Trouble Comments File
QuickHorse allows each user to specify how they wish a horse's lines to be interpreted regarding whether or not the horse "had a bad trip". This is done by allowing each user to edit their own "trouble.txt" file.QuickHorse gives a user the ability to "program" more phrases to determine "Troubled Races". QuickHorse "reads" the comments of racing results and looks for certain key words to indicate trouble. We've received additional words and phrases and implemented them into the QuickHorse "brain", however, some of you may find others and wish to add them yourselves. To do so, we've added this menu bar drop down menu feature and a "button" to both the results display and outings display which will allow you to edit a simple text file called "trouble.txt".
Look for the "EDIT TRBL FILE" on the "color legend" of the outings display for any horse. Or, look for the "EDIT TROUBLE FILE" on the results display. The first time
you use either button, NOTEPAD will ask to create the file "trouble.txt", and you should say YES.
To add words or phrases, simply type the word or phrase on a line, then press ENTER so that only one word/phrase is on each line in this file.
For example:
trouble
went wide
blocked in
Do not use:
trouble went wide blocked in
---------------- end of samples ------------------
In addition to adding phrases, some users have asked for additional flexibility to mark races as troubled. For example, some users wish
to discard a race as "troubled" if the horse finished 7th or 8th. To provide this flexibility to QuickHorse we've added additional
"expressions", you may place in the trouble.txt file, that QuickHorse will recognize. For example, place the text:
F>6
by itself on a line in the TROUBLE.TXT file. QuickHorse will understand this expression to mean: If the horse finished greater than 6th, ie 7th
or worse, then mark this race as troubled.
Likewise, some users want to exclude races in which a horse broke poorly.
Therefore, you may use:
1>7
This expression tells QuickHorse to mark all outing in which a horse was 8th or worse at the 1st Call (1st Call > 7) as troubled outings. Also, you can describe the 2nd Call and stretch requirements, for example:
2>6
would mean any horse which is in 7th or worse position at the 2nd call would be classified has having a troubled outing, or
S>5
would mean that any horse running 6th or worse in the stretch had a troubled outing. When using the "expression" feature, make sure you
don't space between the 3 characters used. You must use B,E,S, or F as the first letter, the second letter MUST BE a "greater than" sign
'>', and the last must be a number from 1 to 8 inclusive. If you don't do this, the QuickHorse will be unable to read your request.
Of course, if you don't wish to use this feature, then DO NOT place any of these expressions in the TROUBLE.TXT file.
In addition to allowing you to FORCE a line to be "troubled", QuickHorse allows the "less than mneumonic", to "inhibit" a trouble comment. Here's
how this works.
Suppose a horse comes in 3rd or better, BUT the chart writer notes trouble in his comment. This race will be
thrown out by QuickHorse IF you set TROUBLE to NO. Well, you might want to include this race as "untroubled".
To do so, you use the "less than mnemonic". Simply enter as the last line in your trouble.txt file, the following:
F<4
"F<4" will mean, "If a horse finishes better than 4th place, then set the race as untroubled". You can also use the "less than
mnemonic" for Break, Half, and Stretch calls if you wish. For example:
1<4
2<4
S<4
Of course, you can use any number 1 through "N", where N is the maximum number of horses in a race.
A final feature of the trouble.txt file is the following:
TRB=NO
Place this text on the very first line of the touble.txt file to override the QuickHorse Brain which determines which races have trouble.
If you place this in your trouble.txt file and save it, then CONVERT all your programs again, you will find that there are NO
troubled races. If you add your own trouble text phrases after this line, those are the only phrases that will be used to mark a race
as troubled.
When finished, simply save the file. Then you MUST do a REBUILD or your Database
so that the import programs will use these new words/phrases/expressions.
To do a REBUILD, first exit QuickHorse, then restart it, and select the REBUILD
button on the first popup of QuickHorse AFTER the "I AGREE" license
page.