VexRAT Setup Guide

VexRAT reads the results Tournament Manager records and sends them to the RAT Events live scoreboards. Install it on the computer that runs Tournament Manager, pair it with the event once, point it at Tournament Manager's database, and it keeps the scoreboards live all day.

Which computer? The one running Tournament Manager's server — the one that holds the tournament's database. One per tournament: if a day runs two tournaments (IQ and V5) or two splits (VEX Global and RAT), each has its own server computer and its own pairing.

Install & run

1. 1Install Node.js (one-time)VexRAT runs on Node.js, which isn't bundled to keep the download small. Install the Node.js LTS release (v20.6 or newer). Check it with node --version in Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows).
2. 2Download and install VexRATMac: download the disk image above, open it, and drag VexRAT into Applications (Apple Silicon Macs only). Windows: download the zip and unzip it anywhere — e.g. C:\VexRAT or the Desktop.
3. 3First launch: get past the security promptVexRAT isn't code-signed, so the first launch needs one extra click. Mac: right-click VexRAT.app → Open → Open (a plain double-click is blocked). Windows: double-click VexRAT.bat; if SmartScreen warns you, click More info → Run anyway. Only needed once.
4. 4The launcher opens in your browserVexRAT starts a small local server and opens its launcher at http://localhost:3000/launcher. If it doesn't open by itself, go there in any browser on that computer.

Pair it with the event

VexRAT comes with no passwords. A pairing code from ratevents.org gives that one computer permission to send results for that one event — nothing else.

1. 5Open the event's VEX recording tab on ratevents.orgSign in at ratevents.org as RAT staff or one of the event's admins, open the event and its date in Event Manager, then Live → VEX recording. If the date runs splits (for example VEX Global and RAT), each split has its own column and is recorded from its own Tournament Manager — use that split's column.
2. 6Choose the game and press Start recordingPick this season's game for the programme (IQ or V5) and press Start recording. That creates the event on the live scoreboards and shows a pairing code such as ABCD-2345. A code only lasts a while — New code makes another; computers already paired keep working.
3. 7Type the code into VexRATIn the launcher, under Pair this computer with an event, type the code and press Pair. That computer may now publish results for that event (or split) — and only that one. It pairs once and remembers; the event's name and game come from ratevents.org from then on.

Connect Tournament Manager

1. 8Set the tournament up in Tournament ManagerCreate the tournament in VEX Tournament Manager as usual. The team list to import comes from the same VEX recording tab: Make team lists… gives one file per split, division or age group, with the team numbers you choose.
2. 9Point VexRAT at Tournament Manager's databaseIn the launcher, Browse… to the tournament's database file (.db) — the file Tournament Manager is writing to for this tournament, on this computer. Check the event shown is the right one, then start the sync.
3. 10Check it arrivesBack on the VEX recording tab, Live feed shows this computer by name with its match count, updated every few seconds. The results also appear on VEX Live Results and on the event's public scoreboard.

On the day

1. 11Keep that computer awake and onlineVexRAT sends matches, rankings, skills and awards as Tournament Manager records them. Leave the launcher running and the computer plugged in, with sleep turned off.
2. 12One computer per eventOnly the computer running Tournament Manager's server for that tournament needs VexRAT — field, display and scoring computers don't. If two computers send to the same event they overwrite each other; Live feed warns you, and Paired computers can revoke one.
3. 13AwardsAwards entered in Tournament Manager are sent like everything else but stay hidden from the public until someone running the event presses Show awards on the VEX recording tab (Awards on the scoreboard, one per Tournament Manager). Awards RAT's own judges decide are made live from Event Manager → Live → Awards.
4. 14At the end of the dayOnce results are final, press Stop recording on the VEX recording tab — from then on the database refuses anything VexRAT sends. RAT then saves the results to permanent storage, and the scoreboard keeps that copy.
5. 15UpdatesWhen a new VexRAT is out, the launcher says so. Updating keeps the pairing and settings; download the new version from this page or the VEX recording tab.

Troubleshooting

• “VexRAT can't be opened” — you double-clicked on first launch. Right-click the app → Open → Open instead (one-time).
• Launcher never opens — check Node.js is installed (node --version ≥ 20.6) and try again; the app waits for the local server before opening the browser.
• The pairing code is refused — it has expired or a newer one was made. Press New code on the VEX recording tab and type that one.
• Paired, but nothing reaches the scoreboard — the tab must say Recording (press Resume recording if it says Not recording), the launcher must show the sync running against the right .db file, and the computer must be online. Live feed shows when this computer last sent anything.
• “Wrong game” on the VEX recording tab — the game picked isn't this programme's. Stop recording, pick the right game, then resume.
• App crashes instantly on an Intel Mac — the Mac build is for Apple Silicon only; use a Windows computer or an Apple Silicon Mac.
• Windows: a black window flashes and closes — Node.js is missing or older than 20.6. Install the LTS from nodejs.org, then run VexRAT.bat again. The log lives at %LOCALAPPDATA%\VexRAT\VexRAT.log.
• Windows: stopping the server — double-click Stop-VexRAT.bat, or close the minimised “VexRAT Server” window.