More Vista and ZonePro

Okay, now this is just annoying. Turns out there is one more issue to be aware of when using ZonePro with Windows Vista. The new Vista visual scheme (called Aero) has an unwanted tendency to chop off the borders of some of the ZonePro windows. This does not affect the functionality of the screens but it looks weird. I will provide a code fix for this annoyance in the next release of ZonePro. In the meantime you can eliminate the problem by changing the Desktop Theme on your PC from "Windows Vista" to "Windows Classic." This same visual effect also affects some of the drop-down boxes in ZonePro by spreading the highlight color across multiple items. These annoyances wouldn't be so vexing if the development language I use (Visual FoxPro) and Windows weren't both MicroSoft products!

Windows Vista and ZonePro

I've had a few calls recently asking whether ZonePro is compatible with Windows Vista. Yes! Of course it is. There are at least two matters to be aware of though. The first is that the on-line Help files we use with ZonePro do not work under Vista. This does not affect any of the functionality in ZonePro, just the ability to view Help screens. I am in the process now of converting the Help system to a newer model. This will be available in the next release. I hope to take advantage of this opportunity to improve the Help system and make it even more useful. The second matter to keep in mind is that you cannot install ZonePro to the Program Files folder in Vista and expect it to work. We discourage you from doing this in Windows XP too but at least it works there. In Vista, the increased security prevents you from writing to any files in the Program Files folder. If you follow our default installation process, ZonePro should work just fine.

Super Inspection Calendar

In an attempt to make our inspection scheduling tools more robust the next release of ZonePro will see the old Inspection Calendar replaced with a new super calendar. The new calendar combines features from the old calendar, the regular ZonePro calendar and the Daily Inspection screen. The idea is make it easier for the customer to find out at a glance what inspections are scheduled for any given day when scheduling new inspections. Unlike the previous version, the new Inspection Calendar also assists in filling in the Next Inspect, Time, and Inspector fields.