Release Notes

2024-06-19 | release 95 link

Enhancements link

Importing - Various performance improvements to importing.
Accounts detail grid - The locations page has Accounts detail grid added. This displays accounts relevant to the focussed row, i.e. when a site is focussed, it displays 'our' accounts, and when a linked trading partner is focussed, it displays 'their' accounts (which are specified in the trading partner catalogue.)
Import templates - Target inputs are expanded to support updating or skipping target fields. Filter inputs are expanded to support Keep Last actions, e.g., updating the last row in an import file.
Verified timestamp - Verified timestamp column is added to identify duplicates, missing data, or other problems in the locations or trading accounts page.
Allowed locations - Allowed locations is a pre-defined list of allowed locations for sites. The Is Allowed field is added to determine if transactions between site(s) and location(s) are allowed. The Region field has been added to group locations together to define these configurations. See our online help for setup.
Thailand online help - Online help for entering stocktakes and exporting transactions have been translated into Thai.

API Changes link

Accounts service - added region field to account endpoints.
Accounts service - added region field to basicAccount in accountsResolver.
Accounts service - added submitDocket endpoint.
Accounts service - added unsubmitDocketendpoint.
Pallets service - added upsertDocketFromTransaction endpoint.
Pallets service - added updateTransactionAlterationReference endpoint.
Pallets service - deprecated alterationReference in createTransaction & updateTransaction mutations.
Pallets service - deprecated alterationOrder in createTransaction & updateTransaction mutations.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated locationGroup endpoint.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated siteGroup in allowedLocation endpoints.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated locationGroup in allowedLocation endpoints.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated allowedGroup in location endpoints.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated receiverGroup in locationProfile endpoints.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated senderGroups in relocationProfile endpoints.
Pallets service - added updateLocationIsSynced endpoint.
Pallets service - added verifiedTimestamp field in tradingAccount endpoints.
Pallets service - added isAllowed field in allowedLocation endpoints.
Pallets service - added isSynced field in location endpoints.
Pallets service - added verifiedTimestamp field in location endpoints.
Pallets service - added exportBatchAssignmentsCount endpoint.
Pallets service - deprecated exportBatchTransactionsCount endpoint. Replaced with exportBatchAssignmentsCount.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated submitTransactionTemp field. Replaced with submitTransaction.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated unsubmitTransactionTemp field. Replaced with unsubmitTransaction.
Pallets service - added region field to accountsResolver and basicAccount in palletsResolver.
Pallets service - added transferOnDate field in tradingProfile endpoints.
Pallets service - added transferOffDate field in tradingProfile endpoints.
Pallets service - deprecated transferOnDelayKind field in tradingProfile endpoints. Replaced with transferOnDate.
Pallets service - deprecated transferOffDelayKind field in tradingProfile endpoints. Replaced with transferOffDate.
Pallets service - added field submitAllowedDays in tradingProfile endpoints.
Pallets service - added submitCutOffDays in tradingProfile endpoints.
Pallets service - added database field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added supplier field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added business field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added accountRegion field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added account field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added senderSiteRegion field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added senderSiteCode field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added senderSiteName field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added siteRegion field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added transferOnDate field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added submitAllowedDays field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added submitCutOffDays field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - added tradingPolicyDescription field to tradingPolicy endpoints.
Pallets service - deprecated transferOnDelayKind field in tradingPolicy endpoints. Replaced with transferOnDate.

2024-06-05 | release 94 link

Retaining Invalid Rows link

Invalid rows are incomplete rows that are either missing a required field, or cannot be saved due to an error. Clicking the ! in the status column will display the reason it is not saving. These invalid rows will be retained and moved to the top of the grid when a user sorts or filters. Previously, when a user sorted or filtered, these rows would disappear. These invalid rows can be removed from the grid by clicking the grid's refresh button in the bottom right corner, or the individual row's refresh button.

Saved Rows link

When rows are completely saved, a green tick is added to the status column. If there is no green tick, it means it has not finished saving completely to the server.

Unsaved Status link

Printed dockets will display '(unsaved)' text at the bottom of the page when there are unsaved changes in the mutation queue. As part of our offline capability, 2ic Pallets allows you to print dockets while offline before rows are saved to the server. Once back online, the mutation queue will submit those changes that were made offline, unless there is an interruption. Common interruptions include if a user manually clears the cache or, a user turns off their computer and does not log on again, etc.

Region link

The Region field enables grouping locations together to define relocation profiles, allowed products, and allowed locations. Variations of this Region field has been added to locations, sites, submission overrides, relocation profiles, allowed products, allowed locations and both metrics pages.

Pending Transactions link

When a sender submits a transaction to a site that uses 2ic Pallets and is linked via the Trading Partner Catalogue, it will appear in the receivers Pending Transactions. If the receiver does not have the submitted information in their database, it will add automatically add this. This includes adding the unknown product, sender location, and/or sender contact into the receivers database. Previously, the unknown information would appear blank.

Enhancements link

Import templates - Template Inputs detail grid on the Import Templates page has two new match inputs: Keep Last and Add Primary. Keep Last can be used to identify the same records in a file, and only import/update the last entry of that transaction - this extends to all grids. Add Primary can be used to import either Locations or Products, and utilise that as the primary, making any existing data an alias based on the match criteria.
Online dockets - An online docket can be confirmed with a receivers or drivers details by clicking the green tick. If the receiver confirmed this docket by mistake, they can ctrl-click the green tick to unconfirm the docket.
Thailand online help - Online help for submitting transactions, confirming transactions and processing pending transactions have been translated into Thai.

API Changes link

Accounts service - deprecated submitMethod field in catalogueServiceCentre endpoints. Replaced with areSubmissionsAllowed.
Accounts service - added isMfaRequired field in shareDatabase endpoint.
Accounts service - added region field to siteResolver.
Accounts service - added region field to basicSiteResolver.
Accounts service - added region field to submissionOverride endpoints.
Accounts service - added transactionKind field to submissionOverride endpoints.
Accounts service - added supplierKind field to submissionOverride endpoints.
Accounts service - added accountNumber field to submissionOverride endpoints.
Accounts service - deleted deprecated submissionOverrides field in siteResolver.
Pallets service - deprecated siteGroup field in allowedLocation endpoints. Replaced with siteRegion.
Pallets service - deprecated locationGroup field in allowedLocation endpoints. Replaced with locationRegion.
Pallets service - deprecated allowedGroup field in location endpoints. Replaced with region.
Pallets service - deprecated senderGroup field in relocationProfile endpoints. Replaced with senderRegion.
Pallets service - deprecated receiverGroup field in relocationProfile endpoints. Replaced with receiverRegion.
Pallets service - added region field to basicLocationResolver.
Pallets service - deprecated exportBatchTransactionsCount endpoint. Replaced with exportBatchAssignmentsCount.

2024-05-22 | release 93 link

Either Location Filter link

Sender Location and Receiver Location columns have an Either Location button. Filtering on a location in either the Sender Location or Receiver Location column, and clicking the Either Location button will display results for that trading partner, in either the sender location or receiver location. This replaces the synchronise location filters tool in the side panel. This is available in Transactions and Pending Transactions grid.

Any Reference Filter link

All Reference columns have an Any Reference button. Searching in either of the five reference fields (carrier reference, sender reference, receiver reference, docket number, internal reference), and clicking the Any Reference button will search this text across all reference columns.

Multi-factor authentication link

Multi-factor authentication can be enabled per database by ticking Is MFA Required against the database. Any new user added to this database will have Is MFA Required ticked. Existing users will need to have Is MFA Required ticked by a group super user. Multi-factor authentication can also be enabled for particular users, and does not have to be turned on across the whole database. Against a database user, tick Is MFA Required. When that user next signs in, they will be prompted to setup multi-factor authentication. When a user has MFA enabled and setup, Is MFA Enabled will be ticked against their user. When MFA is required, users will no longer be able to turn this off themselves in my details page, and must report to a group super user who can.

A user can be assigned to several databases. If one of those databases is setup for MFA and the other databases are not, they will not be able to switch to the MFA required database without enabling MFA. A pop-up will appear "cannot open this database when signed in without multi-factor authentication", and will prompt them to sign out and in again so it can be configured. MFA is required to be setup against this user to access the database.

Power Query link

Our online help include instructions and examples on how to import 2ic Pallets data externally via Power Query. See our power query example for a guide on how to get started with Excel or Power BI.

Confirming Online Dockets link

An online docket is the same format as printed dockets, and can be shared with others as the URL (web address) does not change. Anyone with the web address can view an online docket, but a receivers or drivers details are required to confirm a docket. If the online docket was shared, the logged in users contact details will prefill as the receiver. To confirm an online docket, the receiver will click the green tick. Similarly, if the driver is confirming the docket, they must fill in their name and email address, and click the green tick to confirm. This generates a confirmed timestamp and is recorded against the transactions activities.

Enhancements link

Activities grid - The activities comparison tool has changed slightly; the comparison value will now display the oldest data. Previously, it was based on the most recent data, which found users had to click on previous activity records to see the original state of the record. As it displays the old value of the record, users will now be able to see the initial transaction if the record was created before the implementation of activities.

API Changes link

Accounts service - added isMfaEnabled field in databaseUser resolver.
Accounts service - added isMfaEnabled field in user resolver.
Accounts service - added isMfaRequired field in database resolver.
Accounts service - added isMfaRequired field in databaseUser resolver.
Accounts service - added database endpoint updateDatabaseMfaRequirement.
Accounts service - added databaseUser endpoint updateDatabaseUserMfaRequirement.
Accounts service - added sendingTimeSlot field in docket endpoints.
Accounts service - added receivingTimeSlot field in docket endpoints.
Pallets service - added sendingTimeSlot field in transaction endpoints.
Pallets service - added receivingTimeSlot field in transaction endpoints.
Pallets service - added sendingTimeSlot field in pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - added receivingTimeSlot field in pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - added sourceTransactionId in pendingTransaction inputs.
Pallets service - added sourcePendingTransactionId in pendingTransaction inputs.
Pallets service - added sourceDocketId in pendingTransaction inputs.

2024-05-08 | release 92 link

Catalogue link

The locations page has a detail grid named Trading Partner Catalogue and Service Centre Catalogue. The trading partner catalogue contains a list of sites and corresponding accounts that are maintained in 2ic Pallets by the account owners. This ensures transactions are transferred to the correct account, minimising data entry errors. The service centre catalogue is maintained by the 2ic Software support team.

The products page has a detail grid named Product Catalogue and contains a list of common supplier products and is maintained by the 2ic Software support team.

All catalogue items can be identified, linked, synced or added to the database. Using the identify button on the top empty row searches the location rows for a matching catalogue item and does not change any data. Clicking the link button against a location row links a catalogue item if it finds a single match. If it finds multiple matches it will not link the records, and linking will have to be done manually. If a location is already linked, it will display a Sync button, clicking this will update all fields excluding name from the catalogue. Shift-clicking the link/sync button runs the function in bulk for all displayed rows.

For more information, see Adding Trading Partner Locations.

Pending Transactions link

Multi-line matrix - The Pending Transactions grid has the Multi-line Matrix tool in the side panel. This now includes the ability of creating return transfers. Keying in a quantity in the Returned box will create the return pending transaction. This will need to be accepted
Bulk cancel and accept - Pending transaction rows can now be bulk cancelled or bulk accepted using the shift-click on the corresponding button.
Identifying processed rows - When processing pending transactions, the source transaction row will indicate the outcome by attaching a message to the row. For a bulk import, the lines will be sorted by row message and will appear at the top of the grid.
Unsubmitting pending transactions - Submitted transactions will disappear from the receiver's pending transactions page if the receiver location has changed.

Enhancements link

Bulk selection - Using Shift key while clicking on the Select column will bulk-select rows. If the current row is saved, all rows are selected when using Shift key. If the current (selected) row is new & unsaved, then when using the Shift key, only new & unsaved rows are selected.
Compare tool - The activity compare, row compare and link compare tools now contain a toggle mode which cycles between three options to display differences. These include non-matching fields, column fields, and all fields.
Import templates - Map inputs are expanded to support {generate} tokens. This generates docket numbers in transactions and pending transactions. A use case is generating docket numbers for ons and offs when importing transactions.
Grid search - The grid search now uses the same searching functionality as look-up lists. This expands searching and trims unnecessary characters, e.g. spaces.

API Changes link

Pallets service - deleted deprecated field componentNames in feeCode endpoints. Replaced with combinedName.
Pallets service - deleted field sourceTransactionId in pendingTransaction mutation endpoints.
Pallets service - deleted field sourceDocketId in pendingTransaction mutation endpoints.
Pallets service - deleted field sourcePendingTransactionId in updatePendingTransaction mutation endpoint.
Pallets service - deleted field submittedTransactionCount in exportBatch mutation endpoints.
Pallets service - deleted field removedTransactionCount in exportBatch mutation endpoints.
Pallets service - deprecated mutation endpoint submitTransactionTemp. Replaced with submitTransaction.
Pallets service - deprecated mutation endpoint unsubmitTransactionTemp. Replaced with unsubmitTransaction.

2024-04-24 | release 91 link

Pending Transactions link

Pending transaction rows can be set to automatically delete once processed. These rows become soft-deleted, and can be restored using the Restore button if necessary. Once the grid is refreshed, these rows will disappear. This is an optional setting and can be turned on in the side panel of the Pending Transactions grid, under View tool, tick 'Is a processed row automatically deleted?".

Submission overrides can be found within the Sites detail grid in the Databases page. This allows users to specify which external 2ic Pallets sites are allowed to submit pending transactions to their database. The primary use case is when a site only wants to allow pending transactions with one trading partner, and disallow it for the rest.

Row Compare link

All pages now contain the Row Compare button. This allows users to compare the selected values with another row within the same grid. In the side panel of the Transactions Grid, open Row Compare tool. By clicking the pink Compare Row button, it will highlight the selected row pink. Clicking on another row will compare values with those selected.

Enhancements link

Shift click - Using the Shift button on the keyboard while mouse clicking on particular buttons will offer to do this action in bulk based on the current grid filters. This function is currently available as Alt Click, however Shift Click will soon replace it.
Cloning users - Cloning users copies assigned Roles, Authorised Accounts, Authorised Sites, Views, Custom Glossaries and Import Templates.

API Changes link

Accounts service - deleted deprecated exclusivelyOwnedDatabases query.
Accounts service - deleted deprecated catalogueLevel field in catalogueProduct endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Accounts service - deleted deprecated catalogueLevel field in catalogueServiceCentre endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Accounts service - deleted deprecated catalogueLevel field in sites endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated catalogueLevel field in catalogueProduct endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated catalogueLevel field in catalogueServiceCentre endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated catalogueLevel field in sites endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Pallets service - added combinedName field in feeCode endpoints.
Pallets service - deprecated componentNames field in feeCode endpoints. Replaced with combinedName.

2024-04-10 | release 90 link

Online Dockets link

A confirm button has been added to online dockets. This will update the confirmed timestamp with the user's name and email address if signed in. If not signed in, these required fields must be completed in order to confirm a docket. There is a refresh button on the online docket to ensure users see updated changes.

Enhancements link

Pending transactions - The Transactions detail grid on the Pending Transactions page now has a detail-detail grid, which reflects the same as the transactions detail grid.
Locations - The Trading Profile Name field in the Locations grid is now treated as a look-up list that displays all values rather than a limited list.
Scanning - When there is no matching sender or receiver location in the database, the scanned data will populate in the field and search the look-up list based on any of these values.
Linked users - In the views, custom glossaries, and databases pages, there are two columns that specify the number of users and super users assigned to a particular view, glossary or database.
Catalogue - How a site is presented in the trading partner catalogue can be managed by Catalogue Visibility field. Previously named Catalogue Level.
- Always Visible
  - These will always display in the trading partner catalogue.
- Hidden by Default
  - These will be initially excluded in the trading partner catalogue, however can still be linked.
- Hidden Always
  - These will not appear in the trading partner catalogue and are not able to be linked. However, if previously linked, can be synchronised.
Selection count - In the Transactions page, when multiple cells are selected, the grid status bar will display a count of multiple cells/rows/columns, e.g., when you highlight 4 rows and 2 columns, the selection count will display 4R + 2C.
Import templates - Map inputs are expanded to include various string interpolations, supported tokens and functions.
- The Modified Value template inputs has a domain specific language and are comprised of the following:
  - simple text values to replace the source value (existing functionality), e.g. ABC-99.
  - string interpolation with a token, e.g. PFX{value}-suff.
  - string interpolation with a function of the source value, e.g. 10003{takeLeft(7)}.
- The supported tokens for these are:
  - value - supported for all fields. Source value for the target field, i.e. requires having a column input for the target field. Note that {value} is the full value of the corresponding field rather than the search term in Source Value.
  - today - supported for date fields.
  - now - supported for timestamp fields.
  - fileName - supported for source fields.
- The supported functions for these are:
  - takeLeft(x) where x is a number - supported for fields of any type.
  - takeRight(x) where x is a number - supported for fields of any type.
  - extractNumeric - supported for fields of any type.
  - add(x) where x is a number - supported for numeric fields.
  - negate - supported for numeric fields.
  - modulus - supported for numeric fields.
  - addDays(x) where x is a number - supported for date & timestamp fields.
  - addSeconds(x) where x is a number - supported for timestamp fields.

API Changes link

Accounts service - deprecated isConfirmAuthorised field in dockets queries.
Accounts service - added catalogueVisibility field in site endpoints.
Accounts service - added catalogueVisibility field in catalogueProduct endpoints.
Accounts service - added catalogueVisibility field in catalogueServiceCentre endpoints.
Accounts service - deprecated catalogueLevel field in catalogueProduct endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Accounts service - deprecated catalogueLevel field in catalogueServiceCentre endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Accounts service - deprecated catalogueLevel field in sites endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Pallets service - deprecated catalogueLevel field in catalogueProduct endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Pallets service - deprecated catalogueLevel field in catalogueServiceCentre endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Pallets service - deprecated catalogueLevel field in sites endpoints. Replaced with catalogueVisibility.
Pallets service - deleted deprecated isSenderApprovalRequired field in pendingTransaction endpoints. Replaced with isEscalated.
Pallets service - renamed isReceiverContactAndDriverContactSynchronised to isDriverContactCopiedToReceiverContactForOffs account setting name in accountSettings.

2024-03-27 | release 89 link

Submit Method link

Submit Method defines how a transaction is communicated to the receiver. This column has been added to the locations grid, and is able to be defined for trading partners and sites. There are four options:

Online docket
- An online docket is automatically created and updated for every off transaction. Most trading partners and sites will have this set as default.
Direct to pending
- A transaction will be automatically received to the receivers pending transactions for them to process accordingly. Trading partners that are linked to a catalogue trading partner will have this set as default.
Print docket
- If defined, the print button against the transaction will be highlighted blue.
Email docket
- If defined, the email button against the transaction will be highlighted blue.

Enhancements link

Transactions - Various performance improvements to scanning.
Transactions - The print button can now be clicked before the transaction row is saved.
Link compare - Match options has been renamed to Link Compare. This tool compares values of the main grid and the detail grid. This can be found in the side tool bar in Transactions, Locations and Products grid.
Updated user - When receiving or confirming a transaction, the Updated By User field against the row will be consistent with the corresponding user activity.

API Changes link

Accounts service - added submitMethod field in site endpoints. Replaced with areSubmissionsAllowed which is a required field.
Accounts service - added endpoints for new entity submissionOverrides.
Pallets service - deprecated isSenderApprovalRequired field in pendingTransaction endpoints. Replaced with isEscalated.
Pallets service - deprecated billDate field in pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - added isReceiverContactAndDriverContactSynchronised account setting name in accountSettings.

2024-03-20 | release 88 link

Enhancements link

Transactions - Various performance improvements.

API Changes link

Accounts service - deprecated submitMethod field in site endpoints. Replaced with areSubmissionsAllowed.
Pallets service - added areSubmissionsAllowed field in location endpoints.
Pallets service - added automaticExportTimeZone account setting name in accountSettings.

2024-03-05 | release 87 link

Enhancements link

Multi-line matrix - The Pending Transactions grid has the Multi-line Matrix tool in the side panel. It provides a substantial efficiency boost for processing multi-line transactions, i.e. transactions with same docket number but different products. Entering the returned quantity in the matrix immediately creates an opposite direction pending transaction, ready for accepting. Clearing a quantity in the matrix removes the pending transaction. The 'Accept' button at the bottom will bulk-accept all pending transactions represented in the matrix.
Stocktake counts & actual quantity - When a Stocktake has one or more linked Stocktake Counts, the Actual Value of the stocktake is disabled and set automatically to the total of linked counts.
Cloning a stocktake - The Stocktakes grid now has a 'Clone' button. Clicking it for a row inserts a new row with the same site & product. The date is set to 'today' and linked counts are copied and initialised to zero.
Keying a stocktake - Like cloning, keying a new stocktake row can automatically add count rows. It looks up the previous stocktake with the same site & product, and if it has linked counts, copies are created for the new row.
Black hole locations - Black Hole locations are required in every database and have specific purposes. Now instead of a user having to create these rows, exactly four black hole locations are provided:
- Lost Pallets - Used with stocktakes and transactions to keep a balance of general gains & losses.
- Suspended Pallets - When a bill closing balance is negative the supplier may 'suspend' pallets, i.e. create an issue transaction to Suspended Pallets to bring the closing balance back up to zero.
- Adjusted Pallets - General balance adjustments by the supplier are recorded as transactions to or from Adjusted Pallets.
- Compensated Pallets - Compensating, or purchasing, lost pallets is recorded as a dehire from Compensated Pallets.
Stocktake 'sender location' - Stocktakes grid no longer has a Sender Location column as it is now automatically inferred to be Lost Pallets. A stocktake with a positive Variance is a gain and equivaluent to a transaction from Lost Pallets to the site location. Negative variance is equivalent to a loss from the site to Lost Pallets.
Identifying import templates - When importing data the corresponding Import Template can be automatically identified and applied to the imported lines. This happens for both dragging a file on to the grid, and copy/paste of text into the side-panel import tool.

The import template Identifying Text field now supports pattern matching in addition to plain text. Patterns start & end with a forward slash '/', and contain a javascript 'regular expression', e.g. /CN-\d{5}/ will search for characters CN- followed by five digits;. An example match is 'CN-02781'. All lines of the imported text are searched for the pattern to identify the template.
Inviting users - Typically a new user is created and set up in the Users page, and then invited to sign up by clicking the 'Send Invitation' button. A new 'Copy Invitation Link' button has been added to make it easy to include the link your own email message, or share it by some other means.

It is not essential for a new user to use the link when signing up. Regular sign-up will scan for an existing user row with the same email address. If found, the new user is associated with the pre-configured row and receive its permissions. However, clicking the link ensures they receive permissions regardless of their sign-up email address, so they are free to use one of the social connections like their Google account.

API Changes link

Accounts service - renamed catalogueProduct to product in docket endpoints.
Accounts service - added productId field to authorisedProducts endpoints.
Pallets service - added blackHoleKind field to location endpoints.
Pallets service - renamed number to batchNumber in exportBatches endpoints.

2024-02-19 | release 86 link

Enhancements link

Trading policy override - The Trading Policy Override setting has moved from Trading Accounts to Locations. The default value remains 'no override'. Changing this setting applies trading rules from profiles regardless of whether a policy applies. Having the setting at the location level for a trading partner is more suitable than having it separately for each trading account.
Contract expiry date - The Contract Expiry Date field has moved from Trading Accounts to Locations. This field is information only and is better suited to locations.
Catalogue level - How a site is presented in the trading partner catalogue can be managed with a Catalogue Level setting. Options are 'First', 'Second', & 'Excluded'. The Trading Partner Catalogue detail grid on the Locations page has default filtering to display only first-level sites, making it easy for other users to add them as trading partners. Filtering can be removed to reveal second-level sites so they can be added when required. Excluded sites do not appear in the catalogue.
Total row counts - All grids now have the status bar updated to display the total row count for current filters.
Importing 'or' group - Template Inputs detail grid on the Import Templates page has a new Group field. It is used for match inputs to create a nested 'or' group of checks, e.g. Is Transfer not equal OR Docket Number equal.
Saving changes - When changes are made in bulk, for example when importing or Alt+clicking a grid button, the individual changes are queued up and sent to the server as fast as the browser allows. Previously if change requests are still in the queue when trying to close the browser tab or refresh the page, a pop-up would display to prevent closing or refreshing. Now change requests are continuously saved in browser storage so a page can be refreshed anytime. Sending requests from the queue is resumed after the refresh. If the tab or browser is closed, or the computer is shut down, then sending requests to the server is resumed the next time 2ic Pallets is opened.

API Changes link

Accounts service - deprecated areReceivalsAllowed field in site endpoints.
Accounts service - deprecated areReceivalsAllowed field in catalogueServiceCentre endpoints.
Accounts service - deprecated areReceivalsAllowed field in catalogueProduct endpoints.
Pallets service - added contractExpiryDate field to location endpoints.
Pallets service - added tradingPolicyOverride field to location endpoints.
Pallets service - deprecated contractExpiryDate field in tradingAccount endpoints.
Pallets service - deprecated tradingPolicyOverride field in tradingAccount endpoints.
Pallets service - deleted carrier field from tradingAccount endpoints.
Pallets service - deleted feeUnitPrice field from feeCode endpoints.

2024-02-01 | release 85 link

The navigation styling for databases has changed. The databases navigation section will only be displayed when users are assigned to two or more databases. Clicking on (No database) will navigate to the usual Databases page.

If users are only assigned to one database, this database will automatically be selected upon signing in and no database navigation panel will be visible.

Users who are not assigned to any database, will have the My Details page automatically open. On this page is a section named Current Database. Clicking the Databases button will open the usual Databases page to create a new database.

Enhancements link

Duplicate detection - Detection of duplicate transactions has been expanded to duplicate transactions that are keyed at the same time.
API online help - Online help relating to connecting to our API has been updated, see access for developers.
Duplicate filtering - Duplicate filtering is available for most columns across grids, except for button and ID columns.
Bulk selecting - Using Alt while clicking on the select column will bulk select items.
Metrics - Verify button is added to each row in site metrics and loan metrics grid. This is an alternative to recalculating the entire database which typically takes longer. Performance improvements still to come.

API Changes link

Accounts service - All mutations are idempotent.
Pallets service - All mutations are idempotent.

2024-01-19 | release 84 link

Trading Account Start Date & End Date link

Start date field is added to the trading accounts grid. No date is most common, which is equivalent to starting at the beginning of time. End date field is added to the trading accounts grid. No date is most common, which is equivalent to finishing at the end of time. Both these dates are used when switching the location from one account number to another.

Utilising the start date and end date fields are most common when a trading partner opens up a new account, but is still trading with the old account temporarily. For the new account, specify a start date, and for the old account, specify an end date. For further information on setup and use case, see trading account start and end dates.

Catalogue Levels link

Catalogue levels are added against sites. There are three catalogue levels; first, second, and excluded. First-level sites are initially filtered in catalogue detail grids. Second-level sites are available to everyone, but excluded initially to declutter the list. Excluded-level sites are not available to be linked, but if already linked, they can still be synced. All existing sites have been set to First, but can be changed.

Enhancements link

Duplicate checking - Cancelled transactions are included when searching and checking duplicates.
Row count - The status bar in the bottom-left of each grid displays a total count of rows on the server.

API Changes link

Accounts service - use https://api.2icsoftware.com/accounts instead of previous https://accounts-api.2icsoftware.com.
Accounts service - added catalogueLevel field to site endpoints.
Accounts service - added catalogueLevel field to catalogueServiceCentre endpoints.
Accounts service - added catalogueLevel field to catalogueProduct endpoints.
Accounts service - deleted senderUser field from docket query.
Accounts service - deleted receiverUser field from docket query.
Accounts service - deleted driverUser field from docket query.
Pallets service - use https://api.2icsoftware.com/pallets instead of previous https://pallets-api.2icsoftware.com.
Pallets service - added catalogueLevel field to location endpoints.
Pallets service - added catalogueLevel field to product endpoints.
Pallets service - added allowedGroup field to location endpoints.
Pallets service - added startDate field to tradingAccount endpoints.
Pallets service - added endDate field to tradingAccount endpoints.
Pallets service - deprecated carrier field in tradingAccount endpoints.

2024-01-11 | release 83 link

Enhancements link

Transactions - Various performance improvements.

API Changes link

Accounts service - added externalName to catalogueServiceCentre endpoints.
Accounts service - deprecated productID field in docket endpoints.
Pallets service - added catalogueProduct field to docket endpoints.
Pallets service - added rentUnitPrice field to transaction endpoints.
Pallets service - added rentUnitPrice field to pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - added supplier field to feeCode endpoints.
Pallets service - deprecated feeUnitPrice field in feeCode endpoints. Replaced with unitPrice.
Pallets service - added unitPrice field to feeCode endpoints.

2023-12-20 | release 82 link

Duplicate Filter link

Various columns in the transactions, locations, and trading accounts grid now have a Duplicate Filter button. Clicking the icon displays duplicates within that column. To search duplicates across two or more columns, click the duplicate filter in other available columns.

Selection Filter link

Most grids now have a Selection Filter button on the status bar at the bottom-right of the grid.

Selecting a range of cells and clicking this button will display related records. Using this function on text fields (e.g., sender reference, notes) limits filtering to one cell. On look-up fields (e.g., sender location and receiver location) filters are unlimited. Filtering on one or more numeric or date fields (e.g. quantity, sending date) will return results within that range.

Enhancements link

Row feedback - Unsaved rows will highlight red when a user clicks off the row, until all required fields are entered.

API Changes link

Pallets service - added componentNames field to feeCode endpoints.
Pallets service - product field in feeCode endpoints is no longer a required field.
Pallets service - added new query for duplicateTransactions, this displays duplicate transactions users may not usually have permission to see.
Pallets service - duplicateFields argument is no longer supported for locations and trading accounts queries.
Pallets service - added duplicateFieldInput to the query input for all entity queries.
Accounts service - added duplicateFieldInput to the query input for all entity queries.
Accounts service - added productId field to docket endpoints.

2023-12-07 | release 81 link

Activities link

Each activities detail grid now contains text filtering on the columns: 'Commands' and 'Changes'. The Changes column contains all fields, therefore searching is possible for a docket number, senders reference, etc. This searches the server, so will return all results.

Enhancements link

Pending Transactions - Submit Interval is a new column added to the Pending Transactions grid. This column calculates the days between a sending date and a submitted timestamp, and is able to filtered or sorted. Submit Interval allows users to easily see what transactions have been submitted late. This is only for new submitted transactions, therefore re-submitted transactions are disregarded from this.
Transactions - Lookup Editor Kind is a new view setting added to the Transactions grid. You can either choose pop-up, in-cell, or auto lookup editor kinds. Pop-up and auto is the default where the lookup lists pop-up to search and select when keying. Whereas in-cell lookup editor kind is where values are looked up once users have tabbed out of the field.
Deleting Selected Rows - Bulk deleting selected rows are implemented. If there are multiple rows selected, clicking the red delete button will prompt a pop-up offering to bulk-delete the selected rows. Previously, you could only select all to delete rows, or delete individually.

API Changes link

Pallets service - Deleted deprecated isChecked field in transaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Deleted deprecated isChecked field in pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Deprecated isRent field in feeCode endpoints. Replaced with kind.
Pallets service - Added kind field to feeCode endpoints.
Pallets service - Added startDay field to feeCode endpoints.
Pallets service - Added startMonth field to feeCode endpoints.
Pallets service - Added endDay field to feeCode endpoints.
Pallets service - Added endMonth field to feeCode endpoints.
Pallets service - Added accountSetting name of duplicateCarrierReferenceAlert.

2023-11-22 | release 80 link

Enhancements link

Transactions - Fetching locations and trading accounts are extended to 365 days, and is capped at 1000 most recent locations and trading accounts to improve performance.
Transactions - Bulk pasting is allowed in most grids, even if the pasted rows exceed the last row in the grid.
Compare tool - Clicking 'show all fields' button in the Activity Compare tool toggles between showing changed fields and all fields defined in your view.

API Changes link

Pallets service - Removed deprecated endpoint updatePrimaryLocation.
Pallets service - Removed deprecated endpoint updatePrimaryProduct.
Pallets service - Removed deprecated field isChecked in transaction endpoints. Replaced with verifiedTimestamp.
Pallets service - Removed deprecated field isChecked in pendingTransaction endpoints. Replaced with verifiedTimestamp.
Pallets service - Added submitCutOffDays field to feeCode endpoints.
Pallets service - Added sourcePendingTransactionId field to pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added verifiedTimestamp field to pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added submitInterval field to pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added isValid field to pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added receiptNumber field to pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added requestedTimestamp field to pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added isAdjustment field to pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added variance field to pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added productCatalogueId field to pendingTransaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added sourceDocketId field to transaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added sourceTransactionId field to transaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added verifiedTimestamp field to transaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added isAdjustment field to transaction endpoints.
Pallets service - Added catalogueId field to basicLocationResolver.
Pallets service - Added catalogueId field to basicProductResolver.

2023-11-08 | release 79 link

Enhancements link

Navigation panel - The favourites panel on the navigator menu can now be expanded or collapsed.
Transactions - Various performance improvements.

API Changes link

Accounts service - Removed deprecated oldestEditDate field from updateDatabase endpoint.
Pallets service - Removed deprecated endpoint submitAllTransactions.
Pallets service - Deprecated endpoint updateLocationPrimary. Replaced with new endpoint updatePrimaryLocation.
Pallets service - Deprecated endpoint updateProductPrimary. Replaced with new endpoint updatePrimaryProduct.

2023-11-06 | release 78 link

Pending Transactions link

The 'Delete Matched' button has been replaced with the delete icon attached to the row. A processed pending transaction will have an "Action" populated on the row, and the red delete icon will become an orange delete icon. Clicking on the orange delete icon allows any user to delete actioned pending transactions. To bulk-delete actioned pending transactions, use Alt when clicking on the orange delete icon.

Users can now use the 'Add Return Row' button, or shortcut of Alt+T to create a return transaction directly in the pending transactions page. Additionally, users can use the 'Add Product Row' button, or shortcut of Alt+P to create a product transaction directly in the pending transactions page. Both of these will have the pending kind as 'New.'

Clicking 'Is Linked' checkbox in the pending transactions will open the detail grids match options.

Cancelled or updated relocation pending transaction rows need to be approved by the sender to be processed. These rows will appear in the senders pending transactions page when the receiver has modified the pending transaction row. For more information, see updated online help.

Enhancements link

Catalogue linking - Clicking 'Is Linked' in the products or locations page will open the match options.
Match options - In pending transactions and catalogue detail grids, match options tool displays existing values and are displayed on the left. In contrast, comparison values are displayed on the right.
Compare form - In the activities detail grid, the activity compare tool displays existing values and are displayed on the left. In contrast, comparison values are displayed on the right.

API Changes link

Accounts service - Removed endpoint deleteMatchedPendingTransactions.
Pallets service - Added query endpoint catalogueTradingPartners.
Pallets service - Added isSenderApprovalRequired field to pendingTransaction endpoints.

2023-10-11 | release 77 link

Enhancements link

Activity compare - Each activity detail grid contains the Compare button. Clicking this button allows users to compare existing values with the previous values outlined in the activity row. Within this, users will be able to view editable fields with the option of updating. Uneditable fields are now visible but are greyed out.
Activity tool - The activity grid now includes the ability to restore soft-deleted rows to the grid using the Restore button against the activity row.
Second-level detail grids - Most detail grids now have a second-level detail grid. This allows users to view the activity logs relating to these detail grids.

API Changes link

Accounts service - Added fields firstTransactionDate and lastTransactionDate to sites query.
Pallets service - Removed isSenderTraced, isReceiverTraced, and billId from pendingTransactionUpdateMutation.
Pallets service - Added endpoint updatePendingTransactionAction.
Pallets service - Added billDate field to updatePendingTransactionBill endpoint.
Pallets service - Added query endpoint locationUsages.

2023-09-28 | release 76 link

Activity compare link

Each activity detail grid now contains the Compare button on either a 'create' or 'update' activity row. Clicking this button against an existing focussed row opens the Activity Compare tool. This allows users to compare the existing values with the previous values outlined in the activity row, and update if desired. The existing values are initially highlighted green, while the activity's values are not coloured. Fields selected in green will be updated, switch accordingly and click Update to save.

Enhancements link

Bulk delete - Alt+click of the delete button for any row will offer to do this function in bulk based on the current grid filters.
Bulk restore - Alt+click of the restore button for any row will offer to do this function in bulk based on the current grid filters.
Transaction date - First and last transaction date columns are added to the databases grid.
Online help - Beyond the Basics online help includes explanation of trading account scope, incomplete transactions, restore, and cancelled transactions.

API Changes link

Accounts service - database resolver has firstTransactionDate and lastTransactionDate fields added.
Accounts service - entityActivity resolver has oldState field added.
Pallets service - entityActivity resolver has oldState field added.

2023-09-13 | release 75 link

Undoing and restoring deleted rows link

Restore action - When deleting records, the refresh button on that row will turn into a recycle button. When clicking the recycle button, a prompt will appear offering to restore the row. Clicking 'Yes' will re-add the selected row to the top of the grid. Clicking Cancel or off the row will not make any changes.
Undo action - Using shortcut key of Ctrl+Z or undo button in the status bar, on any cell will undo changes within the grid and is not limited to a particular row. It is configured to be used up to 10 times or until the grid is refreshed.

Enhancements link

Printing offline - Transactions grid now supports printing dockets when working offline.
Unsaved changes - If an internet connection drops out and subsequently a user is working offline, there is a system to retry saving the changes once back online. If a user closes a tab with unsaved changes, a dialogue box will appear preventing closing the tab. The user is then able to click 'Leave' to close the tab and discard the offline changes, or 'Cancel' to keep the tab open.

API Changes link

Pallets service - preferredTradingAccounts query added.
Pallets service - pendingTransactions endpoints have alterationOrder field added.
Pallets service - transactions endpoints have alterationOrder field added.
Pallets service - Various fields related to pendingTransactions have been deprecated.
Pallets service - Removed isMatched, reason, and response from pendingTransactions.
Pallets service - Deleted deprecated pendingTransaction field from transaction query.
Pallets service - Deleted deprecated fields isActive, and name from siteAccounts.
Accounts service - Deleted deprecated fields isActive, and name from supplierAccounts.
Accounts service - Various fields related to dockets have been deprecated.

2023-08-30 | release 74 link

Enhancements link

Form buttons - The single form in the side panel of the various grids has a top and bottom button bar with icon-only buttons. These small buttons are more convenient than large full-width buttons in the form, however both are supported. By default, both button bars display Previous, Save, Save & Add New, Refresh, and Next buttons. Clicking the next and previous buttons change the focussed row (in both the form and the grid). Customising the form via the switch at the bottom enables showing, hiding, and re-ordering buttons in these bars, as well as changing form fields in the main section.
Sharing dockets - Printing, emailing, and sharing a transaction is facilitated by a linked docket. Changing a printed/emailed/shared transaction automatically pushes changes to the linked docket, which ensures the shared online docket is accurate for anyone viewing it. Pushed changes include updating the receipt number and confirmed timestamp so the online docket displays a green tick when it has been confirmed by the receiver.
Trading policies - Trading policies now include a site field. This allows defining specific trading rules that only apply to a particular site, i.e. rules that are applied to transactions where that site is the receiver. Broadly applicable policies are recommended but this provides the option for a precise policy when required.
Working offline - Various improvements are implemented to handle connection dropouts, temporarily unavailable servers, and general working offline. When saving changes to any data fails, there is a system to retry saving the changes. This includes retrying after refreshing the page or closing the browser and opening again the next day or further in future. More feedback has also been added with failure messages attached to affected rows in the grid.

API changes link

Accounts service - accounts endpoints have deprecated field areReceivalsAllowed removed.
Accounts service - dockets endpoints have various fields added and renamed.
Accounts service - supplierAccounts endpoints have name and isActive fields deprecated.
Accounts service - tradingPolicies endpoints have site field added.
Pallets service - pendingTransactions endpoints have senderExternalCode, senderCatalogueId, receiverExternalCode, receiverCatalogueId, and supplierKind fields added.
Pallets service - pendingTransactions endpoints have reason and response fields deprecated.
Pallets service - siteAccounts endpoints have name and isActive fields deprecated.
Pallets service - transactions query endpoint has pendingTransaction field deprecated and pendingTransactionId field added.
Pallets service - tradingAccounts endpoints have deprecated field areReceivalsAllowed removed.

2023-08-16 | release 73 link

Enhancements link

Transactions - When keying into the transactions grid, updating sender location to a trading partner or service centre triggers setting an empty receiver location to 'My Location', and vice versa. 'My Location' is a site that can be set in the side panel View tool. Locations are also updated automatically for site-level users that have a single authorised site. If neither apply, it checks the entered location for a responsible site and uses that.
Transactions - Keying the kind field first for a new rows in the transactions grid is better supported. For example, start a new row by setting kind to Transfer Off and it will update the is-transfer status, account, and potentially other fields. Most users key locations and have it determine the kind, but allowing fields to be keyed in any order provides flexibility for different workflows, including importing data from a transport or warehouse management system.
Docket numbers - Improvements to reduce the probability of duplicate docket numbers when two users generate a docket at the same time. More account settings have been added for managing generated docket numbers.
Rollup data - Selecting multiple numeric cells, e.g. cells in the quantity column, calculates and displays the average, count, and sum in the status bar.
Products page - The products page now includes a detail grid of allowed products. These are also displayed on the locations page. When allowed products are defined for a trading partner, keying a transaction with a different product triggers a warning. Note that accounts managed in 2ic Pallets use authorised products instead, as these are defined by the account owner and shared with all 2ic Pallets users.
Product bundles - When a product bundle is defined with bundle quantities, using Alt+P in the transactions grid will add other bundle lines with quantities rounded up. For example, define a bundle of 1 pallet and 6 kegs, then key the keg transaction with a quantity of 7, press Alt+P, and the pallet line is added with quantity 2.
Online help - Beyond the Basics section added. It covers advanced features and detailed configuration of 2ic Pallets.

API changes link

Accounts service - sites endpoints have various licencing fields added.
Pallets service - stocktakeCounts endpoints have notes field added.
Pallets service - getAvailableDocketNumber query endpoint added.
Pallets service - accountSettings query endpoint has various settings renamed & added.

2023-08-02 | release 72 link

Enhancements link

Customise lookup list columns - The collapsible panel on the left side of every grid is used to show and hide columns. This is now available in look up lists such as Sender Location and Receiver Location. This is saved as part of the last view, and can also be added to an existing view, refer to Updating Views.
Loan metrics - The loan metrics grid now supports row grouping and displaying aggregate values via the left-side column tool, similar to site metrics grid.
Stocktakes - Expected Quantity is now populated as soon as a stocktake with date, location and product are keyed.

API changes link

Accounts service - authorisedProducts endpoints have deprecated fields senderName and name removed.
Accounts service - accounts endpoints have areReceivalsAllowed field deprecated.
Accounts service - sites endpoints have areReceivalsAllowed field added.
Accounts service - dockets endpoints have senderExternalCode and receiverExternalCode fields added.
Accounts service - catalogueProducts endpoints have deprecated field account removed.
Pallets service - accounts endpoints have areReceivalsAllowed field deprecated.
Pallets service - tradingAccounts endpoints have areReceivalsAllowed field deprecated.
Pallets service - locations endpoints have areReceivalsAllowed field added.
Pallets service - generateStocktakeExpectedQuantity query endpoint added.
Pallets service - pendingTransactions and transactions endpoints have deprecated field correctionReference removed.

2023-07-19 | release 71 link

Enhancements link

Destination field - Trading Policies and Transactions now have an optional Destination field. This allows transfer ons to have different delay days based on the destination. If a transfer on is keyed with a matching Destination name to the Destination name in the trading policy, the effective date will change accordingly to the delay days specified in that trading policy. The Destination field is also been added as an optional field to Pending Transactions and Trading Accounts. Refer to adding destinations for setup.
Loan metrics - Loan Metric emails display an owed balance and include a table of loan transactions relative to the trading partner for the previous 7 days.

API changes link

Accounts service - dockets and tradingPolicies endpoints have destination field added.
Pallets service - pendingTransactions, tradingAccounts, and transactions endpoints have destination field added.
Pallets service - locations endpoints have various linkedAccounts fields removed.
Pallets service - tradingProfiles endpoints have deprecated fields hasTransferOffDelayRule and hasTransferOnDelayRule removed.

2023-07-05 | release 70 link

Enhancements link

Custom exporting file names - Exporting now allows the option to customise the next file name and next file number. Clicking on Next Export File Name will display an example format and recently used. The Next Export File Number will increment each time the 'Export to CSV' button is clicked, and is saved as part of the last view - but is not shared across other users. If there is an existing matching file name saved on server, the file will not be replaced, and instead a timestamp added to the end. If either of the Next Export File Name and Number fields are not populated, the file name will continue saving with a timestamp. Refer to exporting transactions process for more information.
Scanning transactions - After scanning in a docket, can now use the ` key or ~ key to focus back into the scan field, instead of using the mouse to click into it each time. This allows users to scan V2 or Web App dockets in quick succession.
Updating across tabs - 2ic Pallets allows keying into multiple tabs at one time, and now any information updated in one tab, will update across the other tabs in real-time. This is most commonly used for adding and updating Locations, but works for all entities. Note that this is only available for tabs across the same browser, and if utilising another browser, the page will need to be refreshed to include the latest changes.
Online help - Pages added for setting up allowed locations, relocation profiles and supplier profiles. Various improvements made to other help pages, including updating exporting transactions to reflect the new enhancements.

API changes link

Accounts service - tradingPolicy create/update endpoints - productCode field has been removed, use supplierCode instead. receiverReferencePattern has been removed, use receiverReferenceFormat instead. transferOnDelayRule has been removed as it is no longer required.
Accounts service & Pallets service - filtering by isNull or isNotNull no longer fails for non-nullable fields for entity queries.
Pallets service -business and external name added as optional fields in create/update location inputs.
Pallets service - fileName added as optional field for the initiateExportTransactions endpoint.
Pallets service - traceQuantities are no longer automatically set by the server, these values should be provided in the create/update transaction inputs.
Pallets service - endpoint updateTransaction input field confirmTransactionRequired has been removed. Use the confirmTransaction endpoint instead.

2023-06-21 | release 69 link

Enhancements link

Carrier field - In the transactions grid the carrier field is free text but is usually configured with an autocomplete editor to make it easy to select previously used carriers. Configuration for this field has been taken further by adding a carrier field to the trading accounts grid. This allows setting a default value. When keying a transaction, the carrier field is updated automatically if the matching trading account has a defined carrier.
Catalogue items - Is Matched field has been added to the trading partner catalogue, service centre catalogue, and product catalogue detail grids. It makes it easy to link an existing location or product to a catalogue item. Linked items can be synchronised when the catalogue item is updated. For example, open the locations grid, focus a trading partner row, then in the catalogue detail grid below, find & match the corresponding item. The rows are linked and the match options form is displayed to update individual fields.
Filtering transactions - Lookup lists for filtering by sender location & receiver location in the transactions grid now include account numbers. This allows keying an account number to find a location, the same as when editing a row.
Scanning transactions - Scan tool in the side panel of the transactions grid now has a setting named 'After-scan focus field'. When a field is selected then it is focussed after each barcode scan, e.g. focus receiver reference to enable checking or updating that field after scanning a docket. The setting is saved with the selected view and user's 'last view'.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - tradingAccount endpoints have carrier field added.
Pallets service - tradingProfile endpoints have isTraced field removed.

2023-06-07 | release 68 link

Importing improvements link

Importing essentially matches an incoming line of text against existing rows, and based on the results, performs an action with the line.

The Action field in the template inputs grid is used to configure this behaviour. It is set for 'Match' inputs. The most common actions are Discard, Add, & Update. A new action is Add Alias, and it applies to importing products & locations. More actions will be added in future, especially for transactions, e.g. Confirm, Reject, Correct, etc.

Scanning a docket barcode to add or look up a transaction now uses the import process. Scanning is basically importing one line of text. It takes advantage of the Identify action - when a matching transaction is found it attaches a message to that row and brings it to the top of the grid. Like any import, full customisation of barcode scanning is available in the import templates page.

A new field called Default Action has been added to the import templates grid. It specifies the action for a non-matching line. If a line doesn't match an existing row then it is typically added, i.e. 'imported', but there are situations where non-matching lines should be discarded.

One of these situations is synchronising locations (or products) from catalogue items. This is another feature that uses the import process. When a trading partner location is synchronised, all catalogue trading partners are imported and one of these lines will match & update the location. The rest are discarded. The 'target' rows for incoming items to match against is limited to the location being synchronised, or limited to the currently filtered locations when using Alt+click to bulk-synchronise.

Adding a catalogue item is similar to synchronising, except the incoming line is added when it does not match. Using Alt+click to bulk-add filtered rows from the catalogue (when they don't match) is more like regular importing.

Import templates used for these processes are in the Settings tool in the side panel of the appropriate grid. Custom templates may be defined and specified, otherwise built-in templates are used.

Enhancements link

Merging user accounts - When a user has an existing account, e.g. with a name & password, and then uses the same email address to sign up via a different method, e.g. with Google credentials, it offers to merge the accounts. Existing permissions from the original user account are retained. Both user accounts will be displayed on the My Details page, and either one can be used from then on to sign in.
Multiple user accounts - Previously only one user account of each type (name & password, Google, Linkedin, etc.) could be linked. This limit has been lifted so a user can have multiple linked accounts of the same type. This is helpful, for example, if a user has both a direct email address and a generic email address like 'pallets@company.com'. Either can be used to sign in. All linked accounts are managed on the My Details page.
Locations & accounts - Locations page now has a detail grid for accounts. When the main grid row is a site location it displays 'our' accounts, and for a trading partner location it displays 'their' accounts. Contact details for their account are typically more useful than contact details for the trading partner location, as the location corresponds to one of their physical sites. Note that the account for a trading partner is only available when set up and managed in 2ic Pallets.
Location 'business' - Locations grid now includes a Business field. It applies to both site locations and trading partner locations, and is used to define 'external' names & codes. When customer sites are individually set up as trading partners (recommended), the business field naturally groups these locations. Note they will typically have the same account numbers as well.
Trading accounts & trading policies - Trading accounts page now has a detail grid for trading policies. It enables viewing the trading rules configured by the receiver for transfer off transactions. Having this information available helps when considering setting a Trading Policy Override for a trading account.
Loan tracing - Trading profiles grid has Is Traced field renamed to Is Loan Traced. It more clearly indicates the purpose, i.e. identifying trading partners for which loan transactions are traced. It only applies when the 'Transaction tracing' account setting is set to 'Loan'.
Online help - Videos updated on most help pages. Emailing Loan Balances section added to the Viewing Loan Metrics page.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - updateTransaction mutation endpoint has unused meta-data field confirmTransactionRequired removed.
Pallets service - accountSettings endpoints have all items renamed (sorting prefix is removed from account setting names).
Pallets service - tradingProfile endpoints have isLoanTraced field added to replace isTraced, which is deprecated.
Pallets service - Unused mutation endpoint updateSiteFromLocation is deleted.

2023-05-24 | release 67 link

Coloured transaction buttons link

After creating an 'off' transaction, the sender either submits it paperlessly to the receiver, or prints a paper docket. These options are provided via buttons in the grid.

When the receiver accepts paperless receivals, the Submit button is coloured bright blue to imply using this option. Print Docket, Email Docket, and other docket-sharing buttons are dark grey.

When the receiver account is not managed in 2ic Pallets, or is configured to not accept paperless transactions, the button colours are opposite, i.e. telling the user to print a docket.

For 'on' transactions, the submit button is disabled and docket buttons are grey as they typically don't apply. The Confirm button is enabled for providing paperless proof-of-delivery to the sender.

Issue and dehire transactions have both submit & confirm buttons disabled, and docket buttons are coloured dark grey.

Paperless receivals are configured for an account by ticking Are Receivals Allowed for the corresponding account row. It may edited in the accounts detail grid on the databases page.

Transacting paperlessly is made even more efficient by configuring automatic submitting and automatic confirming in account settings.

'Column' template inputs link

A column input assigns a field to a column of text in the import file. These fields are used to identify lookup items, used in match rules, and define the data that is included when adding a new row or updating an existing row.

Data that is copied into grid rows can now be managed by defining an Operator for each column input. The options are:

Update - matches previous behaviour and uses column data in new & existing rows.
Do not update - allows using a column to identify a lookup item or be part of a match rule without updating the existing row.
Update when empty - only applies when an existing row is matched for updating, and it preserves overwriting non-empty data in the existing row.
Create & update - helpful for simple reference data, e.g. scanning a docket barcode may have create & update for the Sender Contact field, so unrecognised contacts are automatically created and then used in the transaction.

Enhancements link

Literal fields - Grid fields with a finite list of options to choose from, e.g. Kind in the transactions grid, are often sorted in a logical order. This sort order applies both to items in a lookup list and to grid rows when they are sorted by a literal field. Some literals should be sorted in alphabetical order, e.g. Field Name in the template inputs grid, and this is now supported. It sorts correctly in all languages, including custom glossaries.
F8 keyboard shortcut - Pressing the F8 function key in any grid copies data from the cell above and tabs to the next cell. Previously it did nothing when the focussed cell is disabled, but now it moves to the next cell the same as if TAB is pressed.
Catalogues - Detail grids for trading partner catalogue and service centre catalogue on the locations page, and product catalogue on the products page, have additional link filters (in the side panel) to help find catalogue items to add or match.
Printed reports - Dockets and other reports are now clearer when the account setting 'Is full colour printing enabled?' is unticked. Previously this printed in grey-scale but is changed to black & white to better suit low-resolution printers.
Barcode scanning - Scanners can be configured to 'tab' after scanning a barcode via a prefix character This is now supported and moves focus to the next cell. It is helpful when scanning dockets that have several one-dimensional barcodes.
Transaction CSV exports - Export tool in the side panel of the transactions grid has a new checkbox setting 'Are incomplete transactions included?'. Previously this was achieved by filtering the transactions grid by the Is Complete field, but excluding incomplete rows is a common preference when exporting so it justifies a more convenient setting.
Trading accounts - Product, Account, & Site Location columns in the trading accounts grid are hidden by default to encourage leaving these optional 'scope' fields empty, i.e. to encourage defining generalised trading accounts that apply to all transactions.
Online help - New content is added to various pages, including Importing Transactions, Adding Service Centre Locations, and Adding Trading Partner Locations.

API changes link

Accounts service - serviceCentres endpoint is renamed catalogueServiceCentres.
Pallets service - tradingAccounts endpoints have areReceivalsAllowed field added.
Pallets service - Various changes to account settings.

2023-05-10 | release 66 link

Enhancements link

Thai translation - Thai glossary has been substantially updated so most of the 3000+ labels and messages used in the app are translated.
Automatic confirming - Account settings have been added to configure automatic confirming of 'on' transactions. There are separate settings for transfers, loans, & relocations. Account settings for automatic submitting of 'off' transactions have also been adjusted for consistency, so there is also three of them.
Match rules - An important part of configuring import templates is match rules. A match rule is a collection of fields and how each one matches against existing rows to determine if the import line should be discarded, used for updating an existing row, etc. Defining match rules has become more flexible with all fields in all grids available for matching. How they match is also more flexible with additional operators supported instead of only 'equal'. Operators include 'contains' & 'starts with' for text fields, 'before' & 'after' for dates, and 'less than' & 'greater than' for numbers. Matching on psuedo-fields like 'direction' for transactions and min/max dates for date ranges is also supported.
Emailing loan balances - Bulk-sending email messages in the Loan Metrics grid is provided. In the grid, filter down to the required rows, then Alt+click the 'Email Loan Balances' button for any row to send email messages for all rows.
Online help - Pages added for setting up import templates and importing transactions. Various improvements made to other help pages, including updating keyboard shortcuts.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Various changes to account settings.

2023-04-21 | release 65 link

Incomplete issues & dehires link

When creating an issue transaction or dehire transaction they are incomplete by default. An account setting has been added to switch this off, i.e. have the Is Complete field ticked by default.

Having these transactions initially incomplete is helpful the supplier generates issue & dehire docket numbers. This applies for both CHEP and Loscam. Updating the transaction with their docket number completes it.

The initial docket number is retained in the Receiver Reference field for issues and Sender Reference field for dehires. It is also copied to Private Notes.

Editing location rows link

In the locations grid, trading partner rows include account numbers and a trading profile name. They are projected from linked trading accounts, and have previously been read-only fields. Now they can be edited, and the changes result in creating, updating, and deleting corresponding trading account rows.

Similarly responsible site names are displayed in location rows based on linked responsible sites. Editing the location row will create, update, and delete corresponding responsible site rows.

These changes flow through to importing, so trading accounts and responsible sites can be updated when locations are imported.

Enhancements link

Tracing - 'Tracing start date' account setting added to prevent updating trace quantities when transactions with an older sending date are created or updated.
Optimising trading accounts - Alt+click of the Optimise Trading Accounts column button in the locations grid optimises for all locations based on the current grid filters. It replaces the 'Optimise All' button in the side panel, which has been removed.
Site metrics - The site metrics grid supports row grouping and displaying aggregate values via the left-side column tool. Previously dragging a value column like Closing Balance or Flow Through into the 'Values' section of the tool would only enable calculaing the sum of those values. It now supports Average, Count, First, Last, Max, and Min, in addition to Sum.
Checkboxes & buttons - A checkbox cell in a grid can now be changed by clicking anywhere in the cell. This is an improvement over having to click precisely on the checkbox. The same applies to button columns.
Linked docket rows - On the transactions page, link filters for the dockets detail grid have been adjusted to automatically show dockets for other product lines for a multi-line docket.
Online help - Substantial improvements & additions have been made to the online help. It includes updated help for:
- Configuring & using transaction tracing
- Submitting & confirming transactions
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Creating custom import templates
- Importing transactions

API changes link

Accounts service - Various minor changes.
Pallets service - Various minor changes.

2023-04-05 | release 64 link

Enhancements link

Data entry - Preventing grid rows from intermittently getting stuck in edit mode and not saving. Also preventing concurrency errors that occasionally occur when a row saves after having all required fields entered, then is immediately edited, e.g. by entering notes or a reference field. Instead of saving the second changes, it displayed an error notification asking to refresh the row. Both of these issues mostly affected the transactions grid.
Transaction checks - Improving the performance of transaction checks that require database queries. Data entry of transactions will be faster in some scenarios. The checks correspond to most of the 'transaction alerts' that are configured in account settings, including duplicate checks on docket number and reference fields.
Trading policies - Name field added for easier identification. Autocomplete editors added for various fields.

API changes link

Accounts service - tradingPolicies endpoint has name, senderAccountName, & productName fields added.
Pallets service - None.

2023-03-21 | release 63 link

Enhancements link

Transaction warnings - Refining how and when various transaction warnings are displayed to streamline data entry in the transactions grid. All combinations of 'highlight', 'notification', & 'pop-up' warnings (configured in account settings) are optimised. Data is pre-fetched where possible for duplicate checking and other warning checks to improve overall speed.
Sent & Received quantities - Improving automatically setting Received Quantity when Sent Quantity is specified, and vice versa, when keying transactions.
Customising barcode scanning - Converting scanning of docket barcodes to use the importing process so options are controlled by an import template. This enables customising scanning, including how existing transactions are matched and what data is included in added transactions, e.g. including or excluding Sent Quantity & Received Quantity from the barcode. Two-dimensional barcodes on dockets generated by 2ic Pallets and Loscam Online are supported.

API changes link

Accounts service - Completing the major change of adding item count to all queries.
Pallets service - Completing the major change of adding item count to all queries.

2023-03-06 | release 62 link

Enhancements link

First transaction date - Locations grid has a new column 'First Transaction Date'. Like the existing field 'Last Transaction Date', it is read-only and updated automatically from transactions.

API changes link

Accounts service - All queries have the response shape modified and can now return a list of items, the overall item count for specified filters, or both.
Accounts service - licence & allocatedLicence endpoints added.
Pallets service - All queries have the response shape modified and can now return a list of items, the overall item count for specified filters, or both.

2023-02-23 | release 61 link

Enhancements link

Inactive items - Lookup lists for cell editors and column filters have improved handling of inactive items. Text in the first column for an inactive item is prefixed with '*'. These items are excluded from 'initial' lists, and when a search term is keyed, inactive items are always sorted to the bottom of the filtered list regardless of how well they match. Selecting an inactive item when editing a cell will trigger a warning notification. These changes apply to lookup lists for Account, Site, Location, Contact, & Product entities.
Supplier formats - Improved checking of Docket Number formats is provided for various suppliers in various regions, and a warning notification is displayed when an invalid format is keyed. Checks for disallowed characters in reference fields also apply, e.g. CHEP Australia allow alphanumeric characters plus the special characters - .*(){}[]/. A warning is displayed when a transaction that will be exported contains an invalid character.
Site metrics - Location Group & Product Group fields may now be used for 'grouping' rows in the site metrics grid. Closing balances can now be summed over these groups instead of only providing totals for individual locations and individual products.
Duplicates - Various grids have the 'Duplicate Filters' tool in the side panel, and it enables identifying rows that may be duplicates. For the locations grid, checking for duplicates in the Name field and Code field are available, in addition to finding duplicates based on each supplier account number. For the trading accounts grid, duplicates based on Account Number are refined to be rows with the same Supplier and different Trading Partner Location, as well as the same Account Number.
Keyboard shortcuts - In any grid Alt+- inserts a new row above and Alt+= inserts a new row below.
Importing Excel files - Excel files can now be imported in the same way as text files.
Emailing loan balances - The loan metrics grid has an 'email' button column for generating a message to the trading partner with balances owed.
Optimising trading accounts - Clicking the 'optimise' button for a row in the locations grid will identify potential problems and redundant configuration of its trading accounts. Some problems can be autofixed and improvements have been made to this functionality.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - transactions & pendingTransactions endpoints have correctionReference field deprecated & alterationReference added.

2023-02-01 | release 60 link

Transaction alerts link

The 'transaction warnings' group of account settings has been renamed to 'transaction alerts', and a new 'Unauthorised' option is available. Selecting this option for one of the settings will prevent saving changes to a transaction when it fails the corresponding check.

For example, making 'duplicate docket number' unauthorised will prevent saving if there is a matching transaction with the same docket number.

Unauthorised checks revert to a warning only when the user has 'Reconcile Bills' permission, i.e. these users can still save changes when a check fails.

The previous 'highlight', 'notification', & pop-up' warning options are still available.

A transaction alert has been added for 'invalid receiver reference'. It enables customising the warning when the entered reference does not match requirements for the receiver location. Requirements are defined in the corresponding trading policy or trading profile, e.g. if the format '######' is defined then the receiver reference must be a 6-digit number.

The unauthorised option is also available for date checking. It applies to non-recent dates in transactions & stocktakes. Date settings have been simplified with a single range of days before & after today, replacing separate ranges for 'date warnings' & 'date locking'.

Allowed locations link

Sender Location & Receiver Location lookup editors are automatically initialised with recently used locations, specifically those with a transaction in the past 90 days. It is further filtered based on user permissions, so a site-level user has only locations used in transactions to or from their site. If the keyed search terms return no matches in the initial list, it reverts to searching all locations.

This system works well once there is data available, but is no help for a new database with no transactions. Allowed Locations have been added to address this. They also provide control for those that want to maintain an exact list of allowed locations for each site.

The locations page has an allowed locations detail grid for defining the list for each site location. Rows may be individually for a site, or via site groups, or a combination of both.

For example, multiple sites that are retail stores may have their Group field set to 'South-east stores'. If they are all serviced by two transport companies then create two allowed location rows with 'South-east stores' as the Site Group and the transport companies as the allowed locations. If some sites are serviced by a third transport company then add it as an allowed location for those individual sites.

Lastly a transaction alert has been added for 'disallowed location'. If a site has least one allowed location row then checking is invoked. The usual options of 'highlight', 'notification', 'pop-up', & 'unauthorised' are available.

Enhancements link

Location lookup editors - Ongoing optimisation of the Sender Location & Receiver Location lookup lists in the transactions grid have yielded good performance improvements when there are many locations & trading accounts.
Linked sites & accounts - On the databases page, the accounts detail grid has a new field called Linked Sites. Similarly the sites detail grid has Linked Accounts. Sites & accounts are linked via supplier account rows, and with the new fields displaying the number of linked rows in the other grid, it easy to identify missing links.

API changes link

Accounts service - accounts query has linkedSites field added.
Accounts service - sites query has linkedAccounts field added.
Pallets service - accountSettings have various changed settings.
Pallets service - preferredExpandedLocations query added.
Pallets service - Various deprecated countryCode fields deleted.

2023-01-16 | release 59 link

Enhancements link

Allowed products - Trading Products has been renamed to Allowed Products to more clearly reflect the purpose of these records. The functionality is unchanged - a warning is triggered when keying a transaction with a disallowed product for a trading partner. Checking allowed products only applies when at least one is defined for the transaction trading partner, i.e. no allowed products means no restrictions and no warnings. Defining allowed products is optional. It enables product checking when the other trading partner has not set up authorised products, or does not manage their accounts in 2ic Pallets.
Re-displaying pop-up warnings - During data entry a warning is displayed in one of three ways - 'highlight', 'notification', or 'pop-up'. The corresponding messages remain attached to an edited row and clicking the status cell at the start of the row will re-display these messages as notifications. Now it also re-displays pop-up warnings that have not been confirmed. A warning will be 'unconfirmed' if the pop-up is cancelled the first time it appears, which includes clicking outside of the pop-up box. Re-displaying pop-ups is necessary because unlike the other warning kinds, a cancelled pop-up will prevent saving the row.
Site accounts - On the Databases page, the Sites detail grid now has a read-only field named 'Linked Accounts'. It displays the number of Supplier Accounts linked the site, which helps identify any missing supplier account rows.
Databases page - The Databases page now has detail grids for Trading Policies and Authorised Products. This provides a fuller picture of a database without having to leave that page.
Reset View button - Like main grids, every detail grid now has a status bar button to reset the view of the detail grid. It has the same 'green tv' icon as the Reset View button for main grids.

API changes link

Accounts service - accounts, sites, & users endpoints have country field added, and countryCode field deprecated.
Pallets service - accounts, locations, & users endpoints have country field added, and countryCode field deprecated.
Pallets service - locations endpoint has externalCode field added.
Pallets service - transactions & pendingTransactions endpoints have isCorrection field deprecated.
Pallets service - allowedProducts & allowedLocations endpoints added, and tradingProducts endpoint deprecated.

2022-12-23 | release 58 link

Trading partner catalogue link

The locations page has a detail grid named Trading Partner Catalogue. Clicking the 'Add Trading Partner' button for a row in the detail grid copies it to a new location row in the main grid. If there is a matching existing row it offers to update it with latest details from the catalogue.

The trading partner catalogue contains public locations. These are sites from all databases in 2ic Pallets, including your own, that have an external code.

Public locations have linked accounts and when adding from the catalogue these accounts are also copied to become trading accounts.

Whenever a site is added to a database and an external code is specified, that 'public location' is immediately available in the catalogue, i.e. other 2ic Pallets users can add a corresponding trading partner to their database. It produces trading partners with correct contact details and accounts, as they have been defined by the owner of the location.

The primary benefit for the owner of the location is accurate pending transactions from submitting & confirming. Your receival pending transactions will have the correct site as the receiver, making it easier to approve paperless transactions. Site-level users have pending transactions automatically filtered to their site, plus all rows where the sender location or receiver location is empty. Reducing the number of rows with an empty location makes it much easier for site users to identify and process their transactions.

For more information, see Adding Trading Partners.

Service centre catalogue link

The locations page has a detail grid named Service Centre Catalogue. Clicking the 'Add Service Centre' button for a row in the detail grid copies it to a new location row in the main grid. If there is a matching existing row it offers to update it with latest details from the catalogue.

Service centres in the catalogue are a general list for various suppliers in various countries. It is maintained by 2ic Software staff.

Product catalogue link

The products page has a detail grid named Product Catalogue. Clicking the 'Add Product' button for a row in the detail grid copies it to a new product row in the main grid. If there is a matching existing row it offers to update it with latest details from the catalogue.

Products in the catalogue are a general list for various suppliers in various countries. It is maintained by 2ic Software staff.

For more information, see Adding Products.

Authorised products link

The products page maintains a common list for all accounts in a database. A limited list of products for each account may be defined in the Authorised Products detail grid. Then your users will receive a warning if keying a transaction for an unauthorised product.

Authorised products are a public list that is shared with other trading partners that manage accounts in 2ic Pallets. As a result, users of other accounts receive a warning if keying a transaction with an unauthorised product for your account.

Authorised products for your trading partners are displayed on the locations page, in its Authorised Products detail grid. Your users receive a warning if keying an 'off' transaction with an unauthorised product for the corresponding trading partner.

Warnings only apply when at least one authorised product is defined, i.e. no authorised products means there are no restrictions and all are allowed.

If a trading partner does not manage their accounts in 2ic Pallets, a limited list of products can still be defined for them via Trading Products. The locations page has a Trading Products detail grid for maintaining these rules. Like authorised products, a warning is displayed when keying a transaction with a product that is not allowed based on trading products.

API improvements link

The endpoint for creating a transaction is often used when integrating with the 2ic Pallets API. Recent improvements have made it easier for customer developers when integrating their warehouse or transport management system.

When using any API to create operational records, like transactions, it is typical to first look up and verify the existence of its reference data, like locations and the product. This applies to the 2ic Pallets API as well. However, our API can now fill in more gaps when creating a transaction. This reduces the amount of data that the calling system must provide, and more importantly reduces data entry for users and/or the volume of business rules that need to be maintained in that system.

Specifically the 2ic Pallets API can now decide if a submitted transaction should be a transfer or a loan, it can calculate the effective date, and it can generate the docket number.

For more information, see Example - Creating a Transaction.

Enhancements link

Row messages - When keying into a grid, any validation errors are attached to the row. These error messages may be displayed as notifications by clicking the grey status cell at the left end of the row. Other kinds of messages may be triggered while keying a row, and now these are attached too, i.e. all 'error', 'warning', 'information', & 'success' messages are attached.
Date warnings - 'Highlight' option is now supported for non-recent date warnings. By default 'Notification' warnings are set. These display an orange warning message and shade the cell when the entered date is between the warning days & locking days before (or after) today's date. 'Highlight' will shades the cell and attaches the message to the row. 'Pop-up' is the other warning kind and is the most intrusive, but it does provide a 'reset' option to change the date back to its previous value, and prevents saving the row if the pop-up is cancelled. Date checks are applied separately to the existing value and, if the date is changed, the new value.
Transaction warnings - All transaction warnings that can be customised in Account Settings now support the 'Highlight' warning kind. Timing for the missing docket number warning is adjusted - it is delayed until all required fields are entered to avoid unnecessary alerts as a new row is keyed. Duplicate docket number warnings appear sooner - the check is performed as soon as the product, kind, & docket number are specified, rather than checking only when the row saves. The same applies to duplicate checks for sender reference & receiver reference.
Transaction CSV exports - One or more accounts may be selected in the lookup-list in the Expot tool. This filters the exported transactions to only those accounts. Timestamps in the generated file are now converted to the user's timezone rather than being UTC time.
Invitation email messages - When sending an invitation email message there is a green 'success' notification saying 'submitted'. Additional feedback is now provided with another success notification for 'sent, or an error if it failed.
Locale detection - New users can select their region & language via the flag button on the home page. It determines date & number formats, the glossary for display text, etc. Previously the default locale was a setting in the user's browser. However this locale setting is limited with missing countries (including Australia & New Zealand) and is often inaccurate. Locale detection has been upgraded so most or all users will have it set correctly from the start.
Contacts - Contacts page has been removed and can now only be accessed in a detail grid on the locations page. Like any detail grid, clearing link filters will display all rows, effectively removing the need for a separate main-grid page.
Online help - Various pages have been updated & improved, and some new pages are added.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Various minor additions.

2022-12-07 | release 57 link

Reporting link

The navigation menu has a new section named Reporting.

It has links to the Site Metrics page and the Loan Metrics page, which have been renamed from 'Site Balances' and 'Loan Balances' respectively.

Grids and charts on both pages now include Location Group and Product Group fields. They contain data from the Group field in the Locations grid, and the Group field in the Products grid.

Group fields enable categorising the data. For example locations could be grouped into states. Products could be grouped into 'Pallets', 'Crates', and 'Other products'.

A chart on a metrics page will display the same data as its corresponding grid, so grids are filtered to define the chart data. Providing group fields for filtering enables producing more targeted and informative charts.

Enhancements link

Exporting transactions - When transactions are exported a CSV file is generated and presented for downloading. Now it is also available for downloading from a link that is emailed to the user that creates the export.
Locale detection - When a user first visits 2ic Pallets, the browser approximately identifies their locale and the corresponding flag on the home page is set. This setting determines date & number formats, display language, etc. Unfortunately it often requires manual updating because most browsers identify western countries as either USA or UK. Identifying the locale of a user has been upgraded and the setting is now initialised more accurately.
Drag & drop importing - Text files are imported via the Import tool in the grid side panel. The tool has always allowed dropping a file to read it, but now dragging a file over the grid will automatically open the side panel and expand the import tool to enable dropping.

API changes link

Accounts service - none.
Pallets service - Endpoints added for exportBatches.
Pallets service - Endpoints added for tradingProducts.
Pallets service - transactions endpoint has exportBatchId field added.

2022-11-03 | release 56 link

Flow through link

The Site Balances grid now includes 7-day, 30-day, and 365-day flow through percentages. Flow Through is the Outbound quantity over a period divided by the Inbound quantity. Below 100% means more product items have been received (inbound) by the site than sent (outbound) in the period. Above 100% means more have been sent than received.

By default the grid displays columns for Inbound, Outbound, and Flow Through for the last 30 days up to the currently specified Date filter, i.e. the Closing Balance date. The set of three columns for 7 days and the set for 365 days may be unhidden if either of those periods are more suited to the business.

Detail grids have link filters corresponding to these three periods, so related rows may be displayed for the 'last 7 days', 'last 30 days', or 'last 365 days'.

Row grouping link

The Site Balances grid now supports row grouping. This enables summarising data into 'group' rows and providing aggregate values for these groups. For example, grouping by Product and summing by Closing Balance will display the combined site balance for each product.

To configure row grouping, display the 'columns' panel on the left side of the site balances grid, then drag columns by their header into the 'Groups' section or 'Values' section. Data can be grouped by Location, Product, and/or Account. Currently only the Closing Balance column may be specified as an aggregate value, and 'Sum' is the only supported aggregation.

Enhancements link

Stocktakes page - The Stocktakes page has additional detail grids: Site Balances, Daily Totals, & Transactions. Access to the transactions provides an efficient way of estimating the 'in transit' quantity, which should be added to the item count for recording in the Actual Quantity field. The Expected Quantity of a stocktake is calculated using the Sending Date of transactions. After creating a stocktake, review recent transactions dated within a few days of the stocktake, and decide if these items were still in transit at the time of performing the physical site count.
Transactions page - The Transactions page has additional detail grids: Site Balances, Loan Balances, & Daily Totals. The loan balances grid is especially convenient, providing immediate access to quantities owed to and owed by the trading partner of the focussed transaction.
Receipt numbers - The status cell of a transaction which is invalid based on its receipt number will display a blue question mark icon. Clicking the status cell triggers re-validating the row against the Receipt Number, so it either displays a warning notification that lists non-matching fields, or when possible, a pop-up that offers to change the non-matching Quantity, Effective Date, and/or Is Cancelled status. This replaces the former keyboard shortcut Alt+T. To review invalid transactions, unhide the Is Valid column and use its header filter to display only rows that have this field unticked.
Link filters - Previously in the status bar of a detail grid, there was a button for clearing link filters and another button for resetting to default link filters. These actions have been combined into a single button that toggles between the two states. Custom link filters are still applied by displaying the detail grid side panel, expanding the Link Filters tool, and selecting individual options. This is common usage for the Transactions detail grid on the Pending Transactions page, but for all other detail grids it is most common to switch between clearing filters to show all rows and resetting them to show only rows that are related to the focussed row in the main grid.
Text filters - The 'Contains' operator in the header filter of a text column now supports multiple search terms in any order. For example, filtering the Name field in the Locations grid by 'air dhl' would include a row with 'DHL Perth Airport', while previously it was excluded.
Supplier accounts - Moving a site from one account to another is better supported. The Supplier Accounts grid (on the Databases page) now allows a site to be linked to multiple accounts of the same supplier. The row with the current association has Is Active ticked. For example, if consolidating from state CHEP accounts to a national CHEP account, the supplier account row for 'Brisbane' and 'Queensland CHEP' account can be made inactive and a new row added for 'Brisbane' and 'National CHEP'. The latter row has Is Active ticked, so new transactions for 'Brisbane' will be linked to the 'National CHEP' account and existing transactions are unchanged.

API changes link

Accounts service - supplierAccounts endpoint has name & isActive fields added.
Pallets service - siteAccounts endpoint has name & isActive fields added.
Pallets service - stocktakes endpoint has fields renamed: lostQuantity to variance and receiverLocation to senderLocation.

2022-10-25 | release 55 link

Charts link

The Site Balances page and Loan Balances page now include charts. The main grid for each has three display modes; full grid, grid + chart, & full chart.

In the bottom-left corner of these grids is a button with a pink chart icon for cycling between the modes. Click it to see a bar chart of balances.

The chart is live data, the same data that is displayed in the grid. Filtering & sorting data in the grid is automatically reflected the chart.

Both pages have a Running Balances detail tab, and these grids also have three display modes. The chart for running balances is a line chart, which is suitable for data with a date range. Hovering over data points on a line will display details a tool-tip.

Default link filters for this detail grid, and therefore the chart, limit running balances to the location & product of the focussed main grid row. Clicking the status-bar button to clear link filters will load running balances for every location & product combination, so multiple lines are displayed in the chart.

In addition to built-in charts, dynamic charts can be created in any grid by selecting a range of cells, right-clicking, and choosing 'Chart Range'. A customisable chart displays in a pop-up.

Enhancements link

Exporting transactions - Exporting to a CSV text file has moved from the transactions grid menu to a tool in the side panel. A functional improvement is the ability to apply current filters as well as exporting only 'new & updated' transactions. This enables, for example, creating a separate export file for each account - use grid column filters to select the account before exporting. Updating the Exported Timestamp field is now optional. Online help for exporting has been updated with these changes.
Confirmed transactions - When a receiver confirms a transaction, that confirmation is pushed in real-time to all users that are actively working in the sender database. It ensures these users have the latest version of the transaction row. Transmitting these updates happens in the background without any interruption or effort for the user. If a confirmation arrives for a transaction that happens to be visible in the grid, the row flashes to indicate it has been updated.
Online help - New pages Configuring Profiles and Example - Creating a Transaction (via the API) are available.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Various minor additions.

2022-10-04 | release 54 link

Enhancements link

Running balances - Site Balances grid & Loan Balances grid are simplified to provide closing balances for a single date. A detail grid named Running Balance now provides closing balances over a range of dates. With default link filters applied the running balance rows correspond to the focussed row in the main grid. Most importantly the performance of these grids has been dramatically improved. Filtering, sorting, and scrolling through the data is now close to instantaneous for most users.
Multi-line dockets - Printed dockets & online dockets now allow unlimited product lines. A printed docket on A4 size paper still displays 6 lines by default, but the 'scale' print setting can be adjusted to fit more lines on a single page.
Copy docket link - Transactions grid includes a button column Copy Docket Link. Clicking the button copies a link for the online docket to the clipboard. This is the same as clicking Share Docket and selecting 'Copy Link'. The new button is provided as an alternative because the browser 'sharing' feature is disabled by some businesses.
Future locking days - Account setting added for specifying the maximum days ahead of 'today' that transactions can be dated. It complements existing settings 'Past locking days', 'Past warning days', & 'Future warning days'.
Date locking override - Past & future locking days are downgraded to warnings for any user with the 'Reconcile Bills' permission. This allows fixing mistakes in old transactions without having to change settings first.
Column filters & searching - The Search field at the top of a grid page is used to filter rows in the grid by searching multiple columns for the entered text. To ensure the intended rows are displayed, column filters are cleared for the search. These column filters are now restored when the search field is cleared.
Deleting recently added rows - A user that does not have 'delete' permissions may still delete a row that they have added. The delete button is temporarily enabled for these rows. Permission is removed after 10 minutes or if the row is refreshed. This provides every user with a small window to delete their own data if they realise it has been keyed in error.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Supplier Profiles & Trading Accounts endpoints have the 'group' field made obsolete.
Pallets service - Various changes to account settings.

2022-09-19 | release 53 link

Status-bar buttons link

At the bottom of every grid there is a status bar, and on the right side it displays the current row, the total rows currently downloaded, and various buttons.

Reset Sorting, Reset Filters, and Refresh Rows buttons have been available for some time. Refreshing rows is unchanged but resetting sorting & resetting filtering are now based on the currently selected view. If no view is selected they reset to grid defaults as before. The currently selected view is in the main grid side panel, in the View tool.

For main grids (in the top half of a page), the Reset View button is now available in the status bar. It re-applies the currently selected view so sorting, filtering, and column layout of all grids on the page is reset to settings in the saved view.

For detail grids (in the bottom half of a page), the status bar has Reset Link Filters and Remove Link Filters buttons. Resetting link filters applies the grid default, which is usually filtering based on the currently focussed row in the main grid. Removing link filters shows all rows in the detail grid regardless of the main grid row, i.e. the detail grid becomes like a main grid with no link filters.

Link filters may be viewed and changed in the detail grid side panel, in the Link Filters tool. They are available for most detail grids. Link filters are especially helpful on the Pending Transactions page for identifying a matching transaction in the detail grid below.

Duplicate docket numbers link

When keying transactions, and the account setting 'Duplicate docket number warning' is set to 'Pop-up', then entering a duplicate value in the docket number column triggers a pop-up for confirming or cancelling the save. If it is set to 'Notification' then a warning is displayed and it does not require user confirmation.

Duplicates based on 'docket number' are actually detected when there is another transaction with the same docket number, product, and 'direction':

For an 'on' kind (Issue, Transfer On, or Loan Received) there must be another 'on' transaction.
For an 'off' kind (Dehire, Transfer Off, or Loan Sent) there must be another 'off' transaction.
For a relocation there must be another relocation with the same docket number and product, and the same sender reference or receiver reference.

Including the product prevents identifying multi-line transactions as duplicates. It is common for a shipment to be comprised of several products with all of these lines having the same docket number.

Including the direction prevents identifying trip dockets as duplicates. Often pickup & delivery transactions have the same docket number. It also prevents identifying return transactions as duplicates. This allows having a separate transaction for returning empty pallets that has the same docket number as the delivery.

Other conditions when checking for duplicate docket numbers are:

Cancelled transactions are excluded.
Corrections are excluded.
Transactions with sending date more than 90 days before or after are excluded.

Suppliers link

Suppliers have been expanded from a fixed list to an entity with their own grid. It means suppliers that are used in the database for accounts, products, etc. must be defined first. Accordingly the first detail grid on the Databases page is now Suppliers.

This structural change enables defining multiple 'General' suppliers for a database. It simplifies the previous system of having to use the Group field in accounts, products, etc. to distinguish between general suppliers.

Recognised suppliers like CHEP & Loscam only need to be defined once for a database, i.e. there is never more than one row for each recognised supplier.

Optimising trading accounts link

The Locations grid now has an 'Optimise Trading Accounts' button column. Clicking this button for a location will check linked trading accounts for invalid rows and sub-optimal combinations. If any problems are found, it displays a pop-up offering to fix them.

The specific problems it detects and attempts to fix are:

No trading accounts
Trading accounts without a trading profile
Trading accounts that are a duplicate or redundant
Trading accounts with a duplicate scope
Trading accounts that can be generalised
No baseline trading account for a supplier
Missing supplier when the account or product is specified
Missing supplier for trading accounts with a 'transfer' trading profile
Missing account number for trading accounts with a 'transfer' trading profile

Enhancements link

Detail grids - Several pages have detail grids added and/or re-ordered. Link filters have also been made available for customising for most detail grids.
Online help - Improvements to the 'Configuring New Trading Partners' & 'Submitting & Confirming Transactions' pages.
Postman examples - An example library of API queries has been created for the popular API client, 'Postman'. It is available for downloading via the 'Access for Developers' help page.

API changes link

Accounts service - Suppliers endpoint added.
Accounts service - Accounts endpoint has supplier fields deprecated, and supplierId fields added.
Pallets service - Suppliers endpoint added.
Pallets service - Accounts, Products, & Locations endpoints have supplier fields deprecated, and supplierId fields added.
Pallets service - SupplierProfiles & TradingAccounts endpoints have supplier & group fields deprecated, and supplierId fields added.

2022-08-10 | release 52 link

Multi-line pending transaction form link

The form in the side panel of the Pending Transactions grid has additional quantity fields for 'multi-line' transactions, i.e. multiple rows with the same details but different products & quantities.

For example, if a retail store receives 4 CHEP pallets, 7 Loscam pallets, and 15 plastic crates in the one delivery, the form displays three quantity 'lines'. There are three fields for these accepted quantities, and three more fields for recording 'return' quantities.

Entering a quantity in an empty field creates the corresponding pending transaction (on or off), and clearing a quantity deletes the corresponding pending transaction (or sets it to 0 if part of the original receival). After specifying quantities, click the Accept button to process all rows together, which copies them into the transactions grid below.

For a receiver using a mobile device, the multi-line form enables a very efficient workflow for processing pallet transactions. Clicking Accept provides the sender with a contactless proof-of-delivery via automatic submitting & confirming, so there is nothing more to do. The form is helpful for desktop users too as it works the same regardless of screen size.

The form also allows returning products that are not part of the original receival, e.g., the store does not receive any crates but has empty ones to return. It is handled by setting up product bundles. A quantity line for crates is automatically included in the form if crates are bundled with CHEP pallets and/or Loscam pallets.

Bundles are configured on the Products page. Specifying the same text value, e.g. 'stores', in the Bundle column for multiple products will associate them in a bundle. Bundles are beneficial in the Transactions grid where pressing Alt+P will add rows for other products in a bundle, and the multi-line pending transaction form supports bundles by displaying a line for each bundled product.

Enhancements link

Locations page - Detail grids have been added for Trading Policies and Relocation Profiles. The Locations page now provides all necessary information in the one place for reviewing and configuring contact details and trading rules.
Users page - Detail grid has been added for User Permissions. The Users page now provides all necessary information for adding, inviting, and managing users.
ID filtering - Every grid has an ID field. It contains a unique value for each row, which identifies the row. An example ID value is 'f777c481-ce0d-89b2-504f-229410f7b96a'. If there is a need to share a particular row or multiple rows with another user of the same database, copying and sharing ID values is an efficient way of doing it. The ID column is typically hidden but may be unhidden and multiple values can be pasted into the column filter to quickly display the specific rows.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2022-07-29 | release 51 link

Enhancements link

Stocktakes - New read-only fields Expected Quantity and Lost Quantity are available. They updated for a row when it is refreshed (in future will be continuously accurate). Expected Quantity is the projected product balance at the site location at the end of the specified date, i.e. the actual quantity of the previous stocktake plus transactions into the location since that date, less transactions out of the location. Lost Quantity is Expected Quantity minus the entered Actual Quantity.

Site Balances - Link filters added to transactions & stocktakes detail grids.

Loan Balances - Link filters added to transactions detail grid.

Locations - Link filters added to trading accounts detail grid.

Online help - Various new procedures and some have been removed in response to app improvements to make it self-explanatory. The major change is is re-organising pages in the contents for more logical browsing and to keep pace with the evolving app.

2ic Software website - The ever-expanding Customers section has more logos and links of customers that have recently starting using 2ic Pallets.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2022-07-21 | release 50 link

Enhancements link

Unconfirming transactions - In the transactions grid an 'on' transaction can be unconfirmed via Ctrl+click of its Confirm button. This clears the Confirmed Timestamp field and clears both Confirmed Timestamp and Receipt Number in the corresponding transaction in the sender's database. The enhancement is related to deleting a transaction - now when deleting a confirmed 'on' transaction that is dated yesterday or later, it automatically triggers an 'unconfirm'. The date limit prevents modifying old transactions in the sender's database.

Navigation menu - Links in the 'Reference Data' group are re-arranged into a more logical order. A Databases link has also been added. Note that most users have only a single database, but the grid is helpful for pallet management businesses that have access to multiple customer databases. The Databases page may also be opened by clicking the blue button that displays the current database name.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2022-07-11 | release 49 link

Trading policies link

By convention the owner of a pallet account defines the rules for transferring on to their account. In 2ic Pallets these rules are defined as 'trading policies' for the account.

Policies specify transfer delay days and receiver reference requirements. They can be set up by account-level and group-level super users. The scope of a policy can be narrowed to apply to a specific sending account and/or specific product. Best practice is to define a baseline policy with no Sending Account Number and no Product Code, then if necessary, define additional policies for specific overrides.

When keying a 'Transfer On' or 'Loan Received' transaction and there is a matching policy, its rules take precedence over the matching trading account. For example if the matching policy specifies a delay of 28 days and the profile of the matching trading account for the sender specifies a delay of 14 days, the latter is ignored and the effective date is set to 28 days later.

When keying a 'Transfer Off' or 'Loan Sent' transaction and there is a matching trading policy, it only takes precedence over the matching trading account if 'Is Subscribed' is ticked for the trading account. Is Subscribed is ticked by default for all new trading accounts because common practice is to abide by the receiver's rules.

Relocaton profiles link

Relocation Profiles define trading rules for relocations, i.e. transactions from one site to another.

One of the 'rules' is a setting for Is Complete. When keying a transaction and there is a matching relocation profile, Is Complete will be ticked or unticked corresponding to the profile setting. Best practice is to not make relocations incomplete because rather than having the receiver 'confirming' a relocation by completing it, the same submit & confirm process that is used for transfers may be used and is a superior system.

The other settings are for nominating alternative details when a return transaction is generated for a relocation. This use case is common for a retailer that creates relocations to a regional store. A relocation is keyed from the distribution centre site to a store site, then press Alt+T to create the return transaction. If there is a relocation profile that matches the source transaction, those settings are used. If 'Is Return Transfer' is ticked then the return transacton will be a transfer off rather than a relocation, and if a Return Location is nominated, e.g. the carrier that has the store delivery contract, then the generated transfer will be to that trading partner. A service centre location would be specified if store returns are imediately dehired.

A relocation profile can apply to a particular Sender Location, e.g. 'Queensland DC', or the Sender Group may be specified to apply rules to a group of sites, e.g. 'Distribution Centres'. The scope of a profile may be narrowed to apply to a specific receiver location or group, and/or specific account, e.g. 'Queensland DC' to 'Queensland stores' for 'Loscam pallets'.

Enhancements link

Navigation menu - The navigation menu on the left side has been simplified with links previously in the 'Administration' group being merged into the 'Reference Data' group.

Docket emailing - Emailing a docket for a transaction is more efficient. When all details are specified, i.e. the 'From' email address is defined and there is at least one email address specified for the transaction locations or contacts, then it displays a pop-up to confirm sending the email message immediately rather than always displaying the preview. The email preview tool in the side panel is still opened & focussed if there are missing details, or if selecting 'No' in the pop-up.

Accept & Return - Pending Transactions grid has an additional button column called 'Accept & Return'. Clicking it for a pending transaction row copies it into a new transaction row, the same as the Accept button, but it also creates a return transaction. Like clicking the Return button directly in the transactions grid, the new transaction has the locations switch and keying the quantity is all that is required to complete the row. The common use case is loans and relocations where empty pallets are returned.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2022-06-23 | release 48 link

Enhancements link

Trading profile for locations - The locations grid has an additional column for trading profile. Like the columns for supplier account numbers, these are summarised from linked trading accounts. Also like account number fields, it displays '###' when there is more than one profile used in linked accounts. Sorting and filtering is provided and it is another field that is helpful when maintaining trading partner locations.

Immediate data entry - When opening a grid or form a new record can be entered immediately instead of having to wait until grid rows are loaded. Sorting and filtering the grid is also available immediately.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - RelocationProfile query & mutation endpoints added.
Pallets service - TradingAccount endpoints: group field added.
Pallets service - SupplierProfile endpoints: group field added.
Pallets service - Location endpoints: tradingProfile field added.

2022-06-14 | release 47 link

Enhancements link

Settling transfers - Ideally when your trading partner has a pallet account, every transaction with them is a transfer. If they require a consolidated transfer that covers multiple smaller transactions, the small transactions are recorded as loans and the new button Add 'Settlement' Row will total the current loan balance and create a transfer off or transfer on transaction to settle the balance.

Trading profile form - Side panel for the trading profiles grid now has a form for viewing & editing the current row. Having this vertical list of values is especially helpful for this entity as there are many fields.

Supplier profile form - Side panel for the supplier profiles grid now has a form for viewing & editing the current row.

Clearing & updating values - Clearing values in bulk in a grid is provided by copying an empty cell and pasting it over a block of cells, the same as provided by Excel. Even more flexible is selecting and copying a block of data from the grid, pasting into Excel, and importing back in to update these rows. Unhiding the ID field and including it in the copied data allows the rows to be identified and updated when importing.

Unsent email warning - When generating an email message, e.g. emailing a docket, and the side-panel email tool contains an unsent email message, a pop-up warning is provided to confirm overwriting the unsent message.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - SupplierProfile endpoints: isManagedRecovery field added.

2022-06-01 | release 46 link

Small screens & large screens link

Saved views and the automatically saved 'last view' store separate configurations for small screens & large screens. A 'small' screen is up to 768 pixels wide, the size of a typical tablet.

Arranging grid columns, filtering, & sorting is fully supported on small screens, but is easier to do on a large screen. To take advantage of this, small screen views may be configured on a desktop computer by selecting the small screen view. Open the grid side panel, expand the 'View' tool, and tick the box for 'Is small screen mode active?'. Layout changes are made and saved as usual, and they will be applied when the grid is opened on a small screen.

Displaying data in a single-record form is more suitable for small devices compared to presenting data in a grid. The transactions page includes a form in the side panel and this can be displayed automatically when clicking on a grid row. This feature is provided with small devices in mind. To change the setting, open the grid side panel, expand the form tool, and toggle 'Automatically Open'.

Mobile app link

2ic Pallets has been configured as a 'progressive web app', meaning it can be installed on any device.

Open the 2ic Pallets web page in the browser as usual, then 'install' the app. For Chrome or Edge, installing is available via the address bar and from the browser menu. Android mobiles automatically display a pop-up offering to install the app. For an iPhone or iPad, click 'share' then 'add to home screen'.

Installing the app directly from the browser is provided for a consistent experience across all devices, rather than publishing to the various app stores.

Opening 2ic Pallets from the desktop icon provides a better 'app' experience with most of the browser options removed. It uses the same data as the web app, so it doesn't matter which version is used.

Both the web app & installed app apply 'small screen' views when the device screen width is 768 pixels or less.

Quick Add/Edit forms link

Grid side panels have a form for each field that has a lookup list. For example, the stocktakes grid has three quick add/edit forms: Product, Site Location, and Receiver Location.

Each form is filled with the currently selected item in the grid row, enabling easy editing when necessary.

Keying unrecognised data in a lookup field triggers opening the quick add/edit form for adding a new item.

The transactions grid includes quick add/edit forms for trading accounts as well as locations, as these items are typically added together. It also enables adding a trading account for an existing trading partner location.

Email preview link

Various grid side panels include an email tool for previewing messages before sending.

In the transactions grid, clicking the 'Email Docket' button fills the email tool with details of the docket, and sets the From, To, and Cc fields. Any field may be edited before sending, or the form may be reset to clear it and not send.

Location account numbers link

The locations grid has additional columns for supplier account numbers. These are summarised from linked trading accounts. There is a column for each recognised supplier, e.g. CHEP Account Number, Loscam Account Number, etc.

There are also columns for the count of linked trading account rows for each supplier, and an overall count of linked rows.

Sorting and filtering is provided for these fields. They are very helpful for comparing locations when merging and maintaining the list.

Link filters link

Detail grids on the bottom half of a page are typically linked to the current row in the main grid above. This linking can be changed or removed altogether via the 'Link Filters' tool. It is available in the side panel for most detail grids.

Link filters have always been available for transactions on the pending transactions page. They are essential for investigating and processing pending transactions. This useful functionality is now available everywhere.

Unticking all link filter checkboxes makes the detail grid entirely decoupled from the main grid, i.e. they become two independent grids on the same page.

Submitting transactions link

Paperless and contactless transacting of pallets is underpinned by submitting 'off' transactions and confirming 'on' transactions. Submitting current transactions has been made automatic when the receiver location is a 'public account', i.e. a trading partner that manages their account in 2ic Pallets.

'Current' transactions are those dated today or later. Past transactions can be safely edited without submitting - they can also be manually submitted if necessary via the Submit button.

When keying a new transaction the row saves as soon as all required fields are entered. It may save several times as the row is completed. With every save updated details are immediately pushed to the receiver. Submitting is intended to replace printed dockets, and providing an instantaneous electronic copy to the receiver is an efficient alternative.

This feature is on by default, but switching it off is available in the account settings. As a receiver, it is also possible to block submitted transactions from some or all trading partners via a setting in trading profiles.

Multi-line pending transactions link

When accepting or cancelling a pending transaction that has related rows (with the same date, kind, and docket number), it offers to accept or cancel the additional rows at the same time.

Printing/emailing/exporting activities link

Activities provide an audit log of all changes to a row. In addition to create, update, and delete actions being logged, some 'effect' actions are now also logged.

For transactions, printing a docket, emailing a docket, and exporting a row to a CSV file are now logged activities. These actions appear alongside other activities to provide a fuller history, which is helpful when having to review or investigate a transaction.

Enhancements link

'Submit All' button - Functionality of the Submit All button in the transactions grid side panel (Actions tool) is simplified to submit new & changed current transactions, i.e. those dated today or later. Previously there was an 'Is Submitted' column for nominating the transactions to send. Note that using this button is only necessary if 'automatic submitting' is switched off in the account settings.

Multi-line submit & confirm - Clicking the Submit button for a row that is part of a multi-line transaction will automatically submit the other lines as well. Confirming one line of a multi-line transaction offers to confirm the other lines. A transaction is considered 'multi-line' when there is at least one other transaction with the same sending date, sender location, receiver location, and docket number.

Emailing multi-line transactions - Clicking 'Email Docket' for a transaction that is part of a multi-line transaction will automaically include other lines in the email message.

Docket reports - Various styling & layout improvements to docket reports to make them more readable.

'Return' transaction - The transaction grid button for adding an 'opposite' transaction is renamed to Add 'Return' Row. The shortcut key is changed from Alt+O to Alt+T. It still copies the clicked row to a new transaction but with locations switched so the transaction is in the opposite direction.

Exporting transactions - Speed of exporting transactions to a CSV file is improved for site-level & account-level users.

Supplier profiles - Supplier Fees grid is renamed Supplier Profiles, and additional fields have been added for defining delayed transfers for issues & dehires.

Forms - Single-page forms are available in the side panel for more grids, including products, locations, and trading accounts.

Account number changes - Changing the supplier account number for a trading account will automatically propagate the change other rows for that trading partner and supplier.

Creating alias locations - Following on from the introduction of quick-add/edit forms, when adding or updating a trading account and the supplier & account number already exists for a different trading partner location, it offers to convert the parent location to an alias of that location. It sounds complicated, but makes sense when it happens, and it prevents creating duplicate trading partners.

Importing - Finding matching values for lookup list fields has improved as it now searches the lookup items for more than just the display 'name', e.g. when importing transactions, the name, code, or supplier account number may be provided in the import data to identify a location. Another importing improvement is supporting more date and number formats.

Activities - The user that performed the action is now identified by name as well as email address.

Case-sensitive changes - Editing a text field and only changing some characters from upper-case to lower-case, or vice versa, is now detected as a change and triggers saving.

Status bar - When the currently focussed cell is locked or disabled, a reason for it is displayed in the bottom-left corner of the grid status bar.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Various additions.

2022-03-18 | release 45 link

Enhancements link

Multi-line submitting - When submitting an 'off' transaction to the receiver it automatically includes related transactions. This makes submitting consistent with printing & sharing dockets, where related transactions are automatically included to produce 'multi-line' dockets.

Streamlined confirming - If the receiver prints or shares a docket for an unconfirmed transaction it offers to confirm it first. This presents the docket as a receipt by replacing the signature block with the receipt number and confirmed timestamp, making it equivalent to signing a paper docket.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2022-03-06 | release 44 link

Enhancements link

Duplicate reference checking - Checking for duplicate values in the sender reference and receiver reference fields is fully implemented. The same as for duplicate docket numbers, these checks are configured in account settings and have options '(None)', 'Notification', & 'Pop-up'. Notification is faster to run than pop-up, with the latter requiring the user to confirm saving changes. Both options check against other transactions that are dated +/- 90 days from the sending date.

Multi-line dockets - Dockets detail grid on the transactions page now displays all related rows that will appear on a multi-line printed docket, i.e. all rows with the same sending date, sender location, receiver location, and docket number as the focussed transaction row in the main grid.

Paperless procedure online help - Online help pages have been added to cover the processes for paperless & contactless transactions. It is a highly efficient system with electronic submitting and confirming of transactions, with slight variations depending on whether your trading partner uses 2ic Pallets or some other system to manage their account.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2022-02-11 | release 43 link

Enhancements link

Lookup lists - Keying multiple search terms into a grid cell with a lookup editor has been tweaked to limit the list to items that contain all search terms, rather than any search term. This shortens the list making it easier to find the intended item.
Long-running queries - Browser requests for data from the server typically timeout after 30 seconds. This has been extended to 90 seconds for some long-running requests, like loading data for the Site Balances grid & Loan Balances grid.
Transactions CSV export - Incomplete transactions are now excluded when selecting the 'Export new & updated transactions to a CSV file' action.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Supplier field removed from queries for various entity endpoints.

2022-01-26 | release 42 link

Enhancements link

Confirming relocations - The process for submitting & confirming Relocation transactions is streamlined. A user from the sender site creates & submits a transaction to copy it into pending transactions. From there it is accepted by a user at the receiver site. This sets the confirmed timestamp of the relocation transaction.
Pending Transactions - Improved functionality of the Accept button. There are 3 different actions: (1) Clicking accept for an unmatched row copies it to the transactions grid, (2) Clicking accept for a matched row updates the transaction via the Match Options form, and (3) Alt+click for an accepted row will unaccept it. The Cancel button provides the same functionality except Is Cancelled is always overridden to 'true'.
Supplier column - A read-only supplier column is added to the following grids: Fee Codes, Pending Transactions, Responsible Sites, Routes, Stocktakes, Supplier Fees, & Transactions. It is based on the product or account of the row, and may be used for filtering & sorting.
Docket reports - Fields in the sender & receiver sections of printed dockets are re-ordered. Sender (or Receiver), Account Number, & Email Address are related and comprise the first block. Site, Phone Number, & Address are related and comprise the second block. Contact has no related data and becomes the last field.
Transaction autocomplete fields - The transactions grid optionally provides autocomplete editors for all 'reference' fields, specifically Carrier, Carrier Reference, Sender Reference, Receiver Reference, Docket Number, Supplier Reference, & Internal Reference. Lookup lists for these fields contain values from the past 7 days. Autocomplete is suitable for fields where values are re-used, and may be activated via Account Settings.
Missing docket number warning - A new warning option 'Highlight' is available for customising how a missing docket number warning is presented when keying transactions. It is set in Account Settings. 'Highlight' is less intrusive than the existing options 'Notification' & 'Pop-up'. It shades the docket number cell in yellowish orange until it is keyed or generated, in the same way required cells are shaded reddish maroon until they are specified.
Docket prefix & suffix - Standard docket number prefixes & suffixes that are used for CHEP transactions in Malaysia and Thailand are added automatically. For Malaysian CHEP accounts, the prefix '60001' is added when an 8-character docket number is keyed. For 7 characters, the suffix 'M' is also added. For Thai CHEP accounts, keying an 8-character docket number that begins with '5' will add prefix 'TH5TF', and for 7 characters the suffix 'A' is added. When the keyed value begins with any other character the prefix is '50001' and suffix is 'T'.
Link filters - The status bar for each detail grid has a button to reset link filters. On the Pending Transactions page, the Transactions detail grid has many options in the Link Filters tool in the side panel. These filter the displayed transactions based on the focussed row in the main grid above. Clicking the status bar button resets these link filters to their default options, which is filtering on docket number only. Link filters will be added for other detail grids in future releases.
Row messages - Any row with attached messages has an 'envelope' icon in the Status column at the far left of the grid. Clicking the status button for a row will display the messages as notifications. Previously this would also re-validate cells and trigger saving changes, but forcing a save is generally unnecessary as it happens automatically. If for some reason a row does not save, it can now be re-attempted with Alt+click on the status button.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Supplier field added to queries for various entity endpoints.

2022-01-07 | release 41 link

Importing data link

Grid rows may be loaded in bulk from lines of text via the Import tool in the grid side panel. It is available in most grids.

Start by moving columns around to align with the order of values in the lines of text. Additional grid columns may be left visible to the right, e.g. if there are 5 columns of data in the lines of text, then only the first 5 columns in the grid need to be arranged.

Lines of text may be either comma-separated values or tab-separated values. Quotation marks around the values are optional, and are discarded when found.

Paste rows into the Text input box and click Import to create corresponding rows in the grid. Rows are created the same as if they were keyed really quickly - dependent cells are updated and rows are validated before saving.

Duplicate rows are discarded, which is a core feature of importing. The fields used to identify duplicate rows are specific to each grid. In future these 'matching rules' will be customisable, and different rules for updating and discarding will be possible.

Data may be copied & pasted from Excel. These lines paste as tab-separated values. Alternatively load data from a file via drag & drop or clicking the Browse for a file... button.

The column layout may be saved to a view so it can be restored quickly the next time data is loaded. This is helpful when loading files from a transport or warehouse management system.

Enhancements link

Lookup lists - Keying multiple search terms into a grid cell with a lookup editor is improved. The limit of two search terms (any text separated by a space) has been removed and every search term matches to text in any column of the lookup list. Matching text in the lookup list is highlighted with bold font, making it easy to determine why items are in the filtered list. The best example to demonstrate this functionality are location lookups, e.g. Sender Location and Receiver Location in the Transactions grid.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - TradingProfile fields transferOffSubmitOverride and loanSentSubmittedOverride have been deleted.

2021-12-17 | release 40 link

Enhancements link

Performance - All frameworks and embedded 3rd party software libraries are updated to their latest stable versions. Every software application depends on many other pieces of software, and 2ic Pallets is maintained to integrate with latest versions of all related technology. It ensures maximum performance and enables taking advantage of new features as they become available.
Grid columns - The collapsible panel on the left side of every grid is used to show and hide columns. It is upgraded to enable re-ordering of columns by dragging a name up and down the list. The alternative method of dragging an actual column around within the grid also works. Column order, hidden status, pinned status, and other layout properties are automatically saved as the 'last view' for every grid, and this happens regardless of which method is used to arrange columns.

API changes link

Accounts service - Various deprecated fields are deleted. All have been monitored and confirmed as unused by all apps connecting to the API.
Pallets service - Count entity is added, complete with query & mutation endpoints.
Pallets service - TradingProfile endpoints have reinstated the fields isTransferOffSubmitted and isLoanSentSubmitted. These replace transferOffSubmitOverride and loanSentSubmittedOverride, which have been deprecated.

2021-12-10 | release 39 link

Enhancements link

Create / Update Dockets - Transactions grid has another button column: Create / Update Docket. It provides a way of copying the latest transaction details to a linked docket record, but without a second action like the existing buttons Print Docket, Share Docket, and Email Docket. A 'docket' record is the electronic equivalent of a paper docket - it is shared between the sender account, receiver account, and if specified, a driver or some other representative of the carrier.
Submit / Confirm workflow - Paperless & contactless workflow of submitting an 'off' transaction to the receiver, and that trading partner confirming their corresponding 'on' transaction has been improved. Specifically when keying an 'off' transaction the Is Submitted field is only ticked when the receiver location is a 'public' account, i.e. an account that is managed in 2ic Pallets. Clicking Submit All Transactions in the side panel now provides feedback for transactions to non-public accounts that are ticked to be submitted. It submits what it can, then attaches warning notifications to these transaction rows that cannot be submitted.
Thai translation - Substantial additions have been added to the Thai glossary. There are approximately 2000 terms and messages in the 2ic Pallets glossary, and 70% of these are now translated to Thai.
2ic Pallets Help - This help documentation app has several new pages and various styling improvements, including making the navigation menu easier to read.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2021-11-18 | release 38 link

Submitting a transaction link

Submitting a transaction is the paperless equivalent of printing a docket.

Submitting an 'off' transaction will create or update a corresponding pending transaction in the receiver's database, if their account is managed in 2ic Pallets.

As 'off' transactions are entered, they automatically have the 'Is Submitted' field ticked, indicating they are ready to be submitted. They are submitted in bulk by opening the side panel, expanding the Actions tool, and clicking 'Submit All Transactions'. Alternatively submit a single transaction by clicking its Submit button (in the grid).

When a transaction is submitted it has the Submitted Timestamp field updated. The receiver's database will have a copy within a few seconds and this is indicated by the Received Timestamp field being updated.

If a transaction is changed after being submitted it offers to clear the timestamp so the updated details are sent to the receiver the next time 'Submit All Transactions' is clicked.

Confirming a transaction link

Confirming a transaction is the paperless equivalent of signing a docket. The receipt number is the paperless equivalent of a signature, providing proof-of-delivery.

The receiver confirms an 'on' transaction by clicking the confirm button for a row in the transactions grid.

Confirming a transaction will:

Update the confirmed timestamp and receipt number of the corresponding transaction in the sender's database, if their account is managed in 2ic Pallets, and/or
Update the confirmed timestamp and receipt number of the corresponding docket, if one exists. The 'docket' is the copy of the transaction that a driver has on their mobile device.

The receipt number informs the sender and/or driver if transaction details in their copy are correct. If the receiver changed any important fields then the receipt number will be identified as invalid for the sender and driver.

Pending transactions link

A pending transaction is a complete or partially complete transaction that is waiting to be actioned. Receivals are the most common kind of pending transaction. Accepting a receival so it becomes a live transaction is the most common action.

Receivals are regular transactions that have been submitted by the sender, either from their 2ic Pallets database or from a docket.

Accepting or cancelling a receival copies it to the live transactions. It is an efficient means of data entry for 'on' transactions, and it is both paperless and contactless.

Transactions that are created or updated from actioning a receival are immediately confirmed, i.e. there is no need for the receiver user to first accept and then click confirm. Like confirming any 'on' transaction, it updates the confirmed timestamp and receipt number of the source transaction in the sender's database and/or corresponding docket.

The typical process is the receiving user finds and accepts a pending transaction, and the driver sees that the docket on their mobile device is confirmed before leaving the site.

Highly automated systems like this increase the risk of unnoticed errors, so there are safeguards to protect the receiver from losses. These include:

Requiring the pending transaction quantity to be keyed before accepting, i.e. preventing users from blindly accepting the submitted quantity.
Automatically setting the receiving date to 'today' when a transaction is created from accepting a receival.
Automatically setting the receiver location when a transaction is created from accepting a receival by a site-level user, i.e. the receiver location is set to the user's authorised site.
Preventing the confirmation from being immediately sent to the sender if the submitted data has been changed, and the change is a potential loss, e.g., the entered quantity is higher than the submitted quantity. The user must click through a warning to send the confirmation, or it can be configured to require approval from a user with the 'Reconcile bills' permission.

In future there will be other kinds of pending transactions, including exceptions from importing a supplier bill. These will be hidden from data-entry users so they view and process receivals only.

Enhancements link

Printing to PDF - Printing a docket report to a PDF file will now set the file name to the docket number.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2021-11-05 | release 37 link

Enhancements link

Dockets detail grid - The transactions grid has a new detail grid called Dockets. A docket row is automatically created or updated for any transaction that is printed, shared, or emailed. Dockets are currently read-only and there is at most one docket row per transaction. This 'electronic' docket is actually the source of the printed report, online docket link, or email message.
Docket email message - The email message created from the Email Docket button in the transactions grid now includes a line of 'v2 barcode' text. This text can be copied & pasted into 2ic Pallets version 2 to create a movement. It is the same format as the text behind two-dimensional barcodes on v2 printed dockets, so pasting is identical to scanning one of those barcodes.
Docket reports - The title of formatted docket reports more accurately describes transactions on the docket. In addition to Transfer and Loan, it identifies Issue, Issue Authorisation, Dehire, Dehire Authorisation, and Relocation kinds of transactions. For completeness it also covers the various correction kinds and Loss & Gain kinds, but dockets are not expected to be printed for these transactions. When printing a docket from the transactions grid, location names are used for the sender & receiver, rather than overriding with public account names when a matching account is found.
Location lookup editors - The sorting algorithm has been modified to prioritise list items that match the search term at the start of any field. Locations are commonly searched by name, code, and account number, so the algorithm supports searching on all fields, i.e. all displayed columns. Ensuring locations are named consistently and uniquely remains the best strategy for efficient keying. Accurately naming service centres is recommended, e.g. 'CHEP - Gillman' instead of 'CHEP'. Keying 'CHEP - Gillman' excludes items with 'CHEP' in the supplier field, which is every trading partner that has a CHEP account. Defining aliases for locations can also help, e.g. if 'Sydney' is a commonly-used site location, then creating an alias named 'S' will ensure it is the first item in the list.
Sites & Supplier Accounts - The Sites grid page now has a detail grid for Supplier Accounts. These are the same rows that are displayed in the Supplier Accounts detail grid on the Databases page.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2021-10-27 | release 36 link

The transactions grid has two new button columns - 'Share Docket' and 'Email Docket'. These are paperless alternatives to printing a docket.

Sharing a docket invokes the standard sharing function built into browsers and mobile devices. Select an app to send it a link to an online copy of the docket. Or select 'copy link' to enable pasting it wherever required.

The online docket has the same format as printed dockets. Additionally if the transaction has been confirmed by the receiver, which is equivalent to signing a paper docket, then a receipt number and confirmed timestamp appear on the displayed docket in place of the normal signature block.

Emailing a docket includes details of the transaction in the email body together with a link to the online docket.

The online docket can be re-shared with others as the URL (web address) does not change. Anyone with the web address can view an online docket, but it cannot be edited.

Site balances & loan balances link

The balances page has been split into separate pages for Site Balances and Loan Balances.

Loan balances are a list of closing balances on the selected date that are owed to & owed by trading partners. A positive balance means the trading partner has possession of our pallets, and is therefore an 'owed by' balance. A negative balance means we owe that trading partner.

Loan balances with service centre locations also appear in this grid. The 'managed recovery' system run by CHEP UK involves loan balances with service centres.

In future there will be additional columns of data in these grids that are applicable to site balances and loan balances. For the moment the only difference is the loan balances grid has a Responsible Site column, which is helpful for filtering. The site that is responsible for managing each 'loan' trading partner may be specified in the Locations grid.

Enhancements link

Duplicate docket numbers - Checking for duplicate docket numbers is across a whole database rather than within an account. For databases that manage multiple accounts with the same supplier, this change will detect when a transaction with the same docket number is entered for two different accounts.
Docket reports - Various styling improvements are applied, including increasing the font size for the 'continuous docket' format that is commonly used in Southeast Asia.
Location lookup editors - When using multiple search terms (two words separated by a space) in a lookup editor the order of listed matching items is slightly different. The sorting algorithm has been tweaked to move expected results nearer to the top of the list.
Barcode scanning - The button for scanning a docket barcode to enter it into the Transactions grid has been moved from the top of the page into the side panel. When the Pending Transactions feature is released this change will allow scanning dockets into the Transactions detail grid in the bottom half of that page, so users will not have to switch between pages to accept receivals and scan dockets. Mobile devices continue to have an additional 'scan' button on the app home page - either button can be used to activate the camera for scanning dockets.
Website - Logos for various new customers have been added.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - location endpoints have the previously deprecated field isNotified now deleted.
Pallets service - tradingProfile endpoints have the previously deprecated fields isTransferOffSubmitted and isLoanSentSubmitted now deleted.

2021-09-24 | release 35 link

Enhancements link

Product & Account lookup editors - In the Transactions grid, the performance of the Product editor and Account editor is improved. Like the location editors, they used cached data most of the time, and only request more data from the server when the list is empty or when it is manually refreshed, (by pressing Alt+R or clicking the refresh button).
Responsible sites - Trading partner locations can be associated with a site location via the new Responsible Sites detail grid. It is best practice to nominate a responsible site for every trading partner that has a loan balance, i.e. specify the site that manages their loan balance.
Docket reports - Empty boxes are provided instead of zero quantities for incomplete transactions. It allows manually recording Sent, Received, and/or Quantity on the printed docket. The transaction is completed after entering these quantities.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - ResponsibleSite entity added with query & mutation endpoints.
Pallets service - Various other minor additions.

2021-09-21 | release 34 link

Enhancements link

Retaining invalid keyed data - Lookup editors in grid cells separate the function of searching for a matching item from displaying this data, which enables fast keying and moving on to other cells before the display has caught up. Previously a keyed search term was lost if there was no match but now the cell will display this text together with red shading to indicate it is invalid. Editing the cell by pressing enter or double-clicking will start with the invalid text so it doesn't need to be re-keyed.

API changes link

Accounts service - FreeTransaction entity is renamed Docket. All related query & mutation endpoints are renamed.
Pallets service - ReceivedTimestamp field added to the Transaction entity.
Pallets service - Minor changes to AcceptPendingTransaction to handle confirming duplicate docket numbers.

2021-09-13 | release 33 link

Multiple lookup terms link

Finding the right item in a long lookup list when keying data has become easier with the introduction of multiple lookup terms.

For example, when keying a transfer off transaction there may be thousands of items in the Receiver Location lookup list. If the intended receiver is "IGA/Metcash - Crestmead QLD" it can be found by keying "iga crest". The user no longer needs to remember the exact name and formatting of the trading partner.

Entering multiple terms separated by a space will automatically search for those terms separately. Matching list items must have the search terms in order, and only the first column of the list is searched with multiple terms.

Enhancements link

Faster data entry - Lookup list editors continue 'looking up' a match for the keyed value after tabbing out of the cell. Searching for a match often requires querying the server, which can a take a few moments. If you are keying part of an account number or some distinctive text that you know will find the right list item, it is now ok to race ahead and key other fields without waiting for the app to find & select the item.
Multiple search terms - Like lookup lists, the Search input at the top of every grid page supports entering multiple terms, with each separated by a space. For example when searching for "woolw chill" in the transactions grid, the filtered rows will include those with sender location or receiver location set to "Woolworths Adelaide Chill", "Woolworths Perth RDC - Chiller", and "Woolworths Wyong Chilled/Frozen".
Carrier lookup - In the transactions grid, the Carrier field now has a lookup editor that lists recently used carriers.
Multiple 'General' accounts - Previously a site could be linked to only one 'General' account, the same as it can have at most one account with each recognised supplier. Lifting this restriction allows creating different accounts when there is genuinely a different general supplier, rather than lumping all products for unrecognised suppliers into a single general account. There is still only one 'General' supplier, but existing Group fields for accounts, products, and (service centre) locations may be configured with the same value to identify a specific supplier.

API changes link

Accounts service - Minor additions.
Pallets service - Minor additions.

2021-09-03 | release 32 link

Enhancements link

Various functional improvements and styling changes.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2021-08-26 | release 31 link

Enhancements link

Grid pages - Sizing and spacing has been adjusted for grid pages to fit more information on the screen.
Data entry speed - Editing data in all grids has been improved for rapid data entry. All data is captured more efficiently for fast keying, copy & paste, and scanning data from barcodes.
Online help - More common processes are documented in the online help.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - supplier field used with various endpoints is changed to all lower case, e.g. 'CHEP' becomes 'chep' and 'Loscam' becomes 'loscam'.
Pallets service - Deprecated transaction fields senderTraceReference and receiverTraceReference are removed.

2021-08-16 | release 30 link

Allowed products link

Trading accounts can be configured to trigger a warning when a transaction is created for a product that is 'not allowed' with the other trading partner.

Normally when a matching trading account is found and the transaction kind is not allowed in its profile, a warning is displayed saying exactly that, e.g. "The trading account does not allow Transfer On transactions." or "The trading account does not allow Loan Sent transactions.". However if the profile of the matching trading account has all four transaction kinds disallowed, it is treated as a special case and the displayed warning is "Transactions with product are not allowed with .".

Setting up this confirguration requires creating a trading profile with Is Transfer On Allowed, Is Transfer Off Allowed, Is Loan Received Allowed, and Is Loan Sent Allowed all unticked. The profile could be named "Nothing allowed".

A trading account with nothing allowed is like a baseline, and it should be defined without a product. It is expected that other trading accounts are defined for products that can be transacted with the trading partner.

These 'allowed' trading accounts can be more precise than only limiting the product. Like any trading account, a specific account or site may be defined, and the assigned profile may limit the allowed transaction kinds and have other warnings and requirements.

Enhancements link

Location lookup lists - The Sender Location and Receiver Location lookup lists now include 'our' account number for sites. Like trading partners, if a site is linked to multiple accounts the the site will have multiple rows in the list. Also like trading partners, multiple rows are for displaying account information only and it makes no difference which row is selected - they all set the location field to the site location.
Missing docket numbers - Account setting 'Missing docket number warning' is available with the standard options for a warning: (None), Notification, and Pop-up. This replaces the setting 'Is docket number a required field?'.
Data-entry warnings - Most warnings can be configured in the account settings to be a notification or a pop-up (or switched off altogether). All pop-ups are now small and positioned to target a specific cell or row, rather than some warnings presenting as full-screen dialog boxes.
Tracing settings - Account settings for tracing are simplified to a single setting 'Transaction tracing'. The options are (None), Loan, Account, and Site. Site tracing is the most comprehensive. It reconciles the flow of products to and from each site and 'loan' trading partner.
Tracing API transactions - Transactions created via the API, i.e. directly from a transport or warehouse management system, are automatically traced if tracing is configured in the account settings.
Scanning 'docket book' barcodes - Printed dockets from a 2ic Pallets version 2 'docket book' have partial information in the two-dimensional barcode. These barcodes now scan ok and create a corresponding partial transaction, which is completed by manually keying the handwritten fields on the docket.
Run sheet reports - Received and Quantity fields are printed as empty boxes for 'Loan Sent' rows on a run sheet when Sent is specified and Received is zero. Similarly 'Loan Received' rows can have empty boxes for Sent and Quantity fields. The boxes are for the driver to manually record the number of exchanged empty products and the resulting net quantity. Empty boxes are never printed for 'Transfer Off' and 'Transfer On' transactions. This allows data entry to be standardised when using run sheets and there is a mixture of transfers and loans because Sent and Received quantities may be entered for both.
Copy & paste - When selecting and copying cells or entire rows in a grid, pasted data is exactly as it appears in the grid. Previously cells that have lookup lists would paste additional data, like ID values.
New grid row - For grids that allow adding new rows there is always an empty new row at the top of the grid. Previously a new row was only provided at the bottom if a grid contained less than 20 rows. Now the first and last rows are always 'new' rows.
Detail grids - The section for these grids in the bottom half of the page remains visible even when all detail grids are disabled for the current row in the main grid. This prevents the section from expanding & collapsing when changing rows in the main grid.

API changes link

Accounts service - No change.
Pallets service - Minor additions.

2021-07-24 | release 29 link

Enhancements link

Location lookup lists - When keying the Sender Location or Receiver Location and the search returns an empty list, it automatically refreshes to search all items. It reverts to recently used locations the next time one of these fields is edited. On refreshing, the hint 'Click refresh or press Alt+R to search all items' is replaced with 'Searching all items' to clearly identify the source of rows in the list.
Detail grids - Height of the detail grid section on any 'split' page may be increased from the bottom third of the page to the bottom two thirds. The double-chevron button on the right points up or down to increase or decrease the section height. Clicking one of the tab buttons continues to show and hide the section.
Side panel - The width of the grid side panel may be increased or decreased by clicking the double-chevron button at the top of the panel. Clicking the single-chevron button halfway down the panel continues to show and hide the panel.
Transaction CSV exports - A confirmation dialog with the number of transactions to be exported is displayed when selecting 'new & updated transactions' for export, the same as it does for 'filtered transactions'. The limit of 2500 transactions per file has been removed. Exporting stocktakes to a CSV file behaves the same way.
Public accounts - The account number may be hidden in the public accounts grid by unticking Is Displayed. All accounts managed in 2ic Pallets are listed in the public accounts grid to share contact details and optionally trading terms and account numbers.

API changes link

Accounts service - Various additions.
Pallets service - Various additions.

2021-07-14 | release 28 link

Location lookup lists link

In the transactions grid, sender location & receiver location fields have their editor lists limited to the most recently used 300 locations. 'Recent' transactions are those in the past 90 days.

Site-level users experience the biggest change as the list for each user will only contain locations that have transacted with their authorised sites.

Refreshing the displayed list by clicking the refresh button or pressing Alt+R enables selecting from all locations.

Enhancements link

Contacts - Sender contact & receiver contact fields in the transactions grid are changed from free text with an 'autocomplete' list from the contacts grid, to a linked entry from the contacts. Driver email address is also replaced with 'driver contact'. Requiring transaction contacts to be linked to a pre-defined contact with an associated email address and mobile phone number is the basis for sharing a transaction with corresponding users that are drivers and/or a representative of the other trading partner.
Receipt Numbers - 6-digit receipt numbers replace the previously used 5-digit numbers. Some quantity information as well as 'is cancelled' status is encoded, along with effective date. This enables pressing Alt+T for an invalid row and having the popup offer to fix an incorrect quantity and change the 'is cancelled' status, as well as fix a wrong date.

API changes link

Accounts service - Various additions.
Pallets service - Various additions.

2021-06-24 | release 27 link

Enhancements link

Receipt Number - 'Token' has been renamed to 'Receipt Number'.
Delay Kinds - Delay kind 'Not allowed' is removed and replaced with specifying a zero-day delay with delay kind 'Days from sending date' or 'Days from receiving date'.

API changes link

Accounts service - Various additions.
Pallets service - Various additions.

2021-06-07 | release 26 link

Balances grid link

The Balances page is available from the operations group of the navigator. It is a read-only grid of daily closing balances for every combination of location, product, and account.

Corresponding transactions and stocktakes for the day are in detail grids in the tabs below. These 'ons' and 'offs' explain the closing balance compared the the previous row for the same location, product, and account.

Entity activities link

Every main grid has activities for the current row in a detail grid below.

Activities are the history of changes for the current row, from creating it through to the last time the row was edited. Each activity has a timestamp of when it occurred, the user that made the change, the name of the action that was executed, and raw details of the changes.

Enhancements link

Tokens - Data-entry of transaction tokens is easier as keying an exact '###-##' formatted value is no longer necessary. Pure numbers and various other formats are accepted.
Small screens - The last view for each grid page is remembered separately for small screens and large screens, i.e. configuring the grid layout to use with a desktop computer will not affect the layout of that grid when opened on a mobile phone or tablet, and vice versa.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2021-05-31 | release 25 link

Required docket numbers link

When keying transactions, and the account setting 'Is docket number a required field?' is ticked, changes are not saved until Docket Number has a value. Existing transactions that do not have a docket number are unaffected, unless they are edited after the setting is switched on.

Enhancements link

Data-entry performance - Updating of dependent cells is faster, which especially improves the data-entry performance of transactions as that grid has many cells that trigger updates to others.
Row shading for warnings - A grid row with a warning has light orange background shading to make it stand out.
Configurable warnings - Optional warnings in the account settings, specifically 'Missing trading account warning' and 'Duplicate docket number warning', can be set to 'Pop-up', 'Notification', or '(None)'.
Toggling docket number - Pressing Alt+N in the transactions grid clears the docket number when one is specified. It continues to generate a new docket number when the field is empty.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2021-05-14 | release 24 link

Contactless & avoiding corrections link

When the receiving trading partner enters a transaction into their database it generates a 5-digit token. This token is automatically pushed back to the corresponding transaction in the senders database. It represents proof-of-delivery, equal to a signature on a paper docket.

In addition to enabling paperless and contactless transactions, the token reduces corrections. Essential details of the transaction are encoded in the token so non-matching transfers in the sender's database are identified and can be fixed before exporting to the supplier.

The transactions grid has the Is Valid column for identifying rows with details that do not match the token. The sending pallet controller can filter by that column and review the invalid rows.

Focussing an invalid row and pressing Alt+T will re-run the token check and re-display warnings. If all details are correct except Effective Date (or Sending Date for a Loan Sent transaction), then a popup offers to update the date to match the token.

If the receiver changed the Quantity, an 'invalid' notification is displayed but it cannot be automatically corrected. If the receiver changed the Product, Docket Number, Kind (e.g. transfer off to transfer on), or Sender Location (to a different account), the token would not be updated automatically because the transactions do not sufficiently match. However if the token is manually keyed by the sender, the 'invalid' notification will confirm there is a discrepancy.

Sequential docket numbers link

The standard system for generating docket numbers is based on the exact time it is generated. To avoid duplicates it is typically set to increment through 10 new numbers per second. Some suppliers, like Viscount Plastics in Australia, allocate small docket number ranges. These are exhausted very quickly.

An alternative system using sequential docket numbers is provided to handle this scenario.

Only use the sequential system when the range is limited. The standard system is faster and can work offline since it does not need to get the 'next number' from the server each time. It also has built in protection against duplicating docket numbers if a backup database ever needs to be restored - the restored database would have an old 'next number' that has already been used. Lastly sequential docket numbers cannot be automatically generated. The user must press Alt+N to generate manually.

Help & support links link

Navigator menu includes a link to a 'help' page, which in turn has links to the online help, a calendar for booking training, live chat support, and contact details for other forms of support.

Enhancements link

Alt+N to generate a docket number - In the transactions grid, Alt+N replaces Alt+G, although the latter will continue to work for a few more releases. Alt+N also clears the Docket Number field if it currently has a value, i.e. press it twice to replace the docket number with a newly generated value.
Alt+O to add an 'opposite' transaction - The opposite transaction to the currently focussed row can be quickly added via the Alt+O keyboard shortcut. A common scenario is loaded pallets are delivered and a Loan Sent transaction is recorded, then if empty pallets are returned, press Alt+O to to create the Loan Received transaction. The shortcut works when the focussed transaction is a Loan Sent, Loan Received, Transfer Off, Transfer On, or Relocation.
Searching - Using the 'Search' box at the top of a grid page now removes any currently set column filters and searches all rows.
Row-status hover text - The shaded column at the left side of any grid is the Row-Status column, and it displays icons when a row is saving, when a row is invalid, or if there are warning messages, etc. Now these icons come with hover text to explain themselves.
Grid styling - The grid side panel has a cleaner button for siding the panel in & out. In the panel, selecting a saved view and creating new views has been simplified. The left-side panel for showing & hiding columns is also simplified with 'show all columns' moved to the grid menu. Disabled buttons in grid columns have been styled consistently.
Tracing - Various usability tweaks have been made to tracing so the automatic updating of Trace Reference and Trace Quantity fields is more logical.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2021-04-20 | release 23 link

Receiver reference patterns link

Receivers often require specific data like a purchase order number in the receiver reference field of a transaction. If the requirement has a particular format then this 'pattern' can be set up in a trading profile to ensure all transactions to the receiver meet requirements.

If a non-matching receiver reference is entered for a Transfer Off transaction, a confirmation popup is displayed with a custom message to reminds the user of the requirements. If no receiver reference is entered a notification is displayed with the custom message.

In the trading profile, the Receiver Reference Pattern supports two wildcard characters, '#' and '?'. For example a reference 'AD--00123/K' would pass with pattern 'AD--#####/?'. The wildcards are:

'#' for a single numeric character or the literal '#' character, i.e. use it in place of [0-9].
'?' for a single character, i.e. use it in place of any character.

Transaction reminders link

A custom 'reminder' message may be specified for various transaction kinds in a trading profile.

Messages are displayed in an 'information' notification when keying a transaction to or from a trading partner that has reminders set up in their trading profile(s).

Filing date link

When printed dockets are being used one the time-consuming tasks is filing the dockets. 2ic Pallets provides a simple and efficient solution by setting the 'filing date' of keyed transactions to today's date. Corresponding paper dockets can be filed together at the end of the day and labelled with the current date.

To retrieve a paper docket, search for it in the transactions grid to get the filing date.

Ticking the account setting 'Is filing enabled?' switches on automatically assigning a filing date to transactions. Completing an existing transaction also updates the filing date to today.

Enhancements link

Docket numbers - After keying a docket numbers it is automatically capitalised. Generating a docket number to replace an existing keyed docket number is protected with a confirmation popup.
Incomplete transactions - A common use-case for creating an incomplete transaction is when the receiver requires a printed docket, but then provides a docket number that must be used for the transfer to be accepted. This docket number represents what is often called a 'pallet transfer authority (PTA) in Australia. The transaction is automatically completed when the docket number is updated. Now the original generated docket number is copied to the notes field so a record of it remains after updating with the PTA docket number.
CSV export of transactions - Exporting is much faster and a progress bar has been added to indicate the remaining time for large exports. A popup displaying the number of transactions to be exported has also been added, with the option to continue or cancel.
Showing & hiding columns - The list of columns with checkboxes for showing & hiding them has moved from the grid menu to a new grid 'side bar'. The side bar slides out from the left side of every grid.
Grid headers - Removing bold font and tweaking other styling to improve readability for Thai characters.
Online help link - A link has been added to the 2ic Pallets app to the online help, help.2icsoftware.com. The help documentation has various content additions and styling improvements.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2021-03-22 | release 22 link

Enhancements link

Custom glossary terms - More custom glossary terms have been added. There are only a handful of labels and messages in the whole that are not yet available for overriding with custom text.
Grid font - 'Kanit' font is used for Thai text in the grids.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2021-03-16 | release 21 link

Public accounts & policies link

In the navigation panel, Administration group, the 'Accounts' link has been renamed 'Public Accounts'. This read-only public account register provides a convenient means of looking up account numbers, contact details, and trading terms for transferring on to the account. Trading terms are in the Policies tab below.

Accounts with 'Is Public' ticked will appear in the register. This setting can be changed for your accounts by a group super user in the Databases page, Accounts tab.

Policies are also defined by group super users and multiple policies may be defined for an account. Leaving both Product and Sending Location empty defines the most general, catch-all policy. These are the trading terms that apply to most trading partners creating a transfer on to your account. Adding another policy with Product specified would define specific trading terms for the product. Likewise Sending Account may be specified to define non-standard terms that only apply to transfers from that trading partner account. Policies for a specific sending account are only viewable by the owner of that account.

In future it will be possible to subscribe to changes to public accounts and policies. For example, when an account owner (a group super user for the database in which that account is managed) changes contact details for an account, the new contact, email address, etc. will be pushed out to subscribers with a corresponding location & profile in their database.

'Trading' renaming link

A 'trading partner' location may have several trading accounts, e.g. a CHEP account and a Loscam account. Trading accounts are typically assigned a trading profile, which define terms and rules for the corresponding transactions, plus other settings to manage the transactions.

Best practice is to have a small number of trading profiles and ensure every trading account has one assigned. This ensures consistent operating procedures and terms across potentially many trading partners and their accounts.

Previously 'trading accounts' were called 'profiles', and 'trading profiles' were called 'group profiles'. The 'location' entity is not renamed, but the 'internal' and 'external' location kinds are now 'site' and 'trading partner'. The other kinds 'service centre' and 'black hole' are unchanged.

In the administration section of the navigation menu, 'Internal Locations' is renamed to 'Sites' to be consistent with the renamed location kinds.

Below are the reference data entities related to trading partners, and a description of their specific purpose and common usage.

Entity	Description
Location	'Site' locations are your own physical locations. 'Trading Partner' locations are the customers, vendors, and carriers with whom you transact pallets. A typical database has many trading partner locations and relatively few of the other location kinds.
Trading Account	Trading partner locations may have one or more trading accounts. For 'loan-only' trading partners there may be a single trading account that covers all suppliers. For 'transfer' trading partners there is a separate trading account for each supplier. It includes their account number with the supplier.
Trading Profile	A profile has settings for trading terms & rules, e.g. how and effective date is calculated, transfer fees, and receiver reference requirements. Other settings are for managing transactions, e.g. making them initially incomplete, loan limits, and whether loans are traced. Managing pallets is easiest when a small set of tradiing profiles is maintained, and every trading account is assigned a profile.

Accounts vs trading terms link

Trading accounts define the operating terms with trading partners. It is best practice to set up a small set of standard terms with trading profiles and use these in your trading accounts.

To encourage this best practice, fields for operating terms like delay days and transfer fees have been removed from the trading accounts grid. A trading profile must be assigned to define trading terms for a trading account.

In the grid menu for the trading profiles grid, there is a new function for exporting filtered rows to a CSV file. These may be imported into the 2ic Pallets desktop app to simplify keeping profiles consistent between the two systems.

Synchronising trading partners link

The ability to export to suppliers, correct transactions, and reconcile bills is not yet available. In the meantime these functions are still performed in the 2ic Pallets desktop app. Having a data-entry 'slave' app that exports to the 'master' data file is a common configuration for the desktop version.

In any master-slave system is it important to synchronise the reference data, in particular trading partners and trading accounts. In the past the 'source of truth' was the master data file, since there could be many slave data files. Now the web app is the source of truth because despite it being the 'slave' system, one web app database provides data entry for potentially many desktop master data files.

Exporting trading partners was introduced in the last release but has been improved in this release. It is also now available from the grid menu on the locations page.

Enhancements link

Transaction locations - Lookup editor for sender location & receiver location in the transactions grid now displays the current value in a separate row at the top of the list (like it does in lookup lists for other fields).
Transaction data entry - Carrier reference field is copied to both the sender reference and receiver reference fields (when not already specified) for relocation transactions. This helps streamline internal tracing.
Permissions grids - Permissions section of the navigation menu provides access to 3 additional grid pages: Role Users, Authorised Accounts, and Authorised Locations. These are also detail grids linked to the users main grid, but providing them as main grids makes it easier to compare allocated permissions when there are many users.
Adding users - Account super users and site super users of a database can create and invite new users. The new users can have up to the same levels of authorisation as the super user that adds them.
Adding authorised accounts & sites - When adding an authorised site for a site user it automatically adds authorised accounts for all accounts that are linked to the site. The automatically added rows may be deleted it they are not required. Similarly when deleting authorised accounts, if there are no linked accounts for an authorised site then it is automatically deleted.
Account groups - Accounts detail grid on the databases page now has a 'Group' column. It may be used to categorise accounts when there are many of them in a database.
Maintaining transfer fees - Unit price fields are removed from trading accounts and supplier fees. Configuring fees in these grids is simplified to selecting the fee code only. Unit prices are in the fee codes grid so this removes duplicated data and simplifies maintenance when fees change.

API changes link

Accounts service - InternalLocation entity is renamed Site. All related query & mutation endpoints are renamed.
Accounts service - Various deprecated fields are removed.
Pallets service - Profile entity is renamed TradingAccount and GroupProfile entity is renamed TradingProfile. All related query & mutation endpoints are renamed.
Pallets service - Location kind 'internal' is renamed 'site' and 'external' is renamed 'tradingPartner'.
Pallets service - Various deprecated fields are removed.

2021-02-11 | release 20 link

Identifying the created & updated 'source' of every record link

New fields 'Created Source' and 'Updated' source have been added to every grid. Most rows will have the source 'Keyed', but it may be 'Scanned', 'Accepted', 'Matched', 'System', or a file name if the row was imported.

There are now 6 meta-data fields that help you understand how and when any record became what it is. These are:

Created At Timestamp
Created Source
Created By User
Updated At Timestamp
Updated Source
Updated By User

When a row is created the same values are set for 'created' & 'updated' fields. This way the 'updated' set is always defined, which simplifies searching & filtering. Subsequent changes overwrite the 'updated' fields, so they only retain details of the last time a row was updated.

Restructuring database user levels link

One of the main 'authorisation' settings in 2ic Pallets is the user level. When a user is given permission to open a pallets database by adding them to the database users grid, they are assigned one of three levels: 'Group', 'Account', or 'Site'. The level mainly determines which transactions can be viewed.

Previously there was no hierarchy between 'Account' and 'Site' levels.

Account-level users would be assigned 'authorised accounts' and were able to view all transactions for those accounts, regardless of which site was the sender or receiver.
Site-level users would be assigned 'authorised sites' and were able to view all transactions where one of those site locations is the sender or receiver, regardless of the transaction account.

For example if there are two accounts 'CHEP transport' and 'Loscam transport', and three sites 'Adelaide', 'Melbourne', and 'Sydney'. An account-level user could be limited to 'CHEP transport', and would access transactions for all site locations. A site-level user could be limited to 'Adelaide', and would access both CHEP & Loscam transactions. However there is no way to limit a user to viewing only 'CHEP transport' transactions that involve 'Adelaide'.

This scenario is covered now with a hierarchy of 'Account' sitting above 'Site'. Account-level users continue to access transactions for all site locations covered by their authorised accounts, but site-level users require authorised accounts to be specified as well. Previously authorised accounts were ignored for site users, and vice versa.

On the surface it appears a small change, but it delivers more precise permissions and is more logical as well.

Improving CSV exports for synchronising locations with V2 data files link

The key to synchronising trading terms between 2ic Pallets web app and desktop app is specifying a trading profiles for every trading account. In the desktop app, the equivalent that needs to be done is specifying a 'profile' for every 'trading partner account'.

To facilitate both migrating an account from the desktop app and keeping details consistent between the versions, exporting trading profiles to a CSV file is now available in the grid menu. The desktop app has also been updated to import this file to add missing profiles.

The CSV export file of trading partners & trading accounts has been simplified to exclude detailed trading term fields. It is now expected that every profile has a trading profile, so only the trading profile name is included in the file.

Configuring transaction fees link

Fee unit prices have been centralised in the Fee Codes grid, meaning they have been removed from trading profiles, trading accounts, and supplier fees. These records now specify fee codes only.

When keying transactions and it is determined from these records that a fee code applies, the corresponding unit price is looked up in the fee codes.

The matching fee code depends on the transaction product and/or account, as different prices may be specified for the same fee code text, e.g. for fee code 'Issue fees', the unit price is most likely different for each product, and may also vary by account.

This structure allows greater re-use of trading profiles and supplier fees as they are more generic with prices removed.

Enhancements link

Profile data entry - Warnings are provided when a specified CHEP account number is not a 10-digit number and when a Loscam account number is not a 6-digit number.
Fee Codes - Product & Account fields have been added to allow defining fees more specifically.
Location lookup lists - Recently used locations are pre-loaded when opening some grids so location lookup lists are faster to display. The process for identifying which are 'recently used' is now more specific to the current user, plus more are pre-loaded, so the overall performance of these lists is better.
Saved views - Views can be defined, saved, and shared for any grid page, and the 'view' now includes settings for detail grids on the page as well as main grids.
Restoring detail grid views - Changing the column layout, filtering, sorting, or settings in the grid panel, is changing the grid 'view'. Automatically saving the 'last view' now applies to detail grids as well as main grids so these things are automatically restored when refreshing the page or coming back to it later.

API changes link

Accounts service & Pallets service - New fields createdSource & updatedSource are available in queries for any entity. Both are optional variables for various create & update mutations.
Accounts service & Pallets service - Obsolete fields createdAt & updatedAt have been removed from all entities.
Accounts service - Obsolete user field lastSignIn has been removed.
Pallets service - Obsolete transaction fields quantitySent, quantityReceived, fees, and isValidated have been removed.
Pallets service - FeeCode entity has a new fields product & account. Available in queries and mutations. product is a required field for createFeeCode & updateFeeCode mutations, so this is a breaking change. However those mutation endpoints are not currently used by any 3rd party applications.

2021-01-31 | release 19 link

Tracing transactions link

Tracing is a major feature of 2ic Pallets as it enables identifying specific transactions that are causing a loss. By tracing transactions 'on' to your account (pickups) to corresponding transactions 'off' your account (deliveries), you can ensure that every item coming on goes off again.

Tracing is activated by ticking account settings:

'Trace transactions for the account?' - Ticking only this switches on the simplest form of tracing. It facilitates linking transfer ons & issues to transfer offs & dehires.
'Trace transactions for sites?' - Ticking this includes relocation transactions in the tracing chain. For example, a consignment pickup is recorded as a transfer on (to a site), which is traced to a relocation (to a different site), and the relocation is traced to the eventual transfer off delivery. Account tracing would skip the relocation and trace the transfer on directly to the transfer off. Note that tracing sites will untick the account tracing setting, and vice versa.
'Trace transactions for trading partners?' - Ticking this allows tracing loan sent transactions to loan received transactions. If you loan products to trading partners that do not have a a pallet account, then implementing a system where specific loan transactions are traced reduces the risk of losses. In the 2ic Pallets desktop app this form of tracing is called 'settling'. It can be switched on or off independently of the other trace settings.

Importantly there is nothing more to do for data entry operators when tracing is switched on - continue keying transactions and specifying carrier reference, sender reference, and/or receiver reference, and values are automatically copied to corresponding trace reference fields. When there is a trace reference, the keyed quantity is copied to the corresponding trace quantity field. Untraced quantities are then calculated automatically from the current row and other transactions with the same trace reference.

Managing tracing is done directly in the transactions grid. The tracing columns may be unhidden and filters applied to show only untraced transactions. Note that views can be saved for any grid, and saving the column layout & filtering for reviewing untraced transactions is the ideal use-case for a saved view.

Transactions with either trace reference specified have all related rows in the 'Traced Transactions' detail grid below. When there is an untraced quantity the detail grid makes it efficient to investigate. Note that for the common case of the 'on' quantity matching the 'off' quantity, untraced quantity fields are automatically blank and there is nothing more to do.

Stocktakes link

The stocktakes grid is now available. The page is opened via a link in the navigation menu 'Operations' group.

Stocktakes are used to record physical stock counts of each product at sites.

Exporting stocktakes to a CSV file is available from the grid menu when the stocktakes page is open. The CSV file is designed for importing into the 2ic Pallets desktop app.

Resizing lookup list columns link

Lookup list columns are now auto-sized based on loaded data, which is a helpful improvement.

However when scrolling or changing the search text, more rows are loaded and these can contain wider text values that are still truncated. Two further improvements are displaying full text values in a tool tip when hovering the mouse over an entry, and the ability to resize the columns.

These changes apply to both grid editor lookups and filter lookups. The latter also did not previously have any multi-column lists, so these have been added where necessary.

Enhancements link

Site codes - Codes can now be specified when adding new sites, rather than having to update them in the general locations grid afterwards.
Product bundles - The bundle field in the products grid now has an auto-complete editor.
Run sheet report - Current loan balances have been added for each report line.

API changes link

Accounts service - Site entity has a new field code. Available in queries and mutations. Like name and other fields, code is propagated to the corresponding Location row in the pallets service.
Pallets service - Stocktake entity and associated queries and mutations have been added.

2021-01-11 | release 18 link

Making it harder to save a duplicate docket number link

Previously a transaction with the same product and docket number as another transaction would save first and warn later (with an orange notification). Now it won't save unless the duplicate is confirmed as ok by the user in a popup.

Configuring relocation transactions to be confirmed by the receiver link

There is a new account setting 'Are relocations initially complete?'. It is ticked by default which causes relocation transactions (from one of your sites to another) to have 'Is Complete' ticked immediately when the row is added - this is the typical behaviour for most transactions.

If you want the receiving location to confirm these transactions then untick the setting. Typically the sending location creates the relocation transaction, then it remains incomplete until someone at the receiving location checks the details and ticks 'Is Complete'.

Synchronising locations with the desktop app trading partners link

Keeping locations & profile accounts consistent with those in the 2ic Pallets desktop app is necessary while reconciling is still performed in that version of the app. This is facilitated via exporting locations & profile accounts to a CSV file, which is available in the menu for the Profile Accounts grid.

Previously with a 'master-slave' system in the desktop app, the clean list of trading partners and accounts was maintained in the 'master' data file. They could be exported to a CSV file and imported into data-entry 'slave' file to update its trading partners.

The situation has switched with 2ic Pallets version 3. There is a central data-entry database with a common list of trading partners for all of your supplier accounts. Therefore it is best to maintain an accurate list of trading partners & profile accounts in version 3, and periodically export them to the various desktop app master files.

Enhancements link

Product data entry - Warnings are provided when the supplier code of a CHEP product is not a 5-digit number.
Transaction data entry - Warnings are provided when keying a transfer docket number with a format that is not accepted by the supplier.
Generated docket numbers - Warnings are provided when a docket number range is running out.
Site identifier - CHEP GB assigns a 10-digit account code to sites and this is recorded in the Identifier field.
Fee code lookups - Auto-complete editors added for fee code fields.
Opening databases - In the databases grid, clicking anywhere in a row opens the corresponding database. Similarly in the custom glossaries grid, clicking anywhere in a row applies that custom glossary.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Location entity fully supports alias locations. The field primaryLocationId may be set to merge two existing locations, and may be cleared to separate them. Alias locations may be specified in input variables for mutations of other entities, e.g. specifying an alias location when creating a transaction will create it with the corresponding primary location.
Pallets service - Product entity fully supports alias products. The field primaryProductId may be set to merge two existing products, and may be cleared to separate them. Alias products may be specified in input variables for mutations of other entities, e.g. specifying an alias product when creating a transaction will create it with the corresponding primary product.
Pallets service - Location entity has a new field identifier. Available in queries and updated via the updateIdentifier mutation.

2020-12-10 | release 17 link

Location lookup editors link

Location editors in the transactions grid are more responsive.

Locations used in the past 30 days are cached in the browser so the list is immediately updated with some matching locations as search text is keyed. Those beginning with the search text are at the top of the list and below are rows that contain the search text anywhere. After a moment the list is updated with matching locations retrieved from the web service.

Enhancements link

Docket reports - Text on docket reports is available in custom glossaries for overriding.
Split page tabs - Improving styling & ease of use of split pages. Tab 'buttons' that are clicked to display a detail grid now close the detail grid section again by clicking the same button.
Online help - Adding pages and general improvements to the online help.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Obsoleting transaction field fees. Adding transaction field fee. Rename only, so use fee instead of fees. Applies to createTransaction and updateTransaction mutations (query fields were updated in the 2020-11-02 release).

2020-12-03 | release 16 link

Run sheet report link

A button is provided in the transactions grid for generating a run sheet report. It is designed for truck drivers performing multiple pickups and/or deliveries. The report has a line for each transaction, and replaces generating a docket report for each transaction. Report transactions are all assigned to the carrier with the same sending date.

Docket barcode scanning link

Scanning QR codes on Loscam Thailand dockets is supported. A button at the top of the transactions page is provided for displaying an input box to received the scanned data.

Audit history link

Every entity now has Created By User and Updated By User fields. They are read-only and correspond to the existing Created At Timestamp and Updated At Timestamp fields.

Navigator customisation link

The text abbreviation on buttons that are displayed when the navigator is collapsed may be specified in a custom glossary. Emojis may be used instead of text. For the database, Abbreviation is available in the databases grid.

Enhancements link

Transaction data entry - Automatically setting the Is Exported status and including it in the CSV export file.
Transaction data entry - Automatically setting the Fee Code, Fee Unit Price, and Fee fields, and including them in the CSV export file.
Editing profiles - Database users that are 'Account' level or 'Site' level can edit shared profile accounts, i.e. those that are not linked to a specific account. Previously only 'Group' level users could edit these profile accounts.
Online help - Enabled pause & play on animated GIF images.

API changes link

Accounts service & Pallets service - Obsoleting common fields createdAt and updatedAt. Adding common fields createdAtTimestamp and updatedAtTimestamp. Rename only, so use createdAtTimestamp and updatedAtTimestamp instead of createdAt and updatedAt. Read-only fields. Applies to all 'entity' queries.
Accounts service & Pallets service - Adding common fields createdByUser and updatedByUser. Read-only fields. Applies to all 'entity' queries.
Pallets service - None.

2020-11-25 | release 15 link

F8 keyboard shortcut link

For data entry in any grid, F8 replicates data in the cell above. Alt+F8 replicates data in the cell below.

Lookup lists link

As search text is keyed the matching text in filtered list items below is bolded to make it easier to identify the correct item.

Users split page link

Users grid page is available when a database is open. Related data for the current user row is displayed in detail grids below.

Enhancements link

Creating users - Bringing on a new user is easier as setting their current database, current custom glossary, and initial views are able to be defined by the super user before sending the invitation.
Effective date changes - When editing a transaction and it is not clear if Effective Date should be changed based on the corresponding trading profile, a popup is displayed for confirming (or cancelling) changes.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2020-11-13 | release 14 link

Navigator link

Adding colour to navigator groups, changing some icons, and re-ordering the links.

Transaction data entry link

Improved handling of Effective Date changes with confirmation requested when the intention is not clear.

Delete confirmations link

New 'popover' alert for confirming a row delete.

Enhancements link

Custom glossaries - Moving Terms to a detail grid of the Custom Glossaries page.
Transaction data entry - Reducing the Carrier Reference list size. Improving performance of the carrier reference and location lists.
Online help - Adding new help pages and amending existing pages.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2020-11-05 | release 13 link

Split pages link

More pages have split views with main data in a grid in the top half of the page and related data in detail grids at the bottom. Newly split pages are Products, Locations, Users, Roles, Views, Custom Glossaries, Databases, and Businesses.

Navigator link

Simplified the left-panel navigator by removing the following pages that are now available as detail grids: Role Users, Authorised Accounts, Authorised Sites, View Users, and Business Users.

Generated docket numbers link

Adding Account Settings for the start number & end number of generated docket numbers. Allows defining a specific range of numbers, for example when setting up an account with Viscount Plastics Australia. Also adding a setting to enable automatic docket number generation for issue & dehire transactions.

`Alt`+`A` keyboard shortcut link

Businesses with multiple accounts often need to transfer between these accounts. While they are in the same 2ic Pallets database, each account has their own copy of the transaction row - one will be an 'off' transaction and the other an 'on' transaction. Pressing Alt+A in the transactions grid for one of these rows will create the other.

Enhancements link

Transaction data entry - Carrier Reference is automatically copied to Sender Reference for 'off' transactions and to Receiver Reference for 'on' transactions. So if you are a transport business it is convenient to always key the consignment number in the carrier reference field and know it will be copied into the appropriate reference field.
Location lookups - Various usability improvements for location lookup lists, including shading rows to identify locations with multiple trading accounts, preventing duplicate trading account rows, reducing the displayed columns, pre-loading more locations, and increasing general responsiveness when keying search text.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - None.

2020-11-02 | release 12 link

Docket formats link

Adding 'double docket' and 'continuous docket' formats. Double dockets provide a duplicate copy on the same A4 page, typically used for providing both the sender and receiver with a physical copy of the docket. Continuous dockets are formatted for printing on dot matrix printers with a continuous paper feed, which are commonly used printers in Southeast Asia.

Product bundles link

Adding fields to the Products grid to optionally define 'bundles' of product items and their relative quantities. Selecting a product set when keying a transaction automatically creates additional transactions so there is one for each item in the set.

View settings link

Moving the view selector to the grid panel that slides out from the right-side of any grid. Default values and other grid-specific settings are also displayed in the panel, and saved with the view. Currently only the transactions grid has specific view settings.

Online help link

Launching a new online help website for 2ic Pallets, help.2icsoftware.com.

Transactions CSV export link

Adding the Last Export Timestamp field to transactions, and automatically setting it to the current time when a transaction is included in a CSV export. Adding a second menu function for exporting 'new' transactions, which includes transactions with the timestamp either empty or earlier than the its last modified timestamp.

Carrier reference link

Adding this field to the transactions grid. Providing an auto-complete editor that lists recently entered Carrier Reference values. Carriers will typically record a consignment number in this field and use it for transaction tracing (linking 'ons' to 'offs').

Is Complete status link

Transactions are automatically made incomplete based on trading profile rules. Issue and dehire transactions are also made incomplete when generating a docket number, making the corresponding printed docket and authorisation. Updating the docket number, quantity, or various other fields for an existing incomplete transaction will automatically complete it.

Enhancements link

Date formats - Setting the Gregorian calendar to be the default for Thai users, instead of defaulting to the Thai calendar.
Keying transactions - Adding more logic to validate, automatically update, and confirm changes in the transactions grid.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Adding transaction field lastExportTimestamp. Applies to transactions query. Adding updateTransactionLastExportTimestamp mutation.
Pallets service - Adding transaction fields pickupQuantity, untracedPickupQuantity, deliveryQuantity, and untracedDeliveryQuantity. Read-only fields (at the moment). Applies to transactions query.
Pallets service - Adding transaction fields days, productDays, rent, and amount. Read-only fields (at the moment). Applies to transactions query.
Pallets service - Obsoleting transaction field fees. Adding transaction field fee. Rename only, so use fee instead of fees. Applies to transactions query (mutation fields are still to be updated).

2020-10-13 | release 11 link

Barcode scanning link

Enabling scanning QR codes on 2ic Pallets dockets directly into the transactions grid. Improved scanning barcodes when using the camera on a mobile phone or laptop.

2ic token link

Introducing the 2ic token as a replacement of docket signatures for proof-of-delivery.

When keying an 'on' transaction the 5-digit Token is calculated and displayed. It can be read out to the driver to record on their paper docket for contactless proof-of-delivery. If the sender uses 2ic Pallets, the generated token is automatically copied back to the corresponding transaction in their database for contactless & paperless proof-of-delivery.

The token verifies essential data in the sender's transaction, and unticks Is Valid for discrepancies.

Grid column pinning link

Introducing Ctrl+click to right-pin columns. Configuring pinned column changes to be automatically saved with other grid layout settings.

API home pages link

Adding welcome pages to Accounts API and Pallets API, replacing opening the GraphiQL client app directly.

Enhancements link

Keying transactions - Improving automatic updating of fields when adding & editing transactions. Adding warnings for potential data entry mistakes.
Location lookup lists - Making it faster to refresh and find matching locations.
Generating docket numbers - Fixing the setting to automatically generate 'Transfer Off' docket numbers.
Routes - Fixing an error where a route that applies to the current transaction is sometimes not found.
Lookup lists - Improved general responsiveness. Fixed some sorting errors.
Creating users - Allowing new users to be created in the businesses, views, and custom glossaries grids, in addition to the databases grid.
Product lookup list - Adding column for the 'internal' code.
API access - Adding a section to the My Details page with credentials to copy for accessing APIs.

API changes link

Accounts service - None.
Pallets service - Obsoleting transaction field isValidated. Adding transaction field isChecked. Rename only, so use isChecked instead of isValidated. Applies to transactions query, createTransaction mutation, and updateTransaction mutation.
Pallets service - Obsoleting transaction fields quantitySent and quantityReceived. Adding transaction fields sentQuantity and receivedQuantity. Rename only, so use sentQuantity and receivedQuantity instead of quantitySent and quantityReceived. Applies to transactions query, createTransaction mutation, and updateTransaction mutation.
Pallets service - Adding transaction field carrierReference. Applies to transactions query, createTransaction mutation, and updateTransaction mutation.
Pallets service - Adding transaction field isValid . Read-only field. Applies to transactions query.

2020-09-21 | release 10 link

Transaction view settings link

Default values and other settings added to the side panel for the transactions grid. Settings are linked to the current view, allowing a different values to be saved be creating a saved view.

Enhancements link

Users lookup lists - User email addresses with the same domain as the current user are displayed in the lookup list. Helps prevent mistakes when keying email addresses.

API changes link

Accounts service - Various additions.
Pallets service - Various additions.

2020-09-03 | release 9 link

Databases 'split page' link

Databases page is split into a 'main' databases grid and 'detail' grids for accounts, sites, and users. Data in the detail grids is linked to the currently focussed database row.

Account number lookup link

Location lookup lists in the transactions grid now find trading partner locations by keying their supplier account number.

Creating users link

Account-level super users are allowed to add new database users. Previously only group super users could add other users.

Enhancements link

Autocomplete editors - Data entry is easier for user fields with an 'autocomplete' editor. Provided in database users, business users, view users, and custom glossary users grids.

API changes link

Accounts service - Various additions.
Pallets service - Various additions.

2020-08-28 | release 8 link

Docket report link

A formatted 'docket' report can be opened for the current transaction. It is typically printed by the sender when a transaction is created, and used to obtain a 'proof-of-delivery' signature from the receiver.

It includes a QR code that can be scanned by the receiver to enter the complete transaction in their 2ic Pallets database. If the docket transaction has already been entered then scanning finds and focusses that row.

Linear barcodes are provided for individual pieces of data on the docket in case the receiver does not have a two-dimensional scanner. Barcodes are provided for the docket number, trading partner account numbers, and other fields.

Scanning dockets link

Complete transactions may be entered by scanning two-dimensional docket barcodes. Supported barcodes are on dockets produced by 2ic Pallets version 3, 2ic Pallets version 2, and Loscam Online (Southeast Asia).

'Consignment' transactions link

Keyboard shortcut Alt+C in the transactions grid creates a new 'consignment' transaction based on the currently focussed row. Enables quickly adding multiple transactions with different consignment numbers, which are recorded in the Sender Reference field.

Splitting transactions into consignments enables trading 'ons' to 'offs' (when that feature is available).

Enhancements link

Trading accounts - Added Contract Expiry Date field. Information only.
Grid data entry - Improved data entry in the transactions grid and others with inline updating of dependent fields when keying a row.
Date warnings - Added account settings for past & future date warnings. These notifications are displayed if the entered data is too far in the past or future.
Navigator - Side navigation menu can be pinned as expended or collapsed. Automatically collapses for small screens.

API changes link

Accounts service - Various additions.
Pallets service - Various additions.

2020-08-06 | release 7 link

2020-07-14 | release 6 link

2020-07-01 | release 5 link

2020-06-25 | release 4 link

2020-06-15 | release 3 link

2020-06-03 | release 2 link

2020-05-27 | release 1 link

Initial release.

Glossary | Keyboard Shortcuts

Technical | Upgrading to 2ic Pallets Web App

Glossary | Keyboard Shortcuts

Last updated on 21/06/2024

Release Notes

2024-06-19 | release 95 link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-06-05 | release 94 link

Retaining Invalid Rows link

Saved Rows link

Unsaved Status link

Region link

Pending Transactions link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-05-22 | release 93 link

Either Location Filter link

Any Reference Filter link

Multi-factor authentication link

Power Query link

Confirming Online Dockets link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-05-08 | release 92 link

Catalogue link

Pending Transactions link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-04-24 | release 91 link

Pending Transactions link

Row Compare link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-04-10 | release 90 link

Online Dockets link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-03-27 | release 89 link

Submit Method link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-03-20 | release 88 link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-03-05 | release 87 link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-02-19 | release 86 link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-02-01 | release 85 link

Navigation Panel link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-01-19 | release 84 link

Trading Account Start Date & End Date link

Catalogue Levels link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2024-01-11 | release 83 link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2023-12-20 | release 82 link

Duplicate Filter link

Selection Filter link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2023-12-07 | release 81 link

Activities link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2023-11-22 | release 80 link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2023-11-08 | release 79 link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2023-11-06 | release 78 link

Pending Transactions link

Enhancements link

API Changes link

2023-10-11 | release 77 link

Enhancements link