This update introduces custom completion stamps, improves how photos and picture settings are handled, and resolves several Preview, PDF, and stability issues.
New Features
Custom completion stamps
You can now create and apply your own completion stamps, giving you more control over how finished reports are marked.
Refresh button in the Preview window
A new Refresh button lets you update the report shown in Preview without closing and reopening the window. It appears when the General Option "Allow editing of report when Publishing Preview remains open" is turned on.
Improvements
Smoother license activation
Activating your license no longer requires a restart. The activation dialog now stays open after you activate, so you can confirm everything worked before moving on.
Better handling of photo orientation and picture size
Picture "width" is now labeled picture "size," and it applies to the longest side of the photo (the width for landscape photos, the height for portrait photos). This keeps sizing consistent regardless of how a photo is oriented.
Updated Picture Defaults dialog
Added a help pane that explains the currently selected option
The dialog is now resizable and remembers its last size and position
Attribute names are more consistent (for example, Line Color and Line Width)
Removed the Fill options from the Line annotation, since they did not apply
Standardized multi-selection so the dropdown or color picker opens when you click the value, not just the arrow
Clearer Photo Locker messaging
If you press "Revert To Photo Locker" when the photo locker file is missing, the message now explains how to create it.
Notable Fixes
Fixed an error that prevented Preview from opening a report right after publishing it as a PDF ("PDF file is currently open and cannot be created")
Fixed a crash in PDF Preview when switching between report tabs
Fixed Back button navigation in Edit All Photos so it now moves to the last photo of the previous section, and corrected navigation after removing a photo
Fixed Insert Sketch failures by including the components the Drawing Editor needs to run
Fixed navigation problems when using spellcheck and switching between inspection items
Additional Fixes
Corrected several display and stability issues, including drawing remnants in resizable dialogs, dark mode display in the CYA browser, button enabling in HMA Supplemental, an empty Find dropdown on the main toolbar, and a crash when closing the Find dialog in All Comments
Fixed a crash that could occur when accessibility software is running at the same time
Fixed a crash in the PDF Viewer that could happen during mouse movement or clicks
Fixed a truncated error message in the Open Report dialog when a report is missing
Fixed an intermittent crash when switching themes
Fixed the PDF Viewer toolbar displaying incorrectly when switching tabs
Fixed an upgrade from 5.5 to 5.6 that could fail when 5.5 was running in Windows 8 compatibility mode
Fixed spellcheck showing its popup on the wrong screen in multi-monitor setups
Fixed the Open Report dialog showing a cover photo from a previously selected report
How to Install
Step 1: Open the download link
Click the link above: You'll see a Google Drive page showing the file BETAHomeGaugeDesktopInstall.exe.
Step 2: Download the file
Click the Download button (the down-arrow icon).
Note: Google Drive will show a message that says "BETAHomeGaugeDesktopInstall.exe can't be scanned for viruses" — this is normal for larger files (this one is about 174 MB). Click Download anyway to continue.
Step 3: Wait for the download to finish
The file will save to your Downloads folder. Depending on your internet speed, this may take a minute or two.
Step 4: Run the installer
Open your Downloads folder (or click the file in your browser's download bar).
Double-click BETAHomeGaugeDesktopInstall.exe.
Step 5: Follow the installation prompts
Click through the installer prompts, leaving the default options selected unless you've been told otherwise. When it finishes, the HomeGauge Desktop beta will be ready to use.
Looking for Older Versions?