Web Site Allows New Violations

We have a customer who wants to use tablets in the field for code enforcement inspections. Because tablets are not Windows-based the customer will rely on the Staff or Mobile web sites to access their ZonePro data. For the most part the web sites do not allow users to add new records to the system, but for Violations code enforcement work this would be necessary. So, we have added a new option to the Violations pages of both the Staff and Mobile web sites that allows users to add new violation records directly from the web sites (security permitting, of course).

Locking Inspection Notes

A feature that carried over from ZonePro 32 to ZP SQL is the option to Lock Notes in the Global Personalization section. This option locks the second Notes field in the selected database screens. The idea being that inspectors could move their notes to the second Notes field without worrying that they could be altered by someone else. The problem with this feature in ZP SQL is that the Building databases no longer store inspection notes in the main Notes fields. Each inspection detail entry has its own Notes field. So now I have extended the Lock Notes option for the Building databases. It now locks the Notes field in the Building Inspection Details screen, but only if the current user does not match up with the initials of the Inspector field for that detail. The original inspector can continue to make changes to that Notes field. The Result field and Inspector field are also locked, but only if the fields already have a valued entered in them, and again, only if the current user is not the original inspector.

Mobile Web Site Available For Testing

Let us know if you would like to test the new mobile web site for ZonePro SQL. We're trying to format this site to work better with mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. Right now we are adding it to customer's ZP SQL internet accounts on request. If you have an I-Pad or Android tablet you can also use ZP SQL via the Staff web site which you can access from the internet browser on the devices.

Exploring the Android Tablet World

I recently purchased an Android tablet (Toshiba Thrive) to experiment on in the office. My first concern is making sure the Staff web site works well in the native browser. I am also starting to work on a mobile version of the Staff site which will be formatted better for smart phones.

Quick Result For Building Inspection Web Page

We had a request from a ZP SQL customer who uses the Staff web site in the field to update building inspections. Their idea was to add a way to quickly fill in most of the inspection detail field. To implement it we added a drop-down box on the web page where you can select the desired result (from a list of past result values used). Then you click on the "Quick Result" button and it automatically fills in the Result, Last Inspection date, and Inspector fields. This information is saved and the Notes field is opened in Edit mode waiting for input. This options save quite a few steps for busy building inspectors.

Better Navigation

I posted updates today for most of the application databases. The primary change is that now the Navigation buttons are available immediately upon entering any application database for moving to the next or previous record, etc. Previously you did not see the Navigation buttons until after you had used the Browse button at least once. Just a reminder, you can right-click on the Next button to go the Last record in a series. Likewise you can right-click on the Previous button to jump to the First record. Also, if you are not editing you can type "N" for the Next record or "P" for the Previous record.

Viewing Photos Linked to Permits on the Web

A new section has been added to each of the permit database screens in the Staff web site. The new "Linked Photos" drop-down section will show any photos that have linked back to that specific permit record. This means that when you added the photo to a property in ZonePro you used the Linked ID option to further link it to an existing permit (or violation, etc.). As this is a web page option, you can only view JPGs and PDFs that have been copied to the web. You can view an example on the sample ZPDEMO web pages by looking up the property at 1400 Main Street and looking at the Zoning Module results.

New Photo Resize Option

I have added a right-click option to the Resize button in the Image Viewer Screen that will always downsize the displayed photo 25%. I decided there was a need for this kind of incremental resizing when playing with the crop tool. The crop tool only works if you can see the full area you wish to crop on your screen. Sometimes you need to resize the image a little to make everything fit.

Web Page Map Markers Fixed

When I changed my map control on the Staff web site interface a few months back, we got better looking maps but lost the ability to click on markers and get additional info displayed. I've finally got the markers working the way they should again. Also cleaned up a few other aesthetic issues on the Staff web pages.

Change Owners and Occupants Faster

I have reworked the View Owner and View Occupant buttons on the Property Screen to provide a new option. The buttons now perform three functions: 1) If the Owner (or Occupant) field is filled, left-clicking on the View button brings up the Contact File Screen for that person. 2) If the field is blank, left-clicking of the View button brings up the Quick Add Screen that lets you add a new name to the Contact File database. 3) Right-clicking on the View buttons brings up the new Contact File Change Options Screen. This screen lets you quickly add a new Contact record or link an existing one to current property. It is the fastest way to change the owner or occupant assigned to a property. I have just posted a new Training Video that demonstrates these options.

Speed Display of Web-based Photos

You can increase the speed with which the Image Viewer Screen displays photos stored under your web account by adding a simple text file to your ZP SQL installation folder. Create a new text file and name it WEBSITE.TXT. As the text enter you ZP SQL web site address. For example, www.customername.zpuser.com. That's it. Pretty simple. If you don't know the name of your web site I will be disappointed in you but feel free to contact me for a refresher.

Photo Module Changes Web Storage Method

Once again I have changed the way ZP SQL stores photos on the web. Just about a year ago we introduced the option of storing JPG photos and PDF files in a separate SQL database so that they would be viewable from anywhere (unlike locally stored photos that can only be viewed when you are on your office network). With the latest Photo Module release we are moving on-line photos out of the SQL database and storing them directly on the web server. This is actually a much simpler arrangement for us but the primary advantage for customers is that now we do not need to limit the number of items you store on the web. When we used a database for storage we limited customers to 1,000 items because the databases could only be so big. That's not an issue with the new technique. This switch should be a painless for customers since the screens and functions of the Photo Module will look the same. Most of the changes are actually behind the scenes. The change will be more obvious on the Staff web site.

Upgrade Alert Option

If you want to stay on top of updates for ZP SQL as they are posted on the web, now there is a really easy way. There is a new Local Personalization Option that lets you turn on an Update Alert. When activated this option checks the web each time you launch ZonePro to see if any new updates have been posted since your last download. I have posted a training video on the Customer Support web site the demonstrates how this feature works.

Webinar: Contact File Maintenance

This morning I conducted a free webinar training session covering various topics to do with the Contact File database. I had a couple of request to record the meeting so I did. Here is a link to that recording: www.zoneprosoftware.com/webinar/2011-05-12-Contact File Maintenance.wmv. This is a large file at 79MB. You can download and play it using Windows Media Player. The video lasts over an hour. You have been warned!

Save Button in Photo Viewer Screen

The Image Viewer screen in the Photo Module has a new Save button. This button is only active when you are viewing images that are stored on the web. It gives you an easy way to save a local copy of those images (if for some reason you don't already have one). Copies of the viewed image are stored in the \Export folder and are named using the Photo ID Code, so for example an image might be saved as PH000032.JPG. This option works the same for photos that are stored in your on-line SQL photo database or on-line images that your reference by their URL.

New Contact File Web Pages

There are a couple of new maintenance pages for the Contact File database that can be accessed via the Staff web site. Starting from the opening page go to "Contact Search" then "Contact Maintenance." You'll find two new options here.

One new option is to "Review Contacts With No Last Name."  This option will display a list of Contact records where the Last Name field is blank. This is a no-no in the Contact File because the Last Name field is the primary means of search. There are a couple of options shown to quickly fix the problem by either moving the First Name value into the Last Name field, or replacing the blank Last Name with "Unknown." You can also select individual records for editing.

The second new option is called "Contact File Integrity." This page shows 7 different categories of potential problems and lets you examine records that have these problems. The first category shows Contacts that are assigned multiple times to the same property. The next three categories search for duplicated relationship values. The final three categories search for orphaned records. I have already used this screen to examine all existing customers Contact File databases and fix the most glaring problems. These screens should probably be used once a month or so just to check for potential problems.

Contact File Advice

I spent a lot of time recently working on issues that can effect the Contact File database and looking at how the Contact File database is used by existing customers. Here is a list of suggestions I compiled:

- Use the First Name and Last Name fields correctly. The First Name field should only be used for people not companies. If the company name is too long to fit in the 30 character Last Name field, abbreviate it. Splitting a company name between first and last name makes it very difficult to search for since searching is only on Last Name field. While you may know how to find it, future users won't.

- One Contact record per person or company. Do not put two names in one Contact File record. The whole point of the Contact File database is that you can link as many contacts as desired to a given property. Create separate records for each name. Do not combine spouses as one record. You can designate only record with the "Owner" relationship but you can link as many "Co-owners" as you like.

- Do not leave the Last Name field blank. You can't search for a record with a blank last name.

- Do not create a Contact record called "Rental" or "Vacant." Use the Status or Existing Use fields to designate rental or vacant parcels.

- Do not create a Contact record called "Occupant" or "Current Resident." There is a better way to accomplish whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.

- Don't link the same Contact record to the same Property record twice even if that Contact has more than one relationship to the property. For example, do not link a Contact to a Property as the "Owner" and then again as the "Occupant." If the Contact is linked as the "Owner" and has the same address as the Property then he is also an occupant. You don't have to link twice to establish that.

- It should not be possible to designate two "Owner" relationships for one Property record. I have seen it happen however. If it happens in your system then you should change the relationship for one of the Contacts. Or drop one of the links if the same Contact is linked as "Owner" twice. The same applies to the "Occupant" relationship and the "Extra" relationship. Any other kind of the relationship can be duplicated, just not these three.

Delayed Permit Numbering

All of the application database screens that have permit number, application number, or case numbers now support a delayed permit numbering option. This means you can create a new permit record and intentionally leave the permit number field blank. At a later time you can come back and edit this record, right-click on the Permit Number field and the system will prompt you to see if you want to generate a new number for the record. Saying yes will generate the next number is sequence for that database. This is a very useful option if you wish to enter permit records in advance but will not actually issue the permit until a later date.

Staff Page Log In Change

I've changed the log in procedure slightly on the Staff ZP SQL web pages. Instead of popping up in a separate window the log in prompts now appear at the top of the right-hand column. Everything else about the log in process is the same.

Web Page Domain Options

Recently had a customer ask if their Public ZP SQL page could be isolated from their Staff ZP SQL page such that the public would not know that that the other page existed. I solved this issue my moving the Public page to a different domain. The Staff page is still accessed from the ZPUSER.COM domain but their Public page is now on the ZPSQL.COM domain. If you think your community would benefit from a similar arrangement just let us know.

SQL Sweeper Tweak for Apostrophes

One of the pitfalls of using SQL databases is that you have to be extra cautious handling apostrophes. Apostrophes (or single quote marks) are used by SQL to delimit field values so when a field value has an apostrophe as part of the value (e.g., O'Hara) it can cause problems. A customer found the latest example in the SQL Sweeper tool. He was unable to make changes to a field value that contained an apostrophe. I have fixed that issue and you can download the update but there may be other apostrophe issues still lurking in parts of the system that we haven't found yet. Always report any error messages to us so we can keep improving.

Faster Occupant Searches

A customer pointed out to me that their Occupant name searches took far longer to return results than their Owner name searches. Looking at the SQL tables used in the searches it seemed like the problem stemmed from the fact that a relatively few number of property records had Occupant names defined so the search had to wade through a sea of blank names before it got to anything meaningful. I changed the underlying search table so that now an Occupant search only searches through property records that have an Occupant name listed. Because of this you'll notice that the Navigation Screen will show a much smaller quantity of Total Pages when you do an Occupant search. You should also notice that those searches are much faster. This is a change I implemented to your SQL data behind the scenes so you do not need to download anything to get the new search process.

Understanding Local Copy Options

In several of the Maintenance screens there are "Create Local Copy" button which have led to some confusion among users. The purpose of these button is take maintenance data stored in remote SQL databases and create a local copy on your PC or server. Then when ZonePro later needs access to that data, it will pull it from the local copy rather than make a SQL call across the internet. It's just another way of reducing remote SQL calls and thereby speeding up your system. The problem is that you should only create a local copy if you are completely done editing the relevant Maintenance database. Once the local database is created, changes made in the Maintenance screen will update the SQL database but not the local copy; and since it is the local database that is being pulled by the application screens, etc., it looks like the changes did not take at all. To help alleviate this confusion I have added a new wrinkle to these buttons. Now when you go into a Maintenance screen, if a local copy of the database exists the "Create Local Copy" button will instead read "Delete Local Copy." Deleting the local copy reverts the button back to "Create Local Copy." If you need to edit a Maintenance database you should always be sure to delete the local copy first if one exists. You can always create a new local copy when you finish. Deleting the local copy is always safe because the real copy is the SQL one that is stored remotely. New updates are available for download that implement this change.

Notekeeper for Building Inspection Details Notes

The Notekeeper option has been added to the Notes tab of the Building Inspection Details screen. It works identically here as it would in the main permit Notes tab. In other words, to create a Notekeeper topic for an Electrical inspection you would define the topic in Maintenance first using the "Electrical" database. This topic would then be available for you to select as you enter notes in either the Electrical permit record itself or in the Inspection Details notes for an Electrical permit.

Updated Optional Documents

I have finally finished the process of updating all of the optional documents available from the Downloads page of our Customer Support Web Site to make sure that there are versions that work with both ZonePro SQL and ZonePro 32. You're bound to find something of interest so check them out.

Extra Document Screen for Contractor Fees

In the most recent update I have added an extra document screen to the Contractor Module. There is now a document screen available off of the new Contractor Fees Screen. The regular document screen, which is off of the Contractor Screen, can print fee information but I decided that it would only access the current Active Fee. That led to this extra document screen from the Contractor Fees Screen that gives access to all of the fees stored for the current contractor. The standard document that will ship with this screen is called "Fee History." Of course, it also supports unlimited custom documents.

Staff Web Pages Updated

Everyone's Staff web pages have been updated to work with the new Contractor Fees database, as well as the new fields in the regular Contractor database. Also tweaked Contractor Report page and added a report page for the Extra Permit database.

Contractor Module Adds Fee Database

In a major redesign of the Contractor Module we have now added a separate database for tracking fees. This allows you to have multiple fees attached to a single contractor record. In prior versions only one fee could be stored in the contractor record and we had a Reset button to copy old fee information into the Notes field before new fee information was added. The flaw with that design is that there is no good way to report on the old fee information. Now you will always be able to report on both the current active fee and any past fees collected from contractors. Existing ZP SQL customers will automatically have the new database added and their existing contractor fees moved. In addition to that major change we have also added a third Phone field to the contractor database as well  as a Notes2 field. We have also expanded the size of the Company field. You will need to download the new program files to take advantage of the new features. A training video has been posted detailing the new fee option.

Photo Module Supports Adds from Main Screen

A new version of the Photo Module is available for download that allows users to add new entries from the Photo Screen off of the Main Screen. Previously you could only view photos from this screen and had to go to the Photo Screen off of the Property Screen to add anything. You can also now use the Batch Loader from both Photo Screens. Users who converted from ZP 32 will recognize that this is more like the way the Photo Module works in that version.

Faster Inspection Processing on Staff Web Site

Had a great idea from a customer for a faster way to handle most building inspections on the Staff web site. On the Inspection Review page (click the Inspections button from the main page) there is new Building Inspections list that shows any scheduled inspections due within a certain number of days. You can also filter the list by inspector. This new list has an extra column that you only see when logged in with the proper security clearance. The extra column adds a "Pass" option to each inspection listed. Clicking on the "Pass" option clears the Next Inspection Date and Next Time fields, fills in the Last Inspect date with today's date, and fills in the Result field with "PASSED." This is an incredibly quick way to clear the majority of inspections that require no further input. For those that do require more input you can still click on the "Select" option but now you go straight to the Inspection Details screen for that permit so that you can edit the detail item and add notes as needed. This should be a great new option for building inspectors using the web site in the field. One further note, there is a special feature to this page that lets each customer define their preferred verbiage if, for example, they would rather fill in "APPROVED" instead of "PASSED."

Bracket Change for Custom Alert Messages

You can create your own custom message to insert in the Alert Message Option in ZonePro. In prior versions this was done by putting your message in the Notes field and book-ending your message with the tags: and . Because the angled brackets are associated with HTML web coding I decided it best to switch to curly brackets instead for ZonePro SQL. The feature still works the same as always except now the framing tags should be: {BeginAlert} and {EndAlert}. If you need any assistance finding and converting your existing custom messages please let me know.

Skip the Fee Prompt When Adding Building Permits

When adding a new building permit in ZonePro SQL after you select your desired Permit Type the system prompts you to see if you want to copy in the fee details from Maintenance. This prompt exists to allow users to delay adding fees until later. Yet another way of reducing SQL traffic across the internet. But for users who always want the fees added right away, this prompt is just clutter. Now a new Global Personalization Option has been added so that you can skip the prompt and have the fees added automatically. In the Global screen there is a new item called "Prompt For Fees When Adding New Building Permit." This option is turned on by default. You can turn it off, however, and your fees will henceforth be added automatically.

Extra Permits Database Now Available from Staff Web Sites

Today I updated the Staff web sites for all ZP SQL customers so that it now includes pages to access the new Extra Permits database which is part of the Miscellaneous Module.

On-line Photo Storage Driver Install

Several customers have run in to connection problems when they try to upload photos to the internet using ZP SQL. The likely culprit is a missing ODBC driver on the PC. ODBC drivers are Windows system files and are used to access different types of databases. The driver to access your main data, which is stored in SQL 2005 databases, is included standard with most Windows installations so it does not require any extra action. For on-line photo storage, however, we are using SQL 2008 databases and the driver needed to access it is not always installed. This oversight is easily resolved by installing the driver yourself. I've just posted a item called "Installing the Driver for On-line Photo Storage" on the Tutorials page of our web site that tells you how.

Contractor Link Tweaks

I've tweaked a couple of features involved in linking Contractors back to permit records. When you choose "Contractor" as the Applicant Type, the Applicant Name field will now be filled in with the Contractor Company info if there is no person's name in the Contractor record. The second feature is a simple prompt to also fill in the Contractor field in the Zoning, Other Permit, or Extra Permit screens when you choose "Contractor" as the Applicant Type and link to a contractor in the Contractor database.

Quick Add Options for Owners and Occupants

I've added a super fast way to add a new Owner or Occupant to a Property record in ZP SQL. If either the Owner field or Occupant field is blank in the Property Screen, you can now right-click on the relevant View Info icon to launch a Quick Add screen. All you have to do is enter a new name in the Quick Add screen and a new Contact File record is created and linked to the Property. I'll post a training video on this option soon.

Training Videos for Two Newest Features

Two new videos have been posted in the Training Videos section of our company web site that cover the latest new features in ZP SQL. There is video on the new Extra Permit database that has been added to the Miscellaneous Module. There is a second video demonstrating the new option for the Applicant drop-down box that makes is possible to select any linked Contact as the Applicant.

Making Any Contact the Applicant

Earlier today I had a customer request a way to auto-fill Contact File information into the Planning Screen. This led to a script that I posted on the User Script Blog that showed a way to pick any existing Contact as the Applicant for a permit record. I liked this idea so much that I incorporated the code into ZonePro. Now, from any of the permit databases, you can right-click on the Applicant Type drop-down box and get a Browse window showing all of the Contacts linked to the presiding Property record. Selecting a name fills in the Applicant Type, Name, Phone and Address fields. This alternate approach lets you easily fill in Applicant Types beyond the usual "Owner" and "Occupant" values.

Two New Options for Installed Modules Screen

The Installed Modules screen in Maintenance will allow you to download the latest program updates for ZP SQL directly from the internet. Most customers don't have to worry about the accompanying database updates because we can update your ZP SQL databases for you. So for example, to install and use the new Extra Permit database upgrade most customers only need to download the new program files and they are good to go. If a customer needs to update their SQL databases manually, however, we've added a new button to the Installed Modules screen that makes that possible. To use this option you will have to request a special upgrade file from us that will be loaded and executed by new Database Update option. A second new button has been added to the Installed Modules screen that makes it possible to view the connection information used by ZonePro to access the SQL database. This is primarily a troubleshooting option to make sure ZonePro is looking for data in all the right places.

Reset Numbers for One Database at a Time

ZonePro maintains a separate database that keeps track of the last highest ID number and permit number used by every application database. It uses this information to autonumber new permits. In Maintenance Options, the Reset Permit Numbers screen is used to refresh the stored highest numbers if the autonumbering process is not working as expected. A new option has been added to the Reset Permit Numbers screen that allows you to only reset the numbers of the currently selected database. Previously, you had to reset for every database each time. This option makes it easier to focus in on one database without worrying about affecting others.

Extra Permit Database Added to Miscellaneous Module

Today we're making available a major upgrade to the Miscellaneous Fee module for ZonePro SQL. A third database application has been added called the Extra Permit database. This is a near twin of the Other Permits database. Like its sister, both applications are launched from the General application button group of the Property Screen. This is basically a second miscellaneous permits database - a place to store permits that don't fall neatly into the Building or Zoning permit categories. It functions identically to the Other Permits database. The only real difference is that the Extra Permit screen has a few more fields including Status, Dimensions, Final Date and Description. There is no charge for the upgrade and it will not change the fee for the Miscellaneous Fee module or its annual maintenance. You'll notice lots of other modules are also updated when you download this upgrade. That is because the Miscellaneous Fee module is closely integrated with many other pieces of ZonePro.

Forcing Pick Boxes to Display

You can now force a Pick Box list to display whenever a user edits a field that has the Pick Box option. Before you had to take an action such as clicking on the Pick Box button to view the list of Pick Box choices. In order to use this new feature you have to turn it on in the Global Options Screen in Maintenance. Once the feature is activated it will only work for those fields where you have saved a local list of the Pick Box choices. In other words, this feature is an extension of the Pick Box List Manager. This means you don't have worry about Pick Box screens popping up all over the place when you're editing. You control which fields it works for by saving your list of Pick Box choices for the desired field. This new option should make it even easier to encourage users to enter data consistently in the fields where that is important. You can view a new Training Video on this feature at our web site.

Contractor Reset Button

Unlike the permit databases in ZP the Contractor database does not retain one record per transaction. Instead, when a new year rolls around (and a new round of license fee collections), the Contractor Screen uses the Reset button to copy the existing fee information into the Notes field to make way for the new information. I fixed a bug in the Reset button today and while I was at it added the option to substitute a customized script in place of our code when the Reset option executes. In other words, if you aren't satisfied with the fields that are copied into the Notes field by the default Reset option, you can add a script to your system that will copy information exactly the way you want it done. The button now looks for the existence of a script file called "script_contractor_reset.txt" before it runs the default code. You'll need our help to get started with a script option but then you'll be able to refine it in the User Script screen in Maintenance like you can with other ZP scripts.

ArcGIS Interface via OLE DB Connection

I have just been working with a customer who wanted to interface their ArcGIS system with ZP SQL to pull across live violation data. There are a couple of ways to interface with SQL data in ArcGIS. This customer had success creating an OLE DB Connection to the data. These connections are contained in ArcCatalog under the Database Connections option in the Catalog Tree. You can double click on the "Microsoft OLE  DB Provider for SQL Server" to set up the connection. You'll need some information from us to do this including your server name, database name, user name and password. Once the connection is made you can expand the new connection node to view all the available tables. In this case I advised pulling data from the "vViolaterep" table which combines data from the Violations and Property databases. He was then able to use the common parcel number field to join this table with his address shapefile to produce new maps layers.

Expanded Reporting Options for Staff Web Site

I've added more reporting options to the Staff web site interface so that it includes a few more application databases. Have also added at least one report filter to each page. So, for example, in the Building Reports page you can now easily limit the records included to only those that match a selected Permit Type. In a deviation from the Windows interface I chose not to enforce security for the report screens by default. In the Windows interface you have to have an Access Level of at least 7 to access the report screen for a given application. In the web site this is not true. You can access the report screens without even logging in. If you don't like that policy for your web site, I have an easy way I can change it so that the report pages use the same security criteria as the Windows interface. You just have to let me know your preference.