New features in ShopList
Version 1.13
This version fixes a bug in AutoList in version 1.12 which could prevent items being correctly listed on the due date. AutoList now takes place at one minute past midnight.
Version 1.12
This version enhances AutoList by using the timer device to perform the automatic listing in the background at midnight. If necessary, the Psion is switched on automatically, and then shut off again immediately to save batteries.
Version 1.11
This significant new release adds AutoList. This new feature automatically adds regularly-purchased items to the shopping list after a user-specified period for each item. To allow this change, the file format has been modified, but a new module automatically upgrades existing list files.
Version 1.10
This version adds handling of cash discounts per item. A couple of
minor points have also been clarified in the Help file.
Version 1.09
"Multibuy" discounts
As well as allowing percentage discounts and markups, the discount mechanism now provides for "multibuy" discounts. You can now buy N items for the price of M, or apply a cash discount to the purchase of N items.
Version 1.08
'Once-only' and 'each-trip' purchases
You can now define categories containing "repeat purchases", "once-only purchases" or "each-trip purchases". "Repeat purchase" categories operate as before, with items in "Pick" being updated at "checkout".
In contrast, items in "once-only" categories are erased from both "Pick" and "Tally" at "checkout". This allows the shopping list to include items like books and videos which you will only buy/rent/borrow once. Suppose that you have a "once-only" category called "Videos". You might put in "Pick" all the videos which you might be interested in buying/renting at some point in the future, transfer one or two to "List/Shop" when you wanted to rent them, and following "checkout" these would be expunged from the list altogether.
Items in "each-trip" categories are added back onto the shopping list on "checkout" ready for the next shopping trip, thereby ensuring that you don't forget to buy them. For example, you might define a category called "Staples" containing such items as bread, milk and other perishables which you buy every week. These would always stay on the shopping list. Items can readily be moved to and from this category by using the "Update item" command (Psion-U).
Default aisles
You can now define a default aisle for each category. For example, you might buy almost all meat products in aisle 1 of your local supermarket, so you would want any new items added to the
"Meat" category to automatically default to that store and aisle. However, you can override these defaults for any particular item if desired when it is originally added or purchased. This feature is also
useful for "once-only" categories, whose items would otherwise never have an aisle.
Alternative way to change category/store
You can now change categories or store, via a dialog box opened by pressing . This allows changes to be made without switching levels: for example you can change the store when in 'List' or change the category when in 'Shop'.
Rapid selection of items
Items in the current category or store can be rapidly selected by pressing the first letter of the item name. This avoids the need to scroll up and down the list with the arrow keys for an item which you know is a couple of pages down!
Automatic checking of file structure
An automatic check of file structure now takes place when a list file is opened. This is implemented as an optional module (SLISTCHK.OPO), which can be omitted to save space if desired. If present, it checks the file for certain illegal constructs (including the results of uncommon bugs in earlier versions which have now been fixed) and repairs them if found. If the module is omitted, then these checks do not take place. Separating the checking and correction module from the main program will allow it to be updated if necessary without updating the main program.
These changes are backwards-compatible with existing .LST files, all of whose categories will initially be set up for "repeat purchases" and contain a null default aisle. However, the default store for existing
categories will default to the first store which you defined, so on upgrading to version 1.08 you should update the properties of each category in turn using "Modify" (Psion-M).
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