We just released a fresh new activeCollab hack – Latest Comments First.

This acHack allows you to see comments in reverse chronological order (latest first) for discussions, tickets, pages and files. It ensures comment numbering and permalinks work. We have also included an administration panel to enable this hack only for selective modules.

We have pages full of comments on some discussions and tickets. This hack will free us from the trouble of navigating to the last page to find the most recent (hence most important) comments. We hope it helps you as well.

It’s only $15 and you get one year upgrades free.

Learn More – Buy Now

You may also want to learn about our other acHacks or acGarage (acGarage subscribers get all acHacks free, plus one year expert managed upgrades for activeCollab and other modules)

Got feedback? Have an idea? Feel free to post a comment!

Ho ho ho! The latest release of Reports Module – version 1.6 – is now available for instant download. If you are an existing customer, download it using the link in your original purchase confirmation email. If you have not yet purchased it, and want to get insightful reports on your projects, people and companies, click here and buy it today.

So, What’s New?

A whole lot. Almost everything actually! We rewrote the whole system. Here’s a summary of what’s changed.

Reporting engine revamp

Reports now include checklists, tasks, milestones and tickets. Daily snapshots have higher accuracy and are in line with activeCollab’s access privilege system. The core reporting engine is robust and well tested.

Person Reports Card

Detailed People reports added

You can now keep track of your team’s activities. See detailed statistics about work activity, project assignments and compare people using the Activity Score. Assignment chart shows you items assigned to a person across projects while Hours chart shows the actual hours spent across assigned projects. You can filter people by name, role and company as well as see performance in given date range.

Company Reports added – including overview of projects for that company

Another major addition is Company Reports. You can now see project status summary for all projects of a company on one screen. Filter to see only Active Projects or All Projects.

Ability to send a reminder from within Reports module

Reporting without the ability to take action has limited use. You can now send a reminder / followup / appreciation right from Reports module. Appropriate person will automatically appear in the To field, and you can add any other user using intelligent auto complete system. You can do use this quick action system from all reports – Projects, People and Companies.

Printing improved significantly

Printing now works much better, and works for all three reporting screens. We have even included a summary at top.

Company Usage Stats

System usage statistics as part of company reports

There is no way to find out how many total, open and closed tickets you have in activeCollab. No way to find out disk space usage or number of users either. System usage statistics – available under Companies Reports – provide you detailed usage statistics about your activeCollab system. You can narrow down by client companies to see their usage patterns too.

Project status summary added to Project Reports, including forecast

Get a summary of project’s progress at a glance with the Project Status summary panel. You can see % completion, leader, group, next milestone and a pie chart indicating progress. Hovering over gives you additional details. Project’s Velocity (speed of completing items) is highlighted. And we have even added a forecast date for project completion. It studies the last few weeks’ items – opened, closed, reopened, added – and predicts a completion date.

HTTPS support

Reports module now works well over HTTPS too! Thanks to everyone’s patience on this!

Revamped interface

We are proud of user interface redesign in this release! We spent numerous hours getting the details right. We hope you will appreciate it.

Permissions and configuration for Reports from AC Admin section

You no longer need to edit PHP files to change settings. You don’t even need to go to System Roles to give permissions to view Reports. We have added a Reports Configuration option in activeCollab administration screen. You can configure permissions, date format, weights to use in activity scores and other settings from there.

Fine grained access control – rights inherited from activeCollab

Reports module now will only include those projects, companies and users that are visible to the currently logged in user. It will show reports according to access rights of current user. You can now rest assured that users won’t get access to any unauthorized information. Rights are inherited from activeCollab and you can also set permissions for the three types of reports from Reports module configuration screen in activeCollab administration section.

Possibly a hundred other small improvements!

There are many other enhancements! Lots of tweaks to make your reporting easier, faster and more productive for you. We have paid attention to the details so that you can focus on taking decisions based on these reports.

Wow, that’s a lot! Is there a demo?

We don’t have a live demo, but invite you to our short introduction video on Reports Module. It will show you all types of reports available and how you can use them. You can also see some screenshots from documentation page.

Looks good. I want to get insights on my projects too!

Sure. Go ahead, click here to purchase Reports module ($69) and download it instantly. Installation instructions are included in your download.

You can learn more about Reports Module here.

Learn More – View Demo Video – Buy Now ($69)

Thank you Santa!

Thank you Santa for this wonderful Christmas gift!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you from Apps Magnet team!

(Santa Clause photo by Matti Mattila)

Reports module version 1.6 is live!

Price is $69. And it’s worth much more!

If you are an existing customer, you can download the latest version using the same download link as you got in the original purchase email.

More updates and demo video coming soon.

I set up the about to be released version of Reports module for activeCollab on our services company‘s server. During all these months of development, I’ve been testing it with small amount of real + test data. And I was zapped when I tested it with real big data today.

System Usage Statistics

Reports module tells we I have 41 active projects now, and have logged close to 22,000 hours of work on those projects. We have tons of work items completed, 2GB worth of files, and we are going strong.

And when I looked at the overall project summary, it told me we are 91% done, yet will never finish our projects. We have logged close to 4000 hours over the last 3 months and have items that are due for more than 290 days.

Summary - All Projects

And if that was not enough, we are closing work only at a rate of 12 items per week.

Few!

I planned to spend about 10 minutes reviewing the reports since I just wanted to test before wrapping up the build. But I spent well over half an hour – with occasional “wow’s” and “aha’s”, and “damn’s” in between.I think I am loving it.

Here are some other revelations / insights:

• Lot of team members use the system to just log hours (since it’s mandatory to log hours)
• Some tell me they will log hours, but never do! I could actually send them a reminder right from the Reports module.
• We don’t use the estimates feature of Planning module. Most items are not estimated.
• It’s actually good to have “Never” as the forecast date! It means my team has enough work  for a while 😉
• Most of the clients are involved only in posting comments on discussions. May be we can get them more involved on features / bugs.
• We have many old clients in the system who are no longer active. May be it’s time to check how they are doing and if they have more work for us 😉

My final reaction: this is deadly. This version of Reports module is just too dangerous. It’s sizzling hot. It must be handled with care.

Take care!

Warm welcome to all activeCollab Giveaway winners (and participants!)

All winners may have received their discount codes from activeCollab team via a direct message on Twitter. Here’s how you can use those discount codes.

Redeeming Apps Magnet Discount Code

1. You should have received a special secure URL to claim the prize you won. The URL will look like

   https://www.e-junkie.com/ecom/gb.php?c=cart&i=207231&cl=49669&ejc=2

2. Along with that, you should have also received a discount code. A few alphabets in the beginning and 4 digits at the end.
3. Open the E-Junkie purchase URL in a web browser.
4. Enter the discount code in “Discount Code” field. Click “Update Cart”.
   

   Enter the discount code

5. The discount should be applied and the cart total will change.
6. Click on “Checkout” and complete the process.
   

   Checkout once discount is applied

7. At the end of the process, you will get a link to download the module (Planning / Reports / Housekeeping) or to complete your sign up for acGarage. Follow the link.
8. You will also receive an email notification about the product.
9. Each module contains installation instructions. Follow them to get started.

Note that the discount code can be used only once, and will expire on March 30th, 2010.

If you have any questions, post them on our Community Support Forums.

Once again, congratulations! We hope you will enjoy using the products as much we do.

Apps Magnet has partnered with activeCollab in their Giveaway. You can now win Apps Magnet products just by tweeting a simple message.

Win activeCollab and much more.
Find out how: http://bit.ly/acgiveaway

We are giving away

• One of five Planning Module licenses
• One of five Reports Module licenses
• One of twenty Housekeeping Module licenses
• One of fifty 20% off on acGarage subscriptions

Apart from our products, you can also win:

• One of five activeCollab Corporate licenses
• One of five activeCollab Small Biz licenses
• One of fifty 20% discount coupons for any of the activeCollab editions or for an additional service (Upgrade and Support plan, Upgrade and Support Credit, 30 day Hosted Demo)

We felt the activeCollab giveaway was more for people who are not yet using it. We wanted to celebrate activeCollab and current users – so we decided to pitch in with our products. Apps Magnet products add missing features to activeCollab and make your life easier. So if you are an existing activeCollab user, this is your chance to try your luck and win!

It’s easy to participate

All you have to do is tweet a simple message. Only one tweet per account will be counted and the giveaway ends 8th December.

Tweet now for your chance to win

All the best!

Read more about the giveaway on activeCollab’s website.

(Image courtesy mysza)

This combo offer has expired. Products mentioned here are now available for individual purchase.

Apps Magnet is launching 3 products today, and have a special 20% off on combo pack till midnight November 30th.

What are these new products?

Housekeeping Module – $19

Automate routine system maintenance and cleanup activities with Housekeeping module. Our housekeeping module was exclusive to acGarage subscribers, now it’s open to all! It can save you many hours of work and give you peace of mind. All for just $19!

acHack – Incremental Backup – $21

activeCollab’s Backup module takes full backup every day. Incremental Backup copies only those files that have changed to the backup. This significantly improves backup performance and drastically reduces disk space usage. This provides you the most optimal and secure data backup for activeCollab.

acHack – Copy Pages and Discussions with projects – $17

The process of creating new projects from templates in activeCollab does not copy over pages and discussions. Pages and Discussions are very important part of a project – we use pages to gather initial design brief / project requirements. We even want that our discussions are structured similarly across projects.  Not being able to import discussions and pages was a limitation.

This hack solves that problem. Creating a new project using a template project will now also copy pages and discussions from your template project to the newly created projects.

What’s the special deal?

These three products total up to $57. But we are giving a big 20% off if you buy them together. The offer is valid only till midnight November 30th, MST.

Get Housekeeping Module + Incremental Backup + Copying Pages & Discussions for only $45.60 – Offer Expired.

Plus you get full one year upgrades.

Not sure yet? Take your money back if you are not happy

We are confident of our work. We use these tools daily on our projects. And we know they create awesome value. So if you are not happy with the product, just let us know within 30 days and we will give you your money back.

Support us in bringing out great products

Building great products takes huge efforts. We spend long hours thinking, crafting and fine tuning our products. We took one extra week to tweak little things so that your experience with the products is great. When you buy Apps Magnet products, you are not only getting value for yourself, but also allow us to invest in improving these products and building better solutions.

Buy all three products together, and get 20% off now

The offer is only available from this page, and will end midnight 30th November 2009 MST.

Click here now to buy Housekeeping Module + Incremental Backup + Copy Pages and Discussions with Project for $57 $45.60 – Expired.

BTW, acGarage customers get all three products free. acGarage customers will also get all future acHacks for free. Learn more about acGarage and how it can save you many hours and thousands of dollars.

Another must-not miss opportunity

You may know that we are also working on the next version of Reports Module. The new version will be coming next week and the price will go up to $69 from the current $39. If you haven’t purchased the Reports Module yet, lock in the price and buy it now. You will get one year upgrades for free.

That’s all! Thank you

That’s all for now! We thank all our customers for their continued support. We will strive to make your activeCollab experience better and better!

Viewing reports is typically a passive process. You would see your burndown chart and make mental notes. You would see the hours chart and nod your head. You will see project reports one after another and think about how you can improve your next iterations.

What if you can take some action right on that reports page?

That will make reports even more valuable. Imagine seeing a burndown chart and firing an email to your project lead – either congratulating on the consistent progress or inquiring into the causes of recent decline in project velocity.

We experienced a sudden flash of creativity while we were building people reports for the next release of Reports module for activeCollab.

We are incorporating a simple feedback mechanism on reports – ability to send an email to your team while you are viewing the project / people / companies reports. You can invoke it by a keystroke or clicking a button. You will be able to do that from any screen – project reports, people reports or companies reports.

Do you think it will be useful to you?

(PS: The bad part: This will delay the release by a few days. But we’ll complete it ASAP!)

First week of November 2009 is going to be eventful for AppsMagnet. Last week was launch of Planning Module 1.2.1 and ac Journal, this week we are launching 4 items for activeCollab:

• Upgrade to Reports module – now with People and System reports
• Smart Backup module – incremental backups for activeCollab
• Housekeeping module – automated maintenance for activeCollab
• Project Template hack – copy pages and discussions when you create a new project from template

Reports module is the biggest item for this week.

After the launch, the latest updates will be pushed to acGarage customers. acGarage customer will get Smart Backup, Housekeeping module and Project Template hacks for free. As a matter of fact, we started Housekeeping module as a special service to acGarage customers and now offering it to everyone.

But the week won’t end there. Near the end of the week, we will also begin a major upgrade to PlannerX. We aim to bring PlannerX close to Planning Module for activeCollab in terms of features. It’s going to be a big upgrade and will be rolled around November end.

We received dozens of fan mails and thank-you notes after the last major Planning Module upgrade – version 1.2. We are thrilled by customer feedback and glad that the module is really helping people plan their projects 5 times (or more) faster! Some customers even said that they bought activeCollab because of Planning module! That makes us proud!

At the same time, we received bug reports and tweak requests. And here comes another release of Planning Module! It adds few features and fixes some annoyances. We recommend you upgrade.

BTW, if you don’t like to keep upgrading modules and activeCollab yourself, we offer an annual upgrade and housekeeping service – acGarage.

Here are the changes in this version.

Enhancements

• Updated error handling during server problems. Session time out, PHP errors and others are treated distinctly now.
• Increased the width of “Recover Project” message for readability. (thanks to Jani Kiviranta)
• Now stripping invalid characters from plan before XML handling. (thanks to Brian and others)

Bug Fixes

• Fixed number of issues with notification sending. (thanks to Randy, Alexey and others)
• Start and Due dates now span full days in Gantt chart. (thanks to Franklau for reporting this)
• Top menu toggle button labels can now be translated. (thanks to Jani Kiviranta)
• IE7/8 gave “HTTP Request Error” over HTTPS (thanks to Chris)
• Updated upgrade instructions. (thanks to Anthony for pointing to confusion)

The last version (1.2) was a significant upgrade and added support for multiple projects on Gantt chart, calendar for start/due dates in Outline, an administration panel, branding removal option and many other features. Click here to review release notes of version 1.2.

How to Upgrade?

You can always download the latest version of Planning Module for activeCollab using the download link in your purchase confirmation email. If you can not find your purchase confirmation email send us the email address with which you purchased the module.We will resend the email with download link.

Upgrading is done by uninstalling the module and then installing it. First go to activeCollab Administration – Modules. Uninstall current Planning module. Then upload new version files to your server. Go back to activeCollab Administration and install Planning module. That’s all!

acGarage customers have already been upgraded with this latest release!

BTW, if you have not yet signed up for acGarage, it’s a great time to do so. We can upgrade both your activeCollab setup and Planning module in one go!

How to Buy?

If you have not yet bought the Planning Module, you can buy it now. It’s only $149.