How to set up HTML files to describe a bridge hand last update 4/19/97 email to pcheung

General :-

• My applet which provides GUI interface to generate the hand, bidding sequence and record hand play is coming soon. In the mean time you have to use a text editor to create your data file.

• There are now about 80 parameters inside the applet and about 60 are described in this document. For most people you will only use less than 10. A typical hand will use three to input the hands(applet will complete the fourth), one to input the bidding sequence , one to input recorded card play and one to specify the dealer. This is all you need to have a complete hand

• Most errors are made in recording the play of the hand. The order of play in a round is critical and must be correct. (If the correct order is HAQ79, HQ79A is not acceptable). The program is going to play it like you define it. As a result it may have wrong calculations (like tricks won).

• I am providing two templates of HTML files for you to start out with. One with all parameters (template.htm) and one with a few less (templete1.htm or cex7.htm) ( save this from the how to demo) to make it easier to see in your editor.

• You do not have to change or delete any parameter you are not using. Parameter names are case sensitive.

• The parameter text looks like this in the HTML file:-
  <param NAME="Nhand" VALUE=""> . You enter the value between the "" of VALUE="".

• All input will take both upper and lower case. You can use either one for things like S or s for spade etc. File names and comments are case sensitive.

• Please try something simple first before you attempt a complicated hand description. Most hands are simple and can be done in 1 to 5 minutes. For very complicated hands you should try to put it in two to three steps and test out the data file in each step. This makes it easier to find errors.

   

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  Description of parameters :-

• Each hand is enter separately. If you enter 13 cards for three hand the fourth one will be computed by the applet. The parameter name is Nhand for north,Ehand for east etc. You must enter your cards in the order of AKQJT98765432 and SHDC for the suit. ( e.g. <param NAME="Nhand" VALUE="s3haqjt94dt854cq7"> )
  All small and unimportant cards can be entered as x. x cannot be a card higher than any card specify in any hand. (e.g. for the club suit lets say there are 5 cards specify as x. then 2,3,4,5,6 of club cannot be used in any hand because the 5 card represented by x is assign the 5 lowerest card which is 2,3,4,5,6)

• Parameter name is bidding for the bidding sequence. One of a suit is enter as 1s, 1h, 1d, 1c and 1n. P for pass D for double R for redouble. You must end with three passes for a complete sequence if you want the applet to calculate who's the leader. (e.g. <param NAME="bidding" VALUE="1cp1hp1np4hppp"> .

• Parameter name is cardplay for the recorded card playing sequence.(e.g. for a complete 52 card sequence<param NAME="cardplay" VALUE= "c26k74q38h4d2hk2ca5s3cjct9h9d3d4a6s2d7kh3d5s4has87
  hqs6h65hjsjh78dt9qs5stkhtsad8jsq9">) Notice if you do not enter a suit it is assume the card has the same suit as last card play.

• Each name is entered separately. (e.g. <param NAME="Sname" VALUE="Peter Cheung"> will assign Peter Cheung to south)

• Parameter name is dealer for the dealer of the hand . (e.g. <param NAME="dealer" VALUE="s"> ). Default is north.

• Parameter name is vul for the vulnerability of the hand . (e.g.<param NAME="vul" VALUE="NE">). default is none. It can take NS EW both and none.

• You can use claim and score to be display at end of the recorded card play only. (e.g. <param NAME="claim" VALUE="9"><param NAME="score" VALUE="+400">).

• You can use nexthand and nexttable to link to other data files to be play by the applet. (e.g. <param NAME="nexthand" VALUE="ccomp11.htm"><param NAME="nexttable" VALUE="ocomp10.htm">).

• There are 8 user define windows to display text for. They are question, yes, no, one, two, three, four and bidinfo. Each has six long lines of buffer. If you want to use them you must store some text in the first line. The parameter for the question window is question, question1 ,question2 , question3 ,question4, question5. You must enter some text for the parameter question if you want to use it. (e.g.<param NAME="question" VALUE="This is the first line in question "><param NAME="question1" VALUE="1st extra line"><param NAME="question2" VALUE="2nd extra line"><param NAME="question3" VALUE="third extra line"><param NAME="question4" VALUE="4th extra line"><param NAME="question5" VALUE="5th extra line">

• You can hide each individual hand by setting hidenorth to "yes" for north hand. (e.g. <param NAME=hidenorth VALUE="yes">).

• If there is no bidding sequence you can use the parameter trump to set the suit for the hand. It is use for playing the hand.(e.g. <param NAME=trump VALUE="s"> for spade be the trump). Default is no trump.

• If there is no bidding sequence you can use the parameter leader to set the leader for the hand. It is use for playing the hand.(e.g. <param NAME=leader VALUE="s"> for south to lead).

• Advance feature for displaying bidding sequence. You can put one * after any bid. The applet will display the bidding sequence up and including that bid when it first start running. You can put the * at the end of the bidding sequence and all the bidding will be shown at the beginning of the show.

• Advance feature for displaying bidding sequence. You can put a # after any bid. When the applet play to that bid it will look for a poundx parameter to display the text at the status line. The first # will correspond to the parameter pound1 etc. (e.g. the bidding is "2C2H#P6H#D#PPP" and <param NAME=pound1 VALUE="aggressive defensive bid"><param NAME=pound2 VALUE="great bid"><param NAME=pound3 VALUE="what can I do?">. When the bid is 2H the text "aggressive defensive bid" will be display at the status line.)

Error detection:-

• The current version of the applet is not commercial grade on checking and trying to recover from user data errors. Please be careful with your data input.

• Some of the error checking will not be needed when I provide you with better tools to input the data.