Stable Admin Help

Web Pony Competition Result System

How to onboard to the WPCRS system?

Contact Pricilla Slade. A stable entry in the WPCRS data base will then created for your stable.

And you will get the needed tools:

The WPCRS interface
The WPCRS backup tool
The WPCRS event pyramide
The WPCRS course/event setup tool (courses and events can also be maintained via WPCRS web site)
Your Username/password to enter the Administration section of the WPCRS web site
(This allows you to also view test data (course/event/run) and to create and update courses and events online)
Your Stable Secure Code (this is a password which together with your Stable ID prevents from somebody messing up with other stables data)

Parts of the WPCRS system

WPCRS Interface

The WPCRS interface captures the run data from the timer system and sends it to the web server. The run data will then be stored in the data base and and the ranking list for the given event will be updated.

Note: the WPCRS interface serves also as a ranking list backup tool with no connection to the web server. If the interface is used as an inworld backup tool only no stable, no course, no event has to be set up. The tool just keeps the current ranking list. In this case only a very few parameters have to be configured. E.g. for the LUV system only the timer system and the channel have to be entered in the setup notecard. This is done in a few seconds.

The WPCRS interface cube is made from two prims. If an authorized user touches the face with the Stable Logo a menu appears. If the face with the WPCRS logo will be touched by someone who did at least one run the current ranking and the numbers of runs will be displayed. If the avatar which touched the stable logo is not autorized or the avatar touching the WPCRS logo did no run appropriate messages will be displayed.

WPCRS Backup Tool

From time to time there is some maintenance activity on web server or data base server or a server is overloaded for a certain period of time. In such cases the server is not available and no run data can be stored in the data base. To prevent the WPCRS system to loose data in such cases there is the backup tool.

If the WPCRS interface did not get a success message after sending a HTTP request to the web server (to store the run data) it will send the result to the backup tool where the run data are stored in the backup tool's memory. It's up to the host or a member of the stable staff - from time to time - to check if the backup tool contains some run data (the WPCRS interface can be configured to send an IM if a result has been sent to the backup tool). If this is the case the respective person now should check if the data is really not stored in the data base. If this is the case the data can now be sent again by pressing a menu button. The backup tool provides functionality to view the stored run data, to resend stored run data or to delete entries if they are already stored in the data base.

Don't panic. The system is in use at EPG for almost one year. It showed that entries in the backup tool are very rare. And mostly the shown runs have already be stored in the data base. This is because the inworld web server does not always get a response from a HTTP request, even if the request has been successful. To be on the save side the WPCRS interface will send the run data to the backup tool in every case it is not able to relate a 'success' response to a sent HTTP request.

The only setup needed for the backup tool is the chat channel on which the WPCRS interface sends the run data. Backup tools can be concatenated. Means if a backup tool is running out of memory it can send the run data to another backup tool. But in practice it makes no sense to set up more than 1 or 2 backup tools.

WPCRS event pyramide

After touching the pyramide a menu button will be provided which opens the event page in the web browser if pressed. This feature will also be included in the WPCRS interface soon.

WPCRS course/event setup tool

This tool allows to display, create and update Course and Event data inworld. The data are entered in the setup notecard. The desired function can be choosen via the menu system.

How to set up the WPCRS system?

First you have to understand how the system is designed and how it works. No worry, it's very easy.

As all the runs are stored in a data base there is a data model behind. The data model consists of the following main entities:

Stable (there is one entry for each participating stable)
Course (there is one or several courses which belongs to your stable)
Event (there is one or several event held on one of your courses, at least the public use/practicing event)
Run (there is no, one ore several runs for each event)
Result (there is exactly one result for each event)
There are more entities like e.g. 'Event Status' which holds the valid event status definitions. But this is in the background and not needed to know or to understand.

So what is important now.

You have to set up a course entry for every course you want to store the results with the WPCRS system.
You have to set up at least one event for every course. This is the so called 'public use / practicing' event. This is the standard event for the 'normal' use of the course - when no specific event is going on. It's strongly recommended to set up the 'public use / practicing' event directly after you have set up a new course. And it's a precondition to be able to set up the WPCRS interface.
Set up the WPCRS interface for the given course (precondition: course and related event already been set up)

How to do this.

Courses and events can be set up inworld via the WPCRS course/event setup tool (data entered via notecard). But both courses and events can also be set up via the WPCRS web site. Maintenance/creation via web site is more comfortable then via the inworld tool, also the inworld set up is quite easy.

The WPCRS interface must be configured inworld via notecard.

How to set up a course and an event for the WPCRS system?

First you have to set up the course where the event should be held. This can be done inworld via the WPCRS course/event setup tool or - even more comfortable - via the WPCRS web site.

Setup via WPCRS course/event setup tool

Create a course/event:

Rezz the Course/Event Setup Tool you received with your WPCRS system.
Open the 'setup' notecard and enter all the needed data in the 'Course' section of the notecard
The notecard contains a detailed description of all the parameters.
Save the notecard and close the tool - then touch the tool
In the menu showed up press the 'Create Course' button
Now the system chats the generated 'course number'
Open the tool again, then open the notecard
Enter the received course number in the 'course ID' paramter in the 'Event' section of the notecard.
Fill in the needed data in the 'Event' section of the notecard
Save the notecard and close the tool - then touch the tool again
In the menu showed up press the 'Create Event' button
Now the system chats the generated event number

If you like you can save the generated courseID and eventID in a comment line of the tool or write it down on a slip of paper. You will need these ID's to set up the WPCRS interface for that course, respectively event.

Hint: by touching the button 'Last Course' and 'Last Event' the 'Course/Event Setup Tool' will show the last created ID's for course or event.

Display data of an existing course/event:

If you want to dislplay data of an existing course or event just fill in the regarding ID in the notecard an press the 'Disp Course' or 'Disp Event' button. The data will then be displayed.

Updata existing course/event data

Fill in the regarding course or event ID and the data you want to change. Leave parameters empty if you don't want to change that data. If you want to remove an existing value enter 'NULL' instead of a value.

In case of creation or update of data a few validations will take place. If you did not fill in a mandatory parameter or if you entered a not allowed value you will get an appropriate message after pressing the 'Create' or 'Update' menu button.

Setup a course via WPCRS web page

In the menu bar choose Admin --> View/Edit Course. Then the form below will be displayed. Fill in the needed data.

Note: if you would like to create a new course just click the link in the title. You will then be directed to the update form. In this case there is no need to enter further data in this form.

For display or update of existing course data you have to fill in your selection criteria in the presented form. After pressing the 'Submit' button the course data according to your selection criteria will be displayed below this form.

If you want to edit existing data just click on the Course ID in the presented data table. This will then open the update form.

Note: in any case - also with the inworld tool - you have to fill in your Stable ID and your Stable Secure Code. If these two attributes does not match the values in the data base entry for your stable no data will be shown. This is to ensure that nobody is able to change data which belongs to another stable.

Setup an event via WPCRS web page

The event form looks almost the same and the handling is exactly the same. There is just an additional input field 'Event ID'. And of course in the menu bar you choose Admin --> View/Edit Event.