FLLTools Documentation English

This book contains the documentation for FLLTools, the tournament software used at FIRST LEGO League regional finals.

FLLTools is developed by volunteers. New features can therefore sometimes take a little longer, and the same goes for answering e-mail. Thank you for your understanding!

Well before competition day

Well before competition day

Request an environment

Operational partners and other organisers

Are you an operational partner, or another organiser, and would you like to use the FLLTools scoring system for your (regional) finals?
Please contact us at thijs@flltools.nl so we can discuss what would work best for you. The tool is easy to translate. The initial setup requires a bit more work, since the tool itself needs to be translated. After that, only the yearly updates and seasonal information, such as names and descriptions, need translation.

Regional finals of FIRST® LEGO® League in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands

The organisers of the FIRST® LEGO® League finals in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands automatically receive their login details by e-mail at least 1 month before the final. In most cases this is the contact address known to the operational partner. Haven't received anything 1 month before your final? Contact thijs@flltools.nl and we will make sure the details reach you quickly.

School and local events

We love that you want to use our tool! Send an e-mail to thijs@flltools.nl with:

Because maintaining, hosting and developing the tool isn't free, we ask for a voluntary contribution (so it's not required). Would you like to contribute? Mention it in your e-mail and we'll let you know how.

Well before competition day

Decide what you need

FLLTools can do a lot. It has all kinds of features that make organising your regional final easier and automate a lot of work. Not every event needs everything. That's why FLLTools works with modules: parts you switch on or off yourself. This keeps the menus tidy, and you only see what you use. How to switch modules on is explained on the page Settings and modules.

Go through the list below beforehand and decide what you want to use at your event.

Always available

Modules you can switch on

Because FLLTools contains all team names, team numbers and organisation details, exports and screens can be made quickly and without mistakes. Especially at large events this saves a huge amount of manual work.

Custom work

Missing something? Some features need a bit of custom work. Depending on the size of the job, we may ask for a small voluntary contribution. This is a one-off, because the code becomes part of FLLTools. That way other organisations can use it too, and so can you next year. Contact thijs@flltools.nl about this.

Well before competition day

Logging in and finding your way around

This page explains how to log in to FLLTools and how to find your way around the tool. In the instructions we use the link yourevent.flltools.nl. Replace "yourevent" with the name of your event.

Logging in

Go to https://yourevent.flltools.nl/login.

The FLLTools login screen

After logging in you arrive at the dashboard. If there is no tournament yet and you are allowed to create tournaments, the Setup Wizard opens automatically (see the page The Setup Wizard).

FLLTools Unified Login

For volunteers who help at several (regional) finals, and for regional partners / operational partners, there is the FLLTools Unified Login. With it you log in to every event with the same details. Click Login with SSO (5) and log in on the page that opens. You are then taken back to FLLTools automatically.

Would you like to use this? Send an e-mail to thijs@flltools.com and you'll receive a login.

Finding your way around

The dashboard with the menu on the left and the bar at the top

The Dashboard gives an overview of the event: the number of teams, the latest match, the highest score, how many matches and judging sessions have been entered, and how many remarks there are. The buttons on the cards take you straight to the matching page.

The user menu

The opened user menu

Be careful with Clear cache on a referee tablet! Results entered offline that haven't been sent yet are wiped too. First check that all results have been uploaded.

Your profile

Through User settings you reach your profile page.

The profile page

At the bottom of the page you see on which devices you are logged in. Logout all other devices logs you out everywhere except on the device you are using now. Handy if you have been logged in on a shared computer.

Two weeks before the competition

The steps to take about two weeks before competition day.

Two weeks before the competition

The Setup Wizard

The Setup Wizard takes you step by step through the most important settings of your event: the tournament, the tables, the rounds, the modules and the teams. For a standard regional final you're done in a few minutes.

At the top right of the wizard you can choose the language. At the bottom of each step are the Back and Next buttons to move between steps.

Step 1: Welcome

Welcome screen of the Setup Wizard

Step 2: Tournament

Creating a tournament in the wizard

The tournament is the core of the tool: teams, rounds, the schedule and the results all belong to it. Fill in the fields:

A detailed explanation of all fields, with advice on the times, is on the page Creating the tournament. You can only continue to the next steps once the tournament has been created.

Step 3: Tables

Creating table pairs in the wizard

Robot matches are played on tables, and you always create tables in pairs. For both tables of the pair you fill in:

Step 4: Rounds

Creating rounds in the wizard

Create the rounds in the order in which they are played, starting with the practice round.

Step 5: Modules

Choosing modules in the wizard

Some modules need extra settings. If you switch on the Judge Module, Practice Table Reservations or Livestream Module, an extra step appears in the wizard for it.

Step 6: Judging (only with the Judge Module)

Setting up judging in the wizard

Step 7: Practice tables (only with Practice Table Reservations)

Creating practice tables in the wizard

More about booking practice tables is on the page Practice tables and reservations.

Step 8: Livestream (only with the Livestream Module)

Setting up the livestream in the wizard

Step 9: Teams

Adding teams in the wizard

Finally you add the teams. You can do this one team at a time or all at once with a file.

More about entering teams, for example with an export from your registration system, is on the page Entering teams into the system.

Step 10: Done!

Summary at the end of the wizard

You see a summary of what you have set up: the tournament and the number of tables, rounds and teams. Click Finish (1) to go to the dashboard.

After the wizard you're not quite finished yet. Don't forget:

Hiding the wizard

Not using the wizard? Then you can hide it. Go through Setup to Settings and switch on Hide the setup wizard. The Wizard button then disappears from the menu and the wizard no longer opens automatically.

Two weeks before the competition

Creating the tournament

The e-mail you received contains the login details. Log in to your FLLTools event (see the page Logging in and finding your way around).

You can also create the tournament with the Setup Wizard. It opens automatically if there is no tournament yet. See the page The Setup Wizard. This page explains how to create and manage a tournament through the menu, and what all the fields mean.

Going to the Tournaments page

The Tournaments page

FLLTools can manage several tournaments at the same time. This is handy, for example, when a region spreads its teams over two days. Each tournament has its own teams, rounds, juries, schedule and results.

Creating a tournament

The Create new tournament window

Tournament name (1): Enter the name of the tournament, for example "Regional final".

Copy resources from (optional) (2): Choose an existing tournament to copy the rounds, juries, tables and chosen rubrics from. This saves a lot of work when you create a second day or a similar event. Teams are not copied. By default this field contains the tournament you are currently working in. Want to start with an empty tournament? Then clear this field.

Select a scoresheet (3): Choose the score sheet of the current season. Need a different score sheet for an off-season event? Let us know and we'll load the right one.

Location name (4): Name of the venue, for example "Building".

Address (5): Address of the venue.

City (6): City of the venue.

Zipcode (7): Postcode of the venue.

Starting time (8): Enter the date and start time of the competition day. This is used to create the day schedule.

End time (9): Enter the date and the planned end time. This is also used for the day schedule.

Match length duration (10): The length of a robot match in minutes. We advise 7 minutes per match.

Simultaneous matches (11): The number of matches played at the same time. Each match is played on a table pair, so this is usually equal to the number of table pairs (half the number of tables).

Jury session duration (12): The length of a judging session, including the time for the judges to discuss. For a good schedule we recommend a multiple of 9 minutes, with a minimum of 42 minutes. This matches the official flow:

Default Theme (13): The colour theme all users of this tournament see. Users who have chosen their own theme in their profile keep their own theme. If you leave this empty, the default theme is used.

Judging rubrics (14): Choose which rubrics the judges use at this tournament. If you leave this field empty, all rubrics are available. This only matters if you use the Judge Module.

When everything is filled in, click Save at the bottom of the window. You then return to the Tournaments page, with your tournament now in the list.

Editing or deleting a tournament

At the end of each row are 3 dots (4) (see the first image). Click them:

The menu with Show, Edit and Delete

Only delete a tournament if you are sure you no longer need it. All data belonging to the tournament can then no longer be used.

Switching between tournaments

The name of the current tournament in the top bar

The top bar shows which tournament you are working in (1). Everything you see and do in the tool (teams, schedule, results, exports) belongs to this tournament.

Which tournament visitors see on the public scoreboard and team pages is set in Public Tournament on the Settings page. See the page Settings and modules.

The tournament has now been created and you can move on to the next step.

Two weeks before the competition

Settings and modules

On the Settings page you decide how FLLTools works at your event. This is also where you switch the modules on or off: the parts of the tool you don't need at every event.

Go through Setup to Settings. The page consists of several blocks, one below the other. Each block has its own Save button, so save each block separately after changing something.

Basic settings

The Basic settings block

Final name (1): The name of your event. It is shown on the login screen, below the title.

Everyone can register (2): Intended to let visitors create their own account. You don't need this for a regional final: you create the accounts yourself (see the page Creating the users).

Publish results automatically (3): When this is on, visitors see the teams' match results on the public team pages, including the filled-in score sheet. When it is off, the results are not visible there for visitors who aren't logged in. Rounds with hidden scores always stay hidden.

Max practice reservations per team (4): How many practice table reservations a team may hold at the same time. Only relevant if you use the Practice Table Reservations module.

Hide score on referee input for hidden rounds (5): When this is on, the total score on the referee screen is blurred in rounds with hidden scores, so a team can't look along. The referee can reveal the score by tapping it.

Hide the setup wizard (6): Hides the Wizard button in the menu. The wizard then no longer opens automatically either. See the page The Setup Wizard.

Click Save (7) to save the changes in this block.

Timer and modules

The Timer and Modules blocks

Timer

The Start (1), End (2), Pause (3) and Reset (4) buttons control the match timer on all screens. Each button opens in a new tab. How the timer works is explained on the page How the timer works.

Modules

Switch a module on with its switch and click Save at the bottom of the block. After saving, the matching pages appear in the menu. If you switch a module off, they disappear again. Your data is kept.

It's best to leave a module you don't need switched off. That keeps the menu tidy for all volunteers. You can always switch modules on later.

Public Tournament and QR import

The Public Tournament and Import results via QR blocks

Public Tournament

In Default Public Tournament (1) you choose which tournament visitors see on the public pages, such as the scoreboard and the team pages. This is especially important if you have several tournaments. Click Save to save.

Import results via QR

Referees and judges can enter results without internet. Those results are stored on their device. If they can't be sent later, they can be transferred with a QR code. Import Referee Results (2) reads a QR code with match results, Import Rubric Results (3) one with judging results. You scan the QR codes with the device's camera. If the browser doesn't support the camera, you can also paste the code as text. More about this is on the page Referee briefing.

Two weeks before the competition

Creating the rounds and the tables

The next steps are creating the rounds and the tables. Both are an essential part of the scoring tool. Referees choose a round and a table for every match, and the scoreboard, the results and the day schedule are all organised by round and by table. So make sure both are set up correctly before you continue.

Adjusting the rounds

Overview of the rounds through Setup and Rounds

Check that the last round is set to Hide scores if you only want to show the results of that round after the awards ceremony. Not set correctly? Change it through Edit.

Creating or changing a round

The Create round window

Roundname (1): The name of the round, for example "Practice round" or "Round 1". Referees, teams and the public see this name.

Tournament (2): The tournament this round belongs to. Usually the right tournament is already filled in.

Practice round (3): Switch this on for a practice round. Scores of a practice round don't count towards the results and are not shown on the public scoreboard.

Hide scores (4): Switch this on if the scores of this round may not be publicly visible (yet). This is usually used for the last round, so it stays exciting until the awards ceremony. See also Making the last round visible.

Priority (5): The order of the rounds. A lower number comes first.

Click Save (6) to save the round. Want to change an existing round? Choose Edit in the menu next to the round; you'll see the same window.

Make sure there are no duplicate priorities and that they are in ascending order.
Note: if you load a schedule (see Creating the day schedule), make sure the priorities start at 1 and go up: the practice round 1, round 1 = 2, and so on. The schedule links the matches to the right round through the priority. Otherwise an error will occur.

A round that already has scores linked to it can no longer be deleted.

Creating the tables

Tables are a fixed part of FLLTools, so you no longer need to switch anything on in the settings.

Overview of the tables through Setup and Tables

Setting up tables

The Create table pair window

Tables are always created in pairs, because in the robot game 2 teams always play side by side. So you always fill in 2 tables at once.

Want to change one table later, for example its colour? Use Edit through the 3 dots next to the table. You then only change that one table.

Choose clear colours that are easy to tell apart. Teams and referees often look for their table by colour, and the colour is also shown large on the info screens.

Two weeks before the competition

Juries and rubrics

Besides the robot game, teams are also assessed by judges. In FLLTools you set up two things for this: the juries (the judging panels or judging rooms the teams visit) and the rubrics the judges fill in.

The judging parts are only visible when the Judge Module is switched on. See the page Settings and modules.

Creating juries

A jury is a group of judges in one room who see one team after another throughout the day. In the day schedule every team gets a judging session with one of the juries.

Overview of the juries through Setup and Jury

The Create jury window

Number (1): The number of the jury. Start with 1 and keep counting. The schedule (both the generator and an imported schedule) links the judging sessions to the right jury through this number.

Name (2): The name of the jury, for example "Jury A" or "Panel Alpha". Teams see this name in their day schedule and on the info screens.

Location (3): The room or place where this jury sits, for example "Room 1.02". That way teams and volunteers know where to go.

Tournament (4): The tournament this jury belongs to.

Click Save (5). Repeat this until all juries have been created. Through the 3 dots next to a jury you can change or delete it later.

Rubrics

For each team the judges fill in a judging form, also called a rubric. The official rubrics of the season are already available in FLLTools, for example Innovation Project, Robot Design and the feedback form. In most cases you don't need to change anything here.

Choosing which rubrics you use

For each tournament you set which rubrics the judges use. You do this on the tournament itself: go through Setup to Tournaments and choose Edit for your tournament.

The Judging rubrics field on the tournament

Which rubrics count towards the rankings for the judges' deliberation is set on the page Competition Results (see the Judges' deliberation chapter).

The rubric editor

Want to view or change a rubric, or load a rubric you received from us? Go through Setup to Rubric editor.

Overview in the Judging rubric editor

Changing a rubric in the editor

A rubric is built up as follows:

In the editor you sometimes see texts like rubric.challenge.robot.identify.title. These are translation keys: judges automatically see the text in their own language on their screen. So don't change these keys unless you're sure what you're doing.

Don't change a rubric once the judges have started working with it. In doubt? Contact thijs@flltools.nl.

Two weeks before the competition

Creating the users

Everyone who interacts with FLLTools needs a user account: referees, judges, the scoring desk and the organisation.
There are several roles, each with its own permissions.

Overview of the users through Setup and Users

Creating new users:

The Create User window

Name (1): Name of the person the account is for.
Email (2): E-mail address of the person. The person logs in with it.
Password (3): The password for this person. This field disappears when you switch on (4).
Send an invitation email (4): Switch this on to send the person an invitation by e-mail. The e-mail contains a link with which the person chooses their own password. The link is valid for 7 days.
Roles (5): A menu opens in which you can select one or more roles (see below).

If you don't use Send an invitation email, the user doesn't receive an e-mail. You then have to pass on the login details to the person yourself.

The roles

A role determines what someone is allowed to do in FLLTools. Give everyone only the role they need.

All roles except User and Guest can also add remarks about teams.

Changing a user

Click the 3 dots (4) next to a user in the list and choose Edit. You then reach that user's page:

Detail page of a user

Each block has its own Save button, so click Save in the block you changed.

The menu for a user with Log in as

Super Administrators also see the Log in as (1) option in the menu. With it you can temporarily log in as that user, for example to check what a referee or judge sees. A message at the top of the screen then shows a button to return to your own account.

FLLTools Unified Login

For volunteers who help at several (regional) finals, and for regional partners / operational partners, we have the FLLTools Unified Login. With it you can log in to every event with the same login, through the Login with SSO button on the login screen.

You then need just one login to log in everywhere. Would you like to use this? Send an e-mail to thijs@flltools.com and you'll receive a login.

Two weeks before the competition

Entering teams into the system

There are 2 ways to enter the teams:

  1. Manually
  2. Through a file upload

To start, go to the Teams page (1).

The teams page with the Add, Upload and Custom fields buttons

Entering teams manually

The Create team window

Teamnumber (1): Enter the team number here (for example the number from your registration system). This must be a unique number and may not contain letters.

Tournament (2): The tournament the team takes part in. Usually the right tournament is already filled in.

Teamname (3): The name of the team.

Organisation (4): The school, club or organisation of the team.

Coach email (5): The e-mail address of the (head) coach. This field is required. Among other things, the address is used to send the judging forms to the coach after the event.

Invite coach to manage this team now (6): When this is on, the coach immediately receives an invitation by e-mail. With it the coach can create their own account and complete the team details, such as the team photo, the team cheer and the descriptions of the robot and the project. This option is only visible when the Advanced Team Management module is switched on.

Through a file upload

Already have your teams in a spreadsheet? Then you can load them all at once with the Upload (3) button.

The Upload team list window

The file format

Use an Excel or CSV file with the columns in this order:

Do NOT use a header row, or the upload will fail. Each row is one team.

Most registration systems can export the teams to Excel or CSV. Rearrange the export in Excel if needed so the columns are in the order above, without a header row. In the Netherlands, you can use the export from the PTvT regional partner portal in the same way.

Extra team fields (Custom fields)

Want to keep extra information per team, such as a pit number? Then you can create extra fields yourself through Custom fields (4).

The Custom team fields window

You fill in the value of these fields per team on the team's page. See Updating a team.

Two weeks before the competition

Creating the day schedule

The day schedule is the backbone of your event. It shows when and where each team has to be with the judges, which table it plays at, and when there are breaks or other activities. The schedule is used in many places in FLLTools: for the referees (filling in the team automatically), on the info screens, on the public team pages and in the exports.

There are two ways to create a schedule:

  1. Let FLLTools generate it (recommended)
  2. Import a schedule you created with an external tool

The schedule is only visible when the Schedule Module is switched on. The button to generate a schedule appears when the Schematic Generator Module is on as well. See the page Settings and modules.

Before you start

The schedule is built from the data you have already entered. So first check that it is complete:

Does a team arrive later, leave earlier, need extra time or not attend judging? You can set this per team on the team's page, in the Scheduling block (Needs extra time, Does not attend judging, Available from and Available until). The generator takes this into account.

The schedule overview

The schedule overview with the buttons at the top

Following a team

Click a block in the schedule once. All items of that team are then highlighted in orange, so you see the team's whole day at a glance.

All items of one team highlighted in orange

Moving items and changing times

The Event Details window

Changes are saved immediately. If a change isn't possible, for example because it clashes with another item, you get a message and the block jumps back.

Generating a schedule

FLLTools can create a complete schedule itself: every team gets one judging session and one match per round, without any clashes. Click Generate schedule.

The form to generate a schedule

At the top you see an overview of what goes into the schedule: the number of teams, rounds, juries and table pairs. Not right? Then first adjust the teams, rounds, juries or tables.

The times are taken from the tournament by default. You can change them here:

Match length (1): The length of a robot match in minutes.

Judging length (2): The length of a judging session in minutes.

Match buffer (3): Extra minutes between two matches at the same table, for example to reset the table.

Judging buffer (4): Extra minutes between two judging sessions, for example for the judges to discuss and fill in the forms.

Simultaneous matches (5): How many matches are played at the same time. This can be at most the number of table pairs.

Min. travel between activities (6): The minimum number of minutes a team has between two items, to walk from the judges to the table (or the other way round).

Extra time for flagged teams (7): How many extra minutes teams get that have Needs extra time switched on.

Start time (8) and End time (9): The start and end of the schedule.

Seed (10): Optional. With the same seed you get exactly the same schedule. Leave this empty if you don't know what to do with it.

Breaks (11): Click Add break to add a break, such as lunch or the opening ceremony. Fill in the name, the start and the duration, and choose under For who the break applies to: ALL (everyone), TABLE (only the robot matches) or JURY (only the judges).

Custom team events (12): Click Add event for an extra activity every team has to attend once, for example a pit visit or the team photo. Fill in the name, an optional location, the duration, the buffer and the number of Stations (how many teams can be there at the same time). Optionally you specify from when until when the activity takes place.

Clear & regenerate (13): Is there already a schedule? Tick this box to replace the existing schedule. Only this tournament's schedule is replaced.

Click Generate (14). After a few seconds you return to the schedule overview with the new schedule. Couldn't all teams be scheduled? Then you end up on the Check schedule page (see below).

As soon as scores or judging forms have been entered, a new schedule can no longer be generated, because those results are linked to the schedule. You then see this message:

Message that generating is disabled because results already exist

Still want to change something? Then adjust the schedule by hand in the schedule overview.

Checking the schedule

Check schedule shows how many matches and judging sessions each team has. Teams with something missing are highlighted.

The Check Schedule page

Adding an item yourself

Use Add schedule item to add a single item. First choose the type:

The Add Schedule Item window with the Team Event type

For each type, fill in the Start time and End time and click Save.

Importing a schedule

Created the schedule with an external tool? Then you can import it through Import schedule.

The import is a BETA feature and will probably not be developed further. Preferably use the built-in generator. When importing, the rounds (priority), tables and juries must be numbered from 1, or loading will fail.

The schedule for the head referee

https://yourevent.flltools.nl/schedule/headReferee has an overview especially for the head referee: for each time you see which team should be at which table. A dash means the table is free. Replace "yourevent" with the name of your event.

The schedule for the head referee

The public schedule

Teams, coaches and visitors can view the schedule through Schedule in the menu of the public website, at https://yourevent.flltools.nl/home/schedule. Nothing can be changed there. In addition, each team sees its own day schedule on its team page (see Team features).

The public schedule

A few days before the event

The steps to take once all team names are final.

A few days before the event

Updating a team

If a team passes on a name change or other details, you can update them yourself. All of a team's information is on one team page.

Opening the team page

Team list with the 3 dots next to a team

Menu with Show, Edit and Delete

The parts of the team page

The team page is divided into blocks. Which blocks you see depends on the modules that are switched on (see the page Settings and modules).

Team page with the Grouppicture, Basic information, Scheduling and More Information blocks

Grouppicture (1): The team photo. This block is visible when the Advanced Team Management module is on. Use Choose a photo and Upload photo to put a photo on the team page. The photo is saved straight away, separately from the Save buttons. See the page Uploading team photos.

Basic information (2): The Teamnumber, the Tournament the team belongs to, the Teamname and the Organisation (school, club or organisation). The team number must be a unique number, without letters.

Scheduling (3): Wishes for the schedule generator. This block is visible when the Schedule module is on.

These wishes are only used when you (re)generate the schedule. See the page Creating the day schedule.

More Information (4): The Yell (team cheer), a Robot Description and an Innovation project description. These texts appear on the public team page (see Team features).

The Weblinks and Coaches blocks

Coaches (6): This is where you link a coach to the team. Enter the coach's e-mail address and click Add coach. The coach then receives an e-mail:

The coach can then update the team details themselves. See the heading The coach portal on the page Team features.

Custom information: If you have created your own team fields (for example a pit number), a Custom information block also appears, in which you fill them in per team. How to create these fields is explained on the page Entering teams into the system.

Saving

A few days before the event

Uploading team photos

When the Advanced Team Management module is on, every team can have a team photo. The photo appears on the public team page, so parents, visitors and other teams can see who is behind a team name. As the organiser you can upload the photo, but coaches can also do it themselves through the coach portal.

Uploading a team photo

Grouppicture block with a selected photo and the Upload photo button

The photo is saved straight away, so you don't need to press any of the Save buttons on the team page. The message The team photo has been updated. appears at the bottom of the screen.

You can upload a JPG, PNG or WebP photo of up to 10 MB. A landscape photo works best: the photo is cropped to fill the whole block, and with a portrait photo heads are easily cut off.

Replacing or removing a team photo

After uploading, the new photo is shown in the block.

Grouppicture block with the uploaded photo and the Remove photo button

The team photo on the public team page

The team photo (1) is shown at the top of the team information on the public team page, above the team number, the team name and the yell. Anyone can view this page without logging in. You can read more about the team page on the page Team features.

Public team page with the team photo

The team photo is visible to everyone. Teams often consist of minors, so only upload a photo if the team (and the parents) have given permission.

Coaches upload their own team photo

If you have linked a coach to the team (see Coaches on the page Updating a team), the coach can take care of the team photo themselves. That way you don't have to collect all the photos.

Coach portal with the Grouppicture block

If the coach uploads a new photo, it replaces any photo you had already uploaded, and the other way round. A team always has just one team photo.

A few days before the event

Creating the exports

The available exports can differ per event. For special requests, there may be more or fewer options on the page. The example below assumes a standard regional final.

All exports are created with the data in FLLTools at that moment: team names, team numbers, the schedule and the results. So only create the exports once the teams and the schedule are complete.

The exports page

Go through Setup to Exports.

Exports page with the tournament, the Generate button and the export cards

Changed something after generating, such as a team name or the schedule? Click Generate again. The existing files are then replaced by new ones.

Explanation of the exports:

Judging results and OJS

Below the generated exports are two more cards. These files are created immediately when you click them; you don't need to press Generate first.

The Judging Results and Official Judging Sheet Export cards

Judging Results: The judging forms the judges filled in digitally (see Judges' briefing). There are three downloads:

Official Judging Sheet Export (4): Download (5) gives you an Excel file with all robot game scores and the Gracious Professionalism scores. You create this export at the end of the competition day. How to put this data into OJS is explained in the Judges' deliberation chapter on the page FLLTools export to OJS.

Your own PDFs

When the Custom PDF Templates module is switched on, you also see the Custom PDF Templates block at the bottom of the page. With it you create, for example, certificates or badges with your own design. This is explained on the page Custom PDF templates.

The PDF exports can't be customised. Want an export with your own design? Use the custom PDF templates, or contact thijs@flltools.nl.

A few days before the event

Custom PDF templates

With custom PDF templates you create documents with your own design, such as certificates, badges or name cards. You upload a background (for example the design of a certificate) and place data on it, such as the team name and team number. FLLTools then creates a PDF in one go with a page for every team.

This feature is part of the Custom PDF Templates module. Don't see the parts on this page? Switch the module on through Setup and Settings (see the page Settings and modules). The feature is still in BETA.

The template overview

You reach the templates through Setup, Exports and then the Manage Templates button in the Custom PDF Templates block.

Overview of the PDF templates

Creating a template

Click Create Template. First fill in the template details:

The Template Information form

Template Name (1): The name of the template, for example "Participation certificate".

Description (2): A short description. This field is optional.

Template Type (3): Filled in automatically based on the file you upload (image or pdf).

Page Orientation (4): Choose Portrait or Landscape. The document is always created on A4.

Tournament (Optional) (5): Link the template to one tournament. If you leave this empty, you can use the template for all tournaments.

Template File (6): The background of the document, at most 10 MB.

Use an image (PNG or JPG) in A4 proportions for the background. Only then will you see the design in the editor and will it come out correctly in the PDF.

Placing data on the background

As soon as you have chosen an image, it appears in the Template Editor.

Template Editor with a certificate and placed variables

The schedule data is filled in with one robot match of the team. Want to show all matches per team? Use the Match List on the exports page.

Click Create Template at the bottom to save the template. You change an existing template in the same way; then click Update Template. If you don't upload a new file while editing, the current background is kept.

Creating the PDF

You create the PDFs on the exports page, in the Custom PDF Templates block.

The Custom PDF Templates block on the exports page

Have an idea for an export that would be useful more often? Let us know at thijs@flltools.nl, and we'll see whether it can become a standard part of FLLTools.

A few days before the event

How the timer works

FLLTools includes a match timer for the robot game. The timer counts down the 2 minutes and 30 seconds of a match and plays the familiar match sounds. You can show the timer on several screens at once and control it from one place, or through the API.

Test this feature beforehand on the computers and screens you will use on competition day, including the sound. Some browsers occasionally give errors. Running into something? Contact thijs@flltools.nl.

The timer screen

Timer screen showing 02:30 in LEGO bricks

All timer screens are synchronised with the server. So it doesn't matter when a screen was opened or how that computer's clock is set: if you refresh a screen during a match, it immediately picks up the correct time again.

Controlling the timer

The timer buttons are under Setup and Settings, in the Timer block.

The Timer block with the Start, End, Pause and Reset buttons

Each button opens a new tab in your browser. You can close that tab again.

The timer screen shows LEGO just before the start

The timer screen during a match

Sounds

The timer plays a sound at the key moments, so nobody has to watch the numbers:

After a match has ended, the timer automatically resets itself to 2:30 after about 10 seconds.

Browsers often only play sound after someone has clicked on the page. So after opening the timer screen, click on the page once, and do a sound check before the first match. Also make sure that computer's speakers are on.

The timer on an info screen

Want to show both the timer and the teams of that table pair at the competition tables? Use the Timer + Table Pair Screen info screen. This timer is synchronised with the timer screen and is controlled with the same buttons. How to create an info screen is explained on the page Info screens.

Control through the API

The timer can also be controlled by another system, for example a physical start button. For this you create an API token with the result.create permission. The endpoints (start, pause, end, reset and toggle) are in the API documentation, through Setup and API Docs, under the Timer heading. Want to use this and need help? Contact thijs@flltools.nl.

Tips

A few days before the event

Info screens

With info screens you show on TVs and projectors in the venue what's going on: which team is at a table, who is with the judges, the scoreboard standings and more. You set up a screen once and then open it on a computer connected to the screen. The screen updates itself automatically.

Info screens are part of the Info Screen Module. Don't see the button in the menu? Switch the module on through Setup → Settings (see the page Settings and modules).

Types of info screens

Creating an info screen

Info screens in the menu

Window to create an info screen

Name (1): A recognisable name, for example the place where the screen hangs ("Table pair 1 at the entrance"). You'll see this name again when you choose the screen on the computer.

Screen Type (2): The type of screen, see the overview above.

Table 1 (3) and Table 2 (4): Only for a (Timer +) Table Pair Screen: choose the two tables. For a Table Screen you choose one table, for a Jury Screen you choose the jury.

Background Type (5): The background of the screen:

Template (7): Optional. If you leave this empty, the screen uses the default layout. That's fine for most events.

Creating your own layout (template)

Want to decide yourself what's on the screen, for example a welcome text with the current time? Use the template editor at the bottom of the window.

Template editor of an info screen

Opening the screen on a TV or projector

Page to choose an info screen

The screen refreshes every 30 seconds. When a new score comes in, the screen is updated immediately. So you don't need to touch it all day.

This is what a General Info screen with the default layout looks like:

General Info screen with scoreboard and scrolling scores

And a Timer + Table Pair Screen, with the timer above the two tables in their own table colour:

Timer and table pair info screen

A Jury Screen shows the current and the next session of one jury:

Jury info screen

Language of the screen

Info screens are in English by default. Want another language? Add ?lang= with the language code to the address of the screen, for example ?lang=nl for Dutch, ?lang=be for Flemish or ?lang=fr for French.

Tips

A few days before the event

Livestream

Broadcasting your event live through Twitch or YouTube? Then you can show the stream on your event's public site. Visitors then don't have to look for the right link themselves.

The livestream is part of the Livestream Module. Switch it on through Setup → Settings if you don't see the Livestream button in the menu (see the page Settings and modules).

Setting up the livestream

Livestream settings

Livestream Platform (1): Choose Twitch or YouTube.

Livestream URL or Username (2):

Click Save (3). The public page shows the stream straight away.

The public livestream page

Visitors find the stream through Livestream in the menu of the public site, or directly at https://yourevent.flltools.nl/livestream. Replace "yourevent" with the name of your event.

Public livestream page

The player works like the normal Twitch or YouTube player: viewers can adjust the sound and put the video in full screen. If the stream isn't live (yet), Twitch shows this in the player.

Scores on screen with the Stream Overlay

Producing the broadcast yourself, for example with OBS? Then create an info screen of the Stream Overlay type (see the page Info screens). The overlay shows a scoreboard, a scrolling bar with the latest scores and a notification as soon as a new score comes in.

Stream overlay with scoreboard and scrolling scores

Tips

A few days before the event

Practice tables and reservations

Many events have practice tables where teams can test their robot one more time. With FLLTools, teams book a practice slot themselves on a screen (for example a touchscreen or tablet) next to the practice tables. You set for each table how long a practice slot lasts and when the table is open. FLLTools automatically turns this into time slots.

For this the Practice Table Reservations module must be switched on. You do this through Setup → Settings (see the page Settings and modules). If the module is off, teams see on the reservation screen that no slots are available.

Creating practice tables

List of practice tables

Window to add a practice table

Table Number (1): The number of the practice table, for example 1, 2, 3.

Colour (2): The name of the table's colour, for example "Red". This helps teams find the right table quickly.

Slot Length (minutes) (3): How long a practice slot lasts, in minutes.

Opening Time (4): From what time the table is open for practice.

Closing Time (5): Until what time the table is open.

Colour picker (6): The colour teams see on the reservation screen and the info screen.

Click Save. The time slots are created automatically. A table open from 09:00 to 10:00 with a 15-minute slot, for example, gives four slots: 09:00, 09:15, 09:30 and 09:45.

Maximum number of reservations per team

How many practice slots a team may book ahead at the same time is set through Setup → Settings in Max practice reservations per team (2 by default). As soon as a practice slot has passed, it no longer counts and the team can book a new slot.

Viewing and cancelling reservations

Reservations of a practice table

Delete in the menu deletes the whole practice table, including its time slots.

How a team books a slot

Place a computer, tablet or touchscreen next to the practice tables showing the page https://yourevent.flltools.nl/practice-reservation. Replace "yourevent" with the name of your event. No login is needed.

Step 1: Entering the team number

The team taps in its team number with the large number keys (or the keyboard) and presses Continue. If the number doesn't exist, a message appears and the team can try again.

Entering the team number on the reservation screen

Step 2: Choosing a time

The team now sees all free time slots: each column is a practice table, each row a time. An empty spot means that table is already taken or closed at that time. On the right is Your Schedule, the team's day schedule, so it can choose a time that doesn't clash with a match or judging session.

Free time slots and the team's schedule

After choosing a time, the screen asks for confirmation. The team presses Confirm to book, or Cancel to go back.

Confirming the reservation

Step 3: Done

The team sees Reserved!. Make Another Reservation lets it book another slot (if the maximum hasn't been reached yet); Done takes the screen back to the start.

Reservation successful

Good to know:

Practice tables on an info screen

With an info screen of the Practice Tables type you show at the practice tables who is practising now (Now), who comes next (Next) and how many slots are still free. See the page Info screens.

Info screen with the practice tables

A few days before the event

Team features

FLLTools has a public section where teams, coaches, parents and visitors can look up their team without logging in. In addition, when the Advanced Team Management module is on, coaches can update their team's details themselves.

The team list

https://yourevent.flltools.nl/team has a public list of all teams. Visitors also get here through Teams (1) in the menu at the top of the public pages.

Public team list with the More about the team button

The team page

The content of the team page depends on which modules are switched on. With all modules on, the page looks like this:

Public team page with team information, day schedule and match results

The match results are only shown on the team page when Publish results automatically is on (through Setup and Settings). When this setting is off, the team sees a message that the results will be published after the tournament.

Reminders for teams

Teams and parents can get a notification on their own phone shortly before the team has to be somewhere. No account is needed for this.

The Event reminders window with the choice of minutes

There is a notification for every robot match, judging session, practice table reservation and other item in that team's schedule. Through the same bell the visitor can change or switch off the notifications again.

Notifications work in most browsers on Android and on a computer. On an iPhone they only work after the website has first been added to the home screen. If notifications are blocked for the website, the visitor first has to allow them in the browser settings.

The coach portal

When the Advanced Team Management module is on, you can add coaches to their team (see the page Updating a team). The coach receives an e-mail and can then log in. After logging in, the coach goes straight to their team's page. If someone coaches several teams, they choose the team first.

Coach portal with the team photo, the team details and weblinks

Only the organisation can change the team number, the tournament and the organisation.

After the tournament (once the tournament's end time has passed), the coach also sees the team's completed judging forms, under Judging rubrics (1). Each form shows which jury filled it in, with the score and the chosen levels per criterion.

The team's judging forms in the coach portal

A few days before the event

Preparing OJS

OJS (Official Judging Spreadsheet) is the official Excel file from FIRST in which the judging and robot scores come together and which is used to decide the awards. Whether you need OJS depends on how you do the judging.

Do you need OJS?

Not sure which way your region works? Ask your operational partner or e-mail thijs@flltools.nl.

Preparing OJS (a few days before the event)

How to work with OJS during the judges' deliberation is explained on the page Working with OJS.

A few days before the event

Hidden pages

Not every FLLTools page has a button or a link in the menu. Some pages are meant for a big screen, a kiosk or a specific volunteer, and you don't want visitors to end up there by accident. You open these pages by typing the address into the browser's address bar yourself.

Always add the address after the address of your environment. For the timer, for example, that becomes https://yourevent.flltools.nl/timer. Replace "yourevent" with the name of your event.

Pages for competition day

AddressWhat is it?Login needed?More information
/timerThe timer for the audience screen, without buttons. You control the timer from another computer.NoHow the timer works
/scoreboard/kioskThe scoreboard without a menu or login button, for a big screen or a device in the venue.NoThe scoreboard
/info-screens/selectThis is where you choose which info screen a TV or projector shows. After that, each screen has its own address (/info-screens/...), which you can also bookmark.NoInfo screens
/practice-reservationThe reservation screen at the practice tables. Teams type in their team number and choose a free time.NoPractice tables and reservations
/schedule/headRefereeAn overview for the head referee: which team is at which table at each time.YesCreating the day schedule
/scorecalculatorA score calculator that teams and referees can use to work out the score of a match themselves.NoSee below
/admin/scoresheetsThe score sheet editor: the missions, questions and points of the robot game.Yes, admin onlySee below
/open-sourceA list of all open source packages FLLTools is built with, with their licences.NoSee below

Put a kiosk or timer screen in full-screen mode (usually with the F11 key). That way nobody sees the address bar, and nobody can go to another page by accident.

The score calculator

https://yourevent.flltools.nl/scorecalculator shows the season's score sheet, exactly as the referees use it. No login is needed. Teams can use it to work out a match score at home or in the pits, and referees can practise with it during the referee briefing (see the page Referee briefing).

Score calculator with the missions and the points per mission

The total score and the Reset scoring form button at the bottom of the score calculator

A score in the score calculator isn't saved anywhere and doesn't count towards the results. Competition scores are entered through Robot Match (see the page Scoring desk).

The score sheet editor

https://yourevent.flltools.nl/admin/scoresheets lists all score sheets in FLLTools, one per season. This is where you view, change or export a score sheet, or add a new one. Only users with the admin role can open this page.

Score sheet editor with the list of score sheets

A score sheet opened in the score sheet editor

A change to a score sheet applies straight away to every tournament that uses it, including scores that have already been entered. So never change a score sheet during a tournament, and export it first as a backup. Texts such as scoresheet.general.yes refer to the translations in FLLTools; leave them as they are, or referees will no longer see the text in their own language.

Open source packages

https://yourevent.flltools.nl/open-source lists all open source packages FLLTools uses, with the version and licence of each package. You won't need this page during the tournament, but it's useful if someone asks what FLLTools is built with.

Technical pages

These pages are mainly meant for whoever manages FLLTools or wants to check something:

Competition day

Competition day

Team check-in

The check-in module keeps track of which teams have reported in on arrival on competition day. At the registration desk you can see at a glance whether everyone is there, and when you check a team in you have the most important information for that team right at hand.

The check-in page is only visible when the Team Check-in Module is switched on in Setup → Settings. Users with the secretariat or admin role can use check-in.

The overview

Check-in overview with all teams

Checking a team in

Before you check them in window showing the team's judging session

After check-in the status changes to Checked in (2) and the counter (1) goes up. Checked in the wrong team by mistake? Click Undo (3).

Checked-in team with the Undo button

Setting up the popup info

With Popup info you choose which information appears in the check-in window. This applies to all teams.

Popup info window with the options for the check-in window

Click Save to store your choice.

Checklist for the desk

With Edit checklist you create a list of reminders for the volunteers at the desk, for example collecting consent forms. These items appear in the check-in window and can be ticked off there.

Edit checklist window with example items

The checklist is only a reminder. Ticking items off is not saved per team. If you want to record something for a specific team, use Remarks.

Competition day

Referee briefing

At the referee briefing, the head referee goes through this season's rules and updates. This has to happen every year. This document only explains the scoring tool for referees and is not a replacement for the briefing.

Before the event, every referee receives a login for the event's FLLTools website. The scoring tool works on a laptop, tablet and phone.

Entering the match details

Top block of the scoring tool with team, round and table

Access season resources menu with Challenge Guide and Challenge Updates

Settings and fetching the team from the schedule

Scoring tool settings

Fetch schedule and Auto fetch only work when the Schedule module is switched on and there is a schedule in FLLTools. See the page Creating the day schedule.

Mission input

The mission input is empty by default. The referee fills it in at the end of the match. Each mission has one or more questions. Usually you choose the answer with a button (for example Yes / No). For questions where you need to count something, use the minus (1) and plus (3) buttons, or type the number directly in the box (2).

Counter question with minus and plus buttons

Some questions only appear when they apply, for example a bonus question that only counts if the first part of the mission succeeded. So answer the questions from top to bottom. Each mission has 3 states:

1. Not (fully) completed

Mission not yet filled in, with red score

You can recognise this state by the red score.

2. Fully completed, points scored

Fully completed mission with points, green score

You can recognise this state by the green box next to the points.

3. Fully completed, no points scored

Fully completed mission without points, orange score

You can recognise this state by the orange box next to the points.

These states let you quickly see which missions are missing or have not been filled in correctly.

Signature and saving

Confirm Result block with comments, GP score, signature and Submit

This block is at the bottom, below all missions. It is filled in last.

As long as something is missing, the button says what is wrong, for example Signature required or Scoresheet invalid. When the score sheet is invalid, a Fix It button appears. Clicking it scrolls the screen to the mission that has not been filled in correctly.

Scoresheet invalid and Fix It buttons

After saving, a confirmation with the team name and score appears, and the form is cleared for the next team.

For rounds with hidden scores (for example the last round), the total score can be shown blurred to the referee. Tap Tap to reveal score to see it anyway. You configure this with Hide score on referee input for hidden rounds in Setup → Settings.

Working without internet

Wi-Fi dropped out? No problem, the scoring tool keeps working. If you submit a score without an internet connection, it is stored safely on the device. You will get a message that the score has been saved locally.

Local results in the scoring tool settings

Do not close the browser or clear the browser data while there are still local results on the device. At the end of the day, check that Local Results is at 0.

Transferring scores with QR codes

If a device can't get back online at all, you can transfer the local scores to another device with QR codes, for example to the laptop at the scoring desk.

Stored Local Results window with Export via QR and Import via QR

QR codes for transferring local results

Competition day

Judges' briefing

At the judges' briefing, the head judge goes through this season's rules and updates. This has to happen every year. This document only explains the forms and the judging tool for the judges and is not a replacement for the briefing.

The judges can assess teams in two ways: on paper using the judging forms from the exports, or digitally in FLLTools. Agree with the head judge in advance which method you will use.

Judging on paper

Extra important: make sure the judges tick exactly 1 box in each row, otherwise it is hard for the scoring desk to see what the score is.

The judges must assess each team on its own merits; teams may not be compared with each other. After each round the forms are collected and taken to the scoring desk.

The information below only applies to events that use Juryscan. Not sure whether you use it? Then you don't need to read this.

When Juryscan is used, the boxes must be filled in completely with a black pen or marker.

Was a box filled in incorrectly by mistake? Ask the head judge or the scoring desk for a new form. Otherwise the automated system may read the scan incorrectly.

Judging digitally

Digital judging is only possible when the Judge Module is switched on in Setup → Settings, the juries have been created and the tournament has the correct judging forms (rubrics). See the page about juries and rubrics.

The Judge portal

Judges who (only) have the judge role are taken to the Judge portal automatically after logging in. This is a simple environment with only what a judge needs.

Judge portal with jury room and scheduled teams

Head judges, the scoring desk and administrators use the Judge button in the regular menu.

Assessing a team

Top block of the judging form with team, jury and rubric

Below that is the form, divided into sections as in the official judging form.

Section of the judging form with the four levels

At the bottom of the form is the Confirm rubric block.

Confirm rubric block with comments and the submit button

Digital judging works the same way: assess each team on its own merits and do not compare teams with each other. The rankings are calculated automatically later on the page Competition Results.

Competition day

Scoring desk

The scoring desk may not have many tasks, but it plays a crucial role. The desk keeps track of whether all scores come in correctly and checks for any mistakes. At the end of the day, the scoring desk makes sure all results are ready for the judges' deliberation.

Users with the secretariat role have access to everything on this page.

The dashboard

After logging in you land on the Dashboard. Here you can see at a glance how the day is going.

Dashboard with the overview cards

The button at the bottom of each card takes you straight to the related page.

Checking match scores

Via Game results in the menu you can see all entered robot matches. The list refreshes automatically as soon as a new score comes in.

List of match results

Correcting a score

Score menu with Show, Edit and Delete

If in doubt, always check with the head referee before you change or delete a score.

The matrix

The matrix shows all teams below each other and all rounds side by side. This lets you quickly see where a score is still missing or where something has been entered twice.

Matrix with teams and rounds

Matrix legend

Checking judging results

If the judges assess digitally, you will find all assessments under Judging results.

List of judging results

Matrix with teams and judging forms

Receiving scores via QR codes

If a referee or judge has been without internet for a long time, the locally stored scores can be transferred to the scoring desk laptop via QR codes.

Import results via QR section in the settings

Window for reading QR codes

At the end of the day

Competition day

The scoreboard

FLLTools has a live scoreboard. As soon as a referee saves a score, the ranking is recalculated and the scoreboard refreshes by itself. So there is no need to reload the page.

There are 3 versions of the scoreboard.

Public scoreboard

This is the scoreboard visitors land on when they visit the site. You can find it at https://yourevent.flltools.nl/scoreboard (replace "yourevent" with the name of your event), or via Scoreboard (1) in the menu at the top.

Public scoreboard

When playing with a score sheet for a future or trial season, teams are ranked by their average score instead of their best score.

Kiosk scoreboard

Want to show the scoreboard on a big screen or a publicly accessible device in the venue? Use https://yourevent.flltools.nl/scoreboard/kiosk. This scoreboard shows the same ranking, but without the menu and without a login button. Visitors can't navigate anywhere else from this screen.

Kiosk scoreboard without menu

Want to show the schedule, the timer or the tables on a screen as well as the scoreboard? Use the info screens. See the page about Info screens.

Administrative scoreboard

Logged-in users can find the administrative scoreboard via Scoreboard (1) in the menu. The same applies as for the public scoreboard, except that only the practice rounds are left out here. Hidden rounds are counted for logged-in users.

Administrative scoreboard in the admin area

So don't show the administrative scoreboard on a public screen while rounds are still hidden. After the awards ceremony you make the hidden round visible; see the page Making the last round visible.

Competition day

Remarks

The Remarks module is switched on by default. This is where remarks about teams are collected, so they are easy to find during the judges' deliberation. Remarks are placed in different categories and can be both positive and negative.

Where do remarks come from?

The overview

Go to Remarks in the menu. This overview is visible to the scoring desk and administrators, and only shows the remarks of the current tournament.

Overview of the remarks

The remarks themselves are not shown in the overview, in case other people are looking over your shoulder. You can read a remark by opening it via the menu.

Adding a remark

Form for a new remark with the categories

At the moment, remarks are deleted at the end of the year. We are working on keeping remarks across seasons, so that problems don't depend on volunteers remembering them but can be tracked systematically.

Competition day

Announcements

With announcements you can send a push message to the phones and computers of visitors, coaches and volunteers during competition day. Useful for messages such as "Lunch is ready", "The awards ceremony starts in 10 minutes" or a change to the schedule.

How do people receive announcements?

A message only arrives on devices that have signed up:

Megaphone button on the public website

Put up a sign at the entrance or ask the host to mention that visitors can switch on announcements via the megaphone on the website. On an iPhone, push notifications only work after the website has been added to the home screen.

Sending an announcement

Announcements can be sent by the scoring desk and administrators.

Announcements menu item

Form for a new announcement

A confirmation question appears. Click Send again to actually send the message.

Confirmation question before sending an announcement

A sent announcement arrives immediately and cannot be recalled. So read the message carefully before you send it.

Sent announcements

Under Sent announcements you can see all previously sent messages, who sent them, to how many devices (Devices), and on how many devices the message was delivered (Delivered) or failed (Failed).

Do you see a message that web push is not configured? Then FLLTools can't send push messages on this environment (yet). Contact thijs@flltools.nl.

Judges' deliberation

Judges' deliberation

Competition Results: determining the results

The Competition Results page helps the head judge during the judges' deliberation. FLLTools puts all robot scores and judging assessments side by side and calculates the rankings automatically, in the same way as the official spreadsheet (OJS). The head judge can record directly for each team which award it receives.

The rankings are recalculated every time from the scores in FLLTools, so you don't need to retype anything. Only the choices for awards, places, advancement and comments are saved.

This page is visible to users with the Head Judge, Secretariat or Administrator role. They can also fill in the awards.

The overview

Click Competition Results in the menu on the left.

Competition Results overview

Each row is a team. The columns:

Teams with the same score share the same place (for example 1, 2, 2, 4). The list is sorted by Champion's Rank by default. Click a column header to sort by another column, for example by IP Rank when discussing the Innovation Project award. Use the search field to find a team quickly.

Is something still missing for a team, for example a judging assessment or a robot score? Then a dash (–) is shown and the team gets no Champion's Score. These teams are at the bottom of the list. In that case, check with the scoring desk that all forms have been entered.

Practice rounds don't count. Rounds that are still set to Hide scores also don't count (yet) towards the robot scores and the Robot Rank. Keep this in mind if the last round is still hidden during the judges' deliberation. See also the page Making the last round visible.

Which forms count (Rank sources)

FLLTools needs to know which judging form belongs to the Innovation Project and which to Robot Design. Check this before the judges' deliberation.

Judging rank sources window

Innovation Project rubric (1): The form whose total score determines the IP Rank.

Robot Design rubric (2): The form whose total score determines the RD Rank.

The CV Rank is calculated automatically from the Core Values points in these two forms. Click Save (3) to store your choice. The choice applies to the current tournament.

If you haven't chosen anything here yet, FLLTools automatically uses the first Innovation Project and Robot Design forms in the system. If a team was assessed by several judges with the same form, the most recently entered form counts.

Recording awards

Window for recording an award

Award (1): Choose the award from the list (Champion's, Core Values, Innovation Project, Robot Design, Robot Performance, Breakthrough, Rising All-Star, Motivate). You can also type your own name, for example for a local award.

Award Place (2): The place, for example 1st, 2nd or 3rd. You can type your own value here as well.

Advance (3): Switch this on if the team advances to the next level, for example the national or international final.

Comment (4): Space for an explanation, for example the reason for the choice or text for the host.

The rankings are an aid. The final decision always rests with the judges. Follow the official rules in the “Awards and Allocations” document in the judging toolkit.

Judges' deliberation

FLLTools export to OJS

Do you use OJS (Official Judging Spreadsheet) for the judges' deliberation? Then you don't need to retype the robot scores. FLLTools creates an Excel file that you can paste into OJS.

Go via Setup to Exports. At the bottom of the page you will find the cards below:

Judging Results and Offical Judging Sheet Export cards on the Exports page

Robot scores and Gracious Professionalism

The file contains one row per team with:

Paste the scores into the right tabs in OJS: the robot scores on the “Robot Game Scores” tab and the GP scores in the Gracious Professionalism columns on the “Core Values Input” tab. Use Paste Special > Values, so the formulas in OJS are not overwritten. Check that the team order in OJS matches the order in the export.

Hidden rounds are also included in this export. So don't share the file with teams before the results have been announced.

Judging assessments

Are the judging assessments entered in FLLTools? Then you can download them from Judging Results:

Tip: with the Competition Results page, FLLTools calculates the rankings itself, without OJS. See the page Competition Results: determining the results.

Judges' deliberation

Working with OJS

Are all robot scores and judging assessments entered in FLLTools? Then you can also use the Competition Results page. It calculates the same rankings as OJS (Robot Game, Core Values, Innovation Project, Robot Design and Champion's), and you can record the awards there. If you work with OJS, for example because you have to submit the spreadsheet to your operational partner, follow the steps below.

Important before you start

Step 1.

Open the “Team and Program Information” tab. Fill in the team details there. This information automatically appears in the other tabs. You may notice that team names are not visible in the “Robot Game Scores” tab. These cells are hidden on purpose and must not be filled in manually.

Step 2.

Collect the rubric scores from the judges and the Robot Game scores from the referees. Then enter this data in the corresponding tabs of the workbook.

Step 3.

When all data has been entered, go to the “Results and Rankings” tab to see all information together in one overview.

Step 4.

Now you can assign the awards based on the rankings. Use the “Awards and Allocations” document from the judging toolkit for this (you can find it here).

After the event

After the event

Making the last round visible

Don't forget to make the last round visible after the awards ceremony! Then the teams can see the final results of the day too.

During competition day the last round is usually set to Hide scores. That keeps the results exciting until the awards ceremony. As long as a round is hidden, its scores are not shown on:

Logged-in users can still see the hidden scores on the administrative scoreboard and under Game results.

Making the round visible

Rounds overview with the hidden round

Menu with Show, Edit and Delete

Edit round window with the Hide scores switch

The public scoreboard and the info screens update automatically. Visitors don't need to reload the page.

Results on the team pages

Publish results automatically setting

Whether match results appear on the public team pages depends on the Publish results automatically (1) setting. You'll find it via Setup and Settings.

The public scoreboard does not use this setting. It always shows the scores of the visible rounds (excluding practice rounds).