What's new in CLZ Comics? (page 8)

Some changes in 4.11.3 for you:

The buttons to switch folders, sorting and view options have been moved to more logical places to make them more accessible.
The skins and templates options have been moved to the settings screen.
The selection mode button has been removed, just tap and hold on an item to start selecting items.

Sharper images in Cover View and Card View

This week, we have implemented several changes to the cover images that are shown in Cover View and Card View, making them much sharper/crisper, less blurry.

Also, on computers with a 4k / Ultra HD screen, both the Cover View and the Card will automatically switch to even higher quality images, with twice the resolution!

The difference is huge, check out the screen shots below. But the best way to experience the sharper images is to log in to your own account and look at your own collection!

Other improvements to Cover and Card View

At the same time, we made other improvements to the Cover and Card views, to make them look nicer and to make the scrolling experience smoother and faster:

While scrolling, the images now load faster.
Scrolling the view while images are loading is now smoother, less “choppy”.
The Images view now has black background for a more classy look.
In both Images and Card View, while scrolling, it does not first load a placeholder image anymore, it just show the background color until the actual image is loaded, also resulting in a less choppy scrolling experience.

Two updates for the Comic Connect software and the CLZ Cloud viewer today. One a big step forward in usability, the other a nice cosmetic improvement:

Comic Details now integrated in main screen

Up till now, when you clicked a comic entry to see its’ full details, you were taken to the comic details page, that is, a new page in your browser. One had to click “Back” to get back to the comic list again. Often resulting in an annoying back and forth clicking, each time causing you to lose your position in the list.

But not anymore! Starting with today’s update, the comic details are now integrated in a panel within the main collection view:

No more back and forth clicking. Just click a comic entry to see its’ details, click another one to see that comic’s details. Nice and easy, never lose your spot again.

Choose from two Layouts:

Horizontal Split: folders on the left, list on the top right, details on bottom right
Vertical Split: 3 panels side by side, folder, list and details

In either layout, the 3 panels are fully resizable by dragging the black “splitter bars” between the panels, so that you can customize the layout to your own liking.

The comic details panel comes with its’ own “action bar”, with the main actions you may want to take on the selected comic (Edit, Share, Delete, Duplicate, Loan and Link with Core).

Improved Cover View and Card View

At the same time, we made some small tweaks to both the Card View and Cover View, so that they’re making better use of your specific screen width. Both now use a “fully justified” layout, with the Cards auto-resizing to fit your screen width and the Covers distributing over the width, both resulting in a cleaner, less “jagged” view.

card view details panel images view key

Up until today, the quick search box in Comic Connect (and the CLZ Cloud viewer for comic) only searched in the Series title, Issue title, Barcode and Tags fields. Pretty limited, but necessary for performance reasons.

However, with the new search engine we created last year, it became possible to search more fields while keeping the search super-fast. So lets use that capability!

From now on, if you use the search box, it will also search in many more fields. The complete lists of fields that are now searched:

Series Title
Issue Title
Barcode
Crossover
Story Arc
Series Group
Plot
Tags
Notes

Example: searching for the crossover “Crisis On Infinite Earths” will return all issues that are part of that crossover:

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By popular demand, we have added 7 more editable fields to CLZ Comics. These fields were already available as automatic Core fields but are now fully editable:

Fields that are now fully editable:

Edition
Crossover
Story Arc
Imprint
Age
Cover Price
Release Date

But wait, that’s not all: All the above fields now also sync to and from the CLZ Cloud!

Secure HTTPS connections, for your security and privacy

As indicated in our recent GDPR email, we are updating our software and services, to be more secure and to better protect your privacy.

Starting with version 4.11 CLZ Comics now uses secure HTTPS connections for all communications with our servers:

for logging in with your username and password
for syncing your data with CLZ Cloud
for sending your searches to Core.

To make this possible, we have created new secure “entry points” on our servers, that are only allowing secure HTTPS connections. The new CLZ Movies app only communicates with those secure entry points.

For your privacy and security, we strongly recommend updating your app to v4.11.

clz cloud https key security ssl

By popular demand, we have added 7 more editable fields to CLZ Comics. These fields were already available as automatic Core fields but are now fully editable:

Fields that are now fully editable:

Edition
Crossover
Story Arc
Imprint
Age
Cover Price
Release Date

But wait, that’s not all: All the above fields now also sync to and from the CLZ Cloud!

Note: Because of the new fields the app needs to perform a database optimization. If you have a very big database (over 10.000 items) and/or a slower device, this optimization can take a while to complete. If you’re having troubles with this, please contact us for a solution.

Secure HTTPS connections, for your security and privacy

As indicated in our recent GDPR email, we are updating our software and services, to be more secure and to better protect your privacy.

Starting with version 4.11 CLZ Comics now uses secure HTTPS connections for all communications with our servers:

for logging in with your username and password
for syncing your data with CLZ Cloud
for sending your searches to Core.

For your privacy and security, we strongly recommend updating your app to v4.11.

Fixed:

Last update made some settings disappear in the settings screen. They are back now.
Added bottom margin to the add auto screen on iPhone X to make the add button more reachable
The sync screen wasn’t logging local deletes.

clz cloud https key security ssl

Over the last week Joël from team Connect worked on splitting the settings into more logical places, and added new tooltips to explain what all the buttons do. The full what’s new:

Added tooltips

Hovering your mouse over the various buttons will now show tooltips to explain what the buttons do! Hover your mouse over the buttons to see what they do.

Split the settings

All settings used to be together in one screen, but they weren’t easy to find so we decided to split the settings up into their own logical pages. You can now find them by opening the menu (top left), and look for:

Field Defaults: to set up default field values for new items
CLZ Cloud Sharing: to set up all your CLZ Cloud sharing options
Settings: with just the behaviour and display settings

clz cloud field defaults key settings toolbar tooltips

A cool user interface update for your Comic Connect software today, in which we makes it easier to select comics and easier to perform batch actions on the selected comics.

Select using checkboxes

To select comics, just click the checkboxes on the left of each comic entry in the list. Checkboxes are also available in Card View and Images View, just hover your mouse over an item.

No more need to go into “Select Mode” first. The Select Mode is automatically activated as soon as you checkbox the first comic, clearly indicated by the blue Batch Action Bar that replace the regular toolbar.

Batch Action Bar

While in Select Mode, the blue Batch Action Bar is visible, always showing you the number of selected comics. Also:

Use the “Select all” checkbox to select all comics in the current list in one go
Use the “x Cancel” button on the right to leave Select Mode
And of course, use any of the action buttons (Edit, Delete, Print, Export, Duplicate and Loan) to perform an action on the selection comics

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You can now loan comics in Comic Connect: just find and select a comic (or select multiple with the Select tool), and click the “Loan” button at the top!

Loan Manager

Click the menu top left, and then Loan Manager to access the new Loan Manager where you can see all your loaned out items, and directly return them. Alternatively you can also use CLZ Barry to scan a barcode of a comic, find it in your outstanding loans, and return it.

In the Loan Manager, you can click on a loaned item to modify the loan date, due date, return date, loaner and notes about the loan.

Print current loans to PDF

You can print out all your current loans to a PDF file by clicking the Print to PDF button in the Loan Manager screen.

Alternatively, you can select a loaner from the dropdown menu there, and only print out his/her current loans to a PDF file!

New:

Loan comics by selecting a couple in your list, or by viewing the details of a comic, and then click “Loan” at the top.
Return comics straight from the loan manager or by scanning their barcodes with CLZ Barry.
Check outstanding loans and loan history in the Loan Manager.
Edit outstanding or returned loans by clicking on them.
Print out current loans to a PDF file

Coming up:

We will be adding the syncing of loan information to Comic Collector for Windows and macOS, and CLZ Comics for iOS and Android.

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By popular demand, we have added 7 more fields to Comic Connect that used to be automatic Core fields but are now fully editable:

Edition. Previously set automatically, now fully editable.
Crossover. Previously set automatically, now fully editable. Also available as a folder option.
Story Arc. Previously set automatically, now fully editable. Also available as a folder option.
Imprint. Previously set automatically, now fully editable. Also available as a folder option.
Age. Previously set automatically, now fully editable. Also available as a folder option.
Cover Price. Previously set automatically, now fully editable.
Cover Date. Previously set automatically, now fully editable.

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New for the Add Comics screen:

Add button is now bigger and easier to spot (some new users missed the little round “+”).
Add button now “remembers” your collection vs. wish list selection. No need to pick from the Collection/Wish List popup menu every time you add anymore.
Remove from queue button is now bigger and easier to spot. Tap and hold on a barcode in the queue to select barcodes you want to remove.

Fixed:

The main comic list scrolled to top after editing a comic while the ‘series’-folder mode was active.
Accented characters in sortnames/titles were sorted incorrectly.
Main screen: the over-sensitive quickscroll bar in the thumbnail view has been fixed.
Edit: ‘Done’- button doest not scroll from screen on manual scroll.
Edit: New ‘Unsaved changes’ dialog.
Cloud sync: Sync reporting ‘invalid xml’ in rare cases.

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New for the Add Comics screen:

Add button is now bigger and easier to spot (some new users missed the little round “+”).
Add button now “remembers” your collection vs. wish list selection. No need to pick from the Collection/Wish List popup menu every time you add anymore.

Fixed:

Adding a comic would clear the collection status filter in the main screen.
The sorting option screen would sometimes not fully show the chosen sort option when opened.
iPad: Main screen: the details view did not refresh after changing the details template.
iPad: Main screen: the ‘edit my rating’ pop up was rotated when in landscape mode.

adding key

A small user interface tweak today:
The Add Comics screen is now a pop-up screen that lays over your comic list.
(previously it was a separate full screen page)

Looks cooler, feels more “snappy” and while adding comics, you can actually see the new additions appear in your comic list in the background!

adding key

We’ve added new fields to sort on to change the order in which your comic issues are displayed in your list. Your issue list will adapt to sort and show the field you’re sorting on. On top of that we’ve redesigned the Select Sort Order screen to make it more clear what you’re choosing.

Open the Select Sort Order screen by tapping the menu top right, then tap “Sort order”.

All available sort fields:

Series A-Z, then issue
Series Z-A , then issue
Cover Date
Release Date (New!)
Order of Entry (New!)
Read Date (New!)
My Rating (New!)
Purchase Date (New!)
Purchase Price (New!)
Current Value (New!)
Quantity (New!)

All fields can be sorted either ascending or descending. Tap the field you wish to sort on, then tap “Apply” to confirm.

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Persistent barcode queue

Barcodes scanned on the add page are now remembered! This means you can scan your barcodes into the add queue, leave the page, return later and still add the barcodes you scanned.

If you wish to remove barcodes from your queue, use the Edit button top right of the list of barcodes!

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Last week we updated the field selection popup for Connect and CLZ Cloud, and this week we bring that same field selection popup to your “Export to Text” and “Print to PDF” pages.

The update also includes an update Preview box for Export to Text, and an updated way for dragging/dropping fields for your columns or sort order.

Open up your Export to Text or Print to PDF screen via the menu top left in Connect.

New field selection popup:

Updated “Export to Text” page:

With new preview panel:

Updated “Print to PDF” page:

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The ability to select your own Columns for the List View is an important customization feature of Comic Connect. The same holds for selecting the Sort Order fields.

However, the “field selection” screens for doing these customizations were a bit outdated and finding a field could be tricky. So we decided to re-imagine the field selection screens to make them easier to understand, easier to use and better to use on mobile devices too.

Redesigned Field Selection screen:

Available fields are now grouped, like the tabs in the Edit screen.
Easily find the field you want with the search box top left.
Use checkboxes on the left to select fields.
Use the “x” button on the right to remove fields.
Drag and drop fields on the right side to change the order.
For sorting: use the ASC/DESC button to change the sort direction of that particular field.
Works great on both your desktop and mobile browsers!

Select Columns screen:

Select Sort Order screen:

columns key sorting

Open the Select Sort Order screen by tapping the menu top right, then tap “Sort order”.

All available sort fields:

Series A-Z, then issue
Series Z-A , then issue
Cover Date
Release Date (New!)
Order of Entry (New!)
Read Date (New!)
My Rating (New!)
Purchase Date (New!)
Purchase Price (New!)
Current Value (New!)
Quantity (New!)

All fields can be sorted either ascending or descending. Tap the field you wish to sort on, then tap “Apply” to confirm.

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Quick Search: Search-As-You-Type suggestions

Instantly find and select a particular series in your local database:

In the Quick Search box, just start typing the first few letters of series title you are looking for.
While typing, a drop-down list will appear, showing the first five matching series.
(for most series, it only takes 2 or 3 letters before it shows up.)
Once you see the series you were looking for, tap it to bring it up in the list
TIP: Tap the search button on the keyboard or tap “View All Results” to perform the normal search.

Quick Search now searches more fields

Now also searches in:

Series Group
Plot
Tags
Notes

Full list of fields that are now searched:

Series Title
Issue Title
Barcode
Crossover
StoryArc
Credit Name
Character Name
Series Group
Plot
Tags
Notes

Fixed:

Faster loading of details screen.
Crash within a few seconds of opening the app.
Crash when pressing ‘Change account info’ in the sync screen.

key quick search search search-as-you-type

Live today in your Comic Connect software: a completely re-designed Edit Comic screen with an improved look, layout and usability!

New look and layout

We’ve moved some fields around and to have them grouped and placed more logically. You’ll notice that we’ve also updated the look of certain buttons so it’s all easier on the eye, and there’s only one big blue important “OK” button to save your changes.

Updated dropdown and pick list fields

The pick list fields have been updated so they’ll only show options from your own collection instead of all available options in our online database. This makes it a lot faster to quickly pick something from a pick list that you used before!

You can just start typing to filter to the pick list entry you want to use, or open up the dropdown to scroll and pick.

Multi value pick list fields such as the Tags field, have a blue plus button to pick a tag from your tag list. Click it, and either start typing or just pick a tag from the list.

New Pick List fields

We’ve updated the following fields from plain text fields to “pick list” fields. This means that those fields now have a dropdown which you can click to quickly pick an existing pick list entry for that field.

The following fields haven been updated from plain text to pick list fields:

Location
Condition
Purchase Store
Owner

These field now all have a dropdown to pick an entry. You can also type into them to search or create a new entry for that field.

Panel with personal fields on all tabs

At the bottom of the edit screen we added a “sticky” panel that you can see on all edit tabs. This panel contains some of your most important personal fields so you can always edit them quickly.

New Find Cover pop-up

The Find Cover pop-up has been updated to the latest version we introduced in the Add Screen. Check it out:

editing key

Quick Search: Search-As-You-Type suggestions

Instantly find and select a particular series in your local database:

In the Quick Search box, just start typing the first few letters of series title you are looking for.
While typing, a drop-down list will appear, showing the first five matching series.
(for most series, it only takes 2 or 3 letters before it shows up.)
Once you see the series you were looking for, tap it to bring it up in the list
TIP: Tap the search button on the keyboard or tap “View All Results” to perform the normal search.

Quick Search now searches more fields

Now also searches in:

Series Group
Plot
Tags
Notes

Full list of fields that are now searched:

Series Title
Issue Title
Barcode
Crossover
StoryArc
Credit Name
Character Name
Series Group
Plot
Tags
Notes

key quick search search-as-you-type

Now live in your Comic Connect software, a complete re-design of the Add Comic screen, with a new look, easier interface and new features.

Adding Comics by Barcode

Scan multiple barcodes in one go! Scanned barcodes will be automatically added to a queue, with the comic information populating instantly.
Use the big blue Add to Collection button at the bottom right to add the selected comic to your database.
OR use the little blue “+” buttons to add straight from the queue.

Adding Comics by Series

Search by series title to see a list of matching series results.
Expand a series entry to see the issue list for that series, with cover thumbnails!
Use the Asc/Desc switch at the top to reverse the sorting of the issue list.
Use the checkboxes on the right to select the issues you want to add.
Use the checkbox to the right the series entries to Select All / Unselect All issues.
Use shift-clicking on the checkboxes to select ranges of issues in one go.
When done selecting issue, using the big blue “Add x to Collection” button at the bottom to add them all to your database in one go.

Not the right cover image? Use the built-in Find Cover tool to pick the correct one.

adding barcode core key queue series

A new v4.8.1 update for your app is available now, with:

Automatic CLZ Cloud syncing

Add or edit comics and your changes will auto-upload to the CLZ Cloud instantly.
Made changes on the desktop or Connect side? Just start the app and changes will download automatically.

Note: Auto-Syncing is switched OFF by default. Switch it ON in the “Sync with CLZ Cloud” screen.

The CLZ Cloud syncing will let you:

Sync your data between devices, e.g. between your phone and your tablet. Or from your old phone to your new phone.
View your database online using the free CLZ Cloud viewer website.
Make an online backup of your data. Better safe than sorry!

New:

Added ‘None’ entries to list of folders: The [None] folder groups the books you have not set the field for on which you’re currently folder grouping.
“Read It” folder option: Group your comics into Read it “Yes” or “No” folders to quickly find your unread comics!

Fixed:

Search cleared when the X button was pushed in the search bar of the main screen.

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We have just updated both the Connect web-application and the free CLZ Cloud viewers to make them a lot faster.

The folder panel now uses “lazy-loading” which makes it load (a lot) faster.
When selecting a folder, only the list panel is re-loaded, where previously the entire page was refreshed.

The above changes will make browsing your CLZ Cloud or Connect app a lot snappier and will prevent server performance problems (two birds with one stone!).

The performance improvements are especially noticeable for large book, music and comic collections, as these generally have loooonnnngggg lists of author, artist and series folders.

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In this “between Christmas and New Year” week, a huge update to the look and feel of our Connect web-based software.

We removed the tabs at the top that let you switch between the programs, to give you more screen space for the software you are in. (you can still switch using the app-switcher button top right).
Dark toolbars with white text and buttons everywhere, while keeping your list and details pages light and clear.
All tools and feature are now accessible from the “hamburger” menu on the top left.
Your account settings and log out options in a “user menu” on the right.
TIP: the new look is also available in your free CLZ Cloud viewer!

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Recent changes