Version 7.15.01

This version introduces three new features: Leopard compatibility, Vista Compatibility and an auto update feature.

There have also been the usual number of enhancements and fixes in response to user requests. We are having fun doing these in version 7.

Version 7.12 • Updates

Released Dec 5, 2007

Key changes:

OS-X Leopard compatibility
Vista compatibility
Auto Updater capability for most released

Note: Read prior release notes for any mandatory web pages changes. There are no web page changes and a new web page for this version.

Theatre Manager will

Add some new database fields

Clean up all order notes and shopping cart notes to get rid of spurious CR's and LF's.

Reset the employee toolbar options and add a global setting in employee preferences

Force post some non-financial transactions to improve the speed of end of day.

The user will need to

Before upgrade	Read the release notes for any version prior and follow the directions Stop web sales and close all shopping carts. Complete your end of day. Deposit all funds, create all sales entries and post to the GL. Verify the database using data utilities and ensure that everything is ok. Make a backup copy of the database SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS VERSION (if upgrading from an earlier version): start the old copy of TM. Write down the database name and IP address from the login window (at the bottom). You will need that in step 7 download the Mac or PC installers make sure you get the special serial.txt file sent to you in an email from support on each machine, through out the C:\Program Files\Theatre Manager (PC) -or- applications\Theatre Manager (mac) directories install the appropriate version of TM go into the C:\Program Files\Theatre Manager (PC) -or- applications\Theatre Manager\Contents\MacOS (mac) folders and place the serial.txt file into that directory. start TM and look for the database location on your server by typing in the info you saved from step 1.
After upgrade	You MUST re-serialize each workstation with a new serial number
Optional Steps	Have each user visit their preferences and set the default toolbar settings.
Time Required	About half an hour to upgrade from version 7.06.

Before upgrade

Read the release notes for any version prior and follow the directions
Stop web sales and close all shopping carts.
Complete your end of day. Deposit all funds, create all sales entries and post to the GL.
Verify the database using data utilities and ensure that everything is ok.
Make a backup copy of the database

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS VERSION (if upgrading from an earlier version):

start the old copy of TM. Write down the database name and IP address from the login window (at the bottom). You will need that in step 7
download the Mac or PC installers
make sure you get the special serial.txt file sent to you in an email from support
on each machine, through out the C:\Program Files\Theatre Manager (PC) -or- applications\Theatre Manager (mac) directories
install the appropriate version of TM
go into the C:\Program Files\Theatre Manager (PC) -or- applications\Theatre Manager\Contents\MacOS (mac) folders and place the serial.txt file into that directory.
start TM and look for the database location on your server by typing in the info you saved from step 1.

After upgrade

You MUST re-serialize each workstation with a new serial number

Optional Steps

Have each user visit their preferences and set the default toolbar settings.

Time Required

About half an hour to upgrade from version 7.06.

7.15.01 Changes (Dec 5)

A major enhancement in this version is Leopard and Vista compatibility regarding menu display, toolbars, installation, etc. While a lot of this is under the hood, you can see examples of this in some parts of Theatre Manager. For example, under the help menu in Leopard, if you type some search word (in this case users), then you can scroll down the help and it will point out where in the application those menus are. Its a very nifty feature.

Also new to this version is prompts on each screen in almost all of the text fields. If a field is empty and if it made sense, we have placed some entry aids. These appear in a light gray behind the field (see example below). Once you type something into the field, the entry prompt goes away. You will see this in lists, detail windows, reporting system, criteria, mail lists - everywhere.

Auto-Update Process

A very non-visual feature has been added to Theatre Manager. If you download the update and install it on one machine, the key part of the application (theatre.lbs) is compressed and stored in the database. Next time other users login to Theatre Manager, it might go a little slower the first time because it is retrieving the latest copy of the application from the database. It will then replace the existing theatre.lbs on the machine and start the user with the latest version. We anticipate that this will make version updates a fair bit easier.

The user must have read/write access to the 'startup' directory inside the 'Theatre Manager' directory. This should be the situation by default.