June 15, 2011 in News, Releases by Nick Sivridis

Jello Dashboard 5.25 (astral)

A new version of Jello Dashboard was released today, under the codename 5.25 Astral.
There were some new features added, since the bugs reported by users were significally limited.

Almost all of the new features were requested by you.

So, this is the full change log for the new version:

You can proceed immediately to the downloads page and get the new version.

I will be more than glad to hear your opinion on this update or take notes on possible bugs you may encounter (there should be not many left!).

Thanks everyone for your continuous support on this project.

If you think Jello Dashboard is cool, don’t forget to be a fan in facebook or follow my twitter updates!

January 24, 2011 in News, Releases by Nick Sivridis

Jello Dashboard 5.23 beta released

I’m glad to announce that the new 5.23 version (Ulysses) was released today.

Thanks to the feedback I got from the forum, I was able to track and fix many bugs, and some pretty serious ones.
I was even able to add many of your feature requests!

The main changes in version 5.23:

- New, cleaner icon set from famfamfam
- Spanish translation by Alberto Perez!
- From now on Jello Dashboard will alert users of new versions! Will check every 10 days
- Ability to add custom icons to tags, folders and projects
- Masterlist items display their tag list next to them in green color.
- Support for recurring tasks. When completed, next instance is created
- Sorttype error when navigating to an Outlook folder from the folder view
- Masterlist expand/collapse all groups toolbar button
- 3 Characters [  ] and + are no longer invalid
- Displaying flag icons for flagged messages in inbox view

See version history page for the full change log.

Thanks again to those of you who contributed in anyway, helping me again to move the project forward.

Now proceed to the downloads page and… enjoy the new Jello!

November 15, 2010 in News, Releases by Nick Sivridis

Jello Dashboard 5.22 released

This new version mainly fixes bugs. Lots of them!

I have decided to post it a bit quicker than planned, because of the importance of some errors reported by users in the forum.

Of course there are some new features added, plus some experimental ones. You can try those by enabling them into the Settings screen>Experimental tab and share your experience in the forum.
Experimental features include, a new message body viewer, Process sent capability, review panel tag popup links and inline editing of due dates in action lists.

The extjs library updated to the latest version, providing a faster and more stable user interface, and finally the Important widget is fully customizable.

In the meantime I have created to new video tutorials for Jello Dashboard. You can check them out here.

For more information on the changes, please see the Version history page.

Thanks to all of you who keep posting bugs and requests to the forum, you found things that I wouldn’t see in a million years! 
Sorry that I wasn’t able to make it and post some more of your requested features. Some of them are really great and I plan to add them in a future release.

So, why wait? Get to the Downloads page.

September 10, 2010 in News by Nick Sivridis

Jello Dashboard 5.2 beta released

Once more, I got a real sense of improvement while coding for this version of Jello Dashboard. The great thing was that I finally managed to resolve some old issues which were hard to track and got some spare time to work with some new features.

There is full compatibility with the new version of Outlook 2010, although some features were disabled by the latest versions of Internet Explorer and Outlook. So, if you are using Outlook 2010 you cannot have the Outlook view controls when running JD in Outlook. That means, no Outlook widgets or Outlook folders in native view for you except if you run JD in standalone mode.

Some of the changes:

- There was a huge issue concerning the standalone and browser modes when user data were located in other than the default PST file. That was fixed.
- The information popup now displays at the top left of the screen without getting above of the top menu links.
- The home screen is faster now. Collapsed widgets will not load their contents until they are expanded and there is also a special startup mode with all widgets collapsed by default. This tweak was absolutely cool. JD homepage can be fully loaded quite fast when unneeded widgets are collapsed.
-Widgets contents can be refreshed using a new special button and after customizing a widget you won’t have to wait once more for the home page to load. That’s a time saver too!
-Review and Folder panels are now residing in two separate tabs, giving more vertical space. The Review panel is faster, it can display the full path of the tags and you can run a quite fast weekly review browsing through your contexts and projects with ctrl+shift+left and right arrows.
-Project list widget (quick view all your active or inactive projects along with their progress)
-Jello inbox zero widget (quickly process your messages one by one and empty your inbox )
…and some script loading was optimized to get faster to the home screen.

Again, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the project, by donating, sharing their ideas or reporting issues of the 5.2 alpha or the older versions.
You rule!

So… what are you waiting for? Get it from the downloads page!

May 20, 2010 in News by Nick Sivridis

Jello Dashboard 5.1 beta released

Today, after almost ten weeks of development the new Jello Dashboard version is available, which comes together with a brand new web site design!

There are lots of changes and bug fixes in the 5.1 version (codenamed Valis, after the famous Philip K. Dick novel). The most important of them are:

• Addition of Project tags
• Global preview panel
• Always available Review panel on the sidebar
• Browsing history buttons
• Tag manager screen

You can get the new version from the download section.

Please note that Jello Dashboard help is now available online from the help section. You can also download it as an e-book, since it does not come with the installation package anymore.

Thanks to the 180+ people who tested the alpha version and each of you for your support.

*One more note: If you have Jello Dashboard already installed, you will have to reset your widgets (version 5.1 will prompt you to do so) because of an upgrade to the extjs libraries to the latest version.

May 4, 2010 in News by Nick Sivridis

Jello Dashboard 5.1 (valis) alpha Available for testing

After some more days of coding I would like to announce that the alpha version of Jello Dashboard 5.1 is available  for testing:

Get a copy here: http://www.box.net/shared/bx5jx6xkem

Check out version.txt for changes history

Please note:
-Testing is suggested for skilled users
-No installer is available for this version. Just unzip to a folder.
-It is suggested to install JD 5.1 in a different directory
-Backup your Outlook data before running the new version and your existing journal entry settings (if you want to use them)
-If you are using a custom journal folder/entry for your settings, keep a copy of your existing js/customSettings.js (don’t let the new files overwrite it)
-If you are using your existing settings you’re gonna have to reset your widgets. After that your settings will not be able to work with the previous version of JD.

Remember to post your thoughts or bugs you find at the new version’s forum:
http://jello-dashboard.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=10

In the meantime I will be working on the new design of the web page.

Thank you and happy GTD-ing!

April 7, 2010 in News by Nick Sivridis

Under development: Jello Dashboard 5.1

I have been forced to take a long vacation from coding, mainly because of the fact that I had to take care of my kids for long hours during the day. Maybe you know the main feeling of this: Zero free time and in no mood for anything constructive!

Anyway, things are getting a bit better now, I can have some half hour breaks during my afternoons for coding. Since a lot of you requesting information about the forthcoming release I should give you an update.

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve started coding again for the new 5.1 version. I’ve decided to loose the zeroes and not use the 5.00.x notation any more. It will be easier for references!

I have already made some changes in the GUI code for better resizing of panels and added an always available preview panel at the bottom of the screen.

My development plan so far, includes better integration and management of projects and a big list of bug and user interface fixes.

I would especially like to thank all of you who keep supporting the project with donations and emails. The project would be dead without you!

I will keep my twitter and facebook feeds updated on every change or addition until the first alpha release for testing, so you can follow me on twitter or become a fan of Jello Dashboard’s facebook page.

Thank you.

Nicolas Sivridis.

February 26, 2010 in News by Nick Sivridis

Jello Dashboard in Outlook 2010 beta

Greetings Jello Dashboard users!

It’s been a long time since my last post or code update. The truth is, I’ve been forced to take a long break from coding, due to family reasons (you know, small kids whining, tossing around toys and demand lots and lots of time).

After many questions from users about the compatibility of Jello Dashboard with the new version of Outlook currently in beta, I’ve decided to get a copy and test it. My first impressions were really positive, since everything seemed to work and the whole application was a lot faster than before.

Of course I forgot to add an Outlook view widget, or test my Outlook folder shortcuts with their default view set to Outlook mode!

The views are loading just fine at the beginning and the Outlook view control renders faster too. But when I tried to change view and go to my settings page…

Disaster!

Jello Dashboard came up with a blank screen. Removing an Outlook view widget from the homepage has the same effect.
Strangely enough this bug does not happen in the standalone version of Jello Dashboard, so I am a bit worried now.

Fortunately, the Microsoft Office 2010 version will be out probably this summer, so I think I got time to find out what’s going on.

If any of you, kind JD users, have tested Jello with Outlook 2010 and find that something else is wrong, please drop a comment here and let me know.

I hope this bug (or any others found) will be fixable and you will be able to hear from me soon!

Thank you for your support.

August 7, 2009 in News by Nick Sivridis

Jello Dashboard 5.00.6 beta

Since my vacation time was earlier for this year, I had decided to keep myself indoors for some hours to support Jello Dashboard users.

The 6th release fixes lots of bugs and even has to show off some small scale new features!

Thanks everyone for downloading and supporting Jello Dashboard. It may be the best way to GTD with MS Outlook.

Have a great summertime!

Changes (loong) list:

- Fixed: Tag sort order on tree and combo boxes
- Fixed: Go to folder combo box now match international characters
- Added: Tickler popup: Cached list of ticklers for faster rendering. Refresh the list using the date selector button.
- Added: Ability to edit the body text of a tickler or task from the body popup display.
- Added: right context menu to set / change due date for mail and task items.
- Added: Right click context menu for ticklers widget
- Added: “View this Contact” context menu item into inbox and mail folder views: This will open the contact item of the sender.  If ambiguous, a box will popup to allow you to select the correct contact.
- Fixed: Right click context menu behavior didn’t match Outlook.  Now, if you click on an item that isn’t selected, that single item will be used for the item to be processed.  If you right click on any of a set of selected items, all items will be processed.
- Added: When viewing the body of an email, you can toggle the viewing mode between html and plain text using the Toggle view button.
- Fixed: Made the goto box a bit wider and resizable
- Added: Preview panel at the bottom of the action lists. It will use the height and font size of the mail preview panel. Notes, if they exist, are shown at the top of the preview window and display the body of items.
- Added: Using OL2007 and you having notes updated to the body via the setting, notes will be added as text to the body.  They will be delimited with “<– Jello Notes –>” before and after the notes. Any text between the delimiters is treated as notes.  You may edit this text in Outlook.
- Fixed: Smart date bug where format was being reversed is fixed and advanced collect handling of dates was adjusted.
- Fixed: The date field in the form for editing/creating an action can now hadle a 4 digit year
- Added: Experimental setting for using OL2007 “due date” field of email items for storing due dates on emails.
- Fixed: Unknown tags will not be converted in review screen due to tag lost issue
- Fixed: Inbox and Outlook widget’s archive only button not under a menu anymore for better use
- Added: Notification alert when trying to leave collect screen containing uncollected text
- Added: Setting for Outlook view and Outlook widget for OL2007 to display a bit lower so the screentips can be seen
- Fixed: Outlook view and Outlook widget can now process an email with empty subject
- Fixed: Action File attachment and link to action
- Fixed: Advanced settings editor cancel value was dispaying a dev alert
- Added: Date picker customization by the language file
- Fixed: First weekday on date pickers is now Monday as requested
- Added: Setting for sending task requests to assigned action contact (when one)
- Fixed: Inbox counters now showing correct number even if show only tasks in inbox setting is checked
- Added: New setting to select using Goto folder window for selecting folder when moving emails (checked by default)
- Added: Sidebar menu icon to toggle Outlook preview pane easily
- Fixed: Encrypted emails do not cause errors anymore. They show with a lock icon and the user cannot manage them
- Added: Clicking the attachment icon of a message in Inbox view will open up the message
- Added: Shortcut key for refresh (ctrl+S) in action lists
- Added: Closing the Ticklers popup window hides it without unloading data for re-opening speed.
- Added: Alert if no contacts are selected for delegation via the select contact popup form
- Added: Envelope icon and status for delegated tasks sent by email
- Fixed: Inbox and Action editor tag list combo are reloaded after new tags are inserted by typing
- Fixed: Bug caused pop up error msg and tag disapperance When renaming tags
- Fixed: System tags (those contained in the System folder) can be moved like any other tag
- Fixed: Outlook view widget tag combo refreshes when a new tag is added by typing
- Fixed: Hiding Outlook view controls when displayng the Latest form and the Delete task of linked item dialog box
- Added: Archived checkbox for tags. Check to hide a tag from all lists
- Fixed: Error message instead of js error when archiving an item into the same folder it already is
- Fixed: Outlook widget disabling when deleting entries
- Fixed: Improved importing of existing categories as tags from the Settings menu
- Added: Setting to startup to other screens besides home
- Fixed: Creating action from Outlook widget’s email format message body correctly
- Updated: Documentation link no longer appears into the important widget. Moved to sidebar menu.
- Fixed: Setting the jello priority field to high (1) for an action sets the Outlook item to high priority as well
- Fixed: Due date setting on inbox item
- Fixed: Latest window with action editor screen unusable bug
- Fixed: Non-archiving multiple items with custom archive folders
- Fixed: Level up toolbar button for subtags
- Added: Settings function to import existing categories as jello tags from any Outlook folder
- Added: “Make multiline entry” command in Advanced collect toolbar. It takes the selected lines in the collect area and place the line continuation character

May 30, 2009 in News by Nick Sivridis

Web site recovered

Some of you might notice that the Jello Dashboard web site and forum were not available for the last 48 hours.

My former hosting provider had a major server accident, resulting in total loss of data.

Fortunately there were some February backups of the web site and I managed to recover my old posts. The Jello forum did not have the same luck. Everything is lost, users, posts and answers. It’s the second time something like that happens.

The new forum is up and running and you can start posting and registering. This time I will not forget to backup things!

Sorry to all of you who are subscribed to Jello Dashboard’s feed. I hope I did not get you mad sending wordpress default posts and older ones in your feed reader or mail.

Thanks for understanding.

Nicolas Sivridis