Score Tracker and Team Optimizer is a program that allows you to input any number of scores for any number of players. Typical scores you might keep track of are bowlers or golfers scores. You can view a list of these scores of each player, along with information on the number of scores, the total of the scores, and the average score of the player. You can also get a summary of all the players together, giving the number of scores, sum of the scores, and average score of each player (but not individual scores). This makes the program useful for general record keeping. However, Team Optimizer can do more. Once it has a list of players and their scores, it can create groups or teams using these players, where each group will either has the greatest possible similarity between people within a team or between teams.
"Greatest possible similarity between people within a team" means that difference between average player scores is the smallest for all the teams. This can be useful, for example, in dividing up 16 golfers into 4 foursomes so that the players in each foursome have similar scores.
"Greatest possible similarity between people between teams" means that the teams are good matches against each other. You might use this, for example, if you wanted to divide 8 bowlers into two teams of four to compete against each other.
Note: If you have numbers that directly represent a player's ability, such as a golf handicap or a chess ranking, you can use these numbers instead of actual scores to allow Team Optimizer to create the optimal groups.
Disclaimer
Team Optimizer is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind. It is the sole responsibility of the end user to determine the applicability, accuracy, and appropriateness of this program for your particular purposes. Neither Leithauser Research nor David Leithauser is responsible for any damages resulting from the use or misuse of this program.
Shareware Notice
Team Optimizer is distributed as shareware. This means that you can try it for one month to see if it fits your needs. If it does, you are required to pay for it by sending the registration fee of $19.98 (US) to Leithauser Research. You can pay with a credit card online at paylr.html, or by calling Leithauser Research at 1-386-410-6769 with your credit card information. You can also send check or money order and the registration form (click on the Print button on the registration screen to print this form) to
Leithauser Research
821 SnapDragon Drive
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168
If you do not pay the registration fee within 30 days of the time you start using it, Team Optimizer will stop functioning until you pay the registration fee. When you pay for Team Optimizer, you will receive the registration code, which you can then input in the Register screen. This registration screen will appear each time you run Team Optimizer. You can also cause it to appear by clicking on the Register menu at the right end of the menu line at the top of the Team Optimizer screen. The Register menu will disappear once you have registered this program.
Installing Team Optimizer in Windows
To install Team Optimizer on your disk, run the toarc.exe by double clicking on the tdcarc.exe icon in Windows Explorer or My Computer, or by using the Run option when you download toarc.exe from LeithauserResearch.com.
Using Team Optimizer
The first thing you need to do is set up a file. Click on the "File" menu and then on "Create New File." This will display a screen asking you to input a name for the file. Input a name for the file and click on the Save button or press Enter. You will then see the screen for inputting data into the file.
To add a player name to the file, type the player's name in the Player's Name box and press Enter or click on the Add player button. To add scores, select a player's name from the Current Player drop down list box (the name you just added is automatically selected when you add a new name), then input the score in the New Score text box and press Enter or click on the Add Score button. All the selected player's scores are shown in the current scores list box to help you keep track of which scores you have already input. (Note: If you have numbers that directly represent a player's ability, such as a golf handicap or a chess ranking, you can use these numbers instead of actual scores to allow Team Optimizer to create the optimal groups. That is, instead of putting in all those scores, you can just put in the one number for each player, and Team Optimizer will use that one number for each player to select the teams or groups.)
To can add as many names and player's scores as you like. When you are finished, click on the Close button or press the Esc key.
Note that although the "Add players and scores" screen comes up automatically when you create a new file, you can also cause this screen to appear by clicking on the "Data" menu on the main Team Optimizer screen, then clicking on the "Add players and scores" option. This allows you to add scores each time the players play and to add new players as they become available.
Selecting files
If you have used the "Create new files" function to make more than one file, you can choose which file to work with by using the Select Files option under the File menu. This will display a screen with a list of files you have created. Click on one file from the list and then click on the Ok button, or simply double-click on one of the files from the list. The file that is currently selected is shown on the main screen.
Deleting players or scores
You can delete players from the file or delete individual scores by selecting the "Delete players and scores" option under the "Data" menu. This will display a screen that allows you to delete players (with all their scores) or individual scores.
To delete a player completely, select the player's name from the "Player name" drop-down list box and click on the "Delete Player" button. To delete one or more scores from a player, select the player's name from the "Player name" drop-down list box, then click on the score you want to delete from the "scores" list box and click on the "Delete score" button. To delete all of a player's scores at once while still retaining the player's name in the file, select the player from the "Player name" drop-down list box and click on the "Delete All Scores" button.
You can delete as many players and/or scores as you like. When you have finished, click on the Close button to return to the main Team Optimizer screen.
Viewing all player data
To see a summary of all the players' scores, select the "View All Players" option under the "Data" menu. This will display the "View All Player Data" screen.
The "View All Players" screen displays a list of all the player names in the file. For each player, it shows the number of scores each player has, the total of all the scores for each player, and the average score for each player. For example, if John Smith had the scores 2, 4, and 6, his number in the scores column would be 3, his number in the total column would be 12, and his number in the average column would be 4. Note that this screen does not display individual scores for each player.
You can get a paper printout of the screen by clicking on the "Print" button. To close this screen and return to the main Team Optimizer screen, click on the "Close" button or hit the Esc key.
Viewing detailed player data
If you want to see an actual list of a player's scores, select the "View Individual Players" option under the "Data" menu. This will display the "View Individual Player Data" screen.
To view data for any player, select that player from the "Player" drop-down list box. The screen will then show the player's number of scores on record, the total of all that player's scores, and the average of all that player's scores. It will also show a list of all that player's scores in the list box.
To make a hard copy of the data currently on the screen, click on the "Print" button. When you are finished viewing and printing scores, click on the "Close" button.
Creating Teams
The real strength of Team Optimizer is in creating well-matched teams. There are two types of teams that Team Optimizer can create. It can create a set of teams where the players within each team are well matched to each other (have similar average scores). You might what to do this, for example, if you were putting together golf foursomes and you wanted the people within each foursome to compete easily against each other. The other way of creating teams is to create teams where the total teams are as evenly matched as possible. You would do this if the teams were going to compete against each other. To create the first type of teams, click on the "Match Players within teams" option under the "Create Teams" menu. To create teams to compete against each other, select the "Match Teams" option under the "Create Teams" menu. Either choice will display the "Select Players" screen.
The "Create Teams" screen allows you to select the players from within the current file for Team Optimizer to fit into teams. Two lists are displayed. Initially, the list on the left contains the names of all the players in the current file. The list on the right will start out empty. This list on the right will be the names of the players that Team Optimizer will use to create the teams. To make Team Optimizer use players on the teams, move the names from the left box to the right box. To move players into this box, you can click (not double-click) on any name in the box on the left. That name will disappear from the box on the left and appear in the box on the right. You can also click on the "Add All" button under the box on the left to move all names to the box on the right. Clicking on any name in the list on the right will remove that name from that list. If you want to use most of the players, you can click on the "Add All" button and then remove a few by clicking on them in the right box. Typically, you would do this if a few of the players who were normally on teams were sick that day, or otherwise unavailable.
Once you have selected the players you want Team Optimizer to put into teams, you must specify how many players to use on each team by putting this number in the "Players per team" box. Team Optimizer will automatically fill this box with a number that is half of the players added to the right box. This assumes that you want to create two teams. If you want to create more, change the number in the "Players per team" box.
When you have created your list of players to use and specified the number of players per team, click on the "Make Teams" button or press the Enter key. You will then see a screen showing you the team arrangement that Team Optimizer is creating. An arrangement will be displayed immediately, but Team Optimizer will continue trying to find a better one until it has exhausted all possible arrangements. During the time that Team Optimizer is trying more arrangements, it will display a label that reads "Working. Please wait or click on Stop to end search." When Team Optimizer is finished, this will change to "Done." However, if you are satisfied with the answer currently displayed, you can click on the Stop button to cause Team Optimizer to stop looking for better answers.
When searching for best matches between teams, Team Optimizer will display the total score (sum of all scores) for each team, so you can see how well matched the teams are. When searching for teams where the players are matched within the teams, Team Optimizer will display the greatest difference between any two players within the team. In either case, it will show a list of players in each team, with each player's average score beside their name in the list.
You can get a printout of the teams that Team Optimizer has generated by clicking on the Print button. You can close the screen and return to the Team Optimizer main screen by clicking on the Close button. However, you cannot do either of these until either Team Optimizer finished searching for the best teams or you click on the Stop button.
Exiting Team Optimizer
You can close down the main Team Optimizer screen by either clicking on the Exit option under the File menu or clicking on the small X in the upper right corner of the screen.
Uninstalling Team Optimizer
If, after trying Team Optimizer, you decide that you do not want to keep it, exit Team Optimizer by clicking on Files/Exit if it is currently running. Then open the Windows Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features (depending on which Windows operating system you have). Select Team Optimizer and follow the standard uninstall procedure for your computer. This will totally remove Team Optimizer from your computer.
Bug reports and suggestions
Reports of problems or suggestions for improvement are welcome. Send such reports or suggestions to:
Leithauser Research
821 SnapDragon Drive
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168
You also can send email to [email protected]. In cases of emergency, you can call Leithauser Research at (386) 410-6769 between the hours of 10 AM and 10 PM ET.
If I feel that the improvement would be of interest to most users, I will make it for free and send you the improved version. If the improvement is unusual and suited only to your specific needs, I can give you a price quote for a customized version of Team Optimizer (see below).
Custom programming
Leithauser Research does custom programming. If you would like a custom program of any type written, please contact David Leithauser at the above address for Leithauser Research, or send email to [email protected]. Describe the program you would like written in as much detail as possible and I will give you a price estimate.
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