New UniTAb site
 

I see UniTAB has a new site.
However, it now seems I can only view results from this year.
That is a shame, was the best site out there for back testing.

edit: looking at it more, its terrible for back testing. You cant just flick through a race card like you used to be able, need to go back and forward on your browser to select the next race.

Boo UniTAB, give me back the old site!

It has some nice features, adjusting to your local time is nice, expanding just the race code you want.

Maybe they are still updating the results pages and yes i would like to see the old race selection at the bottom.

Also the tips are normally on the page by this time

Hi Thorns,
I have emailed the webmaster and offered some feedback, including your reservations on the new site.
I don't expect it to have any effect but I thought they should know we are not overly impressed. Made me feel better anyway.
Gnarkley

I agree with all the above.
Also I find Web Queries are now much more difficult to use than the old site.

For actual betting, it does look alot nicer and is probably a better design.
I just (used to) like there site for backtesting, and playing with there 100 raters.

Was the XML feed there before? That's a nice feature with lot's of uses for developers. Thank you UniTAB

I might have to learn how to use this XML feature.

I also emailed them asking for a race number selector at the bottom when viewing previous dates racing like they used to have. If they add that, and some previous years results like they used to have, I will be a happy camper once more.

The first thing that came to mind was how much easier it'll be to automatically update the start time in your Betfair bot to cater for rescheduled races.

Is the XML feed something you can use to grab all the results and fields off the site, to use in creating a database of sorts?

Yes looks like you can grab fields, UniTAB ratings, tipsters, scratchings, riders, weather and track conditions, pool sizes etc. Results maybe too I guess.

http://unitab.com/data/racing/2010/2/1/VR2.xml

Hi Thorns,
Got an email back from Unitab.
Results will only be available from Dec. 09.
There are no plans to include anything further back than that.
Gnarkley

Try this if you don't like the new one!!

www.tabonline.com.au/today.htm

Cheers
Twodogs

Now that's how the site should be.
Well done Twodogs

That new site looks like it was created by someone who never bets.

With all the money it turns over.
It has managed to set itself back 10 years.

The managers who signed off on this, should give reason why they should be kept employed.
It's cumbersome.
It's terrible.

I like it ! I think its a great improvement visual wise.

Its thumbs up for me.

Please dont have a go at me for expressing my own opinion , I am not reflecting on anyones either.

Thanks for that Twodogs....how did you find it?
I've played around withthe url and you can go back to 1.1.'08 for past results.Don't know how long the old version will be available though.

Does anyone know if it's possible to download all the info day by day from the past results and copy it onto disc for the pupose of going through past results as it's good for playing around with ideas to see if they have any merit.
I'm not computer savvy so haven't a clue. Thanks.

I too find the new site a lot slower and cumbersome than the old one and miss the race to race number feature at the bottom. Not too good for researching past results etc but the new features are easy enough to read.

Have used the link for years! Chanced upon it by accident when doing some research and at present is the only option to back check results.

Cheers
Twodogs

They supply an xml feed, but that is not historical, I would have thought if they supply an xml feed, that historical meetings would have been uploaded.

I don't think any of the tabs realise just how many people want and refer often to old tab data.
When supertab changed it's site the first time, they were amazed at the number of emails regarding the lack of historical results.

The old site will remain temporarily and then be shut down, so get in quick if you want the data :(

And you can use this one for tomorrow's races.......

www.tabonline.com.au/tomorrow.htm

Hi All ,

The old Race to race number feature some of you miss is now AT THE TOP instead, just under the Selection strip with all the Race codes for the day .

It is for todays racing.
However if you are looking at previous results, it is not there, which is probably my main gripe.

Yes, that's on the main page.
If you click on a race number you go to that particular race page. To go to the next race you have to go back to the main pagre again whereas previously the race numbers were at the bottom of any race page and you could go to any race without navigating backwards and forwards to the main page which is tme consuming and inconvenient.
I find the new site also is quite a lot slower than the old one as well.

Ah well, that's my whinge for the day ha ha!

You are not wrong there, unfortunately this applies to every site that is upgraded with lots of visual features and other useless stuff.

Just think of the old DOS programmes, doing the same as the Windows' ones, without fanfare and fast as lightning.
But for a lot of people it is much easier to use the computer today.

Add to this that our internet speeds are one of the worst in the world!

I reckon the same as Baggy, thev'e gone 1 step forward and 10 backwards

Visually no where near the clarity and ease of use as the original one and that matters to me alot

Silly thing is they've been advertising it as the most user-friendly betting website or something like that.

Gillies having been involved in the IT industrie for some time, I have a good idea how it works.
Let's just say, people need work, and admins need to be seen to be "doing" something, so sites that work perfectly well and could easily incorporate new requirements, will be redesigned. It's called "progress"!

When the Supertab site was going to be redesigned a few years back, I talked to one of the blokes involved before it was going ahead, he said there was nothing really dramatic needed doing, but it was "due" for an upgrade.
He was happy of course and I can't blame him either.

I wish some of these teams of designers would be paid just to sit around, and only work when absolutely necessary, same as public "servants" and politicians, if we must have them, then at least let them do no harm!
Fat chance of that though.

Cheers

new unitab site
 

I too agree it is much slower. Also it isn't easy for research anymore. Luckily I use their Netbet Pro for placing any bets. It's still the same as it used to be.

If anyone needs just the placings and divs, Sportsbet goes back to 2007
Gnarkley

If using this url www.tabonline.com.au/today.htm now unfortunately they have made it so you can't play around and go back to previous days for past results which makes back testing and researching ideas very difficult using the new site, if not impossible due to the slowness and inconvenience of the new site.

'Twas a black day in history indeed when they revamped the old site

Hey Peter

I have no trouble going to previous dates.

Might be worth another try.

Twodogs

http://www.tabonline.com.au/2007/02/19/mtgraces.html

NP

Exactly Shaun!!

Twodogs Hey Peter

I have no trouble going to previous dates.

Might be worth another try.

Twodogs

Yes, that works but when I tried it on my old, dial up computer it wouldn't. I've taken off the black armband for the time being.
Thanks for that guys

As I said to them last time, "Don't start thinking."
Thinking is bad.
It looks like they started thinking again.

It looks like I will have to send my people down there , to sort it all out for them, like I had to do last time & the Fat Cats got all the credit.

Damn those Fat Cats.

Is there a way of going directly to today's races without the tedium of typing in the 'today' every day (if you follow me)? I come back to this thread and download from there!!! a pain.

Yep just set it as your home page!

Twodogs

O.K. Thanks.

They've done another "upgrade" and it looks like these two pages are now gone! :(

Looks like it is still "Work in progress" - the xml feed is still on www.UniTAB..... and hasn't been moved over.



This is the header on the site - you can press the arrows to look at tomorrow/previous days or click on the calender to change to other dates - history files seem not to have been moved over as yet (hopefully it will be)


Doing a quick check, you step one day at a time with the arrows but only go back to 4 Oct at present on the calendar

They are back again.

This supposed upgrade is a disaster.Are they trying to go out of business.