ChurchInfo / News: Recent posts

There is a new version of ChurchInfo under development right now, focusing primarily on compatibility with the newer versions of PHP. Please contact me if you are interested in testing this new version.

Major new feature: Self-Service Interface

The self-service interface allows members to maintain their own personal
information, enter pledges and electronic payment methods, and make immediate
or scheduled electronic donations. This interface is designed to be easily
embedded in a church web site or it can run stand-alone. The starting point
for the self-service interface is SelfRegisterHome.php. ... read more

The primary feature update in Release 1.2.14 is support for new electronic donation processing options Authorize.NET and Vanco. This version also contains many bug fixes, functional improvements and compatibility updates for the newer versions of PHP and MySQL.

To upgrade your existing installation:

-Back up your database using the phpMyAdmin Export feature or mysqldump
-Rename your current installation directory, probably "churchinfo" unless you changed its name
-Unpack the new 1.2.14 distribution into your web server
-Edit the file Include/Config.php in the new installation and copy the settings from this same file in your old installation.
-Copy the Images directory from your old installation to the new installation
-Log into ChurchInfo as usual. The first time you log in it will automatically update your database for the new version.... read more

I have cloned the CVS repository into a new Git repository to facilitate better collaboration among developers. Please let me know promptly if you notice anything odd about this Git repository because the cloning process is relatively easy to repeat until we start to collect new work checked in via Git.

Mike

Michael Wilt
ChurchInfo Team Leader

Version 1.2.11 includes many bug fixes and improved support for localization. The Swedish translation is now available in this release. To upgrade from version 1.2.8 or newer simply install the new PHP code, edit Include/Config.php, and log in. To upgrade from earlier versions you must run scripts in the SQL directory to get up to 1.2.8.

The release candidate is available here:
http://www.churchdb.org/churchinfo-1.2.11.tar.gz
-or-
http://www.churchdb.org/churchinfo-1.2.11.zip

ChurchInfo 1.2.10 is available for evaluation. This version incorporates many bug fixes and new features. The menu is now completely configurable, allowing the administrator to customize the feature set. This also facilitates integration of complete projects, as demonstrated by the optional integration with MBRS (Meeting Room Booking System). The release candidate distribution files are available here: http://www.churchdb.org/churchinfo-1.2.10.tar.gz (.gz format) and http://www.churchdb.org/churchinfo-1.2.10.zip (.zip format). Demo installations are available here: http://www.churchdb.org/churchinfo-1.2.10 and http://www.churchdb.org/churchinfo-1.2.10-mrbs (with MRBS integration enabled). Please try these release candidates and report any problems to the SourceForge bug trackers.

This version contains many bug fixes and a few new features. The Google geocoder is now supported, which generally works better than the previous US-only geocoder. The registration feature has been fixed; please use this feature to register your ChurchInfo installation. The registration information is used strictly to document the usage of ChurchInfo, and is never sold or used for any other purpose. Support for Windows servers is improved in this version, particularly support for emailing directly from ChurchInfo. The Event feature has been improved, but note that MySQL version 4.1 or greator is required to use this feature. A utility has been added ConvertIndividualToFamily.php which may be helpful when upgrading from InfoCentral. ChurchInfo is much more dependent on the Family record than InfoCentral, and individuals need to be in a one-person family.

A demo installation of the upcoming release 1.2.9 is available on www.churchdb.org. Please help us test this version and report any bugs found in the SourceForge bug trackers.