Sorting Methods

There are basically two methods of sorting the lines with The Bid Meister!, field sorting and preference sorting. One unique feature of this program is the ability to combine the two methods to give the maximum capability to the user to narrow the line selection down to the desired target. Field Sorting uses the basic line parameters such as number of days off, or number of trips for pay to sort the lines in the list box in either an ascending or descending order. The other method is Preference Setting, or scoring the line based on how you feel about the particular parameters. Using the Set Bid Preference Display, a score or weight is assigned to the various line attributes, and a score is calculated for each line. In theory, the best line would have the highest score, the least desirable would have the lowest, or vice-versa, depending on how the weights were assigned.

Either technique uses the Sorted Line Summary Display to control and display the results of the sorts and filters that may be applied.

The line score itself is considered a line attribute, and therefore it is possible to combine the two sort methods by using the line score attribute as a selection on the Field Sort Display.

Anytime the lines are sorted, a list is updated in memory. This list may be viewed at any time by using the View menu selection, then accessing the Sort List selection. This sort list may also be used by the Bid List Editor to build a bid sheet file.

Field Sorting

To select the line attributes you wish to sort by, use the Field Sort Setup command button on the Sorted Line Summary Display to bring up the Field Sort Selection Display. After selecting the fields you wish to sort by, such as Trips for Pay, then Days Off, click the command button Execute the Sort. The Bid Meister! will perform the sort and display the resultant list of line summaries in the list box. The line itself may be viewed by double-clicking the desired line summary.

Note that you can also access the Field Sort Selection display by using the Sorting Functions command button on the Line Display. This function also allows you to sort the lines from the Line Display without having to switch back and forth between the Sorted Line Summary.

You may perform up to a 9-way sort using the field sorting technique. For example: Suppose you want to sort the lines by the least flight time, but the most Pay Trips. Using the Field Sort Selection display your would select Flight Time and then Pay Trips. Using the Set Sort Attribute function you would ensure that the sort method for Flight Time is ascending, and the method for Pay Trips is descending. This will cause the program to first sort all the lines by minimum to maximum flight time hours, then all the lines that have equal flight hours will be sorted by maximum to minimum pay trips. The default sorting method is to sort by line number, so if you don't select any fields to sort by, the display is sorted by increasing line number. In other words, you'll get a display that looks exactly like the Line Summary display. Note that The Bid Meister! always sorts by the line number last.

A nice feature to speed up the field sorting process is to select the check box labeled Auto Sort After Setup. When you set the fields you want to sort by and click the OK button, The Bid Meister! automatically executes the sort for you. Note that this feature also works from the Set Bid Preferences display. When you click Calculate Line Scores, once the calculating is done, The Bid Meister! automatically brings up the Sorted Line Summary Display and executes the sort for you.

Field Sort Attributes

As an added degree of flexibility, The Bid Meister! allows you to set the Sort Attribute as well. The sort attribute is simply the ascending or descending direction of the fields you have chosen to sort by. You may set these by clicking the Set Sort Attribute command button on the Field Sort Selectiondisplay, or by highlighting the item in the Sort By list box on the Field Sort Selection display, then right clicking it with the mouse. A small pop-up display will allow you to choose ascending or descending.

Preference Sorting

Preference sorting is a very simple concept. Using the Set Bid Preferences Display you assign a weight, or score to the line based on what parameters you find most desirable. You now can sort by the line score by using one of two methods.

The easiest way to sort by the line score is to use the check box labeled Sort By Score Only on the Sorted Line Summary Display. This check box will cause The Bid Meister! to sort the lines by score in descending order, i.e., the highest score to the lowest. Note that this check box option will override any field sort that may have been previously set. It doesn't cancel or clear any field sort criteria, it merely ignores it.

The second way to sort by preference is to use the field sort method as described above. By selecting the Line Score field sort selection, you achieve the same results.


Adding Blank and Reserve lines to the Sort

By default, the bank and reserve lines are included in the list of lines displayed unless you use the Extract Filter to remove them. If you are adding blank line selections to your bid, remember to tag the blank lines in ascending order to preserve your seniority!


How Do I Sort the Lines?

In reality, you have three distinct ways to sort the lines. You can sort based on a Field sorting method, you can sort based on a weighted Preference score, or you can combine the two methods.

Let's recap some information above:
Field Sorting:
Field sorting is roughly analogous to block sorting in the WBid program. The idea is that you bring up the Field Sort Setup Display and select the fields in the order that you wish to sort the lines. You may select up to nine different fields, however, it's not likely that you'll select more that four or five at any given time.

Preference Sorting:
Preference sorting is the art, and we do mean art, of assigning a weight, or score, to the attributes of a line. Assigning weights is accomplished from the Set Bid Preferences.

For example, if you wanted to add five points for every four day block of days off a line has, you would set a value of 5.0 for the 4 Day Block item under the Block Days Off section. When you click on the Calculate Scores button, five points will be added for every four day block of days off a line has.

Once you have the lines scored the way you want them, you use the Sorted Line Summary display to sort the lines. You would click on the check box labeled Sort By Score Only to sort the lines by the calculated line score.

Combining the Two Methods:
As mentioned, one way of line sorting is to combine the two methods. This is very simple to do. One of the fields you may choose to sort the lines by is the Line Score. By using this line attribute to sort the lines by, you're using both methods together. Usually, you would select the line score as the last field. This ensures that you always have the lines sorted in some order that you prefer. An example is always the easiest way of demonstrating this technique. Let's try it!

Example - Sorting the lines for three days "on" and four days "off"

The easiest way to start sorting the lines is to use the Sorted Line Summary display. Just click on the previous green text to jump to the display description, if you're not familiar with the various controls on the display. This example will assume you have this display up and going while you work this example.

Quite a few people like to sort the lines by three "on" and four "off'" to get the maximum four day blocks off and minimum number of four-day trips. It's natural to try to maximize the number of four-day blocks off by sorting using Four Day Blocks Off to achieve this goal. This does NOT quite get the job done, mainly because some lines may have a five day block (or bigger) of days off. Here's the fool-proof way of doing it:

1) On the Field Sort Setup display (access from the Sorted Line Summary, the pop-up mini-options menu {right-click the mouse}, or from the Options menu at the top), clear any field selections that you have in the Sort By list.

2) In the Select Field list, double-click on Three Day Blocks Off, then double-click on Four-Day Trips.

3) Next, click ONCE on the Three Day Blocks Off selection in the Sort By list to highlight it, then RIGHT-CLICK it. This will pop-up the Sort Attribute dialog for that field. Select Ascending for this field. This will sort three day blocks off from the lowest value to the hightest (the lower the number of three day blocks, the greater the number of four-day and five-day blocks). Close the dialog.

4) Sort the lines.

The key here is you actually want to MINIMIZE the number of three-day blocks off in the sort, NOT maximize the number of four-day blocks. This way a line that has a five-day (or more) block of days off will be sorted as a desirable line as well as a line that has a lot of four-day blocks. Try it and see.

What we've done here is a Field Sort, as described above.

But I Want 3 "On" and 4 "Off" Lines With Maximum SAN Overnights!

Of course you do. So do I! The best way to achieve this goal is to assign a preference for SAN overnights, then scoring the lines and adding the Line Score to the Field Sort we just accomplished above. Here's how to do it:

1) Bring up the Set Bid Preference display.

2) Under the Calendar Preferences section (bottom right of the display), click the mouse right on the Overnights label (it's got a border around it) to pop-up the list of overnights you wish to select, and scroll down until you see San Diego.

3) Double-click on San Diego to select it to the right-hand list box, and click on the Finished button, or close the window.

4) Click on the Calculate Scores button to put a weight score on each line.

5) Now, back go back to the Sorted Line Summary and click on the Field Sort Setup. In the left-hand list box, the Select Field list, scroll down and double-click on Line Score to add it to the other fields that we've already selected. Line Score should be the last field in the Sort By list.

6) Back on the Sorted Line Summay, sort the lines. Viola!!

At this point, you'd want to double-click on the first line in the list on the Sorted Line Summary. This will bring you to the Line Display. This will show you the line in calendar format. The really great thing about The Bid Meister! is from the Line Display you can click the right arrow button down on the Move in Sort Order control and move the display to the next line in sort order. You can view all the lines in sort order without having to double-click them individually on the Sorted Line Summary.

But I Only Want "AM" Trips With 3 "On" and 4 "Off" Lines With Maximum SAN Overnights!

No problem! This is an excellent job for the Extract Filter. Using the extract filter we can take out all the lines that have pm trips on them, leaving only the am, pm turn am, and am turn pm trips. Whoa! Am turn pm trips?! Are you nuts? Let's get rid of those bad boys as well! Here's how:

1) Pop-up the Extract Filter using the right mouse button, or using the Options menu.

2) Check the PMs, and AM turn PM on the AMs and PMs panel.

3) Click the Finished button and sort the lines.

That's all there is to it. The only lines left (if there are any), will be am lines sorted by three on and four off, then max SAN overnights.

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'RE NOW A BM EXPERT!

So What Happens After I Sort?

After you sort the lines, either from the Sorted Line Summary, or the Line Display, you have created a sort list. This list is kept in memory, and is updated every time you sort the lines. To view the sort list at any time, use the View | Sort List
menu item off the main menu, or just right-click the mouse on any main display to pop-up the mini-options menu, then select it off there.

This sort list shows a list of line numbers in the order that they have been last sorted. Note that you can load this sort list in the Bid List Editor for use in building a bid sheet file for uploading to the Crew Portal.

Note: The use of Extract and Constrain filters will change the number of lines in the sort list! As you narrow your scope of lines with the filters, the sort list will shrink. Removing filtering will cause the sort list to expand to the maximum number of lines available.

Once you have built a sort list, you can print the lines in the sort list (minus any lines that have been filtered out) by using the File | Print | Sorted Line Report menu function on the main menu. As a short-cut, simply press the Ctrl + P keys together.