[Babase] Re: Ranker

Karl O. Pinc kop at meme.com
Tue Jan 30 09:50:13 EST 2007


On 01/30/2007 08:18:17 AM, kfenn wrote:
> Hi Karl,
> 
> I'm working with the ranker program trying to fix some of the old  
> ranks errors and make a few changes to 2005 as well.  I want to be  
> able to control the time period for the default rank that is  
> generated when a matrix is first created.  I see from the old  
> documentation that "the default rank order is based on the last rank  
> order updated in Babase..." but this isn't really the way Ranker is  
> behaving.
> 
> For example, I was re-running a matrix from August 2005.  I wanted it  
> use the July 2005 matrix as the start point...but I had no place to  
> specify that.  I expected it to use the Dec 2005 matrix because that  
> was the actually the "last rank order updated".  The program  
> automatically gave me August 2005 as a start point.

It uses the existing ranks if they exist, otherwise it uses whatever
ranks that preceede this in time, otherwise it makes something up
based on age and sex, I forget the details.

> 
> Is there a way I control the time period from which ranker draws any  
> matrix I create?  I can work around 2005 but this is going to be  
> important as I try to go back and look at old data errors.

The only way is to modify the program.  Copy it into the PROGRAMS/HACKS
(from PROGRAMS/RUNNABLE/ranker.prg)
directory under a new name and change it there if you want to go that
route.  Try assigning the 'date_sample' variable to the desired rnkdate
(which is YYMM or something, not an actual date) right above the
lines that read:


*
* Warn the operator when it look's like he's doing something stupid.
*


Karl <kop at meme.com>
Free Software:  "You don't pay back, you pay forward."
                  -- Robert A. Heinlein



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