Downloads

Upgrade to PTWin32 from PTWin V.2.x
WHAT'S NEW between PTWIN32v2 and PTWin V2

PTWin32v2 has undergone more changes than we can possibly detail, but the following list provides a tour of the highlights. Even though this is a new version with many changes, we were careful to preserve much of the feel and navigational aspects of the program so you and your fellow users will make a smooth transition. Here are some of the enhancements made to PTWin32v2: 

Graphics

• The Graphics tab can now be found on the Permit, Code Enforcement, Parcel, Inspection, Contractor, License, Plan Review View, and Front Desk View windows.

• We now support 12 graphic file formats: BMP, EMF, EPS, GIF, JPG, PCD, PCX, PNG, TGA, TIF, multi-page TIF, and WMF. You can attach digital camera pictures, scanned documents, plans, or images from your GIS, etc.

• Use your TWAIN scanner from within PTWin32v2.

• You will find controls on the Graphics tab that allow you to zoom, center, magnify, pan, show full screen, apply image enhancement, navigate, update and purge multi-page document files.

• Graphics can be stored on your hard drive in their native file formats or as bitmaps in the PTWin32 Graphics database.

Reporting

• We’ve included upgraded versions of the Ad-Hoc Reporter and RB Pro. 

• Module window Print buttons are now under your control. You can add as many reports as you want and they will appear as choices on the menu that is displayed when you push the Print button. Access User Report Setup from the main Reports menu, under Report Setup.

• We’ve added 30 pie, bar, column, and rotated bar graphs to the PTWin32v2 main Reports menu.

• There is a new Report Gallery containing over 100 report formats for you to use as-is or modify. You can see an example of the report and attach it to its associated Print button menu with one click. Plus, we will continue to add reports to this gallery and allow you to download the updates from our web site at: www.blackbearsystems.com See the Report Gallery from the main Reports menu.

• We have incorporated a user preference that allows you to turn off the Print Preview window for Ad-Hoc and RBPro reports. This is a user preference, not a system-wide preference, so each user can work they way they like to. Set yours up from the main Options menu, under System Settings.

• There is now an automatic check in Modifications that lets you know if a permit type is properly set-up to run on the Permit Tally report.

Contractor Deposit Accounts

• Take in deposits from Contractors and charge Permit Fees against the Contractor’s account. 

• The account balance is checked before you charge a fee.

• You set system-wide preferences establishing “low-balance thresholds” and whether accounts can run into the red.

• Generate account statements that you can provide to your Contractors that detail account usage over any time period.

• Generate low account balance warning letters. 

• Generate an Ending Balance and Last Usage statement for all active accounts.

• You’ll find the Contractor Deposit Account tab on the Contractors window, and Charge buttons on the Receipt windows.

Archiving

• You can archive records now based on Status and/or Date values. Enter your Status values for archiving in Options, System Settings. 

• When you archive, each archived Permit and Code Enforcement record is logged with its Parcel. We list which archive houses the full record so you can have an easier time finding your archived data.

• System log records are now also archived.

Inspection Scheduling

• We have removed the calendar driven interface and replaced it with a grid that allows greater flexibility in operation. Now you can see the Schedule for a particular inspector or ALL inspectors at once; and you can specify any date-range to view.

• Selected hours or days for an individual inspector or ALL inspectors can be Blocked from Scheduling. This allows you to block out vacation schedules, staff meetings, etc.

• You no longer have to specify an exact time for a schedule entry; simply identify whether it is “AM” or “PM”.

• We alert you to redundantly entered appointments.

• You will find City data next to the Address information that appears on screen and on reports.

• We have included the ability to print schedules for ALL inspectors at once, for any number of days.

Backup & Restore

• New backup and restore component compresses your data more efficiently.

• The date is added to the backup zip file name so you know when the backup was created, and you won’t overwrite older backups with newer ones (you should intentionally delete old backups).

• Logs are maintained of all backups and restores.

Navigation

• The Find function now works on all Additional Information tabs, and we have added a few new Search options.

• We modified the Browse functions in some cases to add new columns.

• The Splash Screen now has an oversized Log-In button; it works just like pressing the small button on the toolbar. Plus, the Log-in User Names auto-open. 

• All date fields have been lengthened on the screen so you can see 4-digit years.

• Almost all drop-down boxes are displayed alphabetically, without reference to upper and lower case, so you can navigate through the lists as you type without having to use the shift-key.

• An Arrange Icons command has been added to the Window menu that organizes minimized PTWin32v2 window icons so you can tell at a glance what you have open.

Miscellaneous

• You can choose to check for up-to-date contractor licenses before creating or scheduling an Inspection.

• Dollar amounts for Fees and Receipts have been added to User Logging.

• We’ve included an improved Table Repair utility.

Many of the modifications and upgrades that appear in PTWin32v2 are the result of suggestions made by our thousands of individual users. We here at Black Bear Systems work with the widest cross-section of governing bodies in the United States and it is your ideas that guide the development of PTWin32 products. If you have an idea how PTWin32 could be better please don’t hesitate to contact us with your suggestion. And thanks to everyone for all their past input!

The list continues with some of the enhancements made between PTWin V2.x and PTWin32v1:

A complete list of what’s new would be too long for this space but here are the highlights:

32-bit Processing
This is technical information that most users don’t care about except to say that the more bits you use the faster your software runs. PTWin V2.x is a 16-bit application. PTWin32 is a 32-bit application. It also means PTWin32 adheres to a Windows95/98 standard.

System Messaging
This new function facilitates communication between staff members. You can attach a PTWin32 record to a message and send it to any other PTWin32 user on your network, including yourself! And you can set-up one-time, daily, weekly, monthly, or annual reminder messages.

You can set a timer to retrieve your messages or go get them anytime at the push of a button. And you can delete or save your messages for future reference.

Main Tab Prompt Control
Prompts are the descriptive labels that appear to the left of most fields in PTWin32. Users may now alter what appears as the prompt for fields on the primary tab of each PTWin32 module window. For example, you now have the ability to rename the <Status> field prompt to <Rank> should you need to do so.

System Blocks
Besides the usual array of blocks and warnings built into previous versions of PTWin you will find PTWin32 contains a variety of new blocks around certificates of occupancy, inspections, contractor licensing, unpaid fees, record deletion, etc. And as usual you have control over many of these blocks.

Bookmarks
With PTWin32 you can create bookmarks associated with certain records that allow you to jump between groups of records that are important to you. Plus you can backup a step to display the previous record viewed.

Additional Fields
Many new fields have been added to PTWin32 including Email, Cell Phone, and Country fields. And many existing fields have had their lengths increased like, Parcel Number, Status, First Name, Last Name, and Company.

User Logs
This new PTWin32 function keeps track of changes to your PTWin32 records. System Administrators can view information for each PTWin32 user showing what records were added, deleted, or edited and when. You can also see dates and times for log-on and log-off.

Record Archive
PTWin32 gives you the ability to archive historical records. This allows you to have access to seldom-used records without having those records slow down the use of your active PTWin32 records.

Fee Estimate & Learning Mode
Now you have a place you can go to estimate fees or create test records while learning without junking up your live PTWin32 data. This PTWin32 scratchpad area gives you the opportunity to create unlimited numbers of artificial records. These records can be the result of PTWin32 Tutorials or they can be used to estimate a potential permit’s fees without creating a Permit Record in your real PTWin32 system.

Interface Changes
As you work in PTWin32 you will notice a number of helpful alterations to the way the system looks. For example, each tab now displays a green dot if there is information on that page of the tabbed notebook. This way you don’t have to go to that page to see if anything is there!

Other examples of the many interface changes in PTWin32 include an expanded status bar, windows with resizable content, and the ability to reconfigure the way tabs are displayed. These enhancements make using PTWin32 easier without changing any of the familiar interface concepts of previous versions.

Error Log
To improve error diagnostics we have added an Error Log to PTWin32. This printable log keeps track of PTWin32 errors, which can be consulted to determine the cause of a problem with the system. Additionally, most errors will now cause a dialog box to appear that allows the user to comment on what they were doing when the error occurred. The Error Log provides a better picture of the events leading up to an error.

Expanded Reporting Capabilities
PTWin32 provides vastly expanded alternatives for printed reports. Now, with only a copy of PTWin32 you can make changes to all of the default reports in the system. Besides a new version of our existing SRW report writer we have included a second report writer called Report Builder that can be used to alter Print Button reports. Plus we still include a full set of Paradox reports!

Our activity reports now print across wider date ranges and we have added a great many new SRW reports that summarize everything from expiration dates to project chronologies. 

Improved Fee/Receipt Functions
There are many new Fee/Receipt functions in PTWin32 including the ability to have as many graduated fee schedules as necessary! You can add Calculated Fees to a Fee Group, and deselect individual fees from a Group as you charge it.

You can borrow <Charged To> information from contractor, owner or applicant and set the <Charged By> information to default to the user’s name. The linkages between Fees and Receipts have been improved and Calculated fees can now use information from your custom fields as well as other fee records. 

Inspection Enhancements
PTWin32 features 2 new grids with predefined look-up text on the Inspection window. The Conditions Grid tracks conditions placed on an inspection, while the Corrections Grid shows the remedies required after an inspection. You can borrow initial Inspection record information from PTWin32’s Inspection Scheduling Module, and you will find that a Certificate of Occupancy cannot be printed now unless there is a final inspection record.

New Inspection Scheduling Features
PTWin32’s Inspection Scheduling window has undergone significant change. A link to both Permits and Code Enforcement has been added, plus you can search for records by their address. We’ve added a Memo field for comments about a scheduled inspection and inserted a block that will not allow inspections to be scheduled for expired, on-hold, or voided permits. Additionally, you can assign an inspector automatically and clean up by deleting all inspections scheduled before a certain date.

Permit Window Developments
You’ll notice lots of new features on the PTWin32 Permit window. There are now multiple views of your permit information based on the type of PTWin32 user you are. What you see if you work at the front desk is different from what you see if you are a plans examiner. Of course the familiar Management view from previous versions is still available.

There are also 3 new tabs available on the Management View Permit window, Materials, Inspection Scheduling, and Plan Review. The Materials tab tracks the material used and automatically calculates the Construction Value! The Inspection Scheduling tab shows you the schedule for this permit while the Plan Review tab represents a giant step forward in the approvals process.

Under PTWin32’s Plan Review tab you can manage the entire process through multiple reviewers in multiple departments. And one or many of these reviewers can put the permit on-hold at any given time. You can get a complete overview of the process through a tree view of the departments, their reviewers, and their color-coded review status!

Plus the PTWin32 Permit window also features expiration dates based on filing date, and sequential auto-numbering regardless of permit type. Not to mention user controlled blocks on permit printing if there is no passed final inspection or unpaid fees, and a contractor assignment block if license or insurance information is out of date.

Improvements to Code Enforcement
The first thing you notice about the new PTWin32 Code Enforcement window is that it has been integrated with the Parcel, Inspection, and Inspection Scheduling systems. Plus you will find a new grid that allows multiple violations per Code Enforcement record, and an import/export routine for your inspectors.

Extended Contractors and License Operations
There are 2 new tabs on the PTWin32 Contractors window, one listing permits to which this contractor is assigned, and another for connections to the License module. Now you can track as many licenses per contractor as you want.

Over in the License window you get links back to the Contractor record and a Borrow button that will take the Contractor information and fill it into the License record.

Parcel Modifications
PTWin32’s Parcel window has been redesigned to include address suffixes as well as a full address field that allows direct entry. Parcel security has been increased and you will find a new tab on the window listing all of the Code Enforcement records attached to this parcel.

Click here to see the PTWin32 License Agreement