October 27, 2022 Software Update

This week we deployed some great UI improvements to the FarmBot web app and made some big updates to our documentation. Here’s what’s new:

Grid line label improvements

The grid line labels (100, 200, 300, 400, etc) now scale inversely with map zoom level such that they maintain a consistent size on-screen. Previously the labels became too small to read when the map was zoomed far out. We’ve also added new darker grid line labels to the cross-hairs shown whenever a specific coordinate location has been selected.

Folders improvements

The user interface for moving sequences into and out of folders has been improved to significantly reduce layout shift. Now when you are moving a sequence, folders will “open” and show as a drop area. Additionally, there is now a ghost image shown when dragging the sequence.

Now when you create a new sequence or subfolder inside of a folder, the new item will be initialized to match the parent folder’s color. Gone are the days of having to manually change every new watering sequence to blue when they are created inside of a blue folder!

And finally, now when using the sequence search box and then clearing the search term, the open/close state of all folders will be restored to the pre-search state.

Express v1.1 documentation updates

This week we fulfilled all pre-orders of FarmBot Express and Express XL v1.1 bots. Which means we also now have inventory of these devices available for immediate shipping worldwide!

In preparation for all the new FarmBot owners assembling and learning about their Express devices, we have made extensive updates to the Express v1.1 documentation:

• Updated all assembly instructions with higher quality images, part hover images, and improved clarity in assembly texts.
• Updated the bill of materials directory with new parts, images, spec tables, and more.
• Added a change log detailing all the changes to the Express product line since v1.0.
• Added an FAQ (mostly copy/pasted from the Genesis documentation).
• Added a past versions page.
• Added a final steps page with recommended steps to take after completing the hardware assembly.

As always, our documentation is a continuous work-in-progress and we welcome feedback - especially from our newest customers - on where we can add more detail, fix a mistake, or make other improvements.

Documentation hub improvements

In addition to updating the Express documentation content, we have made several improvements to the infrastructure of all our documentation hubs:

• Clicking an anchor link will now automatically copy the link to your clipboard for faster sharing.
• Improved the styling of printing documentation pages to PDF (or paper).
• Added back a toggle for dark mode in a more user friendly location when viewing the docs on a small screen.

Moved farm designer settings

All of the settings in the Farm Designer section of the settings panel have been moved into the map legend menu. You’ll find settings related to the map itself located in the new MAP SETTINGS button popup. And other settings related to specific map layers located in the dropdown popups of the appropriate layer.

Improved X/Y/Z settings

All of the settings that have an X AXIS, Y AXIS, and Z AXIS version have been re-organized into tables to improve legibility and compactness of the settings panel sections.

Improved group member listing

Group members are now shown in a more compact format of two rows of small icons with a + button to reveal the remaining members.

Miscellaneous

• All of the accordion sections in the Plants, Points, Weeds, and Sequences panels are now consistently styled, with section controls only shown when the accordion is opened.
• The default weeding value for MINIMUM WEED SIZE is now 3mm.
• The default weeding value for MAXIMUM WEED SIZE is now 100mm.
• The default weeding value for IGNORE DETECTIONS OUT OF BOUNDS is now true.
• Fixed a bug where the MOUNTED TOOL graphic was showing the incorrect side of the tool.
• Fixed a bug where the soil sensor tool was cut off in the MOUNTED TOOL graphic.