C9 as of version 4.344 is getting a user interface overhaul. This page explains the changes to c9 and how the look and feel of the application change.

In summary, all the menu screens of c9 are gone and are replaced with controls on the top and on the side of the c9 application.

Illustrating this by comparing old version to new version side by side.

Basic Navigation

To access functions in c9 you firstly click at the top to indicate the section you want to access. Then on the left you click on the sub option you want.

C9 only lets you have one thing on the go at a time (with exception of fiche diagrams, see below).  But the new layout means you can switch from one thing to another without having to exit one thing and enter another.  You can just jump straight there.

Other features – Memorization and Favourites

C9 memorizes your last selections and jumps back to where you were last.

Also c9 builds up a list of favourites in the sub menu.  For things you use alot , c9 will memorise these and make it easier to re-select these.

Other features – search

Under the main option, you can search for functions. Key in search type and c9 will allow you to jump to various sections that provide this.

Other features – fiche diagrams

You can now switch between fiche and point of sale using top menu structure without losing the diagram you are currently looking at.  Means you can look at diagrams while in the middle of other tasks and switch back without losing your progress. Also switch back to the last diagram you were picking from while in the middle of point of sale.

Keyboard control

Main menu options are hot keyed.  You can press hot key to access that option.  If you are on a screen that also has that hot key, then you can try and press Alt + Function Key to switch to the menu.

Another way is to press F1. F1 moves focus from the content part of the system to the menu part.  When focus changes, background color of the side/top bars changes to dark blue. To indicate keyboard focus is now there. Illustrating

After selecting an option you can use arrow keys to up and down to move around the sub menu. Use left and right arrow keys to expand/collapse options.

Also you can use letters corresponding to underlined options to jump to/expand sub menu options. i.e. Press ‘S’ for point of sale

Logging out/Exiting

To logout you now need to select ‘Main’ then logout.  To exit you can either select ‘Main’ then ‘Exit’ or as before either select ‘File’ -> ‘Exit’ or click on cross in top right of c9.

 

• Import Fiche
• Added support for diagrams from Piaggio website:  Aprilia and Moto Guzzi
• Tweak to MV Augusta import : could crash on bad login
• QLD paperwork : include Form 61 & 63
• Workshop promise report : print details on techs working on the job (clocked, scheduled and last techs)
• Receive backorder parts on accessories. Do not allow parts from different supplier to be added

• Restoring online backup has been modified so you can get system up and running from backup data much faster.  See prior post.
• Delete received ordered item in orderbook or in view order.  Now asks you if you want to restock the part.’
• Print Receive Order :  make back ordered items more visually obvious on printouts
• Edit franchise:  do not allow user to modify name or master flag for the special ‘Accessories’ franchise.
• Rollback unit :  c9 was putting spares back into stock but it was not creating a credit note record; meaning qty of spares sold in profit report for spares did not reflect parts returned to stock from a rolled back unit sale.  Only works for units sold after this update is applied
• Stocktake entry  : display max and min qty. Also pressing F6 view/change part does not move keyboard focus.
• Browse Workshop –  allow sort by start date or promise date
• Browse Workshop – unscheduled job listing not working. Now fixed
• Weekly calendar : option to jump to todays date.
• Allow ability to add part to stock (or pricefile) while in the middle of receive order

Bug fix with hierarchy lists.  i.e. View workshop estimates in standard mode.  When you select and click to modify items sometimes item modified would be a completely different one.  Problem is more obvious for large collapsed lists and when trying to select items towards the bottom of the list screen.  Regression bug caused by recent changes to hierarchy lists.  Now fixed; also included automated regression tests; prior tests only tested behavior of items close to top of the list, not the bottom so tests failed to detect the bug. Tests now test across entire range of items on screen.

Also deployed new version of remote client as bug is likely to manifest in the remote client itself.

Includes database changes.  Upgrade will force you to log all terminals out first

• Print/export/receive orders  : tweaked so that clerk key test is on a new clerk key setting : handle orders.  On upgrade any staff member with spares permission will have handle orders permissions.  If you want to disable clerk keys on orders, goto setup/general and untick the handle orders option
• Staff report : benchmark result was not factoring in fact that work on jobs may of involved work done outside reporting period. Now fixed.

A new version of remote access tool has been uploaded.  A number of tweaks:

• Tree lists now work correctly
• Miner query results list now works
• Recent UI changes are also reflected here. Specifically:
• changes  to list control focus rules (empty lists can gain keyboard focus)
• Sheets can be traversed via ctrl+tab and ctrl+shift+tab

Includes database changes. You will be forced to log terminals out during upgrade

• Bugfix with workshop profit report: was mis reporting labour due to rounding errors. If minute component was >=50 minutes, it would round the hour up.  i.e. 4:55 becomes 5:55.  Whereas 4:45 was okay.  Now fixed.
• Bulk mailer via miner.  Increased allowed email body size from 8k to 24k.  8k too small for typical HTML messages
• Introduced benchmarks on workshop jobs.  On a job type you can configure ideal time the task should take and ideal $ you expect to charge for job type.  This information is reflected on workshop staff and profit report.  It shows a +/- against the report entry; + indicates performance above benchmark and – indicates performance below.  Measure is in ratio percentage.  i.e. +50.0 = %50 above the benchmark.  System includes following smarts:
• Does not report benchmark on jobs in progress.  Because c9 does not know how close or how far away the job is from completion, it cannot meaningfully benchmark the job.  Only completed & invoiced jobs report benchmark
• Jobs with multiple job types are handled. (benchmark figures are added together)
• Staff report copes with multiple staff working on same job by taking a ratio of their relative contribution to the job into account.

More regression bugfixes relating to last version. Mainly to do with lists.

• Miner : load existing query, could not modify entity if query loaded contained only one item. Now fixed
• Unit purchase: clicking on modify in resale list crashed c9.  (Actually bug has been there for a while)
• Unit purchase: resale list buttons now disable/enable depending on content of list and selected item
• Focusability of lists without any rows.  Prior version switched back to c8 model, empty lists are focusable.  But there is merit in c9’s prior approach of skipping over empty lists.  Implemented compromise solution; Database driven lists are focusable when empty, whereas other lists, such as tree lists and memory lists (like unit purchase line items) are not focusable.

Bug fix : last version injected a potentially serious regression.  If you go to print an order, and click cancel on new clerk key feature, this will setup that terminal for later possible failure, i.e. subsequent generate stock order for example.  The bug is serious because when terminal in such a ‘ready to fail’ state, selling parts on order will also fail meaning parts will not be actually ordered and you will be forced to re-invoice parts on a new terminal.

Requires database changes. You will be forced to log all terminals out during upgrade

• Do not allow creation of  dealer estimate
• Supplier specific instructions on order sheet.  Instructions are set via utilities -> edit franchise/edit supplier
• Secure minimum margin on parts.
• If margin on any single part, after factoring discounting is below a preset %, an authorising clerk key is required.
• Only applies on spares sales.
• Does not apply to freeform items
• Test will apply for parts on order.
• Configure on edit staff. New check box.
• Print customer address labels via miner
• Phonebook – allow search by phone number
• Phonebook – visual fixes and tweaks
• Staff – allow zero labour rate
• Customer search by phone, allow search to match with or without state prefix for customers in same state as dealership. For example, in Victoria, a phone number ’03 9123 4567′ will be indexed as both ‘0391234567’ and ‘91234567’.  Previously, c9 would only index the shortened version
• Orders
• Print/Export order requires a clerk key on initial execution. It also records date print/export occurred
• View order : display information captured above
• Receive order : get clerk key, print clerk on receive sheet. Display clerk in browse received orders
• UI behaviours lost in conversion from c8 to c9
  • Old c8 would allow an empty list of have keyboard focus.  C9 considers such controls unfocusable.  Tweaked to recapture old c8 behaviour.
  • Tab traversal via Ctrl+Tab and Ctrl+Shift+Tab now working, just like old c8.
• Print customer phone on spares invoice
• Spell checker, take whether word is fully upper cased, or first letter capitalised when making spelling suggestions
• Bug fixes
• Promise report contained a subtle bug: running it would in some circumstances prime the instance of c9 for later failure, i.e. selling parts to a job.  Now fixed.
• Changes made to miner a couple of months ago broke remote access. You could not view miner query results via remote access. Now fixed.
• Closed floorplan report : was incorrectly including partially curtailed units.  Fixed.
• Unit deal.  If you manipulate deposit and then invoice parts on a deal in the same ‘modify deal’ session. The details of the deposit changes will be forgotten; as though you never keyed them in.  Now fixed.
• Spares: Freeform items on order need to have unique identifiers so that printing and receiving can discriminate separate freeform items as indeed being separate.  There is a situation where this fails and freeform items are combined on printing and receiving order: when merging onto an existing invoice.  Now fixed.
• Spares: when offering to merge order onto existing invoice, make sure invoice is locked first, so that another terminal is not simultaneously invoicing received parts for same invoice.
• Workshop: sell spares via workshop. Was not asking for a clerk key. Now fixed.