Mid-summer tXtFL update

The summer has been rolling along, and tXtFL development has been making some headway under the hood as well. Here I'll highlight some of the progress.

Multiple positions for players

Previously, tXtFL simplified things to a one-player, one-position policy, which worked for most leagues. With the addition of indoor leagues, however, it became apparent that more flexibility is needed. Now players can be assigned to multiple positions and depth orders, with better team depth chart mapping to support it. I'm still working out the exact syntax, but here are some examples for multiple position assignments:

• Leagues with a dual-purpose kicker/punter: "K|P" and "1|1" for 1st-string in both positions
• Running back who can also play backup fullback duties: "RB|FB" and "1|2"
• Triple-threat 1st-string QB who can sub in as a 4th-string WR or 5th-string CB in make-or-break situations: "QB|WR|CB" and "1|4|5"

More tools for managing your tXtFL database

I previously described how to use OpenOffice.org/LibreOffice to view and manage your tXtFL database. Since then I've found a few new tools, including a nifty one by the name of SquirrelSQL, and outlined the setup steps for accessing your db.

Recently it's become possible to access view your db from another program while running tXtFL simultaneously. You'll find the steps outlining how to do just that in the blog post as well.

Library updates

The first half of the year appears to have been busy in open-source land, including new releases of the Apache Derby and SWT libraries that tXtFL uses. I've integrated the updated libraries, which fix a broad swath of bugs that should make for an overall smoother experience running the app on your various platforms.