Discussion: Geek-love for AP

I've been publishing results for a major O carnival over the last few days, and AP has been the standout of all the systems I'm dealing with - flawlessly chunking through a fair whack of data (20 courses a day, 400+ competitors). In addition to this, I just got a total geek crush when I found I could upload an XML file with course length data, *after* already uploading the splits, without destroying or duplicating the existing data.

Love your work, Ken. Your stuff just *works*, and your interfaces make sense - no small feat for orienteering software.

I'm starting to embarrass myself now, so I'm off to bed so we can do it all again at 6am tomorrow. :)

I agree completely. Yesterday we ran courses that had been shortened because we couldn't cross a stream because of rain. I had a "revised" XML that I uploaded, but it was for the earlier courses! I thought, "Oh no!", but when I clicked on "Edit Course Lengths", there was an option to load a new XML. So recovery was painless.

IMO, AP could supplant Winsplits.

Watch out, RouteGadget!

*smacks head* As always happens, I just hit an error while trying to upload splits. :)

com.mysql.jdbc.exceptions.jdbc4.MySQLSyntaxErrorException: You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '402199,1601584,253395,204026,302734,1601594,1602718)' at line 1

You do this just to torture me, don't you Ken? :)

Looks like there are more SI card numbers than x... where x is the number of participants/rows of splits? pure speculation.

Yes, I have to keep you on your toes. (I replied to your email...blank SI card number)

Regarding leg lengths, if there is ever a case where you don't have them automatically measured from ocad/condes/etc, the edit-lengths page can pull leg lengths from runners' uploaded gps tracks. Due to the potential for gps inaccuracy, this option is currently only available to the owner of the track, who presumably has an idea whether their data is any good. eventually it could use multiple tracks to reduce the chance of error.

Well, my initial thought to Juffy's gushing was to think that as much as I like how well AP works, I am more impressed on how quickly Ken responds when WE screw things up, and Juffy so kindly provided an example. ;)

Huge thanks to Ken!

the edit-lengths page can pull leg lengths from runners' uploaded gps tracks

Jeeeeeeeeez.....

that was mostly about me not wanting to look around for my ruler.

So, a little more feedback....

Went to try to add leg lengths to the Blue course from Pond Mt. on Saturday, and it worked, cool, and then I looked at the lengths, and it was clear something was wrong. And then I remembered I had started my GPS 25 seconds late (so it's using the wrong points to make measurements, and it's obvious on the short legs).

So I went to delete the lengths, but they seem to be stuck there now?

You should be able to clear them by entering all zeros.

Zeroes didn't seem to work. So I got out the ruler....

"that was mostly about me not wanting to look around for my ruler."

Laziness is the mother of invention.

AP will now calculate straight line leg lengths from a circuitious GPS track?

I suppose that it will work only if splits have been taken at every control, right?

Or if there are accompanying splits entered (e.g. from epunching)?

Right, it can use splits entered from epunching.

And I can see why zeros didn't work, it was specifically preventing that for some probably-not-very-good reason (fixed).

You mean I could just add an ocad file in some way? Will have to look at it.

You mean I could just add an ocad file in some way?

Yes, depending on the version, something like courses/export xml format (very rough instructions).

Cool - done.

I just noticed that Ken's also updated the way lists of splits are presented on event pages, so that they're listed by date and there's a little dot next to the course(s) for which you've claimed splits. Not a major change for most events, but for the carnival I originally linked to it makes a huge difference to readability.

Very nice work. :)

That is SO cool -- thanks, Ken! More streamlined than before for multi-day festivals.