EBME Forums Forums Maintenance Biomed Databases A New Project

Just to let folk know that 11.05 is now available for downloading.

As usual, it would be nice to hear* from anyone who encounters any problems, finds any bugs, or has any good ideas for further development.

* Email preferred.

OK, a daft bug has already come to light on 11.05.

If you call "Recent reports" using Alt+6 all you will ever get is a blank form. Not good.

Luckily the fix for this is an easy one:-

1) Close TM
2) Go to the TM\Data directory
3) Delete XTM_Rcnt.*
4) Restart TM
5) Answer [OK] to the "Missing Datafile" message
6) Let TM go about its business

Then (once you have called a couple of Reports at Alt+4) Alt+6 should surprise you with pleasing results!

Mea culpa as usual. But these things happen (and no doubt there will be a few more). Meanwhile, the offending datafile structure has now been corrected for inclusion in the next revision.

Onward!

Well, 'tis that time of year once again (yes, it's the Winter Solstice tomorrow) ... about which I have nothing more to add than what I said four years ago:-


Meanwhile, I notice that folk continue to steadily download the famous TaskMaster program. Very good. But I should advise that a revision is in the offing which includes a fair number of detailed improvements. I had been hoping to have it all done by this time but it's still not quite ready yet. If anyone wants to try it "as is" just get in touch, otherwise please be patient until in gets tacked up in the Downloads section on here.

Just to announce that Huw has kindly tacked up the latest offering to be unleashed upon the unsuspecting world.

Users of earlier versions (even of the DOS variety) may be interested to learn that I have incorporated (what is hopefully) an easy method of successfully "copying across" old data into the latest database structures. It worked OK on my old stuff (some of which, as you may imagine, goes back to the dawn of time, PM-wise at least).

I am pondering what to do next with the TaskMaster project.

In recent years various people have suggested things like:-

1) A "freshening" (of the appearance, presumably) of the whole program
2) A re-write in MS Access
3) A re-write for mobile platforms (Android and such)
4) Re-configuration into a web-based application

All those points (and others) may have merit, but to carry it forward in any shape or form would take an investment in time (that mainly), new hardware and (possibly) software that I may not be able to summon from my own (limited) resources.

So I am looking for ideas, suggestions and/or proposals ... but beyond that, possible collaboration and indeed someone (or a group) willing to take on the whole thing, and develop it further.

If someone wants to make an offer for the source code, then feel free to do so (eg, via PM). The code has been written in MS Visual FoxPro 9.0 so you would need to have that (database programming language) available. Up until now I have been happy to publish the program on a free-of-charge basis, but be clear that the source code is the result of thousands of hours of work, and cannot be simply given away.

If I fail to generate any interest along those lines, and in the absence of some form of sponsorship to carry on with maintenance and development myself, then the program shall probably just be left "as is" and simply allowed to wither on the vine.

I have just noticed the 1,000th download of TM.

And I must say that I'm truly amazed.

Further to my post of 17th April, what I have decided to do is this:-

In order to preserve the legacy of TM, and offer a route forward (to be followed or not, as the case may be) I am putting together a simple package comprising what I am calling the TDK (TaskMaster Development Kit).

Armed with the TDK, anyone with MS Visual FoxPro 9.0 available to them shall be able to access all original files (programs, forms, datafiles etc.) and fiddle about with (er, I mean develop) them to their heart's content.

I am thinking in terms of a number (less than ten, I should imagine) of .zip files (TDK_01, TDK_02 etc.) that may be shared as email attachments. I hope to have a preliminary set ready within a few days.

If anyone is interested in having those files to play about with, please get in touch.

Later on, and once any initial "teething problems" have been ironed out, I may ask Huw to post the TDK at the Downloads page (if it is agreed that that would be a good idea).

Meanwhile, and as always, I'm open to suggestions "from the floor" ...

I have put together the TDK and got it wrapped up into a single 9 Meg .zip file.

If anyone is interested in having a go with this, feel free to get in touch by PM or email.

TDK also made good cassetes didn't they?
Robert

Check out the latest revision.

Compiled using the TDK, but too large to fit on a cassette tape.