TIME CHART 6 README notes for Version 6.00
August 2008
These notes provide additional information on features recently added that
are not in the manual.
New Features with Time Chart 6
1. A Worksheet window has been added. This is used to design timetable blocks before copying them to the timetable. The Build dialogue and Blocks Clashes commands now use the Worksheet window as their source, instead of Day 1 of the timetable. The Worksheet window has its own Toolbar and Worksheet Entries dialogue.
Access: Select Timetable | Worksheet
2. You can set multiples for worksheet entries to define how many timetable classes are needed. The number of single, double and triple sessions is set.
Access: With the Worksheet window active, select Timetable | Multiples
3. A new Target Times dialogue sets the available time slots for classes, for each year.
Access: With the Worksheet window active, select Timetable | Target Times
4. Worksheet and timetable printouts are now multi-page where there are too many blocks (or time slots) to fit on one page.
5. On the Timetable Entries dialogue the Set button has been removed - just change the day, time slot, year or level to change the position.
6. The Build dialogue now copies from Worksheet entries, taking into account both multiples and target times. You can now copy of block of entries for all years, as well as for one year.
7. All dialogues now make use of time slot codes, instead of time slot numbers. Drop down lists show the code and time slot name. For example if time slot 3 is period 2 with a code of "2", just press the "2" key to select it.
8. The Solve dialogue makes use of target times - swaps are confined to the available time slots defined for a target times map.
9. Weekly timetables can show selected days only instead of all days. They can also show the start and end clock times. Tick the checkboxes on the Selection dialogue for the weekly timetable.
10. Rooms can be assigned to a subject, teacher or faculty. There are new entry fields on the Add Room and Change Room dialogues.
11. A new Room Fill dialogue fills the timetable with rooms where needed based on the room assignment.
Access: With the Timetable window active, select Timetable | Room Fill
12. A Room Strip dialogue facilitates a fast removal of rooms from the timetable.
Access: With the Timetable window active, select Timetable | Room Strip
13. Entry dialogues (for the Timetable and Worksheet) have drop down lists of teachers and rooms that are free in the time slot (or block for the Worksheet window).
14. The paste students process has enhanced flexibility. You can identify students by their name & year, ID, or all student fields. If the data to be pasted has new subject codes, these can be added to Time Chart as they are pasted in.
15. The Edit Times dialogue has a simplified selection of day groups.
16. The Delete Subject dialogue has Next and Previous buttons.
17. The Number Blocks command has been removed. It is no longer needed since worksheet entries take their block number from the worksheet block.
18. When the timetable is saved, the older .TT format is no longer saved as one of the timetable files. The worksheet, multiples and target times are saved with the .TWS extension.
19. The Help file has been rewritten for the html format. The file is TC6.CHM.
New Features with Version 5.29
1. Student tags have been increased from 8 to 16. Each tag can have a code (1 character) and name. Initially the codes are 1-9,a-g and the names are No.1 to No.16.
To change the tag codes and names, select Student | Set Tags...
The Set Tags dialogue is opened. Use the up and down spin buttons to select
a tag, for example, 3. Change the code and name eg. E and epilepsy. Use the
list boxes to select or change students with this tag. The left hand list
box shows the students in the current group. The right hand list box shows
the students in the group with the selected tag. Click the Update button.
Tags can still be set using checkboxes on the Add Student, Change Student or Common Data dialogue. These dialogues now have 16 Tag checkboxes - with the tag code next to its checkbox. Hover over the checkbox to see the tag name (as a hint).
A student group selected from a tag is named from the tag name.
2. Student tags can be shown in student (and subject) lists. Select Display | Preferences. Click on the Student page and tick the Tags checkbox. Click the OK button. Each tag in use is shown with its own column. For example if Bob Jones is in the epilepsy group, an E will show in this column.
3. The Find Teacher (and Find Room) dialogue has a combobox showing the code and name of each teacher (or room). Use the Combobox to select the teacher (or room) you want to find.
4. Preferences dialogue has 'All' and 'None' buttons added to
(a) student fields on Student page
(b) time slots shown on Timetable page
(c) days shown on print timetable page
(d) years shown on print timetable page
Click the All button to tick all the checkboxes in the section, or click the
None button to clear them.
New Network Feature with Version 5.29
5. The Show Users window for the Supervisor has new columns to show whether each user (with access) is ON (running network Time Chart), the data folder used, timetable file used, time of log-on (or change of data) and data section being changed (if any). Select User | Show Users to open this window (Supervisor only). The window is updated every 5 seconds.
Technical note: each user's operating status is saved to a file userID.ON
in the user preferences folder eg user AB will have a file called AB.ON.
New Features with Version 5.28
1. Undo and Redo have been added for most Timetable menu commands. Select Edit | Undo to step back through up to 20 timetable changes. Select Edit | Redo to step forward and redo the timetable changes. The Timetable Toolbar has new buttons for the Undo and Redo commands. All operations can be reversed except configuring the timetable structure - changing the timetable years, days, time slots or size.
2. Additional checks have been added to timetable configure operations. A warning is given before reducing the number of years, days, times slots, or switching to a smaller size timetable (if there is insufficient room). If you increase the number of years, days or time slots, Time Chart will switch to the timetable size required to preserve the current timetable entries.
3. Up and down buttons have been added to all dialogues with list box selection. Select one or more items in the right hand list box and use the up and down buttons to change their position. The new buttons make it easy to change the order of your selected list.
4. You can use the mouse thumb wheel for fast scrolling through long lists in Time Chart windows.
5. The heading for each Subject list shows the teacher even if there are
multiple teachers on the timetable for the subject code. (The teacher with
the most entries is shown.) The Subject numbers view on the Student List window
also shows the teacher code with the most entries. An asterisk is added if
there are multiple teachers for that subject code.
New Features with Version 5.27
1. The maximum class size can now be set for individual subjects before using
the Split Subject or Create commands. To set a class size:
(a) With the Blocks window active, select Blocks | Class Sizes...
(b) To set the default class size, enter the required maximum in the 'Default
Maximum Class Size' entry (eg. '25') and click the Default button.
(c) To set the maximum size of a particular subject, enter the subject code
and its maximum class size (eg 'PHY12' and ' 21') and click the Add button.
When setting the maximum class size for a subject that needs to be split,
set the basic code size only. For example, when splitting PHY12 into PHY12A,
PHY12B, etc. set the maximum class size for PHY12. Time Chart will use this
size to determine how many classes of PHY12 are needed and will apply the
maximum class size to all PHY12 classes.
(d) To remove a maximum class size, enter the subject code and click the Remove
button. The subject will revert to the default class size.
(e) Click the Clear button to restore all subjects to the default maximum
class size.
(f) Click the Finished button to exit from the Maximum Class Size dialogue.
Subjects that have not been individually set make use of the default maximum
class size.
Maximum class sizes are saved as part of a Block file. This allows you to
set different sizes for each block file, if needed.
Maximum class sizes can be seen in the Group Subjects window. Press the 'V'
key until you see the view showing the subject code, name, count and maximum.
You can also set the maximum class sizes when using the Split Subject dialogue:
(a) When splitting an individual subject, you can change its maximum class
size by changing the 'Maximum Class Size' entry.
(b) If the 'All Subject' checkbox is ticked, the Maximum Class Size entry
is used for the default maximum class size. Other class sizes already set
for particular subjects will remain in use.
When using the Create Blocks dialogue, the Maximum Class Size entry is used
for the default maximum class size. Other class sizes already set for particular
subjects with the Maximum Class size dialogue will remain in use.
2. Display files can now be saved or opened. To save your current display
settings:
(a) Select Display | Save Display...
(b) Type in a name for the display file.
(c) Click the Save button.
To reload display settings previously saved:
(a) Select Display | Open Display...
(b) Type in or select the name of the display file.
(c) Click the Open button.
Display files have an extension of 'TCD'. Display files saved in the data
directory are included when you make a backup (or restore from a backup).
Note that default display settings are automatically loaded from (and saved
to) the DISPLAY5.DAT file.
3. The maximum length of subject codes has been increased from 8 to 10 characters.
4. The Allocate button on the Change Student or Add Student dialogue now changes
the order of the subject choices to match the blocks loaded, even if there
is a clash. This is useful to see which blocks have a clash and which blocks
have no choice. Note that the order is not changed if none of the subject
choices are in the blocks loaded.
5. The Auto Allocate dialogue has been changed:
(a) The Fast Shuffle and Slow Shuffle buttons have been replaced by a single
Shuffle button. If you want to do a Fast Shuffle, tick the 'Fast Shuffle'
checkbox before clicking the Shuffle button.
(b) Click the New button to try a new solution. Time Chart will clear the
blocks, allocate subject again and shuffle them.
6. On the Search and Replace dialogue, tick the 'Exclude NA' checkbox if you
want to exclude entries with the NA (Not Available) subject code from your
search and replace operations.
For example, if room 319 is unavailable for use on Friday, you can search
for room 319 and replace it with a different room, but leave the NA entries
for 319 on Friday unchanged.
New Features with Version 5.26
1. Time slots can be different for each timetable day. All time slot information
is set with the Change Times dialogue (Timetable | Configure | Time Slots
...).
(a) Set the days (day group) that have the same time slots.
(b) Set the units used for time allotments - 'Minutes', 'Hours', 'Periods'
or (other) 'Units'.
(c) For each day group:
Enter the name of the time slot.
Enter a one character code for the time slot (used on the Teachers Free and
Rooms Free windows).
Enter the time allotment for the time slot.
Enter the start and end times for the time slot.
2. Time allotments are stored as part of the timetable file. Each timetable
can have its own time slot configuration.
3. Preferences dialogue sets time slots shown for each different day group.
(Time Slots/day are no longer set from the Preferences dialogue).
4. Weekly timetables show time slot names for each day group.
5. Student List window - the enrolment view can include the student ID as
a barcode. The Student List Selection dialogue has a checkbox for 'ID barcode'.
6. The printed and text file output for some windows can be shown without
their normal headings. This allows the Student List, Student Input and Student
Timetable windows to be printed on school letterhead without duplicating the
school name. Set with the 'Print Heading' checkbox on the Student page of
the Preferences dialogue.
7. Student List window - Numbers for classes view shows the Tutor code and
name after the roll class code (if tutor fields are in use).
New Features with Version 5.25
1. Limits increased - 5000 students, 3000 subjects
2. The Blocks Clash Help is improved. For a student with several clashes and
no complete solution, Clash Help will look for a partial solution to resolve
some of the clashes (if possible).
3. Each teacher can have up to 4 faculties (increased from 3).
4. The timetable file in use is set from the Timetable menu. This setting
replaces adding the timetable name to the command line properties of the desktop
shortcut.
5. Export text files are automatically created for use by RollMarker software.
This process automatically links RollMarker to Time Chart's current data.
6. Auto detection of updates has been modified. The user can select the checking
time interval, or turn the auto detection off. The support plan expiry date
is shown on the Info window.
New Features with Version 5.24 of Time Chart 2000
1. Subjects offered (Student Input window) can now be divided into seperate
sections, each with its own heading and message.
(a) The Student Input Selection dialogue has a changed Subjects Offered page.
Subjects offered can be attached to a group of students and saved as a subject
offer file.
(b) If a student group has an attached subject offer file, the subjects offered
are automatically loaded when the student group is selected.
(c) Up and down buttons added to the Student Input Selection dialogue and
the Group Menu dialogue to easily change the order of the selected items.
2. Any year with one or more students is automatically saved as a group of
students and added to the group menu.
3. Magnification on Print Preview is kept and saved as part of the display
information
4. Manual Clash Help in student blocking has extra space to show more subject
choices for a student.
New Network Features with Version 5.24 of Time Chart 2000
5. Student Group definitions made by the Supervisor are automatically saved
for the General User. Thus the 'Save default student groups' command is no
longer needed and has been removed from the User menu.
6. The Add User and Edit User dialogues have a new default setting for the
Display file path. If the display file folder is not defined by the Supervisor,
it is automatically set to the default path.
The default path is a 'Users' folder under the Time Chart program folder,
with additional folders based on the user's access level, such as 'Supervisor',
'Timetabler1', 'Timetabler2', 'Student1', etc. Time Chart will now create
the default folders unless you set a different folder.
New Features with Version 5.23 of Time Chart 2000
1. Auto detection of updates. If the user is online, this version will check
on our web site to see if there is a more recent update.
Access: Select Display | Preferences to show the Preferences dialogue. Click
on the General tab. Click the 'Check for Updates' checkbox to check once a
week. If this is not ticked, the check is made once a month. On the network
version, the update check is only done is the user has supervisor or timetabler
access.
2. Backup to directories. With this release, you can backup to (or restore
from) any directory. Time Chart remembers the last 3 backup locations so that
you can backup in sequence to three different directories.
Access: The backup and restore dialogues have a 'Set Location' button to select
a drive and directory for your backup (or restore).
3. Subject names can be increased (from 25 to 50 characters).
Note: Education Queensland schools should leave the length at 25 characters
(the default) for compatibility with SMS export/import. Schools using
Parent Teacher Interview 3 should also leave the length at 25 characters.
Time Chart Extra 5 users should update to Version 5.05 if they wish to change
the subject name length.
Access: Select Window | Codes | Subject to open the Subject codes window.
Select Codes | Code Lengths to show the Subject Code Lengths dialogue. Change
the subject name length and click the OK button.
4. Transfer Student data. The Transfer command exports student data to a text
file for use by third party software or other databases. The text file has
one record for each student subject choice. All students in the current student
group are included. Each record has the following fields.
Student ID
Surname
First name
Year (optional)
Sex (optional)
Roll Class (optional)
House (optional)
Tutor (optional)
Home room (optional)
subject code (or report code)
subject name (or report name)
teacher code
teacher name
The fields for year, sex, roll class, house, tutor or home room are optional.
They are included if the corresponding checkbox is ticked on the Student page
of the Preferences dialogue. The teacher code and name is for the teacher
taking the subject choice on the timetable. If report codes are used (see
below) the subject report code and name are used in place of the subject code
and name.
Access: Select Student | Transfer to show the save dialogue. Enter a file
name and click the Save button. The text file is saved with a .TXT extension.
5. Subject report codes and names can be used in the Transfer text file in
place of subject codes and names. For example, if you are exporting student
data to use in student reporting software, you may wish to use Physics Year
11 on the reports in place of Physics 11 A and Physics 11 B.
Access: Select Window | Codes | Subject to open the Subject codes window.
Select Codes | Report Codes to open the Subject Report Codes dialogue. Tick
the 'Use Subject Report Codes' checkbox to use report codes. Set the length
of the report codes and names and click the OK button. Report codes and names
are initially identical to the subject codes and names but may be changed
on the Change Subject dialogue. If a report code or name is blank, the subject
code or name will be used in the Transfer text file.
With Report Codes in use the Subject Codes window has an additional view that
shows subject codes, names, report codes and report names. The Add Subject
and Change Subject dialogues has additional fields to enter or change the
report code and name.
6. When building blocks, student choices can re-ordered to match the blocks.
(select Blocks | Move Subjects | Re-order Choices). The Re-order choices algorithm
has been changed so that only students with one or more choices in the blocks
loaded are re-ordered. This removes a problem that could arise if students
from one year were re-ordered against the blocks from another year - all of
their choices would be 'pushed up' because none of them matched the subjects
in the blocks.
7. A 'Match All Years' checkbox has been added to the Student Page of the
Preferences dialogue for convenience in setting this flag.
New Features with Version 5.22
1. Student weekly timetable can include a legend underneath showing the subject and teacher names.
Access - Student timetable Selection dialogue has a new 'Legend' checkbox. Tick to show legend under each student weekly timetable.
2. Teacher weekly timetable can include a detailed teacher loads underneath showing details of the classes and time allotments.
Access - Teacher timetable Selection dialogue has a new 'Show Teacher Loads' checkbox. Tick to show load under each teacher weekly timetable.
New Features with Version 5.2
1. Colour printing on all windows (can be turned on or off)
Access - Colour Printer checkbox on Preferences dialogue. Note that Formfeed
checkbox has been moved to the main section of the Preferences dialogue (was
on the Student tab).
2. Print Preview on all windows
Step through pages or go to any page
Zoom in or zoom out (25% to 300%)
Click and drag to move around a page
Access from menu: select File | Print Preview
to see the print preview for the top window.
Access from toolbar: a new Print Preview button has been added to the general
toolbar, next to the Print button.
Also available from the Context menu of any window (right click when the mouse
is over the window).
3. Copy on all windows. copy the contents of any window and pasted into another
application.
Access: select Edit | Copy (or Ctrl-C)
to copy the contents of the top window to the clipboard.
For the Timetable and Blocks windows, only the selected entries are copied
(as with version 5.1). For other windows, change the window using the Selection
dialogue for that window before copying.
4. Display menu has 'Next View' command (same as View button on toolbar, shortcut
is 'V' key) to cycle through views when a window has more than one view.
5. Group Subjects window now has two views (a) subject code and number of
students enrolled and (b) subject code, subject name and number of students
enrolled.
6. Replace dialogue for Group Subjects window now stays open until Finished
button is clicked.
7. New Student Clashes window. Shows students with clashes for each block.
Use to show students who have clashes while building blocks. Previously these
students were selected by changing the student group and opening the Student
List window. You can now keep working with the same student group and show
students with clashes in their own window.
Access from menu: select Window | Block Info | Student Clashes
8. New Students Free in Block window. Shows students free (no subject choice
in the block) for each block. Use to show students who are free while building
blocks. Previously these students were selected by changing the student group
and opening the Student List window. You can now keep working with the same
student group and show students free in each block in their own window.
Access from menu: select Window | Block Info | Students Free
9. New Teacher Subject List window. Shows subject lists for one or more teachers.
The timetable is scanned for subjects taken by a teacher. The window shows
students in each subject, provided that 1 or more students are enrolled in
the subject.
Access from menu: select Window | Teacher List
To select the teachers included:
a. Select Window | Teacher List
to open the Teacher List window
b. Select Display | Selection
The Teacher List Selection dialogue is opened.
c. Use the radio buttons to select all teachers or a selection of teachers.
If you are selecting, particular teachers, use the list boxes to select one
or more teacher codes.
d. Use the faculty drop down list, if you only want teachers in a particular
faculty. Leave this field blank if you don't need a faculty selection.
e. Tick the Match All Years checkbox if you have a vertical curriculum where
students from more than one year are enrolled in a subject, otherwise leave
this checkbox blank.
f. Click the OK button.
10. All windows showing student lists (Student List, Subject List Student
Clashes, Students Free in block, Students free in time slot and Teacher List)
have been improved. You can select a student in any of these windows. Right
click to open the context menu and select Change Student or Student Timetable
directly for the selected student. Block clashes and Blocks shown checkboxes
(Student page of the Preferences dialogue) now work for the same for any of
these windows.
11. The Student Input window now shows a list view (previously this could
be printed but wasn't shown in the window) with the student name and ID as
a barcode. The selection dialogue has a new 'List' radio button on the Student
page. All the lists in the Student Input window now show the student ID as
a barcode (previously only shown for barcodes list).
12. There are a number of minor changes:
(a) more icons added to the menus
(b) the various 'Match All Years' checkboxes have been consolidated, so that
changing one of them automatically changes the others
(c) subject list button added to the main toolbar
(d) the default number of subject choices for text file export or copy to
clipboard is now set to the maximum number of choices in use, rather than
to zero.
(e) the Find Student dialogue has been simplified. Time Chart searches for
a match as you type the student's name (a Find button is no longer required).
13. New Help file includes the features with the release of version 5.20
New Features with Version 5.1
1. The display file is now called DISPLAY5.DAT instead of DISPLAY.DAT. This
file stores the user preferences such as font selected, windows open and settings
on dialogues.
2. A new "match all years" checkbox has been added to the Student List selection
dialogue, the Student Timetable selection dialogue and the Find Student dialogue.
If this is checked, Time Chart scans the whole of the timetable looking for
a match with student choices. If it is not checked, Time Chart scans only
the timetable year of the student.
Example: A year 9 student is enrolled in subject ABC. If the "match all years"
checkbox is ticked, Time Chart will look in all years of the timetable to
find the ABC subject code. If not checked, Time Chart will look at year 9
of the timetable only for a match with the ABC subject.
3. The Subject list selection dialogue has a new "Only show subjects with
students" checkbox. If checked, subjects with no students enrolled are skipped.
For example with 'All subjects' selected, only those subject codes (for the
current group of students) which have students enrolled are shown.
4. Student input selection dialog now has a "Student names only" checkbox.
If selected, students are printed without any headings or subjects, but still
showing the barcode for ID.
This only applies if you have also selected the barcodes radio button. Use
this option to print the student name and ID onto a pre-printed sheet of instructions.
You can use the student ID barcode to select that student when using the Change
Student dialogue.
5. The Find Student dialogue has two new features. A checkbox for "Use Group"
sets whether the current student group is used for the search. Tick this if
the student you are looking for is in the student group selected. For example,
if you have selected the group of year 12 students and you are looking for
a year 12 student. If this checkbox is not ticked, the Find Student operations
will search on all students in the school.
A Previous button has been added, so that you can now step backwards as well
as forwards if the initial search for a student is close to the correct one.
6. The Teacher Loads Selection dialogue has a "Match All Years" checkbox which
affects the way student numbers are calculated on the detailed view of the
Teacher Loads window. If the "Match All Years" checkbox is ticked, students
from all years who are enrolled in the subject will be tallied. If this is
unchecked, only students in the same year as the timetable entry are included.
For example, if there are two PHA classes, one in year 12 of the timetable
(with year 12 students) and one in year 11 (with year 11 students), then leave
"Match All Years" unchecked. However, if there is a PH12A class in year 12
of the timetable (with year 11 and 12 students) and a PH11A class in year
11 (with year 11 and some year 10 students), then tick the "Match All Years"
checkbox to get the correct student counts.
7. The Subject Timetable Selection dialogue has a "Compact" checkbox which
sets the format for a ‘level' or class timetable. If ‘Compact'
is checked, then the class timetable is shown (and printed with two lines
for each timetable entry. This results in a more compact or narrower printout.
If unchecked, the codes for subject, teacher and room are shown on a single
line, giving a wider printout.
8. The network version has been changed to further restrict general users
from changing data. You can now set general users to read only access on the
network for the Time Chart program and data directories. Other users still
need read/write access to these directories.
