FinishLynx Interface

From RaceTab Community Wiki

Contents 1 Documentation 1.1 Integration Options 1.2 Manually Importing 2 Video Walkthrough

Documentation

The Lynx product suite including FinishLynx and FieldLynx are perhaps the most common FAT system in the world for high quality meets. Fortunately, the folks at Lynx also made it very easy for other products to integrate with it (perhaps that is why it is so popular now... open works!). Lynx works, behind the scenes, off of simple text-delimited files of a few different formats:

• Lynx EVT Files
• Lynx AFL Files
• Lynx SCH Files
• Lynx PPL Files

RaceTab integrates with Lynx by writing and reading these files to "talk" to to it. You just need to tell both Lynx and RaceTab what folder to share. They can be running on separate computers, the shared folder just needs to be accessible to both.

Instructions:

1. In RaceTab go to Interface in the Menu Bar at the top of the meet.
2. Choose Lynx...
3. Browse to the shared folder and click OK
4. Now configure the settings you want to use (more on these options next) and click OK.

Integration Options

So what are these "Automatic Import" and "Automatic Export" options? Basically you can do the integration with FinishLynx fully-automated or fully-manual (or anywhere in between). Most people prefer to have everything on automatic except for "Race Results" and "Field Results"... they like to do that manually.

Automatic Import?

• Race Results - Have RaceTab watch the folder for newly edited race result files from FinishLynx or LynxPad (Lynx LIF Files). If this option is checked, when one is created or updated, RaceTab will automatically import those results without you doing anything.
• Field Results - Have RaceTab watch the folder for newly edited field event result files from FieldLynx or LynxPad (Lynx LFF Files). If this option is checked, when one is created or updated, RaceTab will automatically import those results without you doing anything.
• Images - FinishLynx strings together the video of the finish into a single image. It has the ability to save that finish photo as a file. It will by default save it to the same working folder as the results files. If this option is checked, RaceTab will watch that folder for new images and automatically import them. You can then Twitter them, save them, etc.

Automatic Export?

• Events - Have RaceTab automatically write out the Lynx EVT File any time events, results, or entries change.
• Affiliations - Have RaceTab automatically write out the Lynx AFL File any time teams change.
• Schedule - Have RaceTab automatically write out the Lynx SCH File any event order changes.
• Athletes - Have RaceTab automatically write out the Lynx PPL File any time athletes.

Manually Importing

Once you have the integration configured (per above) and you have the automatic import of results turned off, you will need to tell RaceTab when you want to pull these things in. There are various ways to do this. All of them are from the Events Tab.

• Lynx button on right hand side of the results. This will look for and import the current heat that you have open.
• Import Results in toolbar
  • From FinishLynx, Browse for file... - Manually locate and import a specific LIF or LFF file.
  • From FinishLynx, This Heat... - RaceTab will look in the shared folder for results from this event number, round, and heat.
  • From FinishLynx, Entire Folder... - RaceTab will read the entire folder and import all results it finds at once.
• Import Times in toolbar
  • From Lynx LIF File... - Browse for the LIF results file and only import times (no lane, bib#, name or team info will be read).

Video Walkthrough

The video below is slightly out-of-date, but the basic principle still applies. See the above documentation for more up-to-date details.