OnTime version 5 is generally available starting October 23. The latest version of OnTime Management Suite and OnTime Dispatch are packed with new features and enhancements.
Download and try the new features today!
After 11 months of research and development, the team at Vesigo is excited to release our most significant update in years. This release focused on implementing the feedback received from hundreds of users. Additionally, substantial improvements were made to the fundamentals of performance and reliability. For example, the Tracking view is up to 80x faster than in previous versions. The programs are more responsive and efficient, especially for companies dealing with large volume.
You’ll also find a tremendous number of new additions that make working with your data faster and more flexible. Here is a list of some of the new features and enhancements:
Record change history and auditing
Previously, history was available for only one type of record: orders. Now easily view past changes made to most records, including:
- Users
- Locations
- Zones
- Price Sets
- Customers
- Orders
- Invoices
- Payments
- Vehicles
In addition to expanding the types of records for which you audit, we developed a whole new way of viewing changes made to records. Previously, a handful of columns were displayed, and the user was required to scan and compare them to detect differences. Now OnTime intelligently scans for the differences and only shows changes. Instead of a handful of columns, all columns of data are scanned for differences. This ensures that auditing is simple, direct, clear, and easy to understand.
Customers subscribed to Enterprise Plus can audit changes 90 days in the past. All other accounts can audit up to 30 days in the past.
History of changes made to a record can be accessed by selecting a record, right-clicking, and choosing “History” from within the context menu. Record history details the data changed, including the user that made the change, grouped by the timestamp of the change. Grouping can be changed to Property name by right-clicking within the list and choosing Group By > Property.
New events and special fields within the Workflow Notification Designer
New events include an event for new orders created through the Customer Web Portal and an event for orders transferred between drivers. New special fields include a list of selected price modifiers associated with an order, user defined fields, and an order tracking link.
Powerful new lists to display data
- Advanced Search has a new home: The Filter Editor. This simplified view is easier to read and far more powerful. All features that were in the previous Advanced Search area are available in the new Filter Editor. Unlimited compound expressions make it possible to filter data to a very specific level. Then, as was possible in previous versions, these advanced searches can be saved for later use as a Quick View.
- All new grid view for main lists within desktop applications. This new grid offers access to more data, streamlined data updates, and significantly improved performance.
- New grid views support advanced filtering on any single column or combination of columns. Use compound expressions to filter data to a very specific level.
- New Filter Row makes searching on any column quick and easy.
- Grid view filtering that supports more than just “equals” comparison. Now use comparisons such as Equals, Does not equal, Contains, Does not contain, Is like, Is not like, Begins with, Ends with, Is greater than, Is greater than or equal to, Is less than, and Is less than or equal to.
- Grid views now support a Best Fit auto sizing of columns.
- Grid views now support sorting by more than one column. Right-click on a column header to choose sorting for a column and then repeat that step on each additional column for which sorting should be applied.
- Grid views now support grouping by any column. Right-click on a column header to group by that column. Multiple columns may be used for grouping.
- Advanced filtering through the Filter Editor window. Right-click a column header to open the Filter Editor. Within the Filter Editor, any combination of comparisons can be defined to filter data to a very specific level.
For those migrating from OnTime 4, explore some of the changes to the Tracking view in this brief video:
Enhanced Tracking View performance
A new function automatically calculates an optimal number of orders to display within the Tracking view. This option is turned on by default. Previously, a default of the top 500 most recent orders would be displayed. With this version, the performance was improved to allow for the 80,000 most recent records to be displayed without performance degradation. The number of records chosen does not affect searches or filters, which will always search across all available records.
Hardware graphics acceleration
To help improve the performance and rendering of large data, OnTime can now take advantage of a video card's processing power. This results in faster and smoother performance across the application. This feature requires a DirectX compatible video card and 64-bit Windows 8, 10, or higher. DirectX graphics acceleration can be disabled from within General Options or Program Options. If the hardware of the PC does not support graphics acceleration, the option will be disabled.
API usage headers
The OnTime API now includes additional headers for rate limits. If rate limits are reached, the response headers will include rate limit information, such as the number of API transactions used, number of remaining transactions, when rate limits will be reset, and when to next retry. Our knowledge base contains more details about these headers and how to use them.
Barcode scanning to update status and assigned user
A new desktop or console barcode scanning extension designed to change the status of an order when scanned with a variety of standalone barcode scanning equipment. This extension will be especially useful in warehouses, hubs, and offices.
Scanning can cross-reference multiple identification numbers including tracking number, reference number, purchase order number, incoming tracking number, and outgoing tracking number. Status labels can be specified, making it possible to create detailed descriptions for shippers to view the progress of their orders. The currently assigned driver can also be changed as part of the scan. This OnTime extension can be downloaded at no additional charge for current subscribers.
A large number of commonly available barcode scanners are supported. For a full list, see the device compatibility list.
Search box (Ctrl + F)
A new way of performing quick searches across most columns is to use the search box in the upper right corner of the application. A useful shortcut to this search box is CTRL + F on the keyboard. This method of quick search is available from all main lists. When using the Search box, matches will be located across most columns, and the matching text will be highlighted in yellow.
When using the Search box within the Tracking view, this method of search still checks for matches across multiple columns, causing search results to take longer. For the fastest results, use the Tracking view’s Advanced Search where possible.
Dark mode improvements
The Dark theme is now supported consistently across more of the desktop applications.
These are just a few of the new features and enhancements that are part of OnTime 5. We are excited to offer these highly requested features to our customers. If you have any questions about how to use these new features, you’ll find helpful information within the OnTime User Guide and the OnTime Knowledge Base. Or feel free to contact the OnTime customer support department, where a friendly support representative will be happy to assist you.