about ukcup.db

site aims

this site is now the official ukcup website, but it is not an orienteering news site or a discussion forum. the aim is simple - to provide an accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive set of details of the ukcup orienteering series. to this end, you will not find any fancy graphics, or indeed any graphics at all, just information on the results, races and standings from the ukcup. ultimately it is hoped to be able to have all details from all ukcup series since 1997, together with runner profiles and other details, but for the minute the aim is simply to be able to present the current standings and associated information in as useful a way as possible.

the site is still under development, and it is expected that new features will gradually be introduced over the next few monthsyears. planned features, supported by the current database but not yet implemented, include (in no particular order):

• xml/rss feeds of current standings. implemented in v0.1.2 (21-03-2005)
• xml/rss feeds of individual runner results.
• runner profiles.
• "all-time" statistics (most points, longest time, min/km, etc.).
• "head-to-head" comparison.
• standings by race type (e.g. based only on 'long' races).
• on-line fantasy team management. implemented in v0.2.0 (01-02-2006)
• clickable map of all areas used for ukcup races.

how you can help

the primary way anyone can help is to check the information presented in this site, and contact us if you find any errors or omissions. please also contact us if you have details and results, preferably (but not necessarily) in digital form, of series and races not currently in the database.

additionally, we are also on the look-out for anyone who can (on a voluntary basis) help develop and/or maintain the site. maintenance is mainly carried out through web-based forms requiring little technical knowledge, although since these are not all finished then some knowledge of mysql and/or php may be helpful. development requires a good knowledge of php, mysql, css and javascript. if you feel you could help, please get in touch.

personnel

this site was conceived, designed, implemented, and is currently maintained by ed nash.

the fantasy ukcup is coordinated by graham gristwood.

technical details

the information on which this site is based is stored in a mysql database, with the pages you are viewing generated using php scripts. layout is done using cascading style sheets where possible, and tables where not. javascript is used for the site menu to allow a compact yet detailed set of options. for those who prefer or are forced to browse without javascript, a non-scripted option is available. it is intended that this site complies with html 4.0 transitional and css 2 standards for maximum cross-browser compatibility, but only mozilla firefox on a windows platform is used for regular testing.

data entry into the database is done mainly through automatic parsing of published online event results - this allows the complete results from an event to be read, entered into the database and the runners results matched to previous results in a semi-automatic process. it therefore usually takes only around 5 minutes to update the standings after each event, although this method is not always successful. results and standings are however generally updated on or before the next working day following each race.

for speed, current series standings are generated and then cached in a summary table. other queries may be performed on-the-fly, and it may therefore take a little longer for the results to be returned.

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