Adjusting the track variants on single file BRIS

[banacek]

I am looking for a way to adjust the BRIS single file so that I can change the track variant number (the 15, 19, 12 whatever) to my own (I have a file with my own variants). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

[raybo]

I am looking for a way to adjust the BRIS single file so that I can change the track variant number (the 15, 19, 12 whatever) to my own (I have a file with my own variants). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Wow! That will be quite a job. I assume you want to change the DRF variant for every paceline for every horse in every race on a card? Lots of editing to do.

If I needed to do that, I would use Excel 2007 or Excel 2010, because versions after Excel 2003 have enough columns to accomodate all 1435 fields in the raw Brisnet single file format files (.drf and .mcp), allowing the importation of each horses 1435 data fields onto a single row, 1 horse per row. Then make all the changes to the DRF variant fields, for all the horses' pacelines, then save that as a "CSV (Comma Delimited) file, then renaming the file the same thing it was when you imported it (Ded1208.drf for example).

There may be a better way to do that, but I'm unaware of it. I hope you realize the scope of what you want to do.

[banacek]

I guess I'm looking for some sort of "program" which would do it for me. Something that would read the date and track and variant from my list and switch them on the .drf file. Maybe it is too hard or I'd need some custom programming...I can live with it the way I do it, it's just a bit of a hassle.

I actually only change the ones on the home track..and just the last 2 or 3. It is a lot of work..I have a semi-manual way of doing it now..takes me about 15 minutes card to adjust a .drf file now. Luckily I only play one track!

[Greyfox]

Welcome back Banacek! We missed you. :ThmbUp: :jump:

[PhantomOnTour]

I guess I'm looking for some sort of "program" which would do it for me. Something that would read the date and track and variant from my list and switch them on the .drf file. Maybe it is too hard or I'd need some custom programming...I can live with it the way I do it, it's just a bit of a hassle.

I actually only change the ones on the home track..and just the last 2 or 3. It is a lot of work..I have a semi-manual way of doing it now..takes me about 15 minutes card to adjust a .drf file now. Luckily I only play one track!
do you have their PP Gen program?
You can put anything you want just about anywhere you want with that program

[cj]

I guess I'm looking for some sort of "program" which would do it for me. Something that would read the date and track and variant from my list and switch them on the .drf file. Maybe it is too hard or I'd need some custom programming...I can live with it the way I do it, it's just a bit of a hassle.

I actually only change the ones on the home track..and just the last 2 or 3. It is a lot of work..I have a semi-manual way of doing it now..takes me about 15 minutes card to adjust a .drf file now. Luckily I only play one track!

That wouldn't be very hard at all using a programming language. A program could what you want in all races in a flash.

Or, you could just store the BRIS file in a database table, and your variants in another table, and make a query that replaces the variant column with yours, then export the query as the new BRIS file. You could probably do that in just a few minutes a day with Access or any of the other db programs out there.

[banacek]

That wouldn't be very hard at all using a programming language. A program could what you want in all races in a flash.

I'm not much of a programmer..unless 1985 Fortran and Basic count :lol: I do macros on excel (that's part of how I deal with it now), but that's about it.

Or, you could just store the BRIS file in a database table, and your variants in another table, and make a query that replaces the variant column with yours, then export the query as the new BRIS file. You could probably do that in just a few minutes a day with Access or any of the other db programs out there.

A few minutes a day is all it takes me now, so I'll check around and see if I can find a computer whiz at work to do it for me. I just thought maybe someone had dealt with this before and had an easy fix for a somewhat programming challenged handicapper.

Thanks anyway :)

[banacek]

Welcome back Banacek! We missed you. :ThmbUp: :jump:

Appreciate the sentiment...but now back to my cave. Best wishes to everyone here. :)

[Dave Schwartz]

I'm not much of a programmer..unless 1985 Fortran and Basic count I do macros on excel (that's part of how I deal with it now), but that's about it.

Actually, you could do it with either of those. LOL

And welcome back. Where the heck have you been?

[raybo]

If you can write macros in VBA, you could write one to open both files in Excel, copy your variants and paste them over the ones in the .csv file from Bris, save the Bris file as a csv file, then rename it changing the .csv extension back to the original Bris extension. All in a couple of seconds probably.

[BIG49010]

I have tried this with the PP Generator from Bris, the replacement of an item with my own and then saving the new file. I could never get the PP Generator to work with the altered file, so you might want to work with Ray's program or something else. My 2 cents.

[Capper Al]

I mess with BRIS' Multicaps files using a C++ file to pull in the data and alter it then importing into a spreadsheet and further messing with it. It works fine for me.

[BIG49010]

Tried it again yesterday, opened the bris file in Excel, then saved it with a number changed. The file wouldn't reopen in PP Generator, so you must have the magic touch.

[Tom]

Try opening it in Wordpad.
Make the change, then save and exit.
Should work then.

[raybo]

Try opening it in Wordpad.
Make the change, then save and exit.
Should work then.


Good luck finding the variant, that's why I suggested using Excel because there is a file format available. If he saves it as a csv then renames it back to what it originally was, it should open fine in any program that accepts that file.

[BIG49010]

Good luck finding the variant, that's why I suggested using Excel because there is a file format available. If he saves it as a csv then renames it back to what it originally was, it should open fine in any program that accepts that file.

I think Bris made it very sensitive to change, I did exactly what you are saying here, then opened it with the Bris's PP Generator and it comes back with an error. Actually I didn't change a thing, just opened and saved it as a dos comma delimited file, still error.

[banacek]

Try opening it in Wordpad.
Make the change, then save and exit.
Should work then.

I used to do that...cleaned up the columns with infotran first. Worked fine, just a bit of a pain. But I want to use the whole file in more than one program now.

Anyway, someone on the board has be kind enough to offer their assistance. :jump: Thanks all for the suggestions! :)

[ranchwest]

Yeah, all you need is a program to read in the data into an array, modify the correct array element and then write the file back out.

Depending on the format of your variant file, it should be pretty easy with the right programming tool.

[banacek]

I used to do that...cleaned up the columns with infotran first. Worked fine, just a bit of a pain. But I want to use the whole file in more than one program now.

Anyway, someone on the board has be kind enough to offer their assistance. :jump: Thanks all for the suggestions! :)

I'm reviving this thread from last year, as this never ended up getting done.I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion of a book I could use as a reference...my program is a macro in excel, so I'd like to figure out something that would deal with this within excel. I should learn how to do it myself anyway!

[banacek]

No luck, I guess. I've been trying to figure this out for 6 years - have been doing it semi-manually because I'm too lazy to learn. I'm going to see if I can figure it out..otherwise I'll find a programmer.

[JustRalph]

I tried something like this years back. I wanted to take their default par speed numbers for each race and automatically adjust them by reducing their numbers by 5 points i.e. 65 becomes 60 etc. then close the file and re-open it in Equisim.

Finally one of the guys who I worked with figured a convoluted way to do it using vb. it worked, but not for long. BRIS made some minor change in the file and screwed it up.

I finally gave up. Whatever you figure out, be aware that sometimes BRIS makes changes.

[BIG49010]

I use a simple changeto querry with my database program to put my numbers and data into the files that I download from bris. I have a report program I use with the database files I put together, but I have always want to make a quickie program that would put my figs in the Bris PP Generator, but have had zero luck with that project.