February 2016: Continuing to Improve Your Experience

Late last year we told you about our bug-eradicating mission, and we're still going strong. February 3 is bringing even more fixes and small improvements to your software experience.

Admin Privileges

• Full to Limited privileges: In certain instances, replacing a 'Full' privilege with a 'Limited' one led to a confusing experience. We've smoothed that out for you.

Advanced Search

• People search criteria and campus filtering: There were two people search criteria ('Process Queue - Date' and 'Attendance - Single Event') that were not respecting campus selection when filtering the results. We set them back on track and they're now filtering properly.

Check-In

• Label printing: When printing a label during Check-In, the software would occasionally (incorrectly) print a copy of the Search for Family web page instead of the label. We made sure that we are printing the correct label at all times.
• Saving family messages in new profile creation: When creating a new profile during Check-In, if you added a family message, it was not being saved. We've corrected this so the family message saves during profile creation and editing.
• Manned Station settings resetting after error: Previously, when setting up a Manned Check-In Station, if the user's selected settings did not find any events for check-in, the 'Unable to find events' message appeared and the settings were returned to default — causing the user to have to reconfigure the settings completely even if only one simple adjustment was necessary. We've made the settings 'sticky' so a user does not have to re-enter and reconfigure them every time events cannot be found. Now a user needs only make modifications to the current settings.

Customizable Fields

• Deleting Customizable Fields: When attempting to delete Customizable Fields under System Settings, a Master Administrator or user with System-Wide Settings privileges was unable to do so, with no reason given as to why. To give you a greater measure of control over your data, the software now allows a user with appropriate privileges to delete custom fields and custom field options even when they are in use. We have included a helpful message to notify the user of the ramifications if a field that is currently 'In Use' is deleted. We also now ask this user to confirm their desire when deleting an 'In Use' Customizable Field. There are 3 fields to which this does not currently apply: Group Type, Attendance Grouping, and Transaction Grouping. Each of these is a required field in the software and if deleted would cause bad things to happen.

Events

• Visibility for Attendance Only events: Previously, Attendance Only events were visible to only a small subset of users (Master Administrators and Full and Limited Event Admins) via the 'All Events Admin' calendar. Now, these events are also visible on a group's calendar for Group Leaders (Main, Assistant, Coach, and Director), to an individual with Limited or Full Event Admin privileges for that group, and for the Master Administrator. This means there's more visibility for these Attendance Only events.
• Deceased profiles in invite search results: When adding or inviting people to an event using the 'People by name' option, we were not removing deceased profiles from the search results. Deceased profiles will no longer appear in the list when using this search option for adding or inviting people to an event.
• Notes and prayer requests for events that didn't meet: When recording attendance for an event that did not meet, leaving notes and/or prayer requests, and emailing that summary, the notes and requests were not being sent. This has been fixed; notes and prayer requests for these events are being properly emailed again.
• RSVP status and label printing: Previously, when printing labels for an event, the software was printing labels for everyone invited, regardless of their RSVP status. Now, we've made sure the software does not print labels for those whose RSVP status is for the event is 'No'.
• Event registration form end dates: If an form were being used to register for an event, and that form were set to expire today, it would still allow you to fill it out, but the event would state that registration was closed. We have now corrected it so that both the event and the form remain open for registration until the end of the day on the end date of the form.
• Registration from the public calendar: A form used to register for an event now again launches properly when accessed from the public calendar. Additionally, when an event has a form on the public calendar, the link now reads 'Register' rather than the incorrect 'Login to Register'.
• Manage Events for Limited Event Admins: We added the 'Manage Event' button to the event overlay for Limited Event Admins to make it easier for them to record attendance or invite people to an event. This restores functionality that Limited Event Admins were accustomed to having prior to our recent event update.
• Calendar download without extension: The 'Download Event' button on the 'Publish' tab of an event was downloading a file without an extension. The button now downloads an .ics file so that you can successfully add it to a calendar.

Financial

• Saved credit card type with BluePay: If you use BluePay as a merchant processor, when a donor used saved credit card details to complete a gift, we were not showing the correct card type in our reports. We've fixed this so you now see card type correctly.

Forms

• Check-In Sheet editing button: Upon loading the church software Check-In Sheet from a form, an 'edit settings' button was flashing and then disappearing. It now hides all the time, as there is nothing to edit on the Check-In Sheet.
• Matching names with apostrophes: When matching a form response from an individual whose name includes an apostrophe, a form manager would not see this individual's existing profile name under the 'Probable Matches' list (even though using the 'Matched to' search box returned the individual's profile). We fixed this so the 'Probable Matches' list can handle names with apostrophes.
• Form images on the home page: Form images are intentionally not shown under the Forms tab of the home page. However, if a form has an image in its description, the image was incorrectly flashing on screen for a moment. We fixed it so it no longer flashes anybody.
• Form descriptions on the home page: If a form was using an image or a link in the description, a user could have the form description text cut off when viewing it on the site's home page. We've fixed it so the full description shows correctly on the Forms section of the home page.

Groups

• Expanded tool for adding to groups: Previously the 'Add to groups...' tool from a profile would only allow you to add someone to groups in the same campus as the profile. We expanded this tool for people administrators. You can now add people to groups in any campus you have privileges for.
• Spanish characters in group descriptions: Spanish characters were not working when used in a group description. They now work without issue.
• Browser issue with message replies: When a group leader was using certain browsers to send a message to 'all participants' in a group, the software was incorrectly showing the 'Reply To:' option of 'the leaders'. We've removed that option when sending a message to all participants and made sure that the list of 'Reply To:' options is the same across browsers.
• Inviting via cross reference: When adding or inviting people to a group with the 'Use cross reference' option and selecting the radio button labeled 'Invite', the action button would say 'Add now' and group invitations would never be sent. We made sure that when you select the radio button to invite people from the 'Use cross reference' option, the action button says 'Send now' and invitation emails send properly.
• Campus-specific groups for single-campus churches: We were incorrectly showing a campus-specific group for churches with the Deluxe version of the software and only one campus. We've re-hidden that group again to alleviate any confusion it caused.

Mail Merges

• Process Queue automation and families sharing email addresses: Previously, when a Process Queue used a mail merge automation with the 'First Name' ($$first_name$$) field and then several family members (who shared the same email address) were simultaneously marked as done, the software sent the automation email to each family member, at the same email address, separately. We've fixed this so that mail merge automation now sends one email to the family, but properly addresses each person marked done in the Process Queue by first name.

Messages

• Text cutting off: Long group messages were having the last line of text cut in half after clicking the 'read more' link. We've fixed this issue, so there will be no more forthcoming cut-off message mysteries.
• We fixed the logic for the default selection in the 'Reply To' field of sending a new group message to make more sense based on the selection in the 'To' dropdown.

Needs

• Need viewing improvements: When viewing needs in a group, all were being listed under both 'Current Needs' and 'Past Needs'. The correct needs are now showing up under their appropriate sections, eliminating this Schröedinger's Need situation. We also added a 'Need is Filled' tag for a filled need, and changed the Next Available date from '(no date)' to 'none' when the need is filled.
• Need assignment preference: In some instances, when a logged-out user accepted a need and shortly thereafter a logged-in user tried to select the same need, the software gave preference to the logged-in user (even when that user was the second to select the "I'll take it" checkbox). We resolved this so needs are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis; if someone has already taken a need, another user who tries to take it will receive a red notification that the need has already been taken.
• Needs in non-member groups: When a user took or was assigned a need from a group that they weren't a member of, the need wasn't showing up on their My Calendar and Family Calendar. It now correctly shows up on both calendars.

People Search

• Expanded search results link: When a search for a person by name returned more than 10 names, the 'click here for all results...' link was sometimes hiding. We ensured that the link will always show when returning more than 10 names, and your eleventh Jonathan won't be lost in cyberspace.

Pledges

• January 1 start dates for PST: Churches in the Pacific Time Zone that had pledges starting January 1 were seeing the start date of those pledges listed as Dec 31 under the Give menu. We've corrected this and the pledge start date is displaying correctly in all places.
• Pledge statements from the Family profile area: The 'Pledge Statement' link was not working from within the Family capsule on an individual profile's Financial tab. We fixed the link..

Positions

• Position searches with over 20 results: When searching for a position that brings back more than 20 results, the software creates new pages for each set of 20. However, when a user tried going to the second page, it reset the search. The search is now maintained so the user can view all of the results of the position search.

Process Queues

• Hidden processes and privileges: When viewing a profile as a process or people admin, hidden process queues were being displayed across campuses/privileges. Now all processes correctly show up for the process admin of that specific campus, while hidden Processes are not visible to the people admin of that campus.
• New 'add to queue' link: Queue Managers can now add people to their Queues via the 'Add a person to this queue' link.
• Privilege levels with read/write plus manager status: When a user with Full Read and Full Write (or with Limited Read and Limited Write) people privileges was also a Process Manager, went to another user's profile, and clicked the 'Add to process queue' link, the list of available process queues was incorrectly restricted to only showing the queues that the assigner managed when it should have shown all process queues across campuses. We've fixed this so all process queues can be assigned by a Process Manager who also has Full Read + Full Write (or Limited Read + Limited Write) People privileges — essentially ensuring that the higher level of privileges are honored.

Profiles

• Profile last edited date and Check-In: Previously, when editing someone's profile through Check-In, the software would not display the correct date of the last edit on the individual's profile. Now after editing a profile via Check-In, the profile says that it has been modified by 'the System' and shows the correct modified date. This profile edit through Check-In is now also reflected in the 30 Day Change Log report.

Reports

• Attendance Summary: When running the Attendance Summary report, the 'Across All Groups' column was not totaling. We gave it a calculator and it's totaling again.
• Event Setup: When printing the Event Setup report, events were failing to print on their own individual page. The page breaks have returned so each event begins on its own page.
• Individual Profiles: The Individual Profiles report was failing to list family members for each profile. Family members are now correctly listed for each profile.
• Individual Attendance Detail: Previously, the Individual Attendance Detail report did not clearly show which events 'Did not meet' when the selected totaling method in the report settings was 'For every event occurrence'. The report was returning zeros, which was confusing and made it hard to know the difference between events that had zero attendance and events that just didn't meet. We've added an asterisk to the column header for events whose attendance record shows 'Did not meet', included a note in the header tooltip to indicate the meaning of the asterisk, and removed the zeros in the total rows for events that 'Did not meet'.
• Printable Directory: When the Printable Directory was run to show family results, the directory was incorrectly including inactive profiles. We've ensured that inactive profiles will not show up on the Printable Directory.
• Individual Attendance Detail: The Individual Attendance Detail report was not accurately capturing the proper number in the 'Weeks Attended' column — this column should sum how many weeks have data within the date range and then show that number, not the total number of events attended within the weeks reflected with in the date range. We fixed this so the 'Weeks Attended' column sums the number of weeks attended instead of the number of events attended within those weeks.
• Parent List/Blank Attendance Marking Sheet(s): A Department Admin was unable to run the Parent List and Blank Attendance Marking Sheet(s) contextual reports from groups within their department. Now, those reports run without issue for the Department Admin.
• Blank Attendance Marking Sheet(s) – 1: When using the Blank Attendance Marking Sheet(s) group contextual report, a Department Admin or Group Leader would experience the endless processing spinner of doom and the report would not run. We fixed this to ensure the report runs and can be viewed by a Department Admin and Group Leader.
• Blank Attendance Marking Sheet(s) – 2: The Blank Attendance Marking Sheet(s) report would not run with a multiple-line note added. It now runs regardless of the note length.
• Blank Attendance Marking Sheet(s) – 3: When running the Blank Attendance Marking Sheet(s) report from a group, we now lock in the group based on the group you're running the report from and only show attendance marking sheets for that group.
• Attendance Detail: The Attendance Detail contextual report for an event with attendance did not have a default sort order when the 'Excel' or 'CSV' report output options were selected. Now, this report by default sorts alphabetically by name when exported to either Excel or CSV.
• Attendance Trend The Attendance Trend report was showing too many groups, specifically duplicating groups and placing them within an Attendance Grouping they didn't belong to. We have corrected this so the appropriate groups show up in the correct Attendance Grouping.
• Events with Resources: When an event in the Events with Resources report had lengthy setup notes, it was requiring significant horizontal scrolling to read the setup notes in the report. We've now wrapped the 'Setup Notes' column at 360 pixels to reduce finger damage from perpetual scrolling.
• Category Summary by Date Range: When a user received a scheduled Category Summary by Date Range report via email and clicked on the 'View Report' button, the report would show several additional columns that should be hidden. With some super-secret ninja training, those columns are now truly hidden when the report is viewed.
• Printable Directory: The Printable Directory now honors the rows that the user selects when printing the report. It does, however, limit the number of rows to the amount that will fit on a page.
• Attendance Trend: When an all-day event was right before or right after the start of the church's Engagement Week, the attendance was not showing up in the Attendance Trend report. We made sure that we include these all-day events in the Attendance Trend report.
• Department Summary: Previously, there was no way to search for groups that did not belong to a department. We have added a 'No Department' option to the Departments selector in the Department Summary report settings. Now, if you select the 'No Department' option, a listing of all groups that do not belong to a department will be returned and will have a value of '*No Department*' under the 'Department' column.
• First/Last Transaction Detail: When running the First/Last Transaction Detail report and selecting 'Last Transaction' in the report settings, the software was incorrectly showing the first transaction that occurred in the date range. We fixed this so that 'Last Transaction' will show ... the last transaction.
• Schedule Detail: We overhauled the print version of the Schedule Detail report to provide a much more useful and delightful experience.
• Financial reports in non-English locales: Financial reports in non-English locales were not summing correctly. This has been fixed.
• Roster with Barcodes: The Roster with Barcodes report was not always giving a clean page break when printed. We now ensured that page breaks are clean when printed in portrait orientation.
• Pledge and Giving Summary: Previously, the Pledge and Giving Summary report was making some assumptions on which pledges/transactions to include based on a few default rules behind the scenes. This could deliver confusing results when running the report by family. We updated this report’s options and rules to provide more clarity so you know what to expect when running this report by individual or by family.
• Attendance Grouping Summary: In the Attendance Grouping Summary report, we made sure that groups with events with attendance marked as '0' will show up in this report and the '0' attendance event will be counted in the 'Times Posted' column. We also made sure that groups whose events are marked as 'Did Not Meet' will show up on the report, but not be counted in the 'Times Posted' column.
• Creating/editing shared Custom Reports: Previously, when creating or editing a shared Custom Report, the creator had the option under the 'Campuses' tab to only show results from campuses that the recipient of the shared Custom Report had permissions to see. However, this was confusing because it would alter the report results depending on the privileges of the individual with whom the report was shared. Instead, we now require the creator/editor of the Custom Report to select which campuses will be shown regardless of who receives the shared report.
• Attendance Overview: Previously, if a church had a very large number of Attendance Groupings, in some cases, their attendance data would not show on the Attendance Overview report. We made sure that the attendance data shows no matter how many Attendance Groupings a church has.
• Attendance Detail: When viewed on screen, the Attendance Detail group contextual report was incorrectly sorting the 'Total' row along with the other individuals who were recorded as attending the event. The 'Total' row now remains at the bottom as it should.

Rooms & Resources

• Information when deleting a room or resource: When a user attempts to delete a room or resource only associated with past events, we've added a helpful, clarifying comment in the modal informing the user that deleting a room or resource will permanently remove the room or resource's historical information from all past events.

API

• Create_event: The create_event API service now allows for the creation of recurring events that meet on multiple days per week using the recurrence_day_of_week parameter. For example, you can now create a recurring event that meets on Monday and Wednesday of each week by passing 'mon,wed' into the recurrence_day_of_week parameter.
• Add_individual_to_group: The add_individual_to_group API service has been updated to allow 'leader' as a valid option to the parameter 'status'. Please see the API documentation for more detail.
• Manage_group_leaders: The manage_group_leaders API service is a new service allowing group Assistant Leaders, but not the Main Leader, to be added or removed from an existing group. Please see API documentation for more detail.
• Group_grouping_list and department_list: For quite some time now, we've been using the group_grouping_list API service in place of the old and now unnecessary department_list API service. We've closed the old loophole and have removed the department_list API Service.
• Group_profiles and group_profile_from_id: We have added a new optional parameter called include_image_link to the group_profiles and group_profile_from_id API services; it will default to 'false'. If you want to pull group images from these API services, you will need to update your calls to include this new parameter and change the value to 'true'. While some church partners rely on returning the group images through the API, others do not. This change ensures the API services stay efficient while providing access to the group image for those who want it.
• Transaction_detail_type_list: We updated the API documentation to bring clarity around finding the transaction_detail_type_list API service. This service returns the COA listing, so we changed the heading from 'Transaction List' to 'COA Listing (Formerly called Transaction List)'.