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.