[MatCauthon]

Now that the alerting rules have changed, a lot more players need to make pre-alerts when sitting down at a new table. It's hard to remember to enter the pre-alerts into chat every time, and you can't always tell if you have - sometimes the last message in chat is your alert from the previous round. It would be great to be able to enter a free-form string into the convention card that would be automatically sent in chat at the beginning of each round.

[PrecisionL]

Chat Manager is available to store various pre-alerts for use at the beginning of every round.

Left click with your mouse above the gray colored section at the bottom of your screen.

[stanmaz]

MatCauthon, on 2021-February-01, 15:04, said:

Now that the alerting rules have changed, a lot more players need to make pre-alerts when sitting down at a new table. It's hard to remember to enter the pre-alerts into chat every time, and you can't always tell if you have - sometimes the last message in chat is your alert from the previous round. It would be great to be able to enter a free-form string into the convention card that would be automatically sent in chat at the beginning of each round.

Chat manager is too simplistic. But there exists the tool you are looking for : the BBOalert browser extension already used by hundreds worldwide. One of the features is the BBO customization. All you have to do is to install BBOalert, copy the code below into the clipboard, start BBO and press "Import" button on the BBOalert blue panel.

bboalert
//Script,onAnyOpponentChange,if (myDirection() != '') setChatMessage(findShortcut('xx'), true);
Shortcut,xx,|\n|\n\
Welcome; we use very simple but unusual scheme:\n\
opening 1x in double Texas (1C=4+!H;1D=4+!S;1H=5+!C or balanced;1S=5+!D)\n\
1st response=relay or Texas. Then natural.We hope you do not mind. Thanks.\n\
Lead 3rd/5th; Sequence:top(NT); Rousinov(suit). Discard:odd=encouraging.\n\
On partner’s lead:small=encouraging\nFirst italian discard (odd=encouraging)\n

From this moment every time that at least one of the opponents change the text coded with the shortcut 'xx' will be automatically sent thru chat. This way you never forget the prealert.

Typing xx in the chat input will send the prealert immediately. Obviously you can use your prealert text and your shortcut string.


BBOalert is a sophisticated toolkit which aims to automate alerting. The basic feature of recording and replaying alerts is a great help. All you need to begin is to install the BBOalert extension and start playing normally. Every alerted bid is recorded and then when the identical auction occurs the recorded bid explanation is retrieved and sent to the opponents. But this feature is only the top of the iceberg.

BBOalert installation :

Firefox
https://addons.mozil.../addon/bboalert

Chrome
https://chrome.googl...lkeemegdhehnlcf


For the complete description of BBOalert features see the project page :
https://github.com/stanmaz/BBOalert

The tutorial can be also useful
https://github.com/s...tingStarted.pdf


You are invited to join the BBOalert users on Facebook
https://www.facebook...06384146770707/
There are other interesting scripts published.

Feel free to contact me by mail if you need help while setting up BBOalert.
stanmaz.git@gmail.com

[0 carbon]

FWIW, I start each round with an announcement like this to the table:
(for goulash)

Hi! Pass=0‑20No5+ 1♣!d♠!h=5+0‑∞HCP  5+&5+0‑∞1nt=!h&♠…2nt=♣&!d…2♣=♣&!h…2!d=!d&♠…2!h=!h&!d…2♠=♠&♣  Jump/4+shift=<3support X=TAKEOUT 1st call&<6 Blkwd…P0D1R123 3N jump asks ace cuesP1D0R0 UDCA,O/E discards Alerts GL  www.TomTrottier.com/Goulash.html


You have about 246 characters to play with. Unicode characters often count for 2, though,

[blackshoe]

Is BBOAlert compatible with other browsers besides Firefox and Chrome? Specifically is it compatible with Safari?

[blackshoe]

"Now that the alerting rules have changed".

They've changed in the ACBL. Have they changed in any other jurisdiction recently?

[MatCauthon]

BBOAlert looks nice, but I always play in the Android app.

[stanmaz]

MatCauthon, on 2021-February-03, 12:41, said:

BBOAlert looks nice, but I always play in the Android app.

KIWI browser is the only one I know supporting Chrome extensions. You should set the "Desktop Site" mode to enable BBO Split Screen mode. If any problems, write a mail.