Version 3 is near to a public release. Here's what new features you would expect to see after the first release of version 3.0.0.
The version number of doogiePIM will be 3.0.0.
Not all features will be immediately available, however, the fundamentals will be. eg: Local Area Network Sync. This means we can work together, with your feedback, to get those features running as you would expect them to run.
All the hard work has been done, it's a matter of getting the UI working so you're able to use the new layouts and commands successfully and easily.
User Interface
The user interface has been improved and the layout will be slightly different. Most noted difference is the top right corner of the window has a global set of icons:
- Add New Tab,
- Bookmarks access to change the current tab,
- Bookmark Add/Edit of current tab,
- Current Page options (print, etc),
- Current Page Search (even in Sections),
- Quick Access Tools (check messages, calculator, etc)
Address Bar
The Address Bar (where you enter a URL) will now only contain:
- Back
- Forward
- Refresh
- URL of current page or selected record / Global search of records or URLs
The Address Bar will resize itself next to the horizontal tabs if you elect to position to the "Window Top".
The bar will also display the current record's internal URL for easier bookmarking rather than just the section URL.
When using the address bar for searching, if you're on a web page, your bookmarks will be searched first. However, if you're on a section tab, eg: Contacts, the address bar search will show your list of matching Contacts first.
Other main changes is the Status Text when you hover over a link on a page. This will move out of the way to stop clashing with your cursor and shows when you hover over tabs as well as hyperlinks. More information is given on the text display, if available.
Icons are being redesigned gradually to account for higher resolution displays. 16x16 these days isn't a good size. Therefore, a new icon engine is in place to dynamically size the icons with little to no loss in quality. This is an ongoing effort so not all the icons will be immediately changed.
Related Links
This listing of links has now moved from the preview area to the vertical tabs panel that also shows the Downloads, URL History and other future global lists.
Record Preview Panel
The new Preview panel is now switchable between Horizontal and Vertical. This makes editing of the record's Comments far easier as the readability is more natural. There is a choice to displaying the record details above or below the comments, or as a small tab behind the comments.
For each of the Sections, the bottom bar on the right side, there are new icons to quickly flip arrangement of the various panels.
You will notice many little enhancements to the User Interface as you use doogiePIM, such as an animated icon next to the Messages tab when checking for new messages. I hope you like the little touches, however, I'm open to any feedback.
Tasks
Repeatable/Recurring Tasks
Tasks can now be set to recurring in the same way as Calendar Events.
When a Repeating Task is marked as Done, that task will be closed and a new Task will be automatically added, if it meets the conditions of the recurring parameters.
Task Order
Tasks can now be re-ordered to any position by way of the same control of the folders. You have an option to sort on a particular column but that doesn't always work for certain Tasks that need to be followed in a particular order.
Sync with Cloud Services
You are able to Import or Export to various services but there is no constant connection with any external cloud. This is by design and supports the ethos of doogiePIM. However, background services in doogiePIM has been set up to accommodate local syncing between multiple PCs or PCs and a SmartPhone (Android or iOS) over a LAN (Local Area Network) using your router. This area will be in constant development to improve sync between your devices quickly without using any Cloud features.
Mac OS
Work on doogiePIM has been done to assist the smoother running doogiePIM in a virtual session within OSX/11+. Current testing under VM software Parallels Intel/M1 has been very successful and is currently a daily driver for one of us ;)
4K/8K
There is better display of controls for desktops up to 500% scaling.
Messages
- Rendering of Email messages are far more accurate than in version 2. Obviously the more feedback I get, the better this area can improve.
- Zoom controls have been implemented to allow zooming in and out of the message preview.
Navigator Folders
An important change is the addition of a Deleted Items in all of the navigator folders. This is to catch deleted Documents, Contacts etc so you can restore them if you've accidentally hit Delete. This works in the same way as the Messages, you can purge the deleted items when you choose.
Resources
Each Resource item can have its own set of custom fields. These are implemented in a similar way to Contacts and will give greater flexibility to how you wish to define a Resource.
Many more features are in the pipeline and will be rolled out each month. Work is currently being made on an auto-update feature so your browser engine, security updates and bug fixes will update as and when needed, instead of having you to install a new version each time.
doogie is my passion and I'm honoured you've chosen to be a part of this journey.
- Chris
