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[jonathan]

We have released a new version of eCAT - 3.2

A new release is always exciting, but this one even more so because it marks the first major release of the software since we went public at the end of the beta period. We have had a lot of good feedback from our users and this version reflects much of that.

Many of our users were asking for customisation that allowed them to move away from the Projects and Experiments model. One of the difficulties in building such an openended piece of software as eCAT is that it can sometimes be daunting for the user when they first start using it, because it offers so much flexibility. The idea of starting with Projects and Experiments was to ensure that we had something "useful" to offer the user when they first start up, before
they find out about the power of the system.

3.2 offers the administrative and individual users the ability to choose a set of classes to appear on the main menu (instead of or in addition to Projects and Experiments) and the home page to allow for easy creation and searching of the data types important to the user. In addition the record tree can be customised to no longer show the Projects and Experiments or Users folder if the administrator does not find that structure appropriate.

We have also added a new search feature that allows users to display more than one class when displaying a record table. This was a highly requested feature, but difficult to implement, so we are pleased to offer it in this release. It will enable users to see data from a variety of types in a more "Excel" like fashion.

In addition to new features that have been requested by customers, we have also spent time ensuring that eCAT is superior in its regulatory compliance and even more stable and reliable than before. For regulatory purposes we are now storing the thumbnails generated as part of the saved database data so that the entire record, thumbnails and everything, is stored safely when the record is saved. Even if the underlying data file changes, the audit trail will still preserve the
thumbnail and other data exactly as it was when it was saved.

There is a lot more to it than just the above - we have fixed a few bugs, improved the performance further and added a variety of other ease of use and convenience features.

There is always more to come from eCAT. The next release will focus on the startup experience making it really simple for people to get started with a whole variety of different templates and concepts, much like Projects and Experiments but for a variety of different disciplines and styles.

Thanks for your ongoing interest in our electronic lab notebook!