[CLZ News] Transfer Field Data, CLZ Music 6.4 and multiple Connect updates

This is CLZ Alwin, with the August 2021 edition of the CLZ Newsletter.
As promised in my “What’s cooking?” edition last month, there have been lots of releases in August, for the mobile apps, for Windows and several small updates for the Connect web-based software.

Here’s an overview of the August releases:

• For all “Collector” Windows programs:
  • v21.3: New Transfer Field Data tool: copy field values from one field to another
• For the “CLZ” mobile apps:
  • CLZ Music v6.4: Lots of new database field
  • Coming up for all 5: Duplicate, Clear Cloud and “Shake to Shuffle”
• For the “Connect” web-based software:
  • Collection Status filter
  • Update from Core
  • Movie Connect: Set Box Set Covers
  • Coming up: more Field Default options, better UI for Columns/Sorting

For all Windows programs: new “Transfer Field Data” tool

Big v21.3 updates for all Windows programs this month, in which we introduced a new feature called “Transfer Field Data” (under Tools / Maintenance). With this tool, you can copy field values from one field to another, for all your database entries in one go.

This new feature can be very useful, e.g. to move data from User Defined Fields to Tags or Notes or other built-in fields, so that you can finally sync that data to the CLZ Cloud and your CLZ mobile app.

As you can see from the screenshots (links below), it has a deceptively simple UI (just select the From and To fields). However, the internal workings are very complex, especially regarding the copying of field values between fields of different data types (e.g. how to go from a UDF checkbox field to the built in multi-value Tags field).

A preview at the bottom lets you preview the transfer action before Apply-ing it. Also, to be extra safe, the program makes an automatic pre-transfer backup in your Backup folder.

Screenshots: Movie Collector / Book Collector / Music Collector / Comic Collector / Game Collector

Important: To upgrade to version 21.3, you need an active subscription.
Need to renew? Just login to the CLZ Shop Bundles page here, select what you need, and proceed to checkout.

CLZ Music 6.4 for iOS and Android: lots of new database fields

This may be the biggest CLZ Music update ever, with LOTS of new album fields being added in one go!
Musicians, Credits, Headers in track lists, Composition, Chorus, web-site links, and more!

And of course, all new fields fully sync to and from the CLZ Cloud, the Music Connect web-based software and the Music Collector software for Windows.
IMPORTANT: If you are syncing between the Music Collector for Windows software and the CLZ Music mobile app, you need Music Collector 21.2 or higher!!!

These are all the new fields that have been added:

• Headers in track lists! E.g. use “Side A” / “Side B” headers for vinyl.
• Musicians, with their instruments.
• Credits (Producers, Engineers and Songwriters)
• Storage Device and Slot (at disc level)
• Box Sets (including barcode, release date and custom box set images!)
• Subtitle
• SPARS code
• Composition
• Chorus
• Website links

Full CLZ Music 6.4 details and screenshots: for iOS / for Android

Coming up for all CLZ mobile apps: Duplicate, Clear Cloud and “Shake to Shuffle”

With the big CLZ Music 6.4 project out of the way, our mobile app developers Pim and Bernard have already started on the next updates, this time for all 5 mobile apps (for music, movies, books, comics and video games).

We are planning to release these updates within 4 weeks, with the following new features:

• a new “Duplicate” tool, for making a full copy an existing item in your database.
• a “Clear Cloud” button in the Sync screen, for resetting your CLZ Cloud, without needing to log in to the CLZ Cloud site and clearing from there.
• a new “Shake to Shuffle” feature, shake your phone to select a random item from your database.
• for CLZ Movies: set your own Box Set cover images and sync ’em to CLZ Cloud
• for CLZ Movies/Comics/Games: add web-site links to your entries
• for CLZ Movies/Music/Books: choose the currency for displaying prices/values

Connect: Collection Status filter

The Collection Status filter on the top left is a quick and easy way to show ALL database entries, or just those in Collection, OR just those on your wish list.
However, the Collection Status field has more options than that, like “For Sale” and “On Order”. So we added those to the filter button, so that you can quickly filter on those status values too.

Connect: Update from Core

Update from Core is a new tool for updating the entries in your database with possible new and/or corrected data from our Core central online database. By default, it only adds new data into fields that were still empty on your side.

The Update from Core settings screen, lets you change that behaviour per field, e.g. to “Leave fields as is” OR to always “Replace current data”.

Movie Connect: set your own Box Set Covers

Box Sets are very popular among Movie Connect users, like boxes with multiple movies or boxes with multiple seasons of TV Series. Our Core online database provides cover images for most box sets, but… sometimes it doesn’t. And up til now there wasn’t anything you could do about that, no method to set your own cover image for the box.

But that has changed today! In the Edit Box Set screen, you can now set your own front and back cover images for your box sets.

(You can get to the Edit Box Set screen from the Manage Pick Lists screen, or just use Box Set folders in the folder panel and use the pencil icons there to go straight to the Edit screen.)

Full details and screenshot of all recent Connect updates:
Movie Connect / Book Connect / Music Connect / Comic Connect / Game Connect

Enjoy and stay safe!