Madtown Scouting App Update
 

Version 0.2 of the Madtown Scouting App is now available the on team 1323 website. Please download it, test it, and provide feedback to help me improve it.
http://www.team1323.com/Pages/c%20c++.html

Screenshot
http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/2...eenshotdb0.jpg

Changes

- Added program icon
- Now checks that a file exists before loading
- Preferences Dialog now allows you to select a directory to save in (team folder by default);
- Added artwork to about box
- Changed form colors to white
- Can now store multiple sets of data on one team by setting a match number
- Dynamically changes the title of the Add / Save Button
- View window changes size when analyze button is toggled
- Other Bug Fixes
- Artwork is now included in the executable's resources (instead of in the executable's directory)

Current Plans

- Implement Analysis features
- Add ability to view Photos
- Add view options to Preferences (changing colors, etc)
- Add Photo directory preference
- Ask to save data before exiting the Add / Edit dialog
- Load the team and match numbers in the combo boxes for easier selection
- Get rid of maximize button on main window

I'll compile Mac and Linux versions as well as provide the source code when the program is finished in January. The Windows version will have an installable version and a portable version.

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

very nice! one thing you might do is instead of specific choices like hybrid and teleoperated, and then the choices within that, you might try making it like, make new category, and make new category, and idk, make new category choice...or something like that. that might open it up to alternative competitions and additional more customized choices...but very nice! :)

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

i'm guessing this was QT and C? very good for porting, but be careful with the side panel rendering for analyze. on windows it was nice, but on ubuntu with WINE it was more broken. probably something to do with the draw rate. but apart from that, i'd agree about adding more categories, and making them customizable so you don't have to write a new app for each game :P great work so far!

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

His OP states that there will be a native Linux and Mac version when released in January. So as long as it works in Windows currently, it's doing ok. ;)


EDIT: About the program. Good work so far. A few suggestions, if possible:

- When hitting enter, instead of the default "Close" button, can it go to load/add/edit data, or something? I know most people would use the mouse, but I'm an avid keyboard-shortcut geek. :)

- Dropdown box for the Team Number box? Or is that not possible due to the way that it loads files? I'm not a programmer, so I don't know how feasible that would be. Obviously listing all teams ever would be inefficient, but maybe read all of the teams included in the "teams/" directory. Or something.

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

It would be kinda cool if you could somehow link the program to the blue alliance database and find each team that is attending a certain regional. Then you could select which regional you want and it would list all the teams at that regional. Now that would be pretty awesome.

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

Remember that there is no WiFi at the venues this year (and probably forever) due to the new control system, so that would be something you'd have to do beforehand, but a good idea none the less. Unfortunately, that kind of programming gets REALLY complex, especially if you're trying to do it cross-platform, because of all the special protocols you have to link in in order to use the internet.

The [enter] shortcut closing the window was fun to find out the first time (especially running slowly under WINE), but a very nice program! I like the portability, and as far as making an "installable" version, that doesn't really mean much more than extracting the folder in a system folder (usually Program Files) so that all of the users on the computer can access it, so it's probably not necessary.

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

Thanks for the feedback.

About customizing choices, I have definitely thought about that. It adds a great deal of complexity to the program and I want this program to remain relatively simple for now. But if the final version of this is widely used, then I'll eventually make a version 2.0 with that feature.

I still plan to make Mac and Linux native versions. I have never coded for linux before but according to Trolltech, Qt code compiles on different operating systems without major code changes. I will release the source code with the final version so perhaps someone could help me out with that if I needed it.

That's the plan actually. The team number box is already a dropdown box it just doesn't do anything yet. That should be working by the next version.

Also, thanks for pointing out the 'enter' key problem. I didn't even notice. I'll fix that in the next update.

I realized that the place I was going to put the Analysis was WAY better for displaying a picture so I changed it. The analysis will probably be a whole different dialog. If the side panel rendering causes anyone any problems in the native versions then I will remove it.

The blue alliance thing is a bit much right now. Maybe in a future version.

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

Even better than a drop down box, what if it was a field that you type the first few numbers and a list with everything that has that search popped up? Such as I want team 2164. I start typing 2 and it gives me every number that has a 2, I type 1 and it gives me every number with a 21 and so on. This could be a box that is selected as soon as you go to add data or after you hit enter so that those of us who are really keyboard shortcut fanatics will have an easy time. I know nothing about programming, but I bet this is hard to do.

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

I know it's probably easier done on websites than in programs, but that would be a nice feature down the line.

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

I really like that idea, and it might be easier than the way I was doing it already so I'll look into it.

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

I haven't been reading up on the rules yet and I know how the new control system is, but Is this for sure? No private WLANs will be allowed?

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

ZOMFG I LOVE THE SIR COMMUNITY!!!!!! :D Sorry, I had to say it.

Anyway, I know that for the last few years, Buckeye had a WLAN configured and allowed multiple team-based networks. Obviously, because of the technical aspects, I don't think any regionals will be allowing it, at least for this first year of testing.

I plan on bringing a router just in case, but I'm not breaking any rules if they decide against it.

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

I know last year at the boston regional (at BU) there was WiFi, you just had to have a BU student account (which we had)... I just don't see Boston University cutting their WiFi for this so I'm sure if you look hard enough you will find some form of WiFi somewhere.

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

:D

I had another approach for a scouting application that would allow for cross platform network use. Setting up a web server would allow any device that has a browser to be able to scout. Sometimes settings up a web server with a data base and all can be difficult or bulky on smaller systems, so instead a simple one click application could be made. Use html for the form and to view the data, and the application can handle the database. A scouting html page could be distributed or you could make your own. Or a client application could be used. A networked program would be the most convenient because you could have a laptop in the pit to view the data real time, and all your data is centralized.

Of course if use your own wireless network is not allowed it wouldn't happen. In previous years we have found that having all the scouting data in the pits for the drive team is extremely helpful, but we haven't really had a decent way to do it.

Server computer:
http://www.easternfront.org/uploads/William/program.jpg
Clients:
http://www.easternfront.org/uploads/...m/program2.jpg

Re: Madtown Scouting App Update
 

Will, that's looking pretty good, so far. Definitely keep us posted on that.

Also, how is the Madtown app coming along, comwiz?