What’s New 2006
Update log for 2006
From the VAS Programming Labs
This document contains a summary of changes for Dairy Comp and its variants for the year 2006. The VAS Programming labs have logged over 1000 changes during the 2006. While, as usual, many of these changes are just us fixing things we ourselves broke, it does appear once again that overall we did get some work done.
This is meant to summarize and add some detail and description to the usual logs we produce during the year. We tried to remove as much geek speak as possible, but it is still pretty dry and we have no problems with those of you who choose to ignore this completely. This is written by the programming staff, and they make us write this every year, but they don’t pay us for our literary skills.
Remember there are many “Tech Notes” posted on the Help Desk at www.vas.com which describe some of these features in more detail. And the newsletter that comes with this update is much more useful than this.
Operating System
Warning
As of August 2005, ALL versions of Dairy Comp now require Windows 98 or later. It may be that Windows 98 will soon become unsupported, but for now all of our stuff still works fine under Win 98. That said, we recommend Windows XP. We have not completed testing under Windows Vista, initial testing looks OK but we cannot guarantee it yet.
Current Projects
A Client Server network version is in full release. It allows data entry from multiple sites using a single shared cowfile. If you are interested in a network version please contact your support person.
Together these projects move us towards a distributed system, one where instead of one user sitting in front of one computer where the data are stored, we have multiple users processing remote data from multiple sources, not knowing or even caring where the data might actually be.
Since 1946 there have been no bugs in Dairy Comp.
Incredibly Tedious List of Program Changes and Fixes
DCLIENT/AXIM
- fix sending HEAT entered via BRED in DCCLIENT
- (Server) refresh cowfile after each LOGON
- Better support for multiherd client/server use ; maintain proper transactions after LOGON
- display cowfilename and date/time in error listing
- (Axim) support hospital lists (\H)
- (Axim) support for adding new cows
- (Axim) support for sold/died and CAR codes
- (Server) support optional sending server DCMENU to clients
- allow immediate processing of *all* held events when called directly with SERVER\H
- allow readonly monitor in DCCLIENT (viewing only)
- allow FRESH from Axim
- support ADD command for clients
iLoop
- Internet access to loop files is now available.
- Iloop is working quite well and is now available for FTECH.
Programwide
- split into two buttons for Notepad or Excel report imports
- Handle Item type 57 - Pen Label (Op1 is item, usually PEN )
- Add item type 12: 0.00-2.55
- better and more complete creation of backup files (Autobackups, testers, consultants)
- (graph printing) fix legend when printing multiple graphs
- add button on activity log tab to search DCLOG files
- release item type 68
- implement a file browse save dialog for SAVE\C and SAVE\T
Daily Milk
{Daily milk is not documented here)
Other programwide fixes
- hooks for French translation
- even smarter repro recalcs when deleting/changing events
ABSORB
- better smarter faster ABSORBs
Note for consultants :
The analysis commands (BREDSUM, EVENTS etc) select cows differently based on presence of ARC files. ABSORB now sets a flag when a file is created via ABSORB so that the program knows that arc records exists in this file due to the ABSORB of arc files, and it will “see” them properly. This flag is cleared by CLEANUP (if CLEANUP is ever run, which is not likely in consultant or FTECH files), so all in all this will provide more accurate analysis results post-absorb.
ALTER
[Pens] support pen labels
[Vet] display item names for VC and VETC in ALTER5 header
[Items] Check for item that exceeds item space
[Commands] only change DCMENU when delete abbrev - fix random menu changes
[items] fix truncated printing of item usage report
[Items] do not allow item name same as event name, or BULL, or reserved command, or TInnn
[Commands] new improved report title management and purging; Allows 252 titles for V5.
[DairyInfo] allow setting last male calfid to zero (turns off separate male ID sequence)
[Items] strip blanks from item names
[Pens] Record Bull Pen event if change to bull pen
[Items] Add item type 41 - DateTime
BREDSUM
- Fix interval analysis with date range
- Handle 3-digit studs
- Fix cross tabs with sires
CHKFILE
- do not flag pen mismatch as error "fixed" when in ARC files
- Fix picking correct duplicate IDs
- allow browsing cowcards from Display ATab (CHKFILE\11)
- start duplicate re-id sequence at either 10000 or else 1000 + highest ID (was 10000)
- new option to display all records in all files for a given cow (helps with ID reuse and lost arc records)
CLEANUP
- CREATE if created in multiherd named with a herdid, put herdid to new cowfile
- remove message suggestion about deleting arc files
- CLEANUP\Qnnnn quick resize to nnnn
- *always* put BAK and ARC files to same directory as cowfile (ignore settings unless drive "X" for no arcs)
CLONE
- clone pen labels along with pens
- Allow cloning Cow Value table
CONVERT
- open up iLoop for
- convert\v5 all ARC files too
- allow CONVERT\V5O in a batch command
ECON
- allow item named EASE to remove prompt for ECON\B calving ease report
- display full command used in ECON\ID graph
- fix ECON\SP picklist for picking test date
- Show report in report mode
- remove limit in ECON dead; fix click ardat display in ECON dead report
- Add purchases into inventory
- Ignore if missing weekly milk weights
EGRAPH
- Allow EGRAPH event event ...
- Allow batch printing; \Z show table first
- Fix AV if table click; fix click for calves and by dates
ENTER
- ENTER\K FOR ... disallow entry of cow not meeting condition list
- show protocol in act log
- trim REM from protocol before prompting it
- XID : also fix cows in arc files
- correctly default EID picking when called inside fresh tab calf prompting
- display current pen in MOVE events
- trap new ID range error using XID ID=xxxx
- Allow EC=COD1 too
- Never shorten last treat date
- improve ditto key logic, display ditto status
- Force MOVE event if different premise
- Warn if ENTER into BAK or ARC file
- No change in recheck date if protocol recheck int is 0
- do not increment or use the “last tag” if it is set specifically to “0” in ALTER\11
- display tech and code in BRED activity logging
- (ABORT) Always start a new lactation if dry - do not ask
- do not add a bullpen event if cow already has one
- do not use/update Male Calf ID sequence if it's zero (in ALTER11)
- fix bullcalf rpro setting for twins (when 1 = dead F, 2 = Live M)
- show which calf id being entered in other twins
- warn if doing SOLD/DIED with EDAY > TDAT
- clarify twin code item, if calf is a twin, update TWCOD or TWIN named items first (with “T”)
- Interpret * as ditto key for entering same data into next cow (See Ditto TNote)
- Allow plus and minus to increment/decrement numeric entries, dates, and reg/tag fields
- better min/max range checking when entering numeric item values
EPLOT
- Scatter data points instead of grouping by month
EXAM (Cowcards)
- try both REG and USDA for dcpic JPG file location
- display protocol number in event flyover hint
EVENTS
- Add sold column to calf report (now prints compressed)
- Handle aborts that *start* lactations
- properly display totals > 32767
- better handling of open and preg
- Allow table by item (MOFSH), not just week or DIM
- *Always* search arcs; preserve FOR
FILEIN / FILEOUT
- Store ME Factor on new cows
- allow any numeric in filename not just 1..9, eg allow FILEOUT \C1234 = "c:fileout1234.prn"
- trap leading spaces in dates in csv files
- FILEOUT\..FC put a comma after the herdcode
GETCOW / PUTCOW
- allow \S for manual copy too - not just condition list (“FOR”)
- use full cowfile pathname as default when prompting for destination cowfile dir
LIST / SHOW
- Show breakdown for one char sorts (eg .. BY CBRD)
- allow cowcard report browsing from vetlist too
- fix display of large items in totals (type 20, 86 etc)
LOGON
- catch attempted LOGONs to a cowfile already opened by a different process
MONITOR
- display TOT totals divided by 10 until they are < 32000 (prevent overflow)
- allow some more complex constraints (eg allow “FDAT>1/1/02”)
- allow type 25 value constraints
- fix menu display for Scout jump to MONITOR from cowcard
- display all parameters, not just defined ones
OVSYNCH
- Not documented here, but lots of improvements in OVSYNCH logic
PREPARE
- New version PREPARE, cleaner interface, full support of ISO long IDs
SAVE
- trap error when adding cowfile to zip fails
SEMINV
- partially link fix but still not completely working. Sire Linking is unstable due to continuing changes in sire file formats.
- Add a setting to NOT update costs from sire file linking
- Continually loop when editing bulls until <Esc>
SETUP
- Let <esc> close setup form
SIRES
- Do not set price as a minimum for Bulls Eye
- Handle “Available” status from NAAB
SUM
- fix display issues for long sire names and ISO IDs
- fix display of large subtotals
STATUS
- allow clicking to fix bad last RECEIVE date
- display autobackup settings
VIEW
- allow VIEW to open PDF and DOC files too
DHI
[please note : Not all DHI changes are detailed here.]
PREPARE
- New PREPARE for DNL and ISO ID support
RECEIVE\G
- Allow import of xx.xx weights; \O forces US seps