Plant Base Release Status (October 2009)
The latest released production version of Plant Base is 1.6.0,
its Screen Saver module is 1.0.13, and the database
release is 20 (what's
this?).
For more detailed information see the Version
History. |
Patch for Archiver problem, 27th October 2009
Some users have encountered an error message when attempting to run the Plant Base Archiver. The message is "Error:3078 - The Microsoft Jet database engine cannot find the input table or query 'Outline'. Make sure it exists and that its name is spelled correctly" or sometimes just "Run time error: xx" (xx is usually 68 or 76). These only happen in certain circumstances, but have been encountered quite frequently.
To fix this problem please download this patch update:- DeeprootPB_160_patch.exe (577Kb)
Ensure that Plant Base is not running, then execute the patch file. It only takes a few seconds and the Archiver will then always behave normally. The patched Archive program is version 1.0.9.
This bug fix will be included in the next release.
New version, 1.6.0, released 24th August 2009
This is a major release that has many changes to the user interface. We have listened to customer comments and the new screen layout is cleaner and even easier to use than before. The new main window is now an SDI (Single Document Interface) with the old multiple windows being replaced by split screen panes and tabs. This makes more effective use of the window space and also adapts better to different screen sizes.
Another significant change is that we have moved to a different installer routine, NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System). This has better support for Vista (and Windows 7) and should also resolve a number of recent issues involving various problems with updated and incompatible Microsoft component files.
Due to the extensive code changes to the interface, we decided that no database format changes would be included for this release. This meant that we could not implement certain function enhancements such as customisable note topics, but these may appear in a future version. However, as the database format is unaltered, the new version will work happily with old copies of the data files and visa-versa.
The database is release 20 and has 10,603 plant records with 5,104 pictures. Approximately 1,000 existing records have also been updated since the last release.
The Mobile edition has not changed, but has been re-packaged with the updated database and new installer. It is included on the CD.
The install files are available on the Download page. Existing users should check the Upgrading
Plant Base instructions.
Please email us if there are questions or comments about the new release.
November 2008
We have produced a 2nd Beta release
of our new Plant Base Mobile
product for handheld Windows Mobile Pocket PC and Smartphone devices.
This includes an improved installation procedure and a help file
for the Sync program.
General release notes
Existing users can download an update
patch file from this web site, which can be applied to any
installed 1.4.x or 1.5.x version. Note however, that this does
not include changes to the plant data, which are available on
the new CD or full product download. See Upgrading
Plant Base for more information about update options.
 The
current release has approximately 10,000 plants and 5,000 pictures. However
our eventual aim is for this to grow considerably and loading
additional data and images will be an ongoing process for some
time to come. For this reason all registered users can update
to new versions at no additional cost.
This product is English language only (we would love to offer
other language editions at some time in the future).
Installation is supported under MS Windows 32-bit operating systems
(95, 98, NT, 2000, XP and Vista). Yes, we still support the older operating systems and will continue to do so as long as it is possible. We also expect Plant Base to run on Windows 7, but this is not tested yet.
| Just a reminder :- all production release (i.e. not beta
test) license registration codes are valid for any new versions.
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Future developments
We are now actively working on the future evolution
of Plant Base. The current product uses "classic" Windows
technology, which is efficient and stable but is now becoming somewhat outdated. Long term development
will involve a major transition to newer and broader technologies.
This will enable added functionality and an enhanced user interface.
We are also aiming to provide native editions for other platforms,
notably Mac OS and Linux.
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