Create a Time mode event template (long track)

What a template is for

A template holds the rules of a circuit, written once and for all: which races to create, how to form the heats (groups, pairs, quartets…), which referee codes exist, how many points each rank is worth, how to compute the event standings. When an organiser creates an event “from a template”, EVENT copies these rules into the event: all that is left is to import the entries and click Generate races.

Who prepares it?

• The federation, most of the time: its template reaches every computer with the shared data, like the clubs and the tracks (see Federation-wide rule). It is chosen when the event is created; nobody changes it on the computer.
• You, in EVENT, when your circuit has its own rules: that is what this page shows. The editor is the same as the one used for the federation's templates; it opens directly, without a password.

The reference page Event template describes each tab briefly; here we fill in a real template, tab by tab, and look at what each choice produces in an event.

1. Open the template editor

In EVENT, the editor opens the template of the open event. To build a new template, you therefore use a workshop event, which you delete afterwards.

1. Create a workshop event

   The computer's context is Speed skating › Long track (see the context window): the event, and later the kept template, take this discipline. FileOpen an event…, then New…. Type Time (the final time counts), template None (empty event), name Atelier gabarit longue piste, date 2026-11-14. Confirm.

   The event opens, without races. Starting from an existing template is also possible (a local template, or the bundled long track example): you then change only what differs.

2. Open the template

   The Template… button of the banner, or FileEvent template….

   The Event template window opens on the General tab.

Time mode and what it changes

A template's mode is the event's: Time here, chosen in the form of the workshop event. The General tab recalls it at the top: Event type: Time (fixed).

2. General: name, discipline, track, season

1. The Time mode tabs.
2. The type, fixed, then the tab's five fields.
3. The commands: files, computer library, example; on the right, check, save, close.

Name: “Coupe Hollywood — longue piste”

The name organisers will see in the Template list of the new event form. Without a name, Check reports “The template has no name.”.

Description

Shown under the list of templates when an event is created: say in one sentence what it is for.

Discipline: “Long track”

Free text. Write it like the discipline in the shared data (“Long track”): when the federation publishes the template in the shared data, this name is what limits it to events of that discipline.

Track length (m): 400

The track of the races when the event's discipline does not give it. Empty: unknown. 0 or less is refused by Check (“La longueur de la piste du gabarit doit être plus grande que 0 (ou vide).”).

Season: “2026-2027”

A landmark: rules change from one season to the next.

3. Categories: age and genders

1. The day the age is counted, and the resulting date for the open event.
2. The genders: a code and a label.
3. The age bands, limits included (empty: no limit).

Age reference day: 07-01

The age is counted on the 1^st of July before the event (or on the day itself). or fixed date replaces this calculation with a date (a championship whose season is frozen).

Genders: F “Femmes”, H “Hommes”

The race types cite them by their code. Keep the codes F and H (X for mixed; D and W are also read as women, M as men): this is how EVENT links a race to the athletes' gender.

Age groups

U13 to Master 55, as in the HSK regulations.

4. Race types: the races the template creates

Each race type becomes a race (or one per gender) in every event created from the template, if the Create the races of the template box of the form is ticked. Add them with Add; the order of the list is the order of the event's races (arrows to move up and down).

1. The race types, in the order they will be created: “code — label”.
2. The finish line, in metres after the zero of the track (the middle of the home straight), in the racing direction.
3. The allowed genders: one race per gender.
4. The model that forms the heats (step 5): the list offers the template's models.
5. Seeding specific to the race (“Own settings: seeding” box); otherwise the model's, otherwise the template's (step 9).
6. The heat name pattern.

The template's five race types:

Code

Short and stable (“500”, “MS”): a seeding source of type Event cites it, and EVENT uses it to find the race type of an event race. A hyphen is allowed (“1500-groupe”): a code is not a variable.

Label, Distance (m)

The name of the race in the event (the gender is added to it) and its distance.

Finish line (m after the track zero)

56 for the 500 m, the 1500 m and the mass start; 0 for the 1000 m and the pursuit. Empty means 0. The value must be between 0 and the track length (400 excluded).

Formula variable

The name of the distance in formulas and performances: t500, t1000, t1500. Empty: the race does not enter a formula. Letters, digits and “_” only: a hyphen would be read as a “minus” (step 8).

Genders allowed: “F, H”

Codes from the Categories tab, separated by commas; empty: all genders in a single race.

Race model

The code of a model from step 5. You can type it before creating the model: Check reports “Épreuve 1000 : modèle « quartets » inconnu.” as long as it does not exist.

Seeding

Tick Own settings: seeding to give the race its own sources: here the 1000 m takes the athlete's best 1000 m; failing that, their best 500 m multiplied by 2 (Factor 2); failing that, their entry time. The sources are set like those of the Seeding tab (step 9).

Point table

The name of a points table from step 7; empty: no points (the pursuit). It is copied into each race created: after that, the point table of the race's own form (Races tab) is the one that counts, “(none)” included.

Heat names

The name pattern (below).

Heat names

Without a pattern, heats are called “Pair 1”, “Pair 2”… The pattern mixes text and elements in braces: {epreuve}, {bloc} (number in the schedule), {distance}, {genre}, {categorie}, {ronde} (Position mode), {groupe} (G1, G2…), {numero} ({numero:2}: two digits), {lettre} (A, B… Z, AA). {genre} is the gender of the race, written by EVENT (“Women”, “Men” in English; empty for a race without gender); {groupe} is empty for a heat that starts alone.

5. Race models: how heats are formed

This is the tab that decides the most. A model brings together the groups (athletes of the same level, according to seeding) and the heats (pairs, quartets, group starts, mass start, pursuit). Create four models with Add (a new model starts from the default values) or duplicate one: paires, quartets, mass-start, poursuite.

1. Time decimals: the precision of times and ties (3 = thousandth).
2. The models; their code is the one cited by the race types.
3. The model's groups.
4. The heats: all formation settings, whatever the chosen formation (only those of the formation are used).
5. Seeding specific to the model (otherwise the template's).

These settings are the starting values of the Heat formation settings bar of the Line-up module: the organiser can still adjust them for the race without touching the template.

The groups of the “paires” model

Group formation: By size; Group size: 4

Groups of 4 athletes of the same level, from fastest to slowest (By number of groups: a fixed number of groups of equal size give or take one; A single group: everyone together). Number of groups is only used by “By number of groups”.

Minimum for the last group: 3

A last group of fewer than 3 athletes joins the previous group (0: never).

Groups separated by gender: not ticked

Our races are already per gender. Ticked, this box reserves each group for one gender, in the given Order of the genders (“F, H”): useful for a race open to everyone.

Heats in pairs

Formation: Pairs (lanes); Athletes per heat: 2

A heat = two athletes, one per lane. (1: time trial; 4: four lanes.) It is also the Skaters per heat limit of the Line-up module: a full heat refuses an addition but accepts a swap. The default heat name follows: “Pair 3” with 2, “Heat 3” otherwise.

Draw within the group: ticked

The pairs of a group are drawn. Unticked: the strict seeding order (1-2, 3-4…).

Fill pairs: not ticked

Ticked, an odd group lends its last athlete to the next group (of the same gender), so that nobody races alone.

Inner lane: Drawn

Who takes position 1 (inner lane, white) in the pair. Other choices: Fastest on the inside, Fastest on the outside.

Running order

Order of the heats: From slowest to fastest

The slowest group goes first, group 1 last.

Beyond this number of groups: 7; Order beyond the threshold: From fastest to slowest

With more than 7 groups, the order is reversed (empty: never).

Groups that go first: “3, 2, 1”

In fastest-to-slowest order, these groups go first, in this order (group 1 = the fastest), then all the others.

Incomplete heat: Where its group puts it

The single heat stays in its group: at the front in slowest-to-fastest order (P01 above), at the end in fastest-to-slowest order. At the front or At the end always places it at the start or the end of the race.

Rebalance the last heat: ticked

Only used by group starts (see below).

The “quartets” model (1000 m)

Duplicate “paires”, code quartets, label “Style olympique (quartets)”, and tick Quartets. Group: unique start position stays ticked.

Quartets

The heats (here pairs) start two by two: two consecutive pairs form a group of heats (G1, G2…), run together, the second starting a little later. Which one starts first: according to Inner lane.

Group: unique start position

In a group, positions follow on from one heat to the next: 1-2 in the first pair, 3-4 in the second. Each athlete of the quartet thus has their own colour (white, red, yellow, blue) and transponders. Unticked: each pair numbers 1-2.

The “mass-start” model

Group formation: A single group; Formation: Mass start

Everyone on the same grid, ranked by seeding.

Athletes per row (mass start): 6

Six athletes per row on the starting grid.

Athletes per heat (mass start): 24; Minimum for the last heat (mass start): 12

Beyond 24, a second heat; a last heat of fewer than 12 receives the last athletes of the previous one (0: a single heat; 0 as minimum: none).

Equal heats (mass start): not ticked

Ticked, the heats have the same size give or take one, instead of the minimum.

First helmet number: 1

Helmets are numbered from 1 in grid order; empty: no numbers.

The “poursuite” model

Formation: Pursuit; Teams per heat (pursuit): 2

Two teams per heat, one per corridor.

Athletes per team (pursuit): 3

The team size when EVENT forms the teams itself, by blocks of the seeding ranking (ranks 1 to 3, 4 to 6…). A team given in the entry takes precedence.

Inner lane: Fastest on the inside

The best team takes corridor 1.

Seeding specific to the model

The Own settings: seeding box of a model gives all its races the same sources. Our four models leave it unticked: seeding comes from the race type (500 m, 1000 m) or from the template (step 9). The lookup order is: the race, then the model, then the template.

6. Referee codes

A new template receives the default table: advances (AV1, AV2), NTMP, NFIN, NDEP, DRC, DISC, yellow (YC) and red (RC) cards, and their reasons. In Time mode you almost always keep it; here is what each column changes, and one adjustment: NFIN and NDEP tied.

1. Setting the order of the unranked: arrows, ties, re-sort by the ranks typed; add, delete a code.
2. The order applied, on one line (“/”: tied).
3. The table (Time mode: without the qualification columns of Position mode).
4. The reasons: typing P-FDEP as a code gives DISC with this reason.

Sort rank

Where an unranked athlete is placed after the ranked: the smallest first. Two codes with the same rank are tied.

Effect

Keeps their rank (their time counts); Last of the heat: after the ranked, at its sort rank; Excluded: leaves the ranking.

Scope

The race; All rounds of the event (yellow card); Whole event (red card).

Reason required, No points, Time valid

A reason must come with the code; the code earns no points; the time remains valid despite the code (for the seeding of another race and the event standings).

7. Points tables: the points of each rank

1. Name, points from the 1st to the 30th rank, floor (the following ranks), sharing of ties.

Name: “Coupe HSK”

The name cited by the race types (step 4).

Points

From the 1^st rank to the last, separated by spaces: 100 for the first, 80 for the second… 2 for the thirtieth. They must go down (otherwise: “Point table “Coupe HSK”, rank 5: more points than rank 4.”).

Floor: 1

The points of ranks 31 and beyond. Empty: those of the last rank listed (2).

Ties: Same points

Two tied athletes receive the points of their common rank; Average: the average of the ranks they occupy.

8. Formulas

A formula computes a value from the times of the distances (the variables of the race types: t500, t1000, t1500). It is used by the event standings (step 12) and by seeding (step 9). Add sprint = t500 + t1000/2 and standardHSK = t500 + t1500/3. Signs are read as written: “+” adds, “-” subtracts, “*” multiplies, “/” divides (t500 + t1500/3 adds a third of the 1500 m to the 500 m; t500 - t1500/3 would take it away).

1. The named formulas: name and description.
2. The editor: input, colouring (variables, numbers, functions), help, test values and the result.

9. Seeding: the time that ranks the entries

Seeding is the time that ranks the entries before groups and heats are formed. Here you set the default sources, tried in order: the first one that gives a time wins. They are used by the races without their own seeding: the 1500 m, the mass start and the pursuit.

1. Add, move up, delete a source; where athletes without any time go.
2. The sources, in order.
3. The other settings of the selected source (here: last two seasons, two venues, ratified times only).

Type

Performances: the athlete's best times over a distance (Distance (variable): t1500); Formule: a formula (step 8); Event: the result of another race of the event (code of the race type, and same gender as the race); Inscription: the time given at entry.

N best, Calculation, Require N performances

Over how many performances and how: the best, or the average of the N best. With Require N performances, fewer than N performances: the source gives nothing.

Factor

Multiplies the time found: 1.5 to take a 1000 m as a 1500 m; 2 for a 500 m taken as a 1000 m.

Date window: Number of seasons 2, Start of the season 07-01

Performances since 1^st July 2025 (the current season and the previous one). Also: fixed limits, a maximum age in days.

Venues allowed: “Starford, Mont-Glacier”; Venues excluded

Separated by commas (empty: all). The comparison ignores capitals, accents, punctuation and spaces, and the country in brackets that SpeedSkatingResults adds (“(CAN)”): “STARFORD”, “starford”, “Starford (FMS)” and “Mont Glacier” are allowed. A performance without a venue is in no list: with venues allowed, it is left out.

Tracks allowed, tracks excluded, competition types allowed

Same principle, but compared as written (only capitals are ignored). A performance without a track is left out as soon as tracks are required.

Ratified times only; Conversions applied

Only ratified performances count. Conversions applied empty: all those whose conditions are met (step 11); names: those only; “-”: none.

Without time: At the end

Athletes to whom no source gives a time go after the slowest (At the start: in front of the fastest; A group of their own: after the groups of athletes with a time).

10. Groups: the fallback groups

1. The same settings as a model's groups (step 5).

Enter the same values as the “paires” model, with Groups separated by gender and the order “F, H”.

11. Conversions: comparing times made elsewhere

1. The list of conversions and the form of the selected one.

Name: altitudeMontGlacier

The name a source can cite in Conversions applied.

Distance (variable), Track, Venue

The conditions, all those that are given: here, any time made at the venue “Mont-Glacier”, whatever the distance.

Factor: 1.02; Added (s): 0

Converted time = time × factor + addition.

12. Standings: the event standings

1. The “Own settings: standings” box: unticked, those of the mode.
2. The method.
3. The races that count (their names in the event).
4. The separate standings (the podiums).

Method: Points

The sum of the points-table points of each race; the highest wins. Formula: a formula (“sprint”, step 8), the smallest wins. Converted times: each time brought to the Reference distance (m) (500: the 1000 m divided by 2, the 1500 m by 3), truncated, then added up.

Races counted

The names of the event's races, separated by commas: the mass start and the pursuit do not count. Empty: all.

Separate standings: By category and gender

One ranking per “U17 Femmes”, “Senior Hommes”… (also: a single one, by gender, by category, by group).

N best races, Highest wins, Order of unranked athletes, Race variables, Decimals

Empty or default: all races; the direction of the method (three-state box left undetermined: points, highest; times, smallest); the order of the code table; the template's variables; three decimals, truncated.

13. Start colours

1. Add, delete a position, go back to the default colours; send the colours to FINISH or not.

In EVENT, this tab sets the colours of the open event, not those of the template: they go neither with Keep in my templates nor with Export…. The colours the federation offers with its common template are those a new event receives; each event can then change its own.

14. Advanced (JSON): the whole template as text

1. The full text of the template (here the 1000 m race type).

Rarely useful: for a setting the forms do not show (the aliases of the codes, the number of yellow cards before red), or to copy a piece from one template to another. An error gives its line and column; an unreadable JSON is not applied and blocks saving.

15. Check, save, keep

1. Check

   Check lists the problems of the whole template above the buttons, tab by tab: name, references (a misspelt points table or model), points tables, formulas, colours.

   Event template

   GeneralCategoriesRace typesRace modelsOfficiating codesPoint tablesFormulasSeedingGroupsConversionsStandingsStart coloursAdvanced (JSON)

   (the open tab)

   Épreuve MS : barème « Coupe HKS » inconnu.Épreuve 1000 : modèle « quartet » inconnu.1

   Import…Export…Keep in my templatesExample — long track, cupStart again from the example2 problem(s) in the template.CheckSaveClose

   1. The problems: correct the “Coupe HSK” points table of the mass start and the “quartets” model of the 1000 m, then Check again: “The template is valid.”.
2. Save

   Save writes the template into the workshop event (“Template saved in the event.”). With problems, EVENT asks for confirmation; an unreadable entry (a field in red) prevents it.

3. Keep in my templates

   Keep in my templates puts the template in the library of this computer.

   “Kept in this computer's templates: “Coupe Hollywood — longue piste”.” The General tab now says “Local template “Coupe Hollywood — longue piste” (library of this computer).”, and the form of a new Time event offers it, marked “Local”.

4. Passing it to another computer or to the federation

   Export… writes a file “Coupe Hollywood — longue piste.json”; Import… reads it back elsewhere, in a Time event. For it to reach every computer, send this file to your federation: it will publish it as a common template.

What FINISH receives from this template

When the organiser sends the heats (shared database or .cfevent file, see Send to FINISH), each heat carries what the template decided:

The required timing settings. EVENT only tells FINISH what follows with certainty from the heats:

If its session differs, FINISH opens “Settings required by the event”: Apply these settings (suggested) or Keep my settings. The rest (transponders, decoder, false start, loops…) remains the computer's choice. Details: FINISH help.

16. Apply and test the template

A template is judged by the heats it produces. Before handing it to organisers, apply it to a trial event.

1. Create a trial event from the template

   New event form: type Time, template Coupe Hollywood — longue piste — Time · Local, Create the races of the template, name “Essai gabarit HSK”, date 2026-11-14.

   “… created with 10 race(s).” In the Races tab: the names (“1000 m Femmes”), the mode (the model label), the laps and “Track · start” (400 · 200 for the 1000 m), the points table, and the oval diagram of each form.

2. Import example entries

   The file inscriptions-coupe-hollywood.csv (see step 4 of the long track scenario): 40 + 40 entries in the 500 m, 37 + 37 in the 1000 m, 32 + 32 in the 1500 m. Add a few entries to the mass start and the pursuit to try them too. Then Compute categories: age is counted on 2026-07-01.

3. Compute seeding, generate, look at the Line-up view

   Performances module, race 500 m Femmes: Compute seeding (the source of each time is in the grid); then, Line-up module, Generate races.

   Compare with this page: the formation groups in the athletes column (40 entries: 10 groups of 4), the heats in running order (10 groups, more than 7: groups 3, 2, 1, then 4 to 10), the lane colours, the names “500 m Femmes — P01”…; in the 1000 m, the quartets side by side (G1, G2…) in positions 1-2 / 3-4; in the mass start, the heat and the helmets.

4. Try a variant without touching the template

   Unfold the Heat formation settings bar of the Line-up view, change a setting (group size, order, quartets…), then Generate races: this is a regeneration (confirmation; locked, started or run heats are kept, the others are redone). Replay repeats the same draw (the software keeps its seed): useful to compare two settings with the same draw.

5. Correct the template, then start again

   Reopen the workshop event, correct the template, Save then Keep in my templates again (the local template is updated). Then create a new trial event: see below what an existing event takes over or not.

6. Delete the workshop and trial events

   Events window, Delete… (refused if there are results: archiving is offered). The kept template stays in the computer's library.

Summary

Further reading

• Event template

  The reference for each tab and each command of the editor.

• Coupe Hollywood longue piste

  A Time mode event from start to finish, from the federation's template.

• Template in Position mode

  The same walkthrough for short track: rounds, X + Y criteria, progression table.

• Federation-wide rule

  Start from the common template, adapt it, keep it.