What's new in CLZ Books for iOS? (page 2)

It’s finally here: CLZ Books 5.0 for iOS! With support for multiple collections, automatic syncing of your own images, plus a re-designed top bar and menu.

On top of that, (and the main reason why it took so long):

* Starting with v5, CLZ Books is now a subscription app!

Read on below to find out how that affects you (hint: it doesn’t!).

What’s new in CLZ Books 5.0 ?

CLZ Books is now a subscription app, costing $1.49/month

To allow us to keep delivering our CLZ online services (CLZ Cloud and CLZ Core) and our continuous updates to the app, the app has now become a subscription app. For new users, this subscription gives them access to the CLZ online services:

• CLZ Core: for adding books by ISBN or author/title
• CLZ Cloud: for online backups and syncing between devices.

IMPORTANT: Of course, since you have purchased the app earlier, you have automatically received a life-time “Basic”-level subscription, which gives you access to your existing CLZ Core and CLZ Cloud services. You do not need to pay for a subscription!
In other words, the app now being a subscription app has no effect on you whatsoever!
If you still see any “unlock” problems with your app, please CONTACT US here and we’ll get it resolved ASAP.

Please note: We may introduce new “premium” CLZ services to the CLZ Books app later, which are not part of your free life-time “Basic” subscription. At that time, if you want to use the new services, you will be able to optionally upgrade to a “Premium” subscription.

Now supports and syncs multiple collections !

It is now possible to manage multiple “collections” within your app. The collections you create will be listed in the main menu, so you can easily switch between them.
Use the menu to add new collections, edit their names, change the order, etc…

Multiple collections now also sync through the CLZ Cloud, e.g. to/from the Book Connect cloud-based software or the Book Collector desktop software. So if you have created multiple collections on the desktop side, these will now finally be separated on the mobile app too!

Already have multiple collections in the CLZ Cloud?

If you already have multiple collections in the CLZ Cloud, here’s what to do to get your existing entries split up into multiple collections on your mobile app too:

1. Tap the menu top left
2. Tap “Sync with CLZ Cloud” and make sure you’re in sync.
3. Tap the menu top left again and tap “Maintenance”
4. Tap “Update all from CLZ Cloud”
5. Now use “Sync with CLZ Cloud” from the menu again.

Automatic cloud-syncing of your own “custom” images

Before v5, if you replaced the automatic Core front cover with your own image (e.g. from Camera Roll), it would not automatically sync to the CLZ Cloud. You had to “force” the upload by using Upload to CLZ Cloud in the Edit screen.

For version 5 we made this more automatic. We introduced a new toggle “Custom Image” in the Edit screen. This toggle will be automatically set when you replace the Core image. Once the Custom Image toggle is set, that cover will automatically sync to and from the CLZ Cloud.

Re-designed top-bar

• The menu icon now includes the “CLZ Books” mark (bigger tap area)
• The “Collection Status” filter button has been moved to the right

Re-designed main menu

• The menu now clearly shows your Account and Subscription Status at the top. Tap either of those to manage them.
• New “Maintenance” screen that now contains:
  • the “Clear Database” option
  • the “old Import from Book Collector” option
  • the new “Update from CLZ Cloud” option (only use when instructed by support staff)

How to update your CLZ Books app to version 5:

• On your device, open the App Store app.
• On the bottom, switch to the Updates tab.
• Find the CLZ Book entry and tap “UPDATE” on the right.
  TIP: if you don’t see the CLZ Books update yet, pull down to refresh!

New:

• The resizable panels in the add screen now have the same design as the ones in the main screen.

Fixed:

• iPad: Wrong initial panel layout in the main screen when the app is started in landscape mode.

A useful update of your app today, that is, if you are using the app on an iPad:

All panels in the main screen (folders, list and details) are now resizable using draggable separators between the panels, so that you can customize the layout to your own liking.

New: Redesigned app icon

We designed new icons that give new users a better indication of what the app actually does (as opposed to just a different color CLZ logo), but still obviously belong together, when shown together.

Fixed:

• List did not scroll to top when the status bar was tapped

Secure HTTPS connections, for your security and privacy

As indicated in our recent GDPR email, we are updating our software and services, to be more secure and to better protect your privacy.

Starting with version 4.11, CLZ Books now uses secure HTTPS connections for all communications with our servers:

• for logging in with your username and password
• for syncing your data with CLZ Cloud
• for sending your searches to Core.

To make this possible, we have created new secure “entry points” on our servers, that are only allowing secure HTTPS connections. The new CLZ Books app only communicates with those secure entry points.

For your privacy and security, we strongly recommend updating your app to v4.11.

Changes:

• The buttons to switch folders, sorting and view options have been moved to more logical places to make them more accessible.
• The skins and templates options have been moved to the settings screen.
• The selection mode button has been removed, just tap and hold on an item to start selecting items.

Fixed:

• Last update made some settings disappear in the settings screen. They are back now.
• Added bottom margin to the add auto screen on iPhone X to make the add button more reachable
• The sync screen wasn’t logging local deletes.

Great news for all users of our book database solutions, on any version (old or new), on any platform (Connect, Windows, Mac, iOS and Android):

Our Core online book database now recognizes 97% of all ISBNs searched!

In the past few weeks, our web-developers have been working on several improvements to our Core online book database system, which has increased the success rate for ISBN searches to 97 percent!

Basically, this means that on average, for every 100 ISBNs you scan into the Add Books screen, our Core online book database will recognize 97, leaving only 3 as “unrecognized”.
(in the past, the success rate has always been around 89% to 90%.)

Note that this 97% is a world-wide average, over all users from all countries.

For US and UK books, the results are even better, at 99%. In other countries, the hit-rate will be slightly below 97%. But for everyone, it will definitely be better than before!

How can you start enjoying the improved ISBN searches?

The above is a “server-side” change, so you don’t need to do anything 🙂

You can now instantly experience the benefits, in the Book Connect web-based software, the Book Collector desktop software (Windows or Mac) and the CLZ Books mobile app (iOS or Android).

Whatever version you have! No update needed, no payment needed!

New for the Add Books screen:

• Add button is now bigger and easier to spot (some new users missed the little round “+”).
• Add button now “remembers” your collection vs. wish list selection. No need to pick from the Collection/Wish List popup menu every time you add anymore.

Fixed:

• Crash when sorting on Index field when a book didn’t have an index value.
• Already added barcode results could reappear in the ‘add by barcode’ queue.
• Adding a book would clear the collection status filter in the main screen.
• The sorting option screen would sometimes not fully show the chosen sort option when opened.
• iPad: Main screen: the details view did not refresh after changing the details template.
• iPad: Main screen: the ‘edit my rating’ pop up was rotated when in landscape mode.

We’ve added new fields to sort on to change the order in which your books are displayed in your list. Your book list will adapt to sort and show the field you’re sorting on. On top of that we’ve redesigned the Select Sort Order screen to make it more clear what you’re choosing.

Open the Select Sort Order screen by tapping the menu top right, then tap “Sort order”.

All available sort fields:

• Author
• Title
• Publication Date
• Number of Pages (New!)
• Order of Entry (New!)
• Index
• Reading Date (New!)
• My Rating (New!)
• Purchase Date (New!)
• Purchase Price (New!)
• Current Value (New!)
• Quantity (New!)
• Dewey (New!)
• LoC Classification (New!)
• Series / Volume (New!)
• Series / Issue (New!)

All fields can be sorted either ascending or descending. Tap the field you wish to sort on, then tap “Apply” to confirm.

What’s new in the Add Books screen?

• Single Search Box: Just one box for search (e.g. like Google or Amazon). No more separate Author and Title boxes. Just enter (part of) the author’s name and (part of) the title and you will get the best matching results. (see the screen shot below with “crichton jurassic” results”).

• Search by Publisher and Year: Getting a lot of results? Filter down to the book edition you’re looking for by adding the publisher and/or publication year to your search! (see screen shot below)

Quick Search: Search-As-You-Type suggestions

Instantly find and select a particular book in your local database:

• In the Quick Search box, just start typing the first few letters of the author or title you are looking for.
• While typing, a drop-down list will appear, showing the first five matching books.
  (for most books, it only takes 2 or 3 letters before it shows up.)
• Once you see the book you were looking for, tap it to bring up its detail page
• TIP: Tap the search button on the keyboard or tap “View All Results” to perform the normal search.

Quick Search now searches more fields

Now also searches in:

• Subtitle
• Series
• LoC Classification
• LoC Control Nr
• Dewey
• Plot
• Tags
• Notes

Full list of fields that are now searched:

• Title
• Author
• ISBN
• Publisher
• Subtitle
• Series
• LoC Classification
• LoC Control Nr
• Dewey
• Plot
• Tags
• Notes

Fixed:

• Faster loading of details screen.
• Crash within a few seconds of opening the app.
• Crash when pressing ‘Change account info’ in the sync screen.

A new v4.8.1 update for your app is available now, with:

Automatic CLZ Cloud syncing

Add or edit books and your changes will auto-upload to the CLZ Cloud instantly.
Made changes on the desktop or Connect side? Just start the app and changes will download automatically.

Note: Auto-Syncing is switched OFF by default. Switch it ON in the “Sync with CLZ Cloud” screen.

The CLZ Cloud syncing will let you:

1. Sync your data between devices, e.g. between your phone and your tablet. Or from your old phone to your new phone.
2. View your database online using the free CLZ Cloud viewer website.
3. Make an online backup of your data. Better safe than sorry!

New: ‘None’ folder entries

• Added ‘None’ entries to list of folders: The [None] folder groups the books you have not set the field for on which you’re currently folder grouping.

Fixed:

• Add Screen: by ISBN: Very long book titles could overflow into the author name.
• Search cleared when the X button was pushed in the search bar of the main screen.

New

• Optimized layout of main screen on 10.5 and 12.9 inch iPads
• Optimized the performance of the main screen thumbnail view
• Fresh placeholder cover images

Fixed

• Black bars showing on 10.5 and 12.9 inch iPads
• Add screen: ISBN button wasn’t working correctly
• Disappearing floating add button when switching from list to thumbnail view

New:

• Redesigned Selection Mode
  • Tap and hold on a book to select it, select as many books as you like (or select all, using the “Select All” top right).
  • Then use the blue action button to perform an action on the selected books (Remove / Update from CLZ Core).

Fixed:

• Crash when saving a cover image to the camera roll
• Odd scrolling behavior when scanning book ISBNs in the barcode scanning screen
• Stuck keyboard after searching in main list
• Autocorrect was enabled for the main list search bar
• Small iOS11-related UI glitches

This update converts your database

In order for this update to work, your database has to be converted once. This happens automatically after starting the app for the first time after updating and can take a couple of minutes depending on the size of your database (amount of books) and the speed of your iPhone or iPad. This could take a couple of minutes on slower devices or with very large databases (5000 or more books).

New:

• CLZ Cloud syncing: Added loan fields to the sync.
• Edit Book: Autocorrect now works on the plot and notes fields.
• New folder option: You can now group your books by reading year. To do this, tap the menu button top right, then “Folders”, then tap “Reading Year”.

Coming up:

• A loan manager to loan and return books.

New:

• Add Books from CLZ Core: New skinned preview templates.
• After adding/editing a book, the app will now always find and show your last added book in your main screen.
• If you log in to your CLZ Account on a new or empty device, the app will now ask you if you wish to download your books from CLZ Cloud.
• Added skinning to Sign up/Log in/In App Purchase screens.

Fixed:

• After each CLZ Cloud sync the “Quick Search” and “Collection Status Filter” was cleared.
• When a custom cover was downloaded via CLZ Cloud syncing, the thumbnail in the list wasn’t immediately updated.
• When a book was removed, the list would scroll back to the top.
• Various skinning, layout and color fixes.

New in 4.5.2:

• New Details View templates which are easier on the eye:
  • Clear Light template
  • Clear Dark template
• Changed layout in some templates (repositioned “Subtitle” to make more room for “Title”).

Fixed:

• The last book in a list could not be selected.
• Covers were not updated in the main list after editing a book.
• Login now does a receipt check.
• “Change Template” button moved to right sidebar in the main screen.
• Better thumbnail layout in Landscape Mode.
• After closing the add books automatically screen, it now selects the latest added book.
• After syncing “collection status” no longer reverts to “all”.
• Improved “tap” area of hamburger menu so you can back out of a folder more easily.

A huge v4.5 update for the CLZ Books app is now available.

And prepare to be shocked 🙂 (in a good way, don’t worry):
The app looks completely different now, with a cleaner brighter look and an improved user interface.

What’s new in CLZ Books 4.5 for iOS?

• A completely new look, that is cleaner and brighter.
• The choice between two skins/themes: Light & Dark.
• No bottom toolbar means more screen space for your book collection.
• Big floating blue ‘+’ button on bottom right for adding new books.
• Access all other features and tools from ‘hamburger’ menu top left.
• Access all view settings from menu on top right.
• Quickly switch between All / In Collection / Wish List at the top.

How to update your CLZ Books app to version 4.5:

• On your device, open the App Store app.
• On the bottom, switch to the Updates tab.
• Find the CLZ Books entry and tap “UPDATE” on the right.

Do you like the new look?
Then please let the world know by posting a nice review in the App Store!

New:

• Redesigned missing ISBN screen with additional fields

Fixed:

• Edit buttons missing for manage pick list fields in the edit screen

New:

• Edit screen with tabs (main details/personal details)
• Added folder options: country, store
• Main list
  • Scroll position now remembered after editing/removing a book
  • Now updates live after editing a book
• Added a ‘show all’ folder item in empty folders on tablet devices
• Added collection status folders

Fixed:

• Fixed list view section headers stopping at X
• Crash in the in-app-purchase screen
• App freezing when entering a 20 character password in the login screen
• Manage Pick Lists:
  • Wrong sorting of numeric values
  • Crash when adding an empty item
  • Issue renaming an item with 1 letter only
• Fixed database limit message appearing in the old desktop sync when the limit was between 100 and unlimited

A huge v4.3 update for your CLZ Books mobile app for iOS is now available.

In this update, we completely re-designed the Add Book screen, to make it clearer, easier-to-use and to help you add books more efficiently.

New: Re-designed Add Books screen

• Switch between By Author/Title and By ISBN modes using tabs at the top
  (Add Manually is now a separate screen, under Tools menu)
• All panels are now resizable (list, details, camera)
• Add button is now at bottom right (blue circle with “+” icon)
• Adding By ISBN:
  • Camera scanner is now integrated in Add screen, not a separate screen
  • Tap the keyboard icon in the camera panel to enter an ISBN manually
  • Delete ISBN from queue by swiping from right to left
  • ISBN queue is now remembered between sessions

New: Easily add books that come up as “Unrecognized ISBN”:

• When an ISBN is not recognized, a new “Unrecognized ISBN” screen will appear.
• In this screen, just type the Author and the Title, then click Add Book.
• This will:
  1. Instantly add the ISBN/Author/Title entry to our Core online book database.
  2. Add the book to your own database with ISBN, Author and Title filled in AND linked to the new Core entry.

In other words, this new screen not only helps you in adding unrecognized books, but it also helps your fellow CLZ Books users by adding the missing ISBN to the CLZ Core.

Read more

• New “Manage Pick Lists” screen (under new Tools menu).
  This new screen lets you take control of your pick lists, that is Authors, Publishers, Genres, Subjects, etc… Use it to:
  • Fix typos in names.
  • Remove unused entries.
  • Merge duplicate entries.
  • Edit the SortNames for Authors.
• Edit screen improvements:
  • New “value picker” screen for pick list fields, like Authors, Genres, Subjects, etc… Just tap the field, pick a value from the pick list that appears and done. No more need to type the first few letters of a value (we all hate typing on mobile devices, don’t we?)
  • Tap the pencil icons to directly edit names of pick list entries.
  • Tap the pencil icon for Authors to directly edit Names *and* SortNames.

New:

• Settings / Field Defaults: choose field values that will be set for each new entry automatically.
• Edit screen improvements:
  • Improved layout to make it easier on the eye
  • New “Select Value” screen for easier entry of pick list fields (e.g. Artist, Format, Genre, etc…)
  • Cancel and Done buttons have been moved to the top bar.
  • New Delete button at the bottom.

It’s been a long time in the making, but it’s finally here:
CLZ Books 4.0 for iOS!

Apart from several improvements to the Add Book screen, the 4.0 version contains an important change: CLZ Books for iOS is now free to download
Starting with version 4.0, CLZ Books is free to download and starts with a limit of 100 books.

New: Improved Add Books screen

• Easily switch between Add methods (Author & Title / ISBN / Manual).
• Re-designed search results with included cover images.
• New black style for Preview Screen.
• Add by ISBN now automatically opens Camera Scan screen.
• Larger Camera Scan screen on iPad