I usually don’t blog about the stuff we are working on, but I’ll make an exception today. Each of these things are exciting for various reason… and I I expect to see most of them released in the next four weeks (or earlier, depending on how they pass through QA).
Custom Fields Major Enhancement: Data Types
Sounds jargony, right? Here’s the result: when we allow you to put a data type on a custom field (or user defined field) that you create, you can do more with your data. For example, right now we don’t have an explicit type (so it’s just a default type)… you can put whatever you want in any custom field. But it’s hard for us to order, or sort, that data. Why? Normal ordering is based on numeric or alphabetical values… A, then B, then C, etc. But, when it comes to numbers, sometimes 10 comes before 2, and when it comes to time, 61 seconds is not the same as 1 minute and 1 second (as far as ordering goes). Sure, we could write all kinds of logic to figure out all the different ways to order and sort non-(data-)typed data, but the right answer is to allow YOU to say “this is a date,” or “this is a phone number,” etc.
This project is massive as it touches a lot of different parts of JibberJobber: The add/edit pages (of Contacts, Companies, Jobs), the List Panels, the Detail Pages, etc. And, because those pages have grown in features (like, in-line editing on the List Panels), there are a lot of places we need to touch.
Okay, that is my technical definition… trust me, this is going to allow you to do more with your data. This is almost ready for QA to test (or, as I say, beat up :))
Jobs Browser Plugin
It was finally the right time to have a developer to focus on a browser plugin that allows you to push a button and pull a job into JibberJobber. You can imagine this isn’t super simple… the formatting of a job on different websites is different enough that the logic is pretty complex.
But, we want to make it easier to get data into JibberJobber, and everyone likes the concept of one button to pull in a lot of data. Phase I of this project is in testing right now.
Coach Dashboard Gets Cleaner
Did you know that career coaches have access to a Coach Dashboard that allows them to interface and interact with their clients? We’re giving this feature, which we’ve had in the system for over ten years, a much needed face-lift and enhancement. The first step is to clean up the language and modernize what this looks like. Then, the plan is to make the features for coaches richer, and more useful, so that they can have better communication and interaction with their clients.
New Logged-out Interface
It’s time to, again, simplify and clean up JibberJobber’s front page when you are logged out. We want to reduce the noise and make the page faster to load. This cleaning should help JibberJobber continue to grow for years to come.
There’s more we have in the works… any requests?