Control Descriptions can appear as either Symbolic or Textual. 

Symbolic control descriptions use the International Orienteering Federation's universal symbols, which in many cases are mandatory. 

However, for novices or youth courses it might be preferable to use textual descriptions instead.  A textual control description for a control will use a wide box containing the descriptive text instead of the 6 symbolic boxes.

For each control, you can define a symbolic description, and you can also enter a textual description.  Or, if you prefer, Condes can create a simple textual description, consisting of the names of the symbols that make up the symbolic description.

Condes is very flexible when it comes to configuring if a course or a class will have symbolic or textual descriptions. Therefore, a brief explanation of the "rules" the Condes follow could be useful.

Loose Control Descriptions

For loose control descriptions - i.e. those that are printed via the Print Control Descriptions dialog (Print / Control Descriptions menu) - the setting in the course dialog for the course, respectively the setting for the class in the Classes Spreadsheet, apply. 

This means that if you specify "textual" for a given course, then if you select this course in the Print Control Descriptions dialog, then the control descriptions will be textual, regardless of the settings for the classes that run this course.   However, if instead you select a class, then the setting for this class will apply, regardless of what is specified for the course that the class runs.

In reality, loose control descriptions are almost always printed per course, so that all classes on the course will use the same control descriptions.  If, however, you want two classes on the same course to have different control descriptions; one uses symbolic, and the other uses textual, then you should configure this for the two classes, and select the classes - not the course - when you print loose control descriptions.

Control Descriptions on the Map

The control descriptions that are printed on the map each have their own setting for appearance.  

Normally, the setting is that "the relevant class or course decides".  This means that the above mentioned settings in the Course Dialog and the Classes Spreadsheet applies.

When you print the course from the Course Layout Editor, the setting in the Course Dialog applies. 

When you print from the Print Maps with Courses Dialog, the same procedure applies as for loose control descriptions.  If you select  a course, then the setting in the Course Dialog applies; if you select a class that runs the course then the setting the class applies.

You can also specify directly that the control description is symbolic or textual, regardless of the setting for the course or the class.  This allows you to put multiple control descriptions on the same course, where one is symbolic and another is textual.  This is a useful solution for Novices that are not yet comfortable with the symbolic descriptions and need a textual "legend"-

Language

The language used in the textual descriptions depend on the primary language setting in Windows' control panel.  You can overrule this by changing the setting in the File / Common Settings / Application settings property sheet.

Condes supports the following languages: