ArsClip Plans

Version 5.07 of ArsClip will be released as an official version soon. Preparations are being made to ensure that if a hotfix is needed, it can be addressed quickly.

Version 5.08 of ArsClip work has already started. I've adding basic JavaScript support, using the build-in WIndows cscript tool. The change will look like the following:

screen cap

The edit clip window has been altered to support the new clip type. AC will use this single function to generate a full script. The start/end macro labels are a special syntax used to insert a block of AC's macro code directly into JavaScript. More than one of these blocks can be used if needed.

All the details are preliminary and may change. The only incoming data from AC in this version is the clipboard in plaintext format. I'll need to find an efficient way of including other data, like the Popup Clips, into the script. I may use some more special syntax for this, so it's only conditionally included.

Flexibility Needed 2

I've come to the conclusion that it will most likely be easier to add JavaScript support to ArsClip's macros that it would be to advance AC's macros beyond simple linear routines. While this is not 100% definite, I'll likely be adding this support in v5.08 of ArsClip.

Why add JavaScript, who's going to use it?

Most users won't use it. Most users don't need macros either. Those users that do need macros use the hell out of them. The current process now is that a user must send in a request to support a feature. Usually, an ArsClip macro will already do the task. If the idea seems like a good fit, the program may be updated with a new command to support the feature directly. A lot of requests are too specific or beyond the scope of ArsClip to support directly in the program. Adding in JavaScript support will allow users to customize macros without having to rely on a program update that may never occur.

As an example, look at the new CLIPBOARSPLIT command. With JavaScript, this feature could have been added to the macro window as a template. As a script, a user can customize the command; change the separator string to a Regular Expression. As a hard-coded command, it's extremely limited in use.

How will it work?

Good question. I don't have a 100% answer yet. I do, however, have the requirements. AC macros need to easily integrate with the JavaScript. That means it needs to be trivial to pass information between the two. It also means that the JavaScript needs to be able to control the flow AC macros and possibly create macros dynamically. Most likely, AC will create some custom syntax that will actually be converted to script behind the scenes.

Addons for ArsClip?

With JavaScript support, this could be possible in the future. Just like a Web Browser can be expanded in functionality with addons, Permanent Macros perform a similar task. They add functionality to the program to fit a very specific need - often too specific to be useful for most users. Instead of updating the program itself to support new macro commands, these new commands could be created as addons.

Flexibility Needed

The Split Clipboard command is great for doing a single routine repeatedly, but it doesn't account for the case when the split pieces need to be treated differently.

[CLIPBOARDONLY][CLIPBOARDSPLIT SEPARATOR="\n"][INSERTPIECE][PUSHCLIPBOARD][ENDCLIPBOARDSPLIT]

The above is a bit of a hack that will fill the Temporary Clip List with pieces. From here, pieces can be removed from the list and pasted using:

[POPFIRST][PASTEDEFAULT]

This works, but it's far from intuitive. Having the Split Clipboard command implicitly be a loop may be a mistake. The command may be better served just saving the clipboard as pieces. Then, the pieces can be inserted one at a time or inserted using a loop. This is much more flexible and more intuitive.

[CLIPBOARDSPLIT SEPARATOR="\n"][SPLITITEM=0][SPLITITEM=1][SPLITITEM=2]

The above shows the case where the number of splits is known ahead of time. The user copies a block of text with 3 separate lines and those lines are pasted without linefeeds.

[CLIPBOARDSPLIT SEPARATOR="\n"][SPLITLOOP="$i"][SPLITITEM=$i][ENDSPLITLOOP]

The above show the case where the number of splits is not known ahead of time or all splits can be treated the same. The Split Item looks the same, but an index variable is used instead of a hardcoded number.

The "Insert" menu would have 2 versions of the Split Command to use for templates. While not perfect, this seems to be a better solution that allows for much more flexibility.

A New ArsClip Command

Work is being done on a new command that will split the clipboard into pieces. This will basically be an insert command that functions like a loop. I had written a long post describing it in detail, accidentally closed it, and I'm too lazy to repeat it. The idea is (based on a user request) is as follows:

[SPLITCLIPBOARD SEPARATOR=""][INSERTPIECE][/ENDSPLITCLIPBOARD]

Any command or text could be placed before or after the [INSERTPIECE] command. For example, keystroke simulation could be added after the insert. This command is tailored for advanced users and is clearly targeted for pasting automation. The example given to me by a user was to copy an address and paste it into a form. The command for that would look like the following:

[SPLITCLIPBOARD SEPARATOR="\n"][INSERTPIECE][TAB][/ENDSPLITCLIPBOARD]

Each line from the clipboard is pasted and a tab key is simulated. In the case that City/State are on the same line separated by a comma, the following would work (only if the one comma is present):

[CLIPBOARDFIND="," REPLACE="\n"][SPLITCLIPBOARD SEPARATOR="\n"][INSERTPIECE][TAB][/ENDSPLITCLIPBOARD]

This could replace the tedious task of copying each individual line and then using Form Mode or the "keep open" keystroke to paste the parts.

Invisible Helper

Thank you to whomever is reporting ArsClip Mini crashes on an Asus MeMo. Once nice thing about Android apps and the Play store is that it reports the exact line of source code that is causing the crash, if the users presses the "report" button.

ACM uses the "accessibility" features to receive reports when a textbox is clicked on. For some unknown reason, some Android systems just don't implement or incorrectly implement these notifications. This is causing the ACM service to crash because of an unhandled exception. Since I can only test on one real device and several virtual machines, I can't replicate these issues. I can, however, add exception handlers to the code that usually wouldn't need it.

For the user, it would seem that ACM was randomly crashing. Actually, this seemed to be occurring on when a users was clicking on a textbox in a browser page and the system was returning only partial accessibility notifications.

In any case, the last reported crash showed that my first attempt only partially solved the issue. In the latest update (v1.7), this crash has been resolved. I may have to further refine some code, but this "bug" appears to have been squashed.

ArsClip Hidden Settings

In the latest Public Beta of ArsClip, a new section has been added to the arsclip.ini file. This "hidden" section will contain settings that were formerly hardcoded in the program. For example, "MinClipLength" defines how long a text clip must be for adding to the Popup Clips list.

From now on, new default values will always be added to the INI file. This allows expert users to tinker with advanced customization option, before an option exists in the Configuration window. If a setting becomes popular, these settings may be added as an option under Configuration.

This will bridge the gap between the failed "just add an option" design and the new "don't clutter the Configuration" design. User requests for setting can be added to the "hidden" section with almost not consequences, as long as the setting doesn't interfere with the normal flow of the program. For example, the setting "ShowClipCues" was added for disabling the small tooltip that appears when a new clip is ignored by the program, or when the paste method is overridden. This setting is something that would almost never be used and the new "cues" feature has been an overwhelming success. It doesn't hurt to have it as a hidden setting.

ArsClip Database Size

There's an issue that may start revealing itself in ArsClip for users with large amounts of clips: the database(DB) size. In the last beta, the entire clip table had to be re-created to fix an issue with a few columns. This required creating a new copy of the table and removing the old. This doubles the size of the file, even though most of the space is empty.

In future versions, when the DB is updated like this, the program will automatically run the "compact" command to get rid of all the blank space. Since the DB isn't updated often, the "Edit Clips" tab for databases will also have a place to compact the local DB. This will also help those that use ArsClip on a thumb drive.

Busy, Busy

Last Edit: Nov-23-2015

Lots of things are going on here.

WinColor is a simple tool, so there's not much room for growth. It could add a few features, like savable themes, but this tool needs more feedback before deciding on updates.
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NewFileGo does a simple task, but is far from a simple tool. There are a few ideas being worked but only one planned for the next version.

The "Explorer" code option is being updated. In the current version, only shell verbs that appear in the registry are available. In the next version, the program will be able to get a "live" list of verbs to use from Explorer. This will include commands from third party shell tools that appear in the Explorer content menu.

This new code gives me another automation idea, the ability to execute these commands in a command prompt or script. NFG could be altered to also perform this task. It's almost out of the scope of the program, but the code already exists for executing Explorer context menu commands.
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ArsClip is now very stable and happy. New features can be worked on again.
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ArsClip Mini is on development hold. The user base has stopped growing. While it performs a feature no other clipboard app on Android can do, it's hard to discover on Android. Updating to support cloud sharing with ArsClip for Windows is now very low on the todo-list. Currently, only the clipboard can be shared with Windows and only over a LAN connection.
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Rename Master has no current plans for changes. It's still popular, but there's no feedback.

MouseWrangler has no current plans for changes. It's rarely downloaded, so it's likely to be removed from active development to the "More Programs" section.