PortaBase History

This is a quick overview of the most significant changes made in each version. For a more detailed description of the changes made, see the changelog.


Version 2.1

  • Added HTML export
  • Improved the column statistics dialog, added a column width control widget to it
  • Improved the file properties dialog, added a button to launch the column statistics dialog
  • More logical workflow for importing MobileDB and XML files
  • Added a button in the preferences dialog to clear the recent files list
  • Boolean columns are now allowed in calculations (treated as 0 or 1)
  • Added a preference to allow the height of rows in the data grid to shrink with the font size on the N900
  • Fullscreen images (and optionally the entire application) now auto-rotate to match the device orientation on the N900
  • The backlight on Maemo devices no longer dims or turns off during a slideshow
  • Removed the feature to double click a row to show it in the Row Viewer; it was redundant and buggy
  • Improved the help pages, added a search feature
  • Added a Slovak UI translation, and the French translation is being actively maintained again
  • New application icon by Holly Guenther (http://kimchikawaii.deviantart.com)
  • Digitally signed the Windows and Mac OS X binaries for easier installation on recent OS releases
  • Assorted bugfixes

Version 2.0

  • Fixed a bug with the recently opened files list when importing a file.
  • Fixed a bug on Fremantle where back/close button handling could get confused.

Version 2.0 release candidate 1

  • Fixed a serious regression that prevented creation of new files in beta 2
  • Fixed a possible crash when deleting a column used in the current filter
  • Print preview is no longer limited to the set of pages last printed
  • Don't show read-only encrypted files as saveable
  • Correctly accept drag & dropped files with upper case file extensions
  • Resolved an accelerator key conflict in the File menu
  • Updated the Czech, Japanese, and traditional Chinese translations.

Version 2.0 beta 2

  • Fixed import from XML and MobileDB files
  • Fixed a bug in handling invalid integer field entries
  • Proper locale handling for decimal values
  • Fixed opening files from the command line, or by double clicking on them
  • Fixed a bug in filter behavior after adding or copying a row
  • Fixed a bug that prevented slideshows from working
  • Fixed an ascending/descending label inversion bug in the sorting editor
  • Support for opening read-only files
  • More intuitive behavior in the list of recently-opened files
  • Account for "None" values in min/max calculations for date and time columns
  • Better consistency in string entry field heights
  • Better tab stop widths in the note editor
  • Minor improvements to the calculator and calendar dialogs on Maemo

Version 2.0 beta 1

  • Added Mac OS X port (Tiger, Leopard, and Snow Leopard)
  • Added Maemo port (Diablo and Fremantle)
  • Stopped development on the Zaurus version
  • Printing support
  • Added new, open, import, and recent file buttons to the start screen
  • Updated icons
  • View, sorting, and filter selection/management dialogs via toolbar buttons
  • Fullscreen mode, toggled via a toolbar button
  • Good performance even when scrolling directly through thousands of records (previously required pagination, which is still optional but no longer the default behavior)
  • Remember dialog sizes so they stay at your preferred size until manually changed
  • Launch the row viewer with a single click on a row (preference to disable)
  • Locale-aware number formatting (not used in data export, for portability)
  • Removed customization of the menu and toolbar layout (it was really only needed on the Zaurus)
  • Assorted usability enhancements and visual improvements

Version 1.9

  • Image column type
  • Image slideshows
  • Menu and toolbar customization
  • Ability to change views from the row viewer
  • Assorted localization improvements (unicode filename support, locale-sensitive text sorting, proper language detection under Windows, etc.)
  • File properties dialog (size, number of rows, etc.)
  • Time difference calculations (hours, minutes, or seconds between two time columns)
  • Option to hide page navigation bar and show all rows on one page
  • Lots of minor usability enhancements (shortcut keys in desktop versions, save and restore desktop window geometry, calendar dialog enhancements, file drag and drop, etc.)

Version 1.8

  • Calculation column type
  • Sequence column type
  • Support for the improved file navigation widget on newer Sharp ROMs
  • Row viewer only contains columns included in the current view
  • PortaBase file association established on Windows
  • French and Czech user interface translations
  • Fixed crash when opening some encrypted files on the Zaurus

Version 1.7

  • Alternating row background colors (with user-specified colors)
  • Calculator widget for entering numeric data
  • String entry fields can now grow to accept multiple lines of text (press return to add a line)
  • Enum option sorting, import, and export
  • Correctly import CSV files that only use carriage returns as line endings
  • Bugfixes for XML export, enum value sorting and filtering, and desktop version file importing
  • Taiwanese translation (i.e., Mandarin using traditional characters)

Version 1.6

NOTE: Metakit is now compiled into the portabase executable for the Zaurus, so libmetakit1 can be uninstalled.

  • Support for data file encryption
  • Japanese translation of user interface and help file
  • Better enum sorting and filtering
  • Option to define a default sorting and/or filter for each view
  • Command-line CSV import and export
  • CSV and XML import enhancements and bugfixes
  • File rename and copy menu items
  • Row copy menu item

Version 1.5

  • First version available as a PC application for Debian GNU/Linux and Windows. (Should work on other Linux/UNIX variants as well, and probably MacOS X if somebody has a commercial Qt license for it.)
  • XML import and export (more information here)
  • Command-line format conversions (to and from XML, from MobileDB)
  • Word wrap in the note editor/viewer (on by default, can be turned off)
  • Added "Refresh" option to file selector menu
  • Faster file closing (by not refreshing the file list unless necessary)

Version 1.4.1

This is a bugfix release; a bug in the storage of filter conditions made upgrades of files containing filters unreliable, and the attempted fix in 1.4 didn't work. 1.4.1 should correctly handle any file (that hasn't already been corrupted by a failed upgrade) from any earlier version of PortaBase. If anybody still has problems importing old files, please let me know. And please back up your files before attempting the upgrade, just in case there are yet-undiscovered problems.

Version 1.4

NOTE: libmetakit1 has changed with this release, so both libmetakit1 and portabase must be upgraded.

  • Time column type
  • Row viewer/browser
  • MobileDB file import
  • Better support for the Japanese SL-B500 and SL-C700 models
  • Optional toggle of checkbox values in data viewer
  • Import encoding bugfix (now imported as UTF-8)
  • Menu and toolbar in the file selector, including delete option
  • Date picker enhancements
  • Filtered CSV export

Version 1.3

  • Enum column type
  • Unicode support
  • Font selection
  • Optional delete confirmation dialogs
  • Better display of decimal values
  • Blank date values
  • "Delete Rows In Filter" menu option

Version 1.2

  • Data filtering
  • Date column type
  • Click-and-hold on row in data viewer to launch row editor
  • Save button and menu item are only enabled when there are unsaved changes
  • Screens resize correctly when input methods are hidden or shown
  • "All Columns" view column sequence stays in synch with row editor
  • Several bugfixes

Version 1.1

  • Multi-column sorting
  • Note (multi-line text) column type
  • Fixed crash-inducing bug in view editor
  • Fixed bug in CSV export (file usually wasn't created)

Version 1.0

  • First release