v1.0.5 Comments

[PilotFlying]

1.0.6 just got the green light, should be available within the next few hours!

I got it, just in time to use it for the last leg of my pairing! It wasn't 24 hours, but it was still very quick - wish they were all this quick!

I LOVE the 'start with last fix' option - means that much less typing on the go, and works very well. Thanks for this feature, and for all the other additions - as well as the fix for the time display issue. I think you are right - this may be 'the one'.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Andy Adams]

i've got a few things to add, however, i'm not as quick as chris at posting them, i've got to step up my game!

first off, i noticed that if i type "remarks" in the landscape view, the text will go off the right side of the screen and will not be visible (the visible area does not "follow" the cursor to the right) and it takes quite a bit of typing before it will word wrap to the next line. i have just tested this and confirmed the scenario which causes it. if i have the phone in the portrait orientation when i tap the remarks button, THEN rotate the phone to landscape, there is no problem. If i hold the phone in landscape orientation when i tap the remarks button, it will run off the screen. subsequent rotations of the phone to portrait and/or landscape do not fix the problem. also i cannot even tap and hold and move the cursor beyond the edge of the screen to make it scroll. this goes for portrait as well as landscape IF it was started in landscape. i feel like i finally found one of the tiny bugs that only occurs if a certain sequence takes place (success!)

next, i've noticed that if i have my trip pre entered and complete a flight it will turn the title color black and upon closing the app it will sync. however, since the 1.0.6 update, the completed "black" entry will no longer be at the top of the pending flights screen, it will move to the bottom of the flights for that day, until it is synced and then of course will go to the synced page. not so much a problem, but just odd looking. also, i'm not sure if i mentioned this before or not, but if i pre-enter flights out of order (with reference to OOOI times) for the same day, the flights will not reorder themselves in chronological order. it seems that these two may be related in some way.



also, as sortof a continuation of chris's question about the route field separator, is there any thoughts of allowing a customizable field separator? i have been using "(space)-(space)" "CLT - DCA" rather than your "CLT-DCA". i'm not opposed to switching format because of the neat auto feature of remembering the last airport, which is a great convenience, however, i don't want to lose the data previously entered for purposes of the routes flown report in the PC version, which i think is a neat piece of information to look at from time to time. also, i could see that potentially there are users out there that do not use a "-" as their separator, but rather a / (space) or even . (period). maybe it would be possible to allow the user to specify the separator between the two identifiers, including spaces.

in all seriousness, the app really is coming along nicely. i look forward to the schedule importer implementation, which is the most commonly asked question when people see me using the logbook pro iphone app. "can you import your schedule to that?" and "oooooh, is that APDL for iPhone?"

 

[Neal Culiner]

Hello Andy,

I'll look into the Remarks sizing issue. Flights are sorted by the Flight Date and if there are multiple flights on the same date it then goes to the order of entry (EntryTime). I'll keep my ears open regarding airfield separator customization but I hope this would also help standardize what people use such as FIX-FIX. I'm planning to customize the time interval between OUT and Takeoff, so I'll add a note to allow you to specify the airfield separator, should be easy.

Thanks for the compliments, 1.0.6 seems to have done the trick, sales have skyrocketed and people don't talk to me as much anymore! Which is a good thing! I'll make do with the quiet time!

Keep the suggestions coming. 1.1 will have the schedule importer and probably these other suggestions. As there are zero issues reported in 1.0.6 I don't see an interim update until 1.1 is ready.

 

[Andy Adams]

i just read through the newsletter and the section about trusting the accuracy of your logbook software. made me think of this. today i synced my pc edition with the past 2 weeks worth of iphone data and found a duplicate entry. i have had a duplicate entry before when i was testing back and forth, but this was a normal sync condition. i'm not sure if somehow i managed to cause this myself because i downloaded the data and then edited one of the flights on the app and then downloaded again, but i'm 95% sure i did NOT do that. i just happened to notice the duplicate flight while checking to make sure my data matched the company's records on their website.

i think maybe on the pc there should be some kind of warning prompt or some check that alerts you to two entries containing exactly the same information. two flights having the exact same information MIGHT be correct, but in this case, every single field was identical. or maybe to prevent a minor change from creating a duplicate entry erroneously, have a check that finds where two entries are MOSTLY identical. maybe there needs to be some kind of way for the phone to know when the data has been retrieved by the pc and it will either alert you if you try to edit a synced entry, or not allow it. i stay away from purge on sync because i like to compare the numbers from my phone to the company website while on the road to make sure THEY have the correct times, and if the info goes away after sync (at app close) then i can't do that.

 

[PilotFlying]

Hi Neal,

v1.0.6 is working VERY nicely, with no new issues to report; however, there are a couple of older, minor issues that have been present for a while that I've put off mentioning while dealing with the other issues at hand (and also one new suggestion/comment). Now that everything else seems to be resolved, I thought I'd bring them up:

(1) This issue has been around for a while, and exists even on the PC version of LbP. Sometimes a rounding error occurs in converting minute values to decimal values, i.e. 2h52 is converted to 2.8 instead of 2.9. Rounding conventions generally state that one half is rounded up to the next whole number; as such, 3 minutes should be rounded up to the next 0.1. Most of the time, this is what happens in LbP; but, there is the odd time when it doesn't. Most occurrences are when dealing with a 3-minute value, but I've also seen it with 4. Here are two screenshots illustrating these rounding errors. The first shows a block time of 2h52 which should translate to 2.9, but 2.8 is calculated by LbP; the second, 2h15, equal to 2.3, but 2.2 calculated by LbP.



As I mentioned, I've been experiencing this for some time now in both iPhone and PC versions.

Also, while on this topic, would it be possible to include an option in both the iPhone and PC versions to display duration fields in HH:MM format instead of a decimal value?

(2) On occasion, when pressing the return arrow from the flights screen to return to the home screen, the home screen appears with none of the fields present ('sync' and 'purge' still visible on the top menu bar). There is now no way to go back to the flights screen, or anywhere else in the app for that matter. The only way to resolve this issue is to fully shut down the app by deleting it from the multi-task tray and re-launching it. Screenshot:



(3) This is more of a comment on your decision to remove the option for a default start-up screen in v1.0.6. In theory, this makes sense. However, when not used for a while, iOS still seems to terminate LbP causing it to re-launch in the home screen. I'm not sure the exact logic of when the OS decides to do this, but it is frequent enough that I think the old setting for a default start-up screen would still be useful.

Thanks again for v1.0.6 - it is by far the most solid release yet! I am thoroughly enjoying using it, and look forward to v1.1. Hopefully you'll be able to get fixes for some of these issues into it as well.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Neal Culiner]

Hello Chris,

(1) This issue has been around for a while, and exists even on the PC version of LbP. Sometimes a rounding error occurs in converting minute values to decimal values, i.e. 2h52 is converted to 2.8 instead of 2.9. Rounding conventions generally state that one half is rounded up to the next whole number; as such, 3 minutes should be rounded up to the next 0.1. Most of the time, this is what happens in LbP; but, there is the odd time when it doesn't. Most occurrences are when dealing with a 3-minute value, but I've also seen it with 4. Here are two screenshots illustrating these rounding errors. The first shows a block time of 2h52 which should translate to 2.9, but 2.8 is calculated by LbP; the second, 2h15, equal to 2.3, but 2.2 calculated by LbP.

Logbook Pro PC edition and also all of the Logbook Pro PDA Companion products use a specific time chart that's based off of the US Air Force time scale. There is no rounding involved, it actually takes your exact hour and minute value and determines the conversion based off of this scale. Logbook Pro 2011 will have multiple time scales for you to choose from and also give you the ability to create your own time scales.

Also, while on this topic, would it be possible to include an option in both the iPhone and PC versions to display duration fields in HH:MM format instead of a decimal value?

No, not in the version 1 series. Logbook Pro PC edition is based off of tenths and that's where we need to stay until the new architecture in Logbook Pro 2011 which changes the way times are saved.

(2) On occasion, when pressing the return arrow from the flights screen to return to the home screen, the home screen appears with none of the fields present ('sync' and 'purge' still visible on the top menu bar). There is now no way to go back to the flights screen, or anywhere else in the app for that matter. The only way to resolve this issue is to fully shut down the app by deleting it from the multi-task tray and re-launching it.

I believe this is an iOS 4.0.x bug and a problem with the device running out of virtual memory (RAM). The way to resolve it is to clear all non-essential suspended apps, or as you have also seen a reboot will clear the memory. iOS 4.1 I believe launches tomorrow and as it fixes performance issues I'm hoping this issue is going to be fixed in this update.

(3) This is more of a comment on your decision to remove the option for a default start-up screen in v1.0.6. In theory, this makes sense. However, when not used for a while, iOS still seems to terminate LbP causing it to re-launch in the home screen. I'm not sure the exact logic of when the OS decides to do this, but it is frequent enough that I think the old setting for a default start-up screen would still be useful.

I'll certainly listen to user feedback but going to the home screen on start and then making a single tap to get to a data area isn't that much of an inconvenience I believe. I think the startup option was also the contributor to some crash situations, not sure why, but I wanted to get it out of the equation and see how things worked out. So far not a single bug report with 1.0.6 and sales are about quadrupled than before since the 1.0.6 release.

Hopefully this sheds some light on your inquiry. If you have any further questions please let me know. As always, I welcome anyone and everyone's reviews in iTunes if you care to provide your feedback for others.

 

[Neal Culiner]

By the way Chris, I just did a test to make sure it's calculating properly by creating a flight with 2h52 and it calc'd to 2.9 which is correct, and 2h15 and it showed 2.3 correctly.

FYI - you can click Edit..Time Converter in Logbook Pro PC edition and then you'll see the button for the time chart.

 

[PilotFlying]

Thanks, Neal.

Logbook Pro PC edition and also all of the Logbook Pro PDA Companion products use a specific time chart that's based off of the US Air Force time scale. There is no rounding involved, it actually takes your exact hour and minute value and determines the conversion based off of this scale. Logbook Pro 2011 will have multiple time scales for you to choose from and also give you the ability to create your own time scales.

Interesting - I didn't know this! The chart basically follows the rounding conventions I was talking about anyway. However, the two examples I included both were still not calculated as per the chart.

By the way Chris, I just did a test to make sure it's calculating properly by creating a flight with 2h52 and it calc'd to 2.9 which is correct, and 2h15 and it showed 2.3 correctly.

It is not a consistent problem for me with these or any other minute values. It just seems to happen from time to time. When it does, I'll even delete the duration value and re-calculate to make sure I didn't accidentally change it. It re-calculates with the same erroneous value.

No, not in the version 1 series. Logbook Pro PC edition is based off of tenths and that's where we need to stay until the new architecture in Logbook Pro 2011 which changes the way times are saved.

Got it, thanks!

I believe this is an iOS 4.0.x bug and a problem with the device running out of virtual memory (RAM). The way to resolve it is to clear all non-essential suspended apps, or as you have also seen a reboot will clear the memory. iOS 4.1 I believe launches tomorrow and as it fixes performance issues I'm hoping this issue is going to be fixed in this update.

Interesting. So it's a known issue. Fingers crossed v4.1 does the trick, then!

So far not a single bug report with 1.0.6 and sales are about quadrupled than before since the 1.0.6 release.

AMAZING!!!!!! Congratulations! That's an impressive figure, and certainly for very good reason.

Thanks, as always, for your quick response.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Neal Culiner]

It is not a consistent problem for me with these or any other minute values. It just seems to happen from time to time. When it does, I'll even delete the duration value and re-calculate to make sure I didn't accidentally change it. It re-calculates with the same erroneous value.

First check your Duration Calculation method in Settings/Flight Log Settings so you know if you're calc'ing OUT-IN or TAKEOFF-LANDING. If you think it's incorrect then carefully check your two times being calc'd. And also, capture the screen so you can review it against the chart and/or send to me for review.

 

[PilotFlying]

First check your Duration Calculation method in Settings/Flight Log Settings so you know if you're calc'ing OUT-IN or TAKEOFF-LANDING. If you think it's incorrect then carefully check your two times being calc'd. And also, capture the screen so you can review it against the chart and/or send to me for review.

I always do just that. The two screenshots I included in the post where I mentioned the problem show two separate examples of such occurrences. In both instances, I checked all the settings and tried the duration calculation twice, yielding the same result each time.

Chris

 

[Neal Culiner]

Ahh, okay, you sure did! If you haven't purged that data off of your device yet can you submit a bug report from the about screen so I can see your raw data? The bug report will send me your data file from the device. I'll check into it. I'm curious if something is saving one minute off in this situation.

You say you HAVE seen this on the PC edition or only on the iPhone/iPad app?

Thx

 

[Andy Adams]

i've also had the same issue with the blank screen that chris mentioned. i actually meant to bring that up but i forgot.

maybe chris is having the same picker wheel issue i had with the one minute error?

 

[PilotFlying]

Ahh, okay, you sure did! If you haven't purged that data off of your device yet can you submit a bug report from the about screen so I can see your raw data? The bug report will send me your data file from the device. I'll check into it. I'm curious if something is saving one minute off in this situation.

You say you HAVE seen this on the PC edition or only on the iPhone/iPad app?

Thx

Unfortunately I've already purged the data, but I'll do that the next time I see this happen. I don't go back to work for about 2 weeks now, so it won't be before then.

I have also seen this on the PC edition.

maybe chris is having the same picker wheel issue i had with the one minute error?

The times all show correctly - it's just the duration that's off when pressing the 'calculate' button.

Chris

 

[Neal Culiner]

Again, one of those times I can't duplicate it! I entered your exact times and it calcs correctly. Hmm! Well, let me know if you see it again and capture the screen shot and also shoot me your data please.

Thx Chris!

 

[Andy Adams]

i'm guessing the same goes for me whenever i have something weird happen with the bug report? i forgot about the bug report button in the about section.

 

[PilotFlying]

Again, one of those times I can't duplicate it! I entered your exact times and it calcs correctly. Hmm! Well, let me know if you see it again and capture the screen shot and also shoot me your data please.

Thx Chris!

Yeah - unfortunately I can't duplicate it right now either, even with the exact same date/times. That would just be too easy!

Will send you the info as soon as I see this again.

Chris

 

[PilotFlying]

Neal,

I forgot, I had one more suggestion I wanted to run by you:

What would you think of displaying on the 'approaches' field in the 'new flight' screen the total number of approaches entered, in the same way you display the contents of the 'remarks' field or various other data of other fields. While I realize it's probably not possible to include the type of approaches flown, the total number would be useful. This, to me, would serve primarily as simply an indication that the field has been completed without having to enter it to check.

Waddya think?

Cheers,

Chris

 

[Neal Culiner]

Hello Chris,

I looked at that some time ago and dropped it, let me put it back on the tracker now that things have matured and maybe I can finagle something

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Neal Culiner]

FYI - Apple released iOS 4.1, you can update your devices and hopefully this will alleviate some of these suspended app and virtual memory issues our iPhones are experiencing with iOS 4.x

 

[Andy Adams]

found another "bug" i think... if i open lbp app from suspended and it goes straight to the flights screen rather than the home screen (because that was the last thing open) and the page it's viewing is blank, the edit and purge buttons are disabled. example, i have a few flights synced and none pending, and the first screen that shows up is the pending screen.

i want to purge synced only, which is an option from this screen, but i can't tap the purge button. even if i tap "synced" and view that page, the edit and purge buttons are still disabled. the only way i can get them to be active again, is to go back to the home screen and back to flights again or select one of the flights and then go back. this does not happen if the first page you view has flights in it, OR if you start from the home screen.

this also affects the purge button on the home page the first time you go back to the home screen, (before tapping flights)