farmOS 3.1.0 + Inventory quick form blog posts #25

posts/2024/farmOS-3.0.0/index.md

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ slug: 2024/farmOS-3.0.0
 
 [farmOS 3.0.0 was released](https://github.com/farmOS/farmOS/releases/tag/3.0.0)
 on January 6th, 2024 (almost exactly a year after
-[2.0.0 was released](../2023/farmOS-2.0.0))!
+[2.0.0 was released](./2023/farmOS-2.0.0))!
 
 This may seem like it happened quickly, considering that it took ~4 years to go
 from farmOS v1 to v2. Now that we are using

posts/2024/farmOS-3.1.0/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+---
+title: farmOS 3.1.0
+date: 2024-02-07
+author: Michael Stenta
+slug: 2024/farmOS-3.1.0
+categories:
+  - newsletter
+---
+
+# farmOS 3.1.0
+
+We are excited to announce the release of
+[farmOS 3.1.0](https://github.com/farmOS/farmOS/releases/tag/3.1.0)!
+This release includes a number of new features and improvements. Here are some
+of the highlights.
+
+## Product asset type
+
+A new Product asset type has been added, which will allow tracking of "products"
+separate from the other asset types that produce them. Products, like all asset
+types, can be moved between locations, referenced by logs, and have inventory
+levels that are incremented/decremented by activities on or off the farm.
+
+Imagine harvesting a Plant asset and incrementing one or more Product assets
+with the quantity that was harvested! Products can be used to maintain produce
+or meat availability lists. The sky is the limit! It's a simple but powerful
+addition to the [core farmOS data model](https://farmOS.org/model)!
+
+This has been a long time coming, but it is only a first step. This adds the
+data architecture, but work still needs to be done to make it really nice and
+usable. Some work is already underway, and discussions are ongoing in the
+[farmOS forum](https://farmOS.discourse.group). If you have ideas, share them!
+
+## Inventory quick form(s)
+
+A new Inventory quick form is now available, which makes it easier to maintain
+asset inventory levels. Just select the asset you want to adjust and enter the
+quantity (as a "reset", "increment", or "decrement")! There are some more
+advanced options too, which are described in a dedicated post:
+[Inventory Quick Form](./2024/inventory-quick-form)
+
+![Inventory quick form](./inventory-quick-form.png)
+
+Another related and powerful feature that was added is a quick form management
+interface. If you have any quick form modules enabled, you can configure them
+in Setup > Quick Forms. This provides the ability to override default titles,
+descriptions, and help text, or to disable a quick form entirely (without
+uninstalling the module that provides it).
+
+Quick forms that are "configurable" (like the Inventory quick form) offer even
+more flexibility. You can edit the default configuration for configurable quick
+forms, and you can also create new instances of them with their own unique
+configuration!
+
+This means that you can create multiple Inventory quick forms! Imagine having
+one for your feed levels, and one for you product inventory, and one for your
+seed stock. Each Inventory quick form can be configured with a default asset,
+unit, measure, adjustment type, and log type. You can decide what Inventory
+quick form configurations are most useful to you.
+
+## Editor UI improvements
+
+Editing assets, logs, and other record types is much easier in farmOS 3.1.0.
+
+![Editor UI improvements](./editor-ui-improvements.png)
+
+Fields are grouped into sensible tabs on the left, and a sidebar with meta
+information is available on the right. The "Save" button is also pinned to the
+top of the page so it's easy to get to no matter where you are in the form. No
+more scrolling through long forms trying to find the piece of information you
+want to edit! This is one of the biggest changes from a "look and feel"
+standpoint, and a huge quality of life improvement.
+
+## CSV export improvements
+
+A number of improvements have been made to farmOS asset and log CSV exporters.
+First and foremost, the CSVs contain a lot more data! In previous versions, only
+the columns that are visible on the page were included in the CSV. Now, the
+columns include all text, reference, timestamp, and boolean data by default. In
+the future, we can add additional columns for other data types. We also plan to
+make the exporters configurable so you can choose which columns to include.
+
+The other big improvement is that it's now possible to exports CSVs from a lot
+more places in farmOS. Previously, it was only available in a few main places.
+Now it is possible to export CSVs from almost every place that shows lists of
+assets and logs. This will make it a lot easier to get to pre-filtered data in
+various ways. It's also possible to pick and choose which rows to include in the
+export.
+
+We still have more to do. Quantity and data stream CSV exporters still work the
+way they used to, but we hope to make the same improvements to them in a future
+release. There are also still differences between the CSV export format and the
+CSV import format, although they are much closer now. If you are moving data
+between instances this may help, but always remember that CSVs are not an
+exhaustive way to represent data. Only the farmOS API includes *everything*.
+
+## Locations map
+
+A map is now displayed at the top of the Locations page. This was requested in
+the forum and was an easy addition!
+
+![Locations map](./locations-map.png)
+
+The next step is to add the same map to the Locations tab of assets, which shows
+a list of child locations. This will allow you to see filter down to a map that
+only includes sub-locations of a specific Land asset, for example.
+
+## Plan record relationships
+
+Last but not least is a "behind the scenes" feature that will enable some
+exciting next steps. A new "Plan record relationship" entity was added to the
+Plan module. This entity type can be used by module developers to create rich
+metadata relationships between Plan entities and other records like Assets and
+Logs. This was a prerequisite to port the Crop Planning module from farmOS v1
+to v3. Stay tuned for an update on that in the future... ;-)

posts/2024/inventory-quick-form/index.md

@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+---
+title: Inventory Quick Form
+date: 2024-02-07
+author: Michael Stenta
+slug: 2024/inventory-quick-form
+---
+
+# Inventory Quick Form
+
+The farmOS [v3.1.0 release](https://github.com/farmOS/farmOS/releases/tag/3.1.0)
+includes a new *Inventory Quick Form* for quickly and easily recording
+adjustments to an asset's inventory.
+
+See the video below for a quick demonstration, and read on for more details.
+
+<video controls>
+  <source src="./inventory.webm" type="video/webm">
+</video>
+
+Recording asset inventory adjustments in farmOS requires creating a log with the
+following information:
+
+- The date of the adjustment
+- A quantity with:
+    - Value
+    - Units (optional)
+    - Measure (optional)
+    - Inventory asset (the asset being adjusted)
+    - Inventory adjustment type (reset, increment, or decrement)
+
+In order for this log to be counted towards the asset's current inventory, it
+must have a status of "Done", with a date in the past.
+
+For more information, see:
+[farmOS Inventory Logic](https://farmOS.org/model/logic/inventory)
+
+The Inventory Quick Form streamlines this process by asking for only the
+essential information and filling in the rest automatically.
+
+The form starts by asking for the date when the adjustment took place. This
+defaults to the current date, so you can record adjustments on the fly when they
+happen. You can also adjust this date to record an adjustment that happened in
+the past, or an adjustment that you are planning in the future. If you plan a
+future adjustment, be sure to uncheck the "Completed" box at the bottom of the
+form to indicate that it hasn't happened yet.
+
+Next, you must specify the asset that is being adjusted. Start typing an asset's
+name into the "Asset" field and select the one you want from the dropdown that
+appears. Only a single asset can be adjusted at a time.
+
+Enter the inventory adjustment "Quantity", and optionally specify "Units" and
+"Measure". Each asset can have multiple inventories with unique combinations of
+units and measure (or neither). Then select the "Adjustment type", which can be
+one of the following:
+
+- **Increment** - The quantity entered will be *added* to the asset's
+  inventory.
+- **Decrement** - The quantity entered will be *subtracted* from the asset's
+  inventory.
+- **Reset** - The asset's inventory will be *reset* to the quantity entered.
+
+Increment and decrement adjustments are useful when you are keeping a close eye
+on increases and decreases to certain assets, like feed, seed, or materials.
+Inventory resets are useful when you are performing a manual count of current
+inventory levels and need to record the current count.
+
+At the bottom of the form there is an area to enter notes about the inventory
+adjustment, which will be saved to the "Notes" field of the log that is created.
+
+There is also an "Advanced" section with options to specify the "Log type"
+(which defaults to "Observation"), and a checkbox that allows you to customize
+the name of the log that will be generated.
+
+The "Completed" checkbox at the bottom defaults to "Completed", but can be
+unchecked if you are planning a future adjustment.
+
+Upon submitting the form, you will see a message with a link to the new log that
+is created, and if you look at your asset record you will see that its current
+inventory has been updated.