Posting the Results On-Line
Creating a full featured event results web page, or Results Web App as we call it, is just one click away. This task simply creates all of the data, scripts and HTML needed in a folder. All you will need to do is post this Web App to our web site. Options include:
- Saving the results as a Web App to your hard disk for uploading with a third party FTP application
- Publishing LIVE event results during the event with Finish-Time LIVE.
Finish-Time creates a Web App using Twitter Bootstrap, jQuery and AJAX to present the event results on your web site. A JavaScript enabled web browser is required for visitors to view the results.
Note:
With the event Points enabled, points for each driver will also be included in the posted results.
Supported Web Browsers
- Internet Explorer 10
- Microsoft Edge Browser
- Apple Safari
- Mozilla FireFox
- Chrome
- Brave
- Most Android and Apple hand-held device browsers
Customizing the Results Web Application
Included in the current install are ten custom color schemes for you to pick from.
- Autumn
- British Racing Green
- Finish-Time (Default)
- Dark
- Modern
- Muted Tones
- Neon High Contrast
- Red White and Blue
- Royal Blue
- Warm Tones
To Customize your Results Web App
- Choose View > Web App Layout, or if it is already open, click the Web App Layout tab.
- Choose the Style Sheet that best matches your web site, and the preview will refresh.
- You have the option to only include the drivers first name, or thier full name. The default is First Name only.
- To include an optional link, i.e. a link back to your home page or to a table listing all of your current results, enter the full path in the Link field and enter a caption. This menu will now appear on the top left of the Web App.
- Click the Course Map tool bar button to choose a JPG or PNG image of the current course map for the Web App to display to your drivers. Images must be less than 2 MB in size.
Export the Results as a Web App
- Choose File > Export Results > Results Web App
- Click Browse to choose a folder on your computer to save the Web App.
- Enter the Web App name, then click Save.
Note:
Do not attempt to edit the files within the Web App folder. Doing so is not supported and could render unpredictable results, or failure to display.
Posting the contents of this folder to your website can be handled by your webmaster. It is necessary to keep the files found in the exported folder together. You can rename this folder what ever you wish, but the contents should be kept intact and uploaded to your website
The Season Points may be exported in two different ways.
- Export to CSV
- Export to Web
Select View > Season Points if it is not in view already. Clicking the Export tool-bar button will reveal your two export options.
Points as CSV file
Enter a filename and choose where you want to save the exported CSV type points table.
Points as Web Page
- The Points Web Page dialog appears, enter the Title and any Notes about the Points Page you find appropriate. The Page Title and Notes will appear at the top of the web page.
- Click OK to commit the Title and Notes.
- Enter a filename and choose where to save the HTML file.
The Points Web Page is saved as a single HTML file that can uploaded to your web-site.
Finish-Time LIVE enables you to post the Autocross results to a web site while the event is in progress. The upload is handled automatically at a time interval you can choose. Your event participants can track Autocross event results and their work/grid assignments, and course map on-line live. This requires on-site internet access to your web site.
There are a few pre-requisites to support Finish-Time LIVE:
- A Web Server running PHP 7.x or greater.
- FTP Access to the web server. (Only required to upload the Web Application for the first time, not to post live results.)
- Working knowledge with FTP software, or your host might have a tool in the Admin Panel for uploading.
- The directory where the Web App resides must have both Read and Write access. This might already be the case on Linux servers, but not Windows Server. This too should be configurable via an Admin Panel. Finish-Time will warn you if this requirement has not been met.
Note:
Users of previous versions of Finish-Time will have to follow
these steps to create a new LIVE Web Application. However, going forward as we make changes to the JavaScript, you should no longer have to re-create the App since as of this current version 4.2.0, Finish-Time will update the Web App JavaScript as needed.
Configuring Finish-Time LIVE
- Select Tools > Finish-Time LIVE
- Click Create App... button and save the Live Results App to your hard disk.
- Use any FTP client to upload the contents of this folder to the location on your club’s website where you will be hosting the LIVE Results. Pictured here is Mozilla FileZilla.
- Enter the Live Results URL. This would be the full address to where you are hosting your LIVE results. Then press the TAB key.
- Take note of Live Results Status at the bottom of the dialog box. It should read: Ready!If it does not, see below.
- Choose if the results you are posting are official or not.
- Choose the Upload Interval in minutes.
- Enter the Event Site Zip Code and the Weather Widget Units for your event site location, this will include the current weather conditions for the Event Site.
- Then click the Start button.
Example URL
http://results.finish-time.com/
LiveDemo
Note:
The newly created Finish-Time LIVE App contains a complex random password embedded into the login script. This password is also saved in encrypted form on your computer. Both must match! Therefore, anytime that you create a new Finish-Time LIVE App, the password will have changed, and you must upload the new App to your web site, or the App will fail to post new results.
Starting Finish-Time LIVE
- Select Tools > Finish-Time LIVE
- Confirm that you configured Finish-Time LIVE above.
- Choose the Upload Interval in minutes.
- Enter the Event Site Zip Code and the Weather Widget Units for your region, this will include the current weather conditions for the Event Site.
- Then click the Start button.
Note:
Regarding data usage, Finish-Time LIVE will upload the results at the Interval you choose, and only if the database has changed since the last upload.
The URL is pointing to directory on the web server that does not contain the Finish-Time LIVE App.
The Finish-Time App at this location is an older version. To correct this, delete all content at this location and follow the Configuring Finish-Time LIVE to create an updated App/
Going foward, Finish-Time will update the JavaScript as needed, and you will not have to repeat this procedure unless we implement a major change to the Web App.
The Server is running an older version of the PHP Interpreter, or PHP is disabled. Finish-Time LIVE requires Version 7.0 or greater. PHP is supported on both Linux and Windows Servers. Most hosting services use some kind of Admin control panel like C-Panel, PHP configuration is typically handled there.
Finish-Time LIVE scripts require both Read and Write permissions on the web server. The write test here failed, granting read/write access is typically handled through some Admin control panel like C-Panel.
Remote Access is a subscription-based option that extends some of Finish-Time Desktop's functionality to one or more designated users so that they can assist with driver registration, event management, and Technical Inspection through any internet enabled device like a smart phone or tablet.
Supported Web Browsers
- Internet Explorer 10+ (including Internet Explorer Mobile)
- Microsoft Edge Browser
- Apple Safari 6+
- iOS 6.0+
- Firefox 11+ (including Firefox for Android)
- Chrome 16+ (including Chrome for Android)
- Opera 68+
- Brave Version 0.63.55
- The host computer (your PC running Finish-Time) will of course require internet access, and any of the designated users will need to log in to our web site with proper credentials at https://finish-time.com
- In most cases internet access would be via a data plan with a cell phone carrier. We developed Remote Access with minimum data usage and security in mind. During an event, data usage should only be around 20-60 megabytes with one user connected. However, with limited use data plans, data traffic can be reduced further, see configuration for details.
Remote Access Configuration
Although multiple event officials can use Remote Access using any Internet Enabled device, only one installation of Finish-Time can be enabled. This is achieved by "pairing" the timing computer to your Club’s account at https://finish-time.com that you created when you first downloaded and purchased Finish-Time.
Be sure that you are using the same PC that will be used during the event. This is important, you are about to "Pair" this PC to your account, therefore only this PC and installation of Finish-Time will connect to our server.
- Log into your Club’s account at https://finish-time.com
- Click you email menu at the top right side of the web page and choose My Account
- Click Remote Access, your Subscription renew date and Paired To status should be visible. Remote Access requires a subscription, if your subscription has lapsed, please renew before going forward.
- Start Finish-Time on the computer that you will be using at the event site.
- In Finish-Time, click Tools > Finish-Time Remote to open the Remote Access dialog.
- Your Subscription might be blank or not match the subscription date on the web site, that’s OK and will after you pair the device.
- Click the Pair button.
- Enter your account User Name and Password.
- Click OK.
Note:
All communication between Finish-Time and our server is encrypted at the server and application. Encryption between your Browser and our server is handled by the browser and server.
Now, your timing computer is paired to your clubs account. Going forward, when Remote Access is enabled, event officials will have access to via their smart phone. Pairing must only be performed once. Unless you change/upgrade your timing PC.
Access should only be made available to official event personnel. They will need the log in credentials to your Club’s account on our web site.
Click Tools > Finish-Time Remote.
Full Duplex will enable push notifications to your browser to keep any browser connected in full synchronization with Finish-Time. Although this does increase your data usage and over-head on the Timing PC, it is minimal. With a limited data plan, you can turn this off here. Keep in mind that on-line users will not get updates.
In your web browser, go to http://www.finish-time.com and log in to your account. Click Remote in the menu at the top of the page, if Finish-Time is connected, you should see the Remote Home page.
Remote Access maintains a web socket connection with our server, therefore, response is dependent on the internet connection between your timing laptop, our server, and your smart phone. Latency between these connections will affect application response.
Remote Access Menu
- Home
- This is the Home Page of the Remote Access App. It lists the event properties and the last car to finish.
- Event Properties
- Event Date, Location, Name, etc. can be changed here and are updated upon clicking Save Changes.
- Drivers
- Access the driver database to Register drivers for the event, or edit their results.
- Reconcile
- Event cash reconcilement function.
- Bump
- Bump classes if needed.
- Help
- Detailed instructions for users regarding Remote Access.
Remote Access Driver Registration is the functional equivalent of Finish-Time Driver Registration, accept for a few differences with the User Interface, the procedures are the same.
There are 6 Toolbar Buttons located near the top of the Remote Access - Drivers page.
- Drivers List
- New Driver
- Edit Driver Registration
- Edit Driver Results
- Delete Driver
- Show All/Registered Drivers
Drivers lists all current drivers in the database, just like the Run List in Finish-Time. To register a driver listed here click on their CarID update their class, etc. Then click Update
If the driver is not listed, Click the New Driver button (#2 in the image above). Enter their CarID, choose the class in the Enlisted menu then enter their Name, etc. To commit the driver to the database, click the Save button at the bottom of the form.
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Exporting the Results in text format
The event results may be exported in Tab-Delimited Text format, or as Comma Separated Values (CSV) format for use with a third party database or spread sheet for further processing.
Note:
With the event Points enabled, points for each driver will also be included in the exported results.
To export the Results
- Choose File > Export Results
- The file save dialog box opens, choose a file name and the format and then export the results.