Version 6.0 Build History

Since its release as 'Build 1' in November 2003, Version 6.0 of the software has been updated with the following enhancements and code fixes.

• Build 2 - 23rd December 2003:
  • Corrected a problem that caused an 'invalid tab position' error message to be generated when exporting data to Microsoft ® Word 97.  This problem did not apply to other versions of Word.
  • Corrected a problem that related to the export of data to Microsoft ® Word from a study data file in which no Frequency Codes, Severity Codes or Hazard Categories had been defined.  An error message was being generated, and the export procedure would abruptly terminate.  This applied to all versions of Word.
  • Corrected a problem that related to the scrolling of large amounts of text in Worksheet data entry columns.
  • Note that an updated program installation CD-ROM was despatched to all users in early January 2004... no one should still be running Build 1 of the software.

• Build 3 - 9th April 2004:
  • Enhanced the facility that allows the user to 'jump' directly to a different Node.  The destination Node may now be selected from a tree list containing item descriptions, rather than having to input its number.  In addition, by expanding the list the user may now 'jump' directly to a particular keyword or keyword combination within that Node.
  • Added a new facility to select, rather than manually re-type, the relevant drawings and documents when creating a new Node heading.  The selections are now automatically transferred to the relevant section within that heading.
  • Added a new menu option to change the 'hot key' combinations for the auto-typing of text macros.  This will make it easier for users with French and some other European keyboard layouts to overcome the conflict between the Ctrl+Alt combination and the Alt-Gr key.  On those keyboards the latter key is used to type certain characters, notably the square brackets needed for multiple action entries.
  • Corrected a problem within the ActRsp.exe utility program.  If the menu option that is used to change the Action File screen display font was selected before such a file was opened, an error message was being generated.

• Build 4 - 10th May 2004:
  • Completely revised the coding by which text macros are invoked, from the use of system wide 'hot keys' to program specific 'accelerator keys'.  Although the requirement is most unlikely, this will permit the defined key combinations to be used within other software that may be running at the same time as the HAZOP Manager program.

• Build 5 - 17th August 2004:
  • Added a new facility to display and vertically scroll entries within a Node, such that multiple entries are simultaneously visible.  This will enable a Study Team to quickly review what has already been recorded within that Node.  It may be used to ensure that all potential Causes for a particular Deviation had been adequately addressed, or to speedily check whether a particular problem had already been dealt with under a different keyword combination, etc.
  • Added a new facility to automatically update the Study data file with action responses returned in Microsoft® Word Action Documents.
  • Corrected a problem concerning the conversion of Version 4.0 data files.  All data was being accurately transferred to the newly created Version 6.0 format file.  If, however, this new file was then closed without any editing changes being made, the keywords and category codes section was not being saved, necessitating a repeat of the conversion process.

• Build 6 - 12th September 2004:
  • Added a new facility to colour-code Risk Factors.  This will make it easier to visually identify the risk level associated with each entry when quickly paging through a data file.  Note that this update includes some of the sample data files (e.g. Example1.hdf) to which colour coding has been added.  Keywords files, which can be used to automatically import information into newly created data files, and which will now store colour coding information, will not be updated.  This is because users may have modified the sample keywords files without saving them under a new name, and if they were overwritten then such modifications would be lost.  These files may, however, be easily amended after this update has been installed.
  • Added a new facility to customize toolbars. Individual buttons may now be removed, added or moved to a different position.
  • Corrected a problem associated with the 'scroll entries' facility introduced in Build 5.  On the scrolling dialog only (i.e. not in the data file), the deviation for the first entry in the Node was in certain circumstances being incorrectly displayed (e.g. it might show 'Flow Also' instead of 'Flow No').  The remaining data for that entry was being displayed accurately, as was all the data for other entries.

• Build 7 - 6th December 2004:
  • Corrected a minor problem in the exporting of reports to Microsoft® Word.  This only occurred when the data file contained a Node in which no entries had been recorded.  Previously, when the heading for that empty Node was exported, in the Word document two of the table cell borders for the first entry in the following Node were displayed incorrectly.  This affected only that one entry... the borders for all subsequent entries were set correctly.

• Build 8 - 15th March 2005:
  • Added a new facility to create customized SIL Risk Graphs.  Modified the SIL Risk Graph Analysis procedure to allow for the selection of the graph to be used.
  • Added a new facility to conduct SIL Safety Layer Matrix Analysis.  As with the above item, customized matrices may be created and used within these analysis reviews.
  • Improved the facility to customize toolbars. These may now be modified whilst they are either floating, or alternatively docked at the side of the program window.
  • Added new toolbar buttons for marking references to Actions and Entries, as well as to display the Causes and Failure Rates Databases.

• Build 9 - 19th May 2005:
  • Improved the facility to append (concatenate) data files.  If the operation would result in a duplicate Action or Entry number being created, the program will now report the number concerned, allowing for easier identification and rectification of the situation.
  • Corrected a problem that occurred when reading a Microsoft® Word 2002 Response File.  Because that version of Word handles document properties differently to other versions of Word, the program was incorrectly reporting that the Response File was invalid.

• Build 10 - 11th July 2005:
  • Extended the facility to export analysis data to Microsoft® Word, or alternatively to a delimited text file for import into other software (e.g. Excel).  Where appropriate, Frequency, Hazard Category, Severity and Risk Codes may now be optionally output as separate fields.  Within the target application this will allow analysis tabulations to be automatically sorted into an order based upon the value of one or more of those fields.
  • Corrected a problem that could arise when a partially completed Microsoft® Word Action/Response document was returned for automatic update of the study data file.  The situation would only occur if, after reviewing that person's responses, it was deemed necessary in some cases to immediately generate and distribute further actions, rather than waiting for his/her remaining responses to be received.  For those 'further action' entries only, the subsequent automatic reading of response data from Word documents resulted in some response text being duplicated in the study data file.

• Build 11 - 16th November 2005:
  • Added a facility to optionally print colour-coded Risk Matrices and Risk Factors in reports.
  • Altered the printing of entry numbers in the meeting minutes.  If landscape orientation is selected, then entry numbers will now be printed horizontally.  The printing of these numbers vertically will be retained for reports output in portrait orientation in order to ensure that a reasonable amount of space across the page will be available for the printing of other data.

• Build 12 - 30th December 2005:
  • Corrected a problem that was inadvertently introduced in Build 6.  This arose only if, having completed both the colour-coding of a Risk Matrix and the setting up of a Severity Matrix, a user then defined an additional Severity Code.  In such circumstances the program might fail to automatically extend the Risk Matrix to include that additional Severity Code.
  • Corrected a problem with regard to the printing of Action Sheets.  If any data column for an Action entry (e.g. the Consequence) contained only space characters (i.e. no visible text), then the Action Sheet would be needlessly output over two pages instead of only one.

• Build 13
  • There was no Build 13.  As for previous versions of the software, superstition has once more triumphed over reason and logic.

• Build 14 - 7th June 2006:
  • Amended the facilities concerning the input and display of dates that contain alphabetic month abbreviations.  These will now, in almost all circumstances, be shown with text appropriate for the country in which the software is being operated, and the corresponding alphabetic input will be treated as valid.  For flexibility, a new option is also included to temporarily override this functionality in order to switch if necessary to English abbreviations (JAN, FEB, MAR, etc.) for studies to be recorded in that language.  For a few countries whose standard month abbreviations consist of more than three letters, the software will automatically default to the input and display of English months.  However, to cater for such circumstances a new facility has been provided to allow users to define their own three-letter month abbreviations.
  • Corrected a problem with regard to the export of reports to Microsoft® Word.  If Word's measurement unit was set to anything other than centimetres (perhaps inches or millimetres), then the short section at the front of the report containing the lists of keywords used would in certain circumstances either be poorly formatted or would generate an error message.

• Build 15 - 11th July 2006:
  • Corrected a minor problem that related to the export of data to Microsoft® Excel.  If the Node Heading field 'Drawings and Documents' was selected for export, and that field contained multiple drawings, then the fact that the text contained paragraph (new line) characters caused Excel to split the entry concerned over multiple rows in the resultant spreadsheet.

• Build 16 - 16th October 2006:
  • Incorporated a very minor cosmetic change. The copyright notice on the program's start-up 'splash' screen now shows the year 2006 (rather than 2005).

• Build 17 - 14th May 2007:
  • Modified the program so that it is compatible with Windows Vista.  Primarily this involved changing the Help system from WinHelp to HTML Help, although other minor modifications were incorporated.  Note that HTML Help will now be the default for Windows 2000 and XP as well as Vista.  Windows 95, 98 and ME will continue to use WinHelp.

• Build 18 - 11th December 2007:
  • Modified the program to cater for the automatic line-wrapping on hyphenated words in Windows Vista.  This behaviour, which does not apply to all previous versions of Windows, was causing problems in the printing of keywords.
  • Amended the export to Microsoft® Word procedure to automatically bring to the front of the screen display the newly created Word document window.  In Windows Vista this was not occurring, with only a flashing icon on the taskbar alerting users to the fact that the procedure had actually commenced.  This could cause confusion, with the potential for error messages to be generated if the user subsequently clicked on other windows in an effort to ascertain what was occurring.

• Build 19 - 14th April 2008:
  • Corrected a problem that related to the export of Risk Matrix data to Microsoft® Word.  If Severity Code 0 was not defined (i.e. not used), and the resulting matrix was colour-coded, then during the export of either an Agenda or the meeting Minutes to Word an error message would be displayed and the procedure would be prematurely terminated.  This problem did not occur during the normal printing (to a printer) of a colour-coded matrix configured in this manner.

• Build 20 - 17th May 2008:
  • Corrected a problem in the HTML Help system that was first introduced in Build 17.  If the Help window was moved to the bottom right of the computer screen, and whilst that window was still open another call to display a topic was generated by the HAZOP Manager program, then the Help window would be unnecessarily resized.

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