GradeL Development

New Blog Location

2009-11-23T17:11:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, my own school blocks any url hosted at blogspot.com, so I've relocated the blog to http://littlerun.com/gradel/wordpress. As you can see from the url, the new blog is powered by WordPress. I've already migrated the existing blog posts and even added some new content, so feel free to check it out.

0.11.2 Released!

2009-11-19T17:08:00.001-08:00

GradeL 0.11.2 has been released. You can grab the source package or the Ubuntu Karmic .deb package from the download page (the .deb file should work on any Debian based distro also). This release includes several bug fixes and a few small feature enhancements and additions, including the new report that displays category averages for each student. For details on these updates and changes please review the ChangeLog.

As you already know, GradeL is a small, open-source project. Please continue to provide feedback and report bugs that you may encounter. While GradeL development is slow, it is still moving forward with your help.

Take care!

Displaying Student Averages for Categories

2009-11-16T19:11:00.000-08:00

The latest feature addition currently in the works for GradeL is a report that displays the category averages for all students in a grid format. See the screenshot below:

Eventually, this report will also display the overall grade and allow printing. Stay tuned...

GradeL Wiki Update

2009-07-30T10:39:00.001-07:00

The GradeL wiki hosted at SourceForge is being converted from the old Wikispaces to MediaWiki. While this transition is taking place, the content will not be available. Hopefully, it will be completed soon. The new link for the wiki is http://sourceforge.net/apps/mediawiki/gradel.

Another bug!

2009-05-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

Well, as has become a tradition with GradeL releases, right after I get a new release out I discover another bug. This one will be obvious to anyone that uses GradeL to track student attendance. The column headers will appear two pixels higher than they should. Users who download the source package could patch the problem by editing line 919 of frmGradeL.class. The line should read:

temppb.Y = MAIN_Y + 1

instead of:

temppb.Y = 26

Of course, the fix will be included in the next release, which will now be sooner than expected.

Take care!

GradeL 0.11.1 released.

2009-05-24T05:34:00.000-07:00

The bug in the 0.11.0 packages is fixed and the new 0.11.1 packages are available from SourceForge here.

Problem with 0.11.0 packages

2009-05-24T04:23:00.000-07:00

Apparently, there is an important file missing in both the .deb and source packages that I uploaded to SourceForge back in February. A user reported an error when trying to create a "Marking Period Student Progress" report from the report menu. A GUI form file named StudentReportForm.form was mistakenly left out of the packages and prevents the report from being generated. A fix is in the works and will be available soon.

Keep the bug reports coming!

GradeL 0.11.0 Released.

2009-02-27T17:00:00.000-08:00

Version 0.11.0 is a significant update to GradeL. This release includes buig fixes and improved functionality. Please see the ChangeLog for details and download the latest release. As always, please report any bugs.

Have a nice weekend!

Period & Exam Weights

2009-01-25T11:20:00.000-08:00

The interface that I originally chose for editing period and exam weights was not great. I have updated the dialog so that it's function is more natural and easy to navigate. The grid will size itself to the appropriate number of semesters and marking periods and then the use need only enter values between zero and one into the appropriate cells.

The new interface will be included in the next release.

Take care!

GradeL Wiki

2009-01-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

I decided to take advantage of the wiki services available to SourceForge projects. I plan to use the project wiki as the location for GradeL documentation. If you use GradeL, then you know that documentation has not been a priority. I hope to improve this as the project moves forward.

The url for the wiki is http://gradel.wiki.sourceforge.net. If you would like to contribute content, please contact me.

Flexible Grading Scale

2009-01-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

I have been adding subtle improvements to GradeL recently. One that I think deserves mentioning at this point is the new flexible grading scale. In the past, GradeL had a fixed scale that required users to have 13 grades (A+...E), because that is the grading scale that I have to use. However, I realize that other users may have different requirements. So, when the next release is made public, users will be able to adjust the number of grades and the minimum percent to achieve that grade.

Here is a shot of the new dialog:

The spin control allows the user to change the number of grade needed and the grid will automatically resize when the number is changed.

Murphy's Law and a new GradeL release.

2009-01-14T17:34:00.000-08:00

With a name like Murphy, there was bound to be a problem. Version 0.10.0 had a huge bug that prevented users from changing the grading mode from points to weighted categories in the Class Setup form. It appears that this is a left over from 0.9.1, although it was never reported.

It is possible that issue is caused by a change in some Gambas event handling in versions 2.9 and later. Currently, I'm developing on the latest stable Gambas release, 2.10.2. Anyway, for more info on GradeL 0.10.1, please see the ChangeLog and feel free to download the app.

Take care!

GradeL 0.10.0 Released.

2009-01-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

I released a new version of GradeL today. Version 0.10.0 does not add any major features, but it should be more stable and allow users to work more efficiently. Check out the ChangeLog for more details. You can download the source or a .deb from SourceForge.

As usual, please report any bugs you may encounter!

Development Continues

2009-01-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

Although this new school year has not provided me with a lot of time to work on GradeL, I have been making some progress. The current development version does run on the latest Gambas 2.10.2.

I have reverted back to a single file interface. My implementation of multiple windows for multiple files was buggy and difficult to maintain. I have added better support for recent files in the File Menu, which makes switching between class files quite easy and fast.

I'm also spending some time cleaning up my code so that it is easier to maintain. I hope that this process will result in a more stable piece of software. As soon as I feel that it's ready to go, I release the next version. Stay tuned.

If you'd like to try out the latest development snapshot, you can download it here.

GradeL and Gambas 2.9

2008-11-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

Currently, GradeL will not run properly with the new Gambas 2.9 release. There were changes made to the way that Gambas handles window events including, opening and closing, which cause GradeL to crash. GradeL runs properly on Gambas 2.7, which is the version available in the Ubuntu 8.10 repositories. Until a fix is completed, please stick with the older version of Gambas if you wish to run GradeL.

GradeL 0.9.1 Released.

2008-05-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

GradeL 0.9.1 has been released. This release includes bug fixes and minor improvements. I have included a .deb package as well. Please try it out and report problems. You can download the release or get more info in the website.

Take care.

Compiling and Installation Problems

2008-05-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

Apparently, when I completed the conversion to Gambas2 from Gambas1 I neglected to pay close attention to the compile and installation scripts I provided with the source package. They contain bugs. The next release of GradeL will include the correct scripts, but in the meantime, I have included them here:

compile.sh:

#!/bin/sh

# This shell script compiles and archives GradeL using Gambas2.
# The result is the binary archive gradel, which can be run
# by typing ./gradel from the source directory or installed
# using sudo sh ./install.sh.

echo ""
echo "GradeL Compile Script"
echo "----------------------------------------"
echo "Checking for compiled components..."

if [ -d .gambas ]
then
echo "Removing old files..."
cd .gambas
rm *
cd ..
rmdir .gambas
fi

if [ -f gradel ]
then
rm gradel
fi

echo ""
echo "Compiling GradeL with gbc2 -p -a ..."

# It is important to include the -p and -a flags
gbc2 -p -a

echo "Creating executable archive \"gradel\" with gba2 ..."
gba2

# Rename executable archive
mv gradel-0.9.1.gambas gradel

echo "Done!"
echo ""
echo "To run gradel type: ./gradel"
echo "or"
echo "sudo \"sh ./install.sh\" to install on Ubuntu."
echo ""

install.sh:

#!/bin/sh

# This shell script installs GradeL to the system.
# Be sure to run compile.sh first.
# Gradel can be removed from the system with uninstall.sh.

echo ""
echo "GradeL Install Script"
echo "------------------------------------------------"

# GradeL binary installs in the /usr/bin directory
echo " Copying GradeL program to /usr/bin"
cp gradel /usr/bin

# Gradel icon installs in /usr/share/gradel directory
if [ -d /usr/share/gradel ]
then
echo " Copying GradeL icon to /usr/share/gradel"
cp images/gradel.png /usr/share/gradel
else
mkdir /usr/share/gradel
echo " Copying GradeL icon to /usr/share/gradel"
cp images/gradel.png /usr/share/gradel
fi

# INSTALL, README, ChangeLog and COPYING install in /usr/share/doc/gradel
if [ -d /usr/share/doc/gradel ]
then
echo " Copying INSTALL, README, COPYING, and ChangeLog to /usr/share/doc/gradel"
cp COPYING /usr/share/doc/gradel
cp INSTALL /usr/share/doc/gradel
cp README /usr/share/doc/gradel
cp ChangeLog /usr/share/doc/gradel
else
mkdir /usr/share/doc/gradel
echo " Copying INSTALL, README, COPYING, and ChangeLog to /usr/share/doc/gradel"
cp COPYING /usr/share/doc/gradel
cp INSTALL /usr/share/doc/gradel
cp README /usr/share/doc/gradel
cp ChangeLog /usr/share/doc/gradel
fi

# Done

echo "Done! To run type gradel. Enjoy the program."
echo ""

uninstall.sh:

#!/bin/sh

# This shell script removes GradeL to the system.

echo ""
echo "GradeL Uninstall Script"
echo "------------------------------------------------"

# Remove binary
echo " Removing binary."
if [ -f /usr/bin/gradel ]
then
rm /usr/bin/gradel
fi

# Remove icon
echo " Removing icon."
if [ -s /usr/share/gradel ]
then
rm /usr/share/gradel/*.*
#rm /usr/share/gradel/*
rmdir /usr/share/gradel
fi

# Remove docs
echo " Removing documents."
if [ -s /usr/share/doc/gradel ]
then
#rm /usr/share/doc/gradel/*.*
rm /usr/share/doc/gradel/*
rmdir /usr/share/doc/gradel
fi

# Done
echo " GradeL has been removed from your system."
echo ""

Keep the bug reports and questions coming!

Homepage now up to date!

2008-04-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

It has taken me six days since releasing GradeL 0.9.0 to get the homepage at gradel.sf.net updated. Since I last used the shell service provided by SourceForge they have changed the way I access my web files. In the past I just used gFTP with SSH2 and I was able to connect. Now that's not enough. The server now requires SSH key authentication, which took me a while to configure.

SourceForge provides documentation, which explains things pretty well, but I was still hitting a road block. The step I had been missing was uploading my public key to the server. The documentation seemed to say that I would have to upload several files, but in the end I was only required to paste the contents of my id_dsa.pub file to my account page.

During this process, I also learned to use Nautilus to browse the remote server just as I do my local drive, which I find very cool. Anyway, I'm mainly writing this entry to remind myself of the process and also to assist others like me who have trouble reading something right under their nose!

Take care.

GradeL goes Gambas2 with 0.9.0 release!

2008-04-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

Just uploaded release 0.9.0 of GradeL to the SourceForge site. In addition to changes that I've made over the last few months, this version is targeted at Gambas2. It has been successfully tested on Gambas2 2.4.1 on an Ubuntu Gutsy box. If you need Gambas2 packages for Gutsy, check out packages available here.

A .deb package of GradeL 0.9.0 may follow. Stay tuned!

For now, feel free to download the source here.

Take care!

Development Continues

2007-12-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

Although this is a busy time of year, development of GradeL is still slowly proceding. Currently, I have added the ability to export the current marking period data to a tab-seperated file appropriate for importing into a spreadsheet program.

The program now also trims long student names so that they do not overrun the adjacent columns.

GradeL 0.8.14 Released

2007-10-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

This release includes several improvements and bugs fixes. I think that the weighted grades are finally under control. If you use weighted grades, please keep in mind that the extra credit is added on after the regular weighted grade is calculated. The extra credit will not exceed the weight you assign. For example, if a student earns all possible extra credit points and the weight is 0.03, then that students get 3% added to his marking period grade.

The rest of the changes are listed here:

gradel-0.8.14 - 31 Oct 2007

Bug Fixes:
----------
- Adjusted some text labels on forms so that text shows correctly.
- Header labels positioned correctly in both grade mode and attendance mode.
- Long assignment names no longer over-write points in Progress Report screen view and printout.
- Moving and sorting assignments now check validity prior to action.
- Weighted grades tweaked again. They seem to calculate correctly now.
Extra credit is added on after grade calculation per its weight.
- Attendance spreadsheet no longer crashes program when no days have been added.

Improved & Updated Features
---------------------------
- Improved appearance on many dialogs.
- Absences and tardies now included with progress reports.
- Student number now shows in attendance mode as well as grade mode when selected in Preferences.
- Recent Files selection added to File menu and start up dialog window.

As usual, you can download GradeL here.

Report Card Time!

2007-10-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well, if your school calendar is anything like mine, report card time is fast approaching. Some bug reports have started trickling in, especially in reference to weighted grades and manipulating assignments. I plan to address these issues as soon as possible so that teachers aren't left in a bind as deadlines approach.

This is also a good time to remind everyone that GradeL is still in development. Some features seem to be pretty solid, especially the straight points grading system. However, some parts are still unstable. Users are advised to keep backup records to avoid disasters. Many users have stated that they are running GradeL side by side with various Windows programs as a trial run - not a bad idea!

I would like to see that GradeL advance to a point where it is stable and useful as an option for teachers looking for a desktop gradebook app that runs on Linux. Keep you fingers crossed! ;)

Release of GradeL 0.8.13

2007-10-18T17:10:00.000-07:00

GradeL 0.8.13 has been released. This release includes many of the fixes and enhancements discussed in recent postings. Additionally, a new Assignment Management dialog has been added that allows sorting, moving, adding, editing, and viewing grade distributions of assignments.

Here is a screenshot of the Assignment Management window:

This release also includes a binary deb package for easy installation on Ubuntu or Debian. For more details, see the ChangeLog or download GradeL today.

Saving Preferences

2007-10-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

I've had various feature requests recently, but the two most requested are the weighted category fixed discussed in my last post, and the ability to save settings. I'm happy to report that the next release will automatically save preferences, grid size, and window location. Hopefully, I'll get 0.8.13 release soon. No firm date yet.

More Work on Weighted Categories

2007-10-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

I think I have solved the problem of calculating weighted category grades when a category is not used. For example, at the beginning of the year, you may not have given a test yet and want to report an accurate grade for your students. The fix will be included in the next release of GradeL. Stay tuned...

Mailing List and New Bugs

2007-10-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

I have several people emailing me individually with bug reports, questions, and comments. This communication is vital to the development of GradeL. I think it would benefit all GradeL users to be able to read and/or participate in these discussions as well, so I have set up a mailing list through SourceForge for GradeL users. The list should be ready shortly. Please use the list or the forum for questions related to GradeL.

As for new bugs, it seems that the Category Weights are giving some users the business. I have found a work-around that solves the problem, although I'd like to eliminate it all together. The Seating Chart feature still needs tweaking as well. The changes I implemented seem to have created other problems. Both of these issues will be addressed in the upcoming 0.8.13 release.

I have already implemented the sorting of assignments by date and plan to address the saving of preferences between sessions too. Stay tuned...

Building a GradeL deb Package

2007-10-11T17:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally read up on creating basic deb packages so I can build debs for each new release. Turns out it isn't that big of a deal. I used this How-To as a reference.

I successfully created a deb for the latest development snapshot of GradeL and installed it on an Ubuntu Fiesty box. I even removed all traces of Gambas to test that the dependencies would be resolved. I'm happy to report that everything worked like a charm.

So, the plan will be to release both the source tarball (as usual) and the binary deb for easy installation on distros like Debian and Ubuntu. Look for a deb with the next release!

Errors in compile.sh and install.sh

2007-10-11T13:47:00.000-07:00

There are a couple of typos in the compile.sh and install.sh scripts that will produce error messages in the terminal when you execute them. They are not fatal, just typos. This will be fixed in the next release.

Keep the bug reports coming!

0.8.12 fixes crash when adding students!

2007-09-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

After a report from a new user on the forum, I discovered a silly mistake that was locking up the program and the CPU after adding more than one student while creating a new class. This bug is fixed in GradeL 0.8.12.

The ChangeLog and website will be updated soon.

Release of GradeL 0.8.11

2007-09-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

GradeL 0.8.11 has been released. This release contains many bug fixes and a few feature enhancements. See the ChangeLog for details.

Download Release 0.8.11 today.

Latest Development Build

2007-09-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

For those interested, you can download the latest development build here: http://littlerun.com/software/gradel-0.8.11-091607.tar.gz

This version includes three important bug fixes:

Fixed crash in Single Student (MP) report.
Fixed crash in Attendance Code dialog when trying to EDIT without selecting a code.
Issue Date and Return Date no longer display nonsense data when there is no textbook issued (STUDENTS | EDIT menu).

The next release will include these changes plus any other bug fixes that are completed in the near future.

0.8.10 Issues

2007-09-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

There is at least one glitch in the latest release. The Single Student (MP) report crashes. This is caused by a typo in the code. If you want to fix it yourself, change line 2432 of file frmGol.class to:

ELSE IF cl.mymps[CurrentMP].Assignments.Length < 1 THEN

I forgot the "s" on Assignments.

This will be fixed in the next release. Keep the bug reports coming!

Release of GradeL 0.8.10

2007-09-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

Gradel 0.8.10 was released today. This release fixes the big bugs in the comments feature and the dropped students feature.

GradeL was improperly saving comments to the wrong students. The program was also not reading dropped students properly, which resulted in class files not opening properly. If you encountered this problem recently, you should now be able to open your class files again.

As always, see the ChangeLog for details.

Download Release 0.8.10 today.

Warning about Dropped Students and Comments

2007-09-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

I discovered two nasty bugs today. The first surfaces when you drop a student. They are not saved correctly and so the file will no re-open. The second deals with comments. Comments are not saved and reopened the same way and so the comments for a student get bumped to the student below.

I'm working on a fix. For now, I would not drop a student or apply any comments.

Release early and often, right?

2007-09-11T17:50:00.001-07:00

The start of the new school year and daily use of GradeL has brought many bugs to the surface. I suspect that I'll be releasing more frequent updates for a while as the bugs get ironed out.

Release 0.8.9 (out today via SourceForge) also includes some minor feature enhancements such as tracking more information about textbooks checked out to students. For details, please see the ChangeLog.

Another bug fixed

2007-09-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

A bug was discovered in the New Class Setup, which caused the program to crash. Basically, if you change the number of marking periods per semester and the number of semesters, the program crashed trying to open the Period Weights form.

This fix is included in the upcoming 0.8.9 release. You can download the preview snapshot here.

Fixing more bugs!

2007-09-09T17:50:00.000-07:00

Spent some time this weekend tracking bugs in GradeL. I did find a few. I've also been adding some new features to certain areas of the program. Here is a snapshot of the current ChangeLog entry:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
gradel-0.8.9 - 9 Sep 2007
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bug Fixes:
----------
- Fixed crash in Seating Chart when resizing chart during move.
- Fixed bug in grid resize that prevented all students and assignments from appearing. VIEW | GRID SIZE now functions properly.

Improved & Updated Features
---------------------------
- Preferences now gives option to show student number with name on main screen.
- Student information now maintains textbook condition, issue and return dates.

You can download a development source snapshot here.

Enter 0.8.8!

2007-09-06T15:17:00.000-07:00

Well, one small bug turned into two big ones. Thanks to reports from a user, I have corrected major crashes in GradeL 0.8.7. First, the program was crashing when using the Period Weights dialog. The program did not account for non-numerical data in the text field, even as a typo. This has been fixed.

Second, the program was crashing when users tried to View/Add Comments from the popupmenu with a right-click on a student's name. This has also been fixed.

See the ChangeLog for details or download release 0.8.8.

Take care!

One small bug ...

2007-09-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

There is one small bug in release 0.8.7. Although I removed the "Help" option from the Help drop-down menu, I did not remove the toolbar button. So, if you click that button, it will start your browser and report that the file could not be found, since I no longer provide the help files with the package. Of course, this will be fixed in the next release.

Release of GradeL 0.8.7

2007-09-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

I finally found some time to complete the latest bug fixes and release an update to GradeL. Version 0.8.7 no longer includes local help. You will notice the "Help" option is no longer availalbe under the help menu. Bascially, I was unhappy with my progress on the help feature, so I hid it until I can work on updating it. For now, users should refer to the website gradel.sourceforge.net for information on GradeL.

Since the help is gone, GradeL can now be run directly from the source directory. Of course, you can still install it to the system using the install script.

For details on the 0.8.7 release, see the ChangeLog.

As usual, please keep the bug reports coming. With the start of school upon us, keeping GradeL functioning is my number one priority. Feature requests are also welcome.

Take care!

0.8.6 Problems

2007-08-23T06:23:00.001-07:00

The bug reports have started to roll in on version 0.8.6. For starters, I had to pull the binary tarballs from the download area because they were compiled incorrectly. The Gambas compiler (gbc) takes several arguments and it appears that I omitted the -p flag, which was causing a crash.

As for the source packages, they compile and run fine. Unfortunately, there are more bugs. The first known bug that I have been able to recreate is a crash after you make a new class and then try to right-click on a student name or in the student column. I have fixed this one and I'm continuing to weed out others.

The next release will only contain bug fixes. I just hope I can squash them all.

I'm sure that as users, these crashes and bugs are frustrating, but your participation in this project is valuable, as you provide me with a prospective that I obviously need. This is a part-time, open-source, and currently unstable piece of software, and I appreciate your patience.

0.8.6 Released

2007-08-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

I have uploaded release 0.8.6, which includes fixes to the critical bugs found in 0.8.5. It is recommended that you upgrade to this new version to avoid problems. As with the 0.8.5 release, I have included both binary and source packages, as well as stand-alone and installable versions.

0.8.5 Bugs

2007-08-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

Woke up this morning to a couple of critical bugs reported by a user. From a programming prospective, these problems all arise from the same type of bug brought about by changes I made to the code. As you can probably guess, my testing was not adequate following these changes. I appreciate these reports and apologize for the inconvenience.

Bug #1 produces a crash when selecting SETUP -> ATTENDANCE CODES.
Bug #2 produces a crash when using the SETUP -> GRADING SCALE dialog.
Bug #3 produces a crash when using SETUP | SEATING CHART.
Bug #4 could crash program when printing an empty grid.
Bug #5 could crash program when double clicking the marking period label in upper right corner of window.

All of these bugs have been fixed. Fixes will be included in 0.8.6, which will probably be released later today.

Keep the reports coming!

0.8.5 Package Options

2007-08-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

This release (0.8.5) of GradeL includes four different packages:

gradel-0.8.5-bin.tar.gz is a binary-only archive that includes an install script that installs GradeL on your system.
gradel-0.8.5-noinstall-bin.tar.gz is a binary-only archive that runs as a stand-alone application directly from the directory. No installation is required.
gradel-0.8.5-noinstall-src.tar.gz is the source tarball of the "noinstall" package.
gradel-0.8.5-src.tar.gz is the standard source archive that can be compiled and installed using the provided scripts (as in previous releases).

Hopefully, these will better meet users needs. I have successfully created Ubuntu debs in the past and hope to add that package as well. I have no experience creating rpms, but if someone is willing to provide one, I can make it available as well.

Take care!

GradeL 0.8.5 Released

2007-08-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

I uploaded the latest release of GradeL today. This release includes bug fixes and added features, some that were requested by GradeL users. While there are still many items on the to-do list, GradeL continues to evolve and improve. I've also spent considerable time cleaning up my sloppy code so that future improvements will be easier to implement. Users are encouraged to download this release, try it out, and report any issues via the forum or directly by email.

Here is the latest ChangeLog entry:

gradel-0.8.5 - 15 Aug 2007

Bug Fixes:

Program now shuts down properly when help is open.
If no browser selected in PREFERENCES, browser is not changed. gb.qt.kde.html no longer required. Component removed from project.
Program no longer crashes when adding or editing categories in Straight Points mode.

Improved & Updated Features

Multiple class files can now optionally be opened, each in a new GradeL window using FILE | OPEN IN NEW WINDOW. The windows can be navigated via a new "Window" menu.
View scrolls to the far right when new assignment added.
View scrolls down to the bottom when new student added.
Sort Students added to popup menu over student names column.
More clean-up of code, including removing "global" references in classes.

Progressing toward 0.8.4 ...

2007-07-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the current ChangeLog for the upcoming release 0.8.4. I'm working to fix bugs and also implement better code (which may not be obvious to GradeL users).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
gradel-0.8.4 - 15 Jul 2007
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bug Fixes:
----------
- Program now shuts down properly when help is open.
- If no browser selected in PREFERENCES, browser is not changed.
- gb.qt.kde.html no longer required. Component removed from project.
- Program no longer crashes when adding or editing categories in Straight
Points mode.

Improved & Updated Features
---------------------------
- More clean-up of code, including removing "global" references in classes.
- Gradebook file name can be added to command line to automatically open
file, i.e. $ gradel gradel-sample.gdl
- View scrolls to the far right when new assignment added.
- View scrolls down to the bottom when new student added.
- Sort Students added to popup menu over student names column.

GradeL 0.8.3 Released

2007-07-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

0.8.3 has been released with bug fixes mentioned in the last post.

More bugs...

2007-07-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

As is now common in the development of GradeL, no sooner do I release a new version then I discover a major bug. This one must have been around for several versions. There is a problem when you add assignments or attendance dates that reach the second to the last column form the right. This was crashing the program and rendering it basically useless.

I have fixed the bug and will be forced to release another version, 0.8.3, soon. Thanks for your patience.

P.S. I appreciate it when users report bugs, so please feel free to email or use the forum.

More Screenshots

2007-07-12T05:05:00.001-07:00

I've added more screenshots to the GradeL website. Check them out here.

GradeL 0.8.2 Released

2007-07-12T04:15:00.000-07:00

GradeL 0.8.2 has officially been released. Download it here. This version fixes several critical bugs and adds/improves some features as well. See the ChangeLog for details.

More changes to 0.8.2

2007-07-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks to bug reports from users and reviewing more of the code, I discovered two very problematic bugs and have fixed them. First, the program crashed when creating a class with one semester and one marking period at the time when students are added to the class. This problem was caused by a bug in the code that kept the number of marking periods constant at four for students. This now fixed and a user can create a class with one semester and one marking period.

The second bug is almost embarrassing. I simply failed to complete the code for adding and editing attendance codes. This feature is now complete. The updated changelog for upcoming version 0.8.2 is included here:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
gradel-0.8.2 (beta?) - 11 Jul 2007
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed the "New" file bug in 0.8.1.
- Fix form title on Class Info dialog.
- Disable "Weight" label in Weigths Edit dialog in points mode.
- Remove error dialog when "Cancel" press on FILE | OPEN dialog.
- Changing the default semesters and marking periods no longer crashes program upon adding students.
- Adding and Editing Attendance codes via SETUP | ATTENDANCE CODES now works correctly!

Improved & Updated Features:
- Welcome dialog includes GradeL logo and Quit button.
- Add check for file-not-saved to FILE | NEW and FILE | OPEN actions.
- Add option to add students immediately after creating new class.
- Help now uses web browser, i.e. Firefox, Konqueor, Opera, Epiphany.
- Browser can be set in SETUP | PREFERENCES.
- Down Arrow functionality can be set in SETUP | PREFERENCES

As with my last post, you can download this new development snapshot, which includes these changes.

This version may end up being the final 0.8.2 release. We'll see...

Latest changes for upcoming version 0.8.2

2007-06-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

These are the current changes that have been made to GradeL since the last release:

gradel-0.8.2: 21 Jun 2007

Bug Fixes:
- Fixed the "New" file bug in 0.8.1.
- Fix form title on Class Info dialog.
- Disable "Weight" label in Weigths Edit dialog in points mode.
- Remove error dialog when "Cancel" press on FILE | OPEN dialog.

Improved & Updated Features:
- Welcome dialog includes GradeL logo and Quit button.
- Add check for file-not-saved to FILE | NEW and FILE | OPEN actions.
- Add option to add students immediately after creating new class.
- Help now uses web browser, i.e. Firefox, Konqueor, Opera, Epiphany.
- Browser can be set in SETUP | PREFERENCES.

Downlaod this snapshot

Welcome

2007-06-20T09:17:00.000-07:00

The GradeL Development blog will serve as a place to keep up on the progress of the Development of GradeL, A Gradebook Program for Linux. Not only will it allow GradeL users to track the development progress, it will also provide the developer(s) with documentation of the evolution of the program.