Current ArsClip Changes

The Tooltip now uses a small footer area to show clip information. I've updated the clip format to include a timestamp. While this has been in the program for a long time, it has never been used or stored on disk. Only new clips will have this information.

While performance of the popup wasn't an issue for most, large clips weren't handled efficiently - especially pictures. In the last few test versions, I've been making intermediate changes to the in-memory clip format to speed things up. Pictures are no longer converted every time the popup is shown, and the thumbnail is now cached. Unicode clips are also now processed faster overall.

One thing I've learned about ArsClip users is they push the limits of the program. New commands for Permanent Clips have been added to support customization. The latest command, [MIMIC], will use keystroke simulation for the current Permanent Clips. For example, you can now run a command prompt and paste the contents of the clipboard by using a Permanent Clip that mimics typing.

Current Roadmap

Rename Master

RM v3.4 has been released as an official version. This release contains only fixes and some new configuration options. The only planned changed for the new beta is a new Swap Step that will find a phrase and swap everything before and after that phrase.

ArsClip

There were 2 serious issues that required immediate hotfix releases. I've a new Command planned for the new beta that will trim spaces from the clipboard. I've also an idea for using a Permanent Clip for custom pasting, but this will require some more research.

NV Bright

This is a new prototype program. It is a single task, command-line program for changing the gamma on NVidia graphics cards. It works virtually the same as using the NVidia Control Panel to adjust the desktop gamma.

An example usage would be for changing the gamma before running a game with no gamma settings.

Slowdown

I had planned on released v4.6 of ArsClip earlier, but the holiday season got in the way. My current plans is to wait a few days to address any newly discovered issues with the official v4.6 release, then I'm also going to release a the version of Rename Master.

I'm going to have to go over my "todo" notes and my emails, but I think there are currently no new planned changes for either program. It's strange, but it's usually the case that I get feedback and requests all within a week or two and then not much feedback for a few weeks after that.

Side Note: There were two files missing in the source code for ArsClip. These were two shared units that I also use with other programs. I've included a "readme" textfile to explain how to fix the DPR file to work with these external files. I've also updated my pack routine to automatically include the source for these files for future updates. Since these files aren't in subfolders of this project, the paths must be manually fixed.

Another Duh Moment

I'm so used to dealing with the limitations of the old ArsClip popup, that I've missed some simple things. A user reminded me that I needed to research detecting a middle-click for the popup.

In the current Public Beta, I've added a configuration option for defining an action when clicking the middle button on a menu item. The default action for the Middle Click is to paste the current item and keep the popup open. It's a completely arbitrary choice, since the middle button's usual action is so different for every program.

As a reminder, the Keystrokes / Mouse actions include just about anything you can do using the right-click menu.

Finally Found

I finally found what I think is the last "Date Convert" issue with timestamps in Rename Master. For a Windows NTFS file system, it is legal for a file to have no timestamps for the Created and Modified. A workaround was made for this in version 3.0, a few months ago.

With user feedback, I was able to track down a related issue when the timestamp's year was less than 1980. For a missing timestamp, either the Created or Modified date will be used twice to substitute a missing date. In the worst case, today's date is used as a place-holder. This happens if both dates are missing, or if the date will not convert correctly.

Timestamp issues usually happens by using a buggy utility, or when moving a file from a remote or removable device. The second case can usually be worked around by copying the files instead of moving them. This should trigger Windows to generate a Created date that may not exist on the remote file.

Good Feedback

I've been getting some good feedback recently for both ArsClip and Rename Master. The result is shown in the current Public Beta uploads.

For ArsClip, I've added some options to override the default colors for the popup. My default design uses the current system Theme colors to mimic the operating system's look. This works pretty well for most, but visual tastes are always subjective.

I've also added a new Command in Permanent Clips. This new command will delete a specific PopupClip. One usage pattern would be to create a hotkey to delete the newest clip off the popup. Using the new command, this is possible.

For Rename Master, I've added two new configuration options for the Renaming Script. The first option will disable the Auto-Collapse feature. The second option will change the font used for the descriptions of each Step. The current Times New Roman font was specifically chosen because it is thin and allows for showing more text. On some systems and monitors, however, this may be harder to read.

New ArsClip Stuff

The first new feature has been added to the ArsClip public beta - a user request. The new option lets you paste a clip as a file. This will automatically place the contents of a clip in a file, place the file on the clipboard, and simulate a CTRL+V keystroke. The effect will be the same as pasting a file in any Explorer-like program. The program supports TXT, RTF, and BMP file formats. The Export button in Edit History, however, will perform the same function for several clips at once.

The second new feature is hidden in the arsclip.ini file. Two new values have been created for overriding the system default associations for TXT and BMP files. When 'Edit' is selected from the Clip Menu, the program will first check the override before defaulting to the current system settings. The 'Edit' function requires a single-instance program to detect when the program close, so this override is useful for specifying a compatible program (like Notepad and Paint).

Even More Status

Rename Master

The last changes have been made to the Renaming Script interface. It looks a lot like a fancy list with checkboxes, so it should be more familiar to most users. The new right-click context menu, also, should be more intuitive.

Thought 'Test 9' was supposed to be the last of the new changes, I felt this change was good enough to warrant delaying the official release by about a week.

ArsClip

Some minor changes have been made for the new Public Beta v4.6, but there's no current plan for any features. The current changes were all issues reported by users, so I'm just playing it by ear.