Not yet released. Monday

Includes DB changes, you need to log all terminals out during upgrade

Tweaks and fixes

• Bugfix with print tradein deal with customer paid encumbrance when customer doesn't have any other units. The pro forma wouldn't correctly tally in the liability. IT worked fine once deal is converted into a sale. Now fixed in both cases.
• Today Clocked : color coding of effort warnings, 70%/ 90% can now be edited.
  
• Select transactions : add a Refresh button to easily pickup any concurrent tweaks happening on a separate terminal/copy of c9
• Clock on / Off : display effort on job being clocked onto/off
• Old emails attachments, older than 6 months could not be viewed / saved. Changes made last year to archive old assets in cloud. This is supposed to work seamlessly / invisibly, but wasn't implemented correctly on the view attachment screen. now fixed.
•  Estimates
  • Setup option to organise estimates by reference by default
  • estimate reference, the database would allow references upto 20 characters but a typo in c9 limited it to 10 in many cases. Now fixed.
  • Clone estimate, would fail for estimates where reference string length is >=10 . Now fixed
• Warranty : button to access posted journal on finalized warranties to help with diagnosing stuffups like selecting wrong creditor.
• Purchase units, Add similar unit : make sure blank out engine number on the cloned unit
• Browse Notifications : for some systems screen could throw a record not found error. Root cause is missing customer records. Fixed. Fix should also make this screen a bit faster
• Deals : Receive unit on order : make sure get a clerk key. Previously would log receive without a clerk
• Tax Invoices : options to print additional Terms and Conditions, for either invoices or quotes / pro forma style invoices. Similar and in additon to recent privacy statement inclusions. To configure got setup -> other settings -> dealership details.
  
• Paperwork
  • Vic - Primary Producer Concession - updated to latest
• Unit deals: add button to access private notes. This change forced some complex changes to browse deals screen, this screen should now load/refresh slightly faster because of  those changes
• Magician : mcleods inventory check working with new portal
• Triumph EPC quote files : can now be imported into Point of Sale via F7 -> import from catalogue software
• View Contact : provide a tab that shows linked Loyalty Cards
• TillPay token based payments : would not pop an error message in event of an error, so operator would have no idea why a debit request failed. Now fixed to alert to reason for failure.
• Browse Dealer Units : show start date
• Pay Slips : print staff type next to classification. If not set then hide this entirely

More technical changes

• Update to underlying txn store as part of 5.3.  Mostly for 5.3 but several wins from this for 5.2. Mostly around performance.

 

This version of c9 fixes serious issues with 5.2.136 which can make all terminals unable to start c9. Requiring reinstall of c9 on affected terminals

It also includes fixes to Honda API integration. C9 is working with Honda actively to migrate API to a different system they prefer. The work isn't complete yet but part of that work was incorrectly included in last weeks recent c9 updates; meaning Honda API was effectively broken.

Yesterdays version of c9 broke ability to generate unit sale contracts; and probably some other report and report save related issues. Now fixed.

Includes DB changes. You need to log all terminals out during upgrade

Tweaks and fixes

• Yamaha Magician : alternative source of data since Yamaha moved dealer portal to a multifactor based system.
• Print preview : save as PDF / save as CSV would say successful even if save failed because of for example permission error / invalid file name. Now fixed
• Print order : include dealer spare parts email addr on printout
• Spares invoice : suppress 'Fax' if no fax # configured
• Web content UX fixes
  • Image gallery selection broken for simple images
  • lots of little niggles with picking/managing images on spec sheets, assessing valid/invalid images and unnamed images. Also image gallery broken here. Now fixed

Web order processing:  include some quality of life tweaks to order screen to help deal with till/paypal orders

• Display funds clearing : funds collected but not yet allocated
• Display deposit captured : funds earmarked for spares deposits. Often, funds clearing just moves to deposit.
• Colour code lines in progress in green
• Colour code completed web orders in red where there is a non zero deposit or funds clearing figure
• Provide a button to quickly refund excesss funds clearing which can be quickly accessed if the overall weborder is finished

Other:

• fixed a very narrow performance issue which would kill c9 in very specific circumstances : new system where we migrated data from a competitor and in that data we migrated an invalid invoice:zero number spares invoice; the new system now has web order processing. This special combination of events can trigger database lockups at key points; such as receive spares.  Fixed but added a guardrail at a key point in c9 to contend with this very precise scenario. Non code repair involved just deleting the invalid migrated Spares:0 invoice number.

Some small bugs quickly fixed within an hour of release:

5.2.133 : performance issue with changes to web order browse screen

5.2.134 : view invoice button on web order screen was broken

Unscheduled bugfix release

Recent low level changes caused two known issues fixed here

• c9 Remote access was broken : some screens with checkboxes and radio buttons will not show correct settings. For example, edit login user permssion checkboxes
• Workshop checklist merging/presets from job types broken for new jobs.

This version also includes some changes with recent gl cache algorithm.  Closer inspection gl cache in c9 is working as designed, the issue is when cache check is done when database is offline, c9 was mis reporting this back to us as a cache failure.  Improved messengers ability to handle offline databases (where gl cache sweep is implemented)

 

Includes DB changes, you need to log terminals out during upgrade

Label Printing

This version of c9 includes alot of work to help with getting label printing working alot easier; targeting specifically QL 700 printing and various paper options.  In print config the option to force paper to a certain size is now the preferred way to express any / all paper layout designs.

e.g. a 90x28 label which feeds with short edge aligned with the cutter.

Or 62 x 29 with long edge aligned with the cutter

Unit Profit reporting is changing

PD cost passing was reported in a really ugly and unintuitive way and probably was done that way to help save some reporting space for report period. From now one, c9 unit profit report figures:

• Workshop costs will no longer include PD figures
• line margin will strictly be margin on deal only invoice (duty+non duty) lines added : Dealer fees etc
• PD will report a new line : PD variance. This is  variation on pd job value vs value passed onto the deal. Generally should always be zero

 

Other tweaks and fixes

• units on floor show currently configured base sale price.
• New version of rustdesk to accommodate a planned license change  we need to make
• for read only systems, make sure force reallocate for linked AR/AP txns doesn't incorrectly trigger a tax code lock
• reconcile test : only do reconcile test if we are directly modifying a txn. Force reallocate linked AR/AP should not trigger a tax code lock
• Edit existing debit txn, would incorrectly retag txn as an invoice on edit. Now fixed.
• txn details : audit : expand list of txns that match an audit so if a txn is forced linked then show this in audit list
• receive parts for deals. C9 is supposed to lock deal , but there is a bug in code that prevented this from working correctly. Now fixed
• miner : save export as xlsx
• eftpos journal : sort by date/time. At moment screen is a mess
• generic bank txn : tweak used gl code for interest earned (4-5030)
• tillpay terminal : cope with scenario where terminal txn is stuck in processing state. There is a known issue in till infrastructure where terminal will finish but it never signals c9. C9 will be stuck in a forever state waiting for that signal.  In this change you can click close a couple of times to finally force closure
• BAS locks : was not applying BAS locks to floorplan payouts. So it was possible to backdate a payout and for BAS guardrails to not prevent the txn. Now fixed
• wa paperwork - updated VL1A - Bulk Registration form to latest
• nsw paperwork tweak - form 7, cash price under section 2 needs to be price of bike itself only, not inclusive of accessories/ on roads etc
• surcharge input - display / allow final surcharge includes price to be also keyed in. Also refine when % figure is visually printed : so if $ is inputted the invoice doesn't show %
• f2 find part : include new filter option to only show stocked items where qty on hand >0
• option to make booking reminder SMS replyable, disabled by default
• option to make service due/recall reminder SMS replyable, disabled by default
• More stihl warranty reg tweaks from their legal
• Select customer by txn amount : close window button on this screen was not working. Now fixed.
• below RRP screen : make obvious in header what filter conditions are as these are important and often overlooked
• pay slips emailed from admin email addr
• Select customer via point of sale etc; would allow you to create and select a supplier. Now tighten up.
• Job card : include spot to get mechanic signature
• Receive spares / finalize return : highlight in red when credit supplier is ticked but not supplier is selected

System Level - memory usage

This version of c9 includes a two significant changes to improve memory utilisation. Firstly relates to image caching, c9 implements a image cache but the cache never expires and just keeps getting bigger so over time c9 runs out of memory as you do image type stuff like browse EPC.  Made the cache smarter. The other change, more impactful is too complex to describe here but relates to how strings (e.g. names, descriptions etc) are internally encoded. Switched from old school clarion model of padded strings which is very memory inefficient.

System Level - txnengine

Mostly v5.3 stuff but included here so non functional. includes a couple of things to support above changes : tax code lock changes, reconcile test changes and audit tracking changes.

System Level - gl-cache

Still seeing a couple of gl_cache errors by extremely rare, includes more logging to help us narrow in on root cause. Suspect errors are during cache sweep which means they are effectively non functional but include more info to help fine root cause and eliminate entirely

Unscheduled bugfix release to fix a single bug

Cash till, if you try and modify a previously saved cash till result and change a previously banked figure to zero the save will fail misreporting some sort of simultaneous change.

Bug was introduced with cash till changes in 5.2.127 to improve cash till journalling ; fixed here.

There was a workaround but workaround is difficult to do so in this case best / most safely handled with an unscheduled update

Includes db changes. You need to log all terminals out during upgrade

Bugfix with General Ledger cache changes

Recent changes to GL cache contain a bug. Certain narrow combinations of behaviour can invalidate the cache resulting in incorrect general ledger balances being presented. Underlying cause is fixed here. Following is two scenarios that can trigger issue

• add a factory unit on floorplan. 24 hours or more later modify that unit so it is a straight purchase ( or vice versa)
• create a job with an invoiced sublet. 24 hours later, delete the sublet.

The underlying bug is older than recent changes actually. Cache invalidation is supposed to happen whenever gl changing modification is detected. But a couple of types of txns, mainly tax coding changes (like. switching from to/floorplan) and changes to reserve tracking (e.g. sublets on open jobs)where not invalidating cache. In prior c9 cache, other simultaneous changes would also happen that invalidate the cache anyway. But the new cache algorithm is a lot more surgical/efficient in what gets invalidated; making a previously masked problem now obvious.

Part of changes to gl cache we added daily tests and alerts to verify cache is accurate; which is how we detected this issue so quickly. This test has been refined in this version to also automatically force a complete rebuild of the cache.

Includes DB changes. You need to log all terminals out during upgrade.

Low level system fixes and tweaks

• Very subtle bug where switching to fiche first time of day at exactly right moment can cause some data corruption when the system does a remote fiche refresh. In the one known instance where it happened it disabled online backup for that dealer.  Thread race bug with c9 configuration, and requires perfect sub millisecond timing to trigger. Fixed in this version.
• General ledger balance caching can cause all c9 terminals to lockup requiring a server restart.  Potentially happens in environments where the terminal network access is unreliable.; this is fix is motivated by a new client who as experienced this issue 3 times in ~ 2 months.  General ledgers need to be able to tally balances to a set date for things like cash up screen etc. Instead of tallying 10+ years/ 3 million postings every time c9 needs to show you yesterdays cash on hand, c9 uses some sophisticated caching to speed this up 1000x fold. The current algorithm, cache on demand, requires very carefully managed locks between all computers. A cache request on one terminal needs to be sure other terminals are not simultaneously manipulating the general ledger while it is generating a figure for caching; otherwise it might miss changes currently in flight and incorrect information ends up being cached. If that terminal that requests a lock for caching then falls off network then all terminals are broken until a restart.  This version of c9 introduces a new approach : mark/sweep cache. Advantages : alot faster overall. Cache updating only happens once a day and usually at midnight / first thing in morning. Recache cannot not trigger system wide freezes . Disadvantages : more complex to create.

 

Cash Till / Bank Rec quality of life changes

To date, cash till changes to amount banked would write an additional posting to reflect the change. So if you bank $50, then amend it to $55, c9 would write the difference $5 as an additional journal. This combined with delayed settlement feature added some time ago will result in very messy looking bank rec screens when it comes time to do a bank rec. This version of c9 changes behaviour so instead of adding the change as a new journal, the existing bank journal(s) are updated leaving bank as a single journal entry.

Further to help with managing delayed settlement capability, bank rec screen will highlight txns where banked funds are maanged via the banking funds clearing GL code, and it will show how much funds clearing has been delayed. (.e.g in bank rec will show +1 <dd.mm to indicate the entry in bank rec represents funds banked from the previous day)

Other tweaks and fixes

• Unit sale with tradein : print tradein unit framenumber on cost tally. Needed for some finance companies
• Payroll employment types: UX issue with how casual rules are shown on the screen. Redesigned so it is obvious these setting affect ALL staff in the employment type, not just staff tagged as casuals
• Stihl Warranty : reword warranty questions as requested by Stihl
• Spare Part history graph: provide grand total for all time sales #
• Unit Deals : add color code icons similar to workshop jobs
• Unit invoice : show separate unit discount entries for each unit on invoice
• Payroll 2025 Tax tables / changes
  • Super Guarantee increases to 12%
  • Tweaks to Medicare low income threshold and Levy Surcharge
  • HELP/Student Debt changes to a simpler progressive tax scale - since now progressive scale do not include rate % on run
• Profit summary - renamed to Business Health, to discourage attempts to use it for compliance reporting. Use P/L, Bal sheet located in accounting reports instead.

 

This version of c9 introduces another new remote access / support tool. Called RustDesk.

Last version of c9 we switched out AnyDesk for RemotePC.  RemotePC we have discovered in the last week is not suitable for shops where internet access is slow.