pic: Cross Platform Scouting App

[comwiz7]

-Is the merging standardized already (standard file locations based on particular OS's which can be automatically cross loaded through a serial connection)? Don't worry too much about that kind of support, flash drives are awesome and shell/batch scripts are easy, I'm just curious.

I was planning on having a directory (set in Preferences) with one small file per team and when you load a team it just searches for the file in that directory with that team number as the title. Therefore if you just combine all the directories (transferring with a flash drive) it will be able to read them all.

-Are the two viewer windows children of the main window (with the logo)? i.e. if you minimize or X out of the main window, do the other two go away also?

Yes when you close the main window it destroys all objects including the other windows and exits the program.

-The "export" button, what does it export to? Excel, PDF, text document? What are the individual team records stored as?

Currently, the export button does nothing. Exporting as a text document would probably be easy to implement but if I can figure out how to do it as an excel spreadsheet I would do that instead.

-If activated from the command line, is it possible to route some kind of output through an external command?

I could add that kind of functionality if you have any specific ideas.

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by comwiz7

I was planning on having a directory (set in Preferences) with one small file per team and when you load a team it just searches for the file in that directory with that team number as the title. Therefore if you just combine all the directories (transferring with a flash drive) it will be able to read them all.

So if multiple people on different machines have collected data on a single team can it be merged into one file?

[comwiz7]

So if multiple people on different machines have collected data on a single team can it be merged into one file?

I hadn't thought about that. What would it do when merging? Find the average of the data?

[Vikesrock]

Originally Posted by comwiz7

I hadn't thought about that. What would it do when merging? Find the average of the data?

What does it do now when one person collects multiple sets of data on the same team? Or is it only made to scout each team once?

[daltore]

Originally Posted by comwiz7

I hadn't thought about that. What would it do when merging? Find the average of the data?

For every match in which you collect data for a specific team, does the program create another instance of data in the team's file? If so, then merging two files of the same team could just add all of the different instances into the one merged file (any instances of the same match would just take one of them, possibly the one with the longer comment, or combine comments, etc.) To make this easier, it would probably help to add in a "Match #" field. For data submission, you type in the match number, and for data recollection, you could have a drop-down menu with all of the available matches for that team as well as one of all of the averages and/or totals. Sorry if I'm making this harder, but that would probably provide the largest amount of useful data over the course of the game, because you could see their cumulative results, average results, and improvement.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by comwiz7

I hadn't thought about that. What would it do when merging? Find the average of the data?

I wouldn't do that when merging. There are good reasons that you'd want the data separate (say, finding a team that had a "Nirvana moment" late on Friday). You could, however, [theory] have an Excel sheet with a separate tab for each team or group of teams and have the merge put the data on separate lines.[/theory] Then you do whatever you like with the data.

[Edit] See daltore's response for a clearer description. It will be harder. It will be worth it.

[comwiz7]

What does it do now when one person collects multiple sets of data on the same team? Or is it only made to scout each team once?

For every match in which you collect data for a specific team, does the program create another instance of data in the team's file?

Currently it overwrites the previous data.

To make this easier, it would probably help to add in a "Match #" field. For data submission, you type in the match number, and for data recollection, you could have a drop-down menu with all of the available matches for that team as well as one of all of the averages and/or totals.

Good idea, I'll do that. It'll be a fun challenge.

Sorry if I'm making this harder, but that would probably provide the largest amount of useful data over the course of the game, because you could see their cumulative results, average results, and improvement.

Don't be sorry I like the challenge. Like I said I want this to be as useful as I can make it. Detailed analysis is actually my long term goal. For now, I'm going to finish the functionality pictured and release that on my team web site in a day or two. Then I'll start adding the more complicated features. Hopefully those will be done in a few weeks.

Right now when you select "Save" the program creates a file titled with the team number (without an extension) and when you click load it looks for the file with that team number for a name. For multiple matches I could add the match number field next to the team number field and when it saves it could name it "teamnumber_matchnumber".

[synth3tk]

This looks to be a really awesome program! I like that it's not a niche-app, so that makes it even more useful for teams like mine, where there are a good amount of members that run Linux, along with the Windows users.

[comwiz7]

I'd like to upload what I have so far but the cross platform library is like 60 megs and I want to find a way to make it smaller first.

[Bomberofdoom]

Hmm.
I'm making something like that too for my team (or other israeli teams).
I have a bit of a problem cotrolling the Dialog Window's properties (say, of a combo-box), and I'm thinking of trying to use a text file to "encrypt" (save) and "decrypt" (load) info from and to the scouting application, becuase I haven't found any other easier way to do that.
Plus, I had to make a manual (and too simple [as in, not too effective]) File Manager to open and save the text file.

Hopefully I'll get the property problem figured out soon so I can release it working and get some feedback.

[comwiz7]

I have a bit of a problem cotrolling the Dialog Window's properties (say, of a combo-box), and I'm thinking of trying to use a text file to "encrypt" (save) and "decrypt" (load) info from and to the scouting application, becuase I haven't found any other easier way to do that.

What API or toolkit are you using? What you are trying to do is actually extremely simple in Qt but not so simple in others. All I did was save the index numbers of the combo-boxes to a file and then read them back and re
set the index parameters to the retrieved values. Also I would avoid generic text files for storing data. You might be working harder than you have to.

[Bomberofdoom]

Originally Posted by comwiz7

What API or toolkit are you using? What you are trying to do is actually extremely simple in Qt but not so simple in others. All I did was save the index numbers of the combo-boxes to a file and then read them back and re
set the index parameters to the retrieved values. Also I would avoid generic text files for storing data. You might be working harder than you have to.

Fixed the property problem. Apparently, you have to click on a specific location on the dialog window near the combo-box in order to set the hieght of the combo-box when opened.

I'm currently working in pure API, win32.

About the generic text files, I can handel doing what you said about indexing for any checkbox, combo-box, list or radio button, but I have to copy the text from edit boxes. Shouldn't be too hard to set it. The problem will be if I have to add new items into the application after release and then I'll have to remember to set a certain value to save the info about that new item.

Expect a release on Friday/Saturday.

[comwiz7]

I'm currently working in pure API, win32.

I was right, you are working harder than you have to. I use to use the windows API but (in my opinion) it over-complicates things and holds you back. I would recommend learning Qt or wxWidgets, both are great. Good luck on your program.

[NickE]

Another feature that would be appreciated would be to have it ask to make sure you saved the data before exiting the data entry window.

[comwiz7]

I uploaded what I have so far. It's Windows only because I don't have access to another OS at the moment.

http://rapidshare.com/files/17414191...couter_0.1.zip

I have not yet implemented the export button so it does nothing and the preferences are empty so ignore those.
I would like as many people as possible to play with this and reply.

If anything is not working properly or as expected please let me know.