EquiSim 5.0.0.24 has been released:

The demo version is available at:
http://www.thorotech.com/equisim/demo.html

The registered version can be download per instruction IN YOUR ACTIVATION E-MAIL if you've already purchased/upgraded. For upgrades or purchase, see this page:
http://www.thorotech.com/equisim/purchase.html


What's New:

* I moved the printing of the PAGE NUMBER and the PACE AND SPEED PARS on the FOOTER Of the page over to the left a bit - they were falling off the printed page before.

* I added these variables to the Formula View:

ppMyCommentS -- gets the comment you entered for the horse on the race card for that day.

hrMyCommentS -- gets the comment for the horse in the CURRENT race card. Note, this is what would show up in ppMyCommentS in the FUTURE.

ppTripNoteS -- gets the chart caller's trip note for the past perf

* OK -- here's an EXPERIMENTAL FEATURE. It is in the USER'S GUIDE. Basically, it will let you incorporate "other than bris/tsn" pace and speed figs (and pars) into EquiSim PROVIDED that you can get these figs in the format described below. Here's how its described in the user's guide:


Version 5.0 of EquiSim introduces an experimental feature that you can use to bring in "external" data to EquiSim. Currently this feature supports the usage of pace and speed figures (and pars) other than those provided by the data providers EquiSim supports natively. When this feature is in use the pace and speed figures that you import as "external data" REPLACE the pace and speed figures provided in the native cards EXCEPT for fields that have no value (or are zero valued) in the external data fields. Note that the effectiveness of external data, and even its viability in the program, is completely untested - you are on your own if you choose to use this feature.

To use this feature you must have a data provider (or you can make your own data) that will provide data in the format described below.

1. You must create a folder under the root of your data card root folder called "ExtData". Thus, if you've kept the default DCRF location this folder would be located at: C:\my cards\ExtData.

2. To turn ON the option to load external data you must create a file named "UseExtData" and place it in the ExtData folder mentioned above. Thus, if using the default DCRF location this file would be located at: C:\my cards\ExtData\UseExtData If you wanted to turn OFF this feature, you could simply rename the file. The presence, or absence, of this file is checked ONLY at the loading of the data card - don't change the file after you've loaded the file. When this file is present the opening screen of EquiSim will have a line that reads: "The USE EXTERNAL DATA FEATURE is turned ON."

3. You must place files that contains the external data in the ExtData folder. The file needs to be named accordingly: TrackAbbrev_Month_Date_Year.efd. For example, the Fairgrounds, 3/25/2005 would be FGX_3_25_2005.efd

4. The files themselves must adhere to the format specified below. NOTE that the data in the EXTERNAL data cards MUST match the data in the data cards themselves or problems will arise. In general, EquiSim loads one line of data from the data card at a time. EACH LINE represents one horse in a race. EquiSim then reads a line in from the external data source. It CHECKS TO SEE IF THE NAME OF THE HORSE IN THE EXTERNAL DATA CARD MATCHES THE NAME OF THE HORSE IN THE DATA CARD. If it does match, all is good. If it does NOT then it skips the line and keeps reading lines until it finds a match or reaches the end of the file. THIS WILL protect you against situations where the EXTERNAL data file contains races that the data file does not have. HOWEVER, it will not protect against situations where the DATA FILE contains races that the EXTERNAL data file does not have.

5. When using External Data EquiSim REPLACES the pace and speed figures, AND PACE AND SPEED FIGURE pars, of the native data card.(note , it does NOT overwrite the actual file!). The only exception is if values are NOT supplied in the external data file or if the values are set to ZERO in the external data file. When this is the case, the native data file is read to get these values.

External Data Files must use this format. Each field is to be separated by a COMMA. No other commas should be present in the file. Files must be named accordingly: TrackAbbrev_Month_Date_Year.efd. For example, the Fairgrounds, 3/25/2005 would be FGX_3_25_2005.efd

1 Track CHARACTER XXX 3
2 Date CHARACTER XXXXXXXX 8
3 Race # NUMERIC 99 2
4 Horse Name CHARACTER 25
5 - 14 2f Pace Fig NUMERIC 999 3
15 - 24 4f Pace Fig NUMERIC 999 3
25 - 34 6f Pace Fig NUMERIC 999 3
35 - 44 8f Pace Fig NUMERIC 999 3
45 - 54 10f pace fig NUMERIC 999 3
55 - 64 Late Pace Fig NUMERIC 999 3
65 - 75 Speed Fig NUMERIC 999 3
76 - 2f Pace Par for Level NUMERIC 999 3
77 - 4f Pace Par for Level NUMERIC 999 3
78 - 6f Pace Par For Level NUMERIC 999 3
79 - Late Pace Par for Level NUMERIC 999 3
80 - Speed Par for Level NUMERIC 999 3