If ASA won't do it...

[NCASAUmp]

I sure as hell will. Guys, I'm tired of trying to remind myself to check the non-approved bats list, so I'm writing a script that will do it for me automatically. If the list changes, it will email me once to notify me. I should have it done before the weekend.

If anyone else wants to get in on the notifications, feel free to PM me your email address. I won't give your email address out to anyone.

If anyone wants the script itself, just let me know.

Yeah, I'm a geek, and yes, it was a slow day at work today!

[NCASAUmp]

Never mind the "before the weekend" statement. It's already done.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

I sure as hell will. Guys, I'm tired of trying to remind myself to check the non-approved bats list, so I'm writing a script that will do it for me automatically. If the list changes, it will email me once to notify me. I should have it done before the weekend.

If anyone else wants to get in on the notifications, feel free to PM me your email address. I won't give your email address out to anyone.

If anyone wants the script itself, just let me know.

Yeah, I'm a geek, and yes, it was a slow day at work today!

I would like it, and did you ask ASA? If not, I will. They always love hearing from me.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

I would like it, and did you ask ASA? If not, I will. They always love hearing from me.

I didn't ask ASA, because I initially started writing it for myself. Then I thought, "hey, wait... I know others on the forum have expressed interest in something like this, so why not open it up?"

All the script does is check the website once a day, search for a string (the "no changes since [date]"), and if it sees a change, it sends me an email. It consumes considerably less bandwidth than actually visiting the site, as it doesn't download any of the graphics. It also doesn't make any money, and it keeps the umpires (like myself) who actually care about enforcing the non-approved bat rule as informed and up-to-date as possible.

It basically works like this...
1 - It checks the website and puts the "no changes since [date]" into a little text file (THAT was a PITA to write, as the website uses JavaScript, and there's no way for you to go directly to the page that has the lists - I had to "curl" it and pass some -d flags to submit data, for you Unix geeks out there).
2 - It checks the new text file against the last text file it generated (when it previous found a change, or when it first ran).
3 - If there's a difference between the two files, it goes through another text file that contains email addresses (one address per line).
4 - If there's no difference between the two files, it simple deletes the new file, leaves the old file, and just exits.

I should also note that the script was written on a Mac, so to run, it will need to be on a Unix-based machine (like an out-of-the-box Mac, just about any Linux flavor, and possibly on a Solaris box as well). My advice is to simply stick it into a crontab, set to run once a day.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

I should also note that the script was written on a Mac, so to run, it will need to be on a Unix-based machine (like an out-of-the-box Mac, just about any Linux flavor, and possibly on a Solaris box as well). My advice is to simply stick it into a crontab, set to run once a day.

¡Mire! Puedo hablar otra lengua también.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

¡Mire! Puedo hablar otra lengua también.

¿En serio? ¡Yo también! Pero creo que ya sabes que mi esposa es de argentina.

Og jeg kan også snakke norsk. Jeg lærte det på universitetet i Wisconsin i Madison.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

¿En serio? ¡Yo también! Pero creo que ya sabes que mi esposa es de argentina.

Og jeg kan også snakke norsk. Jeg lærte det på universitetet i Wisconsin i Madison.

Yeah...but what about the one you were talking, the one in my last post about "solaris linux crontab" crap???

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

¿En serio? ¡Yo también! Pero creo que ya sabes que mi esposa es de argentina.

Og jeg kan også snakke norsk. Jeg lærte det på universitetet i Wisconsin i Madison.

Hey, some of us live in the US, not Texas!

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

I would like it, and did you ask ASA? If not, I will.

Well, folks, I didn't think we would get a response so quickly, but here it is. This is the response I got from ASA concerning notification of a change in the bat lists and other changes:


Mike,

Thanks again for the suggestion.

Sending an E-Mail to all would be the best avenue, however, we do not have all the umpires addresses and the way that E-Mails change it would be difficult to keep up with that many changes.

To that end, here is what we will do to facilitate this information being sent out in a timely fashion. When a bat is added to the Non-Approved list, an E-Mail will be sent out to all council members, JO commissioners and all Local Association UIC's. This will happen as soon as the bat goes on the list. An announcement will also be posted on the front page of the Web Site at the same time.

Hopefully this will be able to get the word out in a quicker and more accurate manner.

[NCASAUmp]

That's great news, Mike, and I appreciate your efforts on this. It's a step in the right direction.

I've added everyone to the distribution list who asked to be included. If you guys later change your minds, just send me a PM or an email, and I'll make sure to delete it off the list.

I'm also talking with ASA about it, and we'll just see where it goes.

[NCASAUmp]

I've made a few changes to how things will work on the automated list. Previously, I asked users to send a PM so I can manually add their email addresses to a list that was, well, just a small text file that the script goes through.

However, I know I can do it better! The server on which the script is running is a Mac OS X server with other cool features... like a listserv!

Being in IT myself, I'm always concerned about privacy and users' rights. Manually adding and deleting addresses from a list, to me, just doesn't provide people the "warm fuzzies" that if they choose to unsubscribe from the list, it will be handled in a timely manner. I may go out of town or out on vacation, and a removal request would sit there until I returned. However, a listserv can handle it for me, allowing the recipients to unsubscribe immediately at any time without my intervention.

I'm still working the kinks out and setting up all of the privacy settings, but I believe I've gotten them largely taken care of.

For those who wish to subscribe to the list, you may do so manually by going to http://mail.whispers.org/mailman/listinfo/batlist

From there, you can subscribe as well as unsubscribe. You may also unsubscribe by sending an email to the listserv with "unsubscribe" in the subject line.

For those of you who contacted me earlier wishing to be added to the notifications, I'll add you to the listserv, unless you have any objections or concerns.

If OKC wants something similar, I'll be happy to set this up for them as well for free (well, just buy the equipment, my plane ticket and put me up for a night). It's easy to set up, and it requires minimal intervention on their part.

[NCASAUmp]

Oh btw... I also added, among others, Dutch language capabilities for those Dutch-speaking umpires who might wish to subscribe.

No, seriously. I did. If there are any other language requests (Swedish, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, etc.), let me know. I'll do my best to accommodate you.