With summer in full swing for many countries, it's time for an exciting new release of farmerswife! In version 7.1 we are happy to introduce a range of fresh looks, both small and significant features in scheduling, budgeting and other areas, enhanced workflows for requests and equipment tracking, and improved interaction with your Artists in Cirkus
Apart from more than 100 new features, our developers also worked hard 👷 on fixing 202 bugs. Let's dive into some highlights now. For the full list of Release Notes click here.
Get ready for a refreshing new look!
Enjoy the new Long Form > Object Tree view. It's fine and fast! If you have multiple bookings on one day the line height of the Object can adjust so you have a better overview. Multi-day bookings are displayed in one and to have it more organised you can now find a cascade view for the Shared Views.
The Long Form > Project tree features a new option to "Auto Sort By Booking Start Date". This will sort the projects so they appear in a nice cascade view based on their first booking start date listed first.
Inventory and staff under control!
The Object Manager now offers improved visibility and organization for your inventory. With the new Edit View option, you can easily customize how information is displayed by showing, hiding, and rearranging columns. Additionally, you can save, load, and remove these customized and shareable Object Manager Views, making it easier to tailor the view to different viewed Object Types.
We have expanded the Equipment Tracking and Management option by integrating Dispatch data columns into the Object Manager. You now can "Open Dispatch" while viewing Equipment/Machines. Additionally, the Object window has been enlarged to provide a quick overview of essential data and includes a detailed "History" of actions.
To control your staff licenses in a more easy way we have added columns for "User License Type" and "Permission Type" columns to the Object Manager. And you can now also export/import the "User Permission Profiles" for your staff.
Are you a global player?
As our customer teams continue to expand their virtual and global presence, spanning across various countries and time zones, the demand for advanced collaboration tools has never been higher.
Explore the extended Multiple Currencies feature, now equipped with the ability to import Object Rates from CSV for various currencies into the Object Manager, offering a quick and convenient setup for optimal efficiency. Read more here.
Keep things separate with Divisions and more Permissions
When using Divisions you can restrict Users from viewing other projects/bookings than those from within their own Division. This is controlled by a new User Permission "User Can Only View Projects From Own Division".
And with new additions to Object Permissions you’re now able to allow Advanced Users to only book Objects in specific Divisions or based on the Objects' Object Classes. Alongside we added an option to the Object Tree to Filter Views by Division and Dispatched Division (for Equipment Tracking) and be able to multi-select Divisions to only see their Objects in the Objects Tree View.
Need some work to get done? Use Requests!
Requests generally allow Users to ask for time off. In 7.1, we have enhanced the functionality to include the option to add multiple approvers or approver groups, and the capability to link a request to multiple bookings. This function caters to workflows where users may need to request work that requires approval from various individuals or teams/groups.
If needed Users can modify Accepted Requests or Cancel Requests. You can also set a maximum Approval Time for Requests, specify an "Urgent Approval Time Limit" and trigger Warnings when Requests are created outside of work hours. Read more here.
Sharing is caring!
In some workflows, when booking a Room, you may select from appropriate "Classes" to indicate the type of work being done. This information can now be used to automatically populate the Booking Name in the Booking window. By enabling the new setting in Toolbox > Settings > Booking Defaults > "Autofill Booking Name From First Object's Activity Or Class" (default Yes/No), the Booking Name will be filled with the selected Activity or Object Class 🌟, ensuring accurate and efficient booking details. Additionally, if there is a matching Booking Name, any associated Custom Fields and Pre-defined Extras will be applied automatically. Read more about this feature and other booking default options here.
We also updated the functionality to allow you to easily add an Object to a Booking simply by double-clicking on the Object in the "Add Involved" prompt within the Booking Window.
The expansion of the Booking Window provides users with a more spacious and user-friendly interface, allowing for easier navigation and a clearer view of all booking details at a glance.
Synchronize with Cirkus for seamless integration!
In addition to moving the Cirkus Sync settings to the fw Client app's Toolbox > Settings section, farmerswife 7.1 introduces enhanced synchronization capabilities. Now, when you rename an Object in farmerswife, the corresponding Cirkus Resource will automatically be updated to reflect the change. Furthermore, if you delete an Object in farmerswife, it will also be removed from Cirkus, ensuring data consistency across platforms. Additionally, the synchronization now includes the "Inactive" flag on Users, preventing the addition of inactive People and Objects to Cirkus and also the ability to sync "Object Custom Fields" allowing you to see/track additional Object information in Cirkus.
The latest update also brings improved support for syncing various data elements between farmerswife and Cirkus. Project Start/End Dates and Binder Start/End Dates can now be seamlessly synchronized between fw Projects and Cirkus Projects/Subprojects as well as Project Markers that can be synced to Milestones in Cirkus so these dates are visible in the Cirkus Projects > Schedule.
Moreover, the synchronization now covers Booking statuses, Class, Activity, and even ad-hoc Time Reports on Bookings/Tasks, ensuring that data is accurately shared between the two platforms. Additionally, when moving Cirkus Bookings/Tasks across Projects, they will automatically change Projects in farmerswife, simplifying workflow management.
With these enhancements, the integration between farmerswife and Cirkus is more robust and efficient than ever before, providing users with a smooth and uninterrupted experience and improved data synchronization.
The addition of features like Public Requests in Cirkus not only enhances the overall user experience but also brings significant benefits to the workflows of both farmerswife and Cirkus users.
Let the equipment flow!
We are introducing a new innovative “Dispatch Workflow” to our EMT option, designed to streamline booking processes by allowing buffer periods for preparation and collection dates and times on Dispatches. These dates can be searched within the Dispatch Module and will convert into tasks for the kit room Dispatch Users enabling them to organize their activities based on these tasks. This facilitates a more organized, streamlined, and efficient workflow. Furthermore, it allows the generation of lists detailing daily responsibilities based on the assigned tasks, like preparation, delivery or collection.
This new workflow is enabled in the Booking default settings, in which a confirmed booking status will now trigger an automatic creation of a Master Check Out and a Master Check In. These will hold preparation and delivery dates for Check Outs and collection and return dates for Check Ins that will turn into above mentioned “tasks” for the kit room Dispatch Users.
For the Users handling quoting and invoicing the handling has become much easier by giving the option to “Invoice Days As Booked”, which calculates the invoice days based on the booking Start and End Date, or the “Days To Invoice” option, which allows to choose any number of days, for all the equipment in the Booking. Additionally, you can select the option “With Client”, which will calculate the days from Delivery to Collection.
Daily email notifications remind Dispatch Pickup Contacts of any overdue items. Other enhancements include additional data fields, a new search for Dispatches by date and on-day activity like preparation, delivery or collection and the addition of a Box Number field to organize equipment into boxes during or after scanning. As well as an Auto-Save option and various other improvements to streamline workflow efficiency.
Read the full article for a detailed description of the new workflow.
Cancelled Booking? No worries!
In addition to the new Booking Sub Status of "Canceled", you'll find a customizable setting in the Toolbox > Display menu labeled "Show Canceled Bookings". This feature gives users the flexibility to choose whether or not they want canceled bookings to be displayed in their timelines, reports and invoices.
Performance Optimization
In our continuous efforts to optimize performance and enhance user experience, we have implemented several key improvements. This includes optimization work on replacing objects with available class members, ensuring smoother and more efficient operations. Additionally, we have sped up conflict checking by introducing a new cache for events, allowing for quicker identification and resolution of any scheduling conflicts. Moreover, users will notice a noticeable improvement in the responsiveness of the Objects menu popup when clicking on a booked object within a booking.
Budgets under control!
Some improvements have been made to the Budgeting feature. You can now specify allowed Budget Types and set a default type when creating new Budgets.
Additionally, the ability to share saved Budget Views with other users has been added, eliminating the need for each coworker to save their views. Furthermore, when copying and pasting Budget Details, the Discount information is now included in the copy.
The Purchase Order Module has also been enhanced with new updates allowing users to define default "Types" of POs. Limits can be set for these different Purchase Order Types, and Approvers can receive email notifications for POs awaiting approval based on their specified limits. Furthermore, a new setting called "Read Only When Approved" ensures that once a PO is set to "Approved", it becomes non-editable.
Read more on these new functions here.
Never resting - what's new in our Rest API
You have the choice!
We added a new "Multi-Selector" widget to our Custom field type: "Selector" which now supports "multiple selection" and "custom values".
You can now search for a value on the list of available values by typing on the keyboard and then use the arrow key and Enter/Return key to select. You can also simply type a custom value and press Enter/Return to add to the checked list. Read more about this new option here.
Security updates
Implemented upgrades for the Web Client and Mobile Web Client infrastructure and TLS options to now be using: Jetty 12, Google Web Toolkit 2.10 and Java 17. This change is for the packaged web technologies in the farmerswife Server app to the latest versions for an improved security position and to enable the latest transport layer encryption.
Finest of the smallest :)
You can always check the Release Notes for the full list of enhancements in 7.1 - but here’s the team’s selection of small additions that may have a great new impact on your daily work!
Hope you enjoyed reading!