=========================================================
                     MAGIC BIDDING
=========================================================



INTRODUCTION
============

Magic Bidding runs in a Windows95/98/NT environment. 
Windows 3.11 is not supported.

Along with the executable Magic Bidding file a help file
is supplied where more information can be found. A few
sample files are also supplied.



INSTALLATION
============


Installation via e-mail
=======================

The e-mail you have received contains two files:

* Readme.txt (this file)
* SetupMB.exe

Save SetupMB.exe in a temporary folder and double-click
the file to start the installation script.

Follow the on-screen instructions to install Magic 
Bidding.


Installation via downloaded software
====================================

The file SetupMB.exe can be downloaded from the Magic
Bidding web site.

Save SetupMB.exe in a temporary folder and double-click
the file to start the installation script.

Follow the on-screen instructions to install Magic 
Bidding.



QUICK REFERENCE
===============

Once Magic Bidding is installed on your computer you can 
start bidding. To get a quick start there are a few 
sample files supplied with Magic Bidding. These can be 
used for an initial bidding practice session.


Open Magic Bidding
==================

* Click the Start button. Select Program-Magic Bidding-
  Magic Bidding.

A new Magic Bidding document is automatically created. 
The Magic Bidding tree structure is similar to the file 
hierarcy you find in Windows Explorer. One or more 
bidding sessions can be inserted into each document.


Open an existing file and start bidding
=======================================

* Make sure you have opened Magic Bidding.

* Select File-Open to open a file.

* Select any existing file. There are a few sample files
  available. Those samples can be found in C:\Program
  Files\Magic Bidding.

* Right-click the bidding session and select one of the
  players.

* Start bidding. When you have made a bid, the focus is
  automatically moved to the Next button. This means that
  you can press Spacebar to continue to the next deal.

* Magic Bidding takes care of the defensive actions
  depending on what information the deal generator
  has supplied.

* When you have finished bidding, save the file and send
  it to your partner by e-mail.


Insert a new bidding session and start bidding
==============================================

You can not insert new bidding sessions if you have a 
demo version of Magic Bidding.

The following steps describe how to create a file in the
deal generator Bridge D/A:

* Start Bridge D/A and set the wanted criteria. Detailed
  instructions on how to handle Bridge D/A will not be
  given here.

* Make sure you have set the Output Type to Create Text
  Files or Create PBN Files. In the former case the E-W
  checkbox decides if the East-West hands are included, 
  while, in the latter case, the East-West hands are 
  automatically included.

* Click the Create files button to create the files you
  are later to import into Magic Bidding.

If you use another deal generator that creates PBN files
you have to follow separate instructions to create a
file.

This is where Magic Bidding takes over:

* Exit your deal generator and start Magic Bidding.

* Select Bidding-Insert Bidding Session in the main menu.
  A wizard will guide you through the steps needed to
  insert a bidding session. When you are prompted to
  select a file, make sure you have chosen the correct
  file format.

* Right-click the bidding session and select one of the
  players. If you selected to start bidding immediately
  in the wizard, this step is not necessary.

* Start bidding. When you have made a bid, the focus is
  automatically moved to the Next button. This means that
  you can press Spacebar to continue to the next deal.

* Magic Bidding takes care of the defensive actions
  depending on what information the deal generator
  has supplied.

* When you have finished bidding, save the file and send
  it to your partner by e-mail.


More information
================

Refer to the online help for more information.



TROUBLE-SHOOTING
================

If you experience any problems that can not be solved, 
please contact:

Tomas Brenning
tomas@brenning.se
http://www.brenning.se