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Specify 6.2.02 Released

Thu, 08/19/2010 - 17:24 — Jim.Beach

Specify 6.2.02 Release

We are pleased to announce Specify release 6.2.02. This version fixes a number of bugs and adds some new capabilities. Of particular note in this release is the full implementation of Specify's localization capabilities for converting the entire application into additional languages. We are delighted to have collaborated with Dr. Rui Figueira and colleagues of the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical, Lisboa, Portugal to produce a Portuguese version of Specify. If you have an interest in another language version, and are willing to assist with the translation or know someone who can, please let us know.

In addition to updating your software, this release makes changes to Specify's database structure. Power, network outages or workstation problems could make a Specify database unusable and unrecoverable if a system or network failure happened during the update process. For that reason, it is critically important to make a backup of your database before installing this update. As with any Specify update in multiple workstation/database server configurations, all workstations must be updated to run the same Specify release level. The first workstation update will make changes to Specify on that computer and to the Specify database schema on the server, subsequent workstation updates will only update Specify software on those machines to match the new server release level.

Release Notes
Specify 6.2.02
19 August 2010 (Re-released 23 August)
Specify Software Project

New Features:

  1. The Specify Uploader now allows the designation of a table in Specify to which files being uploaded should be attached.
  2. Resource Import/Export is now able to import and export data entry forms for each user.
  3. The Preparation form now has the option of showing to which loan a preparation belongs. This feature requires a manual change of the forms xml (using Resource Import/Export). Contact the Project if you want this feature.
  4. The build and Subversion (specific source software code ID) number of each release now appears in Specify's "About" dialog. This is highly useful for diagnosing issues that may arise.
  5. Option added for printing a label for new specimen during data entry when first saving it to the database.  2010-06-22 09:26:59  (7962).
  6. A new determination is now automatically set to be the Current Determination.  2010-06-29 06:31:31   (7960).

Complete list of changes:

  1. Specify Import File Splitter now splits spreadsheets files into a user-specifed number of rows from 1-10,000.  2010-06-18 09:53:49   (7978).
  2. File attachments can now be deleted.  2010-06-21 11:06:59   (7974).
  3. File attachments now work for Taxon records.  2010-06-21 11:29:12   (7973).
  4. Query builder incorrectly used 'Single Field' format, now fixed.  2010-06-25 07:18:28   (7983).
  5. "Fullnames" which are built from the names of tree levels (ranks, columns) are now formatted and displayed correctly on forms.  2010-06-28 06:42:37   (7985).
  6. Administrator level users can now be deleted. Fewer administrators=higher productivity.  2010-06-29 05:22:24   (7797).
  7. Editing a new Administrator User's password no longer causes an exception.  2010-06-29 07:12:13   (7979).
  8. Storage field in Preparation data object is now correctly filled in after uploading a dataset.  2010-07-07 01:07:02   (7450).
  9. "Apply To All" choice in Specify Uploader match setting preferences now functions correctly. If you use this option, the Uploader will apply your designated action when it encounters matching field values in a record being uploaded and a record already in the Specify database. "Apply to All" means that all matches the Uploader encounters in data values for all tables will be handled in the way the user specifies.  2010-07-07 01:12:24   (7838).
  10. Schema merge when updating Specify database schema now works correctly for localization (internationalization).  2010-07-17 04:24:57   (7994).
  11. In the Specify Uploader if one of three allowable determinations was indicated as being the current determination, the Uploader now recognizes that correctly and that determination is recorded in the database as the current one. Previously the Uploader was ignoring the current determination and always assigned the first determination uploaded as the current one.  2010-07-20 15:32:36   (7998).
  12. "Add Existing User" is Security is now functioning.  2010-08-11 13:27:29   (8011).
  13. Some Collections created at various Discipline levels were not appearing in the Security window, they now appear.  2010-08-11 17:03:43   (8020).
  14. Whole Collections that are deleted are now actually erased in Specify System Configuration. 2010-08-12 11:22:36   (8007).
  15. Deleting a Specify agent record which corresponds to a Specify user is no longer allowed. One can delete a Specify user, but the corresponding agent record remains linked to records that that user created or edited.  2010-08-16 12:14:26   (8026).
  16. Adding a Discipline duplicated the Administrator user's agent in search results.  2010-08-16 12:20:05   (8012).
  17. Using LSID Preferences no longer causes an error.  2010-08-16 12:36:58   (8015).
  18. The 'View' window in the Specify WorkBench can now be opened more than once.  2010-08-16 13:23:44   (7788).
  19. In the Specify WorkBench, after using the 'View' option to see records being uploaded into Specify, using 'Commit' to complete the transaction, successfully committed the records, but failed to show a confirmation dialog--it now shows that confirmation.  2010-08-16 13:26:54   (7787).
  20. Updates to the Specify schema initiated by the Specify installation/updater package no longer causes previously unhidden fields to become hidden.  2010-08-16 13:28:24   (7997).
  21. Agent records are now uploaded correctly into Specify from the Specify WorkBench.   2010-08-16 13:29:18   (7789).
  22. Importing "agent-only" fields into the WorkBench with fields from other tables is no longer permitted.  2010-08-16 13:42:00   (7945).
  23. An error preventing uploading Agent-only datasets with attachments was resolved.  2010-08-16 16:04:22   (8018).
  24. New Information Requests now bring up a dialog allowing the user to select a Recordset or enter Catalog Number as sources.  2010-08-16 13:44:09   (7993).
  25. In security, one can now edit the default permissions for the default user in each security category (Guest, Manager, etc.)  2010-08-16 13:48:06   (7987).
  26. An exception is no longer created if a non-existent file name is specified for importing into the WorkBench.  2010-08-16 13:49:19   (7999).
  27. Tooltips were improved for new security-user buttons.  2010-08-16 13:54:21   (7191).
  28. Preference Pane for Loans was enabled in Security for user groups.  2010-08-16 13:55:29   (7295).
  29. Querying "Start Date (Month)" on a form with a "0" before the month number (e.g. "01" for January, "02" for February) no longer causes an exception.  2010-08-16 13:57:39   (7935).
  30. One can no longer add or delete Collection Objects to/from Accession records when the Accession records are in View mode.  2010-08-16 13:59:28   (7800).
  31. Exporting to MS Excel in the Query Results is now functioning correctly.  2010-08-16 14:00:12   (7294).
  32. Security no longer has redundant Tools for "Collection Relationships" and "Edit Collection Relationships".  2010-08-16 14:00:58   (8004).
  33. One can now print the search results grid from a RecordSet.  2010-08-16 14:05:11   (7956).
  34. A feature allowing users to see to which Loans a Collection Object is attached was implemented (requires manually modifying forms' XML).  2010-08-16 15:17:31   (6400).
  35. Divisions can now be deleted.  2010-08-16 15:21:57   (7884).
  36. Uploads from the WorkBench to Specify containing a Preparation agent but not PrepType no longer stop.  2010-08-16 15:24:45   (7866).
  37. One cannot delete their own login "user" in security while they are logged in to Specify as that user. This prevents the unexpected and unnoticed virtual disappearance of collection managers.  2010-08-16 15:39:00   (8030).
  38. One can now change the names of Tree rank/column/level names ("Tree definition items).  2010-08-16 15:49:10   (7981).
  39. Opening the WorkBench no longer impacts the behavior of the search results page. 2010-08-17 09:49:59   (8034).
  40. Attaching an existing agent to a new Specify user in Security no longer duplicates that agent in search results.  2010-08-17 10:33:31   (8031).
  41. Users could not add a third division after adding a second division from the perspective of a single division.  2010-08-17 14:35:01   (8032)
  42. In Specify, all users with logins and passwords are also recorded as agents in the Specify Agent table. When adding a user to a newly created Division, Specify will now look for an existing Division which contains an agent record for that user. If the user's agent record already exists in another Division, Specify will clone the agent record and add it to the new Division. Specify will no longer create multiple, independent copies of a agent records for Specify users. (Although this would be one way to boost our user numbers).   2010-08-17 12:34:38   (8027).
  43. After adding a new Discipline, the agent record for a cloned Administrator user no longer appears twice in search results.  2010-08-16 12:20:05  (8012).

Changes to the Specify database schema in this release:

  1. Agent Table
      A new byte field Date Type to indicate what the Date represents
      Made the Birth and Death Date partial dates
  2. Address Table
      Added 3 additional address lines of length 64
  3. Locality
      Added extra field Text1 - String 255 chars
      Added Text2 - String 255
  4. Locality Detail Table
      Added Start Depth, Units, Verbatim fields
      Added End Depth, Units, Verbatim fields
  5. Paleo Context Table
      Added ChronosstratigraphyEnd
      Lengthed text fields to 255
  6. Preparation Attributes Table
      Changed the length of the Text22 field to 50
  7. Geologic Time Period Table
      Added Text1 - String 128
      Added Text2 - String 128
  8. Data tables and fields for specimen image description added for future integration with Morphbank (www.morphbank.net)