Frequently asked questions

Answers about devices and browsers, formats and scoring, files and storage, and licensing.

Hardware

Devices and browsers

What has to be installed?: Nothing. QBSheet runs in a browser. It can also be installed from the browser as an app, which is useful on a device that will be scoring all day, but this is optional.
Does it work on Chromebooks, iPads, and phones?: Yes. The scoresheet is dense on a phone-sized screen. A physical keyboard makes scoring faster but is not required.
Which browsers are supported?: Current versions of Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox. QBSheet includes a device check that tests local storage, file downloads, and service-worker registration on the device that will be used, so a room can be verified before the tournament.
Do rooms have to stay online?: No. Once a game is open, scoring does not require a network connection. Connected rooms send progress and results while the server is reachable and continue scoring when it is not. How connected rooms work.

Rules

Does QBSheet support our format?: QBSheet defines no format of its own. Tossup values, the available outcomes, whether bonuses are used and how they are structured, the number of active players, and overtime all come from the tournament's scoring rules. QBSheet does not infer rules from the name of a rule set.
Can rules differ between games?: Scoring rules belong to the game, so a game configured with different rules is scored by those rules. Room procedure — where the round breaks, whether a clock is shown, when lineups may change — is configured separately, because it varies by room and event rather than by rule set.
How are protests recorded?: A room can mark a question as under protest and continue scoring. A connected room can also send a help request to tournament control, for a protest to adjudicate, an absent player, or equipment trouble.
Can a scorekeeper correct an earlier question?: Yes, at any point in the round. The scoresheet recalculates from the correction. What scoring a game involves.

Data

What happens if the tab is closed during a game?: Reopening QBSheet restores the game. Each accepted question is written to the device as it is scored, so the restored game is current as of the last recorded operation.
What if the browser cannot store data?: QBSheet reports it. A restricted profile, private browsing, or an exhausted storage quota can all prevent durable storage. Scoring continues, and the scoresheet states that local recovery is unavailable so the room can move to another device or export as it goes.
What format are results in?: QBJ, the interchange format for quiz bowl game data, which is not specific to QBSheet. Older .qbg files can be read for compatibility. Read the profile.
Where is game data sent?: Games are stored on the device that scored them. There are no accounts and no analytics. A connected room communicates with the tournament server you run and with nothing else. What is stored and transmitted.

Project

What does QBSheet cost?: Nothing. QBSheet is free software under the GNU AGPL, version 3 or later. There is no paid tier and no per-room charge. Read the license.
Can we host our own copy?: Yes. The build produces a folder of static files that any web host can serve, with no application server behind it. Self-hosting guide.
How are problems reported?: On the issue tracker. During a tournament the room continues scoring from local state and the result remains downloadable, so a report can wait until afterwards. The repository.
Does QBSheet replace tournament-control software?: No. QBSheet scores one room. The schedule, the room assignments, and the statistics belong to tournament-control software, which QBSheet connects to over an open protocol.

The guided practice game runs in the browser and does not require a tournament.