Lesson 3 - Downloading Racing Programs and Results Charts from the Internet

Chapter 3: Downloading Racing Programs and Results Charts from the Internet

For most PC users, QuickDog will automatically download both historical race programs/charts and current (yesterday, today, and tomorrow's programs/charts). If the techniques explained below do not work for you, please make sure of two things before writing to us:

1) You have Internet Explorer 6.0 on your computer.

2) You've read below, and followed the directions for downloading your data using QuickDog.

There are two methods you may need to use in order to download racing data. One is QuickDog automated method, but, if that fails you will have to use the MANUAL DOWNLOADING METHOD, explained below. For most users, downloading data with QuickDog will be totally automatic.

Learning QuickDog Step by Step Menu

To download your data automatically, start QuickDog, and, after selecting the "I AGREE" button on the license/subscription page, you will see our "Learning QuickDog Step by Step" display.

Step 2 allows you to go through a series of prompts which will download history for your tracks(s).

Step 3 will walk you through a procedure for automatically downloading YESTERDAY, TODAY, and TOMORROW'S programs and charts.

All history data will be available, and most current track data will also be available to you, however, if your track is managed by ROSNET (QuickDog will tell you this when you choose your tracks), then you may have to manually download that data if QuickDog is unable to access it automatically.

Why? Because ROSNET has decided to take more control of their data and sometimes this makes it difficult for QuickDog to access.

Once you've used Steps 2 and 3 on the Step by Step display, and begin handicapping, you can also find the HISTORY and "Today's Program" downloading features on the Menu Bar with you select the DOWNLOAD menu bar item.

A good practice in using QuickDog is to use Step 3 each day, before going into QuickDog any further, and, if you miss a day, then you can use Step 2 to get the data you missed. QuickDog history includes past data up to and including the day before yesterday. Step 3 allows you to download YESTERDAY, TODAY, and TOMORROW's data. Therefore, you should have what you need to handicap. The history includes up to 1 year of data for each track we cover.

Manual Downloading of Data

If QuickDog doesn't manage your programs and chart accesses automatically, then you can still download programs and charts by following the directions below. These directions are in two parts - ROSNET tracks, and ALL OTHER TRACKS. To learn how to download from ROSNET, click on this link -

The following downloading guidelines can not be used for ROSNET tracks. Click HERE for specific directions on how to download ROSNET Data.

For all other tracks, see below, but we encourage you to upgrade your computer so that QuickDog can do this task for you!

Since this page contains lots of graphics, it is slow to download. Please wait for this page to finish downloading before taking the tutorial.

We receive more mail asking about how to download racing programs than on any other feature of QuickDog. In fact, the number of requests we get for more information about downloading exceeds all the other requests!

So, once and for all, we hope that by using pictures with words on this web page we can demonstrate how quickly and easily this can be done even if you are unable to use QuickDog's automated tool described above.

Daily Downloading of Programs and Charts -

Unless you are using a very old version of Windows and don't have Internet Explorer 6.0, you should NEVER HAVE TO USE THESE DIRECTIONS!

From the QuickDog Handicapping display, shown below, select the button "2 - DOWNLOAD THE RACE...". In the graphic below, this button is pointed to by the CURSOR.

Figure 1 - QuickDog Handicapping Style Display

A popup will appear as shown in Figure 2. Note the CURSOR will appear on the "NO! JUST TAKE ME..." button. Now click that button. The QuickDog TRACKS web page should display. If you are using Windows 95 or Windows NT, QuickDog may not display this web page, but you can do this operation manually by typing the following URL into your browser:

QuickDog Tracks Webpage

Figure 2 - The Downloading Popup

Our TRACKS web page will now be displayed in another browser window, so you will need to go back and forth from this window to that window to continue. Or simply read the rest of this help and try repeating what's done here. This HELP will demonstrate what we call "THE RIGHT CLICK METHOD" of downloading racing programs and charts. Let's get started.

Figure 3 - Portion of the QuickDog Tracks Web Page

For our example, we will download a program from the Gulf Greyhound site. Find the information as shown above, and move your CURSOR over the "Programs" link as shown. Then Click on this link with the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON. Something like the following display will appear and you may use the LEFT MOUSE BUTTON again to select a month.

Figure 4 - Gulf Greyhound Month List

In this example, we select April 2002 Programs, but you may select any month. Simply click on it with your LEFT MOUSE BUTTON. The program dates for September Gulf will appear.

Figure 5 - Gulf's April Program List

NOW! For the "RIGHT CLICK METHOD" of downloading! Move the CURSOR over the Program Date you wish to download. Click the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON not the left mouse button. In this sample, we've selected GGEP0914.TXT. DO NOT USE PDF FILES!

Figure 6a - RIGHT CLICK ON the Program Date (MS Internet Explorer)

Figure 6b - RIGHT CLICK ON the Program Date (Netscape)

Depending on the browser you are using, note the two different pop menus. For the Internet Explorer, select the option - "Save Target As". If you are using Netscape, select the "Save Link As". This is done by moving your CURSOR over the selection and LEFT CLICKING the Mouse.

Figure 7 - Save As Window

Regardless or your browser type, the "Save As" window, shown above will pop up. Note in the "File name:" field is the proper name of the file that is going to be downloaded. Notice in the "Save in:" field the folder "inpfiles" which is "\jaidogs\inpfiles" folder. Before selecting the "Save" button, you MUST MAKE SURE that your "Save As" window shows these two items properly. Use the "Folder" button, the button where the CURSOR is in the above figure, to locate the "inpfiles" folder. To do so, you first look for the "jaidogs" folder, then select the "inpfiles" subfolder. If you have trouble finding the "inpfiles" folder on your hard drive, then we recommend that you get help because this means that you are not a very experienced Windows user.

Once everything is in order, then LEFT CLICK on the "Save" button and the file will be downloaded and placed where QuickDog will find it when the QuickDog CONVERT process is run.

Downloading files from other tracks is done in much the same way as it is done for Gulf. See the information on our TRACKS website for more information on each track.

Running the QuickDog CONVERT Software

After downloading programs and charts from the internet, QuickDog MUST convert these files to its own "program files". The files will be created in the "\jaidogs\programs" folder. To allow QuickDog to CONVERT, you must do the following.

Refer to Figure 1, the Handicapping Display, and note Button 3, just below Button 2 the one we just used. If Quickdog is currently displaying Figure 2, simply RIGHT CLICK the Mouse, and Figure 1 will display. Button 3 is our CONVERT button. Select it by clicking on it.

Figure 8 - The Configuration (CONVERT) Menu

If this is your first time using this menu, then, simply make sure the USE DATABASE entry is YES. If it is not, then click on that button until it says YES. Also make sure the UPDATE METHOD is REBUILD. Again, if not then click on that button until it says REBUILD. Finally, to start the CONVERT process, click on the CONTINUE WITH CONVERT button. After your first CONVERT with REBUILD, you should use CONVERT with the UPDATE option selected.

This menu has several features which will be explained in other HELP tutorials. For now, the CONTINUE WITH CONVERT button is used to import the files we just downloaded into the \jaidogs\inpfiles folder and convert them to QuickDog Program files in the \jaidogs\programs folder.

QuickDog will give information on the progress of this CONVERT, and, afterwards, it will pop up a notepad with information on any errors it found while converting. If you have any questions about this feature, please ask us at jai@gorge.net

After the CONVERT process is complete, a list of TRACK IDs will appear. The Track you just downloaded should be there so you should simply click on it using the Left Mouse button. Finally, a list of programs for that track will appear. Click on the one you wish to look at with QuickDog. Bingo, you are back to the Handicapping Style display in Figure 1.

Now that you're familiar with accessing programs for QuickDog to use, see the top of this page for more advanced topics with QuickDog. Good luck in your handicapping!