McLachlan Software

ivan Version 3.2.6 Features

The version 3.2 release allows ivan to operate on Windows XP and higher. From this version ivan uses an installer that utilises the Windows Installer subsystem. It also places ivan above the Windows Task Bar (if it is not hidden) so that the task bar does not conceal the ivan controls at the bottom of the screen. It allows the ivan window to be resized with the mouse so that you can view ivan with other applications on the same screen and it re-enables some of the ivan reports that had been disabled in previous versions.

Changes in version 3.2.6 of ivan are:
  1. This version uses the Windows Installer to install ivan.

    Previous versions of ivan used a custom installer.

    Advantages of using the windows installer are:

    1. ivan can be uninstalled in the same fashion as all other windows software
    2. The installer will install the software correctly for whatever version of Windows you are using
    3. The install process will be just the same as installing other Windows Software
    4. This version allows you to repair the ivan installation. ie. if files important to ivan are deleted these will be detected by windows when you run ivan and the components will be reinstalled. You will also be able to repair the installation manually by choosing the "repair" option from the Add/Remove Programs control panel.

  2. This version works better with the Windows Task Bar.

    Previous versions of ivan filled the entire screen with the ivan display so that the Task Bar was not visible. On Windows 2000 and XP the task bar would appear over the top of the ivan window obscuring some of the controls. This was fixed by setting the "Auto Hide" checkbox in the Task Bar properties. This version of ivan places ivan above the Task Bar so that both ivan and the Task Bar are fully visible.

  3. This version allows the ivan window to be resized

    In previous versions of ivan the user could not change the size of the ivan window. In this version the ivan window can be resized by the user.

    Being able to resize the ivan window allows users with large screens to have both ivan and another program visible on the same screen. For example you could have ivan and the ivan tutorial pdf document open in the same window.

  4. This version allows extended ivan reports to be used

    In previous versions of ivan the resource and dependency reports were disabled. In this version the reports have been re-enabled and tested.

    Use of these reports allows users to produce a number of resource reports displaying features such as resource allocations & costs.

ivan Version 3.2.1 Features

The version 3.2 release allows ivan to operate on Windows XP. This minor version fixes some bugs that have been reported since the last release and addresses some issues that users have reported when installing or using ivan since the last public release (3.1.5). This release is the first incarnation of ivan 3.2 to be made available for download.

Changes in version 3.2.1 of ivan are:
  1. Install now asks users whether to make the desktop icon available to ALL USERS - Whenever you install ivan it will now ask you if you want to make the desktop icon available to ALL USERS. If you choose YES then the icon will be placed in the ALL USERS desktop otherwise it will be placed in the current user's desktop.

  2. Users no longer have to set the 'Auto hide' option in their task bar properties in Windows 2000 or Windows XP – Users regularly comment that with Windows 2000 and XP they need to hide the Windows task bar in order to see the ivan colour pallet at the bottom of the screen. This will not be necessary from this version as ivan now operates the same way it did when Microsoft first introduced the Windows Task bar.

  3. Fixed a problem when drawing resource profiles (graphs). - Some users reported problems when allocating more than 10 resources to an activity. Ivan had a bug that prevented profiles from being created for resources when they were the 10th or higher resources allocated to an activity. As few people allocate more than 10 resources to any one activity this bug had not previously been highlighted. It is now possible to create profiles for all the resources that are allocated to an activity.

  4. Fixed list box jumping when allocating/editing resources - If the user scrolled down a list box in order to select a resource. When an item was selected the list would redraw with the selected item being the last one displayed in the list. This has not been reported by any ivan users but has been fixed in this version.

  5. MakeIcon.exe tool now allows desktop icon to be created for ALL USERS - The makeicon.exe tool can be used for making it easier to create a shortcut to an ivan database. User feedback indicated that users wanted to place the Desktop icon on the ALL USERS desktop so that it was accessible regardless of who was logged in to Windows. If you check the "Create icon on Desktop " check box in the makeivanicon dialogue box it will ask you if you want the icon available to ALL USERS before creating the desktop icon.

    Also if you are using the command line parameters to execute makeivanicon.exe then you will be prompted whether to create a desktop icon for ALL USERS if you set BOTH the /prompt and /desktop flags when calling makeivanicon.exe.

  6. Doesn't display messages that give the impression the installation failed when it succeeded - When installing ivan on Windows 2000 some users were confused because the install process informed then that that it couldn't install MFC42.dll because it was in use and at the end of the installation a message was displayed saying that installation was "Partially Complete" and that the installation had problems and may not work properly. This occurred because Windows 2000 is shipped with the MFC42.dll which is required by ivan but other versions of Windows (95, 98, NT) did not have this DLL. Ivan was correctly informing the user that it was not replacing their existing MFC42.DLL. The install application has been modified so that it no longer displays a message on the screen if it can't install a file for this reason. The message at the end now informs users that the installation was complete but that some files were not copied and they can check the install.log file for details.


ivan Version 3.2 Features

Version 3.2 incorporates changes to allow ivan to run on Windows XP. Previous versions of ivan will not operate on Windows XP and in some rare cases Windows 2000. If you are planning on using Windows XP in the future and are in an upgrade period you should download this version. If your upgrade period has elapsed then you should contact McLachlan Software for details regarding how to upgrade to the latest version.

A summary of the benefits of IVAN 3.2 follows in a question and answer style:

I have installed Ivan 3.1.x on my Windows 2000/XP machine and Windows tells me the application failed. What is the problem ?

  • IVAN 3.1 or less will NOT operate on Windows XP and in some cases Windows 2000. You will need to upgrade to ivan a 3.2 version in order to use ivan on Windows XP.

I'm thinking of upgrading to ivan 3.2 so that I can use it on my new Windows XP machine. Will I need to learn to use ivan all over again ?

  • IVAN 3.2 is functionally the same as previous versions. If you were comfortable with ivan 3.1 then you won't notice any difference with ivan 3.2.

I previously reported a bug in version X.X.X to McLachlan Software. Has this been fixed in this version ?

  • Version 3.2 includes all bug fixes that we know about to date.

  • If you would like to ask about a specific problem you have had in the past or are currently having contact support at McLachlan Software by phone or e-mail.