Developer Info: Track Abbreviation "Wars"...
 

Hello PA folks. I've been away from the forum for a while, but I'm back to talk about a possible software development issue. I uncovered something while making updates to the 2019 release of Expert, involving track abbreviations.

If you use the BRIS single-file comma-delimited format (also used by TrackMaster "B" files and JCapper user conversions), be aware that BRIS has chosen to modify the track code for the new Century Mile, from CTM to CML, in one of the two fields used for the PP track abbreviation. More specifically, the track code in fields 276-285 have CML in them, and track codes in fields 286-295 have CTM in them. I checked with Equibase and they are not using CML anywhere. Since I can't use 286-295 with 100% confidence, because BRIS hasn't confirmed which one is official, I wrote code to map them.

I figured that some of you software developers might not know this, and I apologize to those who already knew.