Party Planner
Using this tool, you can configure how poker tables will be automagically laid out on your computer's desktop. This handy table-management tool for Party Poker and skins is free and will remain free.
Party Planner does two basic things:
1. Position, re-size, and auto-swap your poker tables based on a layout you specify.
2. Give you handy controls to automate showing/hiding tables and lobbies.
Party Planner is especially useful for anyone who opens many tables at once, but can be used by anyone.
Download current release: Beta 0.9.3.0 (RC2)
note: PartyPlanner requires the MS .NET framework 2.0; details at bottom of this page
NOTE FOR NEW PartyPlanner SOFTWARE ROLLOUT Planner is updated and will work properly. You may need to re-load your favorite layout (if your old software was several versions back, the new Planner may not load the default layout.) Also, PartyGaming has changed the size of the lobby. The easiest way to adjust the lobby Slots in your layouts is to delete them and re-create them; the new lobby Slots default to the new Lobby size.
Party Planner is currently in Beta testing; the application is available for download HERE. There will be no new features added prior to going 1.0.
For basic setup help, try PartyPlannerStepByStep.
Changes in 0.9.3.0: There is a significant change in the underlying architecture which you can tune from the Performance Tuning page, which you get to by right-clicking.
Short explanation: The smaller you set the "Refresh Interval," the quicker and more responsive Planner will be, but very low settings may lead to "flutter" problems.
To reduce flutter, raise the "Min Cycles between Swaps" setting. When the Interval x Min Cycles is more than 1000, you should be quite stable, but this varies by system.
Longer explanation: Party Planner runs by checking all your running Party tables and adjusting their size and position to match your slot layout. Reducing the Refresh Interval makes it do this more often; if it is set for 200 ms (milliseconds), it will be checking your tables about five times per second. The smaller you make this interval, the "faster" the application will respond when new tables open, or when you swap tables.
However, when Planner moves or resizes a table, what it really does it tell Windows to move the table. Then Window handles it when it can. If you computer is slow, or you are running many intensive tasks at the moment, it can take Windows a while to move the table. If it takes Windows one second to move a table, but Planner is checking the position only half a second later, Planner gets the old window position, and concludes that YOU moved the window, and meant to. This leads to "flutter," and Planner will swap the table with whatever slot it's closest to.
To prevent this, I added that "Min Cycles between Swaps" setting; every time Planner adjust a table, it makes a note of that fact, and will not try to adjust that table again for a certain number of cycles. The higher you set this number, the less likely you are to experience window "flutter." However, the higher you set the number, the longer you must wait to move a table which has just been moved.
For example, if you set the Refresh to 200ms and the Min Cycles to 5, then Planner will pick up and snap tables after movement within 200ms, but any table that has just moved will not be movable again for 1000ms (one second).
This Min Cycle settings also prevents a more common (but less obvious) table-swap error that sometimes happened when a new table was opened - rather than snapping to the next open slot, the table would displace the table already in the closest slot. What was happening was that the new table WAS going to the next open slot, but the next cycle would run before Windows moved the table, and Planner would assume that you moved the table back to swap it with the table that was under it, causing an unintentional swap. This latest patch fixes this error, just like it fixes "flutter."
Changes in 0.9.2.4:
Bug fix: Fixed situations in which PartyPlanner could not identify a PartyPoker lobby. Also updated support for Empire Poker's lobby detection.
(This page will definitely be updated whenever the program is updated; if you subscribe to this Wiki page, you will receive an email when changes happen.)
Features
Auto Table Positioning
When you enter config mode by clicking on the wrench, you will see a translucent overlay in the locations of all table "Slots." These Slots are places where you want poker tables or lobbies to go. You can lay them out as you like. From then on, when you open a new table, it will automatically be moved from the defaul location into the next available slot.
Auto Table Sizing
Slots can also be re-sized. When a poker table is put into a Slot, it will be automatically re-sized to your Slot setting. Note: PartyPoker's current client, build 91/91, is not stable for long-term use with multiple tables when they are re-sized. It is much more stable with the tables at max (default) size.
Table Snapping
If you drag a poker table to an area where there is a Slot, it will snap precisely into the Slot.
Table Swapping
If you drag a table form one slot to another slot which is already full, the tables will trade places for you. (And they will resize if the Slots are different sizes.)
Table Control
The Hide and Show buttons will minimize or maximize all your poker tables at once and the Leave button will exit all your poker tables for you at once. These features are very useful if you observe tables, as well. (Note: when you "leave all," observed tables will close automatically, but tables where you are seated will prompt you as usual before closing.)
Lobby Control
It offers a "Lobby control" mode which keeps the lobby up while you open multiple tables, or which keeps the lobby down and out of your way even when you close tables. No more annoying lobby jumping up at you, and no more hunting for the lobby when you want to look for another table!
Stop / Run
The blinking green light shows you that the application is running. If you need to pause operations for some reason, hitting the button stops the application until you turn it back on.
Slot Setup
You can set up Slots via Custom Config or Snapshot:
Snapshot
Open up your poker clients and open the maximum number of tables that you will use. Size and place the tables as you would like to see them. Now, in Party Planner, go into config mode by clicking on the wrench. In config mode, click on the camera to take a snapshot. You will see Party Planner create a Slot for each poker table and lobby on your screen, and will place and size the Slots based on their current layout. Lastly, set the table numbers to control the fill order when you open new tables. Make sure you hit save before you quit, or your setup will be lost!
Custom Config
Go into config mode by clicking on the wrench. Click on Add Casino and position the Lobby Slot where you want it. Then click on Add Table and position the Table where you want it. If you play multiple skins at once, feel free to place several lobbies, and open as many tables as you open at once. If you're using a re-sizable Party client, remember to set the table sizes you like. Lastly, set the table numbers; when you open new tables, they will fill the lowest-numbered available slot.
hint: after dragging a slot to its location, you can fine-tune placement with the arrow keys
Load and Save
You can set up as many Slot configurations as you like as PPC (Party Planner Configuraion) files and Load/Save them when you see fit. You may have different layouts for observing tables, for playing ring games, for playing tournaments -- it's up to you. When you start the application, it will load the last PPC you were using. Even the position of the toolbar is saved with in the PPC.
Usage
The corner tags show you were the slots are; they will snap onto tables which are in Slots. You will notice that you can't move the tables any more; they snap to the Slots. To move a table to a different Slot, drag it all the way to the other Slot; tables will always snap into the clostest available Slot. If the closest Slot is occupied, the tables will trade places (and sizes.)
If you drag the corner tag, you will change the position of the slot, which will take the table with it. (If you're doing a lot of re-positioniong, you may find it easier to go into config mode which will return all the transparent overlays.)
If all your slots are full and you open another table, it will stay in the default position and will not have a corner tag. So if you suddenly see a table with no tag in a weird place, you need to make more Slots!
suggestion: consider making two Lobby Slots even if you only play on one poker client at a time. It gives you an "alternate location" for the Lobby if you should choose to move it while in play. Along the same lines, you can create more Table Slots than you use, giving you alternate locations into which you can snap the tables.
Notes
Clicking Snapshot will throw away your collection of slots and build it from scratch, using the current positions of the tables. Note that if you only have one actual poker table open at the time, your new Slot collection will have only one table slot (and one lobby slot,) so always open up your full plan before when using Snapshot.
Note that you can right-click on the Party Planner toolbar and shrink it to the tool tray; use the tool tray icon to bring it back. You can also conveniently access the Hide, Show, and Leave all features from the Tool Tray.
You can also set the Party Planner toolbar to be vertical or horizontal, as best fits your personal slot layout, by clicking the small black button in the upper left corner.
There is now a Performance Tuning panel accessible by right-clicking on the tool tray icon. This lets you set:
Opacity Level: the degree of opacity/translucency of the panels when in "Config" mode. (If your graphics card bogs down when rendering the transparencies, just set this to 1.0 for Opaque.)
Timer Interval: the length of time the program waits between cycles. To make your system respond more quickly to your actions, make the interval smaller. (Note that if you make this interval too small, the program will try to move your tables faster than Windows can re-position them, which may lead to Table Flutter when several tables are positioned at once.)
note that these are saved system-wide and will not change with different PPC files
Requirements
Party Planner requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. It may already be installed on your system; if not, you should be able to get it through Windows Update. The actual installation of Party Planner will work fine, but Party Planner itself will not run until the .NET Framework 2.0 is installed. If the Windows Update is giving you trouble, see FrameworkInstall for manual download links/details.
Feedback and Bugs
Questions, discussion, feature requests: PartyPlanner Forum
Bug reports: PartyPlanner Bug Reports Forum We can not fix bugs we never see; report back!