Another RDSS 2.2 Update (fix TS Ratings/Mutuels problems)

[Ted Craven]

For the past several days, RDSS has had problems retrieving various kinds of data from TwinSpires:

1. Prime Power and ProfitLine Ratings
2. Scratches
3. Tote data
4. Mutuel Results

This is an intermittent problem, arising from a new behaviour of TwinSpires servers in delivering data when queried. In that - some people experience it and some don't, some of the time missing and some of the time normal as expected. (Our favourite kind of problem ).

Even with the appropriate boxes checked on the Config Screen, sometimes PP/PL ratings are blank, Tote absent, Scratches missing, Results & Mutuels not appearing when prompted.

This is being tested by several people at the moment with a view to suggesting a workaround strategy hopefully within the next 24 hours, which will be posted here. I may expedite the planned RDSS update just to provide a fix to this - if I can program one.

Meanwhile, feel free to try these strategies and report if they work (sometimes they have!):

1. if TS Ratings are missing, click the Clear Cache button on the Card Summary screen then re-assemble the race/s - several times if you have to/want to - until you choose to give up!

2. Re missing TS Ratings, try UNCHECKing the Get Tote box on Config, Save then restart RDSS. Then reassemble races. If the TS Ratings/Scratches appear now and if you want to get live Tote data, now re-CHECK 'Get Tote' on the Config Screen, Save and restart RDSS. Now load a race or click Assemble ALL. This might preserve the TS Ratings from Step 1 and reactivate Tote.

The above advice is merely interim advice until I understand more clearly what is happening. In some cases, some races, TS has changed the way it delivers Mutuel Results when asked by software (i.e. an API query). No rhyme or reason that I can see (unless they are randomly f@cking with users of its API).

Feel free to post any reliable methods found to produce expected results.

This has happened in past years (random/unannounced changes to TwinSpires/BRIS data servers). Sometimes it was temporary, sometimes I had to reprogram everything. As users of this free public domain data, we must roll with the punches.

Stay tuned!

Ted