PACSS - FAQ



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64-Bit Problem - Unsupported Software

The software used to drive the backup process, PKZIP Command Line, does not support 64-bit operating systems. The work around is to bypass the calls to the backup driver. This requires the user to manually backup the data file as necessary.

Problem Printing - Font Missing.

I've had reports of a problem printing certain reports. This seems to only occur with Windows XP and not all of the time. It is related to a new font that should get loaded by the PACSS install program to handle line drawing on certain reports. My guess is that it’s an XP security issue where it isn’t letting the install program “write” to the font’s folder or register the font with the system. The error looks like: “Couldn’t find the font – FONT-HANDLE-4” when you try to print certain reports. In most cases simply re-booting solves the problem. If not, you can download the True Type font file from the "Download" page.

1. Download and save the file, MFLNDR.TTF to the "C:\PACSS\TEMP\" folder
2. Open the Windows “Control Panel”
4. Open the “Fonts” control item
5. Click on the “File” menu item
6. Click on “Install New Font…”
7. In the “Add Fonts” panel, go to the “C:\PACSS\TEMP\” folder
8. Select “MF LineDraw (True Type)”
9. Click the “OK” button

Operating Environments

PACSS is written in COBOL using AcuCobol-GT 4.3.1 and has been tested on PC's running Windows ME, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. There are known problems with Windows 98 and older Windows operating systems. Because of this, the install program will not allow installation to those older Windows environments. Though I do not have a system with Windows Vista and have not personally tested PACSS on a Vista machine, it has been reported to work just fine by users. For best use, your display should be set to at least 800 x 600. It will work at 640 x 480 but it's very difficult because you will have to constantly scroll to see all of the data.

Data Files:

PACSS uses "Vision-3" Database / Indexed files to store its information. This is an embedded component of AcuCobol and does not need any extra software for database management. The disadvantage with this type of storage is that a the data can only be retrieved using PACSS. It is vital for PACSS functionality that all files have the correct internal format. For this reason DO NOT attempt to edit any of the data files with any other software.

The following data files are used by the system and are located in the ./DATA/ folder:

Config.MST	Basic configuration information such as Club name, Class identification, etc.
People.MST	This file contains all of the demographic information, ie. name, address, phone, email, for everyone associated with the contest, Contestants, CD's, and Judges.
Maneuver.MST	Description of all maneuvers, default direction, default K-factor.
Schedule.MST	Defines the maneuvers associated with a Schedule and certain parameters such as 1/2 points, 10's on Take-off, etc.
Contest.MST	Sets all of the information about the contest,: Name, CD's, Class to Schedule relationship, Class scoring parameters, etc.
Contestant.MST	This is only the information relative to the Contestant such as Class, Channel, etc. As stated above, name, address, etc. is stored on the People file.
Judge.MST	Defines judging assignments within a contest by class and round.
Score.MST	This is where all of the data related to contestants’ scores are stored.

Other files:

After a successful installation, the target folder should contain these files :

AMA_Logo.bmp	The AMA Logo used on the "AMA Form 11" report.
alfred.msg	Internal message file used by the IO sub-system.
icn 3A.ico	Icon File.
icn 7.ICO	Icon File.
instlog.lsl	Install log used by the Uninstall process.
PACSS.ALC	AcuCobol Run-time license file.
PACSS.cbx	The actual application software
PACSS.EXE	AcuCobol Run-time executable
PACSS.HLP	Help file
PACSS.ini	Runtime configuration variables, DO NOT CHANGE!!
PACSS1.SND	Sound file.
PACSS2.SND	Sound file.
PACSS3.SND	Sound file.
VIC32.DLL	Database / I-O Sub-system support.
VIC32.EXE	Database / I-O Sub-system support.
WRUN32.DLL	AcuCobol Run-time library routines.
.\BACKUP\ Folder	Used to store Backups of the Data Files
.\TEMP\ Folder	Used internally. Note: If after the application is closed and a file remains in this folder it may be safely deleted.

Reports:

All printing is done on the printers that are defined to Windows through Windows print API's. It is wise to have a fast modern printer (inkjet or laser, NOT dot-matrix). If not, some printouts will take unreasonably long time to complete.

Limitations :

Max number of maneuvers in a flight schedule . . . . . : 25
Max number of rounds in one contest . . . . . . . . . . . .: 12
Max number of judges to judge one class . . . . . . . . . : 12
Max number of pilots in one contest . . . . . . . . . . . . .: Unlimited
Max number of contestant in one class . . . . . . . . . . .: Unlimited

If you find and error or want to suggest a new for feature, please report it to me. Fixes will be address as soon as possible and enhancements will be considered in a future release.