Hellmansoft/Blog

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.

I’ve posted another Beta version of Planbook for Mac. You can grab the update using the autoupdater built into previous Beta releases or by downloading directly from Hellmansoft.This update addresses issues that could cause a crash during the initial sync of a Planbook file, leaving an incomplete school year on the PlanbookConnect servers.

If this bug affected you and you are left with an incomplete set of data on the servers, please do the following to remedy the problem.

1. Log into your account at PlanbookConnect

2. Use the “Personal Info” link at the top of the screen to navigate to your settings.

3. Click “Purge File”. This will remove all traces of your file from the PlanbookConnect servers.

4. Using the new Planbook beta, please sync your file again.

5. After the sync process completes, verify that all your lessons are present online.

As you participate in the Planbook Beta, it would be most helpful if you could copy any crash reports that you see into an email and send it my way. Thanks!

The beta process and bug smashing continues for the 2.5 release of Planbook. 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 this release are as follows:

• Attachments and Assignments now copy correctly when dragging and dropping lessons


• The library in the inspector now sorts lessons and attachments alphabetically


• The daily report now opens to the current day when chosen from the reports menu.

Thanks and, as always, please don’t hesitate to provide feedback (especially using the new help-menu tool) about Planbook!

The next beta is here, as promised. You can grab it right here or, if you’re already using a previous 2.5 beta, from the built in auto-updater. 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 this release are as follows:

• Planbook now includes a mechanism to provide feedback within the application. Use the “Help” menu, “Send Feedback” menu item to send feedback direct to me with bugs, suggestions or support requests.


• Fixed an issue with deleting assignments


• Fixed an issue regarding drag and drop standards application in the full screen editing mode


• Fixed an issue where, when adding web links to an assignment, you could not cancel the action

Thanks and, as always, please don’t hesitate to provide feedback (especially using the new help-menu tool) about Planbook!

As work progresses on the Planbook 2.5 Beta, a user requested the ability to send feedback directly from within the application itself. I’m happy to report that I’ve found an easy way to include a feedback tool in Planbook and all future releases will include the ability to:

• File helpful bug reports
• Enter feature requests
• Ask for support

Best of all, for me at least, adding this support was quick (less than 10 minutes) and will allow me to collect all the reports in a easy to reference format. If you’re a Mac developer, I highly recommend that you check out Wolf Rentzsch’s JRFeedbackReport framework. There’s a wonderful screencast available at Clickable Bliss that shows just how quick and easy it is to get running.

Sending feedback will be enabled in the next beta release of Planbook 2.5, which should arrive later tonight or tomorrow. I’m looking forward to hearing from even more of Planbook’s users and making Planbook more user friendly, powerful and elegant.

PlanbookConnect, my service for publishing lesson plans from the desktop Planbook application to the web without the need for complicated FTP settings or a MobileMe account, is ready for beta testing. To signup to beta test PlanbookConnect, please:

• Visit PlanbookConnect and enter your e-mail address to enter the beta testing queue. You will be given an invitation as quickly as possible.
• Download the beta version of Planbook for Mac. This Planbook release adds two major features- the ability to sync with PlanbookConnect and assignments with assigned and due dates as well as file handouts.


• PlanbookConnect will be available for Windows users with the next release of that application

What is PlanbookConnect?

PlanbookConnect is a way for Teachers and other Educators to share lesson plans, assignments and homework with students, parents and other education professionals. It’s simple, requiring only a username and password to setup, and allows control over what is made available for public view. You can choose the classes you want others to see as well as the particular aspects of the plans that should be made public. When logged in to your account, all of your lesson information is available for your own personal use.

Right now, PlanbookConnect is a one way tool enabling educators to communicate with those who need information. As the service grows, I envision a site where educators can communicate with each other, share information and become even better teachers.

To see what PlanbookConnect looks like, please visit my listing on the site.