Hellmansoft/Blog

Just a quick break from some long hours writing code to open up the opportunity to beta test the Planbook for iPad application. Drop me an email at jeff@hellmansoft.com and I’ll add you to the list of testers.

In order to test Planbook for iPad you (obviously) must have an iPad. While the app can be used without the accompanying desktop application, I’m hoping that at least some of the testers will use both versions of the program. So, if you have a Dropbox account as well as the desktop (Mac only) version of Planbook that would be a big help. The beta testing process for iPad applications is more involved than a regular application simply because of the requirement that your iPad be “provisioned” to run the program before it is available in the App Store. This doesn’t require “jailbreaking” or anything like that. If you are approved as a tester, I’ll send you a provisioning file. You’ll install that onto your iPad so that you are able to install the pre-release version of Planbook on your iPad.

I hope to have versions suitable for testing this weekend. Thanks for any help you can provide.

I have finally made a beta release of Planbook 2.5 available for download. You can access the Beta by downloading it here.  Planbook 2.5 will open files created by earlier versions of Planbook, but once saved in the new version they cannot be reopened in the old version.

The beta release includes a number of new features, including:

• Sync to PlanbookConnect and make plans available online for your use as well as others (free account required).
• Track standards using the full screen editing mode
• Assign times to your lessons
• Create custom days
• Greatly improved saving
• Tagging lessons
• Lots of bug fixes

There are still a couple of features left to implement in 2.5 (including a standards report, the ability to quickly change the times for the lessons on a single day and some beautification), but for the most part, the 2.5 release is ready to go.

That said, Planbook 2.5 for Windows is currently Beta.  Please backup all data files appropriately.

Please send any and all feedback directly to jeff@hellmansoft.com

When I first wrote Planbook for Windows, there was a complicated system for using nested keywords to keep track of anything you wanted in regards to your lessons. This never worked as well as I’d like, and certainly wasn’t particularly useful when tracking standards. The small space available simply wasn’t up to the challenge.

In Planbook 2.5, I’ve added a dedicated standards tracking mode which is accessible by double clicking any lesson. You can manage your available standards, and apply them to your lessons from one easy to use screen. You can, if you’d like, even discuss how the lesson met the standard you applied. Lessons can, of course, have as many standards as you’d like applied. Standards can be nested to create a smooth organizational system.

Planbook 2.5 also has a new report focused solely on standards. You choose a class and a standard (or folder of standards) and Planbook will show you a printable report with all the lessons with that standard applied.

That said, I think there’s still a reason to have a simpler tagging system to keep organized. Planbook 2.5 will also give you the ability to “tag” lessons with any word or phrase you like. Tags can be applied to any lesson and you can, of course, print out all the lessons with a tag in a few mouse clicks.

All in all, these two improvements (and many others) should really help Planbook for Windows become an even more effective planning tool.

Keep your eyes out for a beta later this month- if you’d like to be notified when the beta testing period opens, please join the Planbook for Windows Google Group

Like many, I’m anxiously awaiting my iPad to arrive- partially to play around but mainly to see if I can use it to create some useful software for teachers. While I know that Apple isn’t likely to let me get mine early, it’s tough to keep my hopes in check when it’s so close. If it really does make it to Eugene early tomorrow, maybe UPS could be kind enough to drop one of at my house?

And, yes, as of writing this UPS seems to be displaying tracking information about dates in the future. I haven’t ever seen that before so I’d guess something’s a bit wonky (hence the shipping exception) with the iPad delivery system.

Last week was spring break here in Oregon and after taking a few days off to start, I spent the remainder of the time working hard on polishing up Planbook and PlanbookConnect. Late in the week, Planbook 2.5 went final for Mac. This update includes the long awaited PlanbookConnect syncing and the introduction of assignments as a way to track work given out during class.

You can grab the 2.5 update using your built in auto-updater or directly here.

There’s a whole laundry list of new features and bug fixes which you can check out in the release notes.

As always, your feedback is much appreciated and vital to Planbook’s continued improvement.

While the recent posts have detailed the imminent release of Planbook 2.5 for Mac, I have steadily been making progress on the massive update to Planbook for Windows that will bring in all of the great new features in Planbook for Mac.

As proof, I include the screen shot seen to the right.  Please notice that assignments and tags are already functional.  Additionally, adding standards and applying them to lessons is functional.  I’m working hard to make PlanbookConnect.com syncing work.

While deadlines are hard to set in the software world, especially when trying to teach at the same time, I hope to release a beta version of 2.5 for Windows before spring break (March 20th).  Planbook 2.5 for Windows will be a free upgrade for current Planbook users.

As always, contact me with questions.

Just a brief note to say that I’ve released a new 2.5 beta (250001) that fixes an issue with the month view displaying incorrect dates for lessons.  I’ve also continued to improve the look of the month view.

You can grab the update here or using the auto-updater built in to previous versions of 2.5

As always, feel free to drop me an e-mail with any suggestions.

 

I’ve made a number of updates to the last beta version of Planbook.  You can download this version here, or use the autoupdater built in to the previous builds of the Planbook beta.  Most notably, the changes in this RC include:

• You can now show and hide the left sidebar to get more screen space for editing using a menu item or key command.
• A number of keyboard shortcuts have been restored for navigation.
• The month view look and feel has been improved.
• Attachments to either lessons or assignments can be removed by right clicking on them (or holding ctrl and clicking with a one button mouse).
• Lesson templating has returned.  You can now use what you enter for a particular lesson as a template for others in that course.
• Other bug fixes.

I hope to release the final 2.5 soon.  Please, as always, let me know about any bugs that you discover.  Thanks!

I’ve released another new beta for Planbook 2.5. This restores a few features I forget to put back including the ability to use a lesson as a template by right or ctrl clicking on it. It also brings back the keyboard navigation shortcuts.

We’re getting very close the final 2.5 release so please keep making use of the feedback reporter tool to help out and ensure that Planbook 2.5 is as good as possible.

Enjoy- download from www.hellmansoft.com/files/planbook25.zip.

Another week, another beta.

You can grab the latest update to the Beta using the built in updater found in previous versions of 2.5, or you can grab it right here. As with all beta software, please be sure that you’re creating effective backups of your data files as using beta software carries inherent risks.

The fixes in the release are as follows:

• Fixed issue when using the calendar to select a day that does not include lessons


• Fixed issue surrounding not removing attachments when overwriting a lesson during a copy operation


• Improved sync reliability with Standards


• Made Library lessons uneditable to prevent issues

As always, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line with any questions or concerns.