Whistling Fish Software

Whistling Fish Software - Recent Posts http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/recent.aspx Whistling Fish Software - Recent Posts en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Jitbit AspNetForum Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:12:50 GMT Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:12:50 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=35 Message from WhistlingFish Automated the check for newer versions so that a background check is made whenever the program starts.
Minor changes to the graphics displayed when the program starts, and on the "About" screen.]]> Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:12:50 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=34 Message from WhistlingFish
Although industry statistics show that the Mac has a relatively small market share, reliable sources tell me that usage within the lutherie community tends to be a little higher than that - why I don't know. With that in mind, I've taken the first steps towards development of a cross-platform version of my products. What this means is that they will be designed to run on any operating system: Windows, Mac, Linux - or anything else for that matter. The advantage with this approach is that I won't have to maintain separate versions for each operating system, and there'll be no requirement to ensure that changes are implemented identically in any number of separate software projects.

Progress is likely to be slow initially, but I'll post updates as I reach major milestones. As always, I'm keen to hear your suggestions and comments as I work towards this goal.

Cheers
Pete]]> Sat, 29 May 2010 11:43:54 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=33 Message from WhistlingFish
Fixes:
Notes text on Maintain Build and Maintain Repair screens not wrapping correctly.

Version 1.0.4

Fixes:
Repair services not loaded when repair was edited via Customers screen.]]> Sat, 15 May 2010 16:21:51 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=32 Message from WhistlingFish
- Modified pricing controls on Maintain Build screen.
- Added default tax percentage to Preferences screen
- Added data backup functions
- Added base price, options total and tax amount columns to main screen
- Added link to online help pages from Help menu]]> Fri, 14 May 2010 16:43:32 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=31 Message from WhistlingFish
Cheers
Pete]]> Thu, 13 May 2010 16:40:00 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=30 Message from WhistlingFish
Please visit the product web page for a closer look, or to download a fully-functional 30-day trial version.

Special thanks to Todd Sams who floated the idea of additional features geared towards the repair shop.

Cheers
Pete]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 20:20:09 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=29 Message from WhistlingFish
Cheers
Pete]]> Tue, 11 May 2010 12:15:56 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=28 Message from WhistlingFish
Like Luthier's Journal, a fully-functional trial version will be made available, allowing a 30 day period in which you can evaluate its usefulness. As you do so, remember that your input is important to the success of this venture, and that omissions on my part, or any other suggestion you may wish to advise me of will be seriously considered. Note that as the application evolves, new improved versions will always be free to licensed users.

Cheers
Pete]]> Fri, 07 May 2010 17:17:39 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=27 Message from WhistlingFish
Thanks for the positive feedback. I guess an advantage of operating as a one-man outfit is that I can provide the personalised service you've commented on.

I'll make the changes you've requested over the coming days and let you know when a new version is available for download.

Best wishes
Pete]]> Wed, 05 May 2010 23:46:14 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=27 Message from ledlund
Would it be possible to modify the "Work Detail Report"? I would like to delete the Client Code, Project Code and Activity Code columns, and replace them with the Comment Field. I am a one man company and do not use codes for my work. I do comment each activity for each customer and it would be very helpful to have the comments in the report. I use the "Work Detail" report as detail when I invoice my customers.

Thanks for the support and keep up the good work.

Leo]]> Mon, 03 May 2010 01:23:15 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=26 Message from WhistlingFish
The Outstandings report, which I completed earlier today, shows a breakdown of outstanding invoices categorized according to the length of time the invoice has been outstanding. For the pro luthier - especially those running busy repair shops - this should greatly simplify the task of identifying unpaid invoices requiring follow-up. The production of printed quotes, invoices and receipts is finished, and I feel I'm on track to have this new product available for download by the end of the coming week.

Soon, perhaps, I can resume my own neglected guitar-building projects!

Cheers
Pete]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:27:00 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=25 Message from WhistlingFish
You can view screenshots and a description of what's on offer at my new Luthier's Workbench web page.

Although I can detect a dim glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, construction of Luthier's Workbench is incomplete; additional features may be added, or existing ones changed a little prior to release.

Cheers
Pete]]> Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:14:05 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=24 Message from WhistlingFish
The good news is that the changes are coming along nicely - I think you'll like what you see. The bad news is that I haven't spent time in my own workshop for weeks, and the guitars I'm building are gathering dust!

Cheers
Pete]]> Fri, 16 Apr 2010 14:45:58 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=23 Message from WhistlingFish
Cheers
Pete]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:53:08 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=24 Message from WhistlingFish
Yes, a calendar-based "to-do" list of sorts might be a good idea at some point - thanks for the suggestion. I have implemented something similar in an earlier piece of software so I have a bit of a head start when the time comes to consider it.

However, as the changes I'm currently working on will form the core of the new product and satisfy (I hope!) the majority of users, I'm inclined to put that one on my own "to-do" list for the time being. I'll always be looking for feedback and making improvements, so your idea will almost certainly see the light of day in some form in a future version. There's no such thing as a "final version"!

Thanks, and keep those ideas coming in!

Regards
Pete]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:37:01 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=24 Message from tsams Another idea hit me this weekend for a possible useful addition. Would it be possible to have a calander tied in so that you could allocate certain days and blocks of time each day for specific building and repair tasks. I have so many projects going building and repairing along with playing in a band and spending time with the wife and kids and doing yard and house repairs that I have to give myself lists to stay on task. I thought it might be a good addition to be able to bring up each calander day at will and allocate what you want to work on hour in half hour increments and maybe be able to tie each task in to the specific instrument. Example: I may glue top braces on two guitars then move on to a fret job while the glue dries and simultaneously have a bridge heater warming to remove a bad bridge. It's just way more effecient for me to have a daily list to work from rather than have to remember each instrument and step on the go.

Thanks for the special thanks, I'm really excited to give it a whirl
Todd]]> Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:46:58 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=24 Message from WhistlingFish
As I've worked on these improvements, however, new features continually spring to mind, and it became apparent as the week progressed that Luthier's Journal was growing into a substantial piece of software. The result of that realisation is that Luthier's Workbench was born. I'll offer it as a separate product, but will of course continue to improve and support Luthier's Journal. Luthier's Workbench will essentially be the "pro" version and will provide greater choice for purchasers.

Some of the new functions and features to be provided by Luthier's Workbench:
* Generation of quotes, invoices, repair job sheets (basically an unpriced quote) and receipts.
* Auto-numbering of the above to ensure sequential numbering (and no duplicates).
* A new Revenue and Expenses tab on the main screen to track customer payments as well as outgoings. You can also record the tax component of these transactions; totals will be displayed at the bottom of the screen.
* Filtering of Revenue and/or Expenses by date or date range.
* Generation of appropriate reports displaying revenue and expenses. I haven't considered their design at this point, but it's flagged for my attention.
* Automated backup of the data file to a location nominated by the user. A backup can also be performed manually via a menu option on the main screen.
* Filtering of repairs displayed on the main screen to allow the option of showing only those repair jobs currently active, i.e., hide completed jobs.
* Option to hide completed builds on the main screen
* Redesign of the Customers screen to display a history of builds, repairs and payments for the selected customer.

There are several significant and not-so-significant changes to screen designs, some of which I'll also incorporate into Luthier's Journal as time permits.

As always, I'm open to suggestions - please let me know if there are other features you'd like to see. Stay tuned for progress reports and news of availability.

Cheer
Pete

PS: A special thanks to Todd Sams for volunteering to cast an unbiased eye over Luthier's Workbench prior to its release.]]> Sat, 10 Apr 2010 11:00:51 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=23 Message from WhistlingFish
Cheers
Pete]]> Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:46:20 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=23 Message from WhistlingFish
Your data has not been lost, but this does highlight a bug in the application setup.

The setup process always checks for an existing database before installing a blank one, however, I just repeated the upgrade process and experienced the same problem.

It seems the later version is installed in a folder named Luthiers Journal while the original version was installed in a folder named Luthier's Journal. Note the apostrophe in the word "Luthier's". The end result is that the setup process didn't find an existing database so installed a new one. It links to this new, empty one when first started.

The solution is to:
1. Select the Preferences option from the Tools menu
2. Click the button next to the Database Path box
3. Navigate to the folder C:\Program Files\Luthier's Journal\Data (note the apostrophe!)
4. Select the file luthiersjournal.dat and click the Open button
5. Click the Save button on the Preferences screen
6. Restart the application to ensure that database changes are performed.

The display on the main screen should now show whatever you'd previously entered.

Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

Cheers
Pete
edited by WhistlingFish on 9/04/2010]]> Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:31:13 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=23 Message from Manndolins jmann]]> Fri, 09 Apr 2010 02:51:24 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=21 Message from WhistlingFish
Regards
Pete]]> Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:50:01 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=21 Message from tsams
I think your idea of the contact info and client's name under the repair tab would be a nice addition. Will there be a history tab for each client? I may have overlooked this on the original program, if not it would be very useful as repeat business is very common fro repairs as most clients have multiple instruments and most builders end up building more than one instrument for their clients. I appreciate the license key and will continue to do all I can to get the word about your product out and give feedback. my e-mail is : sams@stewmac.com

Thanks again,
Todd]]> Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:46:51 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=22 Message from WhistlingFish
A: No, your data is perfectly safe and will never be overwritten. The setup process only installs a fresh database when one is not found in the default location. When started, the application checks to see whether the existing database requires structural changes required by an upgrade - it never removes data.

Cheers
Pete]]> Sun, 04 Apr 2010 10:54:55 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=21 Message from WhistlingFish tsams wrote:

For repair I would recommend having the customers name and contact info as the front page/window instead of the build/serial number. Also, add a sales tax function in the pricing section so that you can easily total for your quarterly payments.

It would be nice to have a quote option for invoices for printing and e-mailing. If you could then keep all of the info and change from quote to actual work invoice so as to not have to input all of the info a second time that would be helpful. Also, I want to obviously purchase the program, but should I wait until a few more tweaks are made to make install easier or is it simple to upgrade to the newer versions that will come with these and other changes?

Thanks again,
Todd

Hi Todd,

With the addition of features of interest to repairers, I'm opting for a tabbed look, as the screen shot above shows. The Repair tab will be similar to the current main screen, but I can show contact details as well as client names if that's likely to be of help. The tab last used will be displayed automatically when the application is opened, so for those of you whose primary focus is on repair, there'll be no need to select the Repair tab each time you start the application.

A Payments tab on the main screen will display all payments received for builds and repairs, with tax amounts shown separately. A filter function will allow a date or date range to be specified, and filtering by a combination of customer name and date/s will be possible. A print option would seem appropriate here too.

I plan on allowing a default tax rate to be set on the Preferences screen so that it needn't be entered for every repair or build as it is currently.

Reports will be provided to meet the need for quotes and invoices. They will use the same data for the most part, so there'll be no need to re-enter the details. I'll make provision for users to record their business name on the Preferences screen; it can then be displayed on printed quotes and invoices.

Upgrades will always be painless, and as you're willing to provide such valuable feedback and support, I'm only too happy to send you a license key free of charge as a token of my appreciation. Drop me an email and I'll send one by return email.

Best wishes
Pete]]> Sat, 03 Apr 2010 17:00:53 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=21 Message from tsams I'm excited to see the new changes! I have sent out links to your site to several repairmen in our area for feedback. Here is some useful info from Elliot JonConry.

Hello Todd,

It seems like a cool program. Really, just a simplified/specialized version of quick books. For repair I would recommend having the customers name and contact info as the front page/window instead of the build/serial number. Also, add a sales tax function in the pricing section so that you can easily total for your quarterly payments. Right now its functions are some where between windows address book and quick books. I like the idea a program geared toward our business could be really useful.

Thanks,

Elliot

It would be nice to have a quote option for invoices for printing and e-mailing. If you could then keep all of the info and change from quote to actual work invoice so as to not have to input all of the info a second time that would be helpful. Also, I want to obviously purchase the program, but should I wait until a few more tweaks are made to make install easier or is it simple to upgrade to the newer versions that will come with these and other changes?

Thanks again,
Todd]]> Sat, 03 Apr 2010 01:52:52 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=16 Message from WhistlingFish
Please read the Feature Requests forum for progress on current changes and enhancements.

Best wishes
Pete]]> Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:51:53 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=21 Message from WhistlingFish

I've given some thought to the repair aspects of the application and, at the same time I'm making those changes, plan on introducing a range of useful reports. The available reports will be:

* Build Specification Report
* Repair Specification Report
* Payment Receipt
* Repair Invoice

Please be patient, and let me know if there are particular features or any others reports you'd like to see.

Cheers
Pete
edited by WhistlingFish on 2/04/2010]]> Fri, 02 Apr 2010 14:28:56 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=20 Message from WhistlingFish
Cheers
Pete]]> Sun, 28 Mar 2010 01:25:02 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=16 Message from WhistlingFish
I'll give serious thought to the addition of a repair section and I'll see what I can come up with. It shouldn't be difficult to add such a feature.

Best wishes
Pete]]> Thu, 25 Mar 2010 10:26:34 GMT http://www.whistlingfishsoftware.com.au/Forum/messages.aspx?TopicID=16 Message from tsams
Thanks for listening,
Todd]]> Thu, 25 Mar 2010 05:03:23 GMT