• Improved ease of deploy of Data Warehouse for those that want to run a trial period. If interested, call Support.
• Updated the existing AutoResponder template for Rep renewal notices to support sending it to users with expired credit cards.  Also enhanced the existing AutoShip declined Autoresponder template to allow configuring different templates based on AutoShip period types.
• Improved html encoding to ensure that Global and Local menus always display properly, even with unexpected special characters.
  Enhanced the AutoShip creation modal within the customer shopping cart portal to ensure that all buttons can be selecting when creating new profiles.
• Updated Report Architecture to ensure that Report Favorites are not overwritten.
• Created a new version of Dynamic Engine to improve accuracy of the compensation plan processing by considering additional calculation dependencies when multiple period types (weekly, monthly, etc.) are used.
• Created a flag on Bonus Run to allow user to instantly lock order modifications for a bonus period prior to begin with bonus calculations. A new setting was created to enable/disable this new flag.
• Adjusted Revolution Rank Progress Widget Cache to improve visibility.
  Updated the 1099 Engine to no longer include payout adjustments not tied to a payout transaction
• Optimized Volume Research by Level to use a new and improved downline calculation mechanism.
• Enhanced behavior of Inventory Attribute Upload for better handling of multiple divisions.
• Updated commission graphs to include dynamic compensation engine data.
• Updated styling of Comp Plan Report Export button dropdown.
• Enhanced the SOAP API GetCommissionDetails to be multi-business center aware.
• Enhanced the Import Manual Adjustment UI to allow manual adjustments to Cancelled Reps.
• Improved logic to avoid errors when modifying customer passwords specifically when alphanumeric customer numbers are in use.
• When editing a customer, an empty email address will no longer be rejected as a duplicate email address.
• Improved performance on Physical Check research screens
• Improved archive ability for those that are or were on classic Commission
• Engine which in turn speeds up performance.
• Enhanced the classic enrollment pages to be responsive which will support viewing the enrollment page on mobile devices.
• Optimized Customer Enrollment process to redirect page when no sponsor is associated.
• Improved “order of operations” by adding Extranet Unilevel Placement
• Feature and Holding Tank processes to in the Genealogy/Volume service broker queue. Additionally, updated the methodology used for calculating real time volume for improved accuracy of reporting.
• Enhanced inventory to display better on the Cart 2.0 when description is omitted on the inventory edit page.
• Enhanced the Sales by Date Posted report to include the order date.
• Updated the Online Order# to the new standard Cart #. This will provide better visibility to orders that have been modified and help identify changes made to orders posted.
• Updated Autoresponder Logic to ensure that both the Alert and Email will be sent if configured twice with same AR type.
• The AutoShip implantation for Shipping Tax now observes a new setting and improved proper reporting of tax codes.
• Created REST API version of SOAP API CheckOrderedItemForCustomerDIDWithinDate which returns the Customer Order Number from a specified item and date and that matches the and OnlineOrder_UpdateShipMethod_GetTotals which allows the update of Shipping method of a specified OnlineOrderID.
• Created 2 new expiration strategy settings to determine the amount of time stock is held on the party order for Customers and Hosts. This will hold allowing the host/customer to complete their transaction.
• Enhanced the party hostess rewards calculation for “Hostess Credit Earned” to apply credits based on current Applicable to Rewards total.
• Enhanced the Electronic Invite email links to ensure that reps interested in joining the company are taken to the enrollment page.
• Updated the replace tags when sharing a party through the AddThis social media share tool.
• Integrated Freedom with IPS Credit Card Disconnected Processor
• Updated Upline Report to report cancelled people based on RANK vs the less reliable Cancelled Date field when determining if the cancelled icon should show.
• Updated search criteria for Rep Signups by Month of Join Date Report
  Revolution Responsive Feature: Updated the Push Notification System to only send push notifications that were tied to an Alert Template that had a Push Notification Template
• Revolution Responsive Feature: Modified Presentation-type links to ensure proper path is considered.
• Revolution Responsive Feature: added contact card view on the graphical genealogy report.
• Revolution Responsive Feature: Updated the Personal Consultants group modal with new styling.
• Revolution Responsive Feature: Repaired the Personally Sponsored widget to expand drop downs in front of the pop up, not the back.
• Revolution Responsive Feature: Updated configurations to remove a blank headline that was causing errors when loading news feeds.
• Revolution Responsive Feature: Allow for adding new calendar events
• Made changes to the Upload Tracking Tool so it would not include order detail information to prevent duplicate entries from displaying.
  Created a new API integration with ShipStation for shipping and order management.
• Enhanced the checkout process by making it mobile responsive for customer shopping on Shopping Cart 2.0 to optimize user experience from start to finish.
• Enhance Cart 2.0 procedures to consolidate and streamline the asynchronous calls made when the cart pages are loading ultimately speeding up load times.
• Improved the authentication within the JS cart to ensure that the pricing always reflects the correct value for the logged in user.
• Enhanced Shopping Cart 2.0 checkout validation to enforce Low Stock and Out of Stock levels.
• Improved the JS cart to delete the application token for a customer session if the customer’s password has been updated.
• Modified the quantity selection method for relationship group items to ensure the proper quantities can be added to the cart.
• Added additional information to error processing of orders to help reduce future research time.

Generative Programming

ByDesign uses various forms of what is known as “dynamic code template generation,” or “generative programming.” This practice is a form of technology that automatically creates source code from templates and prototypes. Generative programming helps development productivity which enables products to be released quicker. It also provides higher quality programming as any issues can be corrected one time in the code template perfecting future code.

One area that we at ByDesign use generative programming is to generate the majority of Back Office 2 CRUDs. A CRUD is a common acronym used by development to represent an interface to “Create,” “Read,” “Update,” and “Delete” records from a table. A CRUD would include pages such as the AutoShip Rules or Inventory Control Limit Interfaces. While some more complicated pages cannot use generative programming due to specific rules and configuration, the majority of our CRUDs are programmed utilizing this technology. Does this mean we have pages that are created automatically and pushed out to clients or pages that are bypassing our standard checks and balances? Certainly not; let’s get a little more in-depth on how this practice works for us.

Like all development tasks, our CRUDs start with a requirements document. This document contains information for the new pages such as the new URL, helper text, where to place the menu, the capabilities (Create, Read, Edit, Delete) and the list of properties (Dropdowns, checkboxes, etc.). These are written in an excel file, where each item is placed in a specific column or tab of the file. This format makes it possible for a machine to read and parse the information required to build the page. We then have a special program that reads each tab of this excel document and creates the multiple files of code necessary to create the new interface. This program writes out files based on predefined code templates and automatically uploads them to the proper location to be compiled and tested. There are still pieces that must be manually programmed, but 95% of the page is automatically created based on the excel file. This 95% represents the busy-work that no developer wants to get stuck doing.

Once initial development is done, this new page needs to go through the same quality checks and balances as any other project. We still have developer peer reviews and quality assurance testing, as well as testing by the project owner. Additionally, these changes (and any other changes) go through our monthly release testing before going into the production environment. Therefore, these pages go through the same testing and validation process as any other project, yet we can cut down many hours from the development time. This, allows us to pass cost savings onto our clients for custom work when we can leverage Generative programming.