Next Tuesday AMTS will release an update to AMTS.Cattle.Pro that we are all quite excited about. This is the first major update since we switched to the on-line registration system last Fall. We are all very excited; some of the changes are VERY big and some are a response to user requests (keep pestering Lynn for functionality changes). This release is also the first in which we have had the fresh eyes and brain of Sam making suggestions and testing. We think you will really like the changes. Here is a quick preview:
Vijay spent some time reworking the Settings screen to improve the organization and logic of the choices. Over many past updates and releases some of the Settings choices had become hodge-podge and disorganized. The Misc tab had become like the catch-all drawer in the kitchen–you know the one.
Now, in various screens, when you want to reorganize items (feeds, rations, cattle, barns/lots, etc), you can use the “Up To” option. Handy for when you have a long list of items and you want to change the order of just a few. You click the desired order “Up-To” the position you care about, then the rest will fall into the same order below the Up-To item. Easier to see than explain–it’s nifty.
Oh! And did you notice I said reorganize Barns/Lots? After 6 years browbeating Vijay and explaining in nearly every training that Location does not mean group, it means where are the cows housed, we changed the label to Barns/Lots. NO big deal–took me all day to re-shoot the pictures for the manual, but proves we listen! Next up–Composites (baby steps).
And the REALLY BIG CHANGE. We have a new advanced optimizer. It is lovely, you are going to like it; it is the best optimizer, ever. The updated Advanced Optimizer is a genetic algorithm that essentially “breeds” at better ration. It is easy to set up, you can control the search intensity, and, depending on how you have set up sensitivity and constraints, put out very quick results. Sam and Vijay have tested, critiqued, tested the modifications, and given their approval to the version that will be released. Sam and I have created an equally lovely video that walks you through, not only the new optimizer, but some optimizer strategies.
There are a couple of other neat changes and some bug fixes. As always, make sure you watch the start-up pdf after you download the update; it provides basic functionality teaching and references about where to go in the manual for more information.