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Introducing Flower Genie 3
Upgrade Log and brief description of new features
Upgrade to Flower Genie 3 Choose Option 7a or 7b on the BUY page
Read the upgrade instructions About Program Updates and Version Upgrades
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Computer technology never stands still, and those of you who keep in close contact will know that I work at my software continuously to make improvements.
This document is to announce two important upgrades made to Flower Genie, both released in 2007.
Flower Genie users who are members of our Ideas Genie Community Forum (its YOUR forum) may have followed my notes in the Flower Genie Whats New
board, and done the downloads offered to implement some of the new features mentioned in the following notes for Flower Genie Version 2.
For those interested, click here for more “light reading” . My Development Notes
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Flower Genie Version 2
Released January 2007
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Summary of new Features in Flower Genie 2
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- All programs recompiled in Visual Foxpro Version 9
- Web links typed or pasted into text regions are now activated
Click on a web link in your notes to re-visit a web site.
- New programming techniques applied to achieve full screen display - for all screen resolution settings
- Choose your preferred font size - applies to all screens
- Program Plants and Gardens - FG037 revised to allow Flower Genie users to explore the new Master Database on CD, and to Copy plants from the CD to their own database on hard disc
- Slide show feature added to Plants and Gardens - FG037 - cool!
- Configurable Check boxes in Plant Profile screen - FG100S40
Before, you were limited to a fixed number of check-boxes in 3 groups - Good Things, Beware things, and Properties
Now, you can add, edit and delete check boxes.
e..g. Attracts humming birds, attracts butterflies etc
Theres no limit to the number of check boxes you can add
- In Plant Profile screen - FG100S40, Check boxes now have memo fields
When you click a check box, you can now include notes, or active links to a web page
- In Plant Profile screen - FG100S40, notes in memo fields are shown in a pop-up window when you mouse-over the field
Examples - the Colour field, Hardiness, Sun requirements etc
Any field with memo type data storage (no limit to the number of characters you type)
- The mouse-over trick also works for the new style Check boxes
- Extra Memo type fields in screen Plant Profile screen - FG100S40
e.g. Bought from
- + (plus) buttons beside memo type fields AND check boxes in Plant Profile screen - FG100S40
When you click on a + button, a small edit window appears, and you can type in your notes
e.g. same fields as in previous bullet items above
- A Help button prominently positioned in screen Plant Profile screen - FG100S40
Descibes all the new features in that screen, and how to add check boxes
- Additional options provided in the reports FG016 and FG034
- Re-vamp of the Quick Link Photos - FG030 program
a) Additional folder display options under the Find folders with photos tab in screen FG030S01.
b) Navigation arrows in FG030S01 - allows you
to quickly click forwards/backwards through all the photos in a folder, and a button to show the selected photo full screen
c) Title suggestion buttons in screen FG030S03 (link a photo to a plant)
Quick, and saves a lot of typing. You click one of the 4 buttons (options) to fill the title with a commonly used title. The options give:- a) Close up of single flower b) View showing a number of flower
heads c) General view of plant and d) View of the foliage.
i.e. names I use frequently as titles for my photos
- A new Calculate Usage button under the Find folders with photos tab in screen FG030S01
Click the Calculate Usage button and 4 important things are shown for each folder in the list:
a)
If folder is found. If its not found on a c: drive folder then it doesn't exist. If it indicates "not found" for an external drive, then the external drive, CD or Flash may not be connected. Once
connected, that status will change.
b) Number of photos which you have linked in that folder
c) The Number of Garden Photos linked in that folder
d) The Number of Plant photos linked
in that folder
- You can now "Right Click and edit" under the Find folders with photos tab in screen FG030S01. Another screen appears.
You can edit the path, or browse for a new path.
This allows you to move photos (theres a Show button to let you see them) to another location or drive, and then change the path to the NEW folder location.
In such a case, you can select that path (folder) and change the folder name to the new folder name.
All your photo linking will then work (I hope!)
- Again, under the Find folders with photos tab in screen FG030S01
You can delete folders from the list.
Be careful!! It allows you to delete folders which have linked photos!
You can delete the "bad" folders.
This will remove (delete) all link references to that folder, from Plants and Garden areas to that folder.
Thus, File (photo) not found messages can be easily
dealt with, in the case where Plants and Photos have been rendered as linked to "bad" folders due to the images being moved to external drive or another folder.
- Additional Photo types now supported (Due to VFP9)
e.g. can now handle TIFF image files
- Extensive development to the Bi-lingual features in Flower Genie
a) Language translation programs revised
b) On-screen Flags introduced, buttons with a picture of a Flag - click on Flag
to switch from English to Second Language. You can choose the flag of your country in Preferences!
Note: André (Belgium) has translated all the captions for Flower Genie into Dutch
- You can switch data sources
You can make an alternative data source by simply using the Backup Program - FG201 to do a backup of your live data to another folder (Usually to a Flash Disc)
A new program
FG026 allows you to operate the SWITCH. In effect, you close the normal database on your computer, and open the other data source.
Thus, you can SWITCH and work directly on the Flash Disc with any computer with Flower Genie installed.
Restoring the data from Flash onto the second computer is optional.
- You can set Flower Genie to SWITCH to an alternative folder on start-up.
This is an extension of the feature described in the previous bullet item.
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Flower Genie Version 3
Released August 2007
Upgrade to Flower Genie 3 Choose Option 7a or 7b on the BUY page
Read the upgrade instructions About Program Updates and Version Upgrades
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This began as an enforced upgrade, due to the introduction of Window Vista by Microsoft, installed by default on most new computers in 2007. Version 2 did actually work fine with Vista,
but data files were virtualised. I considered this to be unsatisfactory and decided to make the software fully compliant with this new system.
I arrived at a very neat solution, and managed to design the
system to be universal - the same CD (or download) will work for all versions of Windows.
The biggest hurdle (entailing major re-development) was the Vista requirement that data files and programs could not
reside in the same folder structure.
Data files must be located under the “User” folder umbrella.
Like many developers, Ive always located data fIles and programs in one central location. It made
distribution of a) program updates, and b) data file changes (to Help, Tutrorials, Captions, Language Translations etc) very simple.
I was concerned that Flower Genie 3 users would be unable to locate their
own data files (essential when planning backups) in this new installation.
I managed to solve that problem by reworking the programs used to allow you to work with folders
Enhancements to the SWITCH data source feature
A number of advanced users are now using the SWITCH feature - carrying their Flower Genie data on a Flash disc.
I’ve updated the
Flower Genie start-up procedure to make the SWITCH on start-up feature fail- safe. Flower Genie 3 will start up, even if the SWITCH data source (e.g. Flash) is not plugged in, giving you a reminder message and
allowing you to gracefully exit the program while you plug in the Flash, or SWITCH to a Flower Genie data source on the computer.
Finally, I added three more Information Items to the About Flower Genie -
FG200 program, giving what I hope you will agree is “total visibility”.
Summary of new Features in Flower Genie 3
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- Windows Vista Compliant
- Flower Genie programs continue to be installed by default in Program files folder structure. (i.e. was already Vista compliant)
- Flower Genie data files relocated under the User folder structure ( a requirement by Windows Vista, but our Flower Genie 3 solution works for all Windows versions)
- Other Windows Vista requirements satisfied
- The SWITCH database feature refined. This feature (among other things) allows you to transport your data between computers on Flash disc.
- Additional Help topics added. Help Topics -FG002
- Redesign of programs where your work with folders and data files:
Switch databases -FG026
System Backup Folders - FG197
Backup Files -BS201
PACK files - FG202
Restore files -BS203
- Additional Information items added to the About Flower Genie - FG200 program, to ensure users know exactly where their programs and data files are located and what data source is
in use.
Print buttons in Help screens and in About Flower Genie - FG200
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