Build 3262 - Maintenance

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Update of the 4D database from version 18 to 18.1 LTS

The 4D database, which is the core of timeSensor LEGAL, is being continuously developed. The present build now uses version 18.1 of the database. In multi-user systems, the timeSensor Client is therefore updated when updating to this build. Thanks to various optimizations within the database, the size of the database can be reduced by up to 50% and the working speed can be increased. If you would like to benefit from this, we advise you to reorganize your database.

Over time, databases develop "gaps" (a so-called fragmentation) due to deleted records. This fragmentation has a negative effect on search speed, stability and space consumption. In addition, defective indexes can develop over time due to external disturbances. We therefore recommend having your database reorganized once a year. This service increases the performance and stability of your database. If you have a server maintenance contract, this work is free of charge.

 

Imputation of retainer invoices

The imputation of advance or partial invoices to invoices is now handled by the accounting system. In the case of an imputation, the imputed amount is first cancelled in accounting, as is any existing value-added tax. The liabilities account defined in your chart of accounts is used for this (e.g. 2020 advances from customers or 2440 transitory items). The cancellation is carried out by posting the gross amount in the debit of the revenue account and in the credit of the liability account. After the cancellation transaction, the credited amount is therefore available on the liability account.

Subsequently, the gross amount on the liabilities account is used to balance the invoice.

This detour via the accounting appears more complicated at first glance, but allows complex cases to be depicted:

  • Various revenue accounts may have been posted in the retainer invoice - these are all correctly posted back again.
  • Different tax rates may have been used in the retainer invoice - these are also posted back again at the original rate and, if necessary, are posted again at a new tax rate in the new invoice (if the VAT rate changes)
  • Quota calculations and the module rule-based income distribution are no longer mutually exclusive

These improvements apply to the tax system known as "remuneration collected" (ACTUAL taxation), which is used by most law firms.

Visual refreshments

The user interface of computer programs needs updating from time to time. We have therefore made some discreet refreshes, as we naturally want to keep up with the times visually as well.

 

 

Bug Fixes

About 30 bug fixes and minor improvements complete this maintenance update.

 

 

Build 3211 - Recommended

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Welcome to the timeSensor LEGAL Version 9.0

The development of the operating systems (Windows, macOS) and the 4D database sets the pace for the development of timeSensor LEGAL. After macOS Catalina has kept us busy in the last few months, we have now also completed the change from timeSensor LEGAL to the 4D database 18 LTS. This is the newest version of the 4D database and it brings many new features for the development and a better performance.

For this reason, we at timeSensor LEGAL are now making another version jump from 8.0 to 9.0. Before you install the update, please make sure that your server and workstations meet the system requirements. If necessary, arrange the update of the operating systems with your IT partner.

New "Quick Drop" zone in the Timesheet

The highlight of this update is a new "Quick Drop" zone in the Timesheet. This new feature makes it easier to quickly archive documents or emails into any case. The Quick Drop Zone in Timesheet complements the existing archiving options, such as drag & drop directly into the mandate folder, setting up an email interface or using a drop folder.

And this is how the archiving of documents and e-mails works via the new "Quick Drop" zone:

  1. Select the desired case, either by double-clicking on a case in the Timesheet or by selecting the desired case in the menu below "Current Case".
  2. If you use an archive tab in the selected case, select the desired archive tab.
  3. Drag one or more documents with the mouse to the "Quick Drop" zone, or drag one or more e-mails from Outlook or Apple Mail to the "Quick Drop" zone.

Note: if the timesheet is in the background, give the window some time to come to the foreground during the drop. The timesheet window must have the "focus", otherwise your drop will run into nothing.

After successful dropping, a green check mark is displayed for two seconds and the drop counter is increased by the number of processed documents. In the following example two documents were archived.

If you want to make sure that your documents have been archived correctly, or if you want to add an action, e.g. a reminder, to the archived documents, click once on the drop zone. This causes the case folder of the displayed case to open.

Improvement for 4D Write Pro

The Font Menu of 4D Write Pro now shows the fonts last used in the document, as well as the font styles of each font family as a submenu.

 

 

Improvement in drafts

In the drafts, documents can be exported via the action menu with the command "Save selection to desktop". The following options are available here by pressing additional keys:

  • No additional key: saves 4D Write Pro documents in their native format as .4wp files
  • Alt/Option: saves 4D Write Pro documents as .docx files
  • Shift: asks for the destination for the export

 

Bug Fixes

Various bug fixes and small improvements complete this maintenance update.

 

Build 3090 - Maintenance

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macOS notarization for Catalina

From this build on, timeSensor LEGAL is fully notarized under macOS and therefore compatible with macOS 10.15 Catalina. The notarization is a safety precaution by Apple, which means that software manufacturers must have their software checked and approved by Apple. In addition to timeSensor LEGAL, the database and each PlugIn had to be individually notarized by the respective manufacturer. This process took some time and is now complete.

Bug Fixes

About 15 bug fixes and small improvements complete this maintenance update.

Build 3055 - Recommended

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Welcome to the timeSensor LEGAL Version 8.0

The new version is based on the 4D v17R6 database. Before installing the update, please make sure that your server and workstations meet the system requirements. If necessary, arrange the update of the operating systems with your IT partner.

Switch to 64bit completed

With version 7.0 we had changed the Windows server to 64bit in 2018. With version 8.0 of timeSensor we now complete the switch. All variants (single user, multi-user, Windows, macOS) are now completely converted to 64bit. The software is now ready for the future; 64bit is already mandatory on the new Catalina operating system of macOS.

With 64bit more memory can be addressed than with 32bit. This gives the software more memory for a large cache. Provided your server or computer has enough memory, the 4D database can work faster with more memory, which benefits you as a user.

Note for administrators of macOS servers:

Since the new version can now use the whole address space of the macOS server with 64bit, we recommend to adjust the database cache. This way more data can be kept in the cache and the working speed is improved. To do this, go to the 4D Server's File menu and select "User Data Settings" under "Database Properties". Set the maximum size of the cache to half the available memory. After you have made the setting, you must restart the database server once. If you have any questions or need help in adjusting the cache on your macOS server, please contact our hotline.

 

4D Write Pro

The 4D Write word processing software previously built into timeSensor could no longer be saved to the 64bit world. 4D has therefore developed a completely new word processing software called 4D Write Pro, which is largely compatible with the previous version. All existing templates and documents are automatically converted to the new format when the new version is started. According to our tests, the conversion was very reliable. Either way, you should go through your templates after the update and make sure that the 4D Write documents have been successfully converted to the new format.

These are the highlights of the new version:

  • New, more modern design
  • Easier use of 4D Write expressions in templates
  • Simple conversion of 4D Write documents to .docx

Additional features, such as tables, are planned for future versions of 4D Write Pro.

Drag & Drop with eMails

timeSensor supports the direct drag & drop of eMails from Outlook or Apple Mail into timeSensor. This functionality is very complex and requires the interaction of the operating system, mail client and the timeSensor application.

Drag & Drop with eMails in macOS

Under macOS, you can drag eMails directly from Outlook or Apple Mail into the timeSensor archive. Now timeSensor converts the e-mails directly into PDF format after the drag, but also saves the original eMail file in the background. If you double-click on an eMail imported in this way in the archive, the PDF document opens. If you hold down the Option/Alt key, the original eMail file opens.

Drag & Drop with eMails in Windows

Under Windows, click the new button "Outlook Drop Zone" in the case folder (or dossier) and drag eMails directly from Outlook to the drop zone. The Drop Zone closes automatically after processing. Here too, the eMail is converted into PDF format, but the original eMail file is also retained in the background. If you double-click on an eMail imported in this way in the archive, the PDF document opens. If you hold down the Option/Alt key, the original eMail file opens.

Inbox (mail windows)

For law firms that use the eMail interface, we have completely redesigned the inbox. The assignment of eMails to contacts or customers now takes place in the same window, which speeds up the workflow considerably. The presentation is more informative and the processing is faster and more flexible. Here, too, the following applies: eMails which are picked up by the interface are converted into PDF on the one hand, but on the other hand remain in their original format. If you double click on an eMail imported in this way in the archive, the PDF document opens. If you hold down the Option/Alt key at the same time, the original eMail file opens.
If you organize your documents with archive registers, the question arose in the past in which archive area newly received eMails should be stored. Until now, timeSensor has not assigned the eMail to an archive area and the new eMails appeared at the top of the archive. Now it is possible to define an archive in which the eMails should be stored by default. The automatic selection of an archive area can be activated by entering a keyword. Enter the keyword in the Schemes Editor, i.e. where you manage the archive areas.

Drop folder

For law firms that have set up a drop folder, we have created a separate tab in the inbox called "Drop Folder". This tab logs all files imported via the drop folder. A double click on a document leads directly to the case folder, from where the newly imported document can be further processed or given a deadline.

5. SDI Mode

With this version, the transition from MDI mode to SDI mode takes place under Windows. This means that the unloved "application window", i.e. the grey background, disappears and every window becomes the main window. Therefore each window is assigned its own menu bar. This makes "look & feel" under Windows a little more similar to that under macOS.

Build 2270 - Maintenance

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Enhancements

The following improvements have been made and are implemented with build 2258.

Categories

The address categories in the master data sheet have become more flexible. Previously, a category was only available for a specific address type. Categories for different address types can now be made available. Create the desired category for the address type of your choice and use the selection area to use the category for other address types:

Individual hourly rates

Until now, hourly rates were always mapped using price lists, which in turn were assigned to the desired mandates. This is still the recommended working method. Nevertheless, timeSensor LEGAL now also offers the option of setting individual hourly rates per employee for exceptional cases.

To do this, select the "Individual prices" option in the mandate settings in the small menu to the right of the price lists. Then click on the "Define..." button to enter an hourly rate per person.

Please note that this new option offers even more flexibility, but also requires more maintenance. If you hire new employees, you must maintain the individual prices in each case. Of course, this is not necessary when using price lists.

Copy 'Our reference'

When using the e-mail interface, it is advantageous to list your own file number in the subject or in the text. Thus the email can be assigned by the interface to the correct mandate.

Therefore the new version offers the possibility to copy the file number by right-click. This functions on the one hand in the mandate list and on the other hand in the mandate folder with a right click on the title:

Invoice templates

For invoice templates, it is now possible to use the expression INV_INSERT("lines_otherwise_billed";"services") to call up a list of "otherwise billed" services.

Annual report

Due to great demand, two new expressions were introduced in timeSensor Legal. The expressions are:
ACC_INSERT("dated_services_report") and
ACC_INSERT("dated_invoices_report").
The first printout displays all unbilled services at one time ("Work in progress"), the second printout displays all unpaid invoices at one time.

Two templates with the expressions were created for this purpose, which can be downloaded, unzipped and inserted into the address management templates via drag and drop:

All open services at year-end

All open invoices at year-end

Bug Fixes

About 30 bug fixes and small improvements complete this maintenance update.

Build 2222 - Maintenance

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This is a maintenance update with several small improvements.

Build 2184 - Recommended

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New 4D database version

This build delivers a maintenance update of the 4D database from version 16.3 to 16.4. The database update includes several bug fixes and improves stability and speed.

Calendar

The timeSensor calendar also allows you to display deadlines. Previously, completed deadlines were also displayed. As of this build, for clarity's sake, only open deadlines are displayed.

Invoicing

When creating invoices, timeSensor LEGAL now automatically checks whether the charged hourly rates correspond to the mandate price list. If deviations occur, an appropriate warning is displayed. This avoids customer complaints resulting from incorrectly recorded or charged hourly rates.

Booking payments

A new button in the "Open invoices" list allows you to immediately book one or more invoices that are paid on the same day. Simply select the corresponding invoices and click on the "Quick settlement" button.

timeSensor LEGAL will display the sum of the selected invoices. Now you can enter the corresponding payment and settle all these invoices immediately.

And as always...

Various minor improvements and bug fixes.

Build 2120 - Maintenance

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Improvements in mandate folders

Team Management

In larger law firms, mandates are often handled by entire teams. With timeSensor LEGAL, you can now determine who is responsible for the mandate whenever you like, in the mandate folder. The new "Team" tab displays a clear overview of the employees with key responsibilities (mandate team leader, executor and acquirer) and all employees associated with the mandate. Various features in the mandate folder allow you to start a chat with a team member, call someone or write an e-mail.

Using the Calculator feature (Germany)

If you have a mandate folder open and want a quick way to calculate costs or interest, simply go to the "Calculator" sub-menu of the Tools menu and then select "RVG Calculator" or "Interest Calculator." (RVG = German legal fee regulations)

Drafts

Drafts now also show the author of the last amendment. This allows you to see at a glance who amended the draft, and when.

Improvements in mandate management

Search for related mandates

The "Search for related mandates" feature could not previously be used for client addresses, as the mandates included in the dossier were not included in the search. Client mandates are now also included and the search results are therefore more complete.

Automatic revenue distribution (module)

We have extended the "Automatic revenue distribution" module. Automatic revenue distribution ensures that revenue is distributed among partners and other staff according to certain rules, so that everyone receives the share to which they are entitled. To make this possible, the various payments are booked to the corresponding revenue accounts. The following improvements have been made:

  • The "In Favour" menu now also contains the other staff groups. This allows a benefit to be dependent on whether a person is a member of a specific group (e.g. Partners).
  • A keyword can be stored for each credit item that is displayed when it is booked (e.g. "Partner share"). This makes it easier to identify bookings in accounting.
  • The calculation can be based on either the total fees charged or just individual personal fees.
  • You can now restrict the validity of a rule. For example, acquisition shares could only be owed for two years.
  • The distribution of income is not applied to retainer invoices. Now, however, retainer invoices are allocated as follows:
    • The amount in the general revenue account is reversed.
    • The reversed amount is re-distributed according to the rules for revenue distribution.

Invoicing improvements

Comparison of RVG and hourly fee (Germany)

Occasionally, you might like to make a quick comparison between time-based fees and RVG fees. The new version of timeSensor LEGAL allows you to do this with ease and little effort. Here’s how it works:

  • - Enter the time-based fee as usual in the timesheet; these services are shown with a blue background in the dossier.
  • Enter the RVG services below; these are shown with a white background.

To perform the desired comparison, create a template in the "Mandates" list of the "Finances" section. You can use the appropriate INV_INSERT expressions to output both the hourly fees and the RVG fees, either separately or in total.

To make things easier for you, we have created a sample template. Please proceed as follows to add the sample template to your templates (you will need appropriate access rights):

  • Click here to download the sample template.
  • Unzip the file (if it was not already unzipped automatically during the download process).
  • In the "Finance" section, open the "Mandates" list and click on the printer icon to display the template window.
  • Drag the file "Hourly fee vs RVG.tst" and drop it in the templates window.
  • The sample template can now be used.

Hourly statistics and flat-rate fees

Hourly services that have accumulated in a dossier cannot always be billed. There are two possible scenarios:

  1. Services cannot be invoiced and must be written off, for example because a staff member has not worked efficiently enough and the service cannot be charged to the client.
  2. Hourly fees are compensated in another manner, e.g. as part of a lump sum fee or by invoicing via RVG.

The two cases differ in that in the first case real "non-billable" hours arise that should also appear in the employee's statistics, whereas in the second case, the hours cannot really be regarded as "non-billable", since they have been billed elsewhere.

Previously, it was not possible to distinguish between these two scenarios in timeSensor LEGAL, but that is no longer the case. When services are deleted in a dossier, the following query now appears:

If you choose the option "Services billed elsewhere" for the second scenario described above, the services in the timesheet remain as normal, billable hours, whereas the amount of the services is set to zero, thus ensuring that the employee's hourly statistics are correct. In the employee's timesheet, "Services billed elsewhere" are marked with a special red check mark.

Adjustments in the RVG tariff (Germany)

The "limit" for RVG items 5101, 5103, 5107 and 5109 has been raised from EUR 40.00 to EUR 60.00 (see http://www.burhoff.de/veroeff/aufsatz/VRR_2015_8.htm)

And as always...

Some minor improvements and bug fixes.

Build 2048 - Maintenance

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64-bit Windows Server (multi-user systems)

timeSensor LEGAL 7.0 now uses the 64-bit 4D Server v16.3 under Windows. The main advantage of the 64-bit database is improved performance, due to the ability to address more RAM memory. By using appropriately scaled hardware, several hundred users can be served simultaneously. Although macOS continues to lead the way in terms of stability and economy for law firms with up to 20 workstations, we recommend that firms with more workstations run the 4D Server under Windows. Further information can be found in the white paper "Recommended server configurations" in the Download section.

Certification for macOS 10.13 High Sierra

The 16.3 database is now certified for macOS High Sierra, so timeSensor LEGAL 7.0 can be used without restrictions with High Sierra. The current certification matrix can be found here.

SHA512 support for Starface telephone systems

Starface changed the encryption of passwords from version 6.4.2.19 onwards. timeSensor LEGAL now supports hashing with SHA512 and the telephony interface is now compatible with the latest version of Starface. N.B.: If you are still using an older version of Starface, you should also update your Starface system when updating to this version of timeSensor LEGAL. The new version of timeSensor LEGAL version no longer supports Starface versions older than 6.4.2.19.

Check your data backup!

When updating the database to v16, you need to check whether your backup is being performed correctly (We recommend that you do this at least once a month in any case, but please check again as part of the update). Ensure that the database backup is performed as described in FAQ article B28.

Various bug fixes and minor improvements

The new version includes several minor bug fixes and improvements.

 

Build 2110 – Maintenance

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General information

Over the last few months, we have been working mainly on the conversion of the database from v15 to v16, in order to ensure compatibility with macOS High Sierra, and so that the Windows 64-bit Server could be delivered. These developments have now been largely completed, so that we were once again able to compile a package of interesting improvements for you in this build.

Timesheet improvements

Different-coloured check marks in timesheets

Services recorded in a timesheet that had already been transferred to a dossier were previously shown with a red check mark. It was previously not possible to determine whether the services in question had already been invoiced, or whether they were only available for invoicing in the dossier. Several different colours of check marks are now displayed:

  • A grey check mark means that the service has been transferred to the dossier but has not yet been invoiced.
  • A red check mark means that the service has been transferred to the dossier and has already been invoiced.

The advantage is that you can now see at a glance in a timesheet whether services have been invoiced or not.

Dossier improvements

Different-coloured check marks in dossiers

In dossiers, it was previously not possible to determine whether invoices had been printed or not, or whether they had already been paid. An appropriate icon now appears to the right of the invoice:

  • No icon means that the invoice has not yet been printed (RG 73-00)
  • A grey check mark means that the invoice is still open (RG 39-00)
    • If a reminder needs to be issued for an invoice, the usual reminder status icons are shown.
  • A red check mark means that the invoice has been paid in full (RG 12-00)

The advantage is that you can now see at a glance in a dossier whether the invoice has been printed, and whether it has been paid.

Improvements in the Document Archive

New context menu for attachments

New options are now available when right-clicking on an attachment to a document:

  • Send selected attachments by e-mail: ¥ the e-mail client is started and the selected attachment is added to the e-mail.
    N.B.: If there are several recipients, pressing the Alt (Option) keywill ensure that a separate e-mail is created for each recipient.Otherwise, a single e-mail will be created for all the selected recipients.
  • Send as a ticket: das Dokument wird per Ticket an einen Mitarbeiter versandt. Dies ist ideal, um einem Mitarbeiter direkt eine Aufgabe zu delegieren.
  • New follow-up: a new follow-up is created for the document. The follow-up will then be shown in the "Deadlines / Follow-ups" window. This ensures that no tasks are forgotten.
  • Save selection to desktop: the document and/or the attachment is/are exported to your desktop.
  • Copy selection to drafts: the attachment is copied to Drafts and can be edited there.

Search by ID

The search menu now allows you to search using the unique ID of a document. You will find the ID in the title of the "Info" window of the document. The new search type is particularly useful when creating a ticket or follow-up for a document. The information on the document is stored in the ticket or in the follow-up. If the recipient of the ticket or the follow-up now clicks on the "Open data record" button, the mandate folder is opened and a search for the stored ID is carried out immediately. The advantage is that you always see the relevant document in the mandate folder.

Conversion to PDF when archiving e-mails by drag & drop (Test version)

Previously, if you used drag & drop to move e-mails to the document archive, they were saved in their original format: i.e. an .eml file was saved under macOS and an .msg file under Windows. However, it may be useful to you if timeSensor LEGAL converts the e-mails to PDFs and archives them in the new format. PDFs are preferable for long-term archiving, and can also be found with the full text search. In this version, we have implemented a check box in the archiving dialogue which triggers the conversion.

N.B.: due to the highly-complex process of converting different e-mail formats, this function was only implemented as a test version in order to gain experience. Depending on the results of the tests, we will either fully implement or remove the new feature at a later date. When converting documents to PDF format, please check whether the result is satisfactory. We welcome feedback on the new feature, and with regard to e-mails for which the conversion was unsuccessful.

Improvements in the Document Center

In the Document Center, documents can now be searched with no time restrictions. If you would like to do this, select "All" in the menu, as shown below:

 

Improvements in Deadlines / Follow-ups

New "Extend deadline" feature

The new "Extend deadline" function has been added to the functions "Duplicate deadline" and "Postpone deadline":

  • Duplicate deadline: creates any number of repetitions of recurring deadlines (e.g. a deadline that recurs every month).
  • Postpone deadline: the deadline is moved to a specific date or by a number of days/weeks/months/years.
  • Extend deadline (new): the original deadline is shown with a "completed" check mark and remains unchanged. A new deadline is created as a duplicate in the future.

The advantage of using "Extend deadline" is that the original deadline and all extensions thereof are now fully documented.

Jumping to distant dates

In the Deadline window, it is now possible to jump directly to distant dates with the aid of additional keys. Click on the right arrow or left arrow while holding down the following additional keys:

Alt (Option) + click on right arrow = +1 year
Alt (Option) + click on left arrow = -1 year

Alt (Option) + click on right arrow = +10 years
Alt (Option) + click on left arrow = -10 years

And as always...

Some minor improvements and bug fixes.