted file can be saved via the Web Composer / Selections / Save CSS Styles command. The styles will be based on the current web processing parameter settings.

22.7       Custom Web Site

Figure 22-14  Example Custom Web Page Hierarchy

Although the One Step Web Site command should satisfy the majority of user requirements, the SBC provides a series of commands for users that wish to develop a highly customized web site.

 

The example shows of one of many possible structures.

 

Web Page/Directory	Description	Web Page Creation Method
index	Top level home page	Summary* or a user created home page using traditional web page authoring tools
team_summary	Composite player batting stats	Batting Summary*
leaders	Batting leaders	Batting Leaders*
player_files	Directory of web pages with individual game-by-game player statistics	Selections/Save All Player Stats as Web Pages
includes	“include” files for mastheads, footers, etc.	For advanced web authoring.
images	Web graphics files directory	Clip Art or user images created via traditional graphical design applications
styles.css	CSS stylesheet file	Optional user created file to change the appearance of the web pages.
favicon.ico	Web page icon file	Icon that will be displayed in browser URL, tab and bookmarks. A sample is supplied with the SBC. Place in same location as your root directory. See Include favicon <link> tag for alternative method.

*with Save As Web Page After Select option, use area navigation button and Copy to Clipboard command.

Table 22-1  Advanced Web Site Creation Methods

Note in this example, that it requires only requires four commands to generate the web pages for summary stats, team batting stats, batting leaders, and all of the individual player pages. Of course, there are an infinite variety of structures depending on the user’s expertise with web page development and desired sophistication of the final web site. Table 22-1 shows the commands used to generate the web pages.

22.7.1      Generate HTML Table From Area

The user can generate an HTML table stub from a selected range of the Team Worksheet via the Web Composer/ Selections / Save Selection as HTML Table menu command. This command is useful to extract areas of the Team Worksheet for incorporation into other web pages. The range of cells selected must be contiguous.

 

This command cannot be used on an area of a non-SBC Excel worksheet that may be currently open.

 

Style overrides are applied to cells in the selected area based on differences from the defined reference format settings.

 

If this mode is used, first disable the Web Composer / Selections / Save As Web Page After Select option first to prevent a full web page generation sequence. Alternatively, use the mouse to select a range of cells.

 

This command will invoke a file save dialog with a default file name of:  table.html. The user may modify the filename and directory as desired. A prompt for HTML table composer preferences will occur next.

 

Figure 22-15   HTML Table Composer Preferences

As this command only generates the code for an HTML table stub rather than an entire web page, only a minimal set of options is applicable. The initial values for these options are the current Web Composer preferences settings. Any changes made to these settings are temporary for the composing of the HTML table.

 

The processing options allow the user to trim the HTML down to the specific content and attributes that is desired. Column width information (<col> tags) will be generated if the Fixed Layout option is checked. When active, a table width parameter can be encoded if the Encode Table Width option is checked.

22.7.2      Save All Player Stats as Web Pages

This command will save the detailed game-by-game statistics of the Active roster players as separate web page files for each player. A composite web page for players in the Expansion roster category will also be generated. The user will be prompted for the target directory for the files.

 

The generation of a full set of player stats can take a fair amount of time depending on the speed of the computer and the quantity of statistics. A progress window will detail the progress.

22.7.3      Web Page From Predefined Area

Any pre-defined area of the Team Worksheet can be generated as a web page. Insure the Save As Web Page After Select option is active. Navigate to the desired area by using one of the main buttons (e.g.: Summary, Batting Leaders, etc.). Then use the applicable Copy to Clipboard command for the area of interest. A web page will be generated instead of the copy function.

22.7.4      Web Page From Selected Player Area

The Stats / Select Player. Select Next | Previous Player commands will perform a marquee selection of an individual player stats area and copy the area to the system clipboard. Alternatively, a web page can be generated if the Save As Web Save After Select option is enabled.

22.7.4.1     Options

The following Web Composer / Selections menu command options are used:

 

Save As Web Save After Select

This option determines if a web page will be created after the desired area has been selected via the Copy to Clipboard command. When this option is active, a Save As Web Page dialog will appear.

 

IMPORTANT:

Ensure that the check box for Use File Extensions is unchecked in the File Save dialogs.

Otherwise Excel will override the default file suffix with “.xls” or “.xlsx”.

 

Prompt for Options on Web Save

This option controls whether the user will be prompted for the Web Composer / Preferences / General dialog before the web page is actually composed. This allows the user the make last minute modifications to web page parameters without the extra steps of going to the Web Composer / Preferences / General command.

22.7.5      Web Page From Custom Area

The user may also use the mouse to select custom areas of the Team Worksheet, followed by a Web Composer / Select /  / Save Selection As Web Page menu command.  The range of cells selected must be contiguous.

22.8       HTML Color Management

22.8.1      Color Selection and Specification

The user may select colors for specific attributes for web pages. A dropdown list of predefined HTML colors exist for color specifications in the General Preferences and various Web Composer / Preferences commands. Appendix B lists the available color names and corresponding decimal and hex values. Although most browsers support the use of the color name as a color parameter, the WPC will convert the color name to its’ hex value for compliance to W3C Standards and better browser compatibility.  Note that most color changes are only visible on web pages.

 

In addition, the user may enter color values in a numerical format. These formats are defined by the W3C as follows:

 

24-Bit Hexadecimal Notation

 #RRGGBB where the RR,GG and BB values are in the range: 00-FF hex.

 

8-Bit Hexadecimal Notation

#RGB where the R,G and B values are in the range: 0-F hex.

 

 

24-Bit Decimal Notation

 rgb(R,G,B)where R,G,B values are in the range 0-255 decimal.

 

24-Bit Percentage Notation

 rgb(R%,G%,B%) where R,G,B values are in the range 0% - 100%.

22.9       Web Browser Compatibility Issues

Creating web pages that render identically on every browser on every available desktop and mobile device platform is a non-trivial task and is beyond the scope of this document (or the author’s ☺). The WPC makes every attempt to generate W3C compliant HTML and CSS code that should produce acceptable results on most recent vintage browsers.  However, older versions may  produce degraded or unacceptable results.  It is beyond the scope of this document or the WPC to address all of these issues. 

 

The following sections address some specific issues and suggestions to try if the desired results are not achieved.

22.9.1      Fonts

22.9.1.1     Font Family Selection

The choice of font family affects the look and size of the text on the generated web pages on different browsers and different operating systems. In addition, the available font families differ among various browsers.

 

The WPC Web Themes define specific font family and characteristics. The current settings for Text Processing are shown as well as the Team Worksheet font family and size in the  Web Composer / Preferences / Content dialog. Individual cells can override these settings.

 

The Font Family Override and Text Color Override can be modified as desired. A blank value will default to the current Team Worksheet value.

22.9.2      Advanced Styling

Some WPC Web Themes employ CSS3 properties such as gradients in the masthead and navigation bar, and drop shadows in the content blocks. Most current browsers such as Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome, Edge, and later versions of Internet Explorer support these. However, the support varies by browser, version and operating system.  In the absence of gradient property support, the result will be solid fill colors. In the absence of drop shadow support, a simple border will appear.

22.9.3      Mobile and Tablet Web Browsers

There exists a wide variety of web browsers that are deployed on mobile and tablet devices with varying screen sizes and resolutions. Thus, designing and testing web pages for the many variations is a non-trivial task as well.  The WPC produces web pages that render properly on the most popular mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and Android.

 

A mobile browser may have more a more limited set of fonts available than desktop browsers.

 

Some mobile devices employ a stripped-down browser such as Opera Mini that may not produce acceptable results. If you uncover this situation and need to target a specific device for your users, contact SBC support at:

support@sbc.aces-softball.com for assistance.

22.10   Template Files

In Expanded Commands Mode, the One Step Web Site command can generate template framework files for customized web pages.  These files can be used to incorporate custom content for your web site that is not produced by the WPC .

 

A template file contains a basic framework of HTML and CSS code so that the pages will have the same masthead and navigation capabilities plus content styling as those pages that are generated by the WPC .  Two additional files are generated that contain the HTML and CSS code for the styling and navigation. Table 22-2 shows a summary of these files.

A template file makes use of PHP processing on web servers to incorporate the stub files dynamically when the template file is invoked by the browser for display.

 

A user must have a working knowledge of HTML and CSS3 structures plus a familiarity with web page editing and validation tools. If you need assistance, contact SBC support at support@sbc.aces-softball.com.

22.10.1  Template File Structure

Figure 22-16  Template Files Structure

A template file needs to be generated only once by the One Step Web Site command. To keep the styling and navigation consistent with any subsequent changes to the main web site, the stub files are regenerated each time a new One Step Web Site command is executed. This eases web page maintenance as any changes in the stub files are automatically integrated into the template files.

 

Web Page/Directory	Description
template.php	Template file
template_head_stub.html	<head> area HTML and css for template.php
template_masthead_stub.html	Masthead and navigation HTML and css for template.php
Development File
template.html	Template file with head and masthead code inline for development

Table 22-2  Template Files

22.10.2  Template File Generation

A template file is generated by checking the Generate Template File option when the One Step Web Site command is invoked:

Figure 22-17  One Step Web Site Runtime Options

22.10.3  Customization of Template Files

Each template file has an area for user content customization. It is bounded by the HTML comment lines:

 

<!--   ............................. user defined content starts here .............................     -->

 

<!--    ............................. user defined content ends here ...............................     -->

 

The template file has several comments and examples of content that can be used as reference. The user replaces this content with customized content using any valid HTML structures such as paragraphs, headers, lists, tables, etc. 

 

As the template files employ PHP processing, the user may also incorporate additional external content via PHP include file processing.

22.10.3.1 Predefined CSS Styles

The WPC has a number of additional predefined styles that may be utilized so that the custom content can maintain the same look as WPC-generated pages. They are contained in the template_head_stub.html file.

22.10.3.2 Linking Template Files to Navigation Links

A template file can be integrated into the web site navigation link structure via a User Defined Navigation Link . The link is associated with a template file at One Step Web Site command runtime by selecting one of the active User Defined Navigation Link labels via the dropdown list. If the template file does not have a direct navigation link via the navigation bar, then select none.

 

User Defined Navigation Link	Body id Value
1	optional1
2	optional2
3	optional3
unassigned	none

Table 22-3  Template File Navigation Links

 

The link selection will place the appropriate <body id=xxxx> value into the template file for highlighting in the navigation bar.  Possible values for xxxx are shown in Table 22-3.

 

An example of linking a navigation link for a roster page to a custom template file is shown below.

22.10.3.3 Processing Date

The template file generates a processing date plus optional webmaster link and footer text in the area bounded by:

 

<!-- begin: footer area -->

 

<!-- end: footer area -->

 

These entries may be altered as desired. They are not updated by re-generation of the stub files.

Figure 22-18  Template Files Linkage Example

22.10.4  Integrating Template Files Into the Website

Once the template file(s) is customized, rename it to match the link value filename as defined by the desired User Defined Navigation Link in the One Step Web Site Preferences command.

 

The filename must have the .php suffix.

 

The stub files must reside in the same directory as the template file.

 

The two stub files associated with the template file must not be renamed.

22.10.5  Template File Development

22.10.5.1 Mobile vs. Desktop Browser Display

As mobile devices are normally viewed in portrait mode and have a smaller viewing area, the content should be structured in a more columnar fashion and scrolled vertically. The opposite is true for desktop browsers (landscape mode and larger viewing area).

 

A full discourse on mobile content optimization is beyond the scope of this document. However, it is good practice to reduce the amount of content so that it can be viewed without horizontal scrolling. Alternatively, the user can rotate the mobile device to landscape mode to increase the horizontal viewing area. Keep in mind that not all mobile devices support this capability.

 

Two solutions are available to assist:

 

Responsive Design

Techniques which dynamically adjust the amount of content that is displayed similar to how the SBC controls content.   

 

If your content is in the form of HTML tables, there are css styles in the template_head_stub.html file that can be deployed.

 

For example,  for small mobile screens in portrait mode (<480px wide), approximately 10 columns of content can be viewed. For medium width screens (480px > 768px wide), approximately 15 columns can be viewed. Beyond 768px is compatible with desktop browsers so all columns can be viewed.

 

To accomplish this, your tables can be encapsulated in a div as follows:

 

 <div class=”responsive-style-1 responsive-style-2 ... “>

  your table goes here

  </div>

 

Where responsive-style-n is a space-separated list of css styles defined by the SBC. Each of these styles controls the blocking of a group of columns based on the active viewport size. The predefined styles of interest are shown in Table 22-4.

css Style	Screen Viewport Size	Columns Blocked
rd-table-low-res	<480px	11-15
rd-table-low-med-res	<768px	16-25

Table 22-4  Responsive Design Styles

 

Thus, to allow columns 1-10 on small screens, 1-15 on medium width screens, and all columns on large screens, the <div> would be coded as:

 <div class=”rd-table-low-res rd-table-low-med-res“>

 

When the viewport exceeds 480px, then the content in columns 11-15 becomes visible.  When the viewport exceeds 768px, then the content in columns 16-25 becomes visible. Any content in columns 26 and beyond is always visible.

 

These styles operate on <td> tags only. Thus, your tables should not have <thead> or <tfoot> regions.

 

If you wish to have Zebra striping on your table as well, add the zebra class to the <div> or in the <table> tag.

 

If you have structures that do not match these characteristics, contact SBC support at support@sbc.aces-softball.com.

 

2) Forced Horizontal Scrolling

This approach can be used when it is desirable to have all of the content viewable on all possible devices. The masthead and navigation bar will remain fixed at the top of the mobile browser, but the content can now be scrolled both horizontally and vertically.

 

To implement this, in the template file, look for the line: 

 

<div class=content-container>     <!--- begin: content-container -->

 

Modify the div to: 

 

<div class=content-container style=”width:xxpx;”>

 

Where xx is the estimated width of the content area in pixels. Calculation of this value is  an inexact science. However, typical mobile browsers have a horizontal viewport width of around 320px in portrait mode and maxing out at 800-1000px. So, use these as a guide.

22.10.5.2 Local Development of PHP Web Pages

This poses some challenges as PHP-encoded pages depend on a web server to process the PHP requests to incorporate the stub files for proper display by the browser.  Unless there is a web server configured with PHP processing on the developer’s computer or network, the browsers will not have the content to display the entire page.  In addition, any HTML or CSS code validators will have the same issue.

 

The process of editing a template file and then uploading it to a server to view/validate the results is an alternative. However, this adds steps and time to the development. To aid in this process, the WPC generates a template.html file. This file is produced with the stub files contents in-line so that they can be validated/viewed by a browser locally. When the desired result is achieved, copy the content area into the template.php file before uploading to the live web site. The figure below shows a typical development flow.

 

It is suggested that the developer use these files initially for development. Although they can be used for the actual pages, their limitation is that they do not load the stub files dynamically when the page is displayed by the browser. Thus, any subsequent style or navigation link changes to the main web site will not be reflected the next time the site is regenerated.

22.10.6  Additional Tools For Development

Firefox Web Browser  https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

Current versions have a Responsive Design View tool under the Tools/Web Developer menu. Allows simulated viewing of a web page on a variety of selected screen sizes, portrait/landscape orientations, etc. including popular mobile devices. Firefox has a number of built-in developer tools for examining and modifying both the HTML and CSS elements and properties.  It also has a configurable Responsive Design mode viewer for examining a page as it would be viewed on mobile browsers.

 

A big advantage of these tools is that the web pages can be resident on your computer or on a server.

 

Figure 22-19  Custom Content Web Page Development Flow

CSV-to HTML Table Converter (http://www.convertcsv.com/csv-to-html.htm)

Web-based tool. Highly configurable. If you use this tool with Responsive Design styles, it is suggested that you uncheck the option for First row is column names.

 

SBC Table Generator Command

Generates an HTML table to a file from a selected set of cells. Highly configurable.

 

 

23       USING THE SBC WITH 3^rd PARTY MOBILE STATS APPS

23.1       Overview

A number of popular commercial apps exist for capturing baseball and softball statistics on mobile devices such as the iPhone/iPad/iPod and Android platforms.

 

The SBC supports batting stats that have been captured on the following mobile apps:

 

iScore Baseball/Softball – iPhone, iPad and Android

6-4-3 Baseball Scorecard - Android

Pointstreak K-ForCE – iPhone/iPod

 

The statistics for a specific game are extracted from the app via an export file and are subsequently imported and merged with existing statistics into an SBC Single-Season Mode Team Worksheet.

 

It is assumed that the user has a legal copy of the mobile app. If the user intends to use the app simply as a mobile stats capture device with the SBC, it is not necessary to be proficient in the full suite of the apps’ functionality. Only the basic operations to set up a roster and capture statistics for a game plus the procedure to export the stats into a file are needed.

 

Rosters can be exported from the SBC to a file for subsequent importing by the app. This aids in setting up the app for use with the SBC. Note that not all mobile apps support this capability. However, most allow copy/paste operations.

 

Support for other mobile apps are possible. Contact SBC support at support@sbc.aces-softball.com if there is a particular app of interest.

23.1.1      Statistics Imported

The SBC can import batting statistics for either the home or visitor team for the selected game.  The SBC can process the statistics shown in Table 23-1 from the app. In some instances, the abbreviations used in the file are different from the SBC which uses standard MLB abbreviations. Sample files for each format are included in the distribution.

 

Statistic	iScore	6-4-3 Baseball	K-ForCE	General
Team Name	-	Home or Away team	Home or Away team	-
Game Number	see note)	-	-	G
SBC Stats File Description	-	-	-	-
Plate Appearances	PA	Computed by SBC	PA	PA
AB	Computed by SBC	AB	Computed by SBC	AB
Runs	R	R	R	R
Hits	H	H	H	H
Doubles	2B	2B	2B	2B
Triples	3B	3B	3B	3B
Home Runs	HR	HR	HR	HR
Runs Batted In	RBI	RBI	RBI	RBI
Walks	BB	BB	BB	BB
Total Strikeouts	SO	SO	SO	SO
Hit by Pitch	HBP	HBP	HBP	HBP
Sacrifice Bunts	SCB	SACB	SCB	SACB
Sacrifice Flys	SF	SACF	SF	SF
Stolen Bases	SB	SB	SB	SB
Reached on Error	ROE	-	ROE	ROE
Fielder’s Choice	FC	-	FC	FC
Catcher Interference	-	-	-	CI
Position	Estimated by SBC	Estimated by SBC	Estimated by SBC	POS
Fines	-	-	-	FINES

 

Table 23-1  Import File > SBC Statistics Mapping

 

Some apps do not track/export some specifics stats that are tracked by the SBC.  Where possible, the SBC will attempt to compute them. The SBC should be configured in the correct statistics tracking mode for the stats that will be captured by the mobile app.

23.1.1.1     Selecting Statistics for iScore

When exporting a .csv file from iScore Baseball/Softball, ensure that all of the batting statistics categories shown in Table 23-1 for iScore are selected in the iScore app. If the Track Slow Pitch Stats Only mode is active, then the HBP, SCB, SB categories do not need to be selected.  To ensure data integrity, the importer will validate that these entries are present and warn the user if one or more categories are missing.

23.1.1.2     General File Format

This is a generic format that can be used for importing from other sources. Unlike the other formats, entries from multiple games can be specified. Values for all stats categories can be specified. Entries will be validated and any inconsistencies will be reported.

23.1.2      Statistics Processing Notes

23.1.2.1     Stats Overwrite Policy

Each entry in the import file will be tested for a potential player name/game number match to an entry in the Team Worksheet. If there’s a match, the user will be alerted to this condition to enable overwrites.

23.1.2.2     Special Situations

 

AB vs. APP Entries

Each format specifies either AB or APP. The alternate value will be computed. The General format allows either to be specified based on the presence of the AB or APP label. If both are specified, the PA format takes precedence.

 

Player Position (POS)

For all other formats, if the Auto-Fill Player Positions (POS) option is set, the importer can estimate a value based on the player’s previous games. Obviously, this may not be correct for all players for this game. These values can be examined after importing by executing the Box Score / Calculate command for this game. Any corrections can be via by the Player / Stats update command.

POS values can be specified explicitly in the General file format and will override the Auto-Fill Player Positions (POS) option.

 

Catcher Interference (CI)

Although not tracked as a category by the SBC, it can be specified explicitly in the General file format and factored into the AB and APP calculations. See the discussion in Formulas Used in Statistics Calculations.

 

Fines Tracking (FINES)

The General file format can process Fines entries.

 

For all other formats, the importer will set the Fines entry to $0.00. If the user is tracking Fines, these can be incorporated into the individual player stats after importing by using the Player / Stats  update command.

 

Team Name

Where the import file format specifies a team name, the importer will test the SBC main Team Name against it for a match before proceeding with the import. Where the team name is not encoded in the import file, it is up to the user to ensure that the correct file is selected for import.

 

Game Number

For the General format, the game numbers are derived from the G field in each stats entry in the file. Thus, entries from multiple games can be processed in the same file.

 

For all other formats, the user will be prompted for this value at import time.  If stats for this game number already exist in the Team Worksheet, the user will be alerted to this condition and whether to overwrite ALL of the existing stats for this game. The Schedule  / Game Numbers command can be used to adjust/re-sequence game numbers either before or after imported as needed.

 

SBC Stats File Description

Ensure that you are importing into the correct SBC Single-Season Team Worksheet.

23.1.3      Player Name Conventions

The player names in the roster in the import file must match those in the SBC Team Worksheet rosters.  Matches are case-independent. The SBC importer will place each player’s stats from the single roster from the import file into the appropriate SBC Active or Expansion roster. Player names in the import file can be in Last_Name, First_Name or First_Name Last_Name format. Single names are also acceptable The SBC importer will convert them to match the format in the target Team Worksheet.

NOTE:

 If the Last_Name, First_Name format is used with the .csv file format, the entry must be bracketed by double quotes.  e.g.: ”Mouse, Mickey”

23.2       Transfering Stats From a Mobile App to the SBC

In most cases, stats files are exported from the mobile app via its’ email function. Select the Comma-Separated-Variables (CSV) format. After the email has been received in your email program, save the attachment files in a folder of your choice. Consult your documentation for your mobile app for the procedure and file naming conventions. You may rename the file as desired but do not remove or change the .csv suffix from the filename.

 

WARNING:

Under no circumstances should the contents of these files be edited or unpredictable results can occur !!!

 

An example of the export procedure for the iScore app is shown. Other apps have equivalent procedures.

23.2.1      Procedure

 

As the import function is not un-doable, it is strongly suggested that the user save off the current Team Worksheet prior to performing the import. Use the Import / Stats command. Select the import file type based on the mobile app.

 

WARNING:

Do not select the current Team Worksheet as the import file or unpredictable results can occur !!!

 

Select the Game number to be associated with these statistics. The user will be alerted if stats for this game number already exist in the Team Worksheet. You may choose to overwrite these if desired or terminate the import at this time.

 

Figure 23-1  Import Stats Options Dialog

There may be instances where a player name in the import file does not exist in either the Active or Expansion roster. This might occur if the player was a “ringer”, the spelling of the name was incorrect, or if the SBC Team Worksheet is empty. To account for this situation, the importer provides New Player Processing options. The user may choose to add these new players to either the Active or Expansion roster. A unique marker >>> can be optionally prepended to the player name for subsequent processing.  The user might choose to bypass this option if the SBC rosters are empty.

 

During the import process, the user will be alerted if new player names are detected. The user can choose to selectively ignore/accept the new players.

 

The Auto-Fill Player Positions (POS) option works the same as during manual stats updating. The setting is effective for the current import only. It does not modify the Stats / Auto-Fill Player Positions setting.

 

1. After selecting the options, press OK.
2. Select the file to be imported. If you are running the SBC on Excel/Windows, make sure that the Text Files file type is enabled.
3. Press Open.

 

Several validity checks will be performed on the file format to ensure its integrity based on the selected Import File Type. Any problems will be reported to the user with appropriate action to be taken.

 

Statistics for each player will be merged into their individual statistics areas based on their current roster location.  Stats will be checked for consistency according to the rules in Validating Player Statistics.

 

Figure 23-2  Stats File Selection Dialog (Windows)

At the completion of the import process, a display of the processing statistics will occur. The game number will be identified as New or Overwrite. Any stats validation errors will be posted. This summary can be recalled at a later time via the Import / Import Summary command.

 

Figure 23-3  Stats Import Statistics Summary

23.2.1.1     Unknown Player Detection

During the import process, player names that do not appear in either the Active or Expansion roster will be identified to the user via an alert dialog. The user has a choice of either allowing the unknown player and the stats to be added to the roster, or ignoring this player.  The user can choose to propagate this action (Add or Ignore) for subsequent unknown players by checking the Apply to All check box.

 

Figure 23-4  Unknown Player Detection Handler Dialog

If the Prepend marker for new players option was selected, the new players that are added to the roster will be identified with  >>> next to their name. The user can decide how to resolve these instances after the termination of the import process (Post-Import Processing).

23.2.1.2     Player Stats Validation Errors

Under most mobile stats apps, the game stats that are exported will have been validated prior to creating the export file. However, the SBC importer will perform validation as well. If errors are detected, it is preferable to correct them at the source so that they will not re-appear on subsequent imports.

 

The Stats / Validate Stats command can be used to re-scan the player stats and report the errors. A repair option is also available to fix the stats. This does not back-annotate the import file nor the source stats app.

23.2.2      Post-Import Processing

After the import process has completed, the user should evaluate the situations described below and correct as required.

23.2.2.1     Resolving Non-Roster Player Issues

If the player was indeed a new entry that you wish to keep on the roster, then use the Rosters / Rename Player command to remove the  >>>  marker associated with that player.  If desired the player can be transferred to the other roster via the Rosters / Transfer Player command.

 

If this is a player that you do not wish to add to the roster (e.g.: a one-time substitute) but do wish to include their stats for this game, then an alternative would be to aggregate these players’ stats into a composite name (e.g.: “Drive-By’s”) by using the Rosters / Merge Players command.

 

If the entry was a typo, then one of two methods can be used:

 

1. Delete the player stats entry with the incorrect name via the Rosters / Delete Player command. Then, correct the player name in the mobile app and re-import the game stats into the SBC.
2. Use the Rosters / Merge Players command to merge the stats with the correct player.

 

Although more time-consuming, Method 1 is preferred as this corrects the inconsistency at the source.

 

The Rosters / Analyze Rosters command can verify that all of these instances have been addressed. This command can also be used to remove all new player markers from both rosters.

23.3       Managing Rosters

23.3.1      Transferring the SBC Roster to a Mobile App

If you are an SBC user and are setting up the mobile app for the first time, you will need to set up the rosters in the mobile app.  This can be accomplished in a number of ways in the app depending on its’ capabilities:

 

• Manual entry
• SBC roster export
• Copy/Paste from SBC roster

NOTE:

Not all mobile apps support roster importing via a file.

23.3.2      Transferring a Roster From a Mobile App to the SBC

If you already have a roster defined in your mobile app, you can transfer it to the SBC. Although not required, start with an empty Single-Season Team Worksheet.  Then export a file from your mobile app that has the roster that you desire. This can be a game from an existing season, previous season, or a game with no stats.

 

Then, use the following sequence:

 

1. Invoke the Import / Stats command
2. Select the format of the mobile app file or the General format
3. Check the Import Player Names Only option.
4. Importer Options - Select the Active or Expansion roster as a destination for new players
5. Importer Options – Check or uncheck the Prepend marker for new players option
6. Import a stats file from your mobile app
7. When the first unknown player alert appears, check Apply to All and then press Add

 

Each player in the import file will be added to the selected roster if it doesn’t already exist. No stats will be imported. If you are starting with an empty Team Worksheet with no roster entries, uncheck the Prepend marker for new players option.

 

After the import is completed, use the Transfer Player Stats command as desired to move the new players.

 

Figure 23-5  iScore Export Stats File Procedure

 

 

 

24       IMPORTING/EXPORTING STATS FROM OTHER SOURCES

24.1       Importing Stats

Two generalized file formats are available to import stats from other stats programs or services. One is for importing stats that are organized on a game-by-game basis. The other is for stats organized on a season basis. 

 

The stats will need to be transposed to match one of these formats for importing. As this process is prone to errors, it is suggested that the importing be performed on a copy of your Team Worksheets until the desired results have been achieved.

24.1.1      General Conventions

The following apply to all file formats:

 

1. Player name format  can be either FirstName LastName or LastName, FirstName.  The importer will transpose the names as required to match the destination SBC file format
2. Use a copy of one of the supplied template files.
3. If copying stats from another file, use: Copy/Paste Special and Values Only to preserve the formats in the template files
4. After importing, player stats can be renamed/transferred/merged as necessary 

24.1.2      Stats Entry Conventions

The following apply to all file formats:

 

1. Single line totals for each player for each game
2. Entries can be in any order
3. Enter  PA or AB  for each player depending on file format.
4. Stats values must positive integer numeric values >=0
5. Stats not available can be 0 or left blank
6. If the Team Worksheet is in Track SP Stats Only mode, then any SB, SACB, and HBP entries from the import file will be set to 0.
7. FINES values are optional and can be positive or negative currency amounts or blank.

24.1.3      Stats Validation

As there is the potential for transcription errors when preparing the files, the importer will check for the following conditions:

 

1. Game numbers not positive integer numeric values >=0
2. Stats values not positive integer numeric values >=0
3. Stats not available can be 0 or left blank
4. FINES values not positive or negative currency values
5. Duplicate entries
6. Extra-base hits (2B+3B+HR) exceeds Hits (H)
7. H + BB + FC + ROE + SF + K + HBP + SACB > Plate Appearances (PA)

24.2       Single-Season Mode Import

If the source of your stats isn’t one of the commercial applications defined in Table 23-1, chose one of the following based on whether you stats have PA or AB’s specified.

24.2.1      File Format

The General format is a simplified format that accepts all available stats entries. It can contain game-by-game entries from multiple players and from one or multiple games. Files can be in .xls, .xlsx, or .csv format. The SBC distribution contains sample templates in Excel format.

 

Either PA or AB’s can be specified.  If available, the PA format is preferable as data entry errors in the stats fields can be detected more readily.  If both are specified, the PA format take precedence.

 

The first cell in an entry contains a marker indicating whether the entry should be processed.  Values are 1 (process) or 0/blank (bypass).  This can be useful for adding comment lines in the import file or blocking the import of specific stats entries.  Comment lines can be inserted at any location.

 

The Position (POS), Catcher Interference  (CI) and Fines fields are optional. Player naming conventions are the same as described in Player Name Entry Rules.  The option to import just the Player Names (Roster Import) is still available.

 

 

General: PA format

Column:

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

Labels:

#

PLAYER

G

POS

PA

R

H

RBI

2B

3B

HR

BB

FC

ROE

SB

SF

SACB

SO

HBP

CI

FINES

Example:

1

Mickey Mouse

22

1B

4

2

2

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0.00

… more entries as req’d

termination line

End

General: AB format

Column:

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

Labels:

#

PLAYER

G

POS

AB

R

H

RBI

2B

3B

HR

BB

FC

ROE

SB

SF

SACB

SO

HBP

CI

FINES

Example:

1

Mickey Mouse

22

1B

3

2

2

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0.00

… more entries as req’d

termination line

End

Figure 24-1  General Import File Statistics Format

24.2.2      Import Procedure

Use the following sequence:

 

1)   Choose either the PA or AB format depending on your source stats. The importer will calculate the other entry. The PA format is preferable as it facilitates more accurate stats validation during the import process.

2)   Create a file using Excel with the data aligned into the fields as shown in Figure 24-1.  Ensure that you include the labels and End lines plus the stats entry lines. Insert coment lines as desired.

3)   Run the Import / Stats command and select the General format

 

Figure 24-2  General Format Import Options Dialog

Processing options operate the same as described in Section 23 for importing from 3^rd party applications.

24.2.2.1     Additional Processing

1. The importer will validate the format and contents of the import file before processing. 
2. The importer will check for duplicate Player Name and Game entries.
3. Stats entries that match existing Player Name and Game entries will be conditionally replaced by the import file entry.

 

Figure 24-3  Stats Overwrite  Alert Dialog

 

After processing has completed, a summary will be posted. It can be recalled as desired by the Import / Import Summary command until the next import operation is executed.

 

Figure 24-4  Stats Import Summary

24.3       Multi-Season Mode Import_4.50

The SBC can import season-based stats for each player for a Single-Season or multiple seasons in the same file.

 

Two Excel template files are provided.  Use the SBC Season Stats Import Template - PA Format.xls