PerfectBlend Version History

The current version is 11.0.6

PerfectBlend Version 11.0.6
REQUEST EVALUATION LICENSE screen now auto-removes extra spaces that user may have accidently entered. Also fixed problem with grid-based entry where edited data would not be saved unless the user clicked on a different row; edited data is now saved without this extra step by the user.

PerfectBlend Version 11.0.5
Changed colors in Stockpile summary screen. Added Download button on LICENSE screen. Added auto-fill of contact info on REQUEST EVALUATION LICENSE screen. Version number on main screen now shows in RED if a later version is available. Added Internet response time info on LICENSE screen.

PerfectBlend Version 11.0.4
Corrected typographical error

PerfectBlend Version 11.0.3
Fixed a condition where having a single stockpile or single target entered would leave them inaccessible from the summary grid.

PerfectBlend Version 11.0.2
Fixed a condition where deletion of last stockpile or target would cause the summary table to display incorrectly.

PerfectBlend Version 11.0.1
Fixed a condition where the sample data could not be found on some operating systems. The problem only affected users with a DEMO license.

PerfectBlend Version 11.0.0 Features
Version 11.0.0 modifies the licensing technique. Authorization is now handled by a Hasp USB dongle, while earlier versions were handled by a Rainbow parallel port dongle. This long overdue change allows PerfectBlend to be used more easily on laptop computers and solves the problem of the disappearing parallel port on desktop computers. A new installation program now installs the dongle drivers at the same time as the rest of the program, thus simplifying installation.

PerfectBlend is now “Internet aware”. Upon every startup, it checks to see if you are using the latest version and notifies the user if a newer version has been announced. It also now has the ability to download licensing renewal code, thus saving the user the hassle of typing in the authorization code from a fax. The manual installation of authorization codes is still supported for those users that are not Internet connected.

A new Evaluation License is now supported that greatly simplifies the ability to issue a temporary authorization to a company that wants to review a full-featured version of the software. This Evaluation License is handled via the Internet, as the user’s computer communicates with our licensing server at every startup of PerfectBlend during the Evaluation License period. Obviously, a full-time Internet connection is necessary for an Evaluation License.

The DEMO License, which allows the user to work with a pre-determined set of data, remains intact for those users that have neither a Full license nor an Evaluation license, but want to see PerfectBlend in action.

The program is now measurably faster at blending calculations.

The screens that display “grids” of data are now resizable and may even span across multiple monitors, if you are so equipped. Screen sizes and positions are persistent between sessions.

Data files are now stored in the user’s “My Documents” folder in the sub-folder named PerfectBlendData. This is necessary for the Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, as they do not allow writing data within the “Program Files” folder unless you have Administrator privileges. Along with this change, if you are using the –A –I –O command line options that were introduced in version 9.07, you must place your input file in this new data directory in order to be found. The resultant output file will also be placed there.

The INI file that contains user preferences has been renamed from PBPRO.INI to PerfectBlend.ini. The contents of the file remain the same, with a few new entries added. Note that Windows 7 (64 bit) stores the INI file in a special place for 32-bit applications.

PerfectBlend 11.0.0 is a very well-behaved 32 bit program that should work on any system that supports 32 bit Windows software. As of November 2009, it has been tested on Windows XP Pro (32 bit), Vista (32 bit), and Windows 7 (64 bit).

PerfectBlend Version 10.0 Features
Version 10.0 adds the ability to import data from an Excel Workbook and to export the resultant blend back to a spreadsheet within the same workbook. The Excel must be version 5 (or later) as that is the earliest version that supports the Workbook feature. PerfectBlend automatically detects the version of Excel that is installed on your computer and only enables the Excel features if a compatible version is found.

A sample Workbook is included, “PBSAMPLE.XLS”, that demonstrates a properly formed group of spreadsheets. The sample workbook is self-documented to explain the necessary structure. The user is free to add additional spreadsheets to the workbook to further manipulate the input or the resultant output. The sample workbook is provided in Excel version 5 format, but it is expected that most users will have a newer, and more fully featured version of Excel.

PerfectBlend Version 9.07 Features
Version 9.07 adds 3 new command-line options to allow auto-execution of the program:
-A will cause the program to run in the auto mode with no user intervention, unless an error is encountered.
-Innnnnnnn.stk will cause the program to autoload the file named nnnnnnnn.stk upon startup.
-Onnnnnnnn.csv will cause the program to output the results of a blend to the csv file named nnnnnnnn.csv
The above options could be combined as follows:
c:\pbpro\pbpro9.exe -A -Ixample09.stk -Oanswers.txt
In this example, PerfectBlend would automatically open the xample09.stk file, automatically start the Blend option, then automatically send the results to the csv (comma-separated-value) file named answers.txt, then exit the program.

Version 9.07 also fixed an error that caused Premium/Penalty data for a target to "slide" when a non-end-of-file target was deleted. Also fixed an error that caused Premium calculations to be calculate incorrectly if Penalty data was but was de-activated. Also fixed a blend calculation that would fail on very small blends.

Version 9.06 and earlier. Because no customers are using any of these earlier versions, the details of the feature changes is omitted.