The latest major 8.0.1.355 update with a number bug fixes and some new features is now available for download (Aquabase will check for an update on start-up) and will require a password to complete the update process. This password is sent to users of the Aquabase Support and Development programme by email and you are encouraged not to share it with users that have not subscribed to the programme. If Aquabase cannot download the update automatically you can also get it from the Downloads section of this website. You have to be a registered user to access the download section.
Please read the notes during installation for the latest exciting additions and bug fixes! We are constantly working on improving and fixing Aquabase functionality. Please let us know if you find any bugs and would like to make suggestions for new functions.
The update can be downloaded from the Downloads section of this website.
WHAT’S NEW IN THIS LATEST VERSION?
1.) When adding Piezometers the piezometer number gets automatically inserted and increased
2.) Navigation on most forms has been enhanced to adapt to the site type; e.g. depths/collars cannot be entered at meteorological stations, or rainfall cannot be added to a borehole etc.
3.) The progressive yield should normally increase with depth. But sometimes higher water strikes dewater when hitting deeper water strikes and therefore the yield at depth may decrease. Aquabase now allows to keep these “progressive” yields even when they are not really increasing with depth, but will still warn the user accordingly.
4.) The colour settings for the hole and casing labels on the Construction and Log can now also be changed to accommodate more visible colours.
5.) The settings for changing the colours of the different casing types (plain, slotted, screen etc.) were felt unnecessary as the line styles are already different for different casing types. These are now changed to represent the casing material (brass and copper, galv. iron and steel, plastic and PVC, and all others).
6.) The Chemistry Report can now also show two chemistry charts right under the Basic Information section on the report. These can be selected and modified before report generation.
7.) There is a new report to show Surface Hydrology information, including stage heights, stream discharge and flow and intake volumes.
8.) When adding a new site Aquabase will check if there is an existing site within 100m radius and will inform the user accordingly, as the new site and the existing one(s) may actually be the same.
9.) The setting of database bookmarks has been extented to setting two bookmarks for two different sites, between which the user can switch to and fro. The shortcut keys are now also working as expected and make the switching between sites easy.
10.) The Help System has been extended to show a link to the online help system within the new Aquabase Website at https://aquabase.blecher.co.za. The online Help system has links between items and also some screenshots with examples on how to do stuff.
WHAT HAS BEEN FIXED SINCE THE LAST VERSION?
1.) The log/construction and depth-dependent charts did not line up the depth axis when casings or piezometers stuck out of the ground, w.o.w were negative. This was fixed by calculationg new axis minimums with the Depth to Top of casings/piezometers.
2.) After resetting the View to “allsites” the dataset jumped to the first site in the View. This has now been changed to stay at the current site which was active before changing the View.
3.) The same applies when selecting a different View: The dataset stays at the current site, if it exists in the selected view, otherwise it will jump to the first site in the View.
4.) When adding a new casing record the default “Depth to Top” used the previous “Depth to Bottom”, which is not actually correct as casing tops are almost always at ground level or above ground (negative value), or sometimes below ground level. This has been changed to use the collar height (above ground = positive) and insert that as “Depth to Top” as negative value, if there is a collar height, otherwise 0 (zero). It looks first in the construction table for a valid collar height, then in Basic Information.
5.) The Site Images entry form did not check for correct date/time formats. This is fixed.
6.) The Log Settings form raised an exception when changing tab sheets, specifically when changing to the “General” tab. This was due to a buggy component (EditButton), which has been removed and replaced with a standard edit box and a button to change the font for the charts.
7.) The geological log and down-the-hole chart next to it did not synchronise when zooming/panning. This is fixed.
8.) The casing labels were not placed consistently (and also repeated themselves for same casing diameters). This has been changed to show only one label per diameter and the labels are moved down when too close to the previous (above) label.
9.) The “fixing” of columns on the tabbed entry forms (click on title for the cursor to jump to that column on new record) did not work as expected. This has been fixed.
10.) The date settings on the Chemistry Report settings form were not actually transferred as expected to the report, which therefore showed records even outside the date ranges. This has been fixed.
11.) The Construction and Lithology log report cut off a number of fields due to too long code translations (e.g. Reporting Institution). These have been changed to “WordWrap” memos, which also increase the height of the bands in which they are displayed. The report has also been optimised to be a lot faster by restricting the opening of datasets to the current site only.
12.) Many smaller bug fixes and optimisations.