link
1 The calendar
is now unlimited
2 The booking data file is
significantly smaller
3 Regenerate Bookings now not necessary
4 Timetable templates are now independent
of specific resources.
5 Timetable templates can be created
by importing text data from a timetable program.
6 Memo fields in bookings
7 Memo Library
8 Pre-loaded Memos
9 Utility to check data integrity
10 Force closure of all running BookIt!
programs
11 Timetable Structure
12 Removal of "Term" from
the calendar
13 BIShow can scroll either up or down
14 Include an image of any resource
15 Option for school logo on main window
16 Other changes
17 Data compatibility with earlier versions
Previous versions of BookIt! stored all possible bookings for the year in the bookings file, even if they were not booked. The new version stores only actual bookings. This reduces the size of the bookings file immensely. Some booking files were about 20MB which impose a heavy strain on a network. The same data in the new format may be less than 500 kB.
The result of this is that you may have many more bookable resources, many more bookable sessions, an unlimited calendar, and network performance is not compromised.
The above changes have removed the need for this utility.
4. Timetable
templates are now independent of specific resources.
Previously, a single resource could have a single timetable template. If the timetable changed, the template had to be altered, and the original was lost.
Templates now are independent of any resource and can be copied. You may have a timetable for a computer room that is applied for most of the year, but at other times, some classes may not be present due to work experience or year 12 leaving etc. In these case the original template can be copied, modified, and applied for the relevant time period.
5. Timetable templates can be created by importing text data from a timetable program.
A text file formatted with 6 columns:
Day (1 or 2 or...), Period Number, Room, Teacher, Class, KLA
may be imported into a timetable template.
The Other Info field of Bookit has been expanded to a 2000 character memo field, to allow essentially unlimited other information about a booking. It is referred to as the Memo field.
Where many of the extra details required for a booking are fairly standard, it is possible to place them into a memo library, from which users can choose one. They may then then edit it.
You may specify that a particular resource has a particular memo appear when a booking is made. The user is able to edit this memo.
This may be in the form of a prompt to the user. For example a library that wishes users to enter the topic and number of students may have a preloaded memo
Topic:
Number of Students:
The user can then fill in the details
BookIt now provides a utility that checks that data is logically consistent:
It checks that session numbers are correct, that all resources have a
parent category, that all bookings are valid and so on.
This utility reports on and can rectify common mistakes.
As an administrator, you may do some work on the data files. This is usually done by first copying them to C: drive. When you wish to place the files back on the server, you cannot if even a single user has BookIt! open.
You may be updating program files from the web. Again, if someone is using BookIt!, you can't change the program.
Biclose.exe forces all BookIt! programs to immediately stop and prevents BookIt! from starting. You may then update files on the server, and run Biclose again to allow users back in.
Fixed Timetables used to be 5 day or 10 day. You can now use 5,6, or 7 days to include all or part of a weekend, or 10, 12, or 14 for a two week structure.
Cyclic Timetables can now be up to 14 days (from 10)
12. Removal
of "Term" from the calendar
BookIt! is increasing being used by non-schools where the concept of term is meaningless. When setting up a calendar, BookIt! by default will allow bookings on any day unless marked as a holiday.
Images help identify similar items. In areas like Audio Visual Equipment, many items have a similar name or description.
Total removal of BI.exe. BookIt.exe is the main utility used by both staff and administrators.
A utility for swapping sessions. eg Move all bookings from Period 5 to Period 6 for a particular resource for a given data range.
A utility to allow days to be explicitly named by the local administrator
Ability to apply a booking all day when making a booking for a session