Glossary

This page defines the terms used throughout Competition Control and this guide, in alphabetical order. Names of pages, buttons, and settings appear in bold exactly as they do in the interface.

• Active session: In a league, the session that the schedule, match list, check-in, and inspection pages currently work on. Chosen on the League setup step. See Leagues.
• Admin: The role with every permission. The host computer is always an Admin device. See Roles and Permissions.
• Aerial Drone Competition Pro (PRO): One of the five programs. PRO events rank teams by RP and AVG, and their eligibility reports are titled All-Around Champion Eligibility.
• Alliance: A group of teams that play together on the same side of an alliance match. In qualification matches the schedule assigns alliances; in eliminations they come from alliance selection or automatic seeding. In the Inspire Robotics Competition an alliance is a single team.
• Alliance field: A field set up for alliance matches on the Fields setup step. Each alliance field gets its own field display group and its own tab on the Queue page. See Fields.
• Alliance match: A match between two alliances, red and blue, on an alliance field. Practice, qualification, and elimination matches are all alliance matches.
• Alliance rankings: The ranking of teams by their qualification match results. Shown on the Rankings page and the Alliance Rankings display screen. See Rankings.
• Alliance selection: The process after qualification matches where captains invite other teams to form elimination alliances. Run from the Alliance Selection page. Some programs assign alliances automatically from the rankings. See Alliance Selection.
• AP: Average autonomous ranking points per match, the first tiebreaker after RP for programs that rank by record.
• Attempt: One solo match run by a team for a given solo match type. Each team has a limited number of attempts, either per type or as a shared pool across both types depending on the program, and every match created counts as an attempt whether or not it is scored. See Solo Matches.
• Audience display group: A display group listed under Audience Displays on the Displays page. One is created with every event and you can add more with Add audience group. Slides and award scripts play on audience groups. See Displays.
• Authorize: To approve a client device so it can join the event, by entering its device code on the Devices page and choosing a role. See Client Devices.
• Auto disable devices: A setting on the Devices page, on by default, that disables any operator device after one hour without use. The host computer and Display devices are never disabled by it.
• Auto-fill performance awards: A button on the Finalize page that fills in the tournament and solo placing awards from the match results. See Finalize and Awards.
• Auto-queue next match: The setting in the Match Flow card on the Settings page. When on, the next unplayed match is queued onto its scheduled field as soon as a match finishes. Off by default. See Settings.
• Autonomous Flight: One of the two solo match types for drone programs. The robotics programs call the equivalent type Coding.
• AVG: Average match score. For PRO events it replaces AP and EP as the tiebreaker in the alliance rankings and the Qualification Rankings printout.
• Award script: The emcee's reading for one award, showing the official description and the winners. Available on the Award Scripts page and in the Award Ceremony Scripts printout. See Award Ceremony.
• Backup: A copy of the event file that the host computer saves automatically every 2 minutes while an event is open. See Host Computer Setup.
• Blank: A display screen that shows only the background. Offered for field groups and for groups with Overlay turned on.
• Bracket: The set of elimination matches that decides the tournament champion, also called the elimination bracket. Built when alliances are finalized and shown on the Elimination Bracket display screen and printout. See Eliminations.
• Captain: The highest-ranked eligible team seated at the head of an alliance during alliance selection. The captain invites partners, and a team that declines an invitation can still captain its own alliance.
• Check-In: Both a role and a page. The Check-In role is for the registration table. The Check In page is where teams are marked Present as they arrive. See Team Check In and Inspection.
• Chroma key color: The solid color drawn behind match graphics when a display group has Overlay on, so a streaming program can key it out. Set under Chroma Key Color on the Settings page. Defaults to bright pink and can be set to Transparent. See Settings.
• Client device: Any device other than the host computer that connects to Competition Control over the local network: a tablet, laptop, phone, or TV. Client devices run in a web browser and store no event data. See Client Devices.
• Cycle time: The time from the start of one match to the start of the next, including the field reset. Set for each match block on the Schedule setup step. See Schedule.
• Device code: The six character code a new client device shows before it is authorized. Codes use capital letters and digits and never include O, I, 0, or 1. A code is valid for 10 minutes.
• Device name: The name a device shows on the Devices page and, for Display devices, on the Awaiting assignment screen. Generated as two words and an animal unless you type one. Up to 64 characters.
• Display: The role given to TVs, projectors, and field monitors. A Display device shows the content of its display group and has no interactive pages.
• Display group: A named channel that shows one display screen at a time. Every device following the group shows the same thing. There are audience, remote, and field display groups, all managed on the Displays page. See Displays.
• Display screen: One of the full-screen views a display group can show, such as Inspection, Alliance Rankings, Match Schedule, a field timer, or a slide. Chosen under Now showing. See Display Screens.
• Disqualification: The result of a Red Card or No Show violation. The team receives no credit for that match. After a Red Card in an alliance match, the opposing alliance is credited with a win for ranking purposes. See Violations.
• Elimination alliance: An alliance formed for the bracket, either through alliance selection or automatic seeding.
• Elimination match: An alliance match played after alliance selection as part of the bracket or the Exhibition Finals. Named by round, series, and match number, for example QF 2-1. See Eliminations.
• EP: Average endgame ranking points per match, the second tiebreaker after AP for programs that rank by record.
• Event file: The single file on the host computer that holds everything about an event: teams, matches, scores, awards, authorized devices, and settings. Created with Start Event and reopened with Open Event. See Host Computer Setup.
• Event ID: The identifier for your event, entered on the General setup step and used to name the folder that holds the event's backups. See Event Setup.
• Event Partner: The person responsible for running an RECF event and the primary user of Competition Control.
• Event Setup: The group of setup steps in the sidebar: General, League, Teams, Fields, Schedule, Matches, Awards, and Sponsors. Admin only. See Event Setup.
• Exhibition Finals: The Engage elimination format, where each alliance plays a single final, lowest-ranked alliance first, and the highest score wins. A Finals Rankings tab appears on the Rankings page when it is in use. See Eliminations.
• Field: A competition field or solo course at the venue. Added on the Fields setup step as either an alliance field or a solo field. Each field gets a field display group and a field timer. See Fields.
• Field controller: Hardware that enables and disables the robots on a field, driven by the field timer. The VEXnet® Field Controller Kit and OpenFC boards are supported. In beta. See Field Controllers.
• Field display group: The display group created automatically for each field and tagged Field on the Displays page. It shows that field's timer, match introduction, or score review. Renaming the field renames the group.
• Field timer: The countdown that runs a match on a field. Started, advanced, and cancelled from the scoring dialog or the Solo page, and shown on the field display group.
• Finalize: Saving a score with Save Score finalizes it, which locks it and updates the rankings; Unfinalize reopens it. Finalize Alliances on the Alliance Selection page locks the alliances so the bracket can be built. The Finalize page is where award winners are recorded. See Field Control and Scoring and Finalize and Awards.
• Grade: A team's level: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, or University. Used by the "by Grade" printouts and by grade-specific awards. See Teams.
• Head Referee: The role for the head referee. Everything a Scorekeeper can do, plus recording violations, viewing deleted matches, and editing team details.
• Host computer: The one computer at the venue that runs Competition Control and holds the event file. Every client device connects to it over the local network. See Host Computer Setup.
• Inspection: The check that a team's robot or drone meets the rules before it competes. Recorded on the Inspection page using a checklist. See Team Check In and Inspection.
• Highlight: A colored mark (Green mark, Amber mark, or Red mark) a Judge Advisor or Admin puts on a team's row on the Eligibility page during deliberation. Highlights are shared with every judging device and have no set meaning. See Excellence Eligibility.
• Judge: A limited judging role. It can open the Eligibility page and set notebook status, but it cannot change highlights or load the eligibility results, so the table stays empty on a Judge device. Use Judge Advisor for judging room devices.
• Judge Advisor: The role for the judging room lead. Assigns award winners, records violations, views team details, and runs the Eligibility page, but cannot reach any scoring page.
• Judged award: An award decided by the judges rather than by match results, such as the Design Award. A team can receive only one judged award. See Finalize and Awards.
• Keyboard shortcut: A key combination, usually Alt plus a letter, that presses a button on the current page. See Keyboard Shortcuts.
• Kiosk toolbar: The small toolbar in the top-left corner of every display screen with Fullscreen and Sound on / Sound off buttons. It fades after 3 seconds and returns when the mouse moves.
• Kiosk URL: A web address for a display group that shows its current screen full screen with no sidebar. Shown on each group's card on the Displays page. The device opening it must already be authorized.
• League: A single event played over several sessions, usually across several weeks, kept in one event file. Turned on with the League box on the General setup step. See Leagues.
• Low participation: A marker on the Rankings page for a league team that took part in fewer than 60% of sessions. Such teams rank below teams that meet the threshold.
• Match: A single timed contest, either an alliance match or a solo match.
• Match block: A schedule block that holds matches of one round, such as practice or qualification. Its length and cycle time decide how many matches fit. See Schedule.
• No Show: A violation level recorded when a team does not arrive for its match. Marked from the scoring dialog for teams that were not ticked present on the Queue page. See Violations.
• Notebook status: The judges' record of a team's engineering notebook on the Eligibility page: Not set, Not submitted, Developing, Fully developed, or Marked as Design/Innovate/Excellence Candidate (shown as Candidate in the table). Not submitted and Developing make the team not eligible on that page; the candidate status turns an eligible team's row green. See Excellence Eligibility.
• Now showing: The control on each display group card that sets which display screen the group is showing right now.
• Overlay: A per-group setting on the Displays page. When on, match screens render as compact graphics over the chroma key color so a streaming program can place them over a camera feed. Off by default.
• Overview: The home page of the sidebar. It holds the Printouts card with menus for every report. See Reports and Printouts.
• Piloting: One of the two solo match types for drone programs. The robotics programs call the equivalent type Driving.
• Practice match: An alliance match that does not count toward the rankings. Created from a practice match block.
• Program: The competition your event belongs to: Aerial Drone Competition (ADC), Aerial Drone Competition Pro (PRO), Achieve Robotics Competition (ACH), Engage Robotics Competition (ENG), or Inspire Robotics Competition (INS). Chosen on the General setup step. It decides the scoring form, the awards offered, the solo match type names, and the elimination format.
• Qualification match: An alliance match that counts toward the alliance rankings. Created from a qualification match block.
• Queue: To queue a match is to place it on a field so the field display shows the match introduction and the timer is ready to start. The Queue page is where queuers tick teams present as they arrive at the field. See Queueing.
• Queuer: The role for volunteers calling teams to the field. Its only write permission is ticking teams present on the Queue page.
• Rankings: The ordered standing of teams. Alliance rankings come from qualification matches, solo rankings from the best solo attempts. See Rankings.
• Ready status: A team's check-in and inspection state for the event: Not Present, Present, Inspection Started, Inspection Failing, or Inspection Passed. Shown as a colored chip next to the team on the Team List. See Team Check In and Inspection.
• Remote display group: A display group you add yourself on the Displays page with Add remote group, for pit TVs, hallway screens, and similar. See Displays.
• Role: The set of permissions given to a device when it is authorized. The roles are Admin, Check-In, Queuer, Solo-Only Scorekeeper, Scorekeeper, Head Referee, Judge Advisor, Judge, and Display. See Roles and Permissions.
• RP: Average ranking points per match: 2 for a win, 1 for a tie, and 0 for a loss, plus any autonomous and endgame ranking points the game awards. The main criterion in the alliance rankings for programs that rank by record.
• Schedule block: A span of time on the Schedule setup step. Match blocks hold matches; other blocks reserve time for ceremonies, alliance selection, lunch, and similar. See Schedule.
• Scorekeeper: The role for volunteers running alliance fields. Queues and scores alliance and solo matches and runs field timers.
• Server address: The web address of the host computer, shown on the Devices page. Client devices type it into a browser to connect. It is usually the host computer's IP address, for example http://192.168.1.20, and includes a port number only when the standard web port is taken. See Network Requirements.
• Session: One meeting of a league. Each session has its own schedule, matches, and check-in status. See Leagues.
• Slide: A full-screen graphic shown on an audience display group during a ceremony, such as an award slide or an uploaded image. Built on the Slides page. See Award Ceremony.
• Solo field: A field set up for solo matches on the Fields setup step. Solo fields run independently of alliance matches.
• Solo match: A timed run by a single team on a solo field. Each program has two solo match types: Autonomous Flight and Piloting for drone programs, Coding and Driving for robotics programs. See Solo Matches.
• Solo-Only Scorekeeper: The role for volunteers running solo fields. Queues and scores solo matches only.
• Solo rankings: The ranking of teams by their best solo attempts. Shown on the Rankings page and the Solo Rankings display screen.
• Sponsor logos: Images uploaded on the Sponsors setup step. Small Logos rotate in the corner of most display screens; Large Logos appear on the Logos display screen. See Sponsors.
• Surrogate: A team that plays an extra qualification match that does not count for it, so that every team gets the same number of counted matches. Marked with * on the Matches page and the Match List printout.
• Take: The button on the Slides page that sends the selected slide live to the audience display group. See Award Ceremony.
• Theme: The Light theme or Dark theme choice on the Settings page. Applies only to the device you are using.
• Violation: A rule infraction recorded against a team for a match. The levels are Note, Yellow Card, Red Card, and No Show. Recorded on the Violations page or from the scoring dialog. See Violations.
• W-L-T: Wins, losses, and ties. A team's record in qualification matches, shown as a column on the Rankings page.
• Wins to Advance: A setting under Elimination Matches on the Matches setup step. The number of match wins an alliance needs to win a series in each round. 1 by default. See Creating Matches.