Link Settings with Section

This setting controls whether and how certain pairing rules and display preferences are saved with your tournament file.

Important: Core tournament data (players, teams, pairings, results, section setup, etc.) is always saved in the .sjson file. This setting only affects where specific pairing rules and display preferences are stored.

The Four Options Explained

None (Default)

How it works: Certain pairing/display settings are never saved with the tournament file. These settings come from your computer (application INI file) instead.

What this means: The pairing restrictions, bye rules, display preferences, and tiebreaks you configure in the menus are stored on your computer and apply to every tournament you open—unless you change them.

When to use:

• You run similar tournaments repeatedly with consistent rules
• You prefer centralized control over all tournament settings
• You don’t share tournament files with other directors
• You want settings to remain the same regardless of which tournament file is open

Example: You direct weekly club tournaments that always use the same pairing restrictions and bye rules. Setting these once in Options is simpler than configuring each tournament.

Basic (Tournament-Specific Core Settings)

How it works: SwissSys saves a handful of core settings in the .sjson tournament file. Other settings continue to come from your computer-level configuration.

Settings saved in the tournament file:

• Pairing restrictions (Options menu → Pairing Rules → Restrictions tab)
  • Federation/Club, City, State, Team restrictions
  • Restrictions by group (forbidden pairings)
  • Soft “try to avoid” field
• Bye strictness (Options menu → Pairing Rules → Byes tab)
  • Bye strictness level for unrated players
• Plus2/Minus2 pairing rules (Options menu → Pairing Rules → Team tab)
  • Plus 2 pairings, Minus 2 pairings
  • Plus/minus 2 cutoff value
• Wall chart display options (Display menu → Wallchart)
  • Show alternate ID
  • Show team and state
• Standings display preferences (Display menu → Standings)
  • Show team in standings
  • Show team in pair chart
• Tiebreak configuration (Options menu → Tiebreaks)
  • Player tiebreaks and team tiebreaks

When to use:

• Different sections need different pairing rules
• You want core settings to travel with the file
• You occasionally share files but don’t need full portability

Example: You run a scholastic tournament where the Elementary section uses strict club restrictions but the High School section doesn’t. Basic mode lets each section remember its own rules.

Full (Maximum Flexibility with External Files)

How it works: Saves Basic settings in the .sjson file, plus creates a separate .ini file for each section (e.g., OpenSection.ini, ReserveSection.ini) containing all USCF pairing rules. This means more settings are tournament-specific compared to Basic mode.

Additional settings saved in section .ini files (beyond Basic):

• All USCF-specific pairing parameters
• Rating difference limits
• Color variation rules
• Exhaustive search mode preferences
• Weighted pairing options
• Advanced pairing algorithm settings

When to use:

• You need section-by-section control over advanced USCF pairing rules
• You’re comfortable managing multiple files
• You work on a single computer and don’t need to share files often

Trade-off: Requires keeping .ini files together with .sjson file when moving tournaments between computers.

Integrated (Recommended - Fully Self-Contained)

How it works: Embeds all tournament-level pairing settings directly in the .sjson file—no external files needed. This includes everything Full mode saves, but embedded in the tournament file instead of separate .ini files.

Settings saved in the tournament file:

• Everything from Basic mode (core settings)
• All USCF pairing rules (same as Full mode’s .ini files, but embedded)
• Complete pairing algorithm configuration per section
• Result: Your tournament file becomes completely self-contained

When to use:

• Sharing tournaments - Emailing files to co-directors or TDs
• Multiple computers - Working from home and tournament site
• Cloud storage - Storing files in Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.
• Archival - Preserving complete tournament setup for future reference

Why we recommend it: One file contains everything. No missing .ini files, no configuration surprises when opening on another computer.

Important compatibility note: Integrated mode was introduced in SwissSys v11.76. If you share a tournament file saved with Integrated mode to someone using v11.75 or earlier, the embedded settings will be silently ignored and their computer-level settings will be used instead. The file will open normally, but pairing rules may differ from what you configured.

Example: You organize a monthly tournament series and email the previous month’s file to your assistant TD as a template. With Integrated mode, they get all your pairing rules and preferences automatically (as long as they’re using v11.76 or later).

Switching Between Modes

You can change this setting at any time in Environment Options. Here’s what happens:

• Switching TO Integrated: SwissSys will embed current settings in the tournament file on next save
• Switching TO Basic: Only core settings are saved; advanced USCF rules revert to application defaults
• Switching TO None: Settings stop being saved with the file; sections use application preferences
• Switching TO Full: SwissSys creates .ini files for each section on next save

Quick Decision Guide

Choose Integrated if: You share files, work on multiple computers, or value simplicity (one file, no fuss)

Choose Basic if: Different sections need different core rules, but you don’t need full USCF parameter control per section

Choose Full if: You’re an advanced user who needs complete per-section control and work on a single computer

Choose None if: You run similar tournaments and prefer consistent behavior without per-file configuration

Multi-Section Behavior

When you have multiple sections in a tournament:

• None mode: All sections use the same application-level settings
• Basic/Full/Integrated: Each section can have different settings saved with it
• Switching between sections loads that section’s saved settings automatically
• Changes to a section’s settings mark the tournament as unsaved