RI Strip Response Creator

Summary

This Request for Information Strip Reader and Response Creator form is designed to accept Requests for Information (RI) strips with multiple elements in a slant-separated format. The form parses the fields into individual elements, each with a corresponding response field. Once filled out, the form creates a Response to the Request for Information (RRI) in strip format.

Installation

The form consists of 2 files, an HTML file and a TXT file. When used with Winlink Express, they are installed in the Templates folder. The form also works outside of Winlink Express with any browser. Simply place the two files in a convenient location (e.g. a thumb drive).

Overview

The Request for Information (RI) message strip format gathers information in a compact and concise manner. The strip is a single row in a spreadsheet — a slant-separated set of values. The RI serves as the header line; responses form the data cells.

RI strips are transmission mode agnostic. They can be sent by any digital radio mode, voice, CW, or incorporated into a radiogram.

Using the Form

In the RI entry field, directly enter or paste the RI strip. Click "Parse Strip" to build a two-column table with each element and a corresponding answer field. Fill in your responses and click "Create Response Strip."

If using Winlink Express, click "Submit" to load the strips into the message pane. Otherwise, click "Copy Strip to Clipboard" or use "Save Strip to File" to save directly to your hard drive.

To edit a previously created strip, paste it in the "Load Existing Response Strip" field or use "Populate Table from File" to open a saved file. Click "Populate Table" to populate the answer fields for editing.

Creating Custom RI Strips

You can create a custom RI Strip using the "Create New RI Strip" button on the main page. The builder lets you enter a strip name and question fields. When saved, the RI Strip is downloaded as a text file to your computer.

To reuse a saved RI Strip, click "Load RI Strip from File" on the main page to load it into the Request field, then click "Parse Strip" to build the Q&A table.

RI Example

ROSTER/HAM CALL SIGN/FIRST NAME/TOWN/COUNTY/STATE (2 LETTERS)/LAT (e.g. 44.123N)/LON (e.g. 069.123W)/MGRS (9 CHARACTERS)/WINLINK (Y,N)/HF NBEMS (Y,N)/VHF NBEMS (Y,N)/BRIEF COMMENTS//

Example response:

ROSTER/KB1TCE/STEVE/OWLS HEAD/KNOX/ME/44.048N/069.103W/19TDJ9172/Y/Y/Y/NEED PRACTICE WITH HF NBEMS//

MARS Mask Characters

# — Numerical character (no spaces)
A — Alphabetic character (no spaces)
N — Alpha-numeric character (no spaces)
X — Free text (accepts special characters and blanks)
Y, M, D, H — Year, Month, Day, Hour (translate to #)
, — Comma-separated list of acceptable choices
: — Colon, used for labeled fields (e.g. ASOF:)
[ ] — Ignore masking between brackets (e.g. [MST])
( ) — Reserved characters, cannot be used as masks

For questions or comments please contact KB1TCE via Winlink.

Back to links

Select a new RI Strip from the list. This will replace the current Request text.

Back to links

Create New RI Strip

Create a new RI Strip by entering the strip name and the Question fields. When finished, click "Save RI Strip". Two files will be saved: the RI Strip definition (.txt) and a spreadsheet header file (.csv) with the column headings extracted from the strip fields.

Strip Name:

This becomes the first field in the strip and should be descriptive.

Strip Question Fields:

See RI Formatting Guidelines below for assistance.

#	Question / Field Description	Actions

         

RI Formatting Guidelines

Each Question consists of the FIELD NAME and, in parenthesis, how the Answer should be formatted. The former should be in upper case, the latter in mixed case as appropriate.

Examples: DATE (MM-DD-YYYY)
LOCATION (Road Name and Town)
CALL SIGN (N)
COMMENTS (X, Be Brief)

For reference, the Military Auxiliary Radio Service (MARS) uses the following for Answer Formatting. For example MGRS (N) would specify a continuous string of letters and numerals e.g. 19TDJ93238788. # — Numerical character (no spaces)
A — Alphabetic character (no spaces)
N — Alpha-numeric character (no spaces)
X — Free text (accepts special characters and blanks)
Y, M, D, H — Year, Month, Day, Hour (translate to #)
, — Comma-separated list of acceptable choices
: — Colon, used for labeled fields (e.g. ASOF:)
[ ] — Ignore masking between brackets (e.g. [MST])
( ) — Reserved characters, cannot be used as masks
Do not use a slant (/) within a field. The slant is reserved as a divider (delimiter) for the strip.

Note: When you save an RI Strip, two files will be downloaded: the strip definition (.txt) and a spreadsheet header (.csv). You can load the strip file later using the "Load RI Strip from File" button on the main page.

Tips: To choose where files are saved, enable "Ask where to save each file before downloading" in your browser's download settings (Chrome: Settings → Downloads; Edge: Settings → Downloads). For more information on RIs and formatting see https://ne-interop-emcomm.org/request.html

Close

Request for Information Strip Reader and Response Creator  Click to add your agency/group name to title Operator Info - Read Please       Request    Character count:  of      Insert a Standard Information Strip       Instructions for Standard RI Strips   Display/Refresh RI Table Strip Question   Answer                      Load Existing Response Strip for Editing Paste a previously created Response strip below for editing. Click "Populate Table" to populate the table's Answer column. The Request strip must be loaded and parsed (or will be auto-detected for known strip types).    Create or Load RI Strip Create a new RI Strip or load a previously saved one. The RI Strip will be placed in the Request field above.    Based on a concept by the SHARES Region 1 Interoperability Group — Version 1.6