To:      All WinTOTAL Aurora (version 5) users
From:  Adam Calvery, VP Appraisal Products, a la mode, inc.
Re:     Aurora:  September 12th update is ready

The update scheduled for today is now available on our servers, and it includes a substantial number of improvements. 

This update is primarily made up of improvements to those “little things” that are annoying and need to be ironed out.  In the release notes you’ll notice a number of tweaks to nearly every area of the program.  I want to thank those of you who’ve so diligently reported these items to us and the dozens of “alpha” and “beta” testers who’ve helped us test this update getting it ready for today. 

At the end of this message are the release notes for this update.  They can also be seen, along with other important information, on the Aurora status website.  To download the update, simply click the “Get Updates” button on the toolbar in your Appraisal Desktop. 

I also wanted to mention that we know getting paid for your work is a larger concern than ever, especially as markets return to normal.  To help, our XSites team has released a series of highly requested Enterprise level features.  Most notably, you can now require payment before a report is downloaded, and also automatically send out past due notices.  You can of course configure these on a client by client basis, so it’s perfect for those ad hoc clients with whom you have little or no relationship.  You can read more about these new features here.

Lastly, we continue to steam ahead on other important projects, like desktop billing, contacts and others.  As milestones occur, we’ll keep you posted via the Aurora status website. 

That’s it for today, and as always, thanks for your business. 

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

WinTOTAL Aurora (v5) – September 12, 2006 Update

Comps PowerView

• In some cases, when editing the photo of a comp in your comps database, choosing a new photo would cause an error.  This has been corrected.
• When switching to the Detailed View in the side by side comps, you can now edit the comp’s room count.
• Adding comparables to the database from the Residential Appraisal Report [Full Legal][AIC 2004] form will no longer add comps 4-6 is if they were blank.
• With a series of steps, it was possible for the "Old Reports" toolbar button to disappear from the Comps PowerView.  This has been fixed.

Contacts PowerView

• The tab order has been fixed when entering a Company contact.
• Under certain conditions, adding a contact would truncate the area code of a phone number.  This has been corrected.
• When adding a contact from the Company view, the Assign To drop-down will now populate with your existing companies correctly.
• Under certain scenarios, the dashes displayed in the phone numbers could disappear.  This has been corrected.
• When saving a contact, you will now be prompted if the email address does not appear to be valid.  To pass the validity check, an email address must have an "@" sign and a period (i.e. “.com”, “.net”, etc).
• Search results in the Contacts PowerView will now retain your column settings for that view.
• The Contacts PowerView no longer allows two different contacts to utilize the same email address.
• When managing companies in the Contacts PowerView, deleting multiple companies and then immediately viewing another company will no longer cause an error.

Contents PowerView

• Right-clicking a form in the Contents PowerView no longer highlights the previous form selected.

Files PowerView

• The details of order status are now displayed properly when viewing them.
• The Most Recently Used folder in the Files PowerView is now saved correctly when closing the Appraisal Desktop.  Previously, each time you would open the Appraisal Desktop, it would open to the same folder, regardless of the last folder you were in.
• Right-clicking on a report and choosing Mark as Paid without first highlighting the report will no longer cause an error.
• When attempting to mark a report as paid that already has three payments, you will now receive the following message: "The maximum number of payments for this report has already been reached."
• When deleting reports from a tracking folder, the numbers in parenthesis are updated immediately.
• While searching in the Files PowerView, switching PowerViews and coming back will now display the proper reports instead of showing a complete list of reports you have in WinTOTAL.
• When opening the Appraisal Desktop, clicking on Help | About prior to the Files PowerView loading no longer causes an error.
• Double-clicking the column headers of the Files PowerView no longer causes an error.
• In the advanced find, using the Clear button was not clearing the Order Number or Appraised Value.  This has been fixed.
• Since the August 8th update, copying reports to an attached directory truncated the file name to eight characters.  The report file names will now remain the same.
• While viewing the History tab of the Files PowerView, dragging a report to another folder now works correctly.
• Several customers reported that switching quickly between the different tabs at the bottom of the Files PowerView caused an error.  This has been corrected.
• We’ve added a “Clear” link next to the search box in the Files PowerView to clear your search results.
• When searching in the Files PowerView, the “Clear” link will take you back to the previously selected folder now instead of the Reports folder.
• When going to the Order tab in the Files PowerView, the selected report will now be centered in the newly sized reports list.
• When printing a report from the Files PowerView, canceling will no longer update the Last Printed information.
• Total Mileage will now be displayed properly in the Appraisal Desktop when that column has been added.
• After syncing with your XSite, changes will now immediately show in the Files PowerView without going to another folder and coming back.
• Reports utilizing the [3 Digital/Small] Subject Photos [Ltr] will now display the subject photo when expanding the report in the Files PowerView.
• When right-clicking on a report in the Files PowerView, the expanding of the report will no longer make the right-click menu disappear.
• The following options are now available from the "Go to" toolbar button in the Files PowerView: XSite, My Office; XSite, Business Management; Vault Login Page; InterFlood Login Page; and CertMail Login Page.
• Viewing the Workfile tab while doing an Advanced Find in the Appraisal Desktop will now update to show the proper Workfile.
• Marking a report as paid with a $0 balance will no longer insert a bill paid date.  Instead, it will notify you that no payment has been applied.
• Renaming a file and putting an apostrophe in the name no longer causes an error.
• The Appraisal Desktop does not allow you to delete reports from an attached directory since the Deleted Items folder cannot be properly utilized.  When attempting to do so, you'll now be prompted.
• If the Appraisal Desktop is closed while the Files PowerView is displaying reports on your floppy disk drive, reopening the Appraisal Desktop with no floppy disk in the drive will no longer error.
• For reports in which the legal description has multiple lines, the carriage return in the legal description column will no longer show up as unprintable characters.

Forms

• New form: Request for Environmental Information [Form RD 1940-20][4-06]
• New Canadian forms: Invoice [Automatic Lgl w/logo & G.S.T. calc] and Invoice [Automatic Tear off w/logo & G.S.T. calc].  These forms contain the Goods & Services Tax, per the request of users.  You can find them in the Most Common Forms & Addenda section as well as the Invoices section.
• New form: FIRREA/USPAP Addendum [2006][Lgl] - This new version works better with the USPAP 2006 compliant forms in regards to the signature block.
• Updated form: Condo [Form 1073][03/05].  The CTRL+arrow navigation now works properly in the sales comparison grid.
• Updated form: Exterior-Only Condo [Form 1075][03/05].  The CTRL+arrow navigation now works properly in the sales comparison grid.
• Updated form: Cooperative [Form 2090][03/05].  The CTRL+arrow navigation now works properly in the sales comparison grid.
• Updated form: Exterior-Only Cooperative [Form 2095][03/05].  The CTRL+arrow navigation now works properly in the sales comparison grid.

Forms PowerView

• When using your QuickList entries on the Desktop Quantitative 2055 [Fannie Mae], you will no longer lose focus on the form.
• Updated E&O scripts for Residential Appraisal Report [Full Legal][AIC 2004], Residential Drive-By Report [AIC 2004] and Residential Desktop Report [AIC 2004] no longer warn about the Legal Description on the last page being blank when it is properly populated.
• The Date of Inspection will now transfer from the URAR [old 6/93] to the USPAP Identification [USPAP 2006].
• When adding secured PDFs via the Add Document menu, certain types of PDFs would not import all of the data.  This has been corrected.
• Although the toolbar can be customized at any time to suit your needs, we've added the Merge button to the default set of tools in the Forms PowerView.
• When the indicated value by sales comparison approach is above/below comps 1-3, you are now warned of this.  Previously, the warning would state that the value was above/below all comps.  This was a script change.  We'll be updating the forms engine soon to check comps higher than 3.
• Merging the Additional Supervisory Appraiser's Certification [AI CE] from an old report will now use any custom data you entered in the template.
• Saving a fillable PDF and securing the filled data from within Acrobat would prevent WinTOTAL from importing the data when adding the PDF to a report.  This has been fixed.
• When the text overflow is triggered for even the fastest typists, the last few characters typed will now transfer to the addendum instead of placing them before the "See attached addenda."
• The Due Date and FHA Case Number in the Invoice [Automatic Lgl][2006] will now transfer to other forms in your report.
• When merging forms only, WinTOTAL will use your user default formats.  When merging forms and data, WinTOTAL will use the format of the merged data.
• When merging with two different reports open, focus is no longer moved to the secondary report after the merge process is complete.
• In the August 8th update, recent responses started showing entries that contained letters anywhere in the entry which you typed.  They've gone back to only displaying entries that begin with the first letter(s) you type.
• When merging forms only, their default data, such as headers and labels in photo pages, will now populate.

Images PowerView

• When selecting multiple images to delete, choosing No at the prompt will no longer cause an error.

Maps PowerView

• After the August 8th update, if InterFlood was configured to download a flood map only if the subject property address was in a flood zone, it would download a map every time, regardless of the flood zone.  InterFlood users were not charged for these maps, and this has been corrected.

Marshall & Swift

• When utilizing the integrated SwiftEstimator and using a different Effective Age than in your report, the value in your 1007 form will no longer get overwritten by the value in the major form.
• When entering an Effective Age in the SwiftEstimator, it will no longer remove the Effective Age in the major form.
• The SwiftEstimator window is now resizable.
• Size and position of the SwiftEstimator window are now saved.
• You are now prompted to remove the signature on a signed report before running SwiftEstimator.
• You will now see a data lookup panel to the left of the SwiftEstimator.
• Resizing SwiftEstimator very small no longer causes WinTOTAL to error.
• If a WinTOTAL update is required to use the SwiftEstimator, you'll now get a message telling you to get your updates instead of a "Page cannot be displayed".
• After completing the Marshall & Swift SwiftEstimator integration, immediately clicking on the Forms PowerView prior to the 1007 form loading no longer causes an error.
• The indicated value by cost approach will now transfer into the reconciliation section of the URAR.

net.X Connect

• If you try to sync your contacts or orders prior to configuring your Internet connection in WinTOTAL, you will now be prompted to do so.
• When launching net.X Connect with no XSite user configured in WinTOTAL, you will now be prompted to enter your information.
• Assigning a company to a report with no contacts and then syncing it up to your XSite will no longer make that company a contact on your XSite.
• When WinTOTAL is configured to prompt for a user name when you start, canceling out of this dialog no longer launches net.X Connect.
• Changing the address and/or phone number of the lender, client or appraiser of a synced report will now get the changes updated on your XSite the next time you sync.
• When adding an appraisal company on the Order Form via the address book, it will now be added to your XSite when syncing.
• When syncing your report with your XSite, changes made to the report will now be recorded in the report's history.
• When syncing contacts from your XSite into WinTOTAL, some fields would get removed.  This has been corrected.
• net.X Connect history now shows downloaded orders along with your uploaded orders.
• When making a change in WinTOTAL to an XSite integrated order and syncing it to your XSite, it will no longer sync back down until changes are made again.
• When attempting to update status or mark a report as paid and no XSite is associated with WinTOTAL, you'll now be prompted to enter your XSite user name and password.
• When creating identical orders on your XSite and in WinTOTAL, WinTOTAL will now prompt you to associate the orders.
• Modifying a contact on your XSite and then syncing contacts in WinTOTAL no longer removes the "is public" option.
• The history in net.X Connect no longer shows reports that are in the queue.
• The history in net.X Connect will now show the first report sent.
• If you mark an XSite-integrated report as complete before it is synced for the first time, the tracking section will now show it as complete instead of accepted.
• With the Appraisal Desktop open to the Contacts PowerView, closing the forms engine will no longer cause net.X Connect to launch.

Order PowerView

• The navigation tabs are now visible at the bottom of the Order PowerView to allow you to quickly jump between sections.
• On the Canadian Order Form, when clicking on the Billing Fees tab, you will now be taken to the Billing section of the Order Form.
• The Ship To field in the Order Form will no longer show a recent response arrow covering up the contact icon.
• Tabbing through the Order PowerView no longer skips the Appraiser and Supervisor fields as well as the bottom half of the Assignment Info section.
• Under certain circumstances, changing the address on the Order PowerView could cause WinTOTAL to repeatedly attempt to download a location map, slowing down the performance of your computer until you closed the report.  This has been corrected.
• When using ENTER to select a recent response on the Order PowerView, the cursor will now advance to the next field.

Report Delivery Wizard

• When delivering a report to GAC, we've added the ability to enter an override code when E&O errors occur that require an override.  These override codes are obtained directly from GAC, when needed.
• You are now prompted to select the order a report is associated with when delivering it.

Workfile PowerView

• You'll now receive notification when you send a document to the printer from the Workfile PowerView.
• Restoring comps from the Workfile on a signed report now prompts you to remove the signature.
• When restoring files from the Workfile back into a signed report, you are now prompted to remove the signature.

General

• In the Canadian version of WinTOTAL, opening a US report will now close correctly after being prompted that the report cannot be opened.
• When setting the status of a report to Inspection Completed, the notes of this status will now show this instead of Inspection Scheduled.
• When signing a report with a WinTOTAL user name that has an apostrophe, WinTOTAL will no longer become unresponsive.
• When printing to PDF, the default file name will always be the Report Description.  When the option to save a copy to the Workfile is checked, that copy will always be unique by adding a single digit to the end of the file name if the original already exists.
• Under certain circumstancing, items in the "Deliver report" menu could become disabled.  This has been corrected.
• When your workflow involves downloading orders at remote offices and emailing final reports back to the main office, adding the reports back into WinTOTAL from email could result in creating a duplicate report instead of overwriting the original.  This has been corrected.
• When selecting a report to merge from, hovering the mouse over long folder names would cause a pop-up of the folder name to repeatedly flicker.  This has been corrected.
• When running E&O on the Appraisal Update/Completion Report [Form 1004D][Major Form][03/05], the Effect Date of Original Appraisal will now be reported as blank when it contains data.
• When clearing or adding your XSite login through the Office Settings, you will no longer get an error.
• When opening a report from an email, your desktop or Windows Explorer, you're prompted to select a folder to place the report in.  The Deleted Items folder is no longer in this list.
• When closing WinTOTAL while it is in a minimized state and a save is necessary, it will now maximize before prompting you to save.  Previously, this situation could cause WinTOTAL to freeze up.
• The Update button on the SnapShot of the Appraisal Desktop will now download the latest content.
• Customize the toolbar buttons on each PowerView to your heart's content.  These changes will now be saved when WinTOTAL is closed for later use.
• The URAR mapping has been updated for Appraise-It to work with their patch released in June.
• We've reinstated a few of Athena's hotkeys that you have been requesting.  CTRL+F will now take you to the Forms PowerView.  CTRL+A will take you to the split screen addenda.  And CTRL+E will launch the XSite Delivery Wizard.
• Closing a report while a second report is in the process of opening will no longer cause both reports to close.
• After changing the Synchronized folder, opening a report from email or other external source, your original synchronized folder will no longer show the sync icon.
• When accessing the WinTOTAL settings from within the Appraisal Desktop, unchecking the "Automatically login using this name in the future", saving and immediately reloading the WinTOTAL settings no longer causes an error.
• You can now convert your old Residential Appraiser Two- to Four-Unit Field Review [Form 2000A][03/05] forms into WinTOTAL reports.
• The print setup is now accessible through the forms engine without requiring a report to be opened.  Simply click on File and Print Setup.
• Prior to the August 8th update, filenames would get saved with spaces in them.  This file saving method has been re-implemented.
• When on any other PowerView besides the Order or Forms PowerViews, making a change, like editing the text on a form will now save when you immediately sign after the change.
• When printing to PDF and saving to Workfile, reports with a comma in the report description will no longer cause an error.
• If you select the Appraisal Desktop from the Start menu when it is already running, you'll now be taken directly to it without SafeStart running.
• Navigating through the customer contact information in the Property Presentation Wizard using the TAB key will no longer skip the client's address and phone number fields.

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