REV23 Desktop 17.1 Update 2

REV23 Desktop v17.1 Update 2 (17.1.2) is now available to download.

For Update 2, we've continued fixing bugs that have popped up since the original release and Update 1 as well as trying to really just dial in the new changes.

One such change was the new Security System. With 17.1 we wanted to make the security system more flexible and easier to manage. We accomplished the flexibility bit, but the easier part, maybe not as much as we first thought. Also, trying to create default roles that account for everyone's unique needs is impossible. So, we've restructured the defaults a little bit and made some under the hood changes while really evaluating what everyone's common requests are. Those were first, discounting, and second, payout information. New with 17.1 was the Cashier Manager role which had the same permissions as the Cashier Role, with the added ability to do discounts. This was somewhat hacky and I didn't like it when I did it but didn't have the time to adjust it as I was on a schedule. With Update 2, I'm happy to announce the Cashier Manager has been deleted and we're back to just a single Cashier role.

What we've done for Update 2 is create two new supplemental roles called "Additives". That is, they don't do anything on their own but add additional permissions to existing roles. The two Additive Roles includes are simply called "+ Discounts" and "+ Payouts". So, in the case of a Cashier that needs to do discounts, you add them to the Cashier role, then also give them the + Discounts role. Likewise, if you want them to see payout information, add them to the + Payouts role. As you can see, this is much easier to maintain and more flexible. While it's not a scenario that we're currently supporting out of the box, some users like to allow non-manager accounts to be able to delete services, payments, etc. Using this new pattern, you can imagine how easily we can now create a new "+ Delete" role that will allow access to those operations.

We've also addressed some performance issues and minor bugs and issues.

One additional change is the removal of the Advance Deposits feature. Luckily, we know there are not many of you left using this practice, if any at all, so the good news is, this doesn’t affect many of you. If you do use this feature, please read on about this decision.

The Advance Deposits feature allowed you to payout an artist a deposit before the tattoo happened. REV23 designs and develops around what we believe are the best business practices for this industry. This particular practice was never something we believed to be a good idea in the first place. It is a risky move, and not something we believed should be happening, thus not something we wanted to help facilitate via our software. However, about two years ago, we began implementing this feature under pressure from a small, yet vocal, handful of users. Collaborating closely with one such user, we implemented a working solution that was released in Tattoo Management Studio v3.0. While functional, we still planned to polish the feature a bit more and make it more fluid. Well, eventually this user came around to the REV23 line of thinking and after practicing this method for many years in their studio, ended it not long ago. With the driving force behind the feature no longer using it, all the while having seen a couple of other users negatively affected by the practice, we’ve made the decision to remove this feature from our product. Paying artists for deposits as they’re taken simply doesn’t make any sense. If the deposit is canceled due to an appointment cancelation/no-show, then of course that is a different story, and a scenario we still fully support and want you to practice. Artists should be paid for their time. But seeing the results of this feature in the real-world confirmed why we were hesitant to support it in the first place. Starting with 17.1 Update 2, new users will not be able to access this feature. Existing users will continue to work for now, with the expectation that this feature will be removed in its entirety in a coming update. If you are using this feature, we strongly advise you to re-evaluate this practice in your studio and make alternate plans. If this is a feature that you absolutely do not want to lose, it is suggested that you do not upgrade beyond REV23 Desktop v17.1. Again, there are thankfully not many of you using this method, which makes it easier for us to sunset.

We hope you enjoy Update 2!