1. How do I sort the tag list?
2. How do you further refine the sort list.
3. How do you bid all of the remaining lines without altering the sort list?
4. Did you use the program the way it was designed?

    e) Now you can click on the "Field Sort Setup" button on the bottom right side of the
display. Select the fields that you want to sort the list by, click Ok, then sort the
lines.

Pointer: You can BLEND one of the canned preference setups that comes with the program to sort the list. Typically, I use the "3on4off.prf" file to save a lot of time.

Try this:

Sort your tag list, then press the F4 key (blend a preference file). You'll be prompted to save your current sort preference setup. If you like, click "Yes" and save this sort as say, "tagonly.prf" - note your limited to 8 characters plus the ".prf" extension. Now whenever you want to see only your tag list in the Sorted Line Summary simply press the F3 key (load a preference file) and select it. Right now we're going to BLEND a preference file, in other words, we're going to add the 3 days on, 4 days off sort to the sort parameters and filters we already have, so after saving your current setup (tag list only), you'll be
presented with another dialog box asking you to select a preference file. Select the "3on4off.prf" file from the list and click Ok. Resort the lines (hint: click on the "Auto Sort After Setup" check box at the bottom of this display to have BM resort the lines each time you load a preference or change a filter) and look at the results. The tag list should now be resorted by most 5 day (or greater) and 4 day blocks of days off.

Note that the ability to blend these sort of "mini" preference files (the ".prf" files) is a technique called MPP or Modular Preference Programming, and is covered in the help file (Ops Manual) under "Preferences." There's quite an extensive write-up on how all this fits together - recommended reading.

2) How do you further refine the sort list?   I remove the tagged lines from the sort list, "loosen" up the parameters a little (such as allowing four-day trips, etc.), then re-sort. I *always* take a quick run through the lines using the "Move in Sort Order" nav buttons on the Line Display. You'd be surprised at what can jump out at you as a good line. No matter what you think is the best, it seems you'll always find something that doesn't meet your criteria for a "great" line, but is most excellent for what you're trying to do next month!

3) How do you bid all the remaining lines without altering the sort list? Well, there's a couple of ways to handle this. One way to do it is if you've got a sort list that you want to keep static, why not just tag all the lines in the sort list, then re-sort using different parameters? This is exactly what I do. It's generally referred to as "block sorting." In other words, you aren't really looking closely at what you’re adding to the sort, just doing a general sort, say with 3 on and 4 off AM trips, tag all, then sort 3 on 4 off PMs, then say do the same thing using the Constrain filter to limit the number of four-day trips to two. In this way, your tag list will keep growing allowing you to keep changing your sort list. Generally, when I get to about 90 lines tagged (this is relative to your seniority, of course), I just leave a big sort list with say 3 on 4 off commutable and add it on the end of the bid list.

Another technique I use is to keep switching back and forth between the Bid List Editor and the Sorted Line Summary. In other words, I go to the Bid List Editor and do exactly what you did. Load the tag list, move it over, then load sort list, move it over, then maybe load the blank lines and put the top five choices in just for texture, then I go back to the Sorted Line Summary and resort the lines. After re-sorting the lines with looser parameters, say using the Constrain filters to allow up to two four-day trips, or something line that and limiting the lines to AM lines only using the Extract filter, I go back to the Bid List Editor and load the Sort List again. Note that the Bid List Editor will take out any lines that have already been bid, so there's no double-bidding going on.

I repeat this process until I get down to a reasonable number of bids. Usually, since I have the capability using this program, I'll keep on bidding right down to my seniority number, not because I have to - just because I can.

4) Did you use the program the way it was designed? To be honest, the program was not designed with any one technique in mind. This was the intent from it's conception. To provide you with the tools that you can use, any way you can think of, to achieve your bidding goals.