This announcement has been covered in several other mediums over on elsitech.com and through the official press release, but I did want to cover it at least briefly over here on blogs.elsitech.com.

Relevant Links:

• Elsinore Technologies Release Version 5.0 of IssueNet Enterprise Issue Management Software - Elsitech.com
• Official Press Release on PRWEB
• IssueNet 5.0 Release Notes
• Download IssueNet 5.0 from support.elsitech.com
• IssueNet 5.0 Online Demo Environment
• Live Webinar Sign-Up Form

We're certainly excited to have this release completed and available to the users. As a reminder, both major and minor releases are freely available for download to IssueNet customers on active support and maintenance. (Does not apply to VI to IssueNet upgrades.) The 5.0 release can be downloaded from support.elsitech.com.

Congratulations IssueNet for reaching the big five-O!

Jake Morgan recently submitted an article to Codeproject.com detailing how to deploy zip files to a web application and serve uncompressed files directly out of the zip file. We use this technique on Elsitech.com for our Developer Labs section. The full Codeproject.com article contains implementation discussion and the sample code needed.

From the article:

The ZipEntryHandler enumerates and serves files out of static zip files deployed in your web space. The handler is implemented as a simple ASP.NET IHttpHandler deployed with a code file in the App_Code directory on your website and configured with a line in the web.config file. The handler is very useful for several purposes:

• Serving otherwise prohibited files - Code files with extensions that have special meaning to the web application ("cs", "vb", "aspx") can be served statically.
• Storage Space - Very compressible content often consumes large amounts of web space. This handler allows content to be stored compressed without special access to the file system on a web server.
• Maintainability - Often a zip file and the contents of the zip file should both be downloadable and browsable. This pattern allows solely the zip file to be deployed without having to synchronize other downloads.

As the developers of IssueNet, we are often asked how we use the product internally. There are two answers to that question, the operational answer and the practical day-to-day answer. Operationally we use IssueNet for many core functions: software defect tracking, external customer support, internal IT help desk, CRM, and miscellaneous issue tracking. But what people are usually asking is: in the practical course of our days, how do we interface with the system most? It varies some from department to department, but our favorite interface is the Microsoft Outlook integration.

Let's face it, these days, we all spend a great deal of time in our email, so working directly in that environment makes us more productive. How you might ask?

• IssueNet integration to Microsoft Outlook is achieved via an unobtrusive toolbar
• Quick access to creating all types of issues and viewing existing issues and tasks
• Special functionality to easily create issues from mail messages and append messages to existing issues.

The ability to quickly create issues from email messages is extremely important, because invariably, most issues are first reported through email. The quick ability to turn those random emails into trackable, actionable issues in the issue management system means less issues fall through the cracks.

We love the integration because it is easy to use on a daily basis, but that ease of use also serves a very important role in user acceptance during a new deployment. Making issue tracking available via the user's email application dramatically increases uptake for new deployments. Email clients are typically open all day so elminating the need to launch a separate application or browser tightly integrates IssueNet into the daily routine. All this adds up to an easy, low-overhead way to manage issues.

Additional Information on Outlook Integration

• Short Video Demonstration (Elsitech.com How-To Videos Section - Video titled: "Workspace Integration to Microsoft Outlook")
• Detailed Feature-by-Feature Documentation of Outlook Integration (help.elsitech.com)

Elsinore is pleased to announce that the Beta period for the upcoming 5.0 release of IssueNet is now open. The open Beta period runs until June 9, 2008, when IssueNet 5.0 will be officially released.

As detailed in last month's preview article for the upcoming release, the focus has been on improvements and simplifications over "checkbox" feature adding. The most visible changes in IssueNet 5.0 are to the toolbars and standard views - creating a familiar MS Outlook-style view. Simplifications to certain aspects of workflow and notifications have been implemented based on specific user feedback, while updates to the main solutions reflect our continued commitment to provide best practice configurations out-of-box. The full release notes are available here.

Eligibility and Sign-Up

The IssueNet 5.0 beta program is open to all IssueNet customers with current support and maintenance. If you are interested in participating in the beta program, please contact Elsinore support . If you need to confirm whether you have active support and maintenance, please contact sales@elsitech.com. Elsinore also runs a regular live webinar schedule, which allows a full look at the new release in an hour.

Elsinore is pleased to announce that the second quarter of 2008 will see the release of IssueNet 5.0! With the 5.0 release, we have placed a dedicated focus on improvements and simplifications, while resisting the temptation to simply tack on features.

Major IssueNet 5.0 Improvements

1. UI Overhaul - Toolbars and Preview Pane
2. Workflow and Notifications
3. Wiki-based Web Help System
4. Updates to the Intercept, Assist, and Oversight Solutions

The main emphasis has been on distilling and perfecting core parts of the user experience over “checkbox” feature adding.  IssueNet is an extremely powerful product and has only become more so over the 2 years since it replaced Visual Intercept as the flagship.  Simplifying the user experience to best facilitate the use of all that power represents the essense of the 5.0 release.  We certainly kept the dreaded "Featuritis" curve in mind with this one:

The most visible changes in IssueNet 5.0 are to the toolbars and standard views - creating a familar MS Outlook-style view. Simplifications to certain aspects of workflow and notifications have been implemented based on specific user feedback, while updates to the main solutions reflect our continued commitment to provide best practice configurations out-of-box. 

Stay tuned to this space and www.elsitech.com for the official beta schedule, release date, screenshots, and comprehensive release notes!

Version 4.8 of IssueNet is now available for download through support.elsitech.com by all customers with active support and maintenance. This is a relatively light release that focuses on bug fixes and improvements to drag and drop capabilities on forms. Full details can be found in the Release Notes on elsitech.com. As you may have noticed, we have picked up the pace on releases, with two in the last two months, and three over the past five months. This is a result of two factors:

1. A commitment to quickly addressing any pain points encountered by users
2. The shift to a more agile approach in our own development process

The Elsinore product team is committed to this more frequent release cycle, as we feel it ultimately raises the quality of the product and incorporates customer feedback at a more rapid rate.

Email Integration

IssueNet 4.7 has been released and is now available for immediate download. [Press Release]

The latest IssueNet release is headlined by integration to Exchange Server, which allows issues and tickets to be created or updated via email messages. The message syntax is simple enough to be implemented in a simple link or command typed into the email subject, which allows Blackberry® and other mobile device users to submit, close, and approve issues on the go.

The release also includes several other bug fixes and product enhancements which are detailed in the 4.7 Release Notes, and is available for download from support.elsitech.com for all customers with current support agreements.  Questions regarding the release or current support status should be directed to support@elsitech.com or the support line at 866.866.0034.

An IssueNet system is very accessible. Options such as a full .NET API and a SOAP API provide limitless integration options for those with the time and expertise. However, a quick-and-dirty option is often preferable. With the absence of an industry standard .NET scripting platform and the general inflexibility of a command line interface, another option is needed. This is where the IssueNet tasks for MSBuild come in. Don't let the name fool you-- MSBuild is as useful for common scripting as it is for building projects.

MSBuild tasks are compiled in .NET dlls, then configured in XML project files, and can be executed from the command line. Standard tasks include Touch, MakeDir, and FindUnderPath. 3rd parties have implemented task libraries with functionality ranging from file access to XML manipulation. IssueNet tasks include the following:

• ExecuteIssueNetQuery - Execute a stored query in an IssueNet system. The results will populate an MSBuild item.
• CreateIssueNetObjects - Creates one or more objects in an IssueNet system. The objects are passed in as MSBuild items.
• UpdateIssueNetObjects - Updates one or more objects in an IssueNet system. The objects are passed in as MSBuild items.
• LinkIssueNetObjects - Links together two objects in an IssueNet system.
• TransitionIssueNetTasks - Transitions one or more tasks in an IssueNet system. The objects are passed in as MSBuild items.

These tasks accomplish 90% of what our customers are doing with the full API, and getting up and running is a bit simpler.  The following MSBuild project file executes a query in order to transition tasks:

   1:  <Project xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/developer/msbuild/2003">

   2:      <UsingTask TaskName="Elsinore.Engine.MSBuild.Tasks.ExecuteIssueNetQuery" AssemblyFile="Elsinore.MSBuild.dll" />

   3:      <UsingTask TaskName="Elsinore.Engine.MSBuild.Tasks.TransitionIssueNetTasks" AssemblyFile="Elsinore.MSBuild.dll" />

   4:   

   5:      <Target>

   6:          <ExecuteIssueNetQuery ConnectionName="$(IssueNetConnectionName)" UserID="$(IssueNetUserID)" Password="$(IssueNetPassword)" QueryName="MyTaskQuery">

   7:              <Output TaskParameter="Results" ItemName="QueryResults" />

   8:          </ExecuteIssueNetQuery>

   9:   

  10:          <TransitionIssueNetTasks ConnectionName="$(IssueNetConnectionName)" UserID="$(IssueNetUserID)" Password="$(IssueNetPassword)" Objects="@(QueryResults)" TransitionName="Start" />

  11:      </Target>

  12:  </Project>

The following occurs in the execution of this file:

• Line 1 is the standard outer Project tag for an MSBuild project file.
• Lines 2 and 3 declare that we are using two tasks from the IssueNet library, ExecuteIssueNetQuery and TransitionIssueNetTasks.
• Line 5 delimits the beginning of our target. This file only has one target. However, MSBuild allows multiple targets to be defined and selectively evaluated.
• Line 6 executes a query named "MyTaskQuery" and Line 7 stores the results in an item "QueryResults".
• Line 10 executes a transition "Start" on each task in "QueryResults".

We've even released a MSBuild HTTP Gateway for those adventurous enough to expose the functionality over the web.  If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments.

Jake Morgan has submitted a great article to Codeproject.com on the creation and use of an ASP.NET Dynamic Gradient Handler. We use this on our own site to dynamically create and adjust the background.

From the article:

Gradients are an essential tool for any serious graphic designer. Disciplined use of gradients can provide a simple professional touch to virtually any graphical layout. However, HTML and CSS provide no intrinsic support for gradients. Generally a tool such as Photoshop is used to save a static image file that is then tiled as a background. While this approach is effective, it can be tedious and inflexible because it requires an additional tool to manage the images. The GradientHandler can eliminate needless steps when dealing with simple linear gradients. Gradients are defined with URL parameters leading to a much more manageable code base.

Visit codeproject.com for the full article with sample code. A demonstration page for the gradient handler concept is active on elsitech.com.