wp-SwimTeam v1.40-beta-1 now available

I have uploaded a preliminary build of wp-SwimTeam v1.40-beta-1.  This build introduces new functionality to support mixed gender and combined age groups.  It also fixes a number of small bugs I encountered along the way.

I have not done thorough testing on it as I don’t have access to MM and TM right now to validate the changes.  However, I am reasonably confident that the changes I’ve made will have little to no impact on Hy-tek compatibility.

If you run into any issues, let me know and I’ll get them fixed as quickly as I can.

wp-SwimTeam Beta (13005 downloads )

Changes to Age Groups

I am working on some new functionality to support mixed gender events.  While I am at it I have decided to fix a limitation with the current Age Groups where the need to define overlapping age groups works but causes some discrepancies on the roster and other reports.

I have enhanced the definition of an Age Group so it can either be “Standard” (which is what it has always been) or “Combined”.  A combined age group can support mixed genders and/or age ranges that span multiple age groups.  By differentiating two types of age groups it cleans up the issues with overlapping age groups too.

Here are a couple of screen shots of what the changes look like.  I am running through some testing now to make sure everything still works.

wpst_SS_03 wpst_SS_04

Supporting Mixed-Gender Events

It turns out adding support for mixed-gender events isn’t as simple as I thought it might be.  Because so much of wp-SwimTeam revolves around age groups, I haven’t made it very easy on myself to add this enhancement.

Events are tied to age groups so in order to add a mixed gender event, I need a mixed gender age group to associate it with.  A mixed-gender age group doesn’t really make any sense although it is similar to another feature which isn’t easy to support – age groups which are supersets of other age groups.

I have learned that some leagues have “special” events which are open to swimmers from multiple age groups.  For example:  The league my niece and nephew swim in has open freestyle events at the end of the meet.  There are two age groups (10 and under, 11-18) for each gender.  The wp-SwimTeam definition of an age group doesn’t work well for these groups either although it isn’t as problematic as a mixed gender event it.

After noodling around with a few ideas I think I have come to the conclusion that I need some sort of Age Group classification to allow defining a group which spans ages and/or genders.  I am struggling with nomenclature for these groups but I believe the fundamental idea is sound.

For now I am referring to these special age groups as a “Combined” age group.  They will not be counted in swimmer population numbers but will be used for Events and Entries.

wp-SwimTeam v1.37.976 released

This morning I released v1.37.976 of wp-SwimTeam.  This build addresses a bug which prevents the deletion of Event Groups and fixes several situations where dialog boxes were “floated” to the wrong place pushing them off the page to the right side.

You can find the latest version of wp-SwimTeam on the Download and  Installation page or in the WordPress Plugin repository.

wp-SwimTeam v1.25.865 now available

This afternoon I released an update to wp-SwimTeam.  This update, v1.25.865, fixes a number of issues and adds some new features.  Key in this build are a number of fixes to allow wp-SwimTeam to work under WordPress Multi-Site.

  1. Fixed issue with missing users when running under Multi-Site.
  2. Fixed User Drop Down select lists to work when running under Multi-Site.
  3. Fixed display of swim meet date in several locations eliminating PHP warning message.
  4. Updated SDIF profile success message presentation.
  5. Added support for Swimmer Labels in SDIF Roster export.
  6. Added support for Swimmer Labels in SDIF Meet Entries export.
  7. Fixed default sort order on Age Groups so it is predictable.

The new build replaces the latest beta release and is available from the Download page and from the WordPress plugin repository.

Bug Report for v1.22.x

Here are a couple of issues that I am working to fix this morning, an update should be available shortly.

  1. LSC Registration Pyramid doesn’t pass SDIF Checker.
  2. Can’t add or import events for an Event Group that doesn’t have at least one event already.

Please let me know if you’ve encountered any other problems.

wp-SwimTeam v1.22.831 now available

This evening I committed v.122 of wp-SwimTeam to the WordPress plugin repository.  This update completes the work I started about a month ago to overhaul the Event Model and add the ability to Export Meet entries in SDIF format such that they can be imported directly into any of the Meet Management applications.

I have made a lot of changes while working on this new functionality.  If you run into anything unusual, please let me know ASAP so I can fix it.

  • Added new Team Profile field to identify Coach by WordPress username.
  • Fixed numerous potential issues when either Swimmer or User option count was set to zero. The comparison was not accounting for the difference between zero and non-existant which resulted in using the default value of 5 in many instances.
  • Initial support for Meet Entries SDIF export. The current implementation makes some assumptions which will eventually be under user control via a form. The exported SDIF validates with the WinSwim SDIF Checker application but has not been tested extensively with any of the Hy-tek tools nor with WinSwim itself.
  • Added checking and error messages for all Actions to ensure something is selected when required.
  • Added GUI for Meet Entries Export.

wp-SwimTeam v1.19.783 released

This afternoon I released an update to wp-SwimTeam.  This latest update continues work on the new Event Model.  Events can now be imported from a Hy-tek Events File (.hyv) and connected to a swim meet.  I also made a number of GUI improvements to fix flow control and be more intuitive.  Other changes include:

  • Fixed wp-SwimTeam so it will work in sub-directory installations and WordPress multi-site.
  • Added new option to toggle message verbosity. Some actions generate numerous messages, this option will reduce and summarize messages.
  • Fixed Event Opt-In/Opt-Out which was broken with Event Model changes in v1.18.
  • Added ability to load Meet Events from an Event Group into a swim meet.
  • Fixed broken GUI controls for Events (expand, collapse, page forward and back).
  • Tightened up flow control between Event Groups and Events and Swim Meets and Events.
  • Changed buttons on for some actions (events, swim meets) to return to a logical place. “Back” and “Home” didn’t really mean anything in most cases. In particular, “Back” has been a reliability challenge so in most cases it has been eliminated.
  • Fixed several bugs in report generator which manifested themselves when User or Swimmer optional field count was set to zero.
  • Fixed bug which resulted in broken Opt-In and Opt-Out actions on the drop down lists.
  • Fixed bug which incorrectly entered Opt-In/Opt-Out information in Stroke format even when set for Event Mode.

This update is available now from the WordPress Plugin Repository or from the Download and Installation page.  Existing users should see an update notification appear on the WordPress Dashboard.

If you run into any problems, please let me know and I will try and fix them ASAP.  We’re gearing up for swim team season so I am actively engaged in adding features and fixing bugs right now.  My next effort, which I’ve already started, is what I refer to as Phase 3 of the new Event Model which will provide the ability to export a Meet Entries file accounting for scratches and/or registrations which can be loaded directly into one of the various Swimming applications (e.g. Hy-tek, WinSwim, and others).

Update on Events

I’ve been working on Events quite a bit over the last couple of days.  At this point I have all of the Event Management working again including the ability to import a Hy-tek Events File (.hyv).  I have not gotten to the point where I can connect the events to a swim meet but I don’t think that will take too long.  I will likely release an update with the progress I have to date.  Even with Events unfinished, it actually does more than the old Events Model does.  I have also fixed a few other odds and ends that I’d like to make sure get released sooner rather than later.

More on Event Groups

As I continue to work away on Event Groups and Event Management overall, I have realized that what I had implemented earlier was really poorly thought out.  The way I had defined events and assigned them to a swim meet really isn’t very useful.  The Event model will change quite a bit as I flush this out.  It is possible that it will be necessary to delete any existing events and redefine them using the new model.  I haven’t completely worked it out yet but that is likely where I am headed.  It makes the code too ugly to try and deal with old data that really isn’t used for anything in the new model.

I hope to have a release soon which has the base functionality done since I’ve also fixed a few other odds and ends while I’ve been in the code.