PortaBase

File Release Notes and Changelog

Release Name: 1.7

Notes:
Summary of Changes
------------------
Version 1.7 adds alternating row background colors, a calculator widget for
entering numeric data, string entry fields that can grow in height, better
management of enum options, a Taiwanese translation, and assorted bugfixes.

Installation on the Zaurus
--------------------------
Copy the portabase .ipk file to the Zaurus and install it.  Once installed,
PortaBase can be launched from the Applications tab and the .ipk file may be
safely deleted.

Desktop Versions
----------------
The Windows .exe is an installation program for the Windows version of
PortaBase...just download and run it, and follow the directions.  The
Debian package is for the unstable branch of Debian, and requires
recent packages of qt3 and beecrypt2 to be installed.


Changes:
2003-06-04  JMB  Columns editor bugfix

    Fixed bug in columns editor where editing a column after adding one
    of another type could result in incorrect data being displayed.

2003-06-03  JMB  Taiwanese translation, updated Japanese UI translation

    Added a Taiwanese translation of the UI and help file provided by
    Jeng-Ping Lin.  Also updated the Japanese UI translation to include
    phrases from the color selector dialog and such.

2003-06-02  JMB  Dynamic string entry field bugfixes

    Fixed a few usability problems with the new dynamic string entry
    fields.  A horizontal scrollbar is never shown (it completely obscured
    the text), it no longer defines a minimum width large enough to force
    a horizontal scrollbar in the row editor, and tab and shift+tab can
    once again be used to navigate between fields instead of adding a
    tab to the displayed text.  (If you really want to add a tab, you
    can copy and paste one from elsewhere.)

2003-05-29  JMB  Dynamic multi-line string entry fields, CR-only CSV import

    Text boxes for string fields in the row editor now accept multiple
    lines of input; pressing return causes the height of the input field
    to grow by one row.  This is basically the way that text entry fields
    work in many PalmOS and Psion applications, except that word wrap isn't
    enabled (Qt doesn't estimate the width of text lines accurately enough
    to reliably calculate the number of lines needed).

    PortaBase now correctly imports CSV files which use only carriage
    returns for line endings.  This is the format used by old MacOS versions
    and at least some Psion data export utilities, maybe by other software
    as well.

2003-05-28  JMB  Enum option sorting, import, and export

    Added a button to the enum editor which sorts the enum's options in
    alphabetical order.  Clicking once sorts in ascending order, clicking
    again sorts in descending order.  Helps keep enums with many options
    organized (such as a list of people's names).

    The enum editor also has new import and export buttons.  Export creates
    a text file with each option on a separate line.  Import opens such a
    file and adds to the enum any lines from it which aren't already listed
    as options.

2003-05-24  JMB  Better menu handling in desktop versions

    In at least some versions of Qt3, the menu was present but no text was
    shown.  Now using a more normal display method which seems to work more
    reliably.

2003-05-23  JMB  Alternate row shading, calculator widget

    Even and odd rows now use different background colors to make it easier
    to follow a row across the screen.  The default colors are white and
    light gray, but can be specified via buttons in the Preferences dialog.
    These colors are used in the data viewer, columns editor, view editor,
    and sorting editor.

    At the end of each entry field for a numeric value (type integer or
    decimal), there is a button which will launch a simple calculator,
    starting with the currently displayed value.  Clicking OK will place
    the current result into the entry field.  This makes it easier to enter
    data that needs to be calculated before entry, and is often faster than
    entering a number via the keyboard or an on-screen input method.

2003-04-10  JMB  Windows CSV import bugfix

    In version 1.6, importing a CSV file on the Windows version would produce
    an empty error dialog and fail to update the display even though the
    import was successful; this has been corrected.

2003-04-03  JMB  Enum update bugfix, file overwrite warning

    When the value of an enum was changed, its index wasn't updated in the
    data table, so it was sorted and filtered as if its value hadn't changed;
    this has been corrected.

    The desktop versions now launch a confirmation dialog if you choose an
    existing file when selecting the path to a new PortaBase file.  Useful
    if you accidentally click "New" instead of "Open" and don't realize it.

2003-04-02  JMB  XML export bugfix, desktop import bugfix

    Version 1.6 accidentally exported an element called "gcrypt" indicating
    whether the source file was encrypted or not; this is no longer exported,
    and the XML import will gracefully ignore it if present.

    The desktop version of 1.6 prompted for a text encoding even when
    importing XML files and MobileDB files; this wasn't necessary and is
    no longer done.