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Each OPAL version offers new and improved features to meet the requirements of the users with high functionality and user-friendliness. If a user starts OPAL for the first time, the welcome wizard appears and the welcome information provides a quick and easy start to use OPAL. In some special situations help tips are displayed automatically, until deactivated by the user.

 

Return to menu OPAL Overview for an overview of the OPAL Addresses and Dossier Management System with screen copies and the full OPAL presentation.

 

 

Improvements in each version ...

If you are already familiar with OPAL or if you are generally interested in some more functional insight, the following paragraphs provide a summary of the main improvements implemented in each new version. Please contact us, if you wish more detailed information about the latest version (see Free Downloads). We are pleased to inform and help you.

 

 

Version OPAL 8.0

  • The version OPAL 8.0 is a Public Beta Release with a few known issues regarding the graphical user interface, which are caused by Microsoft Access 16.0 and/or Microsoft Windows. However, these issues are largely reduced with the now available new version OPAL 8.0. For details please see the file Readme.pdf which is included in the OPAL 8.0 installation program. Please contact us for any questions and feedbacks. Thank you!

  • The new installation program installs OPAL 8.0 fully automatically including the permissions for the installation folder and the Windows Registry. Microsoft Access 16.0 Runtime is automatically downloaded and installed, unless it is already installed.

  • The new version OPAL 8.0 runs with the latest technology of Microsoft Access 16.0 Runtime, which might automatically be updated by Microsoft from time to time.

  • The OPAL 8.0 database is automatically installed compacted and encrypted with AES 256 encryption (AES = Advanced Encryption Standard). The function to compact the database provides an option to encrypt or to decrypt the database. OPAL 8.0 uses the Microsoft Jet Database Engine 4.0 (Microsoft Access 16.0), which supports databases up to 2 GB file size (1 GB = 1'000 MB) and uses an efficient locking mechanism on record level.

  • The user-friendly Microsoft Office Ribbon-Menus simplify the usage of OPAL. All menu functions provide automatically displayed short explanations and tips.

  • In all text and note fields (e.g. Activity Details) the Microsoft Office Rich-Text-Formatting-Menu is automatically displayed to complement the integrated OPAL Text processing.

  • The Microsoft Office file formats *.docx and *.xlsx are now better supported (e.g. for the import and export of data).

  • The function to compact the OPAL Programs is integrated and can be activated in the dialogue "Compact the database" and in the closing dialogue "Exit OPAL".

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Version OPAL 7.4

  • The new user-friendly zoom window is available for all text and note fields. The zoom window can be displayed with the keyboard keys [F2] and [Shift][F2] and its size can be adjusted by dragging its border. The font size in the zoom window can be set to individual preferences (see the zoom window help). Unless the displayed data are read-only, the zoom window enables to directly edit the data, thus enabling to edit data while they are zoomed and displayed in a larger font size to meet individual visibility requirements.

  • Professional formatted E-Mails and E-Mail-Newsletter are now created simple and quick with the menu "Formatting examples (HTML)". This menu is available for e-mail-activities in the window "Activity Details" on the pages Text, Address, Enclosures and Note (see the windows menu at the top right corner in window "Activity Details"). In this menu, HTML formatting examples for bold, italic, underline, font, font size, text colour, images, tables, enumeration lists, horizontal line, etc. are available.

  • The administration of titles in menu "Tools / Selection Lists / Translations (Salutations, Texts, ...)" now offers a user-friendly data entry and overview. As soon as the field "Title" of any entry is selected with a click, the entire administration of titles is displayed with an enlarged width, to enable an easy and user-friendly administration of long titles (e.g. "Your Majesty Queen of ...").

  • OPAL 7.4 corrects an error in version OPAL 7.3 which caused, that the selection list for "Letter salutations" had been displayed empty for organisations or persons without salutation. Common letter salutations for organisations are for example "Dear Ladies and Gentlemen" or "Dear Sirs". Salutations and letter salutations can be defined in menu "Tools / Selection Lists / Translations (Salutations, Texts, ...)" and will be displayed in the selection list for "Letter salutations" in the windows "Add Person" and "Person Details".

  • The version update from older OPAL databases to the new database version OPAL 7.4 is performed automatically once OPAL 7.4 is installed and started with an older OPAL database. The version update does compact the database before and after the version update to optimise the performance of the database.

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Version OPAL 7.3

  • OPAL 7.3 had been improved optically and technically at various points, which - depending on the used computer - also results noticeable in performance and response time. Some database fields had been enlarged to enable longer individual entries. The following points summarise some of the functional improvements in OPAL 7.3.

  • The navigation bars in the windows "All Activities", "Activity Details", "All Persons", "All Projects", "Person Dossier", "Project Dossier", "Mailing Letter Data Selection", "Export Persons and Addresses" and "Export Projects" are now fully customised. The descriptions are displayed in the language of the active user interface (e.g. English, German) and they inform about the current situation (e.g. number of records displayed). The right hand button [*] in these navigation bars is now available to directly open the dialogue to add a new activity, person or project.

  • The Title of persons now can be administered and defined together with the salutations in the menu "Tools / Selection Lists / Translations (Salutations, Texts, ...)". The entry of long individual titles with up to  50 characters is possible.

  • In the windows "Person Details" and "Project Details" the function of the button "Find this person in window 'All Persons'" resp. "Find this project in window 'All Projects'" had been integrated in the menu of the window (button [Ξ] at the top right in the window).

  • The names of Activity Groups can now have up to 50 characters. The names of Activity Groups are administered in the menu "Tools / Selection Lists / Activity Groups, ...".

  • In the windows "All Activities", "Person Dossier" and "Project Dossier" the function of the button "Filter the enclosures ..." had been integrated in the menu of the window (button [Ξ] at the top right in the window).

  • The activity lists now support the slightly longer date formats in the Windows Settings "Short Date format", which display the month with three letters instead of with two digits (e.g. "dd.MMM.yyyy"). These date formats are now displayed completely.

  • The version update from older OPAL databases to the new database version OPAL 7.3 is performed automatically once OPAL 7.3 is installed and started with an older OPAL database. The version update does compact the database before and after the version update to optimise the performance of the database.

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Version OPAL 7.2

  • The form size, height and width, of all main window forms can now be adjusted to individual needs of each user. Use the form menu [Ξ] in the top right corner of the window. The selected size, height and width, is stored individually for each user code. Upon the first start of new installations, the size is adjusted automatically to the desktop size.

  • The selection lists are managed in menu 'Tools / Selection lists / ...'. These forms had been updated and their form size, height and width, is now adjusted (enlarged) automatically each time they are being used.

  • In menu 'Tools / Security / Users and Installations' on page 'Installations' a DblClick on an installation displays all details of the selected installation for an overview and enables to take a text copy of the details.

  • Received e-mails can be archived, either as a) separate file linked to an activity (or linked to an enclosure of an activity), if all the e-mail formatting and any included images need to be retained, or simply as b) plain text copy directly in an activity. In most cases a plain text copy contains all the information needed and therefore is the much quicker and easier approach to archive a received e-mail (see the "Example to archive a received e-mail" in chapter "5.3 Add new Activity" in the OPAL Users  Manual, menu "Help / Users  Manual"). As such plain text copies of e-mail texts usually contain many empty lines, OPAL detects pasted e-mail texts and offers to automatically optimise them. And in addition OPAL offers to automatically enter the subject of the pasted e-mail into the subject of the activity and to set other options. This dialog to optimise copied texts is now available for all the text fields within an activity (e.g. the note of the activity and the note of enclosures). This function "Optimise text display" is now available in the form menu [Ξ] in the top right corner of the window "Activity details", when the text fields of an activity are being edited.

  • Activity enclosures can be copied and pasted from any activity list to the page "Enclosures" in the window "Activity Details". Select one or more enclosures in any activity list and use the keyboard keys [Ctrl]+[c] to copy, then select the last entry in the window "Activity Details" on the page "Enclosures", marked with the asterix (*), and use the keyboard keys [Ctrl]+[v] to paste and insert the copied enclosures to the displayed activity. With a Double-Click on the field sort-number (in any enclosure), or with the function "Refresh/Requery" in the toolbar, the list of enclosures will be new  sorted and refreshed.  In case any enclosure filter is set, the user will be informed and prompted to clear the filter to ensure that all enclosures of the displayed activity are new sorted and displayed.

  • An automatic entry of area code and number is now provided in the windows "Person / Numbers" and "Person / Relations". If you enter the area code and the number (e.g. "022 333 4444") together into one of the fields "Area code" or "Number", you will be prompted to confirm the automatic separation of the new entry into the fields "Area code" and "Number". If you add a new number and a default area code (e.g. "01") had been entered automatically already, you can double-click the field "Area code" to select the entry. Then overtype the entry or paste a previously copied complete number (e.g. "022 333 4444") with the keys [Ctrl]+[v] and press [Enter] to trigger the automatic separation into the fields "Area code" or "Number". Each user will be informed automatically about these features when entering numbers, until the user sets the option to deactivate this situational help.

  • OPAL offers a good range of situational help, which informs the user about specific user-friendly features. All situational help features can be deactivated directly in the situational help, and they can be activated and deactivated at any time in the menu "Tools / Options" with the "Settings for help functions" individually for each user code.

  • In the OPAL Phone Dialler, which enables the automatic dialling via the 'Windows Phone Dialler', the selected number is now displayed larger and therefore especially easy readable, so that the phone dialler can be use to just display the number, if the number is to be typed manually into a phone (e.g. into a mobile phone). The OPAL Phone Dialler is available for example in the windows "All Persons", "Person / Numbers" and "Person / Relations" for each displayed phone number.

  • For various functions many detail improvements had been implemented. For example a changed status or priority of an activity is now automatically updated and displayed in all activity lists, so the manual actualisation of the activity lists (with function "Refresh/Requery" in the toolbar) is no longer necessary.

  • The OPAL presentation, available in menu 'Help / OPAL Introduction', requires the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer to be installed. This installation is done automatically by OPAL upon the first usage of this presentation. Due to changes in Microsoft Windows, recently this installation could not be started and caused an error. This error had been solved and OPAL starts the installation of the required PowerPoint Viewer once again automatically.

  • The wizard to import persons and addresses and the wizard to import post codes now enables to import both, tab delimited and comma delimited text files (*.txt). In addition, Microsoft Excel files (*.xls) can be imported.

  • Some help texts had been improved. This includes explanatory error messages for special situations, for example in the wizard to import persons and addresses, which is able to import and assign up to 98 fields (columns).

  • Some defaults entries in the OPAL database had been extended (for example some entries for person salutations in English language). However, these new data entries are not automatically added to existing OPAL databases, as they can be added easily into existing OPAL databases according to individual needs.

  • To support peace on earth, e-mails sent by OPAL include a small final note with «Love your neighbour as yourself». This core message of Christianity, which is found in all the established religions of the world, is a small reminder and motivator at a time in which egoism, greed and hostilities increased significantly in global world politics. «Love your neighbour as yourself» is also the basis for humanity, living together and peace in our world, especially in times of climate changes and depletion of resources. Thank you for supporting this message.

  • The version update from older OPAL databases to the new database version OPAL 7.2 is performed automatically once OPAL 7.2 is installed and started with an older OPAL database. The version update does compact the database before and after the version update to optimise the performance of the database.

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Version OPAL 7.1

  • OPAL 7.1 was technically optimised and among others also prepared for future versions (including Microsoft Access 16.0 and alternative layouts for the user interface). The following points summarise some of the functional improvements in OPAL 7.1. The button "Help" in each window provides detailed information about the functionality. Existing OPAL databases of older versions are automatically updated to the new OPAL 7.1 database version.

  • The font size in the OPAL Help Window can be adjusted and stored for the user. In many situations the specific help can be activated with the keyboard key [F1] as well as with the button "Help". In all other situations the keyboard key [F1] opens the OPAL Users Manual, which is also available with the menu "Help / Users Manual".

  • The font size in the new OPAL message dialogue can be adjusted and stored for the user. The new OPAL message dialogue is fully translated (including the buttons) and enables depending on the situation additional functions, options and help.

  • Additional adjustable fields can be displayed in the window "Person Details". These additional fields can be displayed as an alternative to the assigned catalogues and the created/modified information. These additional fields can be used and defined individually (e.g. with descriptions for each user interface language). These additional fields can be exported and used in mailing letters just as all standard fields. For two of these fields it is also possible to assign the display position of the standard fields "Nick name" or "Maiden name" (to swap the display positions). This is useful, if the additional fields are more important and more often used than the standard fields "Nick name" and "Maiden name". It is possible to transfer existing data from the standard fields "Nick name" and "Maiden name" into these additional fields (for example, if the standard fields "Nick name" and "Maiden name" had been used temporarily for other data).

  • Additional adjustable fields can be displayed in the window "Project Details". These additional fields can be displayed as an alternative to the assigned catalogues and the created/modified information. These additional fields can be used and defined individually (e.g. with descriptions for each user interface language). These additional fields can be exported and used just as all standard fields.

  • In the window "Person Details" and in the window "Project Details" the field "Alias" may now contain up to 30 characters (previously only 10 characters). This enables to enter longer entries. However, the alias should be kept intentionally short to enable an easy recognition and to avoid that the concatenated display name becomes too long.

  • In the window "Person Details" on page "Addresses" the new option "Generate address without organisation name" is displayed, if both, an organisation name and a person name had been entered. This option enables for example to generate the private address for Christmas or birthday letters of a single person company without the company name. In the menu "Tools / Selection lists / Catalogues, Address types, ..." this option can be preset for address types (e.g. for the address type "Private address").

  • In the window "Person Details" on page "Addresses" both address fields may now contain up to 255 characters each (previously only 50 characters). This enables to enter exceptionally long address entries (including multiple rows with the keyboard key combination [Ctrl]+[Enter]).

  • In the window "Person Details" on page "Numbers" it is now possible to enter Hyperlinks, for example Internet addresses. In the menu "Tools / Selection lists / Catalogues, Address types, Number types..." the new option "Hyperlink" can be set for number types. If a number type, which has the option "Hyperlink" set, is selected in window "Person Details" on page "Numbers", a hyperlink field is displayed instead of the number fields and the button to edit an hyperlink appears. The button "Phone dialler..." in the windows "Person Details" and "All Persons" changes the displayed symbol and opens the hyperlink, for example to display the stored Internet address. This enables to store any number of hyperlinks for each address (on the page "Numbers") in addition or as an alternative to the single hyperlink field of each address. Please note the help provided in these windows.

  • In the window "Person Details" on page "Relations" it is now possible to enter an Hyperlink for each relation, for example to store an Internet address.

  • To delete an Activity, a Person or a Project, it is now necessary to set a confirmation option to avoid unintended deletions even better. Please note the help provided on these dialogues for additional functionalities.

  • To copy an Activity, a Person or a Project, it is now possible to use the key combination [Ctrl][c] on the keyboard. In the windows "All Activities", "All Persons" and "All Projects" the key combination [Ctrl][c] will directly display the copy dialogue. With the key combination [Ctrl][v] the dialogue to create a new activity, person or project will be displayed.

  • In menu "Tools / Options ... Internet e-mail account settings" the name of the sender can now have up to 255 characters (previously only 50 characters).

  • In menu "Tools / Options" each user can separately activate and deactivate the animations and the sounds for start-up end exit of OPAL. This enables to deactivate the sounds, but to activate the animations.

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Version OPAL 7.0

  • Upon the first start of OPAL 7.0 the new OPAL Welcome Wizard is displayed. In addition to some general settings (e.g. language of the OPAL user interface, location, date format and the adjustment of professional stationery), this new wizard enables to select the organisational structure of the license owner to automatically create all necessary dossiers and relations for all users (e.g. the organisation includes all users). For each user (user code) the address of the license owner is displayed, can be adjusted and completed with the phone, fax and e-mail of the user. The wizard uses these data to create the ad-hoc stationery and the automatic e-mail signature for the user and to prepare the e-mail account settings for the user as far as possible. All settings can be adjusted in the menu ‘Tools / Options‘ at any time. However, because the OPAL Welcome Wizard had already done all necessary settings, each user can directly start to work with OPAL.

  • In the window 'All Persons' (menu ‘Persons / All Persons’) the sort orders and the filters to display persons had been optimised. If for example an entry is being searched with a specific text, by using the field [... filter] together with a selected filter (e.g. ’Filter all person names’), any additional filter options are automatically cleared if needed to find the entry. This feature always informs and asks the user before any additional filter option is cleared automatically. The selection list to display either the addresses or the relations of each selected person now enables to display either ‘all valid’ or ‘all invalid’ or ‘all valid and all invalid’ addresses or relations. A double-click on the sort order selection list automatically selects the default sort order (sort by names) and does refresh the displayed list of persons. Please see the tips for each option or selection list, if the mouse is rested on the object.

  • In the window 'All Projects' (menu ‘Projects / All Projects’) corresponding improvements had been implemented as described for the window ’All Persons’ above.

  • In the window 'Person Details' (menu ‘Persons / Details’), the button at the top right position to adjust the size of the window, now has a flat button design which pops up as a raised button only once the mouse is moved over the button. The new button at the top left position is also in this flat button design and enables to automatically select the displayed person in the window ‘All Persons’. This button has the image symbol '<=' (a blue left pointing arrow) and corresponds to the same function at top of the relations list in window ‘All Persons’. On the tab 'Relations' it is possible to choose between the display of the relations 'Including' (e.g. organisation including employees) and the display of the relations 'Belongs to' (e.g. employee belongs to organisation). This tab now automatically displays the relations 'Belongs to', if no entry is found for the display of the relations 'Including'. This simplifies the maintenance of the relations data, if e.g. the e-mail address of a relation needs to be updated. The same improvements had been implemented in the window 'Project Detail' (menu ‘Projects / Details’).

  • In the window 'All Activities' (menu ‘Activities / All Activities’) the sort orders and the filters to display activities had been optimised. If for example an entry is being searched with the field [... filter] together with a selected filter (e.g. ’Filter entire document with note‘), any additional filter options are automatically cleared if needed. This feature always informs and asks the user before any additional filter option is cleared automatically. If confidential activities are displayed as well (release the button ‘Lock’), the filter option to display only confidential activities becomes visible and can be set to quickly filter and display the confidential activities only. The same improvements apply for the page 'Dossier' in the windows ‘Person Detail’ (menu ‘Persons / Details’) and ‘Project Detail’ (menu ‘Projects / Details’).

  • New Smart Filters are integrated in the persons and projects selection lists in the windows '>Add Activity', 'Add Mailing Activity', 'Activity Details' (related dossiers) and 'Add Relation' (person / project details). These filters can be activated automatically, if the text entered does not match an existing entry (resp. the beginning of an existing entry) in the selection list. If you enter for example the name [Peter] or [Peter*] in such a selection list, the selection list will be reduced to display all entries which include this filter text 'Peter'.

  • In the window 'Activity Details' (menu ‘Activities / Details’), the button at the top right position to adjust the size of the window, now has a flat button design which pops up as a raised button only once the mouse is moved over the button. The same applies to the transparent button at the top left position to save the activity and to the button at the right side to display the print preview or to send the activity via fax or via e-mail. For fax activities and for e-mail activities this button now displays the fax number or the e-mail address as well as the image symbol of the button.

  • In the window 'Copy Activities' (menu ‘Activities / Copy’) new options enable to copy the activity with or without the relations of the activity. This is especially useful and very quick, if for example an e-mail mailing activity with many relations (recipients of the mailing) is to be copied without the relations.

  • The Activity Status (menu ‘Activities / Status, edit details’) now enables to quickly set the date and the time in addition to various other options of the activity (e.g. editing, original, pending files, priorities).

  • OPAL offers to send e-mails directly with your existing Internet e-mail account (SMTP). For an overview to the features to send e-mails directly with OPAL, please see the improved help features within OPAL or the relevant points regarding OPAL 6.1 and OPAL 6.2 further below. Archiving sent e-mails is done automatically by OPAL to ensure the e-mail activity is displayed in all relevant dossiers.

  • Archiving received e-mails is now done very quickly too. If the complete text of an e-mail is being copied into the text field of an e-mail activity, a new dialogue is displayed automatically to adjust and optimise the activity format and the copied text. This very user-friendly feature even enables to automatically find the subject of the copied e-mail and to enter the subject into the subject field of the activity. If you create a new activity to archive a received e-mail, simply enter any character in the subject field and then, once you copy/paste the e-mail text (incl. all e-mail header lines) into the activity, just confirm the option in the automatically displayed dialogue to set the subject. As an alternative to simply archive the plain text of a received e-mail, it is of course also possible to archive the entire e-mail as a separate file which is linked to an activity. Either way the archived e-mail is included automatically in all relevant dossiers.

  • For date fields the buttons to open the calendar now appear only once the mouse is moved over the date field, to improve user-friendliness by reducing the number of visible objects. All date fields can be entered either directly within the field or by selecting a date from the calendar. With a double-click most date fields are set automatically to the current date.

  • The wizard 'Catalogue assignments' (menu ‘Tools / Catalogue assignments’) was optimised and now allows to create, edit or remove catalogue assignments for/from persons or projects, which are selected or filtered in the window ’All Persons’ or ’All Projects’.

  • The menu ‘Tools / Database’ provides the new wizard 'Archive the Database', which enables to create a copy of the currently productive database, to separately store historical data (e.g. all activities from 1994 until 2004). This enables to delete these historical data from the productive database and to reduce the file size of the productive database. The wizard ‘Archive the Database’ enables to automatically create a backup copy before creating the archive copy and provides an option, to reset all user code permissions in the created archive database to ‘read only’. The wizard also enables to delete selected and displayed activities, persons or projects from the productive database and finally to compact the productive database. To access an OPAL Archive Database, the menu ‘Tools / Database / Connect to database’ is used. Once connected and loaded the file name of the archive database is displayed at the top left corner besides the OPAL application title.

  • All automatically created copies of a currently used OPAL database (e.g. when compacting the database or when creating an archive database) are now stored in the separate default folder C:\OPAL\Backup\..., or in the folder C:\OPAL\Database\Backup\..., if the default folder does not exist. OPAL archive databases can be named and stored individually, and by default they are stored in the same folder than the currently used OPAL database (e.g. C:\OPAL\Database\...).

  • In some special situations an automatically displayed help appears, to support an optimised usage of OPAL. These help windows appear for the corresponding situations until the user sets the option 'do not show this help again', which is displayed in the help window. These options are stored separately for each user and can be re-activated in the menu 'Tools / Options' at any time.

  • A number of additional technical improvements had been implemented for OPAL 7.0, which also include a few optimisations for the user-friendliness of the automatic e-mail mailing generation. The technical improvements also include some adjustments to run OPAL with other versions of Microsoft Access. These versions of OPAL are available upon request. However, due to a lack of full compatibility between various versions of Microsoft Access and because of the proven quality of Microsoft Access 8.0, we continue to prefer Microsoft Access 8.0 to run OPAL.

  • The version update from older OPAL databases to the new database version OPAL 7.0 is performed automatically once OPAL 7.0 is installed and started with an older OPAL database. The version update does compact the database before and after the version update to optimise the performance of the database. The previously named 'Individual Stationery' of each user will be renamed automatically into 'Ad-hoc stationery' to better reflect its purpose of use.

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Version OPAL 6.2

  • Overview: OPAL was optimized with quality and many new functions. The new e-mail client functionality to send e-mails directly via your existing own e-mail accounts, already introduced in OPAL 6.1, has proved itself very well and was completed with new options. OPAL uses an established Microsoft software technology to send e-mails. To receive e-mails, just as done so far, either directly the Internet or your existing mail client is being used.

  • OPAL offers to send e-mails directly via your own private Internet e-mail accounts (SMTP). Please see the details of version OPAL 6.1 below. In addition to the option to define e-mail accounts to send e-mails with SMTP over the network and with Internet connection, it is now possible to send e-mails via a local SMTP Service Pickup Directory and via Microsoft Exchange Server as well. Please see the options and the help provided in the OPAL e-mail account settings (menu 'Tools/Options' button 'Internet e-mail account settings...').

  • When a new Internet e-mail account (SMTP) is created, it is possible to copy all settings of the currently selected e-mail account.

  • The automatic e-mail account change is the perfect solution to generate and send any number of e-mails to a mailing list, independent of any sending restrictions by your e-mail accounts. The e-mail mailing letter generation dialogue offers to select the used e-mail account and for example to change the used e-mail account during a user defined pause. In addition it is now possible to define e-mail accounts which are changed automatically after a user-defined number of e-mails had been sent, to avoid any problems by sending restrictions from your Internet Service Provider.

  • The multilingual additions for automatic e-mail signatures now can be defined separately for single e-mails and for mailing letter e-mails in each language of the recipients (see menu 'Tools/Options' and menu 'Tools / Selection lists / Translations.../ Greetings and E-Mail Signatures'). This enables to define additional information for your mailing letter signature such as information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe to your newsletter.

  • In addition to select the font and font size, it is now possible select the font colour for OPAL-Documents and separately for the subject in both, the stationery and in each activity. These settings are used for printed documents and for HTML e-mails.

  • Additional functions improve user friendliness (e.g. filters for activity enclosures to separately view archived e-mail files). If you navigate within OPAL you will realise that the previously selected activity, person or project will be pre-selected automatically in new opened windows. This makes working with OPAL very user-friendly.

  • The new OPAL welcomes you upon start-up automatically with your first name and in the menu 'Tools/Options' you can set the welcome name.

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Version OPAL 6.1

  • All e-mails (single e-mails and personalised mailing e-mails) can now be send directly via your existing Internet e-mail account (SMTP). With this option all e-mails are send faster and independent from other mail clients such as Microsoft Outlook. In the menu 'Tools / Options' you can select this new setting for each user, choose between plain text and HTML formatted e-mails and define your Internet e-mail account settings (SMTP) including tracking and archiving options. If your outgoing mail server (SMTP) requires authentication you can save the password in the OPAL database, which is encrypted by default, or you will be prompted to enter the password for each e-mail respectively at the beginning of an e-mail mailing.

  • HTML formatted e-mails are automatically converted into HTML using all the formatting settings of OPAL activities (documents). Internet addresses and e-mail addresses entered into an OPAL activity are automatically converted into hyperlinks. In addition some special HTML conversions are available, for example each entry of  (:))  or  (:-))  or simply just  :)  is automatically converted into a friendly smiley. With these options it is possible to automatically create single e-mails and personalised mailing e-mails with the good look & feel of proper OPAL business letters (including the option to position the address, date and greetings with a tab at 2/3 of the e-mail page width). In addition it is possible to use HTML formatting tags for individual words or text parts.

  • For e-mails sent via your Internet e-mail account (SMTP) it is possible to create test e-mails without sending them to check the generated e-mail layout.

  • The automatic signature for e-mails can be fully formatted including font colour settings or will be formatted with the settings of the document greetings by default.

  • The e-mail tracking options can be set for each Internet e-mail account (SMTP) and also for each e-mail and for each mailing e-mail. Available are options to request a read receipt and a delivery receipt, and to set the importance and the sensitivity of the e-mail.

  • The e-mail archiving options enable to automatically link each sent e-mail with all relevant dossiers (linked to the activity) and/or to send bcc copies (which are invisible to the recipients) to your special archiving e-mail accounts, separately for single e-mails and mailing e-mails.

  • User security restrictions can be set to enable or disable a user code to access his Internet e-mail account (SMTP) settings.

  • In the menu 'Tools / Database / Compact' the option 'Compact and encrypt the database' is set by default to enhance the security of stored passwords. New installed OPAL databases are always encrypted. These measurements are in addition to the security provided by user codes with passwords and the exclusive individual OPAL license file, which is needed to start your OPAL system.

  • New date formats are available for activities (documents) including the multilingual definition of a date pre-text to display date formats, such as 'Christchurch, the 20. December 2012' (see menu 'Tools / Selection lists / Translations / Standard Texts).

  • User-friendliness of the OPAL help window has been increased with the print button, which is automatically adjusted, displayed or hidden depending on the window width.

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Version OPAL 6.0

  • OPAL was worked over with many improvements and optimisations. Please note the new installation notes, if you have the Windows User Access Control activated, e.g. in Windows7. The following list contains only a small selection of new features.

  • The toolbar button 'Binocular' (Find or Filter) now opens the filter selection list in the windows 'All Activities', 'All Persons', 'All Projects', 'Person Dossier' and 'Project Dossier', unless a text or note field is selected. The filter selection list will be pre-selected depending on the current situation (e.g. with the address filter, if an address is selected in window 'All Persons'). In all other situations the toolbar button 'Binocular' (Find or Filter) displays the search dialogue as in previous versions, just like the function 'Find' in the right-mouse-menu.

  • In the activity lists 'All Activities', 'Person Dossier' and 'Project Dossier' filters enable to filter activity enclosures (text field, hyperlink path and file name). If an * (asterix) is entered in the filter field and the filter 'Enclosures hyperlink (path, file name)' is selected, all activities with any hyperlink enclosures are shown.

  • The new Assistant for Catalogue-Assignments enables to assign persons or projects with various options into a catalogue or to change existing assignments, which had been selected with options and filters in the windows 'All Persons' and 'All Projects'. A security backup copy of the connected database can be created automatically prior to mass manipulate the selected catalogue data. All options are user friendly integrated and confirmed on the last page of the assistant. The persons and projects grouped in a catalogue can be used for example for mailing letters or data exports.

  • The new filter 'Relation type' (e.g. employer, manager, employee, consultant, sub project) is available in the windows 'All Persons', 'All Projects', 'Person/Relation' and 'Project/Relation' for all relations. The selection list for the filter 'Relation type' corresponds to the definitions for the situation (e.g. 'Person including', 'Person belongs to') in Menu 'Tools / Selection lists / Types'. In the windows 'Person/Relation' and 'Project/Relation' the filter options 'Catalogue print' and 'Mailing list' resp. 'Active Projects' are available for all relations.

  • Triple states (state: set, not set, either) are available for the filter options 'Catalogue print' and 'Mailing list' resp. 'Active Projects' in the windows 'All Persons', 'All Projects', 'Person/Relation' and 'Project/Relation' and for all additional filter options in the windows 'All Activities', 'Person/Dossier' and 'Project/Dossier'. The filters to display all faxes and e-mails can be combined. If you click each of the filter for faxes (symbol: #) and the filter for e-mails (symbol: @) twice to apply the state 'not set', all activities which are no fax and no e-mail (e.g. normal letters and notes) will  be displayed. For all these triple state filter options the automatic refresh of the displayed list starts delayed by one second to enable a second click to select the next state of the filter option before the refresh starts.

  • In the windows 'All Persons' and 'All Project' additional filters are available for the fields 'Created-Date', 'Created-Usercode', 'Modified-Date' and 'Modified-Usercode'.

  • In the windows 'Person Details' and 'Project Details' the fields 'Created-Date', 'Created-Usercode', 'Modified-Date' and 'Modified-Usercode' can be displayed with the button 'Catalogues or creation/modification information'. These fields had automatically been stored for all previous OPAL versions as well and are now displayed for all existing records.

  • A double click on the 'Expiry-Date' of addresses, numbers and relations deletes the 'Expiry-Date' and enables to set an option, to delete all other options, which are usually cleared for expired entries, at the same time (e.g. the options for catalogue printing, usage in mailings, default addresses and default numbers).

  • For document styles, which define the formatting  of documents, and for activities (OPAL-Documents) the new option 'Page number line with date' can be set, to print from the second page onwards the document's date in addition to the page number in the header. This provides better assignments of additional pages of the document.

  • In print preview of an activity (OPAL-Document) the automatically displayed toolbar contains a button, to convert the document into a PDF file. This function uses the Acrobat PDFWriter, if it is installed. The Adobe Acrobat PDFWriter is a product of Adobe Corporation and not a part of OPAL. You need to install it separately.

  • The settings for mailing letter data selection and for the export of person- or project data are retained for repeated usage during a session.

  • The font size in the help window can be selected with a mouse click, to enable larger presentation of the help texts.

  • The new function 'Check OLE Objects' in menu 'Tools / Database / Information' enables to display all entries with OLE objects in the windows 'All Activities', 'All Persons' and 'All Projects'. The OLE objects can then be checked regarding their necessity and possibly be replaced by hyperlinks to reduce the database size. The function 'Check OLE Objects' enables afterwards to directly compact the database to optimise the performance of OPAL.

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  • The new Assistant to Compact the Database displays all options together with the current file sizes and confirmations. A security backup copy of the connected database file is created automatically. Upon exit from OPAL, users with administrator rights get access to an option, which will compact the connected database without further settings or confirmations automatically with the previously used settings.

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Version OPAL 5.0

  • The OPAL download version can now be tested for free during 99 days. The download version is the new product OPAL Solar for the private person and address management. OPAL Solar enables up to 1000 Persons and up to 1000 addresses in the database. In addition OPAL Solar enables up to 200 activities and up to 200 projects to become familiar with the activity and dossier features. Special conditions apply for free OPAL Solar licenses.

  • The new universal Import Wizard for Persons, Addresses and Numbers is unique. This very user-friendly wizard enables to import data with up to two addresses per person and up to 6 numbers (phone, fax, e-mail, etc.) per address. All imported data columns can be assigned to the field names individually per data column (field). Therefore this wizard can handle imported data of any source database or table (e.g. MS Excel). Most database systems provide export functions to export their data into the *.txt and *.xls file format. With the new import wizard any import file in the *.txt or *.xls file format can be imported into the OPAL database. The import process will automatically validate and correct the imported data as far as possible and create all necessary records and relations in the OPAL database. In case of errors an error note will be added to the corresponding note field of the imported person and the person will be marked with a leading '?' in the person lists. The new import wizard can be started with the menu 'Tools / Export & Import / Import Persons and Addresses ...'.

  • The new Wizard for Area Codes enables to update all area codes for a selected country. For example in Switzerland will the area code for the region Zürich change by 2007 from '01' to '044'. With this new wizard any occurrence of such an old area code value (country definitions, addresses, user code location, etc.) can be updated automatically to the new area code throughout the entire OPAL database. The new Wizard for Area Codes can be started in the menu 'Tools / Selection Lists / Languages, Countries, Postcodes and Area codes' with the function [Update area codes ...] on the page 'Postcodes and Area codes' for the selected country.

  • In the window 'Person Details' a new function enables to copy an address with or without the assigned numbers. The address can be copied within the current person or to another person. You can also copy selected numbers with an automated function.

  • In the window 'Project Details' the field 'reference' is now provided similar to persons, e.g. to store a project number.

  • The new automatic catalogue improves the performance in the windows 'All Persons' and 'All Projects'. If all catalogues are selected in these windows, the automatic catalogue ensures that each person resp. project appears only once, even if multiple catalogues are assigned. The option [Display assigned catalogues...], located besides the catalogue selection list, activates a new display including all assigned catalogues of each person resp. project. The automatic catalogue can be defined in menu 'Tools / Selection lists / Catalogues ...' with the option 'Display the automatic catalogue or define new one'. For new OPAL 5.0 databases the automatic catalogue is already defined.

  • In the window 'Activity Details' the first line (date, activity type, etc.) now functions as an invisible button to quickly save the activity during data entry (please see the control tip). The list of linked persons (dossiers) will be enlarged to the pre selected height with a click on the persons list. In that situation the first line appears as a button to close (minimise) the person list again. The enlarged persons list now includes navigation functions. On the page 'enclosures' new options to attach the linked file (if the activity is send via e-mail), to print the enclosure with the activity (if the activity is printed), to sort the enclosures and to display the enclosure text maximised are provided for each enclosure.

  • OPAL Documents in preview now provide a new toolbar button to save the document directly as PDF-file. For this function the Acrobat Distiller must be installed. The Acrobat Distiller is not included in OPAL. The Acrobat Distiller is part of Adobe Acrobat and must be licensed separately from Adobe Systems Inc.

  • OPAL Documents in preview provide a toolbar button to send the document as Fax. This function had been optimised for Windows XP.

  • Enclosures and dossiers (persons or projects) of an activity can now be copied from any activity list with the keyboard function [ctrl]+[c] and pasted with [ctrl]+[v] directly into the window 'Activity Details' of another activity.

  • If the e-mail mailing generation process detects an error, the faulty e-mail address can now be corrected directly during the e-mail mailing generation process. All faulty e-mail addresses are displayed at the end of the generation process for control and correction in the database. Please note to install an add-on such as OLXSecurity to avoid the security confirmation dialog for e-mails caused by MS Outlook (see the file readme.doc for details).

  • The height of all main windows ('All Persons', 'All Projects', 'All Activities', 'Person Dossier', 'Project Dossier', etc.) can now be selected directly within these windows up to a new extra large display. In addition the height of the preview for notes, texts, etc. can be pre selected as a percentage of the selected window height. In the window 'Activity Details' also the height of the persons list and the number (height) of the enclosures can be pre selected to adjust the layout for individual user requirements.

  • The access right definitions now provide a combined permission for listings (person catalogues, project catalogues and activity lists), mailing letters and data export. All these functions allow the user to export data. All these functions can now be enabled or disabled individually for each user code (menu 'Tools / Security / Users and Installations').

  • Various improvements for optimised functionality, user-friendliness and performance had been realised. That includes the handling for default values, pre selections and some layout issues.

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Version OPAL 4.5

  • With the menu function 'Help / Custom Help ...' it is possible that all users share one or individually each user can access a self created help file. Create your own help file with customised short information for your usage of OPAL.

  • With the option 'Start OPAL in maximised window' each user can determine to start OPAL in a maximised window (menu 'Tools / Options'). If this option is not set, the size and the position of the OPAL window during the previous session will be used and adjusted to the current desktop resolution to ensure that the OPAL window will be displayed completely.

  • With the option 'Save window positions' each user can determine that the positions of all main windows ('All Persons', 'All Projects', 'All Activities', 'Person Details', 'Project Details', 'Activity Details') are stored and reused for the next session with OPAL (menu 'Tools / Options / Performance').

  • With the option 'Optimise window positions' each user can determine that the positions of all main windows ('All Persons', 'All Projects', 'All Activities', 'Person Details', 'Project Details', 'Activity Details') are automatically optimised when loaded (menu 'Tools / Options / Performance').

  • With various options each user can define multiple start-up windows (menu 'Tools / Options / Performance'). These windows are loaded automatically on each start-up of OPAL. Together with the options to store and optimise the window positions it is now possible to start OPAL in just the way it was closed after the previous session.

  • With the option 'Always hide (lock) confidential activities on start-up' each user can determine, that by default confidential activities are hidden in activity lists in each new session with OPAL (menu 'Tools / Options / Activities).

  • With the security option 'Enable OLE for Activities' the creation of OLE-Documents can be permitted or disabled for each user code (menu 'Tools / Security / Users and Installations'). If this option is not set, the memory intensive OLE-Documents are avoided and the creation of Hyperlink-Documents is simplified as the selection dialog does not appear.

  • The height of all main windows ('All Persons', 'All Projects', 'All Activities', 'Person Details', 'Project Details', 'Activity Details', etc.) can now be selected directly within these windows. All areas and fields within these windows are automatically adjusted to the selected window height.

  • The option 'Display and select in activity lists' in the new activity wizard enables to increase the performance for the creation of new activities (menu 'Activities / New'). If this option is not set, new activities are not automatically displayed and selected in activity lists which reduces the response time for large data volumes.

  • The new dialogue to edit hyperlinks is more user friendly, multilingual and offers an extended functionality. The additional function to move linked files enables to move a linked file to a new location (folder, path / file name) and to adjust the hyperlink at the same time.

  • If the small display for selected activities is shown in the lower part of activity lists, in case of hyperlink documents the hyperlink address is displayed. Hyperlink documents can be opened directly with a click on the hyperlink address without displaying the menu 'Preview (Print, Fax, E-Mail)'.

  • The selected page in the window 'Person Details' remains selected, if a new person is opened via DblClick on a person in the window 'All Persons' (the same applies to the window 'Project Details'). This makes it easier to access the dossiers of multiple persons or projects one after the other.

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Version OPAL 4.4

  • The person and project catalogues provide new options to format the catalogue. Beside the paper size the font size and several new options are available. The options are stored for each user code and used as default the next time the user starts OPAL.

  • The person and project function 'Preview Details (Print)' offers new options to format the printout. This includes an option to print the main address (with its main numbers) of related persons in addition to each related person. The options are stored for each user code and used as default the next time the user starts OPAL.

  • Person and project details offer the new field 'Hyperlink' in addition to the OLE field to link photos, logos, business cards or other additional files for the person or project.

  • The user options enable each user (user code) to select a person dossier or a project dossier which will be loaded automatically each time OPAL is started by the user code.

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Version OPAL 4.3

  • The OPAL installation program offers the new installation type 'Update Installation', to update existing OPAL installations directly to the new version. This installation type installs OPAL without the Microsoft Access Run-Time Version and without the OPAL Database.

  • In the activity lists 'All Activities', 'Person Dossier' and 'Project Dossier' extended filters enable to filter the enclosures (text and hyperlink).

  • The selection of the catalogue in the windows 'All Persons' and 'All Projects' had been improved by the possibility to select multiple catalogues. All persons resp. Projects which are assigned to all selected catalogues will be displayed.

  • The date can now be entered directly via the calendar at all date fields.

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Version OPAL 4.2

  • The persons in the window 'All Persons' can now be sorted by numbers such as phone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses (menu 'Persons / All Persons').

  • Improved layout and new filters for relations (menu 'Persons / All Persons' and 'Projects / All Projects').

  • New filters to search for e-mail addresses, phone and fax numbers directly in the window 'All Persons' (menu 'Persons / All Persons').

  • The sub-lists in the window 'All Persons' with the addresses, numbers and relations of the selected person can be reduced (filtered) to the selected entry with a new option. This new option appears just beside the field 'filter ...', if the persons are sorted by city, by country or by numbers (menu 'Persons / All Persons').

  • New user option to show or hide the status bar in the OPAL window. The status bar displays for example the hyperlink address (e.g. Internet address) if a field with an hyperlink address is selected or pointed to (menu 'Tools / Options').

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Version OPAL 4.1

  • New wizard to create mailing letters for the automatic creation of normal mailings and e-mail mailings (menu 'Tools / Mailing Letters / New ...'). Please see the chapter mailing letters in the OPAL overview.

  • Automatic e-mail signatures per user and multilingual e-mail signatures per language of the
    e-mail recipient (menu 'Tools / Options' on page 'Activities').

  • Improved options to format OPAL Documents. Included are options for the position of the address, date and greetings, as well as the display of the header and footer (see page 'Format' in menu 'Activities / Details' and the document style details in menu 'Tools / Selection Lists / Document Styles and Stationery').

  • New options to generate the names of persons and organisations (menu 'Tools / Options / Persons').

  • Updated international address formats, e.g. for United Kingdom (menu 'Tools / Selection Lists / Languages, Countries ...').

  • Options to adjust address labels (page 'Settings' in menu 'Persons / Address-Labels').

  • Automatic default setting to define new related persons or projects (button 'New ...' in window 'Person Details' on page 'Relations').

  • Automatic validation of e-mail addresses on data entry.

  • Improved validations to avoid duplicate persons and projects (menu 'Tools / Options / Persons' and menu 'Tools / Options / Projects').

  • New user options for defaults of automatic activities (menu 'Tools / Options / Activities').

  • New user options for the font name and font size during data entry in the window 'Activity Details' (menu 'Tools / Options / Activities').

  • Default texts for the subject and the text in new documents can now be defined for each combination activity type / subtype (menu 'Tools / Selection Lists / Translations ...').

  • The new online Help-System is user-friendly and provides an good overview. It is activated on most of the forms with the button [Help] or in general with the key [F1] and provides help for the current situation.

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Last modified: 28.08.2025

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