EMu 4.3

Details

Release Date: 7 August 2014

Requirements

Download

Download a PDF document containing these release notes and associated documents: pdfInternational English or pdfUS English.

Please see the latest version of the EMu Help for the most up to date version of this documentation.

New Features

Scheduled Operations

The Scheduled Operations facility enables the scheduling of time and computing intensive operations to be run immediately or at a specified date and time. An operation is defined by:

  • The type of operation to run (e.g. delete records)
  • The module to which the operation applies
  • A time and date to commence the operation
  • A list of people to notify when the operation is complete

operations

A scheduled operation is defined and stored as a record in the new Scheduled Operations module (eoperations). Any files created when the operation is executed are listed in the Result Files table on the Operation tab. The following three type of the operations are supported:

  • Merge records
  • Delete records
  • Image import

System administrators may define their own operations. A complete description of the support for Scheduled Operations can be found in the Scheduled Operations documentation.

GUID / UUID support

A Globally Unique Identifier (GUID) is a persistent unique reference number used as an identifier in computer software. Increasing global initiatives in data sharing require the use of a unique identifier for each discrete bit of data (record). The implementation of GUIDs provides:

  • Storage for a list of GUIDs in modules.
  • Automatic GUID generation when a record is saved.

Almost all modules have had support added for GUIDs. The exceptions are modules that store audit based information (e.g. Audit Trails) or system information (e.g. Registry). The GUID table is located on the Admin tab and consists of the following value:

  • Preferred - which entry in the list of GUIDs is the preferred value.
  • Type - the type of the GUID value (e.g. UUID4).
  • GUID - the GUID value itself.

guid

GUID values can be auto-generated when a record is saved. Registry entries are used to determine which tables require auto-generated GUIDs and what type should be used when generating the GUID. Currently, GUIDs are auto-generated in compliance with UUID Version 4. An example of a UUID 4 GUID is 84b567d5-dbbd-468a-be12-770747ebc397.

A complete description of the support provided for GUIDs can be found in the EMu GUID Support documentation.

Improvements

Calendar controls for batch updates

The batch update tools have been updated to include the calendar control introduced in EMu 4.2. The calendar controls can be found on the following update dialogue boxes:

  • Condition Update
  • Location Update
  • Taxon Update
  • Valuation Update

relocation

ImageMagick upgraded

ImageMagick, which is used by EMu to view and manipulate images, has been upgraded to the latest version (6.8.8). The upgrade provides support for a number of new image formats and fixes a number of issues. In particular, improved support for DNG (digital negatives) and PDF (portable document format) formats is provided.
   

Issues Resolved

Issue Resolution
The output file for XSLT based reports is saved in files with a .html extension. If the output type specified in the report via <xsl:output> is not HTML, then the file extension should reflect the output type specified.   The extension of the file created for an XSLT based report is based on the type specified in the <xsl:output> tag.
The label name of the multimedia thumbnail in List View in the Multimedia module is shown as MulDocumentType. The title is displayed regardless of the display language selected. The label should be changed to Multimedia Thumbnail for English and an appropriate translation for other languages.   The label has been changed from MulDocumentType to Multimedia Thumbnail. Translations have been added for other languages.
The Summary Data and Extended Data calculations for the Collections Description module do not handle multiple languages correctly. The data generated is correct where a single language system is used.   The Summary Data and Extended Data calculations for the Collections Description module now handles multiple languages correctly.
The Global Replace facility does not allow a global edit to be performed on a hierarchy where the level being changed is read-only. The limitation ensures that only existing hierarchy combinations may be used in a replacement. The restriction means that global replacements cannot be used to change a read-only hierarchy to a different existing combination. Ideally it should be possible to alter the value in a hierarchy where the level being changed is read-only.   The value in a hierarchy where the level being changed is read-only can now be changed. If the value would form a new hierarchy combination, then the Global Replace is still allowed. The new hierarchy will be added to the Lookup List.
An invalid server-side schema file may be produced if a field's prompt has a single quote character in it. The field prompt is defined in the database rather than the prompt displayed in the Windows Client. A correct schema file should be generated even if a field's prompt contains a single quote.   A valid schema file is now generated even if a field's prompt contains a single quote character.
The Windows client installer program does not include the version information in the Add/Remove Programs section of the Windows Control Panel. Some desktop roll-out software uses the version information to determine which software packages need to be upgraded on a given computer. The version number should be in the same format as that used with EMu releases.   Version information is now added to the EMu entry in the Add/Remove Programs section of the Windows Control Panel.
The Windows client creates missing ODBC Data Sources for each module when it is invoked. If an ODBC Data Source is damaged, that is key entries are missing, the entry is not repaired. A check for damaged entries which can then be repaired should be performed.   Damaged ODBC Data Source entries are now repaired when the Windows client is invoked.
When the selected row in a LinkGrid control with RichEdit controls associated with it changes, the cursor position in the associated RichEdit control is not reset to the beginning of the field. The cursor should be placed at the start of the field when the row in the grid changes.   The cursor in a RichEdit control associated with a LinkGrid is now placed at the beginning of the field when the selected row in the grid changes.
The Lookup List server (lutserver) is used to maintain the values in Lookup Lists. When a hierarchy that contains multiple values at each level is checked, the server may be slow to check that each combination exists as a Lookup combination.   The time taken to check hierarchies containing multiple values at each level has been improved significantly.
The server-side Registry manipulation programs (emuregload, emuregdelete and emuregupdate) do not correctly handle Registry entries over 8192 characters long. The error messages emitted may be somewhat cryptic.   The Registry manipulation programs have been enhanced to handle infinite length Registry entries. Better error messages are displayed and a new program emuregcheck has been added to allow the format of existing Registry entries to be checked.
Server-side scripts that are executed on behalf of a user should produce output in the language the user last used in the Windows client. A new Registry entry specifying a user's prompt language should be added. The entry can then be checked by scripts and used to produce output in the correct language.   A new Registry entry containing the language last used by a user has been added. The entry is updated automatically by the Windows client and is used by server-side scripts to produce output in the correct language.
The System|Client|Version Registry entry does not allow the release date to be included as part of the minimum supported version number. For example, an entry of 4.2 allows all version 4.2 clients to be invoked. In some instances a finer grain of control is required. For example a value of 4.2 (1404031) would block all clients before version 4.2 (1404031).   The System|Client|Version Registry entry has been changed to System|Setting|Client|Version and support for release dates has been added.
If the Calendar pop-up is used to select a date for performing a query, the value placed in the field is not wrapped in double quotes. If the date format is set to dd MMM yyyy, the search generated will treat the date as three separate components rather than a single date value.   When a date is selected from a Calendar pop-up that is to be used in a search, the date is now enclosed in double quotes, ensuring a single date value is used.
The Narratives module and other modules containing HTML based editing may not change to Edit mode when the HTML version of the data is modified. The issue only arises where Internet Explorer 11 is installed on the user's computer.   When HTML based data is modified, the module is now placed into Edit mode for computers with Internet Explorer 11 installed.
Export records created via the Scheduled Exports facility cannot be deleted. The Export records were meant to provide a complete audit of all data exported and so cannot be deleted. However, due to space considerations, deletion of older Export records would be useful.   Export records may now be deleted.
The fifoserver does not output Unicode (UTF-8) characters correctly when logging calls and outputting results. Non-Unicode based systems (e.g. Latin 1) are not affected.   The correct Unicode characters are now output by the fifoserver.
The title displayed below thumbnails in Contact Sheet mode may be incorrect if the order of the matching records has been modified in List mode. The issue is caused by the Contact Sheet cache not being cleared when records are re-ordered.   The correct title is now displayed below thumbnails in Contact Sheet mode when records have been re-ordered.
The server-side Lookup List rebuild program emulutsrebuild generates an error on Unicode based systems when a Lookup List value is not encoded correctly. Since the data is already in the system, albeit incorrectly, emulutsrebuild should generate a warning and continue processing data.   emulutsrebuild now generates a warning and continues processing data if an invalid Unicode sequence is encountered.
The error message Column "irn_1" is read only - primary key. in Column irn may be displayed after a number of modifications have been made to existing records. The message does not appear when creating new records. The appearance of the error message is somewhat random.   The error message is no longer displayed when changing existing records.
The list of values in a given Lookup List may not be correct when the field is part of a hierarchy containing a double nested grid. A double nested grid is a LinkGrid control that is associated with another LinkGrid control. Selecting a row in an associated grid alters the contents of the LinkGrid control. The values displayed are generally a sub-set of the allowable values.   The list of values displayed for a Lookup List in a double nested grid is now the complete set of values.
Audit records created with ISO-8859-1 (Latin 1) characters as part of the data may not display correctly in the Audit Trails module. The Latin 1 characters are converted to Unicode (UTF-8) characters and stored in the Audit table. The conversion should not occur.   Audit records containing Latin 1 characters are now stored and displayed correctly in the Audit Trails module.
The Microsoft Visual Basic error message Run-time error '1004': This operation cannot be done because the data is refreshing in the background. may be displayed when running the Data Dictionary report in the Field Help module. The error may also occur when other Microsoft Excel based reports are invoked.   The error message is no longer displayed when the Data Dictionary report in the Field Help module is run.
The email notifications generated nightly by the server-side emunotify script may not be sent if the data in the email notification contains a closing bracket ')' at the end of a line.   The email notifications are now generated and posted regardless of the data in the notification message.
The error message Invalid selection has been made. Please use the Lookup List may appear when a new insertion is commenced. The error only occurs if the module has a read-only hierarchy of Combo Boxes and one of the Combo Boxes has the AllowEmpty property set to false.   The error message is no longer displayed when a new insertion is commenced.
The Quality field in the Image Attributes group on the Resolutions tab of the Multimedia module is not populated when the Multimedia>Generate Resolution>Selected Records command is selected from the Menu bar.   The Quality field is now populated when the generate resolutions command is invoked.
If the Edit>Ditto>All Fields command is invoked in the Value (Edit) field in the Registry module, then only the Value fields are dittoed. The Value (Edit) field remains empty.   All fields are now dittoed correctly.
If a sort is executed in a LinkGrid control that contains more than two rows, the data in some cells may appear as though it is not sorted. If the screen is repainted (by covering the grid and then uncovering it), the grid is drawn correctly.   The data in the LinkGrid control is now displayed correctly after the data is sorted.
The Audit Record field on the Summary tab in the Audit Trails module does not resize when the form size is increased. The field remains the same size as it was when the module was invoked.   The Audit Record field now resizes correctly when the form size is increased.
If a selection of records is copied from List View and then pasted into Microsoft Outlook, the data does not appear in a formatted table. The data should appear in an HTML based table.   Data copied from List View and pasted into Microsoft Outlook now appears as a formatted table.
If one or more records are copied from List View and the first column of data copied contains empty values, the data in rows where the first column is empty is moved to the left by one column when the records are pasted into Microsoft Outlook or Word.   Rows where the data in the first column is empty are now pasted correctly, that is with an empty first column.
The Quality field in the Image Attributes group on the Resolutions tab of the Multimedia module may be populated with incorrect data when the Update Resources command is used to populate the value.   The correct value is now stored in the Quality field when updated via the Update Resources command.
All database generated error messages contain UTF-8 characters where non-ASCII characters are required. If a client has an ISO-8859-1 based system, the error message will not display correctly in the Windows client. The error message is displayed correctly in Unicode (UTF-8) based systems.   All database error messages are now displayed with the correct encoding, regardless of the system character-set used.
The data stored in the Audit Record field on the Summary tab in the Audit Trails module cannot be copied onto the Windows clipboard. If a user selects the data (via CTRL+A) and then copies it (via CTRL+C), the data cannot be pasted (via CTRL+V) into another application.   The data stored in the Audit Record field can now be copied onto the Windows clipboard.
The error message Cannot locate http://... resource on server may appear when the Multimedia>Launch Viewer command is invoked. The page is opened correctly if the Launch Viewer button on the Multimedia Toolbar is selected or the image in the Image pane is double clicked.   The error message no longer occurs and the correct page is displayed when the Multimedia>Launch Viewer command is invoked.
If data is entered into the second or subsequent rows of the Notes Summary table on the Notes tab in the Conservation module and the record saved, the data in the second and subsequent rows is not saved. Any data entered into the first row is saved correctly.   Data entered into the second and subsequent rows is now saved correctly.
If the Parent field links to the current record and the Parts tab is displayed in the Catalogue module, the Windows client will appear to freeze. The problem is caused by a link referring to itself.   The Parent linking code has been modified to check for records that link to themselves. If a record is found, a suitable message is displayed and an empty Parts tab displayed.
When dittoing into a linked field in a LinkGrid control via the Edit>Ditto>Current Field command, the linked module is invoked and a search conducted using the value in the dittoed field. Since the value is being dittoed, the linked module should not be invoked and the value just added to the grid.   The linked module is no longer invoked when dittoing a value into a link field in a LinkGrid control.
Under certain conditions the server-side Lookup List server (lutserver) may delete values from the Lookup List module when the values are still in use. The entries are only deleted if a given value has more than one punctuation variant (e.g. "Brown, Bill" and "Brown - Bill"). Entries should only be deleted if they are no longer used in any records.   The Lookup List server no longer deletes values that are still in use.
The server-side Lookup List server (lutserver) may delete values from the Lookup List module where a Lookup List value is a subset of a longer Lookup List value (e.g. "Damage" and "Paint Damage"). Entries should only be deleted if they are no longer used in any records.   The Lookup List server no longer deletes values that are still in use.
The Calendar pop-up button is still displayed when its associated field is hidden by permissions. The issue only arises in Query mode where the associated control has had the dvQuery permission removed from the Column Access Registry entry.   The Calendar pop-up button is now hidden when its associated field is hidden.
If the Lookup Exact Registry entry is enabled on a field in a hierarchy and a value is selected from the Lookup List in Query mode, the displayed value is enclosed in double quotes. If a search is performed, no matching records will result. The lack of matches is caused by the double quote characters being included in the search.   The double quote characters are removed from the search term when the query is performed for columns that have the Lookup Exact Registry entry enabled.
The Column Access Modifier Registry entry may not be applied correctly when the field whose value is being checked contains a list of values. The issue only arises if there are three or more values in the list.   The Column Access Modifier Registry entry is applied correctly for list fields regardless of the number of entries in the list.
The Add Resource... button on the Multimedia tab in the Multimedia module may become hidden when a user changes to either Medium or Large fonts in the Windows font settings.   The Add Resource... button now displays correctly regardless of the user's Windows font setting.
The error message TexAPI Error: End of file. (Number -18) may occur when the last record in the Multimedia module is deleted while in List View. The error will only occur if the last record had an image associated with it.   The error message no longer occurs when the last record is deleted in List View.
The EMu date and time formats are not applied to values entered into fields created as Admin Task parameters. The current Windows format is used which may cause a mismatch between the value entered and the value expected by the Admin Task handler.   The correct date and time formats are now applied to Admin Task parameters.
Attaching batches of records to the Delete tab in the Operations module via drag and drop from the Catalogue module may be very slow, even for small numbers of records.   The time taken to attach records to the Delete tab has been improved significantly.

Upgrade Notes

See Upgrade 4.2 to 4.3   for details.