5/12/2017

LodgeMaster Users,

Over the past few months we've received many requests for updates on 4.0 development. We wanted to begin providing updates and status as we get close to beginning beta testing. We'll send out information in a future update about getting involved in beta testing. We'll also work to send out a development updated ever 1 to 2 weeks to keep everyone informed.

First a note on Silverlight - the next version won't use Silverlight at all, all of the lodge client is being migrated over to a brand new platform that doesn't use Silverlight or any other plugins. The new version is written completely in HTML and JavaScript and will work in any current browser, including Safari, Chrome, Edge, IE and Firefox. It will also work on tablets and phones as well. When we selected Silverlight in 2010, it was the best choice for the project - it allowed use to write once and run in most places. At the time, we didn't have a large enough team to write both a web portal and Windows offline client, so the decision was made to write the front end once and share it between the online and installed base. At the time this was the only reasonable option and we would make the same decision if asked to do it over again.

The LodgeMaster development team is completely volunteer based, there are no paid professionals or paid deadlines. The teams is 100% volunteer and all of the development team members have full time jobs. We know that originally we hoped to have the software would be out last year, but a combination of job changes, moves, and other life changes caused some delays. We're back on track though and have been working at breakneck speed to wrap up the first version.

Over the past 2 years we have been working to replace the 3.0 OALM client with a web page application that can be run online and offline. Over the first year we worked to design the infrastructure and laying the new foundation for this application. Over the last 6 months, we have been building the user experience. We've been working to keep existing feature sets while at the same time improving features that don't work well. OALM is not a simple application, we must build the infrastructure to run both on our servers and be able to be installed on your computers while maintaining a high level of security.

Today we wanted to provide you some screenshots of member manage to give you some idea of what the new interface will look like. You will notice some major changes to the Member Manager interface, the first being the lack of a ribbon. We have removed the ribbon navigation because it doesn't make sense to use it on a website. We have replaced it with several drop down buttons in the top navigation bar (in red). We have also moved the user add/edit/delete buttons below the navigation bar to ease in their use. The views are now available on the left in a list form and can be adjusted more easily. The main menu will be accessible by clicking the hamburger menu (3 dashes) in top left corner.

Member Module Grid
Please note: some of the columns are blurred out to protect personal information.

The second screenshot is of member editor, all of the sections themselves are very similar to the last version, but we've redesigned the interface to give you more room and make it easier to navigate. To do that we've changes from a window popup to a full page experience. The name appears at the top and important information that used to appear in the header, plus lots of new key information appear in a right menu. Links to easily copy id's and contact information, plus flags on missing or mad information, and an easy click button for dues all appear. The rest of the screen is a set of collapsible sections that contain everything that used to appear in the tabs.

Member Editor
Please note: some of the columns are blurred out to protect personal information.

Lastly, attached is a screenshot of the reporting window. It will open in a new tab so you can continue working. Otherwise the parameters and controls are very similar to the current version.

Reporting
Please note: some of the columns are blurred out to protect personal information.

This is just a taste of the amazing changes that we are working towards in this 4.0 release. More to come in our next update. As always, if you have questions or problems, please submit a request online (http://docs.oa-bsa.org/display/OALMLC).