Annual Users Meeting
We want to thank all of you who were able to make our Annual User Meeting a great success. We had one of our largest groups, consisting of enterprise users, small business users, and standard users. We are grateful to get the perspective of each category of our user base. The three highest priority items from the meeting were:
- Internal Upgrades: From time to time all software needs to update internal tools. In AgWare’s case we have our development tool we use to build ClickFORMS and DataLog, as well as some internal software we built to fill our own needs. We are currently in the process of updating all of these to use current software. Very little of this will result in immediate changes that you will see in the software. Still, it is important for you to know that we are doing the work to make sure the AgWare software stays relevant and current with all of the changes to computers today. The last time we updated our tools was 2007. It does not feel very long to us, but that was 7 years ago! Windows Vista had just been released. The IPad would not even exist for another 3 years. Upgrading our tools will ensure we keep compatible with new versions of Microsoft Windows and Office and even gives us a few options for working with tablets.
These internal upgrades will also create a better future for ClickForms and DataLog as we will be able to have more variety in our upgrades and enhancements. - Mapping Future: We will continue to work on improving the mapping feature in DataLog and ClickFORMS. The first two items we will be addressing are:
Creating maps directly in ClickFORMS. Once sales are imported into a ClickFORMS report we should be able to create a sales overview map directly in ClickFORMS.
Tracking Property Boundaries. Currently DataLog only allows you to track a single point for a property. This needs to be enhanced to allow the property boundary to be drawn and saved. - Tablets: We continue to see tablet use expanding. To address this we are starting to work on a read only sales viewer for the IPad. Our app will use a technology called Application Tethering to allow you to copy sales from your PC to the IPad where they can be viewed in the field. While not a complete solution this will give us some experience in IPad development, deployment, and support. A read only application will also give us the chance to get some feedback on how these devices are actually being used in the field.
From talking to users the IPad seems to be the device used by the majority of users. The tools we are using will also allow us to support Android. However, at the current time we have no plans to release an Android version. We are concerned that it will be too hard to support both platforms from the start. Windows 8 Tablets (Pro not RT), can run the full version of DataLog and ClickFORMS and are currently supported.
Annual Meeting Updates and Discussion Items
The above link will take you to an overview of the items that were enhanced over this last maintenance period and all the items discussed at the Annual Meeting. If there are any questions please call us at 605.787.7871 or email us at support@uaar.net.
Windows XP/Vista
Are you still using Windows XP or Vista? If you are please e-mail us. We will be keeping Windows XP support through the end of 2014. However, we are considering dropping support for Windows XP and Vista starting in 2015. We need to get an idea of how many old computers are still being used before we make that decision. When we drop support for Windows XP it will apply to new releases only, we will continue to support old versions of the AgWare software on Windows XP.
Training Videos
To access the online training videos go to the AgWare website, www.uaar.net, click on help near the upper right hand corner of the page, then click user manual on the left hand side of the screen. This will take you to the online user manual for AgWare. You should see a menu item on the left side that says Video CataLog. Here you will find a list of all available tutorial videos we currently have. When you click on a video title, it will also display the video script below the video. AgWare is frequently adding and updating the videos offered, and always accepts and welcomes ideas for new videos.
Setting Preferences for Photo Cells
In ClickFORMS, users now have the ability to choose whether to auto frame photo and exhibit cells. To change this setting, click on the Eaglehead button, click preferences, and click operation. The last two items on this screen are check boxes to auto frame the photo and exhibit cells. This will only apply to new photo pages and exhibit forms added to ClickFORMS; it will not affect old reports, or forms already in your current report unless you replace the photo or exhibit in those cells.