Pete Matthews software to create table guide cards

[BudH]

I've been trying to use Pete Matthew's Bridgemats software and directions which involve Perl to create table guide cards for about a dozen different game movements (external pair movements in ACBLscore). (See website http://web.mit.edu/mitdlbc/www/bridgemats/index.html .)

 

Alas, I cannot understand the directions on how to create these, and how to use a Perl script.

 

Embarassing for me, because I am reasonably literate using computers, being in my early 50s, but this topic is kicking my butt.

 

Does anyone have better or more detailed instructions on how to make guide cards using this method?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Bud H

[hrothgar]

I've been trying to use Pete Matthew's Bridgemats software and directions which involve Perl to create table guide cards for about a dozen different game movements (external pair movements in ACBLscore). (See website http://web.mit.edu/mitdlbc/www/bridgemats/index.html .)

 

Alas, I cannot understand the directions on how to create these, and how to use a Perl script.

 

Embarassing for me, because I am reasonably literate using computers, being in my early 50s, but this topic is kicking my butt.

 

Does anyone have better or more detailed instructions on how to make guide cards using this method?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Bud H

 

I dropped an email to Pete and gave him a pointer to this forum.

 

I think that he is directing tonight, so don't expect an immediate reply.

[RMB1]

..., and how to use a Perl script.

 

I can do that bit.

You need to install perl, on Window that means downloading Active Perl (or strawberry perl).

Then in a command tool

> perl -w BridgeMats.pl

 

But in Windows you have more work to install GhostScript and GSview to convert .ps to .pdf

[Vampyr]

Here we print out guide cards as needed, and they are often discarded after the session. They are small though, not like those big centre-of-the-table ones that the ACBL use.

 

However, perhaps trees can be saved if people get into the habit of just following the instructions on the Bridgemates.

[blackshoe]

Here, the instructions on the Bridgepads are typically ignored. I've had opponents, given the bridgepad to review and approve the score, just hit the next button several times without even looking at the display, which takes you past the movement instructions for the next round. I've also had them glance at the display, put the pad down without approving anything, and leave the table.

 

To be fair, I've also forgotten to get the score for a board approved until I find, when I go to enter the contract for the next board, that I forgot to put the previous one in. :o

[Vampyr]

Here, the instructions on the Bridgepads are typically ignored. I've had opponents, given the bridgepad to review and approve the score, just hit the next button several times without even looking at the display, which takes you past the movement instructions for the next round. I've also had them glance at the display, put the pad down without approving anything, and leave the table.

 

To be fair, I've also forgotten to get the score for a board approved until I find, when I go to enter the contract for the next board, that I forgot to put the previous one in. :o

 

Well, better habits are clearly needed.

[mycroft]

That's one of the issue with Bridgepads - every button is "next". The Bridgemates have an Accept key that is different from the "next" OK key to stop this (and to stop Norths who put in the score and then mash on next, thus approving their own score. Whether they do that through ignorance, impatience or "why would anyone doubt *me*?", it's frustrating).

 

But you use the tools you use, and take the benefits and the downsides of them in as much stride as you can.

[blackshoe]

Today, I sat North. Three times the defender to whom I handed the bridgepad did not press "next" or otherwise accept the score, although one of them did actually look at it before he got up and left the table. Whether he actually saw anything when he did so is another question.

[Vampyr]

Today, I sat North. Three times the defender to whom I handed the bridgepad did not press "next" or otherwise accept the score, although one of them did actually look at it before he got up and left the table. Whether he actually saw anything when he did so is another question.

 

So often a useful procedure or solution is suggested, and people chime in to say "our players don't/won't comply". That, it seems to me, is probably a bigger problem than whatever the original one was.

 

I have had a thought about Bridgemates. It seems to me that it would save time if the protocol was that dummy entered the info and not North. Does anyone agree?

[BudH]

So often a use fool procedure or solution is suggested, and people chime in to say "our players don't/won't comply". That, it seems to me, is probably a bigger problem than whatever the original one was.

 

I have had a thought about Bridgemates. It seems to me that it would save time if the protocol was that dummy entered the info and not North. Does anyone agree?

 

I am constantly urging the North players to put the contract in IMMEDIATELY after the auction, keep the Bridgemate in hand, then enter the opening lead as soon as it is made. Then all you need to enter is the result in a one or two keystrokes and give it to East for approval.

 

The alternate approach of giving it to (presumed) dummy sounds like another excellent approach, although he will need to put his cards down on the table, but he can enter information after the opening lead and dummy is displayed.

[pran]

I am constantly urging the North players to put the contract in IMMEDIATELY after the auction, keep the Bridgemate in hand, then enter the opening lead as soon as it is made. Then all you need to enter is the result in a one or two keystrokes and give it to East for approval.

After more than ten years of experience with Bridgemate being used in all my events I urge North (!!!)

 

1: to enter the board number before anybody takes any card from the board. (This prevents players from taking a board already played, or not scheduled for them in that round)

 

2: to enter the contract immediately after the auction is completed (while their memory is fresh)

 

3: to enter the opening lead (if required) immediately when faced (while their memory is fresh)

 

4: to enter the resulting number of tricks before any cards are restored to the board, and have East confirm. (so that any disagreement can be solved in the proper way)

 

5: Never consider a round completed without having seen "End of Round" or "End of Session" on the Bridgemate display. (In order to avoid late play penalties because of missing boards or missing results on the last board)

 

I strictly enforce the principle that late play penalties are invoked based on the time when the last board in the round was registered on the Bridgemate (as can be verified from the Bridgemate control log), the fact that the only failure was just forgetting to press "Confirm" on the Bridgemate is immaterial, a board has not been completed until the result is properly reported.

 

I agree that players often ignore such instructions, but if any discussion on what should have been entered develops they will have to find some good answers why they did not obey to the instructions given by me as Director.

 

And the general response to my way of running events appears to be satisfaction.

 

The alternate approach of giving it to (presumed) dummy sounds like another excellent approach, although he will need to put his cards down on the table, but he can enter information after the opening lead and dummy is displayed.

Based on my own experience I consider this a very unfortunate idea.

[blackshoe]

What do we do if North is dummy?

 

IMO no player should enter anything in a bridgemate or bridgepad or write anything down anywhere until he has fulfilled any obligations he may have wrt making the opening lead, asking or answering questions, or facing the dummy.

[BudH]

I can do that bit.

You need to install perl, on Window that means downloading Active Perl (or strawberry perl).

Then in a command tool

> perl -w BridgeMats.pl

 

But in Windows you have more work to install GhostScript and GSview to convert .ps to .pdf

 

 

I installed GhostScript, GSView, and ActivePerl on my 64-bit Windows 7 computer.

 

So, assuming I have an ACBLscore external file called "movement.MOV", in which folder do I need to copy the movement.MOV file and what folder do I need to be in before using the command prompt? And what specifically would be typed into the command prompt?

[mycroft]

Now it's time to RTFM: but since "reading man pages" isn't exactly a standard bridge training lecture, let's see if I can distill enough to get you on your way.

 

All the quotes from http://web.mit.edu/mitdlbc/www/bridgemats/BridgeMats.txt .

 

"For best results, the current working directory should contain

the movement file (whose extension must be .MOV, .BAM, or .IND),

BridgeMats.pl, BridgeMats.ps, and BridgeMats.sw. Movements

normally come from C:\ACBLSCOR\MOV, \BAM or \IND - or

wherever you saved them from ACBLscore."

 

So, either copy all of those movement files into some directory (and put the BridgeMats files in there too) or put the BridgeMats files in the directory of the movements, and run it from there. The computer user in me winces at the latter (because these extra files "shouldn't be there" and could disappear at any upgrade, or anybody else touching the club computer), but the director in me winces at the former (because having two copies of the same thing is almost always bad, and really bad when either a new one shows up somewhere or one gets changed). It would be really nice if BridgeMats could be given a parameter that gives the directory of the MOV files, but that's just me.

 

After you've decided where you're going to work, either open a command prompt and navigate to that folder or go to that folder and open a command prompt from there (shift-rightclick in the folder, it will be one of the options in the menu: Windows Vista and up, not XP, sorry).

 

Once you're at the command prompt in that folder, start by getting the usage information:

 

> perl BridgeMats.pl -h

 

You should get something big and ugly like

 

Usage:  BridgeMats.pl  [switches]  movement-file 

where movement-file is an ACBLscore movement file and switches are:

 -b number  Number of boards per round (default for ~24 boards)
 -c number  Text color (0 in BridgeMats.sw):
            0=use number of tables, black for partial tables
            1=Black (program default), 2=Olive, 3=Purple, 
            4=Green, 5=Blue, 6=Teal, 7=Red, 8=Orange, 9=Brown.
 -d         Dump the movement file as text to stdout (see -n)
            Use Notepad to print after redirecting (> file.txt)
 -f factor  scale factor: default 1.0 for US Letter.  Use 1.27 for full US 
            Legal, 1.11 for Baron/Barclay sleeves, 1.15 for old ACBL. See -W.
 -g number  group this number of ACBLscore rounds as one - when
            applicable, -g is required for correct next table
 -h         Print this help to stdout and exit
 -l         Omit the last mat (dummy table in ACBLscore)
 -L         Print the license for BridgeMats and exit
 -m         Write .IND rover movement file (sets -n, -d), error if not:
                input        output        with -R      note
                S0721.IND    S0721R.IND    S0721RR.IND  rotation
                S0824.IND    S0824R.IND    S0824RR.IND  rotation
                S0924.IND    S0924R.IND    S0924RR.IND  rotation
                S1027.IND    S1027R.IND    S1027RR.IND  rotation
                S1133.IND    S1133R.IND    S1133RR.IND  rotation
                S1224.IND    unable to compute, if any  S/E switch
                S1326.IND    S1326R.IND    S1326RR.IND  S/E switch
 -M         Perform calculations for .IND rover movement and exit.
            Over 9 tables:  calculations may be lengthy, and a rover
            movement without conflicts may not exist.  -t 8 or -t 11
            recommended.  To use the results, the program must be modified.
 -n         Produce no PostScript mats, dump only (sets -d)
 -o number  Produce only the mat for this table number
 -r number  Roving pair/player number (value from file is ignored)
 -R number  The direction of the SECOND rover (0=N, 1=E, 2=S, 3=W); must be 
            a double rover individual movement.  With rotation, the first 
            rover is always W; without rotation, the first rover is always N.
            Usually specify 3, but use 0 for S1224 or S1326. 
 -s         Print scoring table to Scorer.htm -- this switch must be last, 
            and the switch file is not read.  (Open Scorer.htm with MS Word,
            paste the table into Excel.)
 -t number  Truncate movement after this number of grouped rounds -
            27 ungrouped rounds is the maximum without overprinting
 -w         Double-weave movement (even EW down, odd EW up), board jump
 -W inches  Specifies the print area width, in inches.  For the width produced
            prior to version B309, perhaps with -f 1.11 for Baron/Barclay
            sleeves, use -W 5.0.  To fill the width of US Letter paper, use
     -W 8.0, the default.
 -x         2-table appendix (Bowman) movement: only top two tables

 

 

Now, that's more than you'll ever want to know, but it's also everything you will want to know (and proves you have everything set up properly - perl, the scripts, ...)

 

It looks like at least to start, you should just run

 

> perl BridgeMats.pl <movement file>

 

and see what you get. It *should* be a decent default.

 

> perl BridgeMats.pl H0608.MOV

 

is the 8x3 6-table Howell; should be a good test.

 

You should get a .ps file (I'm guessing H0608.ps, if you used my example) in that same directory; you should be able to open that in GSView to see what you got. Convert to PDF if you want and print.

 

Good luck!