Blog

From time to time we share news and tips here.

Upcoming Merlin Project Demonstrations

Well, we are almost into the fourth quarter of 2021. Some of you may have tried without success to sign up for one of our demonstrations of Merlin Project. I fixed that this morning. Please try again!

We just saw the release of Merlin Project version 8, so you will especially want to see what has changed, right? I hope to satisfy you.

Take a look at my page for Merlin Project, where I list the next quarter or so of product demos.

Release of Merlin Project 8

Today’s post is one I have been looking forward to presenting to you for months. Merlin Project version 8 is here, continuing this fine tool’s advances in both features and visual elegance. Here are some of the more important points:

  1. A new dynamic help system. Toggle it on and mouse over icons in the toolbars, work area and inspector to see useful documentation of the features.
  2. A bigger inspector font. It is surprising how much it improves readability.
  3. A fuller capability to customize the timeline bar and other lines in several view types, adding line thickness and dashed or dotted line styles to the existing color customization.
  4. A new workflow for creating a new outline column.
  5. The phone icon in the resource inspector can now start calls for all devices connected to the computer. On the iPad, of course, this also works if a GSM card is installed.
  6. Beautification of the checklist attachments and the inspection window.
  7. There are two new commands in the API for AppleScript to automatically (e.g. via Hook) get the URLs of documents and their contents.
  8. The iPad version can now also create resource pools.
  9. A redesigned workflow with file attachments and inspector pane.

Watch this space

News is coming this way, so keep your eyes peeled.

Our first online demo for Merlin Project

Great news! We have already scheduled three sessions in the next few weeks to demonstrate Merlin Project for prospective users in the US. We will look at both Mac and iPad clients. Features covered will include Work Breakdown / Entry (Gantt format), Mind Map, Resources, Cost Planning, and Kanban Board. These are just representative of a deep and rich set of capabilities, beautifully displayed, efficiently arranged, and FAST! 

Watch for our training classes, with even more thorough treatments, coming later this summer.

Demand for Merlin Project demonstrations is already high. Users from across the globe are signing up. Register Now!

We have just added Merlin Project

Merlin Project from ProjectWizards GmbH in Germany is a beautiful and powerful business app for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. It has been available in the US since version 1 in 2004, and it has been expanded and updated continually up to today’s version 7. However, its representation in the United States has gone up and down through the years, so many people today who could use it beneficially are not even aware of it.

We are here to change that. Want to talk about it? Call us 8-5 US Central Time at (334) 332-1868. Want to schedule a conversation? Use the Contact Info tab at the top of any web page of this site. On our home page and on the Merlin Project tab, there is a link for downloading the installer to a Mac. Try it out and go to Project Wizards’ website to schedule a demo or a training class with us.

Daylite Cloud

For most of 2019 Daylite has been cloud-only. People may continue to run Daylite Legacy in a self-serve configuration, but support has ended for that, and it is no longer sold. I can tell you from nearly two years’ experience that Daylite Cloud is a good thing. The subscription model that finances Daylite Cloud frees the user from having to wait for major new features, and it secures the support and development teams at Marketcircle to keep improving and sustaining the user experience.

Daylite now follows a new version scheme that reflects its continuous improvement model. When you check what version you are running by clicking “Daylite > About Daylite”, it shows the version as something like Version 2019.44 (4352), which means YEAR.WK (build number). The version tells you exactly when it was released, which will help you keep track of the features you can expect.

Since older options for Daylite have been cancelled by Marketcircle, we are removing certain links from this website today to avoid confusion.

If you are currently using Daylite 5 or Daylite 6 Legacy and wish to catch up to enjoy the improvements in Daylite Cloud, contact us using the rightmost link located above, “Contact Info”. We will get right back to you.

Plugins - All Daylite 6

Now that Daylite 5 support has ended at Marketcircle, as of last September 30, and most users have updated macOS to Sierra or High Sierra (on both of which Daylite 6 is the minimum compatible version), it is high time to migrate all custom plugins to Daylite 6. In most cases it is a simple matter of changing some housekeeping details in the Xcode project. On rare occasion, Daylite 6 reveals some out-of-date APIs in code, but these, too, are straightforward to fix.

More importantly, though, there are new capabilities in Daylite 6, so an update is a good time to look for ways to improve the plugin. After all, your business methods have probably changed a bit since the last release. Want to explore ideas? Contact us.

Group Calendars in Daylite 6

One of my longtime clients has always complained about Daylite’s lack of a group calendar. It is the one thing for which he has tended to “ding” Marketcircle. Sure, each user has always been able to see his own calendar or view everything permissible in another user’s calendar — but what if he wants instead to see all the events intended for department consumption, whoever created them, and only those events?

It turns out that this has been possible in one form for a long time (and I set it up for this client in Daylite 4 & 5): for example, create a special “Department” user purely for “attending” department appointments. On both Mac and iOS, Daylite could view the appointments to which the “Department” user was invited. The trouble was that this required buying a license for that user. Ouch!

How might it be done less expensively and still view these appointments within Daylite on both Mac and iOS? My friend Amin Rahmani at Marketcircle suggested an answer to me while we were exploring cost-saving alternatives in the lead up to a client's Daylite Cloud migration. The key point is that in Daylite 6 for iOS, it is now finally possible to view the calendars, not just of Daylite users, but also of Daylite resources.

Resources are meant for managing company property that has a usage schedule, such as a meeting room, a projector, or a Gulfstream G650ER. However, the way resources work is just what a group calendar also needs - and it is built into Daylite 6 for Mac and iOS. This it a seamless feature across all your Daylite 6 devices! You don’t have to buy any extra licenses!

How does one set up a group calendar with a resource in Daylite 6, you ask?

1. In Daylite Preferences go to the Resources pane.


2. Add a new resource. Name it something like “Marketing Department.” Give it a color, if you like. Explain the details of how and why to use it.

3. Go to the Daylite 6 sidebar and select My Calendar. Click the “+” in the bottom left corner. Select New Calendar Smart List.


4. Select the user whose calendar is to be shown: specifically use the resource Marketing Department.


5. Make sure to name and share your new calendar smart list with the appropriate Daylite Teams of Users.


6. Have members of the department add the new resource Marketing Department to each appointment that should go on the shared calendar.


7. Now you will see together in one Daylite Calendar view all the shared events for the department, no matter who owns them.


Someone recently asked me why he should upgrade from Daylite 5 to Daylite 6. Here is one more good reason. And remember that you can save money if you buy soon!

Here are some live links for you:

There is a Daylite 6 Self-Serve upgrade promotion going on for the next five days (until October 31, 2016), and loyalty pricing for Daylite 5 users who move up to a Daylite Cloud subscriptions been extended until December 31, 2016.

Daylite 5 Upgrade Promotion

Yesterday Marketcircle announced big savings on upgrades from Daylite 5 Self-Serve to Daylite 6 - both Self-Serve and Cloud!

There is limited-time upgrade promotion of 15% off to upgrade from Daylite 5 to Daylite 6 Self-Serve. Or you can upgrade from Daylite 5 to Daylite Cloud and get the Early Bird Discount Plan – a 29% discount. These promotional offers are valid until October 31, 2016.

If you are ready to learn more or move up to Daylite, just contact us here at Putah Creek Development, and we will help you get started.


Plugins for Creating Daylite 6 Contacts and Forms

One of the most popular ways to use a custom plugin in Daylite is to control data entry. The data then provides identifying information and configuration to set up what you need to run your projects and pursue opportunities with prospective customers. For example, consider the following window from an eldercare plugin. The application here is to register an elderly person looking for some form of supportive housing.


The plugin action defines a rich profile of the client and organizes the data input process by using a different tab for each kind of information.

Once the user has entered all available information and clicks “Create,” the plugin processes the inputs and commands Daylite to create linked People and a family (Organization), add contact information to the client or her personal representative, describe all the client’s relationships within and outside the family, and specify in Daylite Forms linked to the client all the prospective residents’ needs and the preferred timeframe for completing arrangements.

By adding other actions, such as profiling residential facilities, searching for a match, and issuing documents like availability queries and contracts, a plugin like this one can make Daylite a very business-specific tool, not just a very good general CRM system.

This kind of “front-end” plugin action supports many industries:

  • Sales companies
  • Regulated industrial facilities
  • Analytical laboratories
  • Capital placement and investment firms
  • Pet boarding and training facilities
  • Photographers
  • Specialized home services
  • Bed & Breakfasts
  • Real Estate Sales and Rentals Brokers
  • Attorneys

Please contact us with ideas for your company’s next Daylite plugin.


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