What's new in CLZ Comics? (page 2)
Based on lots of feedback from members of the CLZ Comics group on Facebook, we decided to completely re-design and rewrite the Pull List feature. With this update, the Pull List tab in the Add Comics screen has been expanded into a fully flexible way to browse recent and upcoming comic releases.
Another big update for your CLZ Comics app, in which we introduce a new view for your comic collection. But there’s more:
- Main screen:
- New “Card View”
- Selecting comics now also possible in Card View and Images View
- Floating “Add Comics” button (the big blue “+”) now auto-hides
- Add Comics screen:
- List View is back!
- “Add Manually” is back!
For this update, the main goal was to make the cover images in the Add Comics screen bigger, to make it easier to find the issue or variant that you own.
However, while working on that, we ran into many other things that could be improved, so we figured why not? So in the end, it turned out be a serious overhaul of the Add Comics screen 🙂
Here’s an overview of all the improvements:
- Bigger cover images in the Issue List
- The Issue List for a series now opens in a separate page
- Preview Page now also shows a bigger cover image
- New look or series search results and series search “suggestions box”
- Close the Add Comics screen with “X” top left, no more “double back button” confusion
Initially, when we created the mobile apps, we deliberately decided to leave out the back cover images, for performance, storage and bandwidth reasons. But with today’s fast internet speeds and fast devices with large storage.. it is time to change our minds!
Read more
In this update, no new features, just a nice improvement that makes existing functionality a bit better.
All actions in the app that can take a bit longer are now showing a nice progress bar!
This gives you some idea how long the action will take.
Also, the new Cancel button lets you stop actions, e.g. if you see it will take too long to do at this time.
The new progress bars are now shown when:
- Adding multiple comics
- Editing multiple comics
- Removing multiple comics
- Updating from Core
- Updating key comic information
Fixed for Android:
- App could crash when tapping the Add button in the main screen
We’re on a roll! Today marks the release of CLZ Comics 7.3, with an easier and quicker way of marking Series as Completed.
We introduced the “Completed” toggle back in November 2021. It is used to indicate that a Series is “completed”. Until now, the toggle could only be set one series at a time, using the Edit Series screen.
Today, by popular request, we’re introducing a way to mark multiple Series as Completed in one go! Just select multiple series in the Series list, then choose “Mark as Completed” from the Action button menu.
One of the most popular features we added to the CLZ Comics app in the past few years is the Pre-fill screen. You know, the screen that pops up when adding new comics from Core and lets you “pre-fill” some fields for the new additions, right there and then. Without having to go back and edit the entries afterwards. A big time-saver for most users.
The set of fields that is available on the Pre-fill screen has always been fixed, limited to Storage Box, Owner, Purchase Date/Store/Price, Quantity, Grade, Grading Company and Tags.
However, after the release of this feature, we instantly started getting requests for more fields to be added to the Pre-fill screen. Which makes sense, I mean, if you always fill in a field that is not on the Pre-fill screen, you would have to “edit after adding” anyway, rendering the entire Pre-fill screen useless…
So today we are taking the Pre-fill feature to the next level by making the screen completely user-configurable. That is, to allow you to choose your own Pre-fill fields!
And while we were at it, we made some other related improvements. Here’s what’s new in version 7.2:
- User-configurable Pre-fill screen: choose your own fields
- Pre-fill: new for personal Date fields: Use “Today”
- Pre-fill: new for Purchase Price: Use “Cover Price” minus your discount percentage.
- The Pre-fill screen is now also used to set field defaults
The “Automatic key comic info” feature, introduced early November, has proven to be enormously popular… BUT it is also easily THE most controversial feature that we have ever introduced to any of our software titles!
Most users are loving the extra little trivia about their comics. But others are annoyed by too many comics being “key” for reasons that are not important enough in their opinion.
Soo… let’s see if we can improve this feature, so that we can remove most of the annoyance and make it useful for a larger part of our audience.
Today, we introduce the following improvements to the key comics feature:
- Distinction between Minor Keys (blue icon) and Major Keys (yellow icon).
- New “Key Category” field, automatically delivered from Core, e.g. “First appearance”, “Death”, “Cameo appearance”, “Iconic cover”, etc..
- New “Update Key Info” tool in menu, that is fully configurable (Minor/Major Keys, Allow Overwrite/Clear). No more need to use Update from Core.
- Key icons now also show in issue lists in Add Comics screen.
- New charts in Statistics screen, for Key Comics and Key Category.
A huge 7.0 update for your CLZ Comics apps is now available, with one big new feature (key comic info!), many new fields and several improvements to existing features. All in one go and all based on your feedback!
New today:
- NEW: Automatic key comic information from Core!
- Many new fields (Sold date/price, Series Completed, Slab Cert Nr, Bag/Board date)
- Improved List View entries, showing Key/Slabbed icons and Qty
- Improved Add Comics screen: Show/Hide Variants, enlarge thumbs, new beeps
- Improved “Missing Comics” screen (Show/Hide On Order and Unreleased)
- Use barcode scanner to search your own database
- Your Pull List now syncs between devices and software platforms
- New Collection Status icons and colors
IMPORTANT: For this v7 update, we have changed the database format (because of the new fields), so the first time you start version 7, the app will have to migrate your database to the new format. Depending on the speed of your device and the size of your database, this may take anywhere between 15 seconds and several minutes.
Our agreement with GoCollect has ended, so in this update we have removed all GoCollect-related features.
Which means no more automatic comic values when you add comics and no more daily updates for values.
We fully understand this is a shock and a disappointment for you all. Trust me, we are very disappointed too, maybe even more so than you are. In any case, we sincerely apologize for this sudden loss of functionality.
Our agreement with GoCollect has ended, so in this update we have removed all GoCollect-related features.
Which means no more automatic comic values when you add comics and no more daily updates for values.
We fully understand this is a shock and a disappointment for you all. Trust me, we are very disappointed too, maybe even more so than you are. In any case, we sincerely apologize for this sudden loss of functionality.
v6.8.2: Main screen lists now fully support system font sizes
New:
Main screen lists now fully support system font sizes, that is, the list rows now automatically become bigger/higher if you have set your device to a larger font size. (previously, some information would be cropped)
Read more
Now available in the App Store, version 6.8 for CLZ Comics. In this update, we finally bring the Submit to Core feature to the mobile app, so that you can help improve the Core online comic database, by submitting your corrections.
Also new in this update: Select Mode is now easier to activate and the Action menu has a new look.
Enjoy!
Now available in the Play Store, version 6.8 for CLZ Comics. In this update, we finally bring the Submit to Core feature to the mobile app, so that you can help improve the Core online comic database, by submitting your corrections.
Also new in this update: Select Mode is now easier to activate and the Action menu has a new look.
Enjoy!
v6.7: Duplicate / Clear Cloud / Shake to Shuffle / Web-links
It’s been a while since the last CLZ Comics update, as our entire mobile team has been working on a big update of our CLZ Music app (the one for CDs and vinyl records).
But we’re back at it for the other CLZ mobile apps, with 4 new features in one go!
- a new “Duplicate Comic” tool, for making a full copy an existing comic in your database.
- a new “Clear Cloud” button in the Sync screen, for resetting your CLZ Cloud
- a new “Shake to Shuffle” feature, for selecting a random comic
- a new Links tab in the Edit Comic screen, for adding web-links to your comic entries
It’s been a while since the last CLZ Comics update, as our entire mobile team has been working on a big update of our CLZ Music app (the one for CDs and vinyl records).
But we’re back at it for the other CLZ mobile apps, with 4 new features in one go!
- a new “Duplicate Comic” tool, for making a full copy an existing comic in your database.
- a new “Clear Cloud” button in the Sync screen, for resetting your CLZ Cloud
- a new “Shake to Shuffle” feature, for selecting a random comic
- a new Links tab in the Edit Comic screen, for adding web-links to your comic entries
Instead of adding more new features, we decided to take a few weeks to work on the look and feel of the app.
In this 6.6 update, we improved the look and layout of the issue list and of the comic details pages, in both the main screen and the Add screen preview.
On top of that, we finally acted upon a common request from our users: you can now change the size of the thumbnails in the Images View.
Instead of adding more new features, we decided to take a few weeks to work on the look and feel of the app.
In this 6.6 update, we improved the look and layout of the issue list and of the comic details pages, in both the main screen and the Add screen preview.
On top of that, we finally acted upon a common request from our users: you can now change the size of the thumbnails in the Images View.
This one is for our non-US users of the CLZ Comics app!
Now download GoCollect values in currencies other than USD!
Use the Settings screen (from the menu top left) to select your preferred currency for the comic value, cover price and purchase price fields.
Choose from USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, CHF, NOK, SEK or DKK.
Then run Update Values again to retrieve GoCollect values automatically converted to your selected currency, using the current exchange rate.
Fixed:
- Series cell “have summary” would display all comics for all your collections, instead of just the selected collection
- Series cell “have summary” wasn’t displayed at all when filtering on Wish List
- iPad only: sync screen would automatically close after syncing
This one is for our non-US users of the CLZ Comics app!
Now download GoCollect values in currencies other than USD!
Use the Settings screen (from the menu top left) to select your preferred currency for the comic value, cover price and purchase price fields.
Choose from USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, AUD, NZD, CHF, NOK, SEK or DKK.
Then run Update Values again to retrieve GoCollect values automatically converted to your selected currency, using the current exchange rate.
Now available in the iOS App Store and Android Play Store: CLZ Comics version 6.4. In which we enhanced the Add Comics screen with a new time-saving feature: the Pull List tab
The Pull List tab is where you can track your favorite ongoing series.
To add a series to your Pull List tab:
- find it in the Series tab
- expand the entry to show the issue list
- then tap the Pull List “star” icon at the top
After marking your pull list series, use the Pull List tab to:
- easily find recent releases, so that you can add them to your collection
- discover upcoming releases, for adding to your wish list
IMPORTANT: “Pull List” is a premium online service, which requires an active subscription! In other words, if you are still in the grandfathered “Unlocked” status, you will have to subscribe before you can use this new service. To do so, just tap the App Status line in the menu.
Now available in the iOS App Store and Android Play Store: CLZ Comics version 6.4. In which we enhanced the Add Comics screen with a new time-saving feature: the Pull List tab
The Pull List tab is where you can track your favorite ongoing series.
To add a series to your Pull List tab:
- find it in the Series tab
- expand the entry to show the issue list
- then tap the Pull List “heart” icon at the top
After marking your pull list series, use the Pull List tab to:
- easily find recent releases, so that you can add them to your collection
- discover upcoming releases, for adding to your wish list
IMPORTANT: “Pull List” is a premium online service, which requires an active subscription! In other words, if you are still in the grandfathered “Unlocked” status, you will have to subscribe before you can use this new service. To do so, just tap the App Status line in the menu.
A big update for your CLZ app today. Instead of bringing one big new feature, we decided to work on multiple areas that could be improved, all of them based on the feedback we received from you all. Thanks for that!
Add Comics by Series: New “Select All” checkbox
By popular demand: in the Add Comics screen, on the By Series tab right above the Issue List, we have added an new “Select All” checkbox, for easily selecting ALL issues in the series!
Collection Status filter
The 2nd button from the top right (next to the search button) is the Collection Status filter. Previously, it allowed you to filter by All, Collection or Wish List, but with this update, we added all collection status option there as filters, including On order and For Sale.
Also, the button will now be highlighted in yellow when a filter is active, that is, when it is set to anything other than “All”.
Re-designed toolbars at the top
The toolbars at the top have been re-designed, mainly to make the interactive elements stand out more as actual “buttons”.
(Especially the folder icon on the left was something that was often overlooked as something you could tap on. Hopefully this re-design will help to let more users find the most powerful feature of the app 🙂 )
New sort and display options in Settings
For Series:
- Ignore Series Sort Names when sorting by Series
- Show Series Sort Names instead of Series Display Name
For Creators:
- Ignore Sort Names when sorting by Creators
- Show Sort Names instead of display names for Creators
Improved Statistics screen
The Statistics screen has been updated with:
- More database totals at the top (signed comics, key comics, purchase price)
- More charts (by Publisher, by Grade, by Year, by Creator, by Character, Purchase Price by Series)
- A new: “tap to show all” option to enlarge charts and see ALL entries
A big update for your CLZ app today. Instead of bringing one big new feature, we decided to work on multiple areas that could be improved, all of them based on the feedback we received from you all. Thanks for that!
Add Comics by Series: New “Select All” checkbox
By popular demand: in the Add Comics screen, on the By Series tab right above the Issue List, we have added an new “Select All” checkbox, for easily selecting ALL issues in the series!
Collection Status filter
The 2nd button from the top right (next to the search button) is the Collection Status filter. Previously, it allowed you to filter by All, Collection or Wish List, but with this update, we added all collection status option there as filters, including On order and For Sale.
Also, the button will now be highlighted in yellow when a filter is active, that is, when it is set to anything other than “All”.
Re-designed toolbars at the top
The toolbars at the top have been re-designed, mainly to make the interactive elements stand out more as actual “buttons”.
(Especially the folder icon on the left was something that was often overlooked as something you could tap on. Hopefully this re-design will help to let more users find the most powerful feature of the app 🙂 )
New sort and display options in Settings
For Series:
- Ignore Series Sort Names when sorting by Series
- Show Series Sort Names instead of Series Display Name
For Creators:
- Ignore Sort Names when sorting by Creators
- Show Sort Names instead of display names for Creators
Improved Statistics screen
The Statistics screen has been updated with:
- More database totals at the top (signed comics, key comics, purchase price)
- More charts (by Publisher, by Grade, by Year, by Creator, by Character, Purchase Price by Series)
- A new: “tap to show all” option to enlarge charts and see ALL entries
Today we are responding to a request that we have been hearing from many years:
Is there any way I can find which comics I am MISSING for my series
Definitely not an easy feature to implement, because the first question immediately is “what about variants?”. If you own issue 13A, do you regard issue 13B, 13C and 13D as missing or not?
So our UI/US designers AJ and I (Alwin) sat down to design a flexible “Missing Comics” screen that gives you full flexibility to conjure up the missing comics list you are looking for.
Based on our ideas, web-developer Sven created a super-fast search engine on our servers, that can instantly return issue number lists for any series. Still not sure how he made it this fast, but you’ll definitely love the speed of this tool.
Then after that, our mobile developers Pim and Bernard created the new Missing Comics tool that you can now find in the menu of version 6.2. Alternatively, open it from the new “Find missing comics” link under the Have/Want list at the top of your issue list.
Use the pencil icon at the top left to change settings, that is:
- Show or Hide missing variants.
- Switch between a compact list and a verbose list. (the compact view lists missing comics in “ranges”.)
- Order the missing issue lists in Ascending or Descending order.
Use the toggle on the top right to sort the series list alphabetically or by the number of comics that are missing.
New “Find Missing Comics” link in the Collection / Wish List summary panel:
Note: Missing Comics is premium online service, which requires a subscription!