Document based ReceiptWallet is a reality!

I wrote almost 2 weeks ago about changing ReceiptWallet into a document based application. I've been hesitant to do so because there are lots of things involved. For instance, I have to lock out scanning when one window is scanning, I have to deal with each window having a Reports item, etc. I decided that the time was now to implement it, so a few days ago, I started the journey to switch ReceiptWallet to document based. Based on some work that others have done in making NSPersistentDocument work with packages, I created a test application last Wednesday or Thursday and proved that it was viable. So, I've been working like a mad man to get things done. I'm down to about 20 "items" on my list to work on and then I'll start my own testing. I had to rip ReceiptWallet apart in order to do this, but I'm gradually putting it back together. I'm at least at the point where I can start using ReceiptWallet again; a bunch of pieces still don't work, but I figure over the course of the next few days, I'll have everything working and then can start external testing. Yeah! (Some things in the UI aren't final; I'm not sure I'm going to keep the drawer for the details...I might goto a floating panel.)

Outstanding customer service

Last week before I left for Macworld, the screen on my Parrot CK 3100 car kit went blank. I sent email to Parrot and even though the kit was far out of warranty, they said they'd send me a new screen. They never asked for my serial number and a new screen arrived today. I'll box up the old one and send it back. This, I must say, is one of the best customer service experiences I've had in a long time. Thanks, Parrot!

More UI Overhauling in ReceiptWallet

Another part of my UI overhaul is to redo my preferences. They've completely gotten out of hand and everything has been in one window like this.

I like how iTunes and other apps (including the Finder) have a tabbed toolbar interface, so I went that route. Using Matt Gemmell's SS_PrefsController as a base, I re-worked my preferences into different panes. The source uses plugins for the preferences which I don't need, so I modified the code to embed everything. I'm waiting to hear back from my icon guy, but things are looking better. Ignore my icons for now.

Wow, what a huge difference a few tweaks can make to a program. I also turned on autohiding of the scrollbars. Due to some bugs in the OS, I had to do some magic to get things drawing correctly. Having a blank toolbar looks bad, but I didn't want to deal with it before.

Tech Support is the bane of my existence

ReceiptWallet and DocumentWallet have done fabulously well, almost beyond my wildest dreams (OK, maybe not, I dream that I can sell 100 copies a day and then I could just sit back and relax). One of the downsides with this success is that support requests are on the rise. Some of the questions are simple and are just inquiries as the documentation could use a lot of help. Some of the requests are crashes; a majority of these crashes are due to poorly written scanner drivers and there is nothing I can do about them. A small number of requests have to do with bugs in the software. While I don't (usually) mind some of the requests that are nicely worded and relatively short (the longer the message, the less inclined I am to read it; bulleted questions have a higher chance of getting a good response), some just drive me crazy. I answer every question myself, even if it is a canned response. I don't like questions unanswered, so I feel the constant need to check my email and answer right away.

This, of course, causes me a great deal of stress as I'm not a very patient person. I do my best to answer questions in a professional manner, but sometimes I feel like answering questions with flippant responses.