Importing Players - Overview

This topic outlines the different ways to import players for registration purposes. Besides simply typing in the player information, you can load players one at a time or all at once using a database, a club list, an online connection, or a delimited text file.

In addition, SwissSys can read and write files in FIDE’s TRF format.

Import from database

This option lets you do a search on your current database. Click the Search database tab of the registration dialog.

You can then key in a player’s name (or just part of the name) or a player’s team and search your club list for a match, either by clicking on the “Search” button, or just clicking on a player in the list that appears.

You can search a database for matches on a player’s name, ID number or, if you have set up your own custom database, team.

If you have set “Database” as your default data source in the Import submenu, you can also search your database directly from the registration dialog itself.

Type a name or ID, then click the Load button (or hit Enter if you have set the option to “Use Enter key for Load”).

This also loads the player information. If multiple matches are found, you will instead be taken to the Search Database tab to narrow the search.

The ratings that get imported depend on how you answered the prompt about whether the tournament was to use regular ratings, quick, or blitz ratings.

Note: The USCF list only supports two ratings so they provide two versions of databases for downloading: one that has the regular rating plus the quick rating, and another that has the regular rating plus the blitz rating.

To work around this there are two options. You can make one database your primary and the other your secondary and switch back and forth depending on the ratings you need for the current section.

Alternatively, you can merge the two databases into one master database that holds all three ratings. If you make this your primary database, then all you will need to do is choose which rating applies to the section.

For more details see Make joint USCF database.

If doing a search by team, SwissSys will present you with several options. You can just accept the first match it finds, skip it and look for the next match, or accept all the remaining matches it encounters.

This last option is a good way of registering players when they tend to show up all together or not at all.

Import using an online connection with the USCF and FIDE

SwissSys can search for players online using USCF or FIDE websites for real-time rating lookups during registration.

Quick Overview:

• Click the Search Online tab in the registration dialog
• Choose USCF or FIDE from the dropdown
• Search by player name or ID
• Load player data directly into registration

Key Features:

• USCF: Access to published ratings or live tournament history ratings
• FIDE: Access to Standard, Rapid, and Blitz ratings for international players
• All Ratings: All rating types available (Regular, Quick, Blitz for USCF; Standard, Rapid, Blitz for FIDE)
• Membership Verification: Automatic expiration date checking
• No Download: No database setup required

For complete step-by-step instructions, see Online Player Search.

Online vs. Database Comparison

Starting with SwissSys 11.77, all rating configuration (both online and database sources) is managed through a unified Rating Search dialog.

Unified Configuration:

• Access via More Options in registration dialog
• Federation selection (USCF, FIDE, N/A) affects available options for both online and database searches
• Rating source priority configurable (online vs. database)
• Provisional rating handling applies to both sources
• Database status labels visible in registration search panel

Key Differences:

• Online Search: Most current ratings, requires internet connection
• Database Search: Works offline, requires periodic downloads

For complete rating configuration details, see Rating Search Configuration.

Import database

This is a menu item on the main Database menu. It is different from the above database registration option in that this command loads the entire database (or section) all at once, rather than one player at a time.

Remember: Before you can use either a club list or a database during registration, you must tell SwissSys where to find them and, in the case of a database, tell it a little about its structure.

For those databases supplied by the USCF, the CFC, and FIDE, all you need to do is use the Database Wizard to point SwissSys to the folder that has your database, and the program will do the rest.

For other database formats, including your own custom formats, use File | Database | Database setup.

Import from club list

This is a registration option that lets you do a search on your current club list. Click the Search Club tab of the registration dialog. You can then key in a player’s name (or just part of the name) or a player’s team and search your club list for a match, either by clicking on the “Search” button, or just clicking on a player in the list that appears.

As with the database import option described above, SwissSys handles club imports by team a little differently, allowing you to accept a match, skip it, or accept all matches in one batch.

Note: Unlike databases, you cannot search a club list by ID number when registering players. However, when using the menu command Update from Club, ID numbers are used to identify players as well as names.

Set the current club that the registration dialog uses with File | Club | Change current club.

Read from club

When you read in a text file using the File | Club | Read from club command, the file is treated as a club list and, if this file truly is in club list format, it will load all the players it contains at once.

Typically you would do this when reloading some players that you had pre-registered for the tournament from the registration dialog and saved in the club list text format.

When reading from a club list you can either choose to append these players to any you have already registered, or start a new player roster from scratch.

Delimited text files

To learn more about importing players from a delimited text format such as comma-separated-variables (csv), see the topic Delimited text files.

Import from I.D. list

In the registration dialog, select Import | Import from I.D. list to load a list of players based on the I.D. numbers held in the list. The format of the list, which you must first create yourself, is a simple text file holding player I.D. numbers, one per line. Each I.D. number can optionally be followed by a name or anything else, but the I.D. number must come first.

When you select this option, SwissSys first asks you what source to use in looking up these I.D. numbers for player info — either your database file or an online site. Then it prompts you for the name of the I.D. file. The program takes it from there.

If you have a convenient way of maintaining or creating a list of player I.D. numbers, this is a great way to register players with a minimum of hands-on labor.