RDSS non-responsive workaround

[Ted Craven]

It has been brought to my attention that other software which also accesses TwinSpires to fetch tote data - for example the well regarded ATRPro tote analysis program is now also offline.

Apparently TwinSpires changed some of the API links used for tote on Wednesday. TwinSpires has no contracts or obligations to provide any of this data to any software like RDSS or ATRPro - and they can change and BREAK anything at any time and have done so many times in the past. Unlike TrackMaster/Equibase with whom I have a longstanding contract for data access which is guaranteed to work or be fixed when it doesn't.

Doc Sartin's software offerings did not use any tote data or TwinSpires ratings and despite that, everyone is here to day because of the strength of that Methodology. I understand that many people (not all) value some of the new stuff we get from TwinSpires.

An important change to the upcoming RDSS release later in October will be to insulate RDSS stability from whatever changes TwinSpires may make: you will always be able to TURN OFF completely any TwinSpires data access (e.g. tote or BPP/PL ratings or scratches/changes) and retain complete stability of the rest of RDSS. Further, small changes to web API links will be stored in a RDSS config file which you can update yourself without a whole software update, and eventually the software will self-update stuff like that. Again, more stability, less reliance on Ted.

Fortunately, the upcoming RDSS still works fine for fetching tote, scratches and BPP/PL ratings (MTP is a bit screwy):



I know for some of you, the forgoing is just another set of excuses. I accept that. That is my excuse. I could have solved many other things by now. I have my excuses for why not - perhaps another time. Do not believe me about an immanent RDSS update - believe it when you see it and when other people report that such and such problems are fixed. That is a fair approach to take, IMO. I will continue anyway to check off the 1000 details involved in the grand renovation I've been making to RDSS the past year+ and to deal with ever new bumps in the road.

Meanwhile, for those of you who do NOT rely on any tote or TwinSpires ratings for your handicapping (i.e. the Methodology Doc Sartin and Jim Bradshaw left us with) - continue to apply the workaround described in this Thread to fix the 'non-responsive' error and cash the mutuels some of you have been reporting. Or if you do use TS ratings (BPP/PL) as Lt1 and rmath have suggested, just get them from public TwinSpires sources. (And feel free to comment on whether you think it is a good and valuable thing to get that data - and correctly - automatically into RDSS, via programming magic).

The only other excuse I've got today is that I am away from home until Oct 3, on the West Coast of Canada (Vancouver Island) buying a home to move to soon. My focus is a bit multi-tasked at the moment. Plus I dropped my email tablet computer and that is now a bit flakey, as is intermittent internet access. If I don't respond to you as promptly as you'd like, try sending me a Private Message here.

End of excuses for today. Enjoy the weekend of racing!

Ted