Schedule XML parsing error

[surly manservant]

Hi, I've created a custom schedule for my fictional league but every time I try to load it I get the message:

XML parsing error
not well formed (invalid token) at line 5

I've attached the schedule, any help would be much appreciated.

[SandMan]

Originally Posted by surly manservant

Hi, I've created a custom schedule for my fictional league but every time I try to load it I get the message:

XML parsing error
not well formed (invalid token) at line 5

I've attached the schedule, any help would be much appreciated.

Try it now.. not tested in game but found multiple errors and fixed them, hopefully. Made it easier to read also.

[NoOne]

verify structure is exactly the same... remove things that aren't needed int he header like start day="5".... not needed, control it in game.

Also, make sure you don't have any unusual characters... i typically see the " with the inward/outward slant to them once i save from the schedule generator from mods forum. these funky " are not undestood by ootp... it's as if they aren't there, so it's not in the correct format.

you have to search and replace the inward, then the outward slanted quotation marks.... open up an existing schedule and copy the " from that file and paste into the "replace with" box.

[SandMan]

Originally Posted by NoOne

verify structure is exactly the same... remove things that aren't needed int he header like start day="5".... not needed, control it in game.

Also, make sure you don't have any unusual characters... i typically see the " with the inward/outward slant to them once i save from the schedule generator from mods forum. these funky " are not undestood by ootp... it's as if they aren't there, so it's not in the correct format.

you have to search and replace the inward, then the outward slanted quotation marks.... open up an existing schedule and copy the " from that file and paste into the "replace with" box.

All the errors were found and fixed by me in the second post. And having done schedules for a long time I like to control as much of the schedule in the header as possible. Keep the start day as 5, it is the same as controlling it in game but say the next season you get a new custom schedule that has a few kick off games, games played the week or afew days before the season start day. If you don't change it in game at the time then you have a screwed up season. If you just leave the custom schedule alone and it has a start day of 2 and the last season was 5 then you know that the first day is monday and you don't need to change it in game also. Let the custom schedule control as much as possible so the user does not have to make changes every season in game. I have had a lot of people who have used an old schedule that was designed to start on a Friday and the game player set it to run on Monday in their league and then complained that the schedule was screwed up after the first week with no Sunday games. This is why I always set it up in game for a certain day. All my created schedule start on a Monday as day 1 even if I don't have games played until day 2. I do this to show that off days are Mondays and Thursdays and to keep thing consistent.

Again I am stressing to let the schedule control as much as possible to avoid any user error. Most of the errors with schedules being messed up in game is when users change the day of week in the schedule file or delete it or Use force start day of week then load a schedule that does not have the same start day of week.

[SandMan]

The only concern I had about this schedule was that it started in one calenday year and went into the next year. I have never done this so I don't know if it can be done. Just never seen it. It probably works or the user would not have submitted this.

If this does work I may use a short winter league season with this schedule.

[bwburke94]

There's no trouble with crossing across January 1, unless the league starts after Christmas. And I don't see any reason to ever start a season the last week of December.

[surly manservant]

Thanks to all for your help, this is the first one I've tried myself so not surprised there were multiple errors. It does work to start in October and go through the new year, that's how all my fictional leagues have run, they're all set in Australia. The schedule is working now so appreciate the help.

Out of interest, were there any obvious errors that I might be able to avoid next time I try this? Thanks again.

[NoOne]

First, i hadn't read your reply, and it doesn't say you imported it successfully. it just says to try it now. you may or may not have fixed all the mistakes at the time of the reply, but i appologize to a, nick burns, err ahh sandman.

you are referencing start date, not start day.... i'd still recommend leaving both out of the file. why potentially complicate an import process, which is what the OP was having a problem with. if you are choosing a schedule file, it's likely you know what it is you are importing. so, i have faith people would be fine controlling it in game. and i have very little faith in people.

Best way to name a file : Export a schedule from your league. Paste over the <GAMES> section with the schedule you wish to import. gauranteed correct header for your league everytime.

want the same matchups each year? make a copy of it.. name in a series "_c_S1" and "_c_S2" etc... i think even just a, b, c works too in file name comment.

or

Name it the same as your league and it will re-use it each year and jumble the matchups.

Edit: if they play who they should play and the correct # of H/A, then you did it fine.... tweaking for travel and weather is asthetic only in game and upto you.... then do you want to make it look like a TV-orientated schedule? and things liek that...

i just keep it simple, but you can do all sorts of things with it.

[slugger922cubs]

Originally Posted by surly manservant

Thanks to all for your help, this is the first one I've tried myself so not surprised there were multiple errors. It does work to start in October and go through the new year, that's how all my fictional leagues have run, they're all set in Australia. The schedule is working now so appreciate the help.

Confirming this works. I like to run fictional leagues and typically set them in Australia so i dont feel tied to what i know about American History but also have a realistic basis to build on. However thier seasons are inversed necessitating a cross-year season and OOTP handles it absolutely fin except for it wont let you see the calendar into the new year. To work around this i just run tests over the summer in a test league then import once i know theyre correct.

[BigRed75]

I think I'm going to listen to Sandman on this one. He's forgotten more about schedule making than most of us know.

[SandMan]

Originally Posted by NoOne

you are referencing start date, not start day....Nope. I am reference both as being equally important i'd still recommend leaving both out of the file. why potentially complicate an import process, I see how difficult it is to hit the "import from file" tab- If a schedule is created properly then you will never have an import error unless you league did not match the schedule format which is what the OP was having a problem with. No he was not - schedule did not have the proper end markers if you are choosing a schedule file, it's likely you know what it is you are importing. Not all and then you want to throw the responsibiltiy on them for the schedule matching the day of week so, i have faith people would be fine controlling it in game. and i have very little faith in people. I have faith in people, but I think most just want to have a schedule work "out of the box" without having to make changes on their end - hense the word "custom" schedules.

My only reason for having both in the game is that a person who creates a schedule usually has it so that the schedule will start to end on a certain day of the week. I think that this one was Fri-Sun. NOw if Joe Blow downloads this from the schedule list without this information in the header they could play it on a day that was not intended.

This would really not matter with this schedule but say you took one that was created to start on a Monday and it was not marked and a player decided to start their league on Friday. Now that 4 game series on Mon-Thu now runs Fri-Mon and this would happen every week. Kind of destroys the immersion unless you want a weekend series going into the next week or worse yet using a schedule that had all mondays off and your league's start day is Monday. You will never have a Sunday game - so much for having a week end series. I have had people wanting to use a Mon-Sun type schedule want to start on Friday. This is okay just keep the header as is, take the Mon-Thur games move to end of schedule, change the day on those records moved. Keep the day=5 in the data line for the first game day. This way you don't need to change game day in the data line for multiple records just the 4 days you moved to the end and it does not matter what the day=# is in game. Just keep the schedule file start day to "2"

For consistency sake, I create all my schedules to start on a Monday. This is so that all users can use the file and not worry about changing their league everytime setupevery time they get a schedule, which may or may not have been created for a certain day.

Now for the start date. Again this is to assist the user. A schedule maker knows how many weeks to a schedule and most players wants a real baseball schedule that pretty much mimics real life. If I know I created a schedule that went 196 game days rather than the normal 182 I do. I change the header to reflect the two week difference. Or if the schedule is shorter I create it for the first requester and put it in the comments when the start and end date are created for this schedule to let others know just change the start date if they don't want the one in the schedule. An example would be if you downloaded one of my 100 game schedules, obviously you don't want to start in April. I have them start later. Why leave this out. This is just for convenience for the player. If I have an earlier or later start date it is always put into the comments I put into every schedule I create.

I also create all my schedules the way they were created pre-OOTP2006 - I put comments after the header. This is done because because schedule can have the exact line in the header and be completely different schedules. I also name my schedules with the C_ line including the number of div, non-div and il games. This, with the comments can help the player determine if the schedule is what they want.

But I will agree that you can keep this out of the schedule - if this schedule is created only for your league and no other user. My post was assuming that others here may want it and some don't want to mess around with schedules. I also look at schedules as being created for all to use if they desire so that is why I stressed have a complete schedule header record. They want the schedule to work for their league out of the box.


Sorry this is has become a novel. The header information is important if multiple users are going to use the schedule. I recommend the KISS system for lsdl files.

[SandMan]

Originally Posted by surly manservant

Thanks to all for your help, this is the first one I've tried myself so not surprised there were multiple errors. It does work to start in October and go through the new year, that's how all my fictional leagues have run, they're all set in Australia. The schedule is working now so appreciate the help.

Out of interest, were there any obvious errors that I might be able to avoid next time I try this? Thanks again.

You did not have the end marker in the schedule header record and did not have end markers for the games and schedule sections. Common errors, otherwise the schedule was pretty good. I am going to keep this in my private collection. I like bigger leagues so I will probably use this in a 12 team league with 2SL and no IL. So the leagues do not mirror each other I will randomize the matchups. I will make multiple schedules from this one. Thanks.

[SandMan]

Originally Posted by NoOne

i typically see the " with the inward/outward slant to them once i save from the schedule generator from mods forum. these funky " are not undestood by ootp... it's as if they aren't there, so it's not in the correct format.
.

I have all the schedules from the mods schedule list. I did a search within all the files I have, which would include the schedules on the mods forum and found 2 files that had this issue when opened in notepad - but opened in wordpad and then reopened in notepad the files were okay. These files were also posted in 2009 so it may be error not found at this time. The fine schedule makers on the boards DO NOT typically have these errors I think that these are game tested before being uploaded... No my schedule could not have this issue because I create the lsdl file automatically in a excel file concatenating schedule information in to the data line. I would believe if I figured out how to do this the other fine schedule makers on the mods boards probably have done the same.

You seem to be knowledgeable in schedules and OOTP. We need individuals to help with requests on the mods forum. We have some very good people there doing schedules but could use more. I am at home full time now so I have been trying to do as many as possible but would welcome anyone who does schedule to "join the team" and volunteer to help with the requests.

[SandMan]

I went to test this in game with a league I created and the schedule did not load. I did not test it earlier because I had no access to my test machine. (yes I have a test machine just for OOTP matters and schedules)... I had it set up with a balanced schedule to match the header. It gave me a format error. I changed everything to unbalanced and the schedule loaded perfectly.

When I create my schedules I always have the header say balanced =N/0
because I have seen this error many times. So I changed the file to read balanced NO, changed the format in game to unmark the balanced schedule box.. This will not matter in game. The box is checked only when you use OOTP generated schedules.

New schedules are posted here but I will not change the link above to the new schedule - some may find the version works.
BTW, my test machine is running OOTP14 to test schedules.

I have also posted my version with the comments same as OP but with the comments that I add to all schedules I work on and keep in my private collection. I have uploaded 12 team with no interleague that may be fun for some. 12 team is not just a mirror image of the 6 team, it has been created with the 6 team as a base and created using my modification utilities.