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Support for 64-bit (x64) Windows

posted Apr 13, 2010, 11:38 AM by Jeff Weir   [ updated Apr 11, 2011, 4:20 PM ]

Dispatch now works happily with 64-bit (x64) Windows. It turned out to be very simple fix once we got our hands on a copy of 64-bit Windows 7. The problem was related to the installer and not Dispatch.

The root cause of the problem is this: in 64-bit Windows, applications are installed in Program Files and 32-bit applications are installed in Program Files (x86). 

The 'problem' was that the installer configured the ODBC Data Source to implicitly to look for the database engine files in the appropriate directory for the version of Windows where they were being installed. The problem was the installer was configured to always copy the database engine files to the Program Files directory regardless of the version of Windows. 

Under 32-bit Windows this was not an issue. Under 64-bit Windows this turned out to be fatal (and unintentional) oversight which made it impossible for Dispatch  and the ODBC Data Source Administrator to connect to the database. 

R.I.P. Borland Database Engine

posted Mar 28, 2010, 8:44 AM by Jeff Weir   [ updated Jun 8, 2010, 10:33 AM ]

It is with great pleasure that we announce the removal of the Borland Database Engine (BDE) from future versions of Dispatch. While it more than served it's purpose, the BDE was a nuisance for us to deploy.

Beginning with the soon to be released Dispatch 3.0, the BDE will no longer be required. So what does that mean to the end-user? Here's a short list:
  • Faster database access
  • Setup file will be smaller and faster to download
  • No separate BDE setup process
The technology which replaced the BDE is called dbExpress. dbExpress was first introduced in 2000 and now at version 4. dbExpress is a mature and stable technology and we are confident that there was no longer any excuse to carry on using the BDE.

If you are interested in in-depth technical details about the BDE and dbExpress, follow these links:

BDE Based Architecture
dbExpress Framework


Problem with Ticket Preview window

posted Jul 6, 2009, 6:38 AM by Jeff Weir   [ updated Aug 19, 2009, 6:31 AM ]

We have corrected a problem with the Ticket Preview window that could cause tickets to canceled without the operator realizing what had actually happened.

This problem only effects users that have enabled the Ticket Preview window.

The steps to reproduce this problem where as follows:

  1. Enable the Ticket Preview window.
  2. Click Print on the Ticket view which then opens the Ticket Preview window.
  3. Click the Print button on the Preview window.
  4. Bring Dispatch to the foreground (ie. minimize the Ticket Preview).
  5. Click Print on the Ticket view again.
  6. A dialog is displayed which says 'The previous attempt to print a ticket failed...That transaction will now be canceled.'
  7. Click OK (which is the only option) and the last ticket is canceled (it disappears).
  8. The Ticket Preview Window now comes to the foreground with the new ticket and the operator assumes that all is well.

Somewhere along the line, the Print Preview got switched from being a Modal window to a Non-Modal window. This has been fixed so that this problem can no longer occur.

You can download the update from this page:

http://dispatch.canadianscale.com/downloads

The very last item is the link to the update. Don't worry about the date - that is the date that the link was posted to the page - it has nothing to do with the file that you will be downloading.

Thank you to Christina Hébert of Villeneuve Construction for reporting the problem and providing the essential clue about the problem being related to the Ticket Preview window.

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