Project Notes 5.0.0

New Features

• Added macOS installer with:
  • Signed and notarized .pkg installer built via productbuild
  • DMG wrapping for distribution
  • Embedded Python.framework bundled inside the app bundle
  • Hardened-runtime entitlements for embedded Python
• Plugins can now be placed in the user's home folder (~/ProjectNotes/plugins/) in addition to the application plugins folder, making it easier to add custom plugins without modifying the application directory
• Added cloud synchronization via SqliteSyncPro with support for:
  • Self-hosted PostgREST servers for complete data sovereignty
  • Supabase cloud hosting for managed database services
  • Transparent background synchronization that runs while the application operates
  • Row-level AES-256-GCM encryption for sensitive data protection
• Database synchronization simplifies setup — no manual configuration of database files across machines needed
• New File > Cloud Sync Settings... menu option to configure cloud connection parameters:
  • Host type selection (Self-Hosted or Supabase)
  • PostgREST server URL for self-hosted deployments
  • Email and password for authentication
  • Optional encryption passphrase for data at rest and in transit
  • Supabase anonymous key for cloud deployments
• Automatic table discovery — only tables with required sync columns (id, updateddate, syncdate) are synchronized
• Manual encryption key support for advanced integration scenarios

• Database Cloud Syncing — Added SQLite sync to cloud, simplifying database setup across machines
• Sync All — New "Sync All" menu option to synchronize all project data at once
• Sync Status — Sync status is now displayed in the interface
• Drag and Drop — Support for dragging and dropping file names and contact info
• Export Tracker Items Plugin — New plugin for exporting tracker items
• Quick Team Member Add — Added quick team member add functionality

Improvements

• UI improvements when selecting records
• Performance optimizations throughout the application
• Added ability to filter out Cancelled and Deferred items by default
• Python plugin code optimized (string and loop improvements, standard naming conventions)
• Added defaults to plugin settings
• Additional logging added for sync operations
• Refactored C++ codebase for maintainability
• Modularized database structure files
• Updated Python plugin field names for v5.0.0 database schema
• Updated application_version table schema and upgrade logic
• Cross-thread row change propagation now uses Qt signals/slots
• Removed duplicate row ID in XML export

Documentation Improvements

• Significantly expanded View Menu documentation with detailed explanations and examples
• Expanded History Menu documentation explaining page state persistence and history navigation
• Added comprehensive Log Viewer documentation to Plugins Menu
• Completely rewrote "Presenting to Clients" section with strategies for using Internal Items and Filter Tool to hide sensitive information from clients
• Major rewrite of "Adding Functionality" documentation covering:
  • Plugin architecture (main thread vs background threads)
  • Auto-reload mechanism for rapid plugin development
  • Complete explanation of required global variables (pluginname, plugindescription, pluginmenus, plugintimerevent)
  • QSettings usage for plugin configuration storage
  • Settings dialog best practices with PyQt6 examples
  • Detailed explanation of embedded Python functions (projectnotes.update_data and projectnotes.get_data)
  • Critical warnings about delete attribute and foreign key relationship dangers
• Added Built-In Standard Plugins overview explaining configurability and highlighting IFS plugin compatibility notes
• Added comprehensive "Variable Replacement in Plugins" section explaining:
  • XML tree path syntax: [$tablename.columnname.rownumber]
  • Relationship between plugin configurations and XML data
  • Real-world examples for My Shortcuts, template documents, and email configuration
• Renamed all image files with meaningful names (e.g., icon-navigate-back.png, icon-new-item.png, etc.)
• Enhanced standard plugin settings documentation with practical configuration examples

Fixes

• Fixed internal column not hiding in Project Notes table when "View Internal Items" is unchecked
• Fixed formatting in Edit Menu documentation (added blank lines before numbered lists for proper markdown rendering)
• Fixed many issues with Copy Record
• Fixed delete check search
• Fixed update check for delete flag
• Fixed Search Page failing bug
• Fixed column colors and HTML text rendering in search
• Fixed AppSettings crash on close
• Fixed intermittent QTableView repaint after updateDisplayData
• Fixed Preferences dialog
• Fixed Filter Dialog and added save for last location in additional dialogs
• Fixed plugin items for Apple
• Fixed exported email dates in plugins
• Fixed menus and crash when editing meeting and email types
• Fixed record lock issue and reloading of edited records
• Fixed release build on Windows to find PostgreSQL drivers
• Fixed debug build include
• Revamped record update processing from imports
• Removed extra database upgrade steps