Comments for Software4Nonprofits Blog http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog Weblog for the Software4Nonprofits.com DONATION program Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:08:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on DONATION version 3.41 final beta by Dan Cooperstock http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/2012/02/donation-3-41-final/comment-page-1/#comment-2348 Dan Cooperstock Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:08:44 +0000 http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/?p=322#comment-2348 FYI I released this version as an official version this morning, so anyone that wishes to can upgrade to it with the usual Help -> Check for Updates menu option in the program. As mentioned, I will be sending email announcements of it to users during the next week. FYI I released this version as an official version this morning, so anyone that wishes to can upgrade to it with the usual Help -> Check for Updates menu option in the program. As mentioned, I will be sending email announcements of it to users during the next week.

]]> Comment on DONATION version 3.41 Beta, with Internet Backup by Dan Cooperstock http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/2012/01/version-341/comment-page-1/#comment-2329 Dan Cooperstock Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:45:27 +0000 http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/?p=319#comment-2329 I just realized a problem I hadn't considered. Suppose you have 2 copies of DONATION on separate computers (home and office, usually). You could use Internet Backups for an easy way to transfer the database between those computers. BUT ... if you both make a backup on the same day, the 2nd one will overwrite the first one. And the person restoring it may not get the copy they thought they were getting (like, maybe just their own copy!). To help alleviate this, I have just added something that before each Internet backup, checks whether a backup file with the same name already exists in the Internet storage area for that database. If it does, it warns the user that this is probably a backup from a different user with a copy of the same database, and asks them to confirm overwriting it. N.B. The reason this wouldn't be a problem if there were multiple backups made on the same day from the same computer is that the backup filenames are changed each time. The first one is DONATION-YYYY-MM-DD.DB.S4E, the second is DONATION-YYYY-MM-DD.2.DB.S4E (with ".2" added) etc. I just realized a problem I hadn’t considered. Suppose you have 2 copies of DONATION on separate computers (home and office, usually). You could use Internet Backups for an easy way to transfer the database between those computers.

BUT … if you both make a backup on the same day, the 2nd one will overwrite the first one. And the person restoring it may not get the copy they thought they were getting (like, maybe just their own copy!).

To help alleviate this, I have just added something that before each Internet backup, checks whether a backup file with the same name already exists in the Internet storage area for that database. If it does, it warns the user that this is probably a backup from a different user with a copy of the same database, and asks them to confirm overwriting it.

N.B. The reason this wouldn’t be a problem if there were multiple backups made on the same day from the same computer is that the backup filenames are changed each time. The first one is DONATION-YYYY-MM-DD.DB.S4E, the second is DONATION-YYYY-MM-DD.2.DB.S4E (with “.2″ added) etc.

]]> Comment on DONATION version 3.41 Beta, with Internet Backup by Dan Cooperstock http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/2012/01/version-341/comment-page-1/#comment-2328 Dan Cooperstock Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:58:13 +0000 http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/?p=319#comment-2328 You do ask interesting questions, John! DONATION4.DB.PREVIOUS is a copy of your database from before the restore. The reason the restored database is a bit smaller is that some compression of excess blank space that the Firebird database tends to maintain in the database is done when you do a restore. You do ask interesting questions, John! DONATION4.DB.PREVIOUS is a copy of your database from before the restore. The reason the restored database is a bit smaller is that some compression of excess blank space that the Firebird database tends to maintain in the database is done when you do a restore.

]]> Comment on DONATION version 3.41 Beta, with Internet Backup by John Hanson http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/2012/01/version-341/comment-page-1/#comment-2327 John Hanson Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:45:18 +0000 http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/?p=319#comment-2327 Internet backup and restore worked OK. Why is Donation4.db.PREVIOUS bigger than donation4.db? Help explanation is clear on the process as are the messages as the process executes. Email .cc works OK. Internet backup and restore worked OK. Why is Donation4.db.PREVIOUS bigger than donation4.db?
Help explanation is clear on the process as are the messages as the process executes.
Email .cc works OK.

]]> Comment on DONATION version 3.41 Beta, with Internet Backup by Dan Cooperstock http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/2012/01/version-341/comment-page-1/#comment-2326 Dan Cooperstock Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:13:17 +0000 http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/?p=319#comment-2326 Great, thank you as always, David. Great, thank you as always, David.

]]> Comment on DONATION version 3.41 Beta, with Internet Backup by David Robertson http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/2012/01/version-341/comment-page-1/#comment-2325 David Robertson Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:56:46 +0000 http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/?p=319#comment-2325 I did the online back-up setup and backed up my database. It all seemed to work well. It was a really thorough explanation as you went through the process.. good job! I did the online back-up setup and backed up my database. It all seemed to work well. It was a really thorough explanation as you went through the process.. good job!

]]> Comment on DONATION version 3.41 Beta, with Internet Backup by Dan Cooperstock http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/2012/01/version-341/comment-page-1/#comment-2323 Dan Cooperstock Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:17:54 +0000 http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/?p=319#comment-2323 Sorry, all, there were actually two fixes from version 3.40c (which was never generally released, only given to one user as a beta) that I did not mention in the change details on the pretest.htm page: - Added Reports -> Donation -> Summary by Dollar Ranges, that shows the counts, dollar totals and percentages of donor's total donations amounts within various dollar ranges, for the current and previous years. - Put in a fix to the Database -> Validate menu option, that may allow it to work when sometimes it would not in the past. And re: that new report, one of you noticed that it had a typo in one of the dollar ranges. The range read "$100.01 - $150", but it was actually covering $100.01 - $200. That will be fixed for either the next beta (if one is needed) or the official release of 3.41. Sorry, all, there were actually two fixes from version 3.40c (which was never generally released, only given to one user as a beta) that I did not mention in the change details on the pretest.htm page:

- Added Reports -> Donation -> Summary by Dollar Ranges, that shows the counts, dollar totals and percentages of donor’s total donations amounts within various dollar ranges, for the current and previous years.

- Put in a fix to the Database -> Validate menu option, that may allow it to work when sometimes it would not in the past.

And re: that new report, one of you noticed that it had a typo in one of the dollar ranges. The range read “$100.01 – $150″, but it was actually covering $100.01 – $200. That will be fixed for either the next beta (if one is needed) or the official release of 3.41.

]]> Comment on DONATION Backup to the Cloud by DONATION version 3.41 Beta, with Internet Backup « Software4Nonprofits Blog http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/2011/12/donation-backup-to-the-cloud/comment-page-1/#comment-2322 DONATION version 3.41 Beta, with Internet Backup « Software4Nonprofits Blog Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:16:28 +0000 http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/?p=302#comment-2322 [...] have gone ahead and implemented a version of Internet Backup, as discussed in my earlier blog post DONATION Backup to the Cloud. It is an optional addition, at the end of each regular backup, and is strongly encrypted using a [...] [...] have gone ahead and implemented a version of Internet Backup, as discussed in my earlier blog post DONATION Backup to the Cloud. It is an optional addition, at the end of each regular backup, and is strongly encrypted using a [...]

]]> Comment on DONATION version 3.40 w/ Backup Changes by John Hanson http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/2011/12/donation-version-3-40/comment-page-1/#comment-2162 John Hanson Thu, 15 Dec 2011 20:28:50 +0000 http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/?p=305#comment-2162 Yes. Working as designed. Yes. Working as designed.

]]> Comment on DONATION version 3.40 w/ Backup Changes by Dan Cooperstock http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/2011/12/donation-version-3-40/comment-page-1/#comment-2160 Dan Cooperstock Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:40:28 +0000 http://www.software4nonprofits.com/blog/?p=305#comment-2160 I'm assuming what you mean is that you also tested that feature and it works as described. (If not, please be more specific.) Thanks! I’m assuming what you mean is that you also tested that feature and it works as described. (If not, please be more specific.) Thanks!

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