BY News Editor ON 15/08/2006 00:00

Over the past few weeks we been working hard on improving the way that Inter-est handles digital images - and the results of this work are now available for all users.

First we incorporated all the features of the stand-alone InterView application into Inter-est itself, then we made them better!

You can now add higher resolution images (up to 2MB in size), and the maximum number of images per estimate has been increased to 32.

To add images to an estimate you should now click the new Add Images button on the images tab. Browse to the directory containg the images and, for each image to be added, click the Add button to add it to the list of images to add. You can see a thumbnail view of an image before or after adding it. Click Ok when you've added all the images.

Just click the image thumbnail to see a full-size preview of an image - and you can also add comments and temporarily lighten/darken the image. To delete an image simply hover the cursor over its thumbnail and click the red X button. Remember that, once sent images cannot be deleted.

Please note that InterView will cease to be a supported product on 31st October 2006.

BY News Editor ON 15/08/2006 00:00

We'd like to tell you about two small changes to Inter-est.

Firstly, we have changed the way the comments are recorded in the estimate. The summary tab now has seperate text boxes for repairers and work providers. Click the Add Comments button to add a comment - but note that comments can not be changed or deleted once added. A third text box records comments and messages generated by the system, and is not editablel.

Secondly, supplementary changes to an estimate are now recorded. Supplementary parts or panels are displayed in on screen and in reports with a "(s)" suffix. Supplementary additions or removals are noted noted in the system comments too.

BY News Editor ON 02/05/2006 00:00

We hope you'll like the new DVLA lookup feature that goes live today. Simply enter the vehicle registration number and click the DVLA Lookup button (on the vehicle tab) to automatically match the vehicle with the correct Thatcham variant. This saves you time by filling-in most of the vehicle details, including VIN and paint colour, for you! If a vehicle can't be matched to a single variant then a range of variants will be displayed for you to choose from.

Another useful feature is non-OEM part buying. These parts offer comparable quality to manufacturer's parts at a lower cost. Estimates for some work providers will now offer the choice of alternative non-OEM parts when buying a part, where the job meets specific criteria. When the estimate has been approved, simply click the Order Parts button (on the vehicle tab) to send an electronic parts order to the appropriate part supplier(s).