We’ve just completed some changes to the press biogs/artist photos and xml feed system. Basically, these add a level of flexibility when you are using our system to serve content to your website or iphone app (such as artist biographies and photos, performance times, stage details and so forth). The details are as follows:

• you can now switch on/off the xml feed content and set default image sizes for any uploaded artist photograph.
• the default image settings mean that when a photo is uploaded, the system saves the original uploaded image for you to download from the press page and use in print/promotional content. Then it  automatically re-sizes the photo for use on the web at the dimensions you require. If you provide either height or width, it’ll scale the picture to that figure (leaving the other in proportion). If you provide both, it’ll scale to the most appropriate size, then trim (crop) any excess so that it fits with your website’s design.
• on the press page there is now a small gold star to indicate the artist’s default picture. If you have more than one image for a performer, clicking the small grey star will make that image the default.
• the xml feed can either supply just the default photo, or a list of all images for the artist, depending on what is required.
• all images are saved to amazon’s web servers, enabling you to access them directly from your website.
• if you’re using the xml feeds (i.e. turned this on in the config page), then there will be a publish/unpublish button next to each biog. No artist/performance details will appear in the xml feed without being published. This enables you to oversee exactly what appears on your site and when.

We’ve just completed the final upgrade (for this year, at least!) of the Scheduler. The changes are as follows:

• the display options (where you select which days and/or stages you’re viewing) are now in a popup box, so those events with a large number of venues/stages no longer have a clutter of checkboxes at the top of the Scheduler page. To change what the Scheduler is displaying, click the “display options” at the top of the page.
• as well as days/stages, there is now the ability to view specific hours. Again, using the “display options” link, you choose your from-to times (which can span midnight, e.g. 19:00 to 03:00) and click set. If there are artists scheduled that begin before your start hour but who’s times encroach into your display (or start before your end hour, but continue after) then these are displayed in grey & can not be moved – however they provide the essential reminder that there’s something booked for those times.
• the display options you’ve selected are now shown at the top of the main scheduler, with a simple reset button alongside.

This should mean that those festivals with a large number of venues &/or stages can manage the Scheduler more easily. We’ve still got one or two improvements in mind to add some extra cleverness, but that’s going to have to wait for 2010.

Happy New Year!

Another day, another fairly substantial set of improvements to the Scheduler. Here’s what we’ve achieved today…

• instead of the time grid being fixed to begin at 9am, it will match the “next day hour” as set in the configuration for each festival. The “next day hour” allows you to set the time for when one festival day ends and the next begins – which, of course, will differ depending on the type of event you are. Up until now, this was only relevant for generating reports (so that, for instance, a performer who was scheduled for a 2am performance on the Sunday could be grouped with Saturday’s artists). The Scheduler now reflects how this so that there’s no confusion when booking/scheduling artists.
• the grid has been also altered to enable you to schedule performances that are 30 minutes in length (the previous limit was 60 minutes). To achieve this we’ve had to restrict the length of name displayed for each performer so that it doesn’t stretch past a single line. You can view the entire name by putting your mouse over the text.
• the Scheduler now allows you to set times in five minute increments – both starting times, and performance lengths. This means you can now set a performance that starts at 14:10 and finishes at 15:55. [The previous restriction was in 15 minute increments.]
• when you move a time block around the screen, or alter the length of a performance, the system will instantly show you the new times (although you still need to save your changes as before).
• we have also made some changes to the structure and delivery of The Scheduler code, which will improve the page loading time – and should be particularly noticeable for those users behind corporate firewalls.

Huzzah! We have just launched the first release of our new Volunteer System.

The software enables you to:

• easily create a number of different application forms, with both pre-set form elements and free-choice questions
• set different roles for each form (for instance, you might have a form for stewarding, with roles of: steward, steward (first aider), team leader…)
• view, edit and approve applicants (either individually or en masse)
• search for applicants by name
• instantly and simply mass-email applicants

We are also working on phase two of the software, which will introduce reporting functionality and, hopefully, the ability to schedule all of your volunteers’ shifts. Phase two should be complete early in the new year.

There’s a lot still to be done, but this should give clients enough to get started with and we’ll work with you to make sure that it matches your requirements.

Oh, and this is a standard part of the system package – i.e. there will be no additional fees or payments required to use it.

Well, it’s been long overdue, but we’ve finally rebuilt the entire site navigation.

When the system started, way back when, it only dealt with Artist Liaison. So the navigation comprised a single row of links at the top of the page (contracts, stage, addresses, press, etc.). As the site grew organically we added additional layers – admin, staff, accommodation and, soon to be launched, volunteers. To keep the navigation strip manageable, we subdivided it by role and put the new links in the corner beneath the main navigation. And it worked  fine when there were just a couple of options (artists and admin), but eventually it began to cause problems.

New users were getting lost, prospective clients didn’t see the breadth of the system (thinking that it was simply managing the artist relationships) and eventually we had to bite the bullet and change everything around.

Should have done it ages ago…