****************************************** ****************************************** ** ** ** Fantasy Football Assistant ** ** ** ** Version 2.1 ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ****************************************** ****************************************** Daryl D. Muellenberg 2355 Mailand Ct. Maplewood, MN 55119 (612) 731-4914 Fantasy Football Assistant Copyright 1990-1993 Daryl Muellenberg All Rights Reserved Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 1 ======================================================================= Table Of Contents ----------------- Program Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 System Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Installation/Execution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Special Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Menu Selections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 [ Main Menu ] Enter Weekly Scores (Manual). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Enter Weekly Scores (Import). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Update/Print Standings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Starting Lineup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Transaction Entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Team Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 [ Reports Menu ] Current Week's Detail Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Team Roster Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Starting Lineup Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Transaction Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Owner Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Schedule Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Notes File Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Printer Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 [ Utilities Menu ] League Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Win/Loss Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Schedule Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Owner Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 NFL Table Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Scoring Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Bye Week Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Restore Previous Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Clear File For New Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 2 ======================================================================== Program Description ------------------- Fantasy Football Assistant is a software program that is designed to help the league commissioner to automate the record keeping that is involved with running a fantasy football league. Fantasy Football Assistant is NOT a guide for running a fantasy football league, it is assumed that you already know how to run a league. If you would like to know more about running a league, there are a couple of books that describe in detail how to run a league. One of these books is called Fantasy Football Digest, written by Cliff Charpentier. Many of the guidelines for this program (including the pre-defined schedule) are based on this book. Fantasy Football Assistant is a shareware program, which means that it is NOT public domain nor freeware. The unregistered version is fully functional, but has an additional sign-on screen. The registered version will have this shareware signon screen removed. Another advantage to registering is that you get another program called Draft Assistant. This program helps to organize and run your draft. Some of the features of Fantasy Football Assistant include: * On-line help text by pressing the F1 function key. * Manage up to 16 fantasy teams, up to 22 players per team. * Optionally separate teams into divisions. * Optionally draft defensive teams and/or coaches. * Customized line-up, you determine how many players are to be used at each position. * Can be used for other football leagues such as college or the WLAF as well as for the NFL. * Optional scoring methods: basic, performance, combined basic- performance, or distance. Point values can be customized to your scoring system. * Use pre-defined or custom schedule. * Use box scores from daily paper to enter weekly scores, or use an import file to automatically load scores. * Complete reports, including team roster, starting lineups, transactions, weekly reports, and overall standings. * Record player transactions in a transaction log which can then be printed on a transaction report. DISCLAIMER: This program assumes the user is thoroughly knowledgeable with DOS operations. This software is provided "as is", with no implied or expressed warranties. Fitness for any task is solely determined by the user. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 3 ======================================================================== System Requirements ------------------- In order to run Fantasy Football Assistant, the following are minimum software/hardware requirements: * IBM PC/XT/AT or 100% IBM compatible computer * 310 K free RAM or more * 1 floppy disk drive (hard disk highly recommended) * PC / MS DOS version 3.0 or later * Monochrome monitor * Video display card which supports either CGA, EGA or VGA. * Executable file and data files will need about 450k free disk space. If help and documentation files are deleted, then about 330k is needed. Recommended equipment includes: * EGA/VGA color monitor and appropriate video card. * Hard disk drive. * Printer. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 4 ======================================================================== Registration ------------ As stated before, this is a shareware program. If after evaluating the software, and you decide to use it, you MUST register by filling out the included registration form (print out the file REGISTER.DOC) and send it along with $25.00 to: Daryl Muellenberg 2355 Mailand Ct. Maplewood, MN 55119 Phone: (612) 731-4914 eve & weekends You can also register through Public (Software) Library (PSL) by calling 1-800-2424-PSL for orders only (call 713-665-7017 for information and questions about orders) or by writing PSL; P.O. Box 35707; Houston, TX 77235-5705. MC/Visa Accepted. HOWEVER, I would greatly appreciate if you would register directly through me with a check / money order since the credit card service costs me over $5.00 per registration. I feel $25.00 is a fair price for registering this software, but if most users register with their credit card, I may have to charge more for future updates to cover costs of the credit card service. After registering, you will receive the latest version of the program. This version has the shareware signon screen removed. You will also receive the Draft Assistant program and receive notification of any major updates to FFA. When registering, make sure you specify the correct size diskette for your computer. Once you have registered, you are registered for the life of the program (as long as it is a shareware product). You can then get updated versions from CompuServe (GO IBMNEW - Sports/Chance library) or from "The Bull Board" (612-460-6629) free without having to re-register. If you don't have access to a modem, you can get updates from me for a nominal fee to cover diskette, postage, and handling. AGREEMENT TERMS o You may not modify the program in any way, shape, or form by any means real or not for whatever reason. o You may redistribute the shareware version as long as all files, including the documentation, are included. o You may NOT redistribute a registered copy to other users without prior written consent by the author. o Technical support will be provided to registered users. o This software is provided "as-is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, included but not limited to the implied warranty of merchantability and fitness for a specific purpose. o Completion of the Registration Form signifies that you agree to all licensing and registration terms contained therein. If you have any comments or suggestions for improvement, please give me a call or drop me a line at the above address. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 5 ======================================================================== Installation/Execution ---------------------- The following is a list of the files and description of those files for Fantasy Football Assistant: READ.ME----------Initial instructions. FFA.DOC----------Fantasy Football Assistant manual. FFA.EXE----------FFA main program. FFAUTL.EXE-------Utilities program. FFARPT.EXE-------Reports program. FFA.HLP----------On-line help text. FFASCHED.DAT-----Pre-defined schedule. FFABYE.DAT-------Information on NFL teams and their bye weeks. REGISTER.DOC-----Registration form. (unregistered only) HISTORY.DOC------Version history. NFLRSTR.TXT------NFL Roster of players. BRUN45.EXE-------QuickBasic 4.5 runtime module. ASADREAD.TXT-----ASAD information. VENDOR.DOC-------Vendor/sysop information. FILE_ID.DIZ------Product description. To install Fantasy Football Assistant, copy the above files onto a working diskette, or if you have a hard drive, create a new directory (FFA is suggested) and copy the files to that directory. If you need further assistance on creating directories and copying files, refer to your DOS manual. If you wish to keep track of more than 1 league, then create a separate directory for each league. The disadvantage to running multiple leagues is that you need a copy of the program files in each directory. When you wish to update one of the leagues, change the current directory to the directory of the league you wish to access and run FFA. If you are short on disk space, you may want to print the FFA.DOC file, view the READ.ME file for any special instructions, and then delete FFA.DOC, FFA.HLP, REGISTER.DOC and HISTORY.DOC. Do not delete any other files. However, if you have received a copy from someone else, make sure the FFATEAM.DAT file is deleted before you run the program. The FFA.HLP file contains on-line help. If you do not wish to use the on-line help, you do not need the FFA.HLP file. To execute FFA, change your working directory to where FFA.EXE is installed and then enter FFA and press [ENTER]. If you have a monochrome monitor and a CGA card, some of the fields on the screen may be hard to read because of the color combinations used. You can force the program to use the monochrome mode by including /M on the command line (case is not sensitive). Example: FFA /M Registered users may also bypass the initial screen and go directly to the main menu by entering /B on the command line. Example: FFA /B The first time FFA is executed, it will ask for the week number to begin processing. This is normally week number 1 if the NFL regular season has not yet started. If the season has already started before you started using FFA, you would enter the week of the upcoming week in the NFL schedule. For example, if the first 2 weeks have already been played, you would enter 3, as week 3 will be the next week to be process- ed. You can than use the Win/Loss Maintenance function to manually update the win/loss statistics from the first 2 weeks. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 6 ======================================================================== Special Features ---------------- ***ON-LINE HELP*** If the FFA.HLP file is present, you can use the on-line help feature by pressing [F1] at any input field. Help is context-sensitive, meaning that the help that is displayed will refer to the current input field on the screen. To view help for other fields, you must first make that field the current input field and then press [F1]. If there is more text than what can be displayed in the help window, use the [Page Up] or [Page Down] keys to scroll the help text by page, or the [Up Arrow] or [Down Arrow] keys to scroll by line. To exit help and return to the program, press [Esc]. ***MESSAGE LINE*** The last line of the screen (line 25) is the message line. This line is used to display instructions as to what the program is expecting for input or to display error messages. ***INPUT FIELDS*** When editing an input field that already contains data, pressing any key other than the right arrow key as the first key will first clear (blank out) that field. If you are only making minor changes to the field but don't want to rekey the entire field, press the right arrow key to move the cursor to the position that needs changing and then make the necessary changes. The Insert key will act as a toggle between insert and typeover mode. The default will be insert, noted by a normal cursor. Pressing the Insert key will then toggle to typeover mode, which is noted by an enlarged cursor. Pressing Insert again will switch back to insert mode. For screens with multiple input fields, pressing the up arrow key will make the previous field the current input field. ***SELECTION WINDOWS*** Some of the input fields, such as NFL team code and fantasy football team number, will display a pop-up window from which an entry can be selected. To produce these selection windows, leave the input field blank and press [ENTER] when the message line indicates that a selection window is available for the input field. Once the window is displayed, select the desired entry by using the up/down arrow keys to highlight the entry and then press [ENTER]. If there are more entries than will fit in the window, the window will automatically scroll. The [Page Up/Down], [Home] and [End] keys are also functional in these windows. Normally, the first letter of each selection will be highlighted. Pressing the letter of the desired selection will highlight that selection. If you do not wish to make a selection from the window, press [Esc]. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 7 ======================================================================== Special Features ---------------- ***SELECTION WINDOWS*** Whenever a selection window is displayed, the window will have either a single line or double line box drawn around the edge of the window. If a single line is displayed, then it means that all selections are currently displayed in the window. If there is a double line, then it means that there are more selections than what can be displayed in the window at one time. Use [Up/Down Arrows], [Up/Down Page], and [Home/End] keys to display the rest of the selections. ***NOTES*** Pressing [F5] at any input field or menu will allow you to record notes in a text file. These note files can contain any information you wish to enter. After pressing [F5], a selection window will display a list of all the note files that are in the current directory. The top selection (NEW FILE) is used when you wish to create a new note file. Any files that have a ".NOT" file extension will be assumed to be a note file. A max- imum of 100 note files can be created, with each note file having a maximum of 100 lines (each line can have up to 70 characters). A text editing window will allow you to enter new text or change existing text. When you are done adding text, press [F10] to save the changes. If this is a new file, then you will be asked to enter a name for the new note file. Enter up to 8 characters (the .NOT file extension is auto- matically added). If you do not wish to perform a save, press [Esc]. The editor supports the following functions: [Up Arrow] Move up one line. [Down Arrow] Move down one line. [Page Up] Move up one page. [Page Down] Move down one page. [Home] Move to the beginning of the line. [End] Move to the end of the line. [Insert] Toggle between insert and overstrike mode. [Del] Delete the character at the cursor position. [BackSpace] Delete the character to the left of the cursor position. [Tab] Move one tab stop to the right. [Ctrl-Right] Move one word to the right. [Ctrl-Left] Move one word to the left. [Ctrl-Home] Move to the first line of the file. [Ctrl-End] Move to the last line of the file. [Ctrl-N] Insert a line at the current row. [Ctrl-T] Delete the word the cursor is on. [Ctrl-Y] Delete the current line. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 8 ======================================================================== Special Features ---------------- ***PRINTING REPORTS*** When printing a report, you can print to the printer, a file, or to the screen. Enter [P] to print to the printer device (printer device can be changed with the Printer Setup function). Enter [F] to print to a file, in which case you will be asked for a file name that will contain the report. Enter [S] to print the report to the screen. When printing to the screen, a temporary file is created first and then the file is viewed in its entirety on the screen with full scrolling capabilities. When printing to the printer, the printer will automatically be set to 8 lines per inch. When printing to a file, enter the name of the file that will contain the report. The file will be created in the current data directory. Make sure a valid DOS file name is entered (no path is allowed). This file can then be viewed or printed from DOS. Warning!! If the file already exists, the newly created file will write over the existing file. ***EXITING TO DOS*** At any time other than when displaying help or editing a notes file, pressing Alt-X (pressing both the Alt key and the X key at the same time), will temporarily exit to DOS. To return to FFA, enter the word EXIT and press [ENTER], and you will be returned to the place you were at when you exited. NOTE!!! FFA is still in memory, do NOT attempt to run FFA again from the DOS prompt, as this will not work. Whenever you use Alt-X to exit to DOS, don't forget FFA is still loaded in memory and will eventually need to be terminated the normal way by pressing [Esc] at the main menu. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 9 ======================================================================== Menu Selections ---------------- Select the desired function by highlighting the function and pressing [ENTER]. This can be done by using the up/down arrow keys or pressing the first letter of the desired function. If more than one function starts with the same letter, it may be necessary to press the first letter multiple times until the function is highlighted. [ Main Menu ] Enter Weekly Scores (Manual) Used to manually enter the scores for the current week. The method used to enter scores will be based on the scoring method that is set up in League Options. Enter Weekly Scores (Import) Used to import the scores from another text file. This method can be used if using the basic or performance scoring methods, but not for the distance scoring method. The import file can be downloaded from "The BULL Board", a bulletin board serving primarily fantasy football. The board contains weekly stats for every player (NFL only). The BULL Board can be reached at 612-460-6629. Update/Print Standings Used to update the standings after scores are entered via Enter Weekly Scores, based on the current week's schedule. It will also print the standings and a recap of the team's scores. Starting Lineup Used to set the starting lineup for each team, and the reserves. Transaction Entry Used to maintain a log of the transactions for each team. Tracks the description, amount of transaction, and whether the transaction has been paid or not. Team Maintenance Used to enter and maintain each team's roster. Reports Menu Will display a menu from which various reports can be printed. Utilities Menu Will display a menu showing the utilities such as League Options, Schedule Maintenance, Win/Loss Maintenance, etc. [ Utilities Menu ] League Options Used to set the different options that are available in FFA. This function must be executed before any of the other functions can be executed. Win/Loss Maintenance Used to manually adjust team wins, losses, high points, points scored, and points scored against. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 10 ======================================================================== Menu Selections ---------------- Schedule Maintenance Used to enter the schedule for the season. Owner Maintenance Used to record information for team owners such as name, address, phone number, fax number, and other comments. NFL Table Maintenance This function is used to modify the NFL team table codes and/or names. This would be used if you wish to use codes other than the default codes or to add/delete teams if the NFL decides to expand. You can also use this feature if you want to set up a fantasy league for teams that are not in the NFL, such as college or the WLAF league. Scoring Maintenance Used to customize the point values used by your league for the perform- ance and distance scoring methods. If using the basic scoring method, this function is not needed. Bye Week Maintenance Used to maintain which weeks teams have their bye (off) week(s). This information is then used to identify which players have an upcoming bye week on the Team Roster report and in Team Maintenance. Restore Previous Week Used to restore the data files from the previous week. If there is enough room on the disk, an automatic backup of the data files is done when standings are updated. If an error is detected, such as not enter- ing all scores or scores were entered incorrectly, this function can be used to restore the data files as they were before standings were updated. Clear File for New Season Used at the start of a new season to clear the data files and reset stats back to zero. [ Reports Menu ] Current Week's Detail Report Prints out each team's scoring detail for the current week. Team Roster Report Prints each team's players, their positions, NFL team and year-to-date points. Starting Lineup Report Prints each team's starting lineup. Transaction Report Prints the transaction log. Transactions can be printed for a selected team or all teams, and for a selected week or all weeks. Owner Report Prints information such as owner name, address, phone #, fax #, and comments. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 11 ======================================================================== Menu Selections ---------------- Schedule Report Prints the entire season's schedule. Print Notes File Prints the contents of a selected notes file. Printer Setup Used to set printer options such as printer device name, initialization codes, and 8 lines per inch codes. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 12 ======================================================================== Enter Weekly Scores (Manual) ---------------------------- This function is used to manually enter the scores for the current week. The method used to enter scores will be based on the scoring method that is set up in League Options, either basic, performance, or distance. NOTE: Once you have entered scores for the current week DO NOT enter any roster changes until you have updated the standings for the current week. Failure to do this may result in posting incorrect scores for players. The player selection window can be displayed either by NFL team or by fantasy team (set up in League Options). If you are entering scores by reading the line scores from the paper, you would probably want to select by NFL team so you can enter the scores by NFL team. If you printed out the starting lineup report and have marked the scores for each player, then you would want to enter scores by fantasy team. This function can be executed multiple times prior to updating the stand- ings for the week. In other words, all scores do not have to be entered at one time, and if a mistake is made, it can be easily corrected. At any time, you can press [F4] to display a screen showing what points have been accumulated for each NFL team. This can be used to help deter- mine if some scores may have been missed. After scores have been entered, press [F10] to save the scores. If [Esc] is pressed without saving the entries, the program will warn you and ask if you wish to discard the entries. Entering [Y] or pressing [Esc] again will confirm that you do not wish to save the changes. If you do wish to save the changes, enter [N] and then press [F10]. The weekly scores are reset to zero when Update/Print Standings is executed. Technical Note: The weekly scores are kept in the file FFAWEEK.DAT. *** NFL Team Code *** Enter the 4 character code which indicates the NFL team whose player's scores/stats are to be entered. Leave the field blank and press [ENTER] to display a look-up window showing all NFL teams. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 13 ======================================================================== Enter Weekly Scores (Manual) ---------------------------- *** Player *** All players for the NFL team (or fantasy team) will be displayed, whether they are on a starting lineup or not. Players that are starters will have an "s" and reserves will have a "r" next to their position. If you are not keeping year-to-date stats, then you would not have to enter those players that are not starters or reserves. Select the player to be updated by highlighting the player's name and press [ENTER]. A name can be highlighted by either using the arrow keys or by pressing the first (highlighted) letter of the player's name. After selecting the player to be updated, you can then enter the stats for that player. The stats entered will depend on the scoring method your league uses. A player's stats can be entered or corrected any number of times prior to using Update/Print Standings. This is useful when correcting any mistakes that may have been made. After all the players on the list have been entered, press [Esc] to request another NFL team (or fantasy team). *** Basic Scoring Points *** When using the basic scoring method, you manually determine the points for each player. Normally, touchdown passes are worth 3 points, rushing and receiving touchdowns are worth 6 points, field goals are 3 points and extra points are worth 1 point. If using a defense, then 2 points are awarded for a safety, and 6 points for a defensive touchdown. The basic method is the most flexible of the scoring methods by allowing you to assign whatever points your league decides upon for a scoring play. You merely enter the total for each player. *** Performance Passing Yards *** When using the performance method, enter the total passing yards for the player. A point total will be calculated based on the number of yards passed. You can also have up to 3 different levels of bonus points for reaching a certain yardage. Refer to Scoring Maintenance for further information on customizing performance points/yardage. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 14 ======================================================================== Enter Weekly Scores (Manual) ---------------------------- *** Performance Receiving Yards *** When using the performance method, enter the total receiving yards for the player. A point total will be calculated based on the total number of yards from pass receiving. Refer to Scoring Maintenance on how to customize performance points/yardage. *** Performance Rushing Yards *** When using the performance method, enter the total rushing yards for the player. A point total will be calculated based on the total number of of yards from rushing. Refer to Scoring Maintenance on how to customize performance points/yardage. *** Performance Miscellaneous Points *** If you are using a combined basic/performance scoring system, you would enter any points for scoring a touchdown in this field, or any other points not covered by yardage alone. NOTE: if the player being entered is a kicker, defense, or coach, then only the total number of points is entered. *** Distance Method Indicator *** When using the distance scoring method, enter a number to indicate the type of score, based on the player's position. If a non kicker, enter [1] for a passing score, [2] for a receiving score, or [3] for a rushing score. For kickers, [1] for an extra point, and [2] for a field goal. Each player can have a maximum of 10 scores recorded. To remove a score from the list, blank out this field and press [ENTER]. *** Distance *** When using the distance scoring method, enter the distance (in yards) of the scoring play. If the player is a kicker and extra points are being entered, enter the total number of extra points. For example, if a kicker kicks 6 extra points in a game, make 1 entry for 6 points rather than 6 entries for 1 point. Points awarded will be determined by the type of score and the distance of the score. Refer to Scoring Maintenance on how to customize distance points/yardage. *** Distance Miscellaneous Points *** Enter any points miscellaneous points for the player that is not covered by scoring a touchdown. This field is to make the scoring as flexible as possible to cover any unforseen types of scores. NOTE: if the player being entered is a defense or coach, then only the total number of points is entered in this field. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 15 ======================================================================== Enter Weekly Scores (Import) ---------------------------- This function is used to import the scores from another text file. This method can be used if using the basic or performance scoring methods, but not for the distance scoring method. The import file can be downloaded from "The BULL Board", a bulletin board serving primarily fantasy foot- ball. The board contains weekly stats for every player (NFL only). The BULL Board can be reached at 612-460-6629. When the import is executed, all scores will be reset and new scores will be generated from the import file. If you draft a coach, then you will have to manually enter coaching points, since these stats are not in the import file. In this case, use the import method first and then use Enter Weekly Scores - Manual to enter the coaching points. This is also true if you use defensive points other than a defensive touchdown. For example, if your league awards 1 point for an interception/fumble recov- ery, then you must manually enter those points. You can then print out the current week's detail report to review the scores to make sure all scores have been entered correctly. If there is an error, then use Enter Weekly Scores - Manual, to correct the error. *** Report Unassigned Scores? *** Enter [Y] if wish to display a list of all players/teams that had some type of score in the import file but were not assigned to any fantasy player. Normally, these players will be undrafted players, but occasion- ally, it may show players that you know are on someone's team, but did not get assigned. If players are not updating properly, then it is because the names are not matching. For players, only the name is used for a match, NFL team code is not checked. Check the names in the import file against the names you have set up. Only the first 15 characters are used, since the import file only shows 15. Spelling of first and last names MUST be EXACT. Upper/lower case does not make a difference, and names can be last, first or first - last. NOTE, last name only is not sufficient. If you are using the performance scoring method, you may not wish to use this option since there will be many players that accumulate yardage for the week but are not drafted by any fantasy teams. *** Import File Name *** Enter the name of the text file that contains the player's stats. You may optionally enter a drive and path, the file does not have to be in the Fantasy Football Assistant directory. The default file name will be NFLTXTxx where xx is the current week number. If the file name entered is not found, an error message will be displayed and ask you to enter another file name. If you do not wish to import a file at this time, press [Esc] to return to the menu. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 16 ======================================================================== Update/Print Standings ---------------------- This function will take the scores entered via Enter Weekly Scores and update the standings, based on the current week's schedule. It will also print the standings, a recap of the team's scores, and next week's schedule. There is also an option to only print the current standings. *** Edit Commissioner Notes? *** Enter [Y] to edit a file named COMMISH.NOT. The contents of this file will be printed on the standings sheet. This can be used to publish a newsletter for the week with miscellaneous information, such as a note about teams with a bye week coming up, or any other relevant information the commissioner wishes to relay to the team owners. *** Is this a reprint of the current standings? *** Enter [Y] to reprint the current standings. Answering [Y] will only print, and will not update the file. Enter [N] to update the standings based on the current week's results. NOTE: Make sure all the scores have been entered prior to executing this function as this function can not be rerun unless you restore a backup. If there is enough room on the disk, an automatic backup will be per- formed. The FFATEAM.DAT and FFAWEEK.DAT files will be copied to FFATEAM.BKP and FFAWEEK.BKP. These files are used by the Restore Previous Week function if you need to restore the previous week's data for any reason. If some scores were missed, you could then restore the previous week, enter the missed scores (or correct scores if they were entered incorrect- ly), and update standings again. You can also adjust team win/loss records manually with the Win/Loss Maintenance function if needed. The standings are sorted based on win/loss record and whether divisions are used or not. The report will print wins, losses, ties, winning percentage, points scored, points scored against, division wins/losses/ ties, and number of times team has won high points. High points are awarded to the team that scores the most points for the week. After the standings are printed, the previous week's matchups are printed, showing the points scored by the starters and the reserves. An asterisk is printed next to the teams that won that week. Next week's schedule is printed (assuming the schedule is set up). Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 17 ======================================================================== Starting Lineup --------------- This function is used to set each team's starting lineup. This function is usually run each week to enter any lineup changes. The starters are selected, along with the reserves. If a team does not change any of its starters or reserves from the previous week, than that team does not have to be changed. Press [F4] to clear the status for all players on the current team. This is useful if the new lineup is quite different from the previous week's lineup. *** Team Number *** Enter the number of the fantasy team you wish to update. Once a fantasy team is selected, the last lineup entered will be displayed. Leave this field blank and press [ENTER] to display a selection window showing the team numbers and names. After all teams have been updated, press [Esc] to return to the menu. *** Status *** Enter the status of the player. Enter [S] for all starters and a prior- ity number for reserves. The priority number indicates the order the reserves are to be evaluated in case of a tie. If the player is not a starter or reserve, leave this field blank. Example for reserves: if your league uses 5 reserves, then you must have 5 players with priority numbers 1 through 5. Reserve 1 will be checked first in case of a tie breaker, reserve 2 will be second, etc. After a team's lineup has been entered, press [F10] to save the changes. Note: Before a lineup is accepted, the number of starters and reserves must match what is defined as a legal lineup in League Options. If not a legal lineup, a warning message will be displayed and you must make changes to the lineup before the program will allow you to save the lineup. The message will tell you what is wrong with the lineup. For example, if your league uses 1 quarterback, then there must be 1 and only 1 quarterback marked as a starter, and if not, the message will say that the lineup does not contain the right number of quarterbacks. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 18 ======================================================================== Transaction Entry ----------------- This function is used to record player transactions during the year, such as player trades, pickups, drops, etc. *** Function *** Enter [A] to add a new transaction, [C] to change a transaction, or [D] to delete a transaction. When changing or deleting transactions, a selection window will display the transactions that are currently entered for the selected team number. The window will show the week number and the description. Highlight the desired transactions and press [ENTER]. *** Team *** Enter the team number which you wish to add, change or delete a transaction. Leave this field blank and press [ENTER] to display a selection window showing the team numbers and names. *** Week # *** Enter the week number to assign to the transaction. The default will be the current week number. *** Description *** Enter the description of the transaction. This will be free form text, you can enter any description you wish to describe the transaction. 2 lines of 50 characters each can be entered. *** Amount *** Enter the amount of the transaction. The default will be the amount that is set up in League Options for default transaction amount. If there is no charge for the transaction, enter 0.00. *** Paid *** Enter [Y] if the transaction has been paid for, else enter [N]. The Transaction Report will show totals for both paid and unpaid trans- actions. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 19 ======================================================================== Team Maintenance ---------------- This function is used to maintain team rosters, either adding, changing or deleting players. Trades with other teams can also be performed. WARNING!!! Once scores have been entered for the current week, do NOT make any roster changes until you Update Standings, otherwise points may be updated for the wrong players. If weekly scores are present and you try to execute this function, a warning message will be displayed and ask if you with to continue. *** Team Number *** Enter the team number which you wish to maintain. If the team already exists, the information that is set up for the team will be displayed. Leave this field blank and press [ENTER] to display a selection window showing the team numbers and names. *** Team Name *** Enter the name of the fantasy team. Up to 20 characters can be used for team name. *** Player Name *** Enter the name of the NFL player. Up to 20 characters can be used for player name. Press [F8] to delete the current player. Leave this field blank to display the NFL roster, from which a player can be selected, thus simplifying the task of entering new players. The roster information comes from the text file named NFLRSTR.TXT. This file is included with FFA, but it may not be current. Player trades, retire- ments, rookies, etc. may affect the contents of this file. You can edit this file with any text editor. The format of the file should be player name, positions 1-15, player position, position 17 (Q,W,R,T,K,D,C), and NFL team code, positions 19-22 (upper case). If this file is not present, then the roster list can not be displayed and you will get an error message if you try to use this feature. This feature is especially useful if you will be using the import feature to update weekly scores, since it is necessary for the player's name to be spelled exactly the same as the import file will have it. If using the team quarterback/kicker options, then individual names will not be displayed for quarterbacks/kickers. There will be an entry for each NFL team as "Team QB-xxxx" where xxxx is the NFL team code for quarterbacks. Kickers will display as "Team K-xxxx" and defenses as "Team Def-xxxx". If you are using the import method to update scores, then it really doesn't matter what name is used since it will only look at the position and NFL team to determine a match. The roster list can also be sorted in 5 different ways. By name only, position/name, position/team, team/name and team/position. When the list is displayed, press [F2] to resort the list, which will then ask you which sort format to be used. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 19 ======================================================================== Team Maintenance ---------------- *** Player Name *** (continued) If using the import feature but manually entering team setup information, make sure the player's name is spelled exactly as it is in the import file. The import feature will look at only the first 15 characters of the name, even though you can set up 20 characters. Spelling of first and last names MUST be EXACT. Upper/lower case does not make a difference, and names can be last, first or first - last. NOTE, last name only is not sufficient. Examples: Import Name Suitable FFA Names Kosar,Bernie Kosar,Bernie Kosar, Bernie Bernie Kosar BERNIE KOSAR KOSAR,BERNIE Press [F9] to perform a player trade with another team and the currently highlighted player. You will then be asked to enter the team number to trade with. Enter the team number or leave the field blank to display a look-up window showing the team numbers and names, from which the desired team can be selected. After selecting the team, another look-up window will display that team's roster. Highlight the player to be traded and press [ENTER]. The 2 teams rosters will be updated with the trade. NOTE: once a trade is completed, the team roster will be updated at that time (same as pressing [F10]). Any other changes made to the roster will also be updated at that time. If a player is already on another team's roster, a warning message will be displayed. *** Player NFL Team *** Enter the 4 character NFL team code of the player. Leave this field blank to display a selection window. *** Player Position *** Enter the position of the player. [Q]=quarterback, [R]=running back, [W]=wide receiver, [T]=tight end, [K]=kicker, [D]=defense, [C]=coach. *** YTD Points *** This field represents the player's year-to-date accumulated points. The only time this field should be changed is if a player's points were not entered correctly using the Enter Weekly Scores function. Normally, year- to-date points are automatically kept for each player, but if a player was missed or entered incorrectly, it can be changed here. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 20 ======================================================================== Current Week's Detail Report ---------------------------- This function is used to print out each team's scoring detail for the current week. This function can also be executed multiple times. For example, you could enter Sunday's scores and print out the detail to see how teams have done prior to Monday night's game. This report should be printed prior to executing Update/Print Standings for review to make sure all scores have been entered correctly. If a mistake has been made, it can be easily corrected by entering the correct score. Note that it is possible to print this report even after standings have been updated, but only if weekly scores for the next week have NOT yet been entered. Once scores for the current week are entered, printing this report will print detail for the current week. Each team's starters will be listed along with the points they have scored for the week. If using the basic scoring method, only total points for each player will be printed. If using the performance method, total yards for passing, receiving and rushing, along with overall points are printed. If using the distance scoring method, each scoring play along with the distance will be printed. The detail for the reserves will be printed if the option to print reserve detail is set, else only the reserve total is printed. Team Roster Report ------------------ This function will produce a report showing each team's current roster. The report will show each player's name, NFL team, playing position and year-to-date points. If a player's NFL team is currently on a bye week, then this player will have "#" printed next to his name. This is used to remind team owners which players are currently on a bye week. There is an option to print this report sorted by NFL team or by fantasy team. Starting Lineup Report ---------------------- This function will produce a report showing each team's starting lineup, including reserves. The report will show each player's name, NFL team, playing position and whether a starter or reserve. There are 2 columns printed, with the teams playing each other listed across from each other. Transaction Report ------------------ This function will produce a report showing the transactions that have been entered. To print the report for all teams, enter 0 for the team number. To print for a specific team, then enter the team number. To print for all weeks, enter 0 for the week number. To print for a specific week, then enter the week number to print. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 21 ======================================================================== Owner Report ------------ This function will produce a report showing the personal information that has been entered for the team owners. Schedule Report --------------- This function will produce a report showing the entire season's schedule. The report will start with week 1 and continue until it finds a week that does not have a schedule entered. The report will show which teams play each other and which teams are home and visitor. Print Notes File ---------------- This function will produce a report showing the contents of a selected notes file. The information that will be printed will be unformatted (ie - no headers or page breaks). What ever has been entered into the notes file will be printed exactly as it was entered. Printer Setup ------------- This function is used to set up options for your printer. *** Printer Device Name *** Enter the DOS device name for your printer. The default is LPT1, but if your printer is connected to a different device, such as LPT2, then enter the device where your printer is connected. *** Initialization Codes *** Enter up to 10 initialization codes to be used for your printer. Normally, a printer does not need any special initialization codes, but some special printers require certain codes. When entering codes, enter the decimal value for the code. For example, the Esc key has a decimal value of 27, so enter 27 to represent the Esc key. The letter "A" has a value of 65, "0" is 48, etc. Refer to your printer manual which should have a table of keys and their decimal values. *** 8 LPI Codes *** Enter up to 10 codes that will set your printer at 8 lines per inch. All reports will assume 8 lines per inch to determine proper form alignment, so these codes are required. For most printers, an "Esc 0" will set it to 8 lines per inch. Make sure you enter the decimal values of the codes. "Esc 0" would be entered as 2 codes, the first one being 27 to represent "Esc" and the second one being 48 to represent "0". Refer to your printer manual which should have a table of keys and their corresponding decimal values. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 22 ======================================================================== League Options -------------- This function is used to set the different options that are available in FFA. These options allow you to customize your league. This function must be executed before any of the other functions can be executed, since the other functions need to know what options your league uses. After all options have been set, press [F10] to save the options and return to the menu. If you have made changes but wish to cancel those changes, press [Esc] and any changes will not be saved. *** Name Of League *** Optionally enter up to 40 characters for the name of your league. This name will be printed in the heading for each report produced by FFA. *** Number Of Teams In League *** Enter the number of teams in your league. This system will support leagues of 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16 teams. If you have an odd number of teams, you may wish to set up a "dummy" team consisting of undrafted or ficticous players. Leave all scores at 0 for this team when entering weekly scores, in effect giving the team scheduled to play the "dummy" team that week a bye. *** Divisions *** Enter [Y] if you wish to divide the teams into divisions, else enter [N]. Divisions are supported only for leagues with 8 or more teams. Leagues with 8, 10 or 14 teams will use 2 divisions, 12 team leagues will use 3 divisions, and a 16 team league will use 4 divisions. The standings will then print based on the win/loss record of teams within each division. *** Division Names *** If using divisions, enter the name of each division. The defaults for the 4 divisions are CLUB, SPADE, HEART, and DIAMOND, but you may assign different names if you so desire. *** Scoring Method *** Enter [1] to use the basic scoring method, [2] for performance method, or [3] for the distance method. The basic method is the most flexible, but you must manually calculate the number of points to be awarded to each player. The suggested scoring is 3 points for a touchdown pass thrown, 6 points for a touchdown scored by rushing or receiving, and 1 point for each extra point kicked and 3 points for each field goal. For defenses, 2 points for a safety, 6 points for a defensive touchdown, and 1 point for a fumble recovery or inter- ception. These are only suggested points, you can use any point system your league decides upon. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 23 ======================================================================== League Options -------------- *** Scoring Method *** The performance method uses total yardage based on passing, receiving and rushing yards, regardless of whether a touchdown is scored or not. This method can also be used as a combined basic/performance system, which seems to have become the most popular. This method rewards not only the players that score touchdowns, but also those players that have lots of yardage but don't necessarily score a touchdown. The number of yards rushed, passed, and pass receiving will translate to points, the more yards gained, the more points awarded. (Kickers still use 1 point for extra points and 3 points for field goals). Bonus points can also be awarded for reaching a certain yardage. The points awarded can be customized - refer to Scoring Maintenance for further explanation. The distance method uses a combination of the basic and performance methods. Points are awarded for scores, but the distance of the score is also entered to determine the number of points awarded for the score, including field goals. These points can also be customized - refer to Scoring Maintenance for further explanation. *** Tie Breaker *** Enter a number (1 or 2) to indicate the tie breaker method your league uses. If both team's starters score the same number of points, the tie breaker method will be used to determine the winner. If the tie breaker fails to produce a winner, a tie will be awarded to each team. Entering [1] will use the sudden death method, where the home team has first chance to break the tie. The home team's first reserve is checked to see if he scored, and if he did, the home team wins. If he does not score, the visitor's first reserve is checked to see if he scored, and if he did, the visiting team is the winner. Each reserve is checked until a winner is determined, and if no reserves score, then a tie is declared. Entering [2] will use the reserve total method. The points scored for all reserves are added together for a total, and the team that scores the most reserve points is declared the winner. If the reserves totals are equal, than it will default to the sudden death method to determine the winner. *** Enter Scores By NFL Or Fantasy Team *** This option determines whether the list of players to select from when entering scores manually will display the players for an NFL team or the players assigned to a fantasy team. Enter a [1] to enter scores by NFL team or a [2] to enter scores by fantasy team. *** Regular Weeks *** Enter the number of regular season weeks in your fantasy league. This does NOT include the playoff weeks. A maximum of 20 weeks is allowed. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 24 ======================================================================== League Options -------------- *** Print Scoring Detail For Reserves *** Enter [Y] to print the scoring detail for the reserves when printing the current week's scoring detail. Enter [N] to only print the total of the reserves for each team. *** Flex Option *** Enter [Y] to indicate that any combination of tight ends and wide receivers qualify for a legal lineup. For example, if you have your legal lineup set at 2 wide receivers and 1 tight end, then your starting lineup has to total 3 wide receivers/tight ends, in any combination. If you enter [N], then exactly 2 wide receivers and 1 tight end must be in your starting lineup. *** Legal Lineup *** Enter the total number of players allowed at each position to determine a starting lineup. If your league doesn't use a certain position, then enter 0 for the number of players at that position. For example, some leagues use 3 wide receivers and no tight ends. In this case, enter 3 for wide receivers and 0 for tight ends. If you do not want the program to check for a legal lineup, then enter 0 for each position. The "potpourri" position is used to indicate the number of starters that can be any position. For example, you could have 1 qb, 2 rb, 2 wr, 1 k, then another player that could be any position desired by the team owner, in which case you would enter 1 for the potpourri position. If you have 2 players of any position then enter 2 for potpourri. *** Team Quarterback/Kicker *** Enter [Y] if your league uses the team concept, else enter [N]. For example, drafting the S.F. team quarterback would mean that you would get all the accumulated points for the S.F. quarterbacks for the game no matter who plays in the game. This eliminates the problem of a starter who gets hurt early in the game, or in the case at the end of the season a regular starter sitting down when they already have their division wrapped up. Note that the player name entered when using the team concept is not all that significant. If using the import feature for updating scores, it will only look at the player position and NFL team name to determine if that "player" should be updated. *** Sort Team Roster *** Enter [Y] to automatically sort the team roster by position. The order of sort is quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, kicker, defense, and coach. Enter [N] to leave the team roster as it is entered. Note that this option has no affect on the Starting Lineup Report, that report is always sorted by position. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 25 ======================================================================== Win/Loss Maintenance -------------------- This function is used to manually adjust team wins, losses, high points, points scored, and points scored against. If using divisions, then you can also maintain division wins, losses, and ties. Normally, this function is not needed as these stats are automatically calculated according to the weekly scores entered. If, however, an entry was made in error that causes an incorrect calculation for wins/losses, it is possible to adjust the team's entries with this function. *** Team Number *** Enter the fantasy team number which you wish to set up or edit. The current stats for the team will be displayed. Leave this field blank and press [ENTER] to display a selection window showing the team numbers and names. Press [Esc] to return to the menu. *** Wins / Losses / Ties / Points Scored / Points Against *** Enter the season to date total for the current input field. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 26 ======================================================================== Schedule Maintenance -------------------- This function is used to set the schedule for your fantasy league. When entering this function, the first 10 weeks are displayed. Use the [Page Down] key to display weeks 11 - 20. When weeks 11 - 20 are displayed, press [Page Up] to display weeks 1 - 10. Note that up to 20 weeks can be set up, but you do not have to schedule all 20 weeks. To start with, you can set up the schedule for the regular weeks, and then when the playoff rounds start and the playoff teams are determined, you can enter the playoff schedule. When entering the playoff schedule, you are still required to enter every team for the week (some leagues allow the non playoff teams to play during the playoffs to compete for high points). Schedule the playoff teams to play each other as determin- ed by your league and then randomly select the non playoff teams against each other. If your league has a bye in the first round, schedule the team that has the bye against a non playoff team. The teams are listed across the top and the weeks are listed down the left side of the screen. The schedule will show all 16 teams, even if your league uses less teams. You will only be able to access the number of teams in your league. When the cursor is beneath a team number, enter the opposing team number for that week. If the opposing team number entered is the same team number at the top of the column, then an error message will be displayed stating that a team can not be scheduled against itself. If the team field is left blank and [ENTER] is pressed, a selection window will be displayed showing the team numbers and names. After an opposing team has been entered, you must indicate whether the opposing team is the home team or not. A home team must be assigned for tie breaker purposes. If the opposing team is the home team, enter an asterisk [*], otherwise leave the home team indicator blank. When the opposing team and home team indicator has been entered for a team, the opposing team will be updated automatically. For example, team 1 plays team 5. When entering the opposing team for team 1, you would enter 5. The opposing team for team 5 will automatically insert team 1, and the home team indicators will be updated. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 27 ======================================================================== Schedule Maintenance -------------------- Pressing the following function keys will perform the following special features: F2 = Clear All, the entire schedule will be cleared to spaces. You can then manually re-enter the schedule or use defaults. F3 = Clear Week, the current week (determined by the location of the cursor) will be cleared to spaces. F4 = Default Schedule, based on the number of teams in your league and whether divisions are used or not, a preset schedule will be loaded. Only the recommended number of weeks for a regular season (excluding playoff weeks) will be assigned. You can then modify the schedule if needed. F10 = Save, the schedule will be saved to disk. If [Esc] is pressed prior to pressing [F10] to save the changes, any changes entered will NOT be saved. After pressing [F10], the software will check the schedule to see if there are any missing or duplicate teams for each week. If there are any problems, you will be notified which week is in error. You must then correct that week before the schedule can be saved. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 28 ======================================================================== Owner Maintenance ----------------- This function is used to record personal information for team owners such as name, address, phone #, fax # and a comment. *** Name *** Enter the actual name of the team owner. *** Address *** Enter up to 3 lines address for the owner. *** Phone # *** Enter the owner's phone number (optional). *** Fax # *** Enter the owner's fax number (optional). *** Comment *** Enter any comment for the owner (optional). Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 29 ======================================================================== NFL Table Maintenance --------------------- This function is used to add, delete or change the existing table of NFL team codes and names. With this function, if you don't like the default codes that are set up for the NFL teams, you can change them to whatever you wish. Also, if the NFL expands or a team moves, you can use this function to add new teams or change the names. This function also allows you to set up FFA to be used for leagues other than just the NFL. For example, you can change all the teams and use college football teams, or use the new World Football League. Although the program and documentation refer to NFL, you can substitute whatever league you are using. *** Function *** Enter [A] to add a team to the table, [D] to delete a team from the table, or [C] to change an existing team code or name. After all changes have been made, press [F10] to save the changes. If you do not wish to save the changes, press [Esc]. NOTE: If you already have teams set up and you make any changes to the table affecting the team code, then you must use Team Setup and apply those same changes. For example, if you change Atlanta's team code from "ATL" to "A", you have to change all the Atlanta players to "A". When changing or deleting teams, select the team to be changed/deleted from the selection window by highlighting the team and press [ENTER]. ***Team Code*** Enter the 4 character team code you wish to use to identify the team. This field is required and will be automatically forced to upper case. ***Team Name*** Enter up to 20 characters which identifies the NFL team (or college, World Football League or Arena Football). Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 30 ======================================================================== Scoring Maintenance -------------------- This function is used to customize the point/yardage assignments for the scoring methods. If using the basic scoring method, then the infor- mation entered is used only if you are importing scores. [Basic Scoring Method] *** Point Value *** Enter the desired number of points to be assigned for each type of scoring play. [Performance Scoring Method] *** TD Points *** This field is only used when importing scores. Enter the number of points to be awarded for a touchdown. This is used when using the combined basic/performance method. If not using the combined basic/ performance method, then enter 0 for this field. *** Regular Points *** Enter the number of points to be awarded for the incremental yardage. You can set up different point values for passing, receiving and rushing. *** Regular Yards *** Enter the incremental yardage to be used to determine points. For example, if you enter 20 for the yardage and 2 for points, then for every 20 yards the player accumulates, he will earn 2 points. If he has 100 yards, then he will earn 10 points (100 / 20 = 5 increments, 5 x 2 points = 10 points). Note that the player will not receive any points until the incremental yards are reached. In the above example, he will not receive any points if he only has 19 yards, and only 2 points for 20 - 39 yards. *** Bonus Points *** You can optionally set up to 3 different bonus levels to award extra points for reaching a certain yardage limit. For example, you could set up level 1 at 2 points and yards at 100, level 2 at 4 points at 200 yards. If the player has 150 yards, then he will receive an extra 2 points for reaching 100 yards. If he has 210 yards he will receive 4 extra points (note that he will only qualify for the highest bonus level - he will NOT get 2 points for reaching 100 yards). *** Bonus Yards *** Enter the number of yards to qualify for the bonus level. Note that the yardage must be greater than the previous level if you are entering more than 1 bonus level. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 31 ======================================================================== Scoring Maintenance ------------------- [Distance Scoring Method] *** Base Points *** Enter the number of base points to be awarded for each type of score. The player will receive these points for each score, regardless of the distance of the score. If you do not want to award base points, then enter 0. For example, you may want to award 3 points for each touchdown pass thrown in addition to the points awarded for the distance of the touchdown pass, then you would enter 3 for the base points for passing. *** From - To Yards *** Enter the From-To yardage range for the corresponding point value. Up to 10 different yardage ranges/point values can be set up. When points are calculated during Score Entry, it will award the point value determined by the distance of the scoring play. Separate ranges can be set up for passing, receiving, rushing and kicking. Note that the kicking ranges will only apply to field goals. Extra points are still 1 point each. All yardage from 1 - 100 must be accounted for, if there are any yards missing, a warning message will be displayed when you try to save the changes. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 32 ======================================================================== Bye Week Maintenance -------------------- This function is used to maintain the bye weeks of NFL teams. This information is used by the Team Roster report and Team Maintenance to identify those players that are currently on a bye week. *** Week *** Enter the week number to maintain. If teams have already been set up for the week, they will be displayed. *** NFL Team Code *** Enter the NFL team codes that have a bye for the entered week. Up to 10 teams can have a bye for the same week. To remove a team, press [F8]. After all teams have been entered, press [F10] to save the information. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 33 ======================================================================== Restore Previous Week --------------------- This function is used to restore the previous week's data files. When the standings are updated using Update/Print Standings, backup files are automatically created (FFATEAM.BKP and FFAWEEK.BKP) if there is enough room on the disk. If there was not enough room to create the backup files, a message will be displayed that the previous week could not be restored. The only alternative would be to restore a manual backup (if you backed up the files before updating the standings). A situation where you would want to use this function is if you discover that some scores were missed or entered incorrectly after updating the standings, you could restore the previous week, correct the weekly scores, and then update standings again. Note that only the previous week can be restored. If you are in week 5, you can restore week 4, but if you execute this function again, week 4, not week 3, would be restored. Clear File For New Season ------------------------- This function is used at the start of a new season. Before clearing the data files for a new season, you must confirm that is what you wish to do by entering [Y] and then pressing [ENTER]. If you selected this option by mistake, enter [N] and then press [ENTER] to abort this function. By entering [Y], team information will be reset. The entries currently set up for League Options will not be reset. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 34 ======================================================================== Getting Started --------------- The following directions are to help you get started once you have installed FFA. The first thing that needs to be done is to set up the different options your league uses, using League Options. If you try to select any other function without setting up your league options, an error message will be displayed. After setting up your league options, you are now ready to enter the team rosters with the Team Maintenance function. Enter the players for each team in your league, the NFL team they play for, and the position of each player. If you are not using the basic scoring method, than you may wish to use Scoring Maintenance to customize the point/yardage assignments. Next you should enter the schedule for your league with the Schedule Maintenance function. If you want to use the default schedule supplied with FFA, then you can do so by pressing [F4] and the default schedule will be used. If you wish to enter a different schedule, then you can manually enter the schedule for each week. This completes the initial setup work. The remaining directions are for weekly procedures. If there are any roster changes for the week, then use Team Maintenance to make those roster changes (trades, pickups, etc.). Enter each team's starting lineup using Starting Lineup. Be sure to enter each team's starting lineup, indicating the starters and reserves. After the NFL games are played, you can then enter the weekly scores using Enter Weekly Scores. Note that you do not have to wait until all games are played before entering scores. For example, you could enter the scores from Sunday's games on Sunday night and then enter the rest of the scores after Monday night's game. Use Print Current Week's Detail to print out the scores for each team. Use this report to make sure that all scores for each NFL team have been entered. If a team (or player) has been missed, use Enter Weekly Scores again to enter the missing information. Repeat these steps until all scores have been entered correctly. When all scores have been entered, use Update/Print Standings to auto- matically update the current standings based on the scores entered for the week and the current week's schedule. (It is also a good idea to make a backup of the FFATEAM.DAT and FFAWEEK.DAT files before running this function). Review the standings and stats. If an error has been made when entering scores, you can return the backup you made in the previous step and enter the correct scores and update again. You can also use Win/Loss Maintenance. This will allow you to manually adjust team wins, losses, high points, points scored and points scored against. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 35 ======================================================================== Error Messages -------------- There are 2 different types of errors that you may run into while running FFA. The first type of error is a program generated error resulting from incorrect information that is entered. For example, entering "GRB" in- stead of "GB" for the Green Bay team code will generate a "Requested team code could not be found!" error message. Since the program can look for these conditions, these errors are referred to as "non critical", in other words, the program can identify these errors and continue to run. These errors are listed in alphabetical sequence with an explanation and suggested actions to be taken. Note that not all error message are listed here, those errors that are self explanatory are not listed. The other type of error that you may encounter is a Basic error. QuickBasic 4.5 was used to develop FFA. Some situations may arise where Basic will return an error code to the program. Usually these errors are "critical", where the program can not continue. An example of a critical error would be if the disk becomes full while trying to write to a file, or if there is an area of the disk that is bad and can not be read or written to. There are a few errors that the program will look for and try to recover from, such as the printer not being ready when trying to print a report. The most common Basic errors are listed, with a possible solution if applicable. If you get an "Out Of String Space" error message, try freeing up as much memory as possible before running FFA. You can also try reducing the number of entries in the NFLRSTR.TXT file by removing names from this file, or if you don't use this file to look up names, you can delete it. Program Generated Errors Message: 20 is the maximum number of weeks. Action: Set number of regular weeks to 20 or less. Message: Backup file(s) could not be found for restore! Action: Evidently there was not enough room on the disk to create the automatic backup files (FFATEAM.BKP and FFAWEEK.BKP). The restore function can not be performed. You will have to return a manual backup if you have one, or make manual adjustments using Win/Loss Maintenance or Team Maintenance, depending on the problem. Message: Bonus yardage must be greater than prior level! Action: Each level must be greater than the previous level. Enter a yardage amount that is greater than the previous level. Message: C'mon now, what kind of From-To range is that! Action: You have entered a From-To range where the To side is less than the From side. Enter a valid range. Message: Detail for current week has not yet been entered! Action: You must first enter the scores for the current week before you can update/print standings. Message: Error trying to display file. Action: Some type of error has occurred while trying to display the help file. Depending on the error, you may not be able to use on-line help. If the error is -1, then there is not enough memory available. You should have at least 320k free when you start FFA to use on-line help. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 36 ======================================================================== Error Messages -------------- Message: File already exists - enter a different name! Action: When saving a new notes file, the name entered is already being used. Enter a unique name for the new file. Message: Gaps detected for xxxxx. Must account for 100 yards! Action: All 100 yards must be accounted for. Adjust yardage ranges so there are no yards missed. Message: Help file not found! Action: The FFA.HLP file can not be found. Copy this file from the original diskette into the FFA directory (or the name of the directory if different than FFA). Message: Illegal file name - enter again. Action: The name entered for a new notes file is not a valid DOS file name. Make sure you are not entering a period as part of the name as the ".NOT" file extension is automatically added to the name of the file. Consult your DOS manual for file naming conventions. Message: Illegal number of (quarterbacks - receivers - running backs - tight ends - kickers - reserves). Action: When entering a lineup for a team, the number of players for each position must match what has been entered for a legal lineup. Message: Invalid player position! Action: Valid entries are Q-quarterback, W-wide receiver, R-running back, T-tight end, D-defense, C-coach, or K-kicker. Message: League options have not been set up! Action: Before any other functions can be executed, you must set up the different options use League Options. The other functions do different things based on what options your league uses. Message: Missing or duplicated reserves! Team xx Action: The team number displayed does not have the correct number of reserves set up or the reserves do not have unique priority codes. Use Starting Lineup to adjust the starting lineup for the team and try the function again. Message: Must set up team before setting lineup! Action: The team you are trying to set a lineup for does not have any players entered yet. Use Team Maintenance to enter the team's players. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 37 ======================================================================== Error Messages -------------- Message: Player(s) have invalid NFL team code! Action: The current team has players set up with NFL team codes that are not valid. This usually happens when NFL Table Maintenance has been used to change an NFL's team code AFTER players have already been set up with the old team code. Use Team Maintenance to enter the correct NFL team code. Message: Printer error - correct and press [ENTER] to continue... Action: The printer is either off-line or out of paper. Correct the condition and press [ENTER] to continue printing, or press [Esc] to abort the function. Message: Requested team code could not be found! Action: Enter a valid team code, or leave the field blank and press [ENTER] to display a selection window showing the valid entries. Message: Schedule file not found! Action: The FFASCHED.DAT file can not be found. Copy this file from the original diskette into the FFA directory (or the name of the directory if different than FFA). Message: Schedule for number of teams not found! Action: The default schedule for the number of teams your league uses is not set up in the file. You must enter the schedule manually. Message: Schedule not entered for current week! Action: Before the current week can be updated/printed, the schedule for the week must be set up. Use Schedule Maintenance to enter the schedule for the current week. Message: Sorry - roster list not available - consult manual. Action: The file NFLRSTR.TXT is not present. If you have access to a modem, this file may be downloaded for The BULL Board, a bulletin board dedicated primarily to fantasy football information. The number for The BULL Board is 612-460-6629. Refer to the manual section explaining Team Maintenance for more information. Message: Team xx has player(s) with invalid NFL team codes! Action: The displayed team has players set up with NFL team codes that are not valid. This usually happens when NFL Table Maintenance has been used to change an NFL's team code AFTER players have already been set up with the old team code. Use Team Maintenance to enter the correct NFL team code. Message: This number of teams can not be set up! Action: The number of teams that can be set up is 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 16. If you have an odd number of teams in your league, set up a "dummy" team. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 38 ======================================================================== Error Messages -------------- Message: Wake up! Yardage already accounted for in previous level! Action: You have entered a yardage that has already been defined in a previous level. Each level must have a unique yardage range. Message: Warning - don't forget to adjust schedule! Action: This warning message is displayed if you change the number of teams in your league. The schedule must then be adjusted to compensate for the new number of teams. Message: Warning - player is assigned to team XX. Action: This is only a warning. It is possible to enter the same player for more than one team, but I assume you would not wish to do this. Message: Warning - total players exceed 22! Action: The number of players allowed for a legal lineup exceed the 22 player maximum allowed for a team. Adjust the number of players allowed at each position so the total number of players is less than or equal to 22. Message: Week xx has duplicate or missing teams. Action: The schedule for the week is invalid. Review the week's schedule and adjust accordingly. Message: What! You want this team to play itself? Action: You can not set up a team to play itself. Enter a different opponent. Basic Errors Number: 6 - Overflow Meaning: This is the result of an integer calculation where the result is more than 32,767. This should not be a problem unless a player's total is more than this limit. Number: 7 - Out of Memory Meaning: Your machine does not have enough free memory to execute. Remove any unnecessary TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) programs from memory and try again. Number: 53 - File not found Meaning: The requested file can not be found. Number: 57 - Device I/O error Meaning: The device (usually either the diskette or hard disk) can not be read from or written to. In either case, I hope you have a backup which can be used. Fantasy Football Assistant Program Documentation Page 39 ======================================================================== Error Messages -------------- Number: 61 - Disk Full Meaning: There is no more free space on the diskette or hard disk to write the file. Delete some unused files to make more room. Number: 71 - Disk not ready Meaning: This is usually because the door for the disk drive is not closed, or the diskette is write protected. Number: 72 - Disk media error Meaning: This is about the same as error 57. Hope you have a backup.