Pools-Tools 2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright 1993 by Paul Morley All rights reserved User's Notes 20-1-93 - Pools Tools 2 DISTRIBUTION: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pools-Tools may be freely distributed. It is permissible to release Pools-Tools as part of a public domain collection, or on a telecommunication service. If you do distribute Pools-Tools please leave all files intact. Pools-Tools may not be distributed in any commercial product, shareware product, or commercial publication without permission. NOTE TO DISTRIBUTORS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pools-Tools Plus must be distributed on its own disk as originally supplied, with all files intact. This file must be included on the disk. A space has been left in the startup-sequence for you to include any advertisements you usually place on your disks e.g. iff picture files etc. DISCLAIMER ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- In no way can the author be held responsible for any damages, loss of anticipated profits, or any other perceived loss related to using this program. The user assumes the entire risk, and responsibility when using this program. ************************************ * * * PLEASE READ * * * ************************************ POOLS TOOLS & DIVIDEND MASTER ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whilst Pools-Tools is comprehensive, it does not have all the features of Dividend Master. For the sake of completeness - and to allow you to judge whether you wish to upgrade - these instructions cover both Pools-Tools and Dividend Master. If you wish to upgrade to Dividend Master then please read the section " Upgrade Offer ". The following functions are only available on DIVIDEND MASTER. Permcheck Module: Print functions Test Plan Purge Function Sequence Prediction Module: Print functions Save Default settings Tune Function Perm Calculator Form Prediction Module: Only Dividend Master will allow you to enter your own fixtures list. User's Manual 20-1-93 Pools Tools 2 CONTENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Section 1 ................ Introduction Section 1.1 ................ Overview Section 1.2 ................ New Points System Section 2 ................ History Section 3 ................ Starting Pools-Tools 2 Section 3.1 ................ System Requirements Section 3.2 ................ User Interface Section 4 ................ Perm-Check Module Section 4.1 ................ File Section 4.1.1 ................ Alert Section 4.2 ................ Check Section 4.2.1 ................ Results Menu Section 4.2.2 ................ Search Menu Section 4.2.3 ................ Lines Found Section 4.3 ................ Convert Section 4.4 ................ Quit Section 4.5 ................ Info Section 4.6 ................ Test Section 4.7 ................ Upgrade Section 4.8 ................ System Section 4.9 ................ Creating plan files Section 4.9.1 ................ Sample Session Section 4.10 ................ Quick Start Section 4.11 ................ Limits Section 5 ................ Sequence Predict Controls Section 5.1 ................ File Section 5.1.1 ................ Alert Section 5.2 ................ Predict Section 5.2.1 ................ Prediction Menu Section 5.3 ................ Standing entry Section 5.3.1 ................ Standing entry control panel Section 5.4 ................ Editor Section 5.4.1 ................ Editor control panel Section 5.5 ................ Quit Section 5.6 ................ Info Section 5.7 ................ System Section 5.8 ................ Upgrade Section 5.9 ................ Using the Search Requester Section 5.10 ................ Using the Default Requester Section 5.11 ................ Full Requester Section 5.12 ................ The Database Section 5.13 ................ Specifications Section 5.14 ................ Quick Start Section 6 ................ Form Prediction Controls Section 6.1 ................ Fixtures Section 6.2 ................ Predict Section 6.3 ................ Quit Section 6.4 ................ Info Section 6.5 ................ System Section 6.6 ................ Upgrade Section 6.7 ................ Pools-Tools Only Section 7 ................ Winning Lines Section 8 ................ Common Problems Section 9 ................ Upgrade details Section 9.1 ................ Upgrade form Section 10 ................ Future Developments Section 11 ................ Useful Addresses Section 12 ................ Comments Section 1 INTRODUCTION ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pools-Tools is a comprehensive pools prediction aid and perm checker. Being mouse driven it is fast, easy to use, and is suitable for both the casual punter and the serious investor. When you think you have netted enough draws Pools-Tools will check your favourite perm, and in seconds inform you of any winning lines. To get the best from Pools-Tools please read the instructions carefully. It is important to be familiar with section 3.2 ( USER INTERFACE ). If you are unfamiliar with the PPmore text viewer then please press the HELP key for a command summary. Section 1.1 OVERVIEW ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pools-Tools is comprised of three separate modules. These modules can be loaded from the main menu ( autoboot ) or loaded from Workbench. A brief description of each module is given below. PERMCHECK MODULE. The Permcheck Module will quickly search through a plan file for any winning lines. It will also test plans to check how well they perform. The program is compatible with the new points system devised by the Pools Promoters' Association. SEQUENCE PREDICTION MODULE. The Sequence Prediction Module will predict score draws based on the patterning of previous weeks score draws. It also comes with a standing entry section so you can test your plans and theories against past weeks results. Sequence Prediction performs significantly better than chance alone and is ideal for those people who do not have much time to spend on their coupons each week. To use this option efficiently requires an up to date database. Anybody who upgrades will receive an up to date database plus databases for the English seasons from 1982-1992. (See Chapter 10.1 Upgrade ) FORM PREDICTION MODULE. The Form Prediction Module will predict results based on a team's current season's performance. Although this requires slightly more time to operate than Sequence Prediction it is especially useful for the results pools and fixed odds coupons. Section 1.2 NEW POINTS SYSTEM ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In an attempt to stem the threat from the National Lottery the Pools Promoters' Association have altered the way in which points are scored. From February 27th a 1-1 Draw will be worth 3 Points whilst any other score draw will be worth 2.5 points. No score draws and void matches will be awarded 2 points. Away and home wins will count as 1.5 points. Pools-Tools 2 is compatible with both the new and the old point scoring systems. Section 2 HISTORY ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 7/11/91 Perm-Check V. 01 released. 7/4/92 Perm-Check V. 1.2 released. The HELP facility is no longer available. Menus redesigned. Improved reporting on lines found. 15/6/92 Perm-Check Plus released. Perm-Check is now shareware. New File format introduced. Prediction facility included. Menus improved. Improved reporting on lines found (again). 1/9/92 Pools-Tools & Dividend Master released. Pools-Tools and Dividend Master owe much of their design to the various versions of Perm-Check which have gone before. As well as improving upon existing functions, Pools-Tools and Dividend Master also add new features. Thanks to Dennis Leech of Oasis Software many improvements have been made to the user interface. 25/1/93 Pools-Tools 2 & Dividend-Master 2 released. Improved support for the workbench enviroment. Redesigned results menu. (Permcheck module). Support for the new points system. Cosmetic changes to menus. The Form Prediction section has now been expanded and forms a separate module. You can now predict Draws, Homes and Aways in percentage terms based on a team's current season's performance. Section 3 STARTING POOLS-TOOLS ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AUTOBOOT: Pools-Tools will auto-boot. Insert the disk into drive DF0: and switch on the machine. After a short while you will be presented with the master menu. Pressing F1 will load the Perm-check module whilst pressing F2 will load the Prediction module. To load the Form Prediction module press F3. Pressing F4, as you're probably aware, will load these instructions. Pressing F5 will load Workbench. LOADING FROM WORKBENCH: To run any of the programs double click on the icon in the normal manner. If the program will not load then double click on the "INSTALL" icon and follow the on screen prompts. Section 3.1 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pools-Tools requires at least 1Mb of memory to run. Section 3.2 USER INTERFACE ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pools-Tools uses the Ncommand routines to provide a consistent user interface. There are three basic gadget types: BUTTON, RADIO, and TEXT GADGET. BUTTON GADGET Button gadgets immediately initiates an action when you click on it. To use a button place the mouse pointer over the button and click the left mouse key. RADIO GADGET When you must make a selection from one of several possible choices you will encounter radio buttons. To make a choice place the mouse pointer over the small circular button and click the left mouse key. The button will light up blue to confirm your choice. TEXT GADGET These do not resemble buttons but appear as a rectangle surrounded by a highlighted bevelled edge box. To enter text, or to change text already present in the box, click inside the box and a blue cursor will appear. You can can type or edit information in the box in the usual manner. Pressing return will advance the cursor to the next text gadget as will pressing the down cursor key. Pressing the up cursor key will take you to the previous text gadget. Pressing escape will exit the input routine. FILE REQUESTER When the file requester appears the names of the files and directories in the selected volume will appear in the window. Use the scroll bar to view all of the files. Clicking on a directory will list all of the files it contains. To select the file you require either double click on the filename or click once on the filename and then click on either the LOAD or SAVE buttons. If you wish to change the volume then click the right mouse button. A list of all the volumes available will be displayed. Double click on the volume name to change to that directory. The following abbreviations will appear in the instructions to denote gadget types: BG ( Button Gadget ), RG ( Radio Gadget ), TG ( Text Gadget ). Section 4 PERM-CHECK MODULE ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On loading, the Perm-Check module will present you with the main menu. All menu items are accessed by clicking on the relevant gadgets. The main menu has the following options: File ............See Section 4.1 Check ............See Section 4.2 Convert ............See Section 4.3 Quit ............See Section 4.4 Info ............See Section 4.5 Test ............See Section 4.6 Upgrade ............See Section 4.7 System ............See Section 4.8 Pool ............See Section 4.12 Section 4.1 FILE ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on this gadget will access the File requester and allow you to load in a new plan. The default extender used by Pools-Tools is ".PLNF". For further information on file requesters please refer to section 3.2 Section 4.1.1 FILE-ALERT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you attempt to load a file which is incompatible with Pool-Tools a requester will appear to warn you of the mistake. To cancel this requester click on the "CANCEL" gadget. Pools-Tools is compatible with all Perm-Check files. Section 4.2 CHECK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on this gadget will allow you to check the plan currently in memory. If there is no plan in the memory then a file requester will appear. For details on how to use this requester please read section 4.1. Once a plan file has been loaded the results menu will appear. ( See Section 4.2.1 ). Section 4.2.1 RESULTS MENU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here you must enter the results of the selections your plan covers. To do this simply click on the appropriate button gadgets. If you are unsure of the result of any particular selection then click on the CLEAR gadget. This will award 0 points for that selection. When you have entered points for all of your selections the search menu will appear. ( See Section 4.2.2 ). The results menu will differ depending on which points sytem you are using ( please refer to section 4.12 for details on the points system ) OLD POINTS SYSTEM SCORE DRAW (BG) Click on this if the current selection resulted in a score draw ( 3 Points ) NO SCORE DRAW (BG) Click on this if the current selection resulted in a no score draw ( 2 Points ) AWAY/VOID (BG) Click on this if the current selection resulted in an away win or void match. ( 1.5 Points ) HOME (BG) Click on this if the current selection resulted in a home win ( 1 Point ) NEW POINTS SYSTEM 1-1 DRAW (BG) Click on this if the current selection resulted in a 1-1 score draw ( 3 Points ) SCORE DRAW (BG) Click on this if the current selection resulted in a any other score draw ( 2.5 Points ) 0-0 DRAW/VOID (BG) Click on this if the current selection resulted in a no score draw or void match ( 2 Points ) HOME/AWAY (BG) Click on this if the current selection resulted in a home or away win ( 1.5 Points ) THE FOLLOWING ARE COMMON TO BOTH VERSIONS OF THE MENU UP ARROW (BG) Goto previous selection DOWN ARROW (BG) Advance to next selection CLEAR (BG) Click on this if you wish to clear the current selection or are unsure of the result. This will award 0 Points to the current selection. PURGE (BG) This will clear all selections. Section 4.2.2 SEARCH MENU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The search menu consists of radio gadgets and allows you to set the search criteria ( the menu will differ depending on what points system you are using ). For instance, if you are doing the away pools you will only be interested in those matches which resulted in away wins and should click on the gadget marked "AWAYS". Clicking on the gadget marked "EXIT" will take you back to the main menu. When you have selected the search criteria click on the "SEARCH" gadget and the program will begin to check the plan file. A progress bar will be displayed to show you how far Pools-Tools has searched through the plan. Even in the case of large plans this process usually only takes seconds to complete. Summary information on the lines found will now be displayed. ( See section 4.2.3 ) Section 4.2.3 LINES FOUND ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pools-Tools will now display how many lines contain x number of points, or whatever you selected as the search criteria. An example could be as below; 12 Lines = 21 points 3 Lines = 23 points 2 Lines = 24 points These lines appear in a scroll box. To move the lines up or down click on the small up/down arrows or move the slide bar. To examine these lines in greater detail double click on the line you wish to examine. A single click followed by pressing the "ACCEPT" gadget has the same effect. Clicking on the "CLEAR" gadget cancels your selection. Clicking on "EXIT" will take you back to the previous menu. Pools-Tools will now list the individual plan lines. Using the above example let us suppose you wish to examine those lines which contain 24 points. Click on the line " 2 Lines = 24 points ". Pools-Tools will now list those 2 lines and the numbers which make up the line. The display will look something like the following; LINE 8 1 3 4 8 12 16 17 18 = 24 points LINE 10 1 2 4 8 11 16 17 18 = 24 points If the search criteria was aways, homes or draws those selections which match the search criteria will be highlighted in blue. The best way to find out how to check a plan is to load one of the supplied plan files and experiment. At the bottom of the page the following gadgets will appear. NEXT (BG) This gadget will display the next page of lines. PRINT (BG) This gadget prints out the current page of plan lines and requires a printer to be connected. On pressing this gadget a reminder will appear asking you to make sure the printer is on line. If you do not have a printer connected click on the gadget marked "CANCEL". IT IS IMPORTANT YOU DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PRINT WITHOUT A PRINTER BEING CONNECTED AS THE PROGRAM WILL "HANG" EXIT (BG) This gadget exits and takes you back to the lines found menu. Section 4.3 CONVERT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This function converts your plan files into a format which Pools Tools can work with. Please read section 4.9 for more details on creating plan files. Once you have clicked on the "CONVERT" gadget a file requester will appear. Details on how to use this requester appear in section 4.1. The default extender is ".PLN". Once you have selected a plan Pools-Tools will begin to convert the file and a progress bar will appear. When the plan has been converted a file requester will appear to allow you to save the plan. The default extender is ".PLNF" Section 4.4 QUIT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on "QUIT" will produce a requester asking you to confirm your decision. Clicking on the "YES" gadget will exit Pools-Tools and return you to the master menu. Section 4.5 INFO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on "INFO" will produce the info. screen. Select "CANCEL" to return to the main menu. Section 4.6 TEST ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This facility allows you to test the performance of a plan by producing a set of random draws and checking them against the plan file. NUMBER SELECTED (TG) This is the number of random draws you wish the program to produce. This number must be greater than 0. WEIGHTING (RG) A plans performance is greatly affected by the distribution of the draws. The weighting function allows you to change this distribution to see how the plan performs under different conditions. TOP: The bias is set to low numbers. BOTTOM: The bias is set to high numbers. EVEN: No bias. TEST (BG) This gadget starts the test process. While the plan is being tested a progress bar will be shown. When the test is complete a breakdown of the number of draws found will be shown. EXIT (BG) Returns to the main menu Section 4.7 UPGRADE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on "UPGRADE" will produce details of the upgrade policy. If you wish to take up this offer and have a printer connected then click on the gadget marked "PRINT". This will print out an order form. More detailed information on how to upgrade to Dividend Master can be found in section 9 Section 4.8 SYSTEM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on "SYSTEM" will list the amount of chip and fast memory available. Select "CANCEL" to return to the main menu. Section 4.9 CREATING PLANS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the moment plan files must be created on a wordprocessor and must adhere to the following format. All lines must begin with a comma, and all numbers in a line must be separated with a comma. The last line of any plan file must be a single comma. The first line of your plan file must include the following information. The number of lines in a plan, the number of selections in the plan and the number of matches covered. I hope the following example will make things a little clearer. This example is for Sunplan 40. The first line will be as follows: ,600,8,17 The 600 refers to the number of lines in the plan. In this case Sunplan 40 has 600 lines. The 8 refers to the number of selections, Sunplan 40 has 8 selections. The last number is the number of matches covered, in this case 17. The next 600 lines will be the lines which make up Sunplan 40. The next line in your plan file will therefore look like this: ,1,2,7,8,9,10,11,12 You will then have to type the other 599 lines. The last two lines in the plan file should look like this: ,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17 , Please note the single comma. All plans must end with this. If you are still unsure, load one of the plans included on this disk into your wordprocessor, and study it. Once you have created your plan file name it with the extender ".PLN" ( For example, Sunplan 40 should be saved with the filename Sunplan_40.PLN ). The final step is to load Pools-Tools and use the convert function. More details on the convert function can be found in section 4.3 Section 4.9.1 SAMPLE SESSION ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Although entering a large number of plan lines may sound daunting there are a few shortcuts which can be used. I'll use the fictional Morley Plan 1 as an example. Morley Plan 1 is a 3 by 5 block perm arranged as follows. 1 X - - 2 X - - 3 - X - 4 - X - 5 - - X 6 - - X 7 X X - X X 8 X X X X X 9 X - X X X 10 X X X - X 11 X X X X - 12 X X X X X 13 - X X X X The first task is to carefully enter the five lines which comprise the lower half of the block. Start each line with a + character. Once you have typed these lines, enter a row of - characters. This serves to separate the blocks. Your plan file should look like figure 1. FIGURE 1 +7,8,9,10,11,12 +7,8,10,11,12,13 +8,9,10,11,12,13 +7,8,9,11,12,13 +7,8,9,10,12,13 ------------------ Using the edit functions of your word processor copy this block three times. Your plan will now look as figure 2. FIGURE 2 +7,8,9,10,11,12 +7,8,10,11,12,13 +8,9,10,11,12,13 +7,8,9,11,12,13 +7,8,9,10,12,13 ------------------ +7,8,9,10,11,12 +7,8,10,11,12,13 +8,9,10,11,12,13 +7,8,9,11,12,13 +7,8,9,10,12,13 ------------------ +7,8,9,10,11,12 +7,8,10,11,12,13 +8,9,10,11,12,13 +7,8,9,11,12,13 +7,8,9,10,12,13 ------------------ You must now use the search and replace function. Enter the search string as + and the replace string as the first line from the upper block. SEARCH STRING = + REPLACE STRING = ,1,2, Search and replace the first five lines. You plan file should look like figure 3. FIGURE 3 ,1,2,7,8,9,10,11,12 ,1,2,7,8,10,11,12,13 ,1,2,8,9,10,11,12,13 ,1,2,7,8,9,11,12,13 ,1,2,7,8,9,10,12,13 ------------------ +7,8,9,10,11,12 +7,8,10,11,12,13 +8,9,10,11,12,13 +7,8,9,11,12,13 +7,8,9,10,12,13 ------------------ +7,8,9,10,11,12 +7,8,10,11,12,13 +8,9,10,11,12,13 +7,8,9,11,12,13 +7,8,9,10,12,13 ------------------ Repeat this process for the next two lines from the upper block. Your plan file will then look as figure 4. FIGURE 4 ,1,2,7,8,9,10,11,12 ,1,2,7,8,10,11,12,13 ,1,2,8,9,10,11,12,13 ,1,2,7,8,9,11,12,13 ,1,2,7,8,9,10,12,13 ------------------ ,3,4,7,8,9,10,11,12 ,3,4,7,8,10,11,12,13 ,3,4,8,9,10,11,12,13 ,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,13 ,3,4,7,8,9,10,12,13 ------------------ ,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 ,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13 ,5,6,8,9,10,11,12,13 ,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,13 ,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13 ------------------ The last step is to delete the characters which separate your blocks. Your finished plan file will then look as figure 5. FIGURE 5 ,15,8,13 ,1,2,7,8,9,10,11,12 ,1,2,7,8,10,11,12,13 ,1,2,8,9,10,11,12,13 ,1,2,7,8,9,11,12,13 ,1,2,7,8,9,10,12,13 ,3,4,7,8,9,10,11,12 ,3,4,7,8,10,11,12,13 ,3,4,8,9,10,11,12,13 ,3,4,7,8,9,11,12,13 ,3,4,7,8,9,10,12,13 ,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 ,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,13 ,5,6,8,9,10,11,12,13 ,5,6,7,8,9,11,12,13 ,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,13 , Although this process may seem complex, it will save you much time with larger plans. For instance, the first 198 lines of Sunplan 40 are set out as a 3 by 66 block. Please note that Morley Plan 1 is fictional and not recognized by any Pools company. Section 4.10 QUICK START ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you use the same plan each week then checking can be made even quicker by changing the name of your plan to DEF.PLNF When Pools-Tools first loads it will search the disk for a file named DEF.PLNF. If found it will load this plan into memory and then go direct to the Results Menu. Section 4.11 LIMITS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pools-Tools will not work with plans which have more than 1000 lines. The maximum number of selections that a plan can cover is 32. Under certain conditions you may be able to go over these limits but it is not to be recommended. Section 4.12 POOL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Click on this to select the points system you wish to use. The default setting is the NEW POINTS SYSTEM. Section 5 SEQUENCE PREDICT CONTROLS ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On loading, the Prediction module will present you with the main menu. All menu items are accessed by clicking on the relevant gadgets. The main menu has the following options: File ............See Section 5.1 Predict ............See Section 5.2 Standing Entry ............See Section 5.3 Editor ............See Section 5.4 Quit ............See Section 5.5 Info ............See Section 5.6 System ............See Section 5.7 Upgrade ............See Section 5.8 Clicking on "QUIT" will produce a requester asking you to confirm your decision. If you click on the "YES" gadget the Predict module will exit and return you to the master menu. Section 5.1 FILE ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on this gadget will access the File requester and allow you to load in the database you wish to use for your predictions. The default extender used by PREDICT is ".PRED". See Section 3.2 for more information concerning the file requester. Section 5.1.1 FILE-ALERT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you attempt to load a file which is incompatible with Pools-Tools a requester will appear to warn you of the mistake. To cancel this requester click on the "OK" gadget. Section 5.2 PREDICT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on this gadget will give you access to the Prediction menu. A more detailed explanation follows in section 5.2.1. Section 5.2.1 PREDICTION MENU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Prediction Menu has the following options. To use any of these options click on the relevant gadget. RANDOM (BG) Clicking on this gadget will produce a random set of numbers totally irrespective of the database. To use this function you do not need a database in memory. The amount of numbers supplied is set from the Default Requester. Please read section 5.10 for details on how to use this requester. ALL (BG) This gadget will use the entire database to produce a forecast. If there is no database currently loaded then the file requester will appear to prompt you to load one. The amount of numbers supplied by this function is set from the Default Requester. Please read section 5.10 for details on how to use this requester. FIRST (BG) Clicking on this gadget will tell the program to use only the beginning of the database for the prediction. The actual number of weeks used is set by the Default Requester. If there is no database currently loaded then the file requester will appear to prompt you to load one. LAST (BG) This is as the above function except that it uses the end of the database to make a prediction. It is useful when you wish to take into account the difference between the English and Australian Pools. For example, if for the last six weeks the pools had been Australian, and you wished to take this into account, you could just use the last six weeks of the database for a prediction. WORST (BG) Click on this gadget to find the worst performing coupon numbers. DEFAULT (BG) Clicking on this gadget will produce the default requester. From here you can set the amount of numbers supplied and the number of weeks used by the FIRST and LAST functions. Please read section 5.10 for more details on how to use this requester. TUNE (BG) Although the "All" function is useful for showing long term trends it becomes of less help when your database contains many weeks of results. If you wish to base your forecasts on recent trends it then becomes necessary to use the "Last" function. If you are unsure of which method to use for optimum performance then click on the "TUNE" gadget. The program will then suggest the best method to use and the correct number of weeks for the first/last function. PRINT (BG) This gadget prints out the current prediction and requires a printer to be connected. On pressing this gadget a reminder will appear asking you to make sure the printer is on line. If you do not have a printer connected click on the gadget marked "CANCEL". IT IS IMPORTANT YOU DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PRINT WITHOUT A PRINTER BEING CONNECTED AS THE PROGRAM WILL "HANG" EXIT (BG) This will return you to the main menu. Section 5.3 STANDING ENTRY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This function allows you to check the performance of any standing entry that you may have, or to see how well any new standing entry would have performed in weeks gone by. It is accessed by clicking on the gadget marked "STANDING ENTRY". A more detailed explanation follows in section 5.3.1. Please note that if there is no database currently loaded then the file requester will appear to prompt you to load one. Section 5.3.1 STANDING ENTRY MENU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arranged across the top of the screen is the following information: Current Record Number Shows current record number. Number of entries Shows how many score draws occurred that week. Number Correct Shows the number of score draws that your standing entry correctly forecast that week. Week Displays date information. In the centre of the screen are the numbers one to fifty eight. These numbers correspond to coupon numbers. Score draws are shown as a vertical red bars above these numbers, so you can tell at a glance which numbers resulted in score draws. The numbers which make up your standing entry are shown as shorter yellow bars. Across the bottom of the screen is the control panel. To access any of its functions click on the relevant gadget. The controls are as follows: << (BG) Clicking on this gadget will take you to record number 1. < (BG) Clicking on this gadget will take you to the previous record. > (BG) Clicking on this gadget will take you to the next record. >> (BG) Clicking on this gadget will take you to the last record. EXIT (BG) This gadget will quit the standing entry section and go to the main menu. GOTO (BG) Clicking on this gadget will access the search requester. Further details on this can be found in section 5.9. CHECK (BG) This gadget allows you to check the performance of a standing entry. When clicked on 28 text gadgets will appear for you to enter the numbers which make up your standing entry. When you have entered all the numbers which make up your standing entry press the escape key or click on the "OK" gadget. The program will now search the database and after a short while display the highest number of draws that the standing entry produced. Click on "OK" to exit the check function. If you wish to clear the numbers you have entered click on the "CLEAR" gadget. For further details on the use of Text gadgets then please refer to section 3.2 PERM CALC (BG) The perm calculator will tell you the number of lines which make up any full cover perm. This can work anywhere in the range of any 2 from 3 to any 10 from 30 and can calculate both consecutive and non-consecutive perms. To use the calculator enter the number of selections in the first text gadget and the number covered in the second text gadget. For example, if you wished to perm any 4 from 6 you would enter 4 in the first text gadget and 6 in the second text gadget, then press return. The program will now tell you the number of lines required to make up this perm. If you enter numbers which are out of range then the program will respond with an "input not valid message". Beneath the input boxes are two gadgets which allow you to choose between consecutive and non-consecutive perms. When you have finished with the calculator press the "CANCEL" gadget to exit. For further details on the use of Text gadgets then please refer to section 3.2 Section 5.4 EDITOR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The editor allows you to maintain the database. To access the editor click on the "EDIT" gadget. More details appear in section 5.4.1. Section 5.4.1 EDITOR MENU ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To use any of the editor functions click on the relevant gadget. The gadgets and their functions are listed below. WEEK (TG) Contains the title you have given to that record. In practice this is usually the date, though you can enter any information you wish into this gadget. The maximum number of characters allowed is 19. RECORD No. Displays the current record number. DRAWS (TG) Next to the word "draws" are 23 text gadgets which allow you to enter the score draws for that week. Although you can enter numbers above 58, or enter the same number twice, these numbers will be ignored by the program. For more details on the use of text gadgets please refer to section 3.2 << (BG) Clicking on this gadget will take you to record number 1. < (BG) Clicking on this gadget will take you to the previous record. > (BG) Clicking on this gadget will take you to the next record. >> (BG) Clicking on this gadget will take you to the last record. GOTO (BG) Clicking on this gadget will access the search requester. Further details on this can be found in section 5.9. ADD (BG) Clicking on this gadget, or holding down Right Amiga + A, allows you to add another week to the database. The record number will advance and the input cursor appear in the "week" gadget ready for input. When you have entered the date etc. the cursor will jump to the "Draws" gadgets. You must now enter the draws for that week. This gadget will not work if you have not entered any draws for the current record. If the current record is 208 then the full requester will appear. More details on this can be found in section 5.11. LOAD (BG) This will load a new database into memory ready for editing. For details on how to use the file requester please see section 5.1. SAVE (BG) This will save the current database to disk. Please note that the default extender used by the PREDICT module is ".PRED". For reasons given in section 5.12 it is best to save your database with the name "DEF.PRED" CLEAR (BG) Clicking on the clear gadget will erase the current database from memory. Before proceeding a requester will appear to confirm your decision and give you the option to change your mind. EXIT (BG) This gadget will take you back to the main menu. Any database you were working on will remain in memory. Section 5.5 QUIT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on quit will produce a requester asking you to confirm your decision. If you click on the "YES" gadget the Predict module will exit and return you to the master menu. Section 5.6 INFO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on "INFO" will produce the info. screen. Select "CANCEL" to return to the main menu. Section 5.7 SYSTEM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on "SYSTEM" will list the amount of chip and fast memory available. Select "CANCEL" to return to the main menu. Section 5.8 UPGRADE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on "UPGRADE" will produce details of the upgrade policy. If you wish to take up this offer and have a printer connected then click on the gadget marked "PRINT". This will print out an order form. More detailed information on how to upgrade to Dividend Master can be found in section 10 Section 5.9 USING THE SEARCH REQUESTER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The search requester allows you to jump to a specific record and works in one of two ways; 1] Search to Record ( Default ). If not already selected click on the gadget marked "RECORD". Type in the number of the record you wish to goto in the text gadget and press return. Providing that the record exists the program will now goto that record number. 2] Search to Week. Click on the gadget marked "WEEK".Type in the string you wish to search for in the text gadget and press return. The program will search the database for a match or partial match, and if found, goto that record. When in the "Search to Week" mode it is important to note that the program will search forward from the current position. Therefore attempting to search when you are already at the last record will not have much effect. It is always best to go to record number one before using the "Search to Week" function. If the search was unsuccessful then a "Not Found" message will be displayed. Section 5.10 USING THE DEFAULT REQUESTER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The default requester allows you to alter the amount of numbers predicted, and the number of weeks used by the First and Last functions. These settings can be saved to disk and are automatically recalled when the program loads. The requester is used in the following manner. NUMBER REQUIRED (TG) Enter the amount of numbers you require the predict function to return and press return. The maximum amount of numbers returned by the predict function is thirty, the program will not allow a number greater than this. FIRST/LAST (TG) Enter the number of weeks you wish the first/last function to use and press return. You cannot enter a figure greater than the number of weeks in the database. OK (BG) When you are satisfied with the current settings click on the "OK" gadget to exit. SAVE (BG) Clicking on the "SAVE" gadget will save the current settings to disk in a file called "DEFSET". These settings will then be used when ever the program loads. If the program cannot find a file called "DEFSET" then it will revert to its own internal default setting. This is 17 for the number required and 25 for the First/Last function. Section 5.11 FULL REQUESTER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The full requester appears when you attempt to add a record above the number of 208. This figure represents four years of results. When this requester appears the database will be reconfigured and you must take the following action. Click on the "OK" gadget to clear the requester. A file requester will now appear to give you the chance to save the current database. It is advisable to save the database with a different file name to its previous one. The program will now take the last 53 weeks of data and make this data the first 53 weeks of data in the new database. The database will now only be 53 weeks long and you can continue to add data to it. You can now save this database as your default database. The program works in this way so that when you have to start a new database there will always be enough information in it to make predictions. As an example let us suppose you have a database named "DEF.PRED" which is 208 weeks long. You click on the "ADD" gadget to add another record and the Full Requester appears. Click on the "OK" gadget to cancel this requester and a save requester appears. Save your database with a different file name, for example, "1990/94.PRED". The database will be saved. The database will now be reconfigured and you can now continue to add data. When you save the database save it with your original file name i.e. "DEF.PRED". Section 5.12 THE DATABASE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The database is the most important element of the Predict module and it is vital to ensure that you don't corrupt it. In practice this means you must always enter the correct results each week and every week. Any gaps between weeks in the database will seriously impair the efficiency of the program. There are only two rare occasions when you may miss a week - when no score draws occur, or when there are more than twenty three score draws. It only takes a few minutes each week to maintain the database. You need at least seven weeks of results in the database before the program can start to make a valid prediction. To counter the problem of having to start a database from scratch, and to allow you to start making predictions straight away, anybody who upgrades to Dividend Master will also receive an up to date database. For further details on upgrading please read section 9. Section 5.13 SPECIFICATIONS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Database ....... Maximum = 208 Weeks Number of Draws per week ....... Maximum = 23 Draws Amount of numbers returned by predict function ....... Maximum = 30 Standing entry check ( Check Function ) ....... Maximum = 28 Section 5.14 QUICK START ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When the Predict module first loads it searches the disk for a database named "DEF.PRED", and if found, loads it into memory. For speed of use it is advisable to name your current database "DEF.PRED". Section 6 FORM PREDICTION CONTROLS ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On loading, the Prediction module will present you with the main menu. All menu items are accessed by clicking on the relevant gadgets. The main menu has the following options: Fixtures ............See Section 6.1 Predict ............See Section 6.2 Quit ............See Section 6.3 Info ............See Section 6.4 System ............See Section 6.5 Upgrade ............See Section 6.6 Clicking on "QUIT" will produce a requester asking you to confirm your decision. If you click on the "YES" gadget the Predict module will exit and return you to the master menu. Section 6.1 FIXTURES ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The fixtures menu allows you to enter the required data on which a prediction will be based. This usually takes about 20 minutes and requires a copy of one of the Sunday Newspapers, or dedicated publications such as Raceform Update, to operate. Those owners of Pools-Tools should first read section 6.7 for important information regarding this function. Match Number This displays the current match number HOME TEAM (TG) Holds the name of the Home team. ( Optional) This is for your benefit only and a prediction can be made without this information. AWAY TEAM (TG) Holds the name of the Away team. ( Optional) This is for your benefit only and a prediction can be made without this information. HOME TEAM POINTS (TG) Holds the total points for the home team. It is possible to omit this information ( Please refer to the end of this chapter ). HOME WINS (TG) Holds the number of Home wins for the home team. HOME DRAWS (TG) Holds the number of Home draws for the home team. HOME LOSSES (TG) Holds the number of Home losses for the home team. AWAY TEAM POINTS (TG) Holds the total points for the away team. It is possible to omit this information ( Please refer to the end of this chapter ). AWAY WINS (TG) Holds the number of away wins for the away team. AWAY DRAWS (TG) Holds the number of away draws for the away team. AWAY LOSSES (TG) Holds the number of away losses for the away team. LEFT ARROW (BG) This gadget will decrease the match number by 5 < (BG) This gadget will decrease the match number by 1 > (BG) This gadget will increase the match number by 1 RIGHT ARROW (BG) This gadget will increase the match number by 5 LOAD (BG) The load gadget will allow you to load a fixtures file. The default extender is .FIXT SAVE (BG) The save gadget will allow you to save the current fixtures file. This is useful if you do not wish to enter all the fixtures in one sitting. The default extender is .FIXT ( Please refer to section 3.2 for details on the file requester ) CLEAR (BG) The CLEAR gadget will clear the current fixture. PURGE (BG) This gadget should be used with care as it will clear all fixtures. If you click on this gadget you will be requested to confirm your action. PREDICT (BG) Clicking on the PREDICT gadget will take you to the Prediction Menu. You can make a prediction at any time even if you have not entered details of all the matches in the fixtures list. Please refer to section 6.2 for more details on the Prediction menu. EXIT (BG) Clicking on this gadget will take you to the main menu. Team points. In general the relative league positions of the teams playing has a bearing on the outcome of a match. If you supply the number of points for each team the program will take this into account. However, this does tend to produce "form results" and lower dividends are probable. If you wish to direct the program to supply possible "surprise" results then do not enter any information in the Points text gadget. Although higher dividends are possible with surprise results, winning is less likely. Section 6.2 PREDICT ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The predict menu allows you to direct the program to predict either draws, homes, or aways. DRAWS (BG) This gadget will direct the program to calculate the most probable score draws. The program will then list those matches which it has calculated to be score draws. HOMES (BG) This gadget will direct the program to calculate the most probable home wins. The program will then list those matches which it has calculated to be home wins. AWAYS (BG) This gadget will direct the program to calculate the most probable away wins. The program will then list those matches which it has calculated to be away wins. LOAD (BG) The load gadget will allow you to load a fixtures file. The default extender is .FIXT EXIT (BG) Clicking on this gadget will either take you to the Main Menu or the Fixtures Menu. PRINT (BG) When the program has listed the results it will give the option to send these to a printer. Section 6.3 QUIT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on quit will produce a requester asking you to confirm your decision. If you click on the "YES" gadget the Predict module will exit and return you to the master menu. Section 6.4 INFO ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on "INFO" will produce the info. screen. Select "CANCEL" to return to the main menu. Section 6.5 SYSTEM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on "SYSTEM" will list the amount of chip and fast memory available. Select "CANCEL" to return to the main menu. Section 6.6 UPGRADE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clicking on "UPGRADE" will produce details of the upgrade policy. If you wish to take up this offer and have a printer connected then click on the gadget marked "PRINT". This will print out an order form. More detailed information on how to upgrade to Dividend Master can be found in section 9 Section 6.7 POOLS-TOOLS ONLY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As with previous versions of Pools-Tools the Form Prediction function is only available when you upgrade to Dividend-Master. To allow you to assess the Form Prediction Module all functions work as normal, but the program will not allow you to enter your own fixtures list. If you wish to see the program in action then please choose the LOAD gadget, from either the Predict Menu or the Fixtures Menu, and load the file SAMPLE.FIXT. Only Dividend-Master will allow you to enter your own fixtures list. More detailed information on how to upgrade to Dividend Master can be found in section 9 Section 7 WINNING LINES ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Once you have netted enough draws you will naturally enough want to check your plans for winning lines. To avoid disappointment I would advise the the following action before making any claim: 1) If the program states that you have any winning lines always purge the results table, then enter your results again to double check you have not made any errors. 2) If all is well then print out the winning lines and verify these against a copy of the plan you are using. 3) Always obtain a copy of any plan you are using. Please refer to chapter 12 for a list of usefull addresses. Section 8 COMMON PROBLEMS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In previous versions of Perm-Check some people commented that they were having problems with plan files. If you find that you cannot get a plan file to work check that there are no blank lines or special control characters in your file, as this was always nearly the problem. If the predict function does not return the amount of numbers you requested it is because there are not enough weeks in the database. If the search to week function fails to find the string you are after then you are probably already past that record. Remember that the program searches forward from its current position. Goto record 1 and try again. Occasionally the program will boot up with a smaller than usual 200 line screen. This sometimes happens when you do a warm reset. To cure this problem make sure you switch the machine off before booting Pools Tools. Section 9 UPGRADE OFFER ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dividend Master 2 is a more powerful version of Pools-Tools 2 and contains the following features not implemented in Pools-Tools 2; Printing Functions Purge Function Test Facility Tune Facility Perm Calculator Save default settings Full Form Prediction If Pools-Tools is of some use to you and you would like to take advantage of the extra features offered by Dividend Master 2 ( and also to receive an up to date prediction database ) then you can upgrade as follows. 1) Make a copy of your Pools-Tools disk. This is important since you will be required to send your original disk which will then be updated. 2) Send your original disk plus the sum of £4.50 to the address below. Paul Morley, 103 Micklefield Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. HP13 7EX * Payment should be by Cheque or Postal Order made payable to Paul Morley. * Please write your name in block capitals. * Please allow 10 working days for delivery * If your copy of Pools-Tools is supplied in a case you need only send the disk. You will receive; A copy of Dividend-Master 2 An up to date Prediction Database Databases for the English football seasons from 1982-1992 DIVIDEND-MASTER UPGRADE POLICY Whenever Dividend-Master is revised and another version published, all owners of Dividend-Master ( Versions 1 or 2 ) will automatically receive a copy of the new version. ************************************************************************* * * * If you wish you can print out and use the upgrade form from * * section 9.1. This contains more specific information on upgrading * * * ************************************************************************* Section 9.1 UPGRADE FORM ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I wish to upgrade to Dividend-Master and enclose my original disk plus the sum of £4.50 NAME: __________________________________ ( BLOCK CAPITALS PLEASE) ADDRESS: __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ __________________________________ I enclose a cheque/P.O. made payable to Paul Morley. Please do not send cash and please allow 10 working days for delivery. Thankyou. All orders should be sent to: Paul Morley, 103 Micklefield Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. HP13 7EX SECTION 10 FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At some point in the future I hope to produce a plan disk and other accessory disks. If you would like to be kept informed of developments, but do not wish to upgrade, then please send your name and address. SECTION 11 USEFULL ADDRESSES ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Below is a selection of addresses where you can obtain checking charts for plans. ALWAYS ENCLOSE A STAMPED, ADDRESSED ENVELOPE WHEN APPLYING FOR ANY PLANS. POOLS COMPANIES: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Perms Dept, LITTLEWOODS POOLS, Liverpool, L67 1AA The Perms Dept, VERNONS POOLS, Liverpool, L68 1AA The Perms Dept, ZETTERS POOLS, London, EC1P 1ZS BRITTENS POOLS, Pool House, Iliffe Avenue, Oadby, Leics. LE2 5LH MEDIA PLANS: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CHIRON PLANS, P.O. Box 462, Oxford, OX2 0RJ The Pools Dept, DAILY EXPRESS, 245 Blackfriars Road, London. SE1 9UX PERMAN PLANS, FREEPOST, Oxford. OX2 0BR DAILY MAIL PLANS, P.O. Box 352, Oxford. OX2 0AF The Pools Dept, THE SUN, No. 1 Virginia Street, London. E1 9XP THe Pools Dept, DAILY MIRROR, Holborn Circus, London. EC1P 1DQ SECTION 12 COMMENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you have any views about Pools-Tools ( good or bad ), or you find any bugs you wish to inform me of, then please write to me at the address given in section 9.1. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Many thanks to all the following All the people who have upgraded and have therefore made Pools-Tools 2 possible. All the libraries who have stocked Pools-Tools. The designers of AMOS for creating such a versatile and forgiving language. Dennis Leech and Oasis Software for allowing the use of the brilliant NCommand routines in this program. Caroline, for her help in testing the program and also to David, for keeping me sane during the development of this program. Thanks also to Sean Scanlon for Litplan 49 and Litplan B37. Good luck with your coupons! Paul Morley, January 20th, 1993