-
Abbreviation List |  |
Does anyone know how to generate a list of the call abbreviations? |
- From the CSDS main menu, select 'Parse | Edit abbreviation database';
- Then select 'Edit | Dump contents (by ...)';
-
Abbreviations - listing |  |
Is there a way to print the list of abbreviations used, or
is there a way to get to the start of the letter of a call without scrolling & searching? |
A few notes on abbreviations:
-
You shouldn't ever have to print out the abbreviations.
You'd waste several hundred pages of paper since there
are about 4000 abbreviations in the database.
-
To view the abbreviations, sorted either by abbreviation, or by expansion,
do the following:
-
From the main menu, select 'Parse | Abbreviation database | Dump contents';
then select how you want the output to be sorted (by abbreviation or
by expansion). This will generate a text file that can be viewed (or printed, if desired). The
'dump contents' output is useful
since it also lists the 'Intrinsic abbreviations', which are the
built-in abbreviations used by the program
(these abbreviations all end with a slash ('' or '/'). For example,
B is the abbreviation for BOY, BS is
the abbreviation for BOYS, H is the abbreviation for HEAD, HS is the
abbreviation for HEADS.
-
When editing the abbreviation database, there isn't currently a way
to get the start letter of
the call (I thought I had implemented this feature once, but maybe I'm
mistaken. I'll add it to the 'to do' list).
-
A call can have several abbreviations. The default abbrevations
for a call are
- the concatentation of the first letter of each word of the call; and
- the concatenation of the first two letters of each word of the call.
- For example,
- The default abbreviations for RELAY THE DEUCEY are RTD and RETHDE.
- The default abbreviations for SWING THRU are ST and SWTH.
If you type 'ST' for SWING THRU, the program will display a dialog box
asking you to select a desired expansion since ST has several possible
expansions (e.g., SWING THRU, STAR THRU, SLIDE THRU, etc.).
-
An abbreviation is a single word (i.e., without any spaces).
-
It is not intended that the abbreviation database be used as a
lookup table whenever you want to find the abbreviation
for a particular call. Rather, you may use whatever abbreviation
you'd like, and if the program is unable
to find the abbreviation in the database, a dialog box appears which
allows you to add a new abbrevation.
This dialog box is titled 'Parse problem' and the first line of text
in the dialog box says 'Unknown tokens encountered'.
The dialog box contains the string parsed, and a list of the unknown
tokens. To add a new abbreviation,
highlight the token within the 'unknown tokens' list box and click the
'Add abbreviation' button.
-
The abbreviation database can also be used to correct typographical errors.
For example, I often type "Hedas" for "Heads", or "teh" for "the". I
entered "Hedas" as an abbreviation for "Heads" within the abbreviation database
-- so now, whenever I accidently type "Hedas", the program replaces it with "Heads".
-
Abbreviations - unable to find an abbreviation |  |
I haven't found the abbreviation for circulate. I have to type it out each time. |
The default abbreviation for Circulate is 'CIRC'.
To add your own abbreviation for 'Circulate', edit the abbreviation database as follows:
- From the main menu, select 'Parse' followed by 'Edit abbreviation database'.
- The 'Edit abbreviation database' screen appears. From the menu,
select 'Edit' followed by 'Add new record'.
- Enter the abbreviation and it's expansion in the two fields provided and click the
'Save edits' button.
- Exit the 'Edit abbreviation database' screen.
-
Change requests - to you, or to the BBS? |  |
Suggestions for enhancements ... do you prefer 'em in private e-mail, or posted on Kris Jensen's CSDS BBS? |
Send CSDS change requests to me, one request per e-mail please. I'm not likely to check the BBS that often.
-
Changing Colors of Dancers #1 |  |
I received my copy of CSDS and am starting to study its features.
It has a lot. First thing I tried to do was to change the colors
of the dancers. I selected to change dancers on Settings and picked a new color. It asked if I wanted to change all icons for that dancer. I said yes, nothing happened. The colors did not change.
Did I do something wrong? Is there some trick to this? |
Try the following:
- From CSDS main menu, select 'System | Settings...';
- Click on the 'Dancers' tab;
- Click on the 'Change colors of dancers' button;
- Click on the left-most, top-most button (the #1 man facing East);
At this point, the 'Change Icon Colors' dialog box appears.
This particular icon only consists of two colors, namely grey
and red, which correspond to the upper two buttons in the right
column. These are the only two buttons that will change the
colors on this icon.
- Click on the 'red' button, select a color then click 'OK'.
The dancer icon should have changed colors. If this is the
color that you want, click the 'OK' button.
- You are now prompted whether to 'Update all icons for this
dancer?'. Click 'Yes'. The 'Change colors of dancers' is
redisplayed, and the top row should now have icons with the
new color.
You can repeat the above steps for other dancers.
If the colors still aren't changing, you might check file
C:\SQDATA\ICON\1MR.ICO, which corresponds to the #1 Man facing
Right (East). Make sure that the file is not marked readonly.
-
Changing Colors of Dancers #2 |  |
Okay, I figured out how to get the color change to work for
the dancers. Can the background pattern be eliminated and made solid? How do I do that? |
To change colors for dancer icons,
from CSDS main menu, select 'System | Settings...';
Click on the 'Dancers' tab;
Click on the 'Change colors of dancers' button;
If you want a solid-colored dancer icon, assuming the #1 Man Right
icon again, you can click on the 'grey' button (top of right column)
and set that color to the same color as the rest of the dancer.
Similary, you can change the column of the numeric by using the
lower right button.
The region marked within the 'And Mask' section can not be changed.
Also, if you don't like these icons at all, you can get
your own icon editor, and change them or create new ones.
-
Creating a list of calls taught so far |  |
Can I just make a list of calls we have learned for
teaching a level? |
CSDS currently isn't good at creating filtered lists of calls.
It can be done, but it takes a little work.
- Create a new list (via List | New). In the resulting
'Edit list' window, change the status to 'Add' for the
level(s) you want. Click 'OK' to create the list.
- From the main menu, select 'List | Edit by Item'.
Select the list that you just created. Use this window
to select which calls are on the list (i.e., change the
'Added' field to 'YES' for calls you want on the list,
and 'no' for calls that you don't want on the list).
-
CSDS data - Backing-up |  |
What do you do for backing-up? |
- The following data should be backed up on a regular basis:
-
c:\sqdata\music\*.* [music database]
c:\sqdata\seq\*.* [sequences database]
c:\sqdata\sqused\*.* [dates database]
- If you enter a lot of getouts and/or snapshot records, you should also backup:
-
c:\sqdata\squaredb\getout.dat [getout database]
c:\sqdata\sqproof\sqproof.db [snapshot database]
- If you've added new calls, abbreviations, or parse data, you should also backup:
-
c:\sqdata\sqlists\sqlists.dat [lists database]
c:\sqdata\sqabbrev\*.* [abbreviation database]
c:\sqdata\sqparse\*.* [parse database]
- Other data you could backup: (I don't bother with these)
-
c:\sqdata\dance\*.* [dances]
c:\sqdata\pictures\*.* [pictures imbedded in sequences]
c:\sqdata\sqlists\*.lst and *.ldf [lists]
-
CSDS data - transferring to laptop |  |
I have all my CSDS data in my desktop computer.
Is there a way to transfer this data over to my laptop into
the CSDS program so I don't have to type it all in again? |
Assuming you have a zip disk or other large removable media,
you can copy the entire contents of folder C:\SQDATA to the
laptop computer.
If you store music files outside of C:\SQDATA, then you'll
have to copy them over as well. Be sure to keep the same
folder structure on the new computer.
Of course, on the laptop computer, you have to install CSDS so that system files are copied to the correct
location.
-
Dancer size and color |  |
Is it possible to change the color and/or size of the dancers? |
Do the following:
- From the CSDS main menu, select System | Settings...
- Click on the Dancers tab.
To change dancer size:
- Drag the scroll bars for the 'Normal' or 'Small' dancers,
and the dancer sizes will change appropriately.
To change dancer colors:
- Click the Change colors of dancers button. This
displays a window containing all dancer icons
- Double-click on the dancer whose color you wish to modify. This will bring up a dialog box that allows you to change the color.
- Click on one of the 16 color buttons that corresponds to the color that you wish to change.
- A color dialog box appears. Click on the the new color then click the 'OK' button. The dancer icon now should have changed color.
- Click the 'OK' button to save changes.
- At this point, the program will ask 'Update all icons for this dancer?'. Click 'Yes' to change the color for all 14 icons corresponding to this dancer.
- Repeat steps 2 thru 6 for each dancer whose color you wish to change
-
Database location |  |
Can you add to the Wish List:
Configuration setting to specify where database files live
In particular, I use a mapped-letter network drive for all of my
files that live on a server and get backed-up regularly. The
workstation (upon which CSDS is actually installed) doesn't get
backed-up at all.
Right now, I have to remember to manually copy the databases (such as sequences) to the network drive so they get backed up, but often I forget.
All my other programs I simply configure to point them at a
network-drive folder for creating "user-modified" files. The
installation/executable files don't need to occupy space on the
backups, since they can be re-installed in the event of a crash.
But, the user-created/modified files DO need to be backed-up,
and allowing the user to specify the location for database files
greatly simplifies this task in typical workstation/corporate
environments.
Obviously not a high priority, but it'd be useful. |
If you use a shortcut to execute CSDS, edit the
the shortcut properties to change the 'Target'
field to be 'C:\SQDATA\csds.exe DIR=<folder>'
where '<folder>' is the pathname of the CSDS
data files (normally C:\SQDATA). Otherwise,
CSDS defaults the database location to be the
folder in which the CSDS executable (csds.exe)
resides.
-
Definitions |  |
How can I add call definitions to the program so when I'm on the road, I have access to the definitions? |
CSDS currently has Ceder Chest call definitions for A1 through C3B. From the main menu, select 'Other | Definitions of Calls and Concepts'. Definitions for other levels will be added as I have time.
From our definitions page, http://www.ceder.net/def.php
you can find links to Callerlab PDF files. Click
on one of these links, then save the PDF file to your
computer so you can display it later.
-
Definitions of Calls - Missing Formation Pictures |  |
The Definitions of Calls and Concepts menu selection functions for me, but all of the before and after pictures only show placeholders. What should I check? |
Although I don't yet know exactly how this bug
happens, I suspect it may have something to
do with security settings in MSIE,
or it may have something to do with CSDS users
who always get the latest upgrades.
In any case, the following steps should fix the problem:
-
The following files are required in c:\sqdata\definitions:
- CsdsActiveX.CAB
- CsdsActiveX.HTM
- WebDef.Dat
- WebDef.Inx
The latest versions of these files are available at
http://www.ceder.net/csds/ftp/
-
Download the above files into c:\sqdata\definitions
then try running CSDS. If the problem is not fixed, do
the following:
- Download CsdsActiveX.ocx from http://www.ceder.net/csds/ftp/
and save it in folder c:\windows\system32.
- Bring up a command window (cmd.exe) and do the following
commands:
c:
cd \windows\system32
regsvr32 CsdsActiveX.ocx
The problem should now be fixed.
P.S., to download the files above, right-click on
the filename within the listing at http://www.ceder.net/csds/ftp/
and select "Save As".
-
Desktop icons |  |
I did a program upgrade. Now I have 2 icons on my desktop, one says CSDS
and the other is labeled CSDS.EXE. Am I supposed to click on the .exe icon or ???? |
You probably incorrectly did an executable only upgrade file.
You downloaded the upgrade file to the desktop instead of
to folder c:\sqdata.
To determine which icon to use:
- Right-click on one of the icons;
- Select 'Properties';
- Select the 'Shortcut' tab;
- Check that 'Target' is 'C:\sqdata\csds.exe';
- If not, delete the icon.
Run CSDS and verify that you have the correct version.
If not, go back to the upgrade page, read the instructions,
follow them, and try upgrading again.
-
Downloading getins, getouts, and sequences |  |
Are there any get ins, get outs, and singing call figures that
could be down loaded, and what is the procedure to do so? |
CSDS comes with some getins, and a large number of getouts.
You can quickly download CSDS sequence databases from
http://www.ceder.net/choreodb/csds_databases.php
-
Formation bitmap - display problem |  |
I just downloaded the latest version of CSDS and copied it to my laptop. All seems to do well except the girls display as black circles in the Bitmap display. Turn off sex and it goes to all boxes without solid fill. It works fine on my desk PC. Any thoughts? |
Go to Start | Settings | Control Panel | Display | Settings and
experiment with changing the Color Palette. Increasing the number of colors should fix the problem.
Otherwise, it might be a bug with the video driver or card.
-
Generate short sequences |  |
I am wondering if I'm missing an obvious step. I ran the 'generate short sequences'
under getin-getout for C2. I got a bunch but they require some clean up
before they could be used. I expect some to be unusable due to hands,
flow, etc. but these had a lot of extraneous info attached like the
handle number etc. I've looked in the manual & the screenshot book but I
still don't get a clear picture of how I go from what I have to a
finished short sequence database. |
There is no automatic processing to generate short sequences other than creating the large output file.
The output file must be visually examined and you must decide which short
sequences you wish to save. The 'handle number' mentioned above is not a handle
number but a record index of the getin or getout within the getin
or getout database. The record index allows you to quickly find the record so you can
update the 'used' or 'used as quickie' count if you so desire.
For each short sequence you wish to save, you will have to type it in as a new sequence.
In the future, more of this process may be automated.
-
Getout - call not found |  |
I have noticed a few times I'll let the program find getouts and
select one only to have the program ask me to define how one of the
calls works. Do you need to have these documented? |
You may need to add the word 'all' to get it to work, or you may
need to set global option 'reset actives after each call'.
-
Getout database - size mismatch |  |
I've managed to get the getout database to be a different size
on my laptop from my desktop. The getout database on my desktop is over
100k while my laptop is several hundred under. Is there an easy way to copy
the getout database from the desktop to the laptop without messing up
the index files etc.? |
Copy file C:\sqdata\squaredb\getout.dat to the laptop.
Don't worry about copying index files since CSDS will notice if an index file is incorrect or missing and will generate a new one.
-
MA-150 |  |
Do you plug your laptop into your MA150 when calling or is that a bad idea ? |
I plug my laptop power cord into the top of the MA150, and I plug my laptop audio output line into the front part of the MA150.
-
Main window background image |  |
I used the System/Settings and then the "Background image for main window" to change to a picture.
Now I would like to revert to the blank, grey, original image. How do I do this? |
There are two ways to do this:
-
On the main CSDS window, right-click on the background for a context-sensitive pop-up window.
You now have the option to set or clear the background image.
-
Go to Settings | Display, then clear the contents of the 'Background image for main window' edit box.
(e.g., Select All, then press the Del key)
-
Multi-tasking |  |
I tend to multi-task a great deal and I'm concerned about exiting CSDS by
terminating the task and the state that it leaves the files in.
Is there any possibility of file corruption in the databases as a result of terminating incorrectly? |
There shouldn't be any problem with file corruption, as the program saves
most everything as it goes (i.e., the program closes then re-opens sequence database
files as each sequence is saved. This means that you would at most,
only lose the current sequence (or part of it)).
-
Sample Screens |  |
Where are the sample screens with the commands explained? |
The installation process copies the following documentation files to the CSDS installation folder:
- CSDS Screens.doc
- Over 100 pages consisting of text and screen shots (pictures) of the
screens and dialog boxes from CSDS.
- Each screen shot is accompanied by
an explanation of the associated menu items, text boxes, buttons and other controls.
- CSDS User Manual.doc
- About 20 pages giving an overview of CSDS and it's associated
database files.
Both files are in Microsoft Word format and correspond to CSDS version 0.92.
To view (or print) them, use the Windows File Explorer to locate them, then double-click
on one of them to launch Word or Wordpad.
On-line, please check out the CSDS HTML Help Index
-
Settings aren't being saved |  |
I'm a newbie with your program CSDS. Today I have downloaded
and installed the latest version of CSDS. Now I have
tried to edit the settings. The changed settings are available
while running program. If I close the program with "System-Exit"
and restart the program all settings are in default values.
All my changes are disappeared.
Please let me know where is the problem. Thanks for all. |
Make sure that you are not running the DEMO version
of the program. On the main CSDS screen, in the upper
right-hand corner, it should have your name, not the word
"DEMO". The DEMO version of the program does not save
settings changes. If you have the "DEMO" version, you must
enter your correct USER KEY via 'System | Enter user key'.
-
Typing completer |  |
Is there a typing completer? |
No, and there won't be any within the near future. Please try to use abbreviations instead.
-
User manual |  |
I found a file called users manual. So maybe I'll be
okay. I'm trying to print it now. My computer isn't cooperating,
but I'll look at that and let you know if I panic again. |
The user's manual supplied with CSDS is very old. As such,
it can only give you a brief overview of some of the features
of CSDS.
CSDS documentation currently consists of the following:
-
from CSDS main menu, select 'Help'. Under this section,
the most up-to-date documentation is under 'HTML Help Index'.
-
on the web, I maintain a large FAQ database for CSDS at
http://www.ceder.net/faqdb/view.php?section=1