New Coffee Roast Database – multi-platform version

[GreenBean]

Hi John,

Thank you for your feedback and suggestion. It is good to hear that you find the program useful.

I have attempted to produce a program for home roasters and have attempted to keep it relatively simple. I had considered adding roasted weight to the database but discounted it as being more relevant to professional roasters who sell by roasted weight. I have included areas for general notes for each roast to allow people to record any other information they feel useful and prefer to keep it to that for now. I will certainly reconsider this if others advise that they would also like a dedicated field for roasted weight (or for any other variable).

Thanks again for your feedback and I look forward to seeing your profiles uploaded,

Greenbean

[GreenBean]

Thanks again to Sunnyfield for suggesting changes to handle pre blends better. I have added support for pre blends to the latest version 1.5.1 dated 23/8/07. I have attempted to do this in a way which does not add complications for people (including me) who do not normally roast pre blends. The help file has been updated to include help on working with pre blends. Please let me know if this meets your requirements.

I have also tested the program on Windows Vista and it works fine when given the correct access rights, see below for details.

Please clickhere if you wish to have more information, or to download the program. As usual I would be very grateful for any feedback.


A brief summary of the changes follows:

Version 1.5.1 dated 23/8/07

Added support for pre blends with new dialog to select blend constituents and proportions. Stock of blend constituents reduces by relevant amount on saving a roast.

Help About dialog updated to detect Windows Vista operating system.

This version has been tested on Windows Vista Home Premium (32 bit) on 64 bit computer in addition to Windows XP. To run correctly on Windows Vista this program needs the correct access rights/permissions to allow it to change it’s own database file. The easiest way to achieve this is to install the program to a new sub folder of your C: drive and not install it in the Program Files folder which (by default) has limited access rights.

[GreenBean]

A minor update is available herewhich modifies the handling of pre blends as follows:-

Version 1.5.2 dated 30/8/05

• Modified blend dialog to show currently selected bean variety as proposed blend name.
• Now inserts new blend data in bean/blend data memo even if all constituent proportions set to zero.

[GreenBean]

Due to a major screw up by my web space provider (Virgin Media) the site providing information on the coffee roast database and the roast profile sharing site normally accessible from that program are currently unavailable.

Virgin Media advise that they should have this sorted in the next three to four days. I apologise for this and will advise when normal service is resumed.

[GreenBean]

I am happy to report that normal service is now resumed. Virgin Media finally found someone who knew what they were doing to restore the web space they had incorrectly deleted to the original web address.

[GreenBean]

A minor update is availablehere which modifies the action on closing the program without saving a new profile as follows:-

Version 1.5.3 dated 20/9/07

Minor update to modify the action on closing the program without saving a new profile. The various dialogs displayed in these circumstances are modified so that the cancel buttons cancel the close program action not the save action.

[Steve]

OK I'm a little late on jumping in on this one, as I dismissed the program as not so useful for me, and more aimed at the home roaster. But its a great piece of software development and I think hats should be removed and green bean congratulated for this great program.

Now why didn't someone tell me to use this earlier

[bruceb]

Now why didn't someone tell me to use this earlier

Well, I was going to, but then I thought, who am I to tell the famous Footie Shirt Steve what roasting database to use.

[GreenBean]

Thank you for the kind words guys. It is good to know that you find the database useful.

[blackice]

This is a fantastic piece of software! Congratulations!!!

[GreenBean]

A new multi-platform version of the Coffee Roast Database is now available.

I originally wrote the Coffee Roast Database for my own use and for the Gene Cafe. I now roast on the Hottop and wanted a more flexible version of the program. I decided to write the new version in Java to take advantage of it’s multi-platform nature. As with the original version I have written this for my own use but you are welcome to download and use the program if you find it useful.

The new version will run on any operating system provided only that a version of The Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) 6 or above is installed. This is free to download and use.

For more information or to download visit the downloads – software section of this site or click here.

The following are seen as the main advantages of the new version over the original version:

1. Is multi - platform. The program will run on many different operating systems and can be copied with it's database between different operating systems.

2. Has many more fields including every field requested by users of the original version.

3. Is flexible and configurable. The default list of 15 fields associated with roast progress can easily be redefined to any title you wish or hidden so they do not appear in the progress list. A further 3 spare fields can be added to the list if required. All these fields take decimal values displayed to 2 decimal places.

4. Contains it's own database engine so, unlike the original version, it is not reliant on the Microsoft data access components.

5. Time durations can be displayed and entered as decimal minutes or as minutes:seconds.

6. Weights can be entered in any units as decimal numbers displayed to 2 decimal places.

7. Temperatures can be entered in any units and the chart temperature scale altered as required.

8. Each defined bean or blend can have a profile set as the template to use for it. The defined template can be selected and made the currently viewed profile with one click.

[lukas]

Woho, very cool, thank you for this tremendous effort! I'll be testing it later this week (finally, as I don't have windows)! Very very cool.

[GreenBean]

Woho, very cool, thank you for this tremendous effort! I'll be testing it later this week (finally, as I don't have windows)! Very very cool.

No problem lukas, I will be delighted if you find it useful.

[lukas]

Haven't done a roast yet, but fired it up nonetheless - it certainly looks very impressive (plus it runs with linux ). You must have put a really huge effort into that!

[Steve]

As some one who has used both of the programs for a while now they are amazing tools.

All I need is apple to get there act together with the Java part