It’s a new month folks, and Deltek are keeping up a steady schedule of Cobra HotFixes with the release of HotFix#17, build 5.01.621. This one is a particularly portly update, sporting no less than 32 resolved issues.
As usual, I recommend downloading this and taking a look through the release notes to see the issues that are addressed. If you find anything in there that’s been affecting your system, you should consider updating to this hotfix.
One Minor Glitch
However, I do feel the need to point out one minor glitch that I’ve been wrestling with that didn’t make it into this hotfix, namely a problem with the insert and remove column features in the table area.
It first appeared in HotFix 15 and while it’s not a major issue production wise, it’s very visible and, if you’re not aware of it, could catch you by surprise. From a training standpoint, it’s also rather annoying because it’s stopping me upgrading my training machines beyond hotfix 14; not being demonstrable in it’s current state.
I reported this issue to Deltek when I found it was still playing up in HotFix 16. In fairness to Deltek, they haven’t had much time to deal with it yet and there are likely more pressing issues at hand. The good news is that a fix is already scheduled, we’re just waiting for it to appear.
Glitch Description
So here’s what happens. When you use the Insert Column feature the first time during a Cobra session, everything seems to work normally. However, the second time you use it, you insert one column, but the dialog stays open after you click OK. Hmmm. If you insert a second column or click close, the dialog closes.
At first I thought this was rather a cool enhancement because it seemed to be allowing me to insert additional columns and close the dialog when I was done. Alas, not so.
On the third attempt to insert a column, the dialog stays open after the column selection, and clearly requires a total of three interactions before the dialog closes. You see the pattern; fourth time, four clicks, fifth time, five clicks and so on it goes. Each additional use leaves the Insert Column dialog open for one additional interaction before it closes.
OK, so no biggy right? In fact, I wish the Insert Column dialog would stay open until I clicked the close button anyway. I often want to add more than one column and this saves a bunch of clicks to do that.
Where it gets a little more problematic is with the Remove Column feature. Each time you select a column and remove it, Cobra starts to remove additional columns you didn’t select. Like the Insert Columns dialog, the feature is incrementally and arbitrarily removing more columns with each use. I’ve ended up with only two or three columns on the screen where moments earlier there were a dozen or more. What gives? Clearly some counter in a “For Loop” somewhere isn’t getting reset.
The Workaround
The workaround is to restart Cobra. This seems to reset the count on how many inserts or removes you’ve done in any one session. If you lose most of your columns, I’ve found that closing the project and reopening it often restores the original column quantity.
To read more Deltek Cobra articles click here