Help Manual

An online manual is available here, this covers the sites functionality and how to perform common tasks.

Contents


1.1 Sign Up

First click 'Sign Up' on the menu bar to reach the 'New Member Registration' page.

You should read our privacy statement to understand why we require certain details.

Under 'General Information' you must enter;

  • Your Name and Surname, these are used to identify you on the site.
  • Your Alias, this is used to identify you on the ladder page, depending on how formal you want to make your ladder this can be either your name or a nickname.
  • A Password, this must be entered twice to prevent a type error, the first and last characters will be sent to you in the registration confirmation email.
  • Your email address, this should be your own email account and as it is used to identify you when you login, it must not have been registered on the site already.
  • Select whether you want to make your email address visible on the site, when set it will only be visible to other members of your ladder.
  • Select where you heard about us from the drop-down list.
  • Select the Country you reside in and your Gender.

Under 'Optional Information' you have the option of entering your date of birth and a contact phone number and your availability, these can be used to help co-ordinate game fixtures.

Once you have entered all of your information click 'Register' to save your details, you will then be sent a confirmation email.

1.2 Login Screen

Click the 'Login' button on the header bar to open the Login screen.

Enter your email and password and click 'Login' to Login into the site.

Select the 'Remember Me' option to store your details in a cookie on your computer, when you come back to the site you will be able to go straight-in without re-entering your credentials. If your PC is used by several people you may not want to select this option.

If you have forgotten your password click the link and you will be sent a new password to your email address. When you log back in with the new password you will be prompted to change this password.

1.3 Search

Use the Search facility when you want to find a club or ladder where you are not already a member. From here you can then join the ladder if you know the password details.

First enter the ladder name in the 'Find a Ladder' box and click the 'magnifier' icon. You will then be taken to the search screen and any matching ladders displayed in a table.

You can now refine your search to change the Country or Town, you can also select whether you want to search for 'Ladders' or 'Clubs'.

If you have Logged into the site you will see the 'Join' column in the results table, if you wish to join the ladder click 'Join' and then enter the password in the dialogue box.

1.4 My Dashboard

The 'My Dashboard' page is your homepage, from here you can perform most functions, these are grouped under the following tabs:

Member Details these are your personal details and can be edited and saved here.

  • From the Details tab, change your information and click 'Save Details' to save.
  • From the Password tab, enter your current and new passwords and click 'Update Password' to save the new password.
  • From the Account tab, if you want to remove your account, read the instructions then enter your password and click 'Remove Account'.

My Ladders this tab contains a list of all ladders where you are a member or administrator. If you are administrator you will see additional settings to allow you to administer the ladder.

  • If you are the ladder administrator, click 'Administer Ladder' to perform administrative functions.
  • If you are the ladder administrator, click 'Delete Ladder' to completely remove the ladder and its games.
  • If you are a ladder member, click 'Remove' to remove yourself from the ladder, if you are also the administrator, the ladder will remain in the list and you can click 'Join' to re-join again.
  • If you are a ladder member, click 'Rest' to set your status on this ladder to 'Resting', an 'Umbrella' icon will appear next to your name on the Positions table to show you are resting.
  • If the ladder discussion board is enabled and there are new messages in the last 48 hours a blue icon will appear showing how many new messages have been posted.

My Clubs this tab contains a list of all clubs where you are a member of a club ladder or club administrator. If you are administrator you will see additional settings to allow you to administer the club.

  • If you are the club administrator, click 'Administer Club' to perform administrative functions.
  • If you are the club administrator, click 'Delete Club' to completely remove the club. Note, to delete a club you will need to remove or delete its ladders first.

My Games this tab allows you to view and edit all games you have played.

  • Select the ladder and click 'Refresh' to view all games on the ladder.
  • Click 'Enter Non-Challenge Results' to enter a result that is not linked to a challenge.
  • Click 'Edit Game' to edit the game details.
  • Click 'Delete Game' to delete the game.

My Challenges this tab allows you to view and edit your challenges and enter the challenge result.

  • Select the ladder and click 'Refresh' to view all your challenges on the ladder.
  • When the challenge has not been played and either the 'Challenge Period' has not been set or the Challenge Period has not elapsed the status will read 'Open'.
  • When the challenge has not been played and the Challenge Period has elapsed the status will read 'Expired'.
  • When the challenge has been played and a result entered the status will read 'Complete'. If the result is subsequently deleted the status will revert back to either 'Open' or 'Expired'.
  • If you created the challenge you can edit and delete the challenge and enter the challenge result.
  • If you are being challenged (the Challengee) you cannot edit or delete the challenge but you can enter the result.
  • If you are the Challengee and are also the ladder administrator you can edit and delete the challenge and enter the challenge result.

1.5 Ladder Profile

Ladder Details Tab this tab shows all the ladder settings.

Positions Tab

  • This tab shows all the ladder players and their rankings.
  • The rankings can be re-ordered by clicking on the 'Points' or 'Ladder Rank' headings.
  • You can challenge a player from this screen by clicking on the 'Challenge' link next to the player, in the dialogue box enter any notes and select whether you want to send a notification of the challenge via email to the Challengee. Once the challenge is created it will appear on the 'Challenges' tab.
  • You can send an email to a player from this screen by clicking on the 'Email' link next to the player.
  • When a player is under challenge a 'diary' icon will appear by their name.
  • When a player is resting an 'umbrella' icon will appear by their name.
  • If a player changed rankings after their last recorded game an arrow icon will appear showing in which direction they moved.

Games Tab

  • Select a player from the 'Select player' list and click 'Refresh' to view all the player's games on the ladder.
  • Select 'download all game data' to get a list of all games for all players in a separate window. You can then select and cut and paste this data into your spreadsheet application.

Challenges Tab

  • Select a player from the 'Select player' list and click 'Refresh' to view all the player's challenges on the ladder.
  • By default only 'Open' challenges are visible however you can select the 'Expired' and 'Complete' checkboxes to include Expired and Complete challenges.
  • See the My Dashboard section for further explanation of how challenges work.

Discussion Tab

  • The ladder discussion board tab will only be displayed if the discussion board is enabled for the ladder.
  • If there are new messages in the last 48 hours a blue icon will appear on the tab showing how many new messages have been posted.
  • The drop down box allows you to switch between seeing all messages 'message mode' and messages grouped by thread 'thread mode'.
  • The 'Show Challenge and Result Threads' checkbox allows you to filter out or include messages that have been automatically generated when games and challenges are recorded. Note, the ladder administrator can control the creation of these messages through ladder settings.
  • In message mode, when clicking the message subject the message is displayed, the message author and ladder administrator can edit or delete the message, all ladder members can respond to the message.
  • In thread mode only the ladder administrator can delete the whole thread, all ladder members can view the thread.
  • When clicking 'View Thread' the message board is in 'single thread mode' where only messages from the chosen thread are displayed.
  • To post a new message to the board click 'Post New Message' and enter the subject, message and click 'submit'. Make sure you read the Terms and Conditions before posting.
  • Once a message has been posted the subject cannot be changed, if you make a mistake you can delete the message and re-post however once responses have been posted to your thread you cannot delete the message.

1.6 Enter Results

Rules for entering results

  • You must always enter a score for the first game.
  • Each player can have no more than three winning games.
  • Each game must have a winning or losing score, the game cannot be drawn.
  • With the exception of the above rules all other match scores up to 5 games can be entered, see the table below.
  • The highest score wins each game.

Entering results after a Challenge

  • Once you have played a game, decide who is going to enter the result then go to your profile page, find the challenge through which the game was played and click 'Enter Result'.
  • Select the date the game was played and enter the results, add any notes and then click 'Enter' to save the game.
  • Once the game has been entered the challenge will automatically update to a status of 'Complete'.

Entering results without a Challenge

  • If your ladder has the 'Challenges are Optional' setting then you can enter a result without having to first make a challenge.
  • To do this go to your profile page and on the 'My Games' tab click 'Enter Non-Challenge Result'.
  • From the Enter Match Results screen select the date the game was played, the ladder (note, only 'Open' ladders will appear in this list) and your opponent, add any notes and then click 'Enter' to save the game.

Entering results as Ladder Administrator

  • If you are the ladder administrator you can enter a result for any two player whether the 'Challenges are Optional' setting is on or off.
  • To do this go to the ladder Administration page and under the 'Games' tab click 'Enter Non-Challenge Result'.
  • From the Enter Match Results screen select the date the game was played, the ladder (note, only 'Open' ladders will appear in this list) and both players, add any notes and then click 'Enter' to save the game.

1.7 Register New Ladder

To create a new Sports ladder you will need to register with the site, then Login and select 'Setup New Ladder' in the Navigation menu.

Ladder Address

  • Enter the ladder Name, Town and Country, the combination of these three fields must be different from any existing ladders.
  • Enter the ladder Timezone.
  • Enter your contact details (name and phone), so site members can contact you to obtain the Password, these details will appear in the 'Join' dialogue.

Challenge Settings

  • Enter a 'Challenge Period', this is the number of days a player under challenge has to complete the challenge, this is not enforced by the site.
  • Enter a 'Challenge Position', this is the number of positions a player can challenge above their current rank.
  • Set 'Enforce Challenge Position' to ensure the 'Challenge Position' rule is enforced.
  • Enter a 'Rechallenge period', this is the minimum number of days between a failed challenge and a rechallenge, this is not enforced by the site.
  • Enter whether challenges must be used on the ladder, if this is set to 'Yes' then games can only be recorded if a challenge is made first.

Password and Privacy Settings

  • All Ladders can be found from the search screen however a link to your ladder details will only be visible if the 'Private' checkbox is left unchecked.
  • Set the 'Private' checkbox to ensure only your ladder members can view your ladder. If this option is not checked non-ladder members will be able to view your ladder however they will not be able to interact with the ladder until they become members.
  • Enter a password into the 'Password' and 'Confirm Password' boxes to ensure only players that know the password can join your ladder. Note, players can also join your ladder through an invitation, this explains how to add players to your ladder.

Message Board Settings

  • Set 'Enable Message Board' to display the ladder message board, when unchecking this option the message board tab will be hidden and result and challenge messages not recorded. When unchecking this option any existing messages will not be deleted and will become visible again when the setting is switched back on.
  • Set 'Post Results to Board' to start logging game results to the message board, the message will contain the player alias's, date played, results and any message.
  • Set 'Post Challenges to Board' to start logging challenges to the message board, the message will contain the player alias's and any message.

Other Settings

  • Enter Period Start and Period End to define a date range in months when the ladder is 'Open'. When the ladder falls outside this range it is considered 'Closed' and the site will not allow any games to be entered. You can 'Open' the ladder again by changing these periods.
  • Enter a ladder Standard.
  • Enter a Preferred Ranking System, this will be the default order for players rank in the Positions table.
  • Enter the type of sport played on the ladder.

Join Ladder this gives you the option of automatically joining the ladder once it is created. You can still administer the ladder without joining and should only join if you are planning to participate on the ladder.

Add to Club this gives you the option of adding the ladder to a club, you must be the administrator of the club to be able to do this.

Click 'Finish' to create the ladder.

1.8 Register New Club

To create a new Sports club you will need to register with the site, then Login and select 'Setup New Club' in the Navigation menu.

General Information this section covers all mandatory club settings.

  • Enter the club address settings, the combination of Name, Town and Country details must be different from any existing club.
  • Enter your club contact details (name, phone and email), these fields will be visible to anyone using the site.
  • Enter your club type.

Optional Details this section covers all non-mandatory club settings.

  • If your club has its own website you can enter the URL of your site.
  • Add directions to find your club.
  • Use the 'Club Overview' section to provide additional information related to your club, this could cover rules, events, opening times etc.

1.9 Administer Ladder

Ladder Details Tab this tab allows you to edit all ladder settings, see Register New Ladder.

Members Tab

  • This tab shows all the ladder players and their rankings.
  • Click the 'person' Icon in the 'Player' column to add or remove administrator privileges from each player.
  • Click the 'email' Icon to send a player an email through the site.
  • Click the 'remove player' Icon to remove a player from the ladder.
  • Click the 'up arrow' Icon to move a player rank up one position.
  • Click the 'down arrow' Icon to move a player rank down one position.
  • Click the 'umbrella' Icon to set a player's status to 'Resting'.

Admin Functions Tab

Remove All Ladder Games
  • By selecting this option you will remove all the game results from this ladder.
  • This could typically be used at the end of a season to clear down all results before the start of the next season.
  • Existing challenges will remain on the ladder and where they were Complete they will read "Expired" or "Open".
  • This will not re-adjust the players rankings on the ladder.
Remove All Ladder Challenges
  • By selecting this option you will remove all the Challenges from this ladder.
  • This could typically be used at the end of a season to clear down all Challenges before the start of the next season.
  • This will not remove any game results from the ladder.
Randomize Player Rankings
  • By selecting this option you will change the ranking of each player on this ladder to that of a random position, generated by the computer.
  • This could typically be used at the end of a season to re-adjust player rankings on the ladder before the start of the next season, or to change rankings after all players have finished joining a new ladder.
  • This will not remove any old game results from the ladder.
Remove All Message from the Message Board
  • By selecting this option you will delete all messages from the message board.
  • Note, inactive message threads with no posts for over 1 year will be automatically deleted from the site.

Games Tab this tab allows you to view and edit all games entered on the ladder.

  • Select the player and click 'Refresh' to view all their games on the ladder.
  • Select 'download all game data' to get a list of all games for all players in a separate window. You can then select and cut and paste this data into your spreadsheet application.
  • Click 'Enter Non-Challenge Results' to enter a result for two ladder players, this will not be linked to a challenge.
  • Click 'Edit Game' to edit the game details.
  • Click 'Delete Game' to delete the game.

Challenges Tab

  • Select a player from the 'Select player' list and click 'Refresh' to view all the player's challenges on the ladder.
  • By default only 'Open' challenges are visible however you can select the 'Expired' and 'Complete' checkboxes to include Expired and Complete challenges.
  • As the ladder administrator you can edit and delete all challenges and enter all challenge results.
  • See the My Dashboard section for further explanation of how challenges work.

Invitations Tab

  • Use the 'New' tab to create invitations inviting new or existing site members to join the ladder.
  • Use the 'Existing' tab to manage existing ladder invitations.
  • Help is available on both tabs by clicking the 'Help' label.

1.10 Administer Club

Club Details Tab this tab allows you to edit all club settings.

Ladders Tab this tab allows you administer all the club ladders.

2.1 How ladder ranking works

The site uses two ranking systems, 'Traditional Ladder' and 'Points'. These two systems work side by side, so when scores are entered both ladder rankings and points will be assigned to each player based on the score. Members will then be able to see their ladder positions sorted by either ladder rank or points.

The ladder administrator will also be able to set a 'Preferred Ranking System' parameter to either 'Ladder Rank' or 'Points' which will indicate the Ranking system by which a winner will be decided. That is not to say that winners couldn't be both decided on Points and Ladder Rank!

Traditional Ladder Ranking If the winner is of lower rank than the opponent, they will move up to the opponents rank and the opponent and all players in-between move down one position. If the winner is of higher rank than the opponent, no rank changes will be made.

Points Ranking It is expected that the points system will be used for teams wishing to score on a league basis where each player plays every other a fixed number of times. However using this system on a traditional ladder can be useful as it rewards players who play a lot of games as well as just winners!

The points awarded for each score are as follows:

Score Points
3 - 0 4 - 1
3 - 1 4 - 2
3 - 2 4 - 3
2 - 0 3 - 1
2 - 1 3 - 2
2 - 2 3 - 3
1 - 0 2 - 1
1 - 1 2 - 2

2.2 How to amend or delete results

As a Player from your profile Select the 'My Games' tab, select the ladder the game was played on and click 'Refesh'. All games you played on this ladder will be displayed, use the 'Edit Game' and 'Delete Game' links in the 'Admin' column to edit and delete the game.

As a Ladder Administrator from your profile go to the 'My Ladders' tab and select 'Administer Ladder' on the ladder where the game was recorded. Next select the 'Games tab', select one of the players who played the game you wish to edit and click the 'Refesh' button. All the players games recorded on this ladder will be displayed, use the 'Edit Game' and 'Delete Game' links in the 'Admin' column to edit and delete the game.

How Amending a result will affect the rankings: When the game is updated, the game points are amended as necessary. No ladder rankings will be changed unless this was the last game to be added or amended on the ladder. In this scenario any ranking changes will be reverted back and any new ranking changes will be made.

How Deleting a result will affect the rankings: When the game is deleted, the game points are removed. No ladder rankings will be changed unless this was the last game to be added on the ladder. In this scenario any ranking changes will be reverted back.

2.3 How to add players to your ladder

To make the site flexible for different member requirements there are two ways that players can join your ladder. These mechanisms will work side by side so you can choose to use just one or both at the same time.

With a password When you setup your ladder you should enter a password to prevent outsiders from joining the Ladder. If you intend to use the password as a means to allow your members to join the ladder you can let them know the password or place it on the sports center notice board. The members then need to register on the site and use the Search screen to find and join your ladder.

With an email invitation Invitations can be created on the 'Invitations' tab of the 'Ladder Administration' screen. Each invitation email contains a link allowing the invitee to register and join the ladder, this process does not require the password. Once the invitations have been sent you can view, edit, chase and delete them from the 'Existing' tab.