EBUScore - Recovery when Update Movement pressed erroneously
Since starting using EBU Score 6 months ago we have had 2 events where the scorer erroneously pressed the Update Movement button in Bridgemate scoring. Whilst EBUScore and the BWS file retain the results the Bridgemates and Bridgemate server discard the results subsequent to Round 1 and ask for results from round 2. On both occasions we have completed the evening with paper travellers as the way of getting the Bridgemates to the proper round was not clear. I have subsequently worked out that we can get the Bridgemates and server working again by recovering the data from the Bridgemate Control Software .BWS file to the Bridgemate server. Go into BCS/Session/Synchronise/Recover and then select Recover Server and say yes to two or three warnings. You may also need to Read all Results in Bridgemate Scoring once all results have been entered in the Bridgemates.
I have warned our scorers of the dangers of the Update Movement button but I wonder if the Update Movement select round window could be set to default to the current round rather than Round 2
Comments
Hi Stan, is this in Swiss events? I presume so as in non-Swiss events you would only rarely be using the Update Movement button. Jonathan
No - it was a normal pairs event and the button was pushed erroneously by a not very computer literate scorer who was trying to get the scrolling screen updating again.
I have over fifty experience working with computers but EBUScore frightens me. Nothing about it is user friendly.
Alan
In this case would the results still be in the Bridgemates? Would it work to go round the room and 'Resend Results' from each of the Bridgemates in turn?
No that does not work Robin, the only data left in the server and the Bridgemates is Round 1.
We have drifted away a bit, I wasn't asking for a way of fixing the issue once it occurred but suggesting that having the Update Movement button default to the current round might avoid others having the issue.
I might be wrong here, but (re)starting the movement from the current round removes already entered scores from the current round which could be just as frustrating, compared to moving to the next round which will prevent players from completing their results from the current round. At my club, we have no paper scorecards so your suggestion would have the effect of permanently losing those scores if we did press that button in error. The "update movement" button is primarily used if there are latecomers that may lead to a removed sitout or some sort of rover movement.
Going back to your original point though, I've never had an issue with pressing that button in error, particularly since there's no reason to touch EBUScore once the movement has started (other than to enter unknown player names)... there wouldn't be much demand to change what I consider to be a well designed and easy to use program.
As Stan rightly explains, the Update has not affected the data already received in EBUScore (and the database (bws) file is intact).
The Synchronise/Recover is actioned directly through BCS (‘Session’; Synchronise/Recover’; ‘Recovery’). This procedure reads the results and the movement data from the .bws file in BCS and sends to the server to bring it in-line with BCS. The Bridgemates are then able to show the current situation as held on the server. (This process can synchronise the other way round –but not relevant for simple events). The detailed BCS procedure is:-
Click ‘Recover Server’.
Answer ‘Yes’ to ‘...are you sure you want to recover the server’
Answer ‘Yes’ to ‘...are you sure you want to reset the server’
Enter the security number as requested
Click ‘Close’ on the pop-up box
The suggestion to correlate the Update Round is reasonable, though the same mishap can still happen and the BCS will request all the results from the update round. I suppose we could put an 'Are you absolutely sure...' further warning with the button as it is probably never used in IS and TS, and it only applies in PS to rare situations where you remove/add a round, forget the arrowswitch, or add a late table....
I considered Session : Recover but this was far out of my comfort zone. I closed the session and left. Some experts from the club have looked at it but I'm not hopeful of recovery.
I did look in the EBUScore manual on the EBU site (dated 2017) in an attempt to understand the significance of Read All Results (which I wanted to do but couldn't) and Clear Rounds (which I had done, probably incorrectly) but could find nothing about either one.
As I said above this program could win prizes for un-user-friendliness.
:(
Alan
If all else fails the Bridgemate Control System Log File contains all the player information and contract information and you can use this to rescore the event manually (or recreate it from scratch using Bridgemates to enter the data again). Feasibility depends on how big an event it was, I guess.
Thought: Has anyone written a utility to read the log file and do this automatically?
All the best
Peter
Peter Bushby Suffolk
Alan
Alan
Just because you say it repeatedly, doesn't necessarily make it true!
If you phoned us when you are actually in front of the computer I'm sure we could talk you through it. Make sure not to run another event with the same server though
Thanks Jeffrey, my suggestion to link the Update Round to the current round was because I could foresee circumstances where you would want to change the movement from that round eg if a missing pair slot is filled early in round but Couldn't think of any circumstances where you would want to update from an earlier round.
For 16248 - I agree about the programs unfriendliness. In particular setting up the program on a new computer requires entries in half a dozen places. A single configuration page and an easily transferable configuration file would be great improvement. I have held three half day training sessions for my scorers and they still struggle. I am called on at least once a week to solve issues and when I am playing at the club scarcely an evening goes by without my help being sought.
The trick when all the data appears lost is to see where it is before touching anything. (It is difficult to accidentally delete it on the Bridgemates, the BWS file the Bridgemate server and in EBUScore so you can normally recover from one of these or as Peter says in the worst case from the log file.) I have put together a Problems and Solutions paper based on a document by Jeffrey Smith you can download a copy here https://1drv.ms/w/s!AmGaRHJzv2E2jbImMHOG0MwVXuWDjA?e=sF5VIO
I disagree with many of the comments above relating to unfriendliness. As I see it, you can either have:
There are some excellent manuals around (admittedly not easy to find) that will thoroughly explain the meaning of most features, which can then be used if an issue does arise. It's normally best though, as mentioned above, to avoiding making any further alterations if something does appear to have gone wrong - there are also EBU TDs on call to help out if you're really struggling. My only suggestion would be for the EBU to produce a summary of all features in EBUScore so that you know what the button vaguely does (and you can ask questions if you want to utilise it) - there are options that don't make sense to me but I've never had the inclination to use. Obviously this would take time, and the EBU already has a manual for EBUScore Pairs which covers the basics and what to do if there is an adjustment (perhaps updating the movement from round 2 to add a missing pair or rover might be worth adding in an appendix).