Important: Please update all Winthrop Products to resolve an Installer Security Vulnerability

Winthrop Development Consultants was recently notified by InstallAware, the supplier of the installer software used for the distribution packages for all our products, that a Security Vulnerability was identify in their product. They have released a new version that resolves the issue.

However, the issue will exist on all machines that have used an installer built with the previous compromised versions of their installer software.

Using the newly fixed installer software, we have created and released new builds of all our products which should be installed at all customer and partner sites as soon as possible. Any build of any of our products downloaded and installed after 10-Aug-2022 contains the fix.

#MSDynGP 2023 Report on the Future of Dynamics GP

I received a very interesting email yesterday. AccountingWare, the people behind the ActivReporter reporting tool for GP, created a report on the future of Dynamics GP based on the results of a survey of 164 Microsoft Dynamics GP customers.

This report supports anecdotal evidence that most of the Microsoft Dynamics GP customer base is happy staying with Dynamics GP for the foreseeable future.

#GPPT GP Power Tools Build 29.4 hotfix released

It has been a while since GP Power Tools Build 29 was released and there have been a few hotfix releases since then that have not been included in any articles on the blog. So, this article includes information about Builds 29.2, 29.3 and the latest Build 29.4 released on 10-Jan-2023.

These hotfix releases resolve bugs (undocumented features) as well as add some new functionality and enhancements to the product. It is highly recommended that all sites running GP Power Tools install the latest code on all workstation and servers where Microsoft Dynamics GP is installed.

Subscription Keys Not Renewing Automatically

Winthrop Development Consultants products are sold using an annual subscription model which means they need to have their subscription renewed and updated each year to remain functional.

This process is usually fairly smooth and transparent as long as the invoice is paid by the due date and the system is internet connected. Invoices are due one month before the expiry date so that if they are paid on time, the subscription is renewed automatically before any expiry warnings are displayed.

#GPPT Automatic Logout Not Identifying Activity and Logging Out

We get reports every now and then of a user being logged out of Microsoft Dynamics GP by the GP Power Tools Automatic Logout feature even though they have been active on GP within the timeout period.

This happens because there is no way to track “Inactivity” in Microsoft Dynamics GP, so instead we attempt to track “Activity” by triggering on common events/scripts within GP and resetting the last active time and date.

However, there are times when a user could be active in GP and manages to avoid invoking any of the actions that would be identified as “Activity”. When this happens, they can be logged out incorrectly.

Friday Funny: Bo Burnham: “Unpaid Intern” Reaction Video

This is the first Firday Funny post for a while and the first for the year 2023.

While visiting my eldest son in Canberra over Christmas and New Year, he showed me some of comedian, actor, filmmaker and songwriter Bo Burnham’s videos on YouTube and Netflix.

One in particular was really funny while still being safe enough to post on my blog….

#DynamicsCon Vote for Sessions for March 2023 Conference

The next installment of DynamicsCon conference is scheduled for 15^th to 16^th March 2023. The session submission period is over and now we enter the session voting period until 27^th January 2023.

During this voting period all registered attendees have 8 votes to apply to sessions as they wish, then the votes will be tallied and the final session lists published. See this explanation for more details of the process.

#GPPT Automating Printing and Emailing of Sales Order Processing Documents

Microsoft Dynamics GP has the ability to output Sales Order Processing transactions to a printer so the documents can be sent via “snail” mail, or you can send the documents via email. You can even send documents both to email and the printer.

However, two issues have been found which make the functionality less than perfect. This sample project for GP Power Tools resolves these issues and restores the perfection.

#GPPT Installing GP Power Tools Build 29 or later can break older Windows Applications

A recent support case was reported where a site updated to GP Power Tools Build 29 and after the installation a separate Windows Application stopped working.

Initially, the only way the customer was able to get this application working again was to rebuild the workstation by re-imaging back to a clean Windows installation. After a bit of troubleshooting, we were able to identify the cause of the issue.

Merry Christmas 2022 and Happy New Year 2023

Hello everyone.

This year has been a good year for Winthrop Development Consultants. We have been able to release awesome new builds of our products, write lots of interesting blog articles and share many GP Power Tools sample projects.

This year also marked the return to the conference circuit with David spending a very busy two weeks in Orlando for Community Summit 2022.

PSA: Fake Friend Requests – Have you been Hacked?

This Public Service Announcement comes about after I received or saw messages from three Facebook Friends in the last week that they have been “Hacked” because someone was sending out Fake Friend Requests pretending to be them.

While Fake Friend Requests are definitely a problem and need to be dealt with correctly, they are not an indication that you have been hacked or that your account and passwords have been compromised in any way.

#GPPT #BPST Reminder Pricing Increase from January 2023

Back in August 2022 we announced that after 7 years, we would be increasing the module pricing for Winthrop Development Consultants products, specifically GP Power Tools and Batch Posting Service Toolkit.

For more details see the original article:

• #GPPT #BPST Pricing Increase from January 2023

#GPPT Ensuring Custom Triggers Cannot Be Disabled

If you are using GP Power Tools in your Microsoft Dynamics GP system and have the Developer Tools module registered you can use the custom trigger in this article to ensure that GP Power Tools triggers cannot be disabled using the Customization Status window.

This will protect mission critical customizations written using GP Power Tools with triggers from being disabled manually.

#GPPT Why Does The Report Writer Screen Close Automatically?

With the release of build 29 of GP Power Tools, a feature was added that will automatically close the Report Writer Screen Output window after a period of time.

As customers have been upgrading their systems to the latest GP Power Tools build they have been noticing that the Report Writer Screen Output closes by itself.

This article explains how to change the timeout setting and why this new feature is so important.

#MSDynGP Microsoft Dynamics GP Crashing on Launch

I recently had a partner contact me when they were doing an upgrade and Microsoft Dynamics GP was crashing upon launching the application. As Winthrop products were installed, we were looking initially to see if the problem was caused by GP Power Tools or Visual Studio Integration Toolkit.

Short Answer: Removing the Winthrop products did not fix the problem …

Garmin Edge Custom Start Up Text

This is an off-topic post, but something that the members of the cycling community who use Garmin Edge cycle computers would find useful.

While exploring the file system of my Garmin Edge 830 device I stumbled across a method of displaying a custom start up message which I have used to display my details as owner and my wife’s details as an emergency contact.

Changing Registration Contact Details for Winthrop Products

I am often asked to change the contact details for the registration data for our products. These contact details are used for sending emails from Winthrop Development Consultants.

Emails sent include Renewal Notices and Invoices to partners and direct customers and update notices to all customers (cc’d to their partners).

It is vital that the contact details use a valid (and unique) email address for each registration record. The email must be for a person at the registered company. Partners cannot use their email addresses for customer registrations.

#MSDynGP Winthrop Products and Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.5 Year End 2022

Last week, Terry Heley from Microsoft announced that the Microsoft Dynamics GP 18.5 Year End 2022 service pack has been released.

• Microsoft Dynamics GP U.S. Year-End Update 2022 RELEASED!!

Since then, we have been asked numerous times if the Winthrop products are compatible with this new 18.05.1596 release. The short answer is yes.

How Do I Get Keys For A New Version?

Recently, I have been getting a lot of requests for subscription keys for Winthrop products before upgrading to new versions of Microsoft Dynamics GP.

This article will explain how Winthrop products obtain new subscription keys automatically over the internet and what the process is if a system is not internet connected.

#Dexterity Script Editor Undocumented Features: Snippets and Auto Close

A recent Microsoft Dynamics GP forum post reminded me to create an article about a couple of cool, undocumented features available for the Dexterity Script Editor.

The request was for an easy method of inserting a script header comment block into new scripts. I have seen some developers modify/hack the DEX.DIC with Dexterity to produce similar custom functionality, but there is built in functionality you can enable instead.

#MSDynGP Microsoft, Stop Scaring Microsoft Dynamics GP Customers

You might have heard about the “announcement” made by Mike Morton (Vice President, Dynamics 365 Business Central and SMB, Microsoft) during the Microsoft Dynamics GP General Session and his subsequent retraction and clarification.

I decided to write this article to provide my thoughts on what happened and the bigger issues it raises.