Statistics Open For All

SOFA Statistics now comes with integrated online help. Clicking on the “Online Help” button opens the SOFA Statistics User Guide in the user’s default browser.

Integrated Online Help

The goal is to make the user documentation as useful as possible – both to new users and to users trying to solve specialised problems. Over time, lots of gaps will be filled so it will be worth making repeat visits to the site.

The User Guide

Here is the full list of new features:

• Now able to look at and manipulate your SOFA data using free and open source tools like Sqlite Database Browser
• Improvements for connecting to Google Docs spreadsheets
• Major improvements to usability around data entry
• Now able to edit variable details from the table config dialog
• Much more useful help when errors encountered importing csv files

Version 0.9.12 also fixes numerous bugs with the Google Docs spreadsheet

The latest version, 0.9.11, can import data from your on-line Google Docs Spreadsheets. I will supply more details later, but it is easy to conduct on-line surveys with Google Spreadsheets underneath. And now you can analyse those results using SOFA Statistics.

To connect to your Google account, there is a new button on the standard Import dialog.

New Google Spreadsheet button

This opens a simple dialog letting you sign into your Google account. The existing spreadsheets are listed and then you can select a worksheet. Once this is downloaded, it can be imported in the standard SOFA manner.

Download Google Spreadsheet

Version 0.9.11 also makes it easier to work with read-only columns in data tables.

Read-only Columns

The final improvement relates to filtering. If you have trouble with the flexible data filtering option, more helpful examples of correct syntax are supplied.

The main bug fix is that SQLite and MySQL now handle fields containing double quotes.

In less than a week the Mac package for SOFA Statistics has been downloaded over 100 times, representing nearly a quarter of all downloads of version 0.9.10.

Example output on OS X

A positive response was expected given recent survey results at the main SOFA Statistics website – 35% of respondents wanted the Mac package as the next thing to add to the project. And about 14% of visitors to the main website are using a Mac OS. But it was still nice to see the response.

SOFA Statistics has been packaged for Mac OS X (Leopard and Snow Leopard). It only seems right that an application emphasising ease-of-use and beautiful output should be available for Apple users.

SOFA Statistics on OS X

The installer is supplied as a mpkg (metapackage) file inside a disk image. Open the mpkg to install.

SOFA mac installer

The same application now works much the same on Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7, Ubuntu/Linux Mint, and Mac OS X Leopard and Snow Leopard.

SOFA controls on mac

Even if you are not a Mac user, there are a few extras in the new version:

• MySQL plugin now works with older versions of MySQL e.g. 4.1.
• MySQL now allows port details e.g. for remote connections.
• All database plugins allow empty default database or table configuration details (in which case they’ll use the first).
• Easier to fill in connection details in project. Tooltips (with examples) have been added to database configuration controls to make it more clear what is required from the user.
• Better placement of dialogs on smaller screens so nothing off-screen.
• Problems with connection details raise useful message for users.
• SOFA gives useful message if the SOFA application path is not found because of an unexpected folder name e.g. ‘sofa stats’ rather than ‘sofa’. The Windows installer was also upgraded to give better guidance.
• Better error messages if anything goes wrong with loading of initial images when starting SOFA.

There are also a few bug fixes:

• Fixed bug in calculation of total frequency across rows so that missing values are excluded.
• Background images for tables now available in Ubuntu install.
• Fixed some minor background bugs.

You can download version 0.9.10 now: SOFA downloads

NB 0.9.10 (zero point nine point ten) is newer than 0.9.9.