Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Install Tip for Path Name

I have run into an issue a couple of times where the installation path name tripped up a feature in ZonePro. The issue is that you do not want to have any spaces in the installation path name for ZonePro. So c:\zpsql\install\zpsql.exe is fine but not c:\zp  sql\install\zpsql.exe. Although most features work just fine, this issue is known to cause problems when exporting "to spreadsheet." Better to avoid.

Windows 10 Compatible For ZonePro

I'm slowly getting inquiries about ZonePro's compatibility with Windows 10. I've installed the Windows upgrade on a laptop here in the office and have not seen any problems running ZonePro SQL or ZonePro 32. If you come across a problem please let me know but I see no reason you can't upgrade to Windows 10 if desired.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Email Screen for Property Page

I've added an Email option off of the primary Property Page in the Staff Web site. It will auto-load any email addresses stored for Contacts. It also has an option to easily reference any photos or pdfs that have been uploaded for the current property record. I think this will prove useful.

Email Attachment Option

I've added a button to all the email screens in the Staff site to allow users to add an attachment to the email. I would advise not trying to attach anything over 1 MB big. I'm not sure how useful this feature will be in the context of ZonePro but I would like to hear about it.

Monday, October 26, 2015

Email Troubleshooting

I've done some work to help ensure that everyone can send e-mails via their Staff web site. I did troubleshooting of the default email server settings and they should now work for all customers. Please let me know if that is not the case. There are a few new settings added to the Email Setup page in Maintenance to enable more precise control. The Test Email page off of the Email Setup Page gives more setting information as well to aid in getting it working for each customer. I would recommend going with the default settings and a custom "From" address rather than trying to use your own mail sever. Try it out for yourself.

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Photo Manipulation Options on Web

Among the changes to the photo options on the Staff web sites are two new pages for manipulating photos after they are uploaded. One page allows you to rotate your images to get the correct orientation. The second page allows you to crop a photo to remove extraneous material. These are particularly useful when using a tablet as a camera and upload device because those photos often benefit from a little maintenance.

Batch Upload for Web Photos

As mentioned in previous post, I have replaced the method used to upload photos in the Staff web site. One benefit of this new method is the Add New Photos option now allows you to do a "batch" upload where you can upload up to 10 photos at one time. A new Photo record is created for each file. This is similar to the Batch Loader option in the Windows program except that you don't have an option to fill in extra fields as part of the process. You will have to edit each record created to change the Description or Linked ID, for example. But you can easily do this once the upload completes.

New Upload Screens for Photos on Web

I have replaced all of the photo upload screens in the Staff web site. The new upload screens allow you to drag and drop JPG or PDF files onto a control and provides a preview of the item before uploading. When uploading JPGs from a PC the new process resizes the image before the upload to improve upload times. This new approach should work smoother on PCs and be a big improvement on tablets as well. This affects the Photo Module upload process and the Property Cover Picture option.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

New DBA Field for Contact File Database

A new field has been added to the Contact File database called "DBA" (Doing Business As). This 50 character field follows the First and Last Name fields on the main Contact File screen. The field is available with the upgrade to version 1.50 of the Contact File Module which you can download via the Installed Modules screen. This field is only viewable or printable from the Contact File screen itself. I'll be adding it to the web sites in the near future.

Simplifying Relationship Management Access

The Contact File database allows you to designate a relationship that each contact has with a particular property. The two main relationship types are "Owner" and "Occupant" but you can also add your own creations to the list of possible relationships. Previously, you had to go to Maintenance Options to get to the screen where you could edit the list of possible relationships. Now we have added a shortcut to the Change Relationship screen that lets you edit the list of possible relationships right from there. Look for the new notepad button on the Change Relationship screen.
As a side note, keep in mind that Relationship types have to be 10 characters or less.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Permit Mover for Staff Web Site

The SQL Permit Mover tool has been added to the Staff Web site. You can get to it by going to Maintenance and then the System section. The Permit Mover is part of the ZP Toolbox options in the Windows version of ZonePro SQL. It allows you to move a permit from one property to another which is useful if the permit was accidentally entered under the wrong address. I think the web version is even easier to use than the Windows version because it only presents you with drop-down boxes so there is no typing, and it gives better feedback on the chosen permit and the chosen property so that you can be sure you are making the right choices.

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Expanding Source Field in Reports

There are a number of report screens in ZonePro SQL that include a Source field as part of their output (such as the Activity Report Screen). This field is a two character abbreviation of the database that the record is pulled from. Several customers have asked if their is an easy way to make this field more readable on reports by expanding "BD" to "Building Permit", for example. This can be done by using a function that evaluates the field value and outputs the alternative text. Substitute the function below for the expression in any report that prints the "Source" field. You can trim the expression down to include only those databases that matter to you. You can also edit the second argument in each pairing to read the way you want it to.

ICASE(source="ZN","Zoning Permits",source="VL","Violations",source="AP","Appeals",source="AM","Amendments",source="OT","Other Permits",source="EX","Extra Permits",source="PN","Planning",source="BD","Building",source="EL","Electrical,source="PL","Pumbing",source="MC","Mechanical",source="PJ","Project",source="RE","Rental",source="HS","Housing,source="PS","Pre-Sale",source)

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Mapping Fire Hydrants in the Staff Site

I have just uploaded pages to the Custom section of the demo Staff web site that lets users map fire hydrants and keep track of them in a database. You can add hydrants visually using a map. You can look up a street address and find all the nearest fire hydrants. This is just a test system that I am working on for a customer but it is also a fun example of the kinds of things you can do with web-based data. You can play with the pages yourself by logging on at www.zpdemo.zpuser.com/staff and using the Dashboard from the Main page to go to Custom Options. From there you will see a menu of options for working with the fire hydrant maps and data.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Connecting to ArcMap 10

One of my customers, Morehead City, is messing around with GIS and ZonePro so I asked if they would send me their steps for making the connection and they were kind enough to do so. Here is what they sent:

ArcMap 10.3
- ArcCatalog -> Database Connections -> Add Database Connection
- In the dropdown box, select “SQL Server”
- Enter server and database information from Zone Pro -> “OK” (ZP Systems can give you this info.)
- Drag and drop the “vBuildCombo” database (for building permits) and/or “vViolateRep” database (for violations) from Database Connections in ArcCatalog to the table of contents in ArcMap
- Identify a unique identifier (e.g., “parcel” field) ->Click Finish
- Add the layer to the map which contains the parcel identification number. Use the layer to create a relate:
- Right click the layer -> “Joins and Relates” -> “Relate” ->
- #1 Select the field which contains the parcel number from the drop down box.
- Make sure #2 contains the correct table.
- #3 Select “parcel” from the dropdown box.
- Click “OK”

To see the connected information, click the identify tool and select a property. Identify from the layer that is connected to the Zone Pro tables. If permit activity exists, you will be able to see it by clicking the “+” sign under the layer name.

It looks like this:

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

ZP SQL Manual as Word Doc

The ZP SQL manual is a web site that is hyperlinked back to each and every screen in the Windows interface. Context sensitive help can be easily accessed by clicking on the  ? Help button in the lower right corner of any screen. Apparently though this is not enough. I still get requests for a document version of the manual so I am giving in and posting a Word Doc version of the ZP SQL manual on the Tutorial Page of our support site. Be forewarned that this is a huge document: over 430 pages. And, again, it was designed as a web site not a book, so the organization of the document leaves much to be desired. But it does afford users the opportunity to cut, paste, rearrange and print their own min-versions of the manual, if they have the gumption. I hope it proves useful in this format. If you do something wonderful with the information please share it with me and I will share it with other customers!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Exporting Data from Staff Pages to Spreadsheets

I've added a new capability to several pages on the Staff site that allow you to export data to an Excel Spreadsheet which is then downloaded to your device. This new option is available on the All Inspections page to download scheduled inspections. It is available on the Contractor Activity page. It is also an option on all of the report screens so that instead of printing a report or creating a PDF you can download all the data that the report criteria would capture to a spreadsheet. This new option makes it super easy to get data out of the Staff site for use with other programs. I'm sure there are other pages in the Staff site or the Contractor Request site that could benefit from this option. Just let me know if you have a page that you'd like to nominate as a candidate.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Alternate Way to Obtain Module Updates

The Installed Modules screen in ZP SQL provides a way to automatically download all the latest updates for the modules in your installation. Unfortunately, connecting to the FTP server to download these updates is sometimes fraught with problems. Now there is an alternative way to obtain the downloads via your Staff web site. In the Maintenance page of the Staff site, under the System Maintenance section there is a link to a Windows Update page. This page has three sections. First there is a list of all the current modules, their version numbers and their last modified date (Note that this list can be sorted by any of the three columns). You can compare this list with the version numbers you see in the Installed Modules screen of ZP SQL to find out what updates you need. Then there is a section for downloading each of the Base Module pieces and a section for downloading Application Modules. These are the exact same files you would get when using the Installed Modules screen from the Windows program except that here you have to download each one individually and unzip it yourself. It involves more work, but it gets the job done in a pinch. After you download any updates make sure you exit ZP SQL before you attempt to unzip and copy the files into your installation folder.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Deleteing Property Records Video

As long as you have the property security clearance, there is no great trick to deleting records in ZonePro SQL. Except when it comes to the Property Screen. Deleting a record from the Property database is not so simple. This is because the because permit records cannot exist without a parent property record. Therefore, before you delete a property record you must get rid of any attached records as well. Most users figure this out but they forget that this also includes any Contact records attached to the Property such as the owner or occupant. I just posted a quick training video that shows the whole process and hopefully clears up any questions about deleting from the Property Screen.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Shortcut to Contractor Activity Report

After you look up a contractor in the Contractor Screen you can view their past Activity in the Contractor Activity Browse screen. If you also want to print out that activity, in the past you had to close back to the Main Screen and go to the Contractor Activity Report screen. Now there is a Report button directly on the Activity Browse screen which is a shortcut to the Contractor Activity Report screen. It takes you to the report screen and automatically triggers the ID Code report filter with the ID of the last chosen contractor.  This makes it easy to use the Contractor Screen as a search tool to produce Activity Reports.

Monday, January 19, 2015

Referencing Minimum Setbacks From Any Screen

From the Property Screen you can easily reference the minimum setbacks defined for the assigned Zoning District by clicking on the "Zoning" label to display the Zoning District Maintenance Screen. This option may be even more useful on permit screens where you need to compare the desired setbacks of a project with those allowed.I just posted a script in the ZP User Scripts blog that show you how to accomplish this trick.