Category: Development

Is your server ready for MIDAS v4?

2 minute read time · Updated February 13, 2025 · First published May 18, 2012

MySQLIn summer 2012 we have a major update coming to our web based room scheduling software. Starting with version 4, MIDAS will use a MySQL database for storage. Earlier releases of MIDAS have used different database architectures (which we look at in more depth in this blog post) and as such MySQL has not previously been a System Requirement for a server running MIDAS.

If you wish to run MIDAS v4 on your own web server, MySQL 5.1 (or later) is required.

Why MySQL?

MySQL, the world’s most popular open-source database, can be freely obtained from www.mysql.com

In addition, two Perl modules not previously required for MIDAS will be required for v4. These modules, “DBI” and “DBD::mysql”, may already be present in your Perl installation, but if they’re not, they may be freely obtained from the following links:

  • DBI – Database independent interface for Perl (Get it here)
  • DBD::MySQL – A MySQL driver for the Perl5 Database Interface (Get it here)

If you’re unsure whether these Perl modules are already available on your server, our updated Server Readiness Tool will tell you!

Once your server is ready, our How do I update from MIDAS v3 to v4? guide will help you update your MIDAS installation.

If you’re currently running MIDAS v3 on your own server and are unable to use MySQL, you can carry on using version 3. However, v3 will continue to receive critical fixes only. Alternatively, you can have your MIDAS v4 “cloud hosted” by us instead.

If we already “Cloud Host” MIDAS for you, you don’t need to do anything to be ready for MIDAS v4! – Our servers are already prepared for MIDAS v4!

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MIDAS v4: A Fresh New Look

2 minute read time · Updated March 8, 2024 · First published May 15, 2012

If you’ve been following our recent blog posts, you’ll know we have an exciting update coming to MIDAS! You may also have noticed from early screenshots we’ve already posted from this update that the default visual “theme” has also gone through some changes…..

The previous “Default” theme: (MIDAS v3)

MIDAS v3 Default Theme

The new “Default” theme: (MIDAS v4)

MIDAS v4 Default Theme

The new “Metro” inspired default theme that will ship with MIDAS v4 will feature slightly larger icons than previous themes – the reasons behind this are two-fold;

1) Larger Screen Resolutions

Firstly, screen resolutions are generally getting larger – for many years the most common screen resolution was 1024 x 768 pixels. A recent study found that currently the most common screen resolution in use is 1366 x 768. As people choose screens with higher and higher resolutions, graphical items appear comparatively “smaller” on screen.

2) Touch Screens

Secondly, touch screen devices (such as tablets and iPads) are now common place, and with the eagerly anticipated release of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system later this year (which is very much geared towards touch screen devices), we expect the number of touch-enabled devices to increase dramatically.

If you’re familiar with touch screen devices, you’ll know it can sometimes be frustrating trying to accurately “tap” a very small target area on screen.

Microsoft have conducted extensive research on fingers and touch screens. They discovered that the average width of a human finger is 11mm. As targets for tapping get larger, the percentage of accidental missed taps drops off quickly. Therefore, ideally, a tap target should be at least 11mm (about 40px) in size.

MIDAS v3 IconMIDAS v4 Icon
“Add Bookings” icon (MIDAS v3)
30 x 30 pixels		“Add Bookings” icon (MIDAS v4)
40 x 40 pixels

In the previous “default” theme for MIDAS, the main toolbar icons were 30 x 30 pixels in size. In the new “default” theme, toolbar icons are now 40 x 40 pixels in size.

Notifications have also been made more prominent on toolbar icons for MIDAS v4:

MIDAS v4 Toolbar Notifications
MIDAS v3 ButtonsMIDAS v4 Buttons
Buttons in MIDAS v3Buttons in MIDAS v4

We’ve also increased the size of other buttons and some text elements – all in an effort to make MIDAS more accessible to tablet, iPad, and other touch screen users, and those using higher resolution screens!

We hope you’ll like the new look for MIDAS v4, but if you don’t, no problem! – There will be a version of the previous MIDAS v3 default theme available for v4 as well!

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New “History” panel shows full history for each booking

1 minute read time · Updated January 6, 2023 · First published May 10, 2012

History tab of Booking Information PanelWe’re making improvements to the “Booking Information” panel for MIDAS v4 with the addition of a new “History” tab.

Prior to v4, only two pieces of history information were saved for each booking. These were the original booking creation date/time and the user who created the booking, and the date, time and user who last modified the booking.

The new history tab improves on this, as it will now display a complete history trail for each new booking.

Every update that is made to a booking will be logged, together with the user who made the update and the date and time the update occurred.

The history panel will also log details if a booking is deleted, an invoice is generated for a booking, and indicate whether the booking resulted from a booking request!

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Do more direct from the Booking Grid!

2 minute read time · Updated January 6, 2023 · First published May 6, 2012

In MIDAS v4 we’re making the process of moving/rescheduling bookings incredibly simple!!

Until now, if you needed to move a booking to a different venue, or perhaps postpone it until the following week, you’d have to click on the booking in the grid, select “Modify Booking”, then manually change the venue/dates/times on the “Modify Booking Form”. After that you’d have to proceed through the “Booking Availability” check before the booking is finally rescheduled – all in all requiring half a dozen or more mouse clicks and at least a couple of minutes as you went through the various steps.

In MIDAS v4 you can reschedule bookings in seconds…
…simply “drag and drop” the existing booking to a new venue/time slot!

Drag and Drop Bookings to Reschedule

Display pending/provisional and deleted bookings in the grid!

Moving bookings is not all you can do from the improved booking grid in v4! You can now also show pending booking requests as well as recently deleted bookings in the booking grid too!

Pending booking requests can then be approved/queried/modified/rejected/locked direct from the booking grid with just a click:

Approve Provisional Booking Requests from the Grid

..and deleted bookings can be restored in the same way too:

Recover Deleted Bookings

Generate Invoices directly from the grid!

Generate Invoice

Don’t want to generate an invoice when making a booking? No problem! In MIDAS v4 you can click a booking in the grid and instantly generate an invoice for that booking!

These exciting new improvements to the booking grid in MIDAS v4 will undoubtedly improve your productivity by streamlining the process of rescheduling bookings, approving requests, and recovering erroneously deleted bookings!

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