Note: this blog post was originally posted on lambtracker.com and has been moved here for preservation. Some information may be outdated.
I’ve been working behind the scenes to prepare for a major update to LambTracker® that will introduce many new features. The biggest changes include full tracking of feeds, ownership, and locations.
As a result of these changes, the first step has been to add a number of new tables to the database structure. Designing that structure and getting it to work has taken far longer than I expected.
Unfortunately, the additions and changes will effectively break all existing LambTracker® code.
I am making a new development branch that will use the new database structure. I have started documenting what I need to do and have identified over 200 areas that need updates or changes. To see the new structure in the code, you can check the blank LambTracker® database file that’s in the assets section. Once code changes are made, I can merge things back into the main development branch.
Of course, complicating all this is that we’re just weeks away from shearing and vaccinating, which will be followed by lambing. I need LambTracker® to be working to collect data and document all these procedures, but it’s unlikely that I can finish all the code changes before we start.
I’ve updated the blank spreadsheet files that are used to fill in the new database structure. They’re for when you first start using LambTracker® and need to add in historical data. That repository is now up to date.