============================================================== Release Notes for P3 (PITTag3) as of 6/21/2013 Information contained in this document is more current than that in the printed documentation and online guides. Please read this document carefully before using this software for production data collection. ============================================================== Contents: Installation Issues System Related Issues Production Release 1.5.4 Production Release 1.5.3 Production Release 1.5.1 Production Release 1.5.0 Production Release 1.4.9 Production Release 1.4.8 Production Release 1.4.5 Production Release 1.4.4 Production Release 1.4.3 Production Release 1.4.2 Production Release 1.4.1 Production Release 1.4.0 Production Release 1.3.7 Production Release 1.3.6 Production Release 1.3.4 Production Release 1.2.5 Production Release 1.1.4 Production Release 1.1.3 Production Release 1.1.2 Production Release 1.1.1 Known Issues ======================= Installation Issues ======================= _This release of P3 shares a common library file with MiniMon for uploading files to PTAGIS. A runtime error will occur during upload process for prior versions of either software if a new version of either software is installed. If you're planning to use the upload features of both applications on the same PC, you need to install latest versions of each. _MDAC and JET technologies on your system will be upgraded to the latest service pack release from Microsoft. This may require the system to reboot during the installation process. ======================= System Related Issues ======================= _On Windows XP, P3 occasionally encounters the following problem: When a large note is pasted into the Note field of a tag session, and the session is then exported, some of the lines of the note are lost. The cause of this problem is the Windows control used for the Note field and can be solved by installing Service Pack 2 on your Windows XP machine. Service Pack 2 can be downloaded from Microsoft web site, www.microsoft.com, free of charge. _To support the request for margins in header and detail notes, this release has new system requirements: Win2000 SP4 and WinXP SP1 (or better). These service packs from Microsoft fix reported problems with the disappearance of all or partial notes when exported to tag files. _Ocassionally on some Win98 systems, clicking on the drop-down list of profiles on the toolbar or menu will cause a runtime error in P3. The following workarounds may resolve this issue: Workaround #A 1. Right-click the desktop and select Properties. 2. Click the Settings tab and click the Advanced button. 3. Click the Performance tab. 4. Set the graphics 'hardware acceleration' slider back one notch. This will prevent cursor and bitmap accelerations. 5. This may require a reboot of the system. Workaround #B 1. Delete maincfg.atb and map.atb files in P3 installation directory. These files save any customized and historical information associated with the menus and tool bars. P3 will recreate these files automatically. This has resolved this issue temporarily. If you haven't already, please notify us if you experience this issue. It will help us gauge the scope of this issue. PLEASE REFER TO 'Known Issues' for an important workaround for an issue with P3 version 1.4.5 and earlier. ============================================================== Production Release 1.5.4 6/21/2013 ============================================================== _Correct a formatting issue P3 no longer trims any leading whitespace in the additional positional comments. _Updated 'P3 On the Web' link to new website. ============================================================== Production Release 1.5.3 5/1/2013 ============================================================== _Enabled features to allow importing data from a Biomark HPR Plus portable reader for both tag sessions and tag actions. ============================================================== Production Release 1.5.1 9/17/2012 ============================================================== _Fixed bug that caused 'invalid use of null' when running statistics viewer. ============================================================== Production Release 1.5.0 9/6/2012 ============================================================== _Per PTSC recommendation, P3 will no longer validate tags against a list of known manufacturer's codes. _Provided support for the Biomark HPR Plus portable reader. This reader may require a separate bluetooth adapter to communicate with P3; please contact Biomark for details. ============================================================== Production Release 1.4.9 3/2/2011 ============================================================== _Fixed the font color for repeating comments dialog window that on some systems would make the text invisible. ============================================================== Production Release 1.4.8 ============================================================== _Updated P3 to run on latest Visual Basic Runtime Service Pack 6 and other component service packs. _Added half-duplex technology support (HDX) with Destron 2001F portable running 5.0 firmware and Allflex readers running 1.13 firmware. _Added support for ISO tags with country code 384 (Biomark and others). _Fixed rare runtime error "Invalid Null" when exporting or uploading tag sessions when importing CSV/Download data using a header template that completely validates the tag session and no edits were made to the session. A warning is given if an existing session is mapped to a header template the user should verify the tag file name before exporting by retyping the tag date in the open session. _Bolstered Import CSV function to force all textual data to upper case, including species, run and rearing type codes. Also throws a validation error for negative length or weight values. ============================================================== Production Release 1.4.5 05/01/07 ============================================================== _Tag session export problems fixed. _Popup menu for session nodes added. ============================================================== Production Release 1.4.4 09/27/06 ============================================================== _Fixed a major bug which did not allow saving a new tag session. ============================================================== Production Release 1.4.3 09/14/06 ============================================================== _We recommend using Windows XP and higher for the latest version of P3. _Layout of the exported tag file was changed to match previous versions of P3. The note in the detail records will have a blank like above and below the note. _Support added for Sartorius Combics 1 electronic balance. This balance does not automatically send data to PC. The user has to press Print button for the data to be sent. _Whenever a tag action is imported into P3, the user will be prompted to activate the tag actions in the current profile. If the user agrees, then the activation will occur automatically. _When actions associated with tag sessions are exported, the user how has an option to export all the tags from the associated tag session as a list of tags assigned to this action. The user will be asked if she wants to export tags from the associated session. If the user agrees, the session is converted into a tag list and included in the export. _Default baud rate for Avid PowerTracker II is set to 2400 baud. _When the user changes file name used for a tag session, all upload history for the old file will be erased to avoid confusion. ============================================================== Production Release 1.4.2 09/01/05 ============================================================== _Uses newer version of PTTP library compatible with MiniMon 1.4.8. ============================================================== Production Release 1.4.1 03/28/05 ============================================================== _Problem with multiline session detail notes has been resolved. _New reader added - Proximity Reader GP30. When settings device properties, choose Device Type 'Destron BenchTop Reader'. _The message about invalid format when importing VRT codes has been corrected. ============================================================== Production Release 1.4.0 02/22/05 ============================================================== _New 'Bypass mort/shed tags option in 'Remove Dot Outs' dialog. When this option is selected, the program will remove all dot outs except ones that have M or L flags in conditional comments. _New scale added: Ohaus Champ model. Can be used in g or kg units. _Attributes in Tag Detail and Statistics viewers are preserved now within an instance of the program. _3C8 country code is accepted in this version. _P3 file transfers are done in Passive Mode by default. _Only one line is inserted between header and detail records in exported files. _Problem with multi-line notes missing lines has been resolved. _Purge History dialog box in File Upload defaults to the last date specified instead of "11/1/2001". ============================================================== Production Release 1.3.7 06/14/04 ============================================================== _New hidden upload setting allows users to disable network verification. Some sattelite networks cause Windows not to detect a network; P3 will bypass this verification and attempt a network connection. ============================================================== Production Release 1.3.6 04/20/04 ============================================================== _Fixed a bug that prevented the saving of digitizer map properties. This bug was introduced with the latest upgrades of MDAC and JET technologies from Microsoft. _Fixed bug that caused all tag sessions to be uploaded as corrections regardless of upload setting. _There was no default option for selecting a new or existing tag session in P3's download wizard. If the user didn't select an option, the download was saved to the first existing tag session. In this release, the 'new tag session' option is selected by default. _P3 would not read non-ISO tags with time option set to on for new Destron ISO Portable Reader. The device driver has been updated to read non-ISO tags regardless of time-setting, as long as the correct device type is selected. _Fixed bug that caused a runtime error when Device Actions were triggered. _Fixed a bug that caused a runtime error when copying a profile on a new installation. _Added feature that allows users to select more than one Verbose SRR validation code at one time for deletion. ============================================================== Production Release 1.3.4 03/23/04 ============================================================== ======================= NEW FEATURES ======================= _A new 'Duplicate Viewer' tool allows users to manage duplicate tag records found in one or more tag sessions. It allows users to dot-out duplicates in bulk. _A new profile setting has been added called 'Starting Detail Field' which allows the user to select which tag detail field should gain focus when a new record is entered or scrolled to. This facilitates manual keyboard entry of a particular fields, such as length or weight. _Users can now delete Verbose SRRT validation codes from the 'Validation Code' tool under the 'Tools' menu. This will allow users to make the SRR drop-down list smaller and reduce risk of selecting the wrong value. Deleting a verbose command is application-wide; it is not associated with a profile. Users will have to repeat the deletion process each time they upgrade the validation codes. _Tag detail records can be scrolled from the keyboard or from the 'Session' menu. The keyboard hot-keys for scrolling detail records are: First: Shift-F9 Previous: Shift-F10 Next: Shift-F11 Last: Shift-F12 New: Ctrl-F12 _It was requested to make the tag code field in the tag detail page more visible once the field was entered. The color was changed from a light grey to a bright yellow which provides better contrast with the black background. _Tag Session Header can now be printed from right-click menu in Tag Detail Viewer window by selecting Print->Tag Header. Adjusting the tag header (column width etc.) will adjust the print output accordingly. _P3 supports the AllFlex ISO reader for both real-time scanning and memory download. _Remove Dot-Out tool allows multiple tag sessions to be selected at once for removing dot-outs from tag sessions and re-sequencing those detail records. ======================= NEW TAG ACTIONS FEATURES ======================= _Tag Actions have a new feature that allows them to be associated with one or more tag sessions instead of a static list of tags. This dynamic lookup is useful for identifying recaptures without having maintain a static list of tags. See online help for more information. _Download Wizard allows users to apply one or more tag actions during the download process. _Tag Actions now allow associated conditional and /or textual comments to overwrite existing values instead of appending. _Multiple Tag Actions can be selected for deletion at one time. ======================= CHANGES IN SITE VALIDATION ======================= _RKM extensions in Tag Header now allow '000' to be input. This reverses previous requests to remove '000' as an RKM extension. _Users will be warned if they select or import a Tagging or Release Site code in the tag header that has been labeled 'archaic'. P3 will not prevent the user from using these archaic codes. _Users will be warned if an 'in-river' release site in the tagging header does not have a extension associated with the River KM field. ======================= NETWORK ISSUES ======================= _Upgraded P3's library for submitting data directly to PTAGIS. MiniMon 1.4.4 also uses this library for submitting interrogation files. Verified program compatibility and installation with this shared library. _Some networks require 'passive FTP' transfers for using P3's file upload and validation code download features; the passive FTP feature has been upgraded in this release. _Modified WebDeployment for P3 installation patching to use HTTP instead of FTP; this is result of firewall security not allowing FTP client PORT commands. ======================= OTHER FEATURES AND FIXES ======================= _Because 2001F portable ISO readers can read non-ISO tags, modification to the device driver was necessary so that non-ISO tags with 10 character format (such as 400 kHz tags) are valid. Half-duplex tags can also be read by these readers, however, these tags were not available or requested for use with the P3 application. _Tag Header/Detail Notes with multiple lines could have formatting issues when exported. Now, a right margin restricts the entry of each line of a note to the maximum number allowed per specification. The note exported into a tagging file will appear exactly as it was entered. _Importing a CSV file that contained a single digit VRT code that was not zero padded would pass the unpadded value to an exported CSV list, which violates specifications. This has been fixed in this version. _Bug was fixed that caused an error if user closed P3 during startup. P3 is now disabled until startup has completed. _A Search query that contained a VRT code or time would produce a runtime error in previous release of P3. This has been fixed in this release. _Maximum tag detail weight has been increased from 10,000g to 1,000,000g per request. _P3 will use the specified date format for creating tag files regardless of system regional locale settings. _P3 will only import tag files created by P3 or PITTag2. Older files will need to be imported into PITTag2 and reformatted to be imported into P3. _This release requires schema modifications to the P3 database. P3 will automatically make the required schema modifications to the connected database at startup. The schema changes do not effect importing configuration settings from previous versions of P3. _A new topic for configuring Calcomp Drawing Boards has been added to the appendix of the P3 help documentation. _P3 will suppress errors when prompting to import a configuration file and the previous path is not available, such as a floppy drive; instead P3 will default to a current directory. ============================================================== Production Release 1.2.5 04/22/03 ============================================================== ======================= Fixes ======================= _When P3 starts up, the splash screen is now displayed within the P3 main window to give a better context to new users when they're prompted to install the runtime validation codes. _If a user decides not to install the runtime validation code, most of P3's functionality has been now disabled. Users tried to import tag files without the runtime validation codes, and even though they were warned up front, validation errors would occur during the import process. _The progress window displayed while replacing tag codes in a tag action will now disappear before the complete prompt is displayed. This confused some users thinking the process was still going when in fact it was finished. _Problem with Max III reader is fixed. The program will be able to distinguish Max I codes from Max III codes by the dot character, ‘.’ separating country code from tag code. If there is a dot character in the tag, then the reader is Max I, otherwise, the reader used is Max III. The program will not be able to recognize Max III readers if the output code contains the dot character. _CSV Import Wizard now has two more buttons: Save Fields and Clear Fields. When import fields are mapped, click Save Fields to save field mapping to registry. They will be loaded automatically when CSV Import Wizard runs the next time. Clear Fields will clear current mapping and the next time the wizard runs, the fields will not be automatically mapped. _P3 will remember width, height, and position of the windows in P3 main frame, unless they are minimized or maximized. _When the user opens Tag Session, the program will check whether File Name Prefix in current active profile is set to a valid coordinator id. If not, Tag Session will not open. Current active profile window will open to let the user change the prefix. _P3 is now able to import and export VRT codes from VRT window. VRT codes are exported into and imported from CSV files from/ into the current session. Import will only update codes that currently exist for the session and will not add new codes. In addition, VRT window now can be resized. _Tab order has been changed so that if a tag is scanned and SRR is filled, P3 will automatically move cursor to the Length field. _Database error handling has been improved - error message should be more descriptive now. _2001F-ISO Destron-Fearing portable reader has been tested and works with P3. ============================================================== Production Release 1.1.4 8/13/02 ============================================================== ======================= Fixes ======================= _P3 would not export, import or upload correctly when started from a short-cut pointing to an alternate database. In some cases it was still pointing to the installation database and either wouldn't perform the task or it would export/import/upload the data from the wrong database. This issue has been fixed in this release. _P3 will now filter any quote characters used for specifying a path to an alternate p3.mdb database when creating a short-cut. _When a user accesses an alternate database using the short-cut method, the 'recently accessed tag session' history list located under the file menu will now be reset to avoid referencing tag sessions in the previously accessed database. _Even though the PTAGIS Specification Document specifies that a tag file prefix must be three characters in length, some tagging coordinator ids are only 2 characters in length. Files created with 2-character ids would not pass P3's validation. This version has been modified to accept 2-character prefixes for tag file names for both tag session validation and import process. _Any blank lines, or paragraph markers in a tag session note (header or detail) will be preserved when exported to a tagging file. The lines for a note are limited to 76 characters and P3 will automatically wrap any lines longer than this - so format of note may not appear exactly as in the note editor window. _The note editor for a tag session now has vertical and horizontal scroll bars. _P3 now validates tag code content more thoroughly when importing tag data (CSV, Tag File, Tag Session). Previous versions wouldn't detect typographical errors in tag code contents. _P3 will now display a prompt to warn users of any issues during the import process. All issues are still displayed in the import results window. _Upload history detail window is now resizable. _If a new detail record is dot-out (field was empty) and 'auto-accept' is on, the next scanned tag code will overwrite the new detail record instead of automatically saving it. This have been fixed in this version. _If mandatory weight is enabled, a dash value wouldn't pass validation. This has been corrected in this version. _Modifications to a tag action, such as changing the message alert or automated comment input, would not take effect immediately in an open tag session. This caused much confusion for users that change their tag actions while a tag session is open. This version of P3 now will automatically synchronize an open tag session with any modifications to a related tag action. _In the situation that a filtered tag code is input into the tag buffer (e.g. user scans filter tag while P3 is displaying a prompt for action), when the tag code is selected from the buffer, P3 will now fire the filter action instead of mistaking the tag code for input. _If the user tried to close the application while a tag session was open with tag codes in the buffer, P3 would loop on the confirmation prompt telling the user that tags in the buffer would be erased. P3 has been modified in this version not to allow user to close application while a tag session contains one or more tag codes in the tag buffer. User must process the buffered tags first before closing the application. ============================================================== Production Release 1.1.3 7/24/02 ============================================================== ======================= Fixes ======================= _Deleting an entire column or row on a digitizer map caused multiple map commands to be associated with a single digitizer cell. Therefore, the map command displayed wasn't the map command executed when pressed. This problem has been fixed in this version. _Closing a digitizer map while minimized would cause the digitizer map window to be very small the next time it was opened. _Fixed a runtime error saving a new digitizer map after modifying map properties. _Fixed device driver of A&D Balances that prevented input of weight information into a detail record. _Some users have submitted files to PTAGIS using the 'ZZZ' tag file prefix in the 'default profile' provided when the application is installed. The user is warned when validating any tag session with this file prefix, however files were submitted anyway. On new installations, 'Default Profile' has been changed to 'Sample Profile'. The 'Tag File Prefix' has been changed to '@@@' which will be automatically rejected by PTAGIS. _Fixed runtime error when uploading tag session over a network that requires 'passive' data transfer. _Uploading files to PTAGIS has been limited to a maximum of 5 tag sessions per upload due to server constraints. ============================================================== Production Release 1.1.2 6/18/02 ============================================================== ======================= New Features ======================= _Added a Detail button on the Dot-Out Wizard results page that when clicked will display a report of matching and non-matching tag codes. This report was requested to identify scanned mortality tags that don't exist in any tag sessions. This report can be printed or saved to a file. _Tag codes can be downloaded from a tag reader directly into a tag action using the Download command button. Portions of the Download Wizard utility are used to prompt the user for a reader/file and buffer tag codes downloaded from reader. User presses the Finish button and the buffered tags are appended to the tag action, with any duplicates automatically filtered. _Tested P3 with the latest firmware 2.3 for the Destron 2001F portable tag readers and found no incompatibilities. _Tag Detail Viewer allows users to resize row height to see detail notes with multiple lines. _Updated help file with information about additional enhancements within this release. ======================= Fixes ======================= _Post tagging temperature field in tag header was not being preserved in the import process, in fact it was overwriting the tagging temperature field. This has been fixed in this release. _Detail notes will now display correctly in the tag detail viewer for tag sessions imported from external tagging files. Problem was an extra hard return (crlf) was prepended to the detail note, shifting them down one line. _Exporting the tag detail viewer will now include all lines of a multi-line note. _Importing tag file with a forklength > 32,000mm generated a runtime error due to overflow in the database field. The import process was modified to detect this condition, as well with weights, replace the value with a dash and report the problem in the Import Status window. _The maximum values for length and weight are specified only by the number of allowed positions in the tagging file. However, the p3 database does require the fork length field to be less than 32,000 mm. P3 will now perform extra validation to ensure both weights and lengths are less than 10000 in a detail record. _Accepting a duplicate tag detail record with repeating comments off would replace the existing detail record instead. This has been fixed in this release to accept the duplicate detail record. _Removed multi-selection capabilities in Device, Action and Constraint profile settings to prevent confusion - there are no commands that support selecting multiple items from these lists. _Format of weight values in detail viewer will now display a zero for a tenth of grams. _Import CSV wizard will now properly align tag code values in sample display. _Modifying a single header field that is a drop-down list would not prompt user to save changes - therefore change would not be saved. _Using the Replace function while a tag session is open could generate a runtime error. This has been fixed in this version. _Import from CSV File and Download from Reader functions are now disabled while a tag session is open. _Executing a digitizer map command to view the statistics viewer generated an occasional runtime error. This bug was system related and has been fixed in this version. _Verified compatibility of P3 with firmware version 2.3 for Destron FS2001 Portable Reader. _Fixed a bug that caused RKM extension values to stick when Release Site code is changed. _Fixed bug that allowed duplicate conditional comment flags to be imported from a tag file or Pittag2 database. ============================================================== Production Release 1.1.1 4/16/02 ============================================================== ======================= New Features ======================= _Added a 'Replace' feature for a Tag Action. This feature was requested due to the slow performance of importing large clip files (some containing more than a million tag codes) into a single tag action. This feature will replace existing tag codes with new tag codes from one or more selected files.Replacing a tag action containing 320K tags with another 320K tags took about 4 minutes (your mileage may vary). Like the Import feature, Replace will ignore duplicate tags. See Online Help for more information. _Tag Actions no longer automatically display the list of associated tag codes. The user must click the 'Show Tags' button to display the tags. This was due to the large overhead of displaying large amount of tag codes only to modify a tag action. _Removed 'Tag Count' column in Tag Action Manager to increase performance. ======================= Fixes ======================= _If a digitizer map was deleted and it was associated with a tablet device in a profile, opening the device for modification would generate a runtime error. User is now warned if a digitizer map is associated with a profile, and if deleted, any associated tablet devices will no longer be associated with the deleted map. _It was possible to enter duplicate flag codes in the conditional comment field: a device action, tag action and repeating comment combination that set only two duplicate flag codes would bypass validation. This has been fixed in this version. ======================= Known Issues ======================= _P3 version 1.4.5 and earlier has a known bug that can cause the reordering of detail records when tagging sessions are imported from another P3.MDB database. The workaround for this issue is to import tagging sessions that have been exported to file. _The production release dated 4/02/02 installed a file that caused P3 to reference nonexistent tag sessions in the history list menu located under the File menu heading. P3 tracks the last 4 tag session opened for quick access. To remove the invalid references, simply delete the file 'maincfg.atb' in the P3 installation directory. P3 will recreate the file next time it runs - or - reinstall P3 with the latest installation file (4/16/02) to overwrite this file. _P3 is a complete rewrite from PITTag2. Valid Tag Files created in PITTag2 are compatible with PITTag3; tag sessions can be imported from a PITTag2 mdb file directly into P3 (see Import help for more information). Digitizer maps, device drivers created in PITTag2 are not compatible with P3. _Please limit the number of tag sessions submitted to PTAGIS via auto upload feature to a couple of dozen, at least for the next few months. We're still fine tuning some of the server side procedures to equip them for handling a single load request with a large number of tag data files. _Digitizers connected to a Baytech multiport controller may not function correctly with P3: commands cannot be sent to the application while a message box is displayed. This is due to a thread-blocking issue with the device driver. To compensate for this, P3 supports devices connected to multiple serial ports and each device communicates to the application on a single thread of execution for stability purposes. We recommend replacing the Baytech multiport controller with a multiport hub (USB/PCMCIA). Refer to the online hardware guide for more information on these products. _It has been reported that Belkin Model F5U014-OE 4-port USB hub does not separate ports. You may want to avoid purchasing this product for use with P3. _When printing digitizer maps, occasionally, the header containing the digitizer map name will print incorrectly. This issue is related to HP 4xxx print drivers on WinNT platforms (and was also reported with post-script print drivers). The issue can be corrected by updating the print driver and/or WinNT service pack. _Opening P3.MDB in Access2000 on a Win2000 SP1 PC can generate runtime errors when importing data or creating new tables. This is a known issue with Microsoft and they recommend installing Win2000 SP2 (Service Pack 2) to correct this problem. _P3 will not automatically synchronize with WinXP sound applet when assigning wave files to sound events from within a profile. User must manually scroll to the sound they wish to assign a wave file to. _If a WinTab tablet device is configured in P3 and the device is unplugged - the next time a tag session is opened, P3 may stall looking for that device. This is an underlying OS issue and must be resolved procedurally: whenever a wintab device is unplugged, reboot the PC to reset plug-and-play. This issue was mostly apparent with WinXP and the beta CadPro drivers. _Systems with KYE wintab support will cause wintab devices to function as a mouse, bypassing the wintab driver. The P3 application will not respond to the WinTab device when this software is installed. _If you are using the D-link usb hub with P3 one must use the external power source supplied with the hub. Although the hub can use power from the bus only, it provides insufficient power for both a CalComp DB3 and a PIT-tag reader. _WARNING - if you are upgrading this application from beta version 1.0.60 or older, you must uninstall first before installing this version. Failing to do so will generate runtime errors due to an incompatible database!!! _On some Win98 PCs, when first installed, P3 generates a runtime error with a message that some of the data access components were installed incorrectly. This error is result of incompatibilities with Microsoft data access technologies and operating systems. Reinstalling P3 (without uninstalling) one or more times will eventually correct the problem.