Microsoft .NET Framework Unhandled Exception Error.

I am aware of a couple of users who experienced this error when Club Raffle starts. This is caused by an error in a file stored by Windows called user.config. Unfortunately this file is managed by Windows and is hidden by default. Club Raffle uses this file to store your various settings, prize lists etc, so it is a very important file for Club Raffle. When Club Raffle starts Windows assumes the worst and refuses to run if this file can not be read.

While it is very rare it is caused by an error on your Hard Disk or occasionally if you crash out of Club Raffle while it is trying to update this file.

It is easy to fix if you know how, you will loose any settings you have however Club Raffle will happily have Windows create the file again and you will be back to normal. However it is difficult in most cases to actually locate this file and it is located in a different folder depending on the version of Windows you are running.

Follow the steps in this webpage to unhide your hidden folders.

https://kb.wisc.edu/page.php?id=27479

Now that your folders are not hidden you need to find the folder

In Windows 8 it should be here: C:\Documents and Settings\ username \Local Settings\Application Data\Pragmatic_Applications

In Windows 10 is it here: C:\Users\ username \AppData\Local\Pragmatic_Applications

Just delete this entire Pragmatic_Applications folder.

School Enrollment Lottery

In an increasing number of schools around the world a lottery is being used to allocate some if not all of the available places. While Club Raffle was not designed specifically for this task it performs the task exceptionally well, providing a fair and unbiased random selection of student names to fill your available places.

If you perform your lottery as a public event there is no better way then to present the draw to your audience in a fun and exciting format. Not only do you remove some of the doubt from parents of a fair and unbiased drawing, you also have full draw reporting capability.

Club Raffle can perform a Student Lottery in two formats using either the Members Draw or Reverse Raffle draw formats. The selection of which best suits your needs will be based on the number of entries you need to cater for combined with how you would like to determine the allocated places.

In a members draw you may have an unlimited number of entries in the draw and up to 1,000 places to be filled. As names are drawn they are allocated one of your available places. 

In the Reverse Raffle format the maximum number of places to be filled is still 1,000 however the number of entries is harder to determine. In a Reverse Raffle the entries being removed from the draw are displayed on screen, the maximum displayable on screen is based on a number of factors. Your screen resolution, the length of the names (entries) and the animation size chosen all influence if using a Reverse Raffle will be suitable for you. Please try it for yourself to determine if it's suitable or not. Using the Reverse Raffle format as your names are drawn out they are removed from the draw, this continues until you are left with the same number of entries and places. Then each name drawn is allocated a place until no places remain.

For both draw types you setup your members file to include your student names and setup your prize list with the available places. Please review the help items for Members Draw and Reverse Raffle for information on how to setup and run each type of random draw.

Changing the Text-to-Speech Voice

Club Raffle uses the Microsoft Text-to-Speech capability built into Windows. By default Club Raffle will use whatever your default voice is when it reads out any text. If you wish to change this you need to do this in Windows.

To complicate matters slightly if you are running a 64bit version of Windows you will have two sets of voices, one for 32bit and the other for 64bit. Club Raffle will use the default 32bit voice.

The following steps will allow you to choose any 32 bit voice as your Windows voice in a 64 bit operating system.

1. Bring up a run dialog by pressing Windows key + R. 
2. Copy & paste (or type) the following command into the run dialog box and press enter when done.

C:\Windows\SysWOW64\Speech\SpeechUX\sapi.cpl

3. At this point you should have the Speech Properties windows (see left) presented with a text to speech control window.
4. If you have any 32 bit text to speech voices installed, they should be listed in this combo box. 
5. Simply select the text to speech voice you wish to set as your default system voice, along with any other changes you wish to make, and press the OK button when done.

Note: Prior to 21/06/2016 Club Raffle V3 was hard coded to use Microsoft Zira as the voice. If you are unable to change voices please re-download and install a new copy of the Club Raffle software.

Legality of using Club Raffle

This topic comes up occasionally so I will try to cover it here. Club Raffle is an electronic drawing machine used to draw numbers (or text) randomly, and every number (or entry) entered into the draw has a fair and equal chance of being drawn. There are no legal requirements for such software to be "Authorised" for use in any jurisdiction that I am aware of. That said in most jurisdictions you will have various requirements to legally conduct your random draw. Certain requirements may require you to register your raffle, may require you to draw the major prize first, may forbid reverse raffles and the list goes on. Club Raffle provides numerous options to enable you to setup your random draw to satisfy your specific legal requirements.

Neither Pragmatic Applications or I guarantee using Club Raffle is legal for your specific jurisdiction. If you have any concerns please consult with your local gaming body to ascertain what is specifically required in your jurisdiction.