Web Interface

Using the Web Interface

Most users will interact with just one part of the StrangeScout scouting system: the web-based graphical fronted application. StrangeScout isn't a "website," but a full-fledged, cross-platform web application. This means that you can use it on iOS and Android phones and tablets as well as common desktop browsers such as Chrome and Firefox on Windows, Linux, and macOS. With StrangeScout, you can confidently deploy scouters without worrying about spotty WiFi coverage, because all data is cached-on device and automatically submitted when connectivity resumes.

Note: When you interact with the web interface, you are using what's known as a frontend to the StrangeScout backend running on your server. For development purposes, the frontend is referred to as JScout because it is an Angular JavaScript application. In this end-user documentation, we will simply refer to StrangeScout.

Getting Started

Requirements: Modern web browsers on all major platforms should be good to go on their default settings. For compatibility and security reasons, it's always important to use only the latest version of your web browser. To use the StrangeScout properly, you absolutely must enable JavaScript and cookies. Additionally, service worker and local storage support are required to queue data for later submission when your device is online. For more info, see the Client Devices.

To begin, simply point your web browser to the domain you've set up as your StrangeScout instance. On load, you will be prompted to give your name. This is used as basic user tracking, and is included in all data you submit. Your name is stored locally as a cookie and can be changed at any time. It will remain stored for 3 days, the typical length of a competition. After 3 days it will be reset and you will be prompted to put it in again on the next load.

Scouting a Match

It's very simple to scout a match using the StrangeScout system.

1. Navigate to the Scout a Match page using the button on the splash screen.
2. Fill in the required setup fields: Team Number, Match Number, and Starting Position. For starting position, we use the leftmost spot from the driver station's point of view as position 1 - but you can change that as long as all scouters use the same system.
3. Follow along with the game and scout your match!

After you've scouted the match, simply press the Submit button to submit your data. A green notification should appear at the top of your screen saying the data was successfully submitted. If the server could not be contacted, your data will be cached for a later submission, and a notification will appear telling you so. If there was some other server side error, your data will be cached, and an error notification will appear with the message from the server. You should pass this information on to your StrangeScout administrator.

Managing Cached Data

StrangeScout has built-in features that allow it to store data that can't be submitted. If you don't have an internet connection, or there's some error with the server, your data will automatically be cached on your device to be submitted at a later time. It's very simple to manage this cached data.

• Navigate to the Manage Cached Data page using the button on the splash screen. On this screen you will see a counter with the total number of cached submissions, as well as two buttons.
  • To submit your cached data, click the Submit Cached Payloads button. This cycles through all stored data and submits it. After it's complete, notifications will appear telling you the total number of successes, rejected duplicates, and failures.
  • To delete cached data, click the Clear Cached Payloads button. This will IRREVOCABLY DELETE all your stored data, and should only be used after attempting to submit your cached data while on a stable internet connection!

Retrieving Data

Retrieving data is made easy, because StrangeScout's web interface automates calling the Backend API.

1. Navigate to the View Scouting Data page using the button on the splash screen.
2. Select what data you'd like to retrieve using the 3 dropdown menus for Event, Team, and Match. Each of these dropdowns is automatically populated with available options based on the contents of the database.
   • Event: This dropdown specifies which event you'd like to get data for (Defaults to All Events)
   • Team: This dropdown specifies which team you'd like to get data for (Defaults to All Teams)
   • Match: This dropdown specifies which match you'd like to get data for - options are only available if you've speified an event (Defaults to All Matches)

You can now view your queried data in the built in table on the page. You can also download the data as a CSV Spreadsheet file using the provided button at the bottom of the page.

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