To: All WinTOTAL Aurora (version 5) users
From: Adam Calvery, VP Appraisal Products, a la mode, inc.
Re: Aurora: December 20th update is ready

Today’s WinTOTAL Aurora update is now available on our servers. To download it, click the “Get Updates” button on the toolbar in your Appraisal Desktop.

This update has several exceptional additions that I think you’ll appreciate. We’ve added an “Increase/Decrease” font size button to the toolbar so you don’t have to dig through menus, made switching folders in the Files PowerView faster, and for satellite users we’ve made some changes to aid in eliminating Internet time-out issues when downloading maps.

You can see the full release notes below or view them on the Aurora Status website, along with other important information, at www.alamode.com/aurorastatus.

I also have one housekeeping item. Over the last several days a number of our customers have let us know that they’ve been told they need to “renew their Apex software” and upgrade to the latest version, named Medina. Others have been told Medina is a “drop in” replacement for Apex version 3 and integrates with WinTOTAL. Here are some things you need to know.

1. If you bought Apex sketching software from us, either bundled with WinTOTAL or purchased separately, there is nothing you have to renew or upgrade. It will continue to integrate as usual. You don’t have to do anything.
2. Installing the new version, Medina, will break your current Apex version 2 and version 3 sketching integration.
3. Medina does not integrate with WinTOTAL. We're working on that with Apex, for those of you interested in upgrading to Medina.

I’m sure that for most of you, this is a non-issue. If you’re satisfied with your current sketcher, that’s great. Regardless, I want to make sure you have “the straight scoop.”

That’s it for today, and as always, thank you for your business and feedback.

Adam Calvery
VP, Appraisal Products
a la mode, inc.

WinTOTAL Aurora (v5) - December 2006 Beta Update 2
This update contains improvements to the Files PowerView and net.X Connect.

Comps Side-by-side

• An issue has been fixed which could cause the Recent Response arrows to be distorted after hiding the QuickLists.
• An issue has been resolved which caused the cursor to not advance properly after using a QuickList.

Contacts

• To prevent errors, now only one contact sync process can be run at a time.
• When XSite users are synchronized with WinTOTAL, the username is now displayed in the contact record.

Files PowerView

• Switching between folders is now faster, especially for folders containing large numbers of files.
• Rebuilding a folder no longer causes XSite Orders that have not been associated with a report to be hidden.
• Editing a report that is read-only in the Order or Workfile view will no longer cause an error.
• A rare problem which caused the vertical scrollbar to disappear in has been fixed.
• If you double-click to resize a column in the files list, that new setting is now saved correctly and shown when you change folders.

Forms PowerView

• New increase and decrease font buttons have been added to the toolbar for quick changes to the size of fonts for the currently selected text.
• The QuickLists are now correctly refreshed after using a comment in the addenda view and then clicking in a form.

Forms - New (US)

• Rels Valuation Desktop - Central Advantage [06/2006]
• Rels Valuation Desktop - Local Advantage [11/2006]

Forms - Updated (US)

• Multi-Purpose Supplemental Addendum [Rev. 2/2003]

Forms - Updated Navigation (US)

• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [2004][Lgl][NON-integrated]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [2004][Ltr][NON-integrated]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [INTEGRATED][2004][Lgl]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [INTEGRATED][2004][Ltr]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [INTEGRATED][Manufactured Housing][2004][Lgl]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [INTEGRATED][Manufactured Housing][2004][Ltr]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [Manufactured Housing][2004][Lgl]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [Manufactured Housing][2004][Lgl][NON-integrated]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [Manufactured Housing][2004][Ltr][NON-integrated]
• Multi-Purpose Supplemental Addendum [Rev. 2/2003]
• RealEC Electronic Invoice [Lgl]
• Services Invoice [Manual Lgl]
• Statement of Limiting Conditions [6/93]
• Statement of Limiting Conditions [Rev. 2002]
• Summary of Salient Features
• Summary of Salient Features [Ltr]
• Supplemental Addendum [Multi-page]
• Supplemental Addendum [Multi-page][Ltr]
• Supplemental Addendum w/sig block [Multi-page]
• Supplemental Addendum w/sig block [Multi-page][Ltr]
• Table of Contents [Digital/Large Photo]
• Table of Contents [Digital/Large Photo][Ltr]
• Table of Contents [No Photo]
• Table of Contents [No Photo][Ltr]
• USPAP Identification [Rev. 1/02]
• Zions Bank Restricted Use - Additional Comparables
• Zions Bank Restricted Use - Income Approach [08/06]
• Zions Bank Restricted Use - Sales Comparison

Forms - Updated Navigation (Canadian)

• Cost Approach Data Addendum [Lgl][Canadian]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [2004][Lgl][NON-integrated]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [2004][Ltr][NON-integrated]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [INTEGRATED][Manufactured Housing][2004][Ltr]
• Marshall & Swift Cost Approach [Manufactured Housing][2004][Ltr]
• Supplemental Addendum [Multi-page][AIC 2004]
• Supplemental Addendum [Multi-page][old]
• Supplemental Addendum w/sig block [Multi-page][AIC 2004]
• Supplemental Addendum w/sig block [Multi-page][old]

General

• A problem seen when digitally signing a report has been fixed.  It could cause a Signed Date to be populated even with that option unchecked.
• A warning message is now shown when starting WinTOTAL if any drive WinTOTAL uses is running out of space. 
• An issue which could cause the restore database option to not work has been corrected.
• Several scenarios have been identified and are now avoided which could prevent WinTOTAL from connecting to its database.  This would usually cause the WinTOTAL user list to appear blank.
• To prevent errors, the merge option is now only available on the Forms and Order PowerView.
• A Re-sequence option has been added to the QuickList Options menu.
• After using a QuickList which advances you to a checkbox field, the QuickList comments are properly refreshed.
• An issue has been corrected which could prevent certain reports which did not contain major forms from opening.
• If you have set the option to show QuickLists in the drop-down lists for fields, the sort settings for QuickLists are now applied to those drop-down lists.

Maps PowerView

• DirectWay/HughesNet users experiencing problems downloading maps can now choose to use the legacy mapping architecture to overcome these issues.

Marshall & Swift Integration

• Using the Cost Approach Only option now places the Standard Report into WinTOTAL's Workfile.

net.X Connect

• If the sync with an XSite fails on a report which is marked as paid, the report is no longer marked as paid in WinTOTAL.  This allows you to attempt to mark the report as paid and synchronize it gain later.
• An issue which could cause the notes in Quantrix orders to lose spacing has been resolved.
• Changes made to XSite login information are now applied immediately to prevent you from having to enter these changes multiple times.
• Rels and AppraisalPort orders can now be synced down from an XSite on machines which did not originally receive the orders.
• The notes and the date for Inspection Scheduled status messages no longer run together.
• In some instances the Acknowledge Order screen was not being shown for orders from Stars.  This will no longer happen.  These orders must be accepted before the report can be started.

Order PowerView

• Changing the font on the subject address will no longer cause errors when using the XSite scheduler.

Sketch PowerView

• An issue has been corrected that could cause an imported sketch to not show in WinTOTAL until the sketch was edited.
• Deleting a sketch page in the Sketch PowerView and then immediately jumping to the Forms PowerView no longer will cause an error.
• A rare problem which could prevent a sketch from being imported from an old report after using the search features has been corrected.

Vendor Integration Platform

• Today’s beta update includes a back end security enhancement to our VIP application programming interface (API).  Non-VIP integrated products will now be more securely prevented from circumventing the VIP API.

WinTOTAL Configuration Utility

• A confirmation message is now shown before a WinTOTAL user is deleted.
• WinTOTAL usernames containing ampersands (&) are displayed correctly.
• You will no longer see "Switch to" or "Retry" messages if you click on WinTOTAL while the Configuration Utility is open.
• Changes made to the Default Addenda font are now properly applied to new addenda.