[pescetom]

BBO Admin, on 2020-June-10, 08:17, said:

BBO upgraded: Version 5.6.3 is here
by Admin | Posted on June 9, 2020
... omissis...
Added a “Manage Lists” feature in the “Include/Exclude Lists” menu, allowing tournament hosts to upload, download or update their custom lists.

I would like to experiment with this feature, but first I want to save my existing Include List to a file.
How do I do this?

All I see in 'Manage Lists' is:

Use this screen to upload a list of players to your include and exclude lists.
...
Action: Replace / Append / Remove / Download
Source file:

I don't see how to specify Destination file, I don't see Upload, I am not sure if Replace is the same thing, and I am not sure whether saving a list to file is considered upload (as I would expect) or download (as the "Use this screen" message seems to suggest).

Thanks to anyone who has this clear

[paulg]

Select Download to store a copy of your current Include list on your computer. On Windows it will save it in Download/include_list.txt.

Replace means upload a new file and replace the current include list.

Append means upload a new file and add the players to the existing include list.

I've used replace and download without a problem on multiple occasions. I've never used append.

[pescetom]

paulg, on 2020-June-11, 05:35, said:

Select Download to store a copy of your current Include list on your computer. On Windows it will save it in Download/include_list.txt.

Replace means upload a new file and replace the current include list.

Append means upload a new file and add the players to the existing include list.

I've used replace and download without a problem on multiple occasions. I've never used append.

So download is write to local file and upload is read from local file - got it, thanks.

I saved my list with download and then played with it a bit, including modifying files with notepad.

Delete said "Successfully deleted include list" but I still saw the list, even after Close and reselect Include/Exclude Lists;
a successive Replace said "Was 0 names..." however, so I suspect the list was no longer really there.

All other commands seem to work, although when the list is modified I do not see the changes until I Close and reselect Include/Exclude Lists.

HTML5 client and Windows 10 + chrome.

[barmar]

Every tournament uses the list that was in effect when it was created or last modified. This allows you to create different tourneys with different include lists.

So after changing your list, you have to modify the tournament to make it pick up the change.

[sandiem]

barmar, on 2020-June-12, 09:04, said:

Every tournament uses the list that was in effect when it was created or last modified. This allows you to create different tourneys with different include lists.

So after changing your list, you have to modify the tournament to make it pick up the change.

I just want to clarify. I'm running and event restricted to players ranked Inter A and Inter B in my country but want to separate into 2 events based on their ranking.

So,if I set up the Inter A tourney with an include list of Inter A members can I then also set up the Inter B tourney and replace the include list with one for just Inter B players or will this affect the Inter A tourney list.

I know I can append one list to the other but I want to make sure players are in the right event.

[barmar]

sandiem, on 2020-July-21, 06:48, said:

I just want to clarify. I'm running and event restricted to players ranked Inter A and Inter B in my country but want to separate into 2 events based on their ranking.

So,if I set up the Inter A tourney with an include list of Inter A members can I then also set up the Inter B tourney and replace the include list with one for just Inter B players or will this affect the Inter A tourney list.

I know I can append one list to the other but I want to make sure players are in the right event.

Yes. Upload Inter A list, create Inter A tourney. Then upload Inter B list, and create Inter B tourney.

However, you shouldn't then edit Inter A tourney. Every time you edit the tourney it will pick up your current include list.

[jandrew]

barmar, on 2020-July-21, 11:26, said:

Yes. Upload Inter A list, create Inter A tourney. Then upload Inter B list, and create Inter B tourney.

However, you shouldn't then edit Inter A tourney. Every time you edit the tourney it will pick up your current include list.

I don't think that I want to start a long discussion - perhaps just a thinking point for BBO . But I am going to indulge in a history lesson.

I create a few tournaments at a time - for future play each having its own list of players. I thought that I may be alone or be one of only a few. But this topic suggests that there are many of us with multiple tournaments with multiple lists.

I can understand the current requirement, explained by barmar, that every edit/modify of a tournament must be accompanied by a check that the last list uploaded is the correct one - else (if it isn't or if you are uncertain or confused) you must ensure that you stop what you are doing, upload the relevant list, and then edit/modify the tournament. It is clear that the correct list must be the last one uploaded before you finally click the 'modify' button for the tournament.

This may be an age thing, or I might be losing my memory - but I am nearly always confused or forgetful about which list I have loaded last or whether I have modified the tournament after uploading that list. Get it wrong on either count spells disaster . So, as a matter of course, if I want to edit a tournament - I upload the relevant list first, then edit the tournament, then modify it . Easy peasy, but what a waste of time and mental energy.

Now for the history lesson:

Let's go back more than 8 years to the 'Windows' version (5.2.21).
There was a choice during tournament creation to 'Include players from a file on your PC'.
You could choose any file which (as now) was a suitable text file of names. The name and path of that file was remembered by the setup for that tournament.
Then, every time you edited the tournament you were forced to re-choose the text file - no need to remember to do it, no need to remember where the file was on your PC, no need to ensure that you did it in the right order. And you were always certain (at least, I was) that you had the correct list attached to each tournament.

This could be applied to the current creation routine :

• Add "Include players from a file on your PC" after "Include custom list".
  
• Add "Exclude players from a file on your PC" after "Exclude custom list".

We certainly don't want external software to be able to access, upload or download files to our PC. Both the 'Windows' and 'HTML5' versions require the user to click a button to allow the access/transfer. There is no loss of safety or user control.

So - what is wrong with repeating the old system?

If a host will only want one list to cover all her/his tournaments, then choose "Include custom list".
If a host has multiple tournaments and multiple lists, then choose "Include players from a file on your PC".
If a host will not want to restrict to a list, then don't click either choice.

Having chosen 'file on your PC', any subsequent amend/modify would always take you automatically to the relevant file and wait for your permission to upload. Such a change would be lot quicker than the current requirement to click the <Include/Exclude List> then <Manage List> buttons and then all the choices (which appear to give some confusion) in the upload routine. It would also gave a higher degree of certainty with no requirement for an excellent memory.

I know that some will say that "history is bunk". But I suspect the our life is improved by remembering and repeating the good things from our past.

Lesson over. Thanks for your time