Hey Jeff,
I figured it would be helpful to share some of the things I shared with Mike on his questions, so here goes:
Thank you for taking the time to write your feedback. I really appreciate the encouragement as well. I did want to address each of your points, though, so you know where things are as well as where they are headed. I also want to make sure you are aware with how we are doing MS7 development differently than in the past. Although not all features that are in V6 are currently in V7, we do plan to have them (in some form or fashion) in V7. We have focused on stability with V7 and we aren't implementing any features that we can't be confident that it won't negatively impact stability. That's why we are working so hard on this. For some users like yourself, this is an MVP, especially if you are looking for certain features that aren't there. For many users, MS7 is exactly what they need (and for some it is more than they need). But, if we held it until all features that all users wanted in the program was there and perfect, well... we would never release it. So, we have to make the tough decision of when to release for those users who can make use of it as well as get feedback (and very specific feedback) from users as they use it. We have actually been beta testing since January with a group of users like yourself.
1. On the insert bible, I can't seem to find how to format it so that i can have multiple verses on a single page (like MS6).
- This is coming as it is planned. I don't have a time-frame, but it is on the list of things we are working on.
2. Editing lyrics is painful. If I take a very long chorus, and put a page break in it (4 lines displayed max for our lyrics), it does not apply that page break to all "Chorus 1" cues in the song. Along with that, when adding a stanza, it inserts above the current selected item, not below. intuitively, things are usually inserted below unless an option is designated. Oh yeah, and I can only "copy/paste" a stanza. The whole cool MS6 "Insert stanza" functionality that was added recently is tossed out the window.
- First off, the Copy/Paste/Insert below is coming very soon. We are adding a whole new list of stanzas (including the "blank" stanza) to an upcoming build to release soon. Once we get that out, then we can start working on the linking of stanzas to each other (this will be a very difficult challenge for development, but we will work hard on it) as well as the inserting of stanzas within the Edit Area. We have some plans for this that actually will make it easier and more intuitive than in V6.
3. I can't find an "apply to cue" when I want to change fonts, etc.
- When you are working with a linked text box (like a lyric text or scripture), simply format as you want and then right-click->Apply Formatting and that will do what you are looking for. If you are using non-linked text boxes or images or such, you can save a Preset and then apply those from the preset to accomplish the same thing.
4. I can't seem to find a generic template for formatting any new songs that I add. I did find the presets, and I think I can get most of the way there. On the plus side, all the preset options when saving a preset are AWESOME! I love picking and choosing what's saved.
- Templates are coming. They will actually be a combination of Presets that save together. And then we will take it one step further and allow you to create Themes (which are a collection of Templates), much like the Sermon Builder does right now when selecting a theme. So a Theme will consist of Templates and a Template will consist of Presets (for a simple explanation).
5. What ever programming language/gui container this is written in doesn't take consideration "low resolution monitors" The ribbon is cut off (see screenshot). Trying to resize the window around does funky things to the app container, at least on my computer.
- It is a known issue that we have been working on. The .NET UI tools we used didn't play nicely at lower resolutions, so we had to create a bounds until we get modify it manually. We also locked some of the window resizing for the moment but will add that back in as we add in the controls to modify the Control Screen.
6. Sermon builder tool has issues. I selected a default bible and it wouldn't let me add the scripture until i added a different bible version, then went back to the first version.
- I tried on a couple of different machines and couldn't repeat what you were describing. I may be doing something user-wise that I'm taking for granted that you aren't doing or isn't clear to you. Can you give me exact steps of what you are doing (including mouse clicks, keyboard types, etc.) so that I can make sure we are taking your way of doing it into consideration?
7. It's painful to "re-create" the MS6 text cue: Now I have to add a blank slide and add a text object to it. If I add a second page, then i have to add a new text object to it. It doesn't pick up the objects or settings from the original page. Instead I have to manually apply the appropriate preset to that new page. I guess, I might be able to take all the pastors display text, put it in one massive cue, and force page breaks in it. But still apply to cue option for fonts, etc. that I could find.
- We actually will be adding a Text Cue element soon (along with Liturgies). But, we didn't like the way we've done the Text Cue in the past to create it. We are working with some users on flow to make it make sense from a usability stand-point (not a programming stand-point). If you want to let me know how you would like to see this work, I'd love to take your idea into consideration as we are building this out. We want to make it as easy as we can for users (not for our developers). :-)
Let me know if you have any other questions or ideas. I'd love to hear them. Thanks and be blessed!
Aaron West
Director of Product Development