Clue Descriptions Program
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Topic created by johncampbell on Mon Sep 24, 2012 at 10:04 pmI need help here as I am no technical wizard. I downloaded Clue from the website, created most of the clue sheets I needed for the Green lane event and tried to print them - no luck as the computer doesn't understand the file type.
Please will some one help me overcome an hour of frustration and explain what I need to do!
Thank-you -
Reply by Vadim on Mon Sep 24, 2012 at 10:23 pmJohn,Condes software would be the best for the courses design and it allows easy XML export for later upload into e-punch (OE2010) software as well as clues printing, etc. If you are PC user, I would strongly recommend to use Condes software.P.S. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with Clue software, but the last time I use it about 8 years ago, I had no issues printing descriptions.
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Reply by j-man on Mon Sep 24, 2012 at 10:45 pmAs long as you print from within the Clue program, I would think it would work. Clue doesn't change your file associations, however, so Windows won't recognize the file format if you try printing from outside Clue itself.
If you are going to use Clue and have questions or issues, Fred Kruesi, the Clue software architect extraodinaire, can address all of them. -
Reply by furlong47 on Tue Sep 25, 2012 at 12:07 pmI have never had a problem printing them as long as it was done from within the Clue program.
However, I usually create the clue sheets in Clue, then take a screenshot and paste several of them side by side onto a standard size piece of paper using Photoshop. That way I can print several at a go and not waste as much paper. -
Reply by FredR on Tue Sep 25, 2012 at 3:14 pmThats a clever idea--using photoshop to create the masters. You can do most of the same thing with the Clue print function by picking combinations of courses that will fit on a single page (I usually have to play with the margins to get close to filling the page). The higher math comes in trying to figure out which combinations of courses that will fit on each master page, then how many copies of each master to print, to create the right number of clue sheets to match the printing with a good mix of leftovers. Sometimes that's the most challenging task I face as ED.
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Reply by Vadim on Tue Sep 25, 2012 at 6:42 pmUsing Clue/Photoshop you can introduce mistakes in the descriptions, which is not possible with Condes.
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Reply by furlong47 on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 11:21 amI also live in an ancient orienteering society where we still draw courses by hand and use pin punching. If there are mistakes in my descriptions, no software is going to catch them. I can only speak of my experience with Clue. Condes may well be better for the purposes of e-punching and map printing. I've never had occasion to use it.
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Reply by Vadim on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 11:55 amMy point is that everything is in one package when you use Condes, so, there are less possibilities to make mistakes like numbering controls and creting descriptions. You can use Condes for your courses design, it is not necessary to print them after that. However, printing descriptions will make it much easier.
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Reply by FredR on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 3:57 pmI use Condes exclusively for the few courses a year that I have ended up designing, and totally agree that it's a pain and potential source of error to get essentially a copy of the information into Clue. It's just that my experience with clue sheets in Condes is limited to a struggle to get them to print (or not) properly on the map itself (without obscuring important things, etc.) If there is a way to get all the good things about Clue directly in Condes, I don't know about them and would be very interested in learning. Perhaps there is a Condes training session brewing for the Winter meeting...
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Reply by Guy-O on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 4:57 pmSome (not I) prefer to use the course designing features of OCAD (8+) over Condes. Are there particular situations in which one is markedly better than the other?
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Reply by Vadim on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 6:15 pmBack in times when OCAD did not have a Course Setting option, Condes was a solution. Also, OCAD license is too expensive and is licensed per installation while Condes is per club.
Alternatively, current version of OCAD has a Course Setting option. -
Reply by Vadim on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 6:18 pmIf there is interest in learning course designing with Condes, we can repeat our training session we did last March. I would like to avoid such training during winter meeting; too many other things to worry about. But we definitely can do it before the season 2013 starts.
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Reply by Orienteeringmom on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 7:22 pmSome of us are just not into being techies! I try route gadet a couple of times and couldn't get it to work and decided that it really didn't matter to me or anyone else for that matter. The same goes for condes. I'm still using Windows 97XP and I could care less that it is very old in the world of techies. It serves me the way I want and need so I'm happy. I know that this probably makes some of you crazy but we accept you for your techie ways so accept the fact that some of us are not techie and are very happy that way! Old or new ways, we all get it done and do a good job at it.
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Reply by Steve on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 9:34 pmOcad is the only way to update a map, such as add trails or new buildings. As Vadim said, it is not worth the price if you are not doing some mapping. I grew up with Fred's clue program, in fact I made some suggestions after using the first version. Vadim is right about errors if you do things twice, once in Condes and once in Clue. I don't like condes because our maps don't usually have a blank spot for the clues, therefore I never input the clues into Condes unless I am working with someone else and need to email the program back and forth.
Janet, I never tried to use condes 8 with XP, but I know 7 works with XP. Condes does require extra time to learn the first time it is used, but it is well worth it if you are going to set courses again. Besides, hand drawn maps aree very rare around here, and the rubber presses are antiques. I am not even sure where they have gone, and I have no intention of finding them.
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Reply by anniemac on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 9:56 pmI aspire to be worthy of learning Condes someday.
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Reply by Vadim on Wed Sep 26, 2012 at 10:34 pmFYI, Condes allows you to print just descriptions (clues) w/out overprnting courses, so, it is almost the same as using Clue program, but much more flexible in what you can get out of it - clues for all courses per page, clues for single course per page, or clues for multiple courses per page; you can set page vertical (Portrait) or horizintal (Landscape). Also, if you are creative enough you can print clues on the reverse side of the map - who said it cannot be done that way?Both programs serve their purpose and have their place.
