Citation: ©Dec 1996 Johnny Chan, Creator of MicroLot


Contents
Contents	01/20

Welcome to MicroLot Lotto* Version 1.0.

(For Windows 95/NT 4 only)

MicroLot Lotto, The Lottery Selector Simulator Program

About the Author

How to use the program

How to change the sound track

Credits

*MicroLot Lotto is the copyright of J.Chan of Ledbury, Herefordshire, UK


The Lottery Simulator Program
The Lottery Simulator program	02/20

Thank you for downloading this program.

This program is shareware and version 1.0. The shareware version will allow you to try MicroLot Lotto for 15 days or 20 runs, whichever comes first. Registered users or users who signs my guest book, also registers you to go onto my mailing list of updates for MicroLot Lotto and my web site. Any future updates do not require the complete zip file to be downloaded.

If you wish to totally unlock MicroLot Lotto FOREVER, sadly, you’ll have to pay. (call it a donation!) Once you have paid, you can get free updates. Read my readme.txt and check my web site for latest prices and details, or email me at microlot@jcwchan.clara.net for MicroLot Lotto related queries or to the author at jcwchan@clara.net

This program came about during one of my assignments I did at University. I had to write a lottery program using Genetic Algorithms for a module, Knowledged Based Systems. This module deals with Artificial Intelligence, Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms. The program worked all right, ended up with an extremely high mark! It was rather limited. It just try and work out the ideal set of numbers to win back at least 50% of my stake. In real life, it didn’t pay off!

So came with the challenge to write an even better version. The difficult part was to decide on what computer language to use. I had a choice of Delphi, Visual Basic, C++ or Object Pascal. These were the computer languages I learnt from University. After learning Delphi, I chose Delphi to write the lottery program.

My early version worked well. Just between you and me, I wrote it in the middle of my final year examination!. I was bored and couldn’t be bother to do any revision!

My next attempts to revise it, happen in July. Shock, horror. While sorting out my computer, this including partitioning my hard drive, thus erasing all data, I forgot to back up the source code. I had the original execution file. In two days, I rewrote my program and it was even better than the first attempt.

So here it is. The additions I made to it, was to add a print routine and a save routine to keep a copy of all the numbers selected, and sorting out the numbers in numerical order. My early attempt did not sort the numbers in order. Also, I have upgraded from Delphi 1 to Delphi 2.

After looking at other Lottery programs, I then thought that keeping it to select 6 and the bonus numbers out of 49 wasn’t a good idea. If it was ever to be released onto the Internet, anyone in the world should able to select the numbers of balls drawn and from how many.

Why call it MicroLot Lotto. Well, it is the idea of Vincent Yau, 15 Years old, living in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. (Email : 101544.1131@compuserve.com)

(Home Page : http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/vinnyau/). Micro came from Micro part of Microsoft and Lot came from Lottery, thus calling it MicroLot Lotto. I add Lotto to make it sound better! The sound track was computer generated.

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About the Author
About the Author	03/20

	My name is Johnny Chan, living in a small town called Ledbury in Herefordshire, UK. I am 23 at the time writing this program (1996). I was studying a BSc (Hons) in Computing Information Systems at the University of Central England in Birmingham, UK. I achieved a second class lower division degree, which is the equivalent to 50% to 60%. Since the UK had a lottery since November 1994, I became interested in the UK lottery, in compiling data of the results and try to predict next Saturday’s draw!. I have won several £10 prize for predicting 3 numbers and one £101 prize for predicting 4 numbers on 1st April 95.

Choosing the numbers weekly got a bit tiring in looking at previous results. So I wrote a program to chose the numbers for me. This is my second major Delphi program I have written. My first program is a Student Marketing Research Survey, which will compile statistics for lecturers to find out if their teaching improved compared to previous years. This program took three months to write, with over 7000 lines of code. This program is a little more interesting.

I hope you like it. If there are any suggestions about the program, let me know, especially if the numbers of balls drawn out is not included. Please note, at present it cannot deal with more than 60 numbers or less than 10 numbers.

E-mail me at jcwchan@clara.net or microlot@jcwchan.clara.net

Check my home page for new email address at

http://home.clara.net/jcwchan

Sunday 29th December 1996, 17:30 GMT

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How to use the program
How to use the program	04/20

The program is pre-set to run for the UK National Lottery. You have the option in changing the default settings when the program runs. One extra point. If the program is running, and another sound device is in use, the program will try to reset itself. If not, press CTL + ALT + DEL and stop the program from there. The close option in the menu, normally found on the top left of a windows, has been disabled.

This program may not work properly if you are using large fonts or some other format. If you have this problem, press ALT + X and then Y to exit or click on the X on the top right of the window. Please note, the windows does not resize.

How to start the draw.

How to turn off the sound.

How to stop the running of a draw!

How to start the draw in fast mode.

How to change the number of balls drawn. (Default at first run : 6 + Bonus)

How to change the number of balls chosen from. (Default at first run : 49 balls)

How to preview the numbers selected.

How to print the numbers on a printer.

How to save the numbers to a text file.

How to select your favourite numbers.

How to select your favourite numbers and then run it against the simulator!

How to view the statistics of the numbers draw in current session.

Some problems with MicroLot Lotto.

How to exit the program.

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How to start the draw.
How to start the draw.	05/20

To start the selection process, click on the Begin Draw button.

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How to turn off the sound.
How to turn off the sound.	06/20

If you would like to run MicroLot Lotto without the sound, press on the Sound button.

When you press on the button, the button will show the word Off instead of On. To switch the sound on again, press the button again and Off will become On. The sound only comes on when you first start MicroLot Lotto and when you exit.

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How to stop the running of a draw.
How to stop the running of a draw.	07/20

To stop the draw, simply press the Stop button. Once this is pressed, the balls in numerical sequence will appear instantly, well after the animation.

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How to start the draw in fast mode.
How to start the draw in fast mode.	08/20

To start the draw in fast mode, meaning the numbers all come out quickly, press on the Sound button, until it shows Off. Then press the Begin Draw button.

All the numbers should appear quickly.

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How to change the numbers of balls drawn.
How to change the number of balls chosen from.	09/20

 (Default when first run : 49)

For those users who do not live in the UK, don’t worry. This lottery program is programmed to work with most of the lotteries around the world. The default setting when first run is for the UK National Lottery, which 49 balls are used.

To change the number of balls used, click on the Change Selection button and then select which one you require. The available common number of balls are 39, 42, 45, 47, 49 and 51.

If the number selection is not there, you can select the alternative numbers by pressing on the up and down arrow to select your number. The range is from 10 to 60 inclusive. No numbers outside these range are available.

When finished, press on the Finish button.

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How to change the numbers of balls chosen from
How to change the number of balls drawn.	10/20

(Default when first run : 6 + bonus)

For those users who do not live in the UK, don’t worry. This lottery program is programmed to work with most of the lotteries around the world. The default setting when first run is for the UK National Lottery, which 6 and the bonus is selected.

To change the number of balls drawn, click on the Change Selection button and then select the one you want. I have included a bonus ball, to make it more fun. You can even check your lottery ticket you have just invested, and try it on the simulator. What a shame if your six numbers come out and it’s not the real thing!

If UK players just want six numbers, not seven, just select 6 balls, by clicking on 6 and then click bonus to remove the tick. To select any other number of balls, click on the appropriate number. The bonus ball is only there for fun. Clear the tick if you require your numbers without the bonus ball.

When finished, press on the Finish button.

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How to preview the numbers selected.
How to preview the numbers selected.	11/20

To view the numbers draw, click on view numbers and you will get another screen.

You can view your numbers already selected in this session. Press Print to print the numbers and Press Save to save your numbers. The numbers are displayed in the box. A scroll bar will appear when the box is full, so you can see all the numbers.

When finished, press on the Finish button.

To print the numbers on a printer. click on Print. Make sure the printer is on.

To save the numbers to a text file. Click on Save.

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How to print the numbers on a printer.
How to print the numbers on a printer.	12/20

To print, simply click on the Print button. Make sure that your printer is switch on. The program is limited to print to the default printer already set up on your PC. You can only print one copy at a time. To print another copy, press on print again.

Please note. It can waste paper, just to print one selection. Another way is to Save your selection.

When finished, press on the Finish button.

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How to save the numbers to a text file.
How to save the numbers to a text file.	13/20

To save your selection, press on Save and a standard save dialogue box will appear. Select the directory you want to save the file in, enter the filename and press OK. It is recommended to save it as a .TXT extension. Your file will be save.

You can save it anywhere, including the floppy drive.

When finished, press on the Finish button.

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How to select your favourite numbers.
How to select your favourite numbers.	14/20

You can customise the draw by selecting one or more of your favourite numbers. If you like a particular number, and wish to include it in the selection, enter the numbers in the boxes.

Fill in the numbers like below. If you only wish to have only one numbers, enter your favourite number in box 1 and leave ‘0’ in all the others. A zero means that the number is not selected. It will just be ignored by the program. Press on clear to reset the numbers. The last box is normally used for bonus numbers, if selected. If your lottery in your country uses 7 balls, just use it as normal. Otherwise, it is there for fun.

When you entered your numbers, press on the begin draw button. Not all the boxes are required to start the draw. DO NOT PRESS EXIT. If you do, it will not be selected.

When finish selecting your numbers and drawn your numbers, press on exit to return to normal option.

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How to select your favourite numbers and then run it against the simulator.
How to select your favourite numbers and then	15/20

run it against the simulator!

What will it be like to see your numbers come up, to the numbers you already decided on. Well here is your chance.

To start, press on the Sim Draw button.

You must fill all the numbers. When you entered your numbers, press on the begin draw button. DO NOT PRESS EXIT. If you do, it will not be selected. Press on clear to reset the numbers

Press on Begin Draw to begin. If not all your numbers are entered, you cannot start the draw.

While the draw takes place, for every matching number in your selection against the draw will be highlighted in yellow. A bonus ball will be highlighted green. It will also tell you how many you have matched. If you match all your numbers, well done. What a shame it is not the real thing!!. One point to remember. The bonus ball is activated automatically, even if you switch it off. There is a slight problem when the bonus ball is de-active. The bonus ball doesn’t spin. If this happens, this is normal. After several days of trying to find the problem, it has beaten me! A question mark should appear.

When finish selecting your numbers and drawn your numbers, press on exit to return to normal option.

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How to view the statistics of the numbers draw in current session.
How to view the statistics of the numbers draw	16/20

in current session.

After a while you may like to know how many times a number was drawn in the draw. By pressing the statistics button, you can see the list.

It will look something like this.

01 - 04    02 - 09    03 - 02    04 - 07    05 - 05    06 - 02    07 - 04

08 - 03    09 - 03    10 - 04    11 - 03    12 - 06    13 - 06    14 - 03

15 - 07    16 - 02    17 - 04    18 - 03    19 - 07    20 - 04    21 - 08

22 - 04    23 - 03    24 - 09    25 - 02    26 - 06    27 - 10    28 - 01

29 - 04    30 - 05    31 - 03    32 - 05    33 - 04    34 - 03    35 - 05

36 - 05    37 - 00    38 - 04    39 - 03    40 - 05    41 - 04    42 - 03

43 - 02    44 - 05    45 - 05    46 - 04    47 - 07    48 - 06    49 - 04

For example, number 27 was drawn out 10 times, number 32 was drawn out 5 times and 37 was drawn out 0 times.

When the options are changed, meaning changing the number of balls selected, or balls drawn from, the table resets.

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How to exit the program.
How to exit the program.	17/20

To exit the program, press on the Exit option on the menu bar and then click on Yes. This is done as when running my early version, I sometimes press exit by accident and exit the program when I did not mean to. Doing it this way will prevent accidental exiting of the program. Another way of exiting is to click on the X on the top right of the windows, or close in the menu on the MicroLot Lotto Icon on the top left of the windows.

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Problems with MicroLot Lotto.
Problems in MicroLot Lotto.	18/20

MicroLot Lotto has been tested on several machines, including a 486DX2/66 and P200 machine. If you find any problems in running MicroLot Lotto, like unexpected messages, results appear or it doesn't look right on the screen, then please contact me at : microlot@jcwchan.clara.net, putting 'MicroLot Lotto BUGS' in the subject heading. Please tell me what format your time and date are, the problem you encountered and whether you can repeat what caused the problem. I must be able to repeat the problem.

A known problem is when another program is running at the same time, especially other sound devices. If another sound device is running, the sound track of MicroLot Lotto will not work. This mainly applies to half-duplex sound cards. The program will attempt to recover itself within 15 seconds. It is the same method that non sound card PC will work. To solve this, delete all the .wav files from the directory. This will speed things up a bit. Multi-tasking MicroLot Lotto with other programs may cause MicroLot Lotto to slow down or not working as expected. It is best for MicroLot Lotto to work on its own.

Some normal messages :

'This program has been installed on a different machine.

'The data file has been changed.'

'You have turn back the date.'

'This shareware program has expired.'

'Thank you for register MicroLot Lotto.'

'As you are unlocking this program by registering.'

'Random Number Generator Failed.'

'Another Sound Device is in use or not available'

'File date has been changed'.

‘Sound Track Missing’.

All the above messages are normal. Do not report. If you report a valid problem and I consider that there is a problem and you are the first person to report it, you may get a free registration or money off, depending on how serious the problem is. I must be able to repeat the problem to qualify.

MicroLot Lotto may not work with large fonts in Windows 95. If you find this problem, press ALT + X and then Y and resize your font in the control panel, or click on the top right of the window.

If when running the program, the sequence suddenly stops, this is due to files missing in the directory. Reinstall all the files to solve this.

There is a slight problem when the bonus ball is de-active in the sim draw mode. The bonus ball doesn’t spin. If this happens, this is normal. After several days of trying to find the problem, it has beaten me! A question mark should appear.

If a question mark ball < [image] > is shown (except for above problem), this means that the picture files are missing. Reinstall all the files to solve this.

Remember. If there is no sound card or the end sound track is missing, then the program will exit within 10 seconds, when you exit the program. Don’t keep pressing the X button on the top right of the screen. It will confuse it!!


How to change the sound track.
How to change the sound track.	19/20

My original program used a complete sound track digitised from The National Lottery Live show on the BBC. As it is the copyright of the BBC, I will not be able to use it. Instead, a own produced sound track is included.

To change the sound track, you need a program which will allow you to cut and paste .wav files. The Sound Recorder supplied with Windows 3.1 or 95 will not allow editing. A shareware program may be available on my web site. This will take time. It has taken me twenty weeks to get all the numbers said on the show, bear in mind that only 7 numbers are drawn each week.

The easiest way to do it is to use a microphone plugged into the microphone port on your sound card, or use a cable which plugs in from the TV or Video to the Line In Port on your sound card. Set the program to record and speak. The easiest way to record your own voice, is to say the numbers between 1 to 60. You must do all 60 numbers, otherwise the program will not work correctly. Once all the numbers has been said, stop recording, and start to cut and paste.

Highlight the section for a number, say number one. This involves trial and error. Once highlighted, copy the section and paste it to a new file. Then tidy it up, to remove unwanted sound. Then save it. Numbers 1 to 9 must be saved as 01.wav, 02.wav, 03.wav etc. Numbers 10 to 60 saved as 10.wav, 11.wav, 12.wav etc. Save it in the same directory with the lottery program.

The in-between speech and the numbers must not both be more than 7 seconds, otherwise the program could stop suddenly. Give a maximum of 5 seconds for in-between and 2 seconds for the numbers. If the program does stop, reduce the time a bit.

Once all the numbers have been done. It’s the turn to what you want to say in between the numbers. Part1.wav is said before the 1st number draw. Part2.wav is said between the 1st number and the 2nd number. Part8.wav is said after the bonus ball is said. To see how I have done it, use Sound Recorder and load the .wav file. Use the cut and paste as above.

The final step is to edit the final sound. Part11.wav is said before the 1st number is read out, after the numbers have been sorted. Continue with the others. Part18.wav is the ending.

If you have problems, please contact me. Email and Home Page address found in the About the Author section.

My advice is NOT to change the sound track. Try it if you dare!

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Credits.
Credits.	20/20

MicroLot Lotto was created by Johnny Chan.

Age : 23 at time of writing (Dec 1996)

Address : Ledbury, Herefordshire, UK

Email : jcwchan@clara.net

For MicroLot Lotto query and registration : microlot@jcwchan.clara.net

Home Page : http://home.clara.net/jcwchan

Main Beta Tester of MicroLot Lotto - Vincent Yau.

Age : 15 at time of writing (1996).

Address : Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK

Email : 101544.1131@compuserve.com

Home Page : http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/vinnyau/

Program was written using Borland Delphi 2 (Windows 95/NT).

Machine Used : 486DX2/66 PC with 24 MB of RAM. 16-Bit Sound Card

Machine Tested on : P75 with 16MB, P133 with 32MB, P200 with 32MB, 486DX2/66 with 8MB (with and without sound card), all running Windows 95.

First Written : May 1996.

Final Version Date : December 1996.

Release Date : 01 January 1997.

Version : 1.0

Program Size : 370K

Help File Size : 100K

Bitmaps (Numbers) : 65K

Sound Track Size : 661K (For Sound Version Only)

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