TT 4.11 ... a disaster

[Marie Lucie]

Hello,

The list of things that are not working properly is long ... too long ...

The desktop application :
- impossible to import my old database : I followed the instructions with attention. Tried several times. Got a message that the database is corrupt ? It was ok with the old version 15 minutes before. I do not understand.
- doesn't sync correctly, sync's constantly like if it were in a loop routine
- when the 2nd or the 3rd "loop", deletes all the data in the windows application and in the mobile application. Each time I have to sync my pda, I make a copy of the triptracker.dat elsewhere, leave the sync delete everything and copy back the database in My Documents or I disconnect the pda immediately after the 1st attemp to sync. This is not acceptable.

The pda application :
- it doesn't respect my language settings (Spanish). Special accents or characters (ñ, é, ú, ó, í, etc) appear like a small square. The same if the language settings are in French. This makes the entry unreadable in TT, while in poutlook and in the desktop application it appears correctly.
- whatever export to csv doesn't work. For the itinerary for example I only get the title of the trip. Nothing else.
- lodging stay : impossible to change dates and times. It is 14:00 for check-in and 12:00 for check-out, the first day of the trip and the last day of the trip and ... full stop.

I am really unhappy, after having waited for months, years ... ? and what we get is an accumulation of problems.

I'm running TT on a WM5 pda and Windows XP. I will have to change in a few weeks to WM6, that's why I bought TT already now otherwise I would have kept the two peaks version, of course.

[subseaguy]

Marie,

You are so correct. We have essentialy waited nearly 2 years for a Twin Peaks version of Trip Tracker that does not work.

[Allibama]

I'm so sorry you are having so many issues with TT. Have you submitted a trouble ticket with Support?

[michael]

Hi,
First I should tell you that the language modules are not yet implemented. This was mentioned in the "What's new" when we last updated TT.

Marie Lucie, could you please email me (mailto:qa@iambic.com) your original 3.2 TT database (before conversion)? Once you've done so, please reply here to inform me, as this address has a very strict Spam filter and your message may get caught.

Thanks.

[Lifter59]

Hello,

The list of things that are not working properly is long ... too long ...

The desktop application :
- impossible to import my old database : I followed the instructions with attention. Tried several times. Got a message that the database is corrupt ? It was ok with the old version 15 minutes before. I do not understand.
- doesn't sync correctly, sync's constantly like if it were in a loop routine
- when the 2nd or the 3rd "loop", deletes all the data in the windows application and in the mobile application. Each time I have to sync my pda, I make a copy of the triptracker.dat elsewhere, leave the sync delete everything and copy back the database in My Documents or I disconnect the pda immediately after the 1st attemp to sync. This is not acceptable.

The pda application :
- it doesn't respect my language settings (Spanish). Special accents or characters (ñ, é, ú, ó, í, etc) appear like a small square. The same if the language settings are in French. This makes the entry unreadable in TT, while in poutlook and in the desktop application it appears correctly.
- whatever export to csv doesn't work. For the itinerary for example I only get the title of the trip. Nothing else.
- lodging stay : impossible to change dates and times. It is 14:00 for check-in and 12:00 for check-out, the first day of the trip and the last day of the trip and ... full stop.

I am really unhappy, after having waited for months, years ... ? and what we get is an accumulation of problems.

I'm running TT on a WM5 pda and Windows XP. I will have to change in a few weeks to WM6, that's why I bought TT already now otherwise I would have kept the two peaks version, of course.

I am "trying" to test the application but having dismal results as are most of the people trying to get version 4.11 to work. One question, are you using SP2 or SP3 on your desktop? I have SP3 but I think that the issues exist on both versions....

I was very concerned about these potential issues (raised in previous posts) and hope the resolution is expedited very quickly.:confused:

[Marie Lucie]

I am "trying" to test the application but having dismal results as are most of the people trying to get version 4.11 to work. One question, are you using SP2 or SP3 on your desktop? I have SP3 but I think that the issues exist on both versions....

I was very concerned about these potential issues (raised in previous posts) and hope the resolution is expedited very quickly.:confused:

Hello, I was outside ... travelling of course ... for a few days.
I'm still with XP Service Pack 2 for the moment. Indeed, I don't think it will make a big difference.

[Marie Lucie]

Hi,
First I should tell you that the language modules are not yet implemented. This was mentioned in the "What's new" when we last updated TT.

Marie Lucie, could you please email me (mailto:qa@iambic.com) your original 3.2 TT database (before conversion)? Once you've done so, please reply here to inform me, as this address has a very strict Spam filter and your message may get caught.

Thanks.

Hello, thanks for your proposal, but I "re" created everything I needed + new travels, so it would be a big problem starting again from the old data. Probably I missed the info about languages. When will this be solved than ? Thanks

[Marie Lucie]

Hello again,
I really would like you to know all what's happening with TT.
Now that I'm back, still with the same problems, I decided to uninstall the desktop version. This way, at least it stops deleting all my data when sync'ing. But now I see that the TripTracker.dat file on the pda seems to stay "open" or something strange is happening with that file. Consequence, ActiveSync systematically does not backup the file ..."1 element to solve" (well I'm translating this ActiveSync message in English as I have a Spanish version of ActiveSync. Must be something similar).

[Marie Lucie]

I'm so sorry you are having so many issues with TT. Have you submitted a trouble ticket with Support?

No, as I'm travelling a lot. In any case, I'm not the only one to have these problems. Thanks.

[michael]

Hi everyone,
We are still investigating this. One question for now...Those of you who are still having sync issues, are you also syncing the "Files" client in Active Sync/Windows Mobile Device Center?

[MetsFan]

Hi everyone,
We are still investigating this. One question for now...Those of you who are still having sync issues, are you also syncing the "Files" client in Active Sync/Windows Mobile Device Center?

I still have issues syncing if I have both TT and Files active in Active Sync (WinXP). TT syncs OK but I have 1 unresolved item in Files. The error I get when I try to resolve is:

"Cannot copy 'TripTracker.dat'. Make sure your mobile device has sufficient memory, that the file is not set as read-only, and that you have permission to copy this file type"

[MetsFan]

A little more info. I just tried run Microsoft's SyncToy tool to backup the My Documents folder off my XP laptop to a network file share while my PPC was connected to ActiveSync. The task failed on the TripTracker.dat file with the following error:

"Error: The process cannot access the file 'C:\Documents and Settings\My Documents\TripTracker.dat' because it is being used by another process..."

If I try to run the same process without the PPC connected to my PC, it runs fine.

From there, I can only assume ActiveSync is grabbing a hold of the TripTracker.dat file on the PC and not letting go of it.

[michael]

Thanks for the updates guys. We have this as a top priority for the next TT update.

For now, you should disable TT in Active Sync, then manually copy the most recent .dat to the opposite platform, via ActiveSync->Explore. The one for the PPC will be in the Device's special folder in My Documents of the PC and the one for the PC will be in the root of My Documents on the PC.

[MetsFan]

Actually, with both conduits enabled, syncing works fine. I get the unresolved file error but if I ignore it, all is fine.

[Markpoint]

I have just purchased a licence and I'm starting to get the same perforance issues as mentioned by other members of the forum
-ActiveSync can not complete synchronization because triptracker.dat. This file can not be copied. I syncronize files.
-thousands of AS "unresolved items" due to triptracker. No mather you can "clean" all of them, they appear again.
-Sometimes AS uncorrectly reports that this is the 1st time I synchronize my PPC, so it tries to combine all data between desktop and PPC. This did not happen before installation of TT.
-Desktop version losses all the data unexpectedly. But then, also unexpectedly, recovers it.
-Problems with the format of the registration code at PPC. the code is 4 groups of characters but there is only room for 3. OTA registracion is working, though. BTW, the characters O and Q of the device ID are so close in shape that are very easely confused.

-Not tested yet expense recording and reporting.

I'm using WM5 and XP SP3.
As many others I was waiting for the update of TripTracker 3.9. This one worked flawless. TT 4.11 is not, unfortunatelly.

BTW, some uptade of the functionalities of software will be very appreciated, once the errors are corrected: ie. automatic OTA update of currencies, OTA searching of cities and airports.

[michael]

Hi Markpoint,
Thanks for the reply here. Regarding the sync issues. Are you also syncing the "Files" Active Sync client? If so, then currently you cannot also sync the TT client. We are working on a resolution for this.

In the mean time, the two-option, yet possibly inconvenient workaround is...
1. Enter your data on the PPC. After syncing Files, copy the TripTracker.dat file from your PPC folder in My Documents on your PC to the root of My Documents, replacing the one that is there.

2. Enter data on your PC, then before syncing, copy the TripTracker.dat file from the root of My Documents to the PPC folder in My Documents, replacing the one that is there. Basically the opposite of number 1 above.

-Desktop version losses all the data unexpectedly. But then, also unexpectedly, recovers it.
-Problems with the format of the registration code at PPC. the code is 4 groups of characters but there is only room for 3. Can you expand on these two items? We've not had other reports of data disappearing, then reappearing. The 4-group code can be entered just fine in TT. Can you produce a screenshot of what you're referring to.

[Markpoint]

Michael, thanks for your reply.

Here is my best answer:

-Indeed, I'm synchronizing "Files", as said in my post. I have TT synchronization over AS disabled and I apply your workaround, but still I can not properly finish "Files" synchronization. TripTracker.dat file can not be automatically synchronized for some reason as regular "MyDocuments file", and AS keeps telling so. Actually I sync my PPC "Files" with 2 PCs (work and home), but TT-PC installed only at home and I have same effect in both PCs, TripTracker.dat can not be sync over AS, as this file would remain open even TT-PPC is stopped with exit.

-I can not provide screenshot of the registration code issue at PPC, since once it is registered (I did so over the air entering my e-mail), I an not access the registration page any more. I can describe the screen though, 3 fields in a row on top of a 4th as long as the row above. As I got 4 groups code, I did not see the way to enter it. I tried to enter the code one group per field and it did not work. Should it be entered in the long one? Any way, this setup is not fool proven.

-When data in my PC disappeared I think I tried to reinstall TT-PPC using the PC installer. Although TripTracker.dat was still in My Documents root folder, apparently TT-PC could not use it. However, after a while (maybe because syncrhonization -I got TT sync active that moment-) the data in my PC appeared again. I was upset at the begining because I thought I had lost data that took me about one hour to enter, with new airlines, hotels and cities I travel. Does the reinstallation of TT-PPC affect the triptracker.dat-PC file, or it was simple coincidence? I don't know.

Some other issues I have seen so far:

-TT (neither PC nor PPC) does not respect the regional settings for decimal points and thousands separators, as it uses period for thousands and comma for decimals (I have space and dot respectively in my settings). This seems to have an impact in the calculation of distances as TT only shows the thousands of miles or Kms (when distance is less than 1000 it appears in blank), but more important, in the export of expenses .csv file and excel do not match.

-The radio button for selecting Km at distances calculator at TT-PC appears and disappears depending the place you click.

-Date in Hotel check-in/out in PPC can not be changed at PPC. It can only be modified at the PC version. This I seen reported for check-in/out hours, but I have never seen also mentioned the date. I can not even change the date at the PPC

-I could not sync expenses over automatic TT sync (tried PPC->PC, but not PC->PPC). All other data did, but expenses did not appear. However, if I manually transfer triptracker.dat to the PC, the expenses data is there. This may be linked to one of the comments of this forum, as the csv file did not contain any data but the name of the trip.

-The expeses .csv file does not automatically open in Excel 97 (the one I have), and excel and trip tracker crashes. If I open the csv file step by step, using the Excel file conversion utility, then I can do.

The rest is working fine more or less, as far as I see. There are some curious things, like connecting to google maps to find long and lat for a new city, when I never saw a neat way to find this data there. Some other not so popular internet map providers are giving the coordinates, but I do not see the way to get the coordinates in google maps.

If I see other flaws I'll keep you posted. Frankly, I feel like a beta tester of a "final" application.
I really enjoy TT. This is the best application for my travel needs, and I have tried several since TT 3.9 cold not be used with WM5. Of course, it may need some refreshment and update using new tecnologies, but overall it is good idea and set-up. However, these flaws need to be eliminated.

Regards

[Markpoint]

Michael, thanks for your reply.

Here is my best answer:

-Indeed, I'm synchronizing "Files", as said in my post. I have TT synchronization over AS disabled and I apply your workaround, but still I can not properly finish "Files" synchronization. TripTracker.dat file can not be automatically synchronized for some reason as regular "MyDocuments file", and AS keeps telling so. Actually I sync my PPC "Files" with 2 PCs (work and home), but TT-PC installed only at home and I have same effect in both PCs, TripTracker.dat can not be sync over AS, as this file would remain open even TT-PPC is stopped with exit.

-I can not provide screenshot of the registration code issue at PPC, since once it is registered (I did so over the air entering my e-mail), I an not access the registration page any more. I can describe the screen though, 3 fields in a row on top of a 4th as long as the row above. As I got 4 groups code, I did not see the way to enter it. I tried to enter the code one group per field and it did not work. Should it be entered in the long one? Any way, this setup is not fool proven.

-When data in my PC disappeared I think I tried to reinstall TT-PPC using the PC installer. Although TripTracker.dat was still in My Documents root folder, apparently TT-PC could not use it. However, after a while (maybe because syncrhonization -I got TT sync active that moment-) the data in my PC appeared again. I was upset at the begining because I thought I had lost data that took me about one hour to enter, with new airlines, hotels and cities I travel. Does the reinstallation of TT-PPC affect the triptracker.dat-PC file, or it was simple coincidence? I don't know.

Some other issues I have seen so far:

-TT (neither PC nor PPC) does not respect the regional settings for decimal points and thousands separators, as it uses period for thousands and comma for decimals (I have space and dot respectively in my settings). This seems to have an impact in the calculation of distances as TT only shows the thousands of miles or Kms (when distance is less than 1000 it appears in blank), but more important, in the export of expenses .csv file and excel do not match.

-The radio button for selecting Km at distances calculator at TT-PC appears and disappears depending the place you click.

-Date in Hotel check-in/out in PPC can not be changed at PPC. It can only be modified at the PC version. This I seen reported for check-in/out hours, but I have never seen also mentioned the date. I can not even change the date at the PPC

-I could not sync expenses over automatic TT sync (tried PPC->PC, but not PC->PPC). All other data did, but expenses did not appear. However, if I manually transfer triptracker.dat to the PC, the expenses data is there. This may be linked to one of the comments of this forum, as the csv file did not contain any data but the name of the trip.

-The expeses .csv file does not automatically open in Excel 97 (the one I have), and excel and trip tracker crashes. If I open the csv file step by step, using the Excel file conversion utility, then I can do.

The rest is working fine more or less, as far as I see. There are some curious things, like connecting to google maps to find long and lat for a new city, when I never saw a neat way to find this data there. Some other not so popular internet map providers are giving the coordinates, but I do not see the way to get the coordinates in google maps.

If I see other flaws I'll keep you posted. Frankly, I feel like a beta tester of a "final" application.
I really enjoy TT. This is the best application for my travel needs, and I have tried several since TT 3.9 cold not be used with WM5. Of course, it may need some refreshment and update using new tecnologies, but overall it is good idea and set-up. However, these flaws need to be eliminated :weird:

Regards