Access is Denied Error

A new issue has surfaced, cause by the new compiler. Rename Master and ArsClip no longer trigger the VirtualStore when they are located in the Program Files folder. When trying to run the new betas from these locations, an "Access is Denied" error is triggered by my program's file write detection routines.

I'm currently researching a fix for this.


EDIT: I've updated the programs so that they will default to "Virtualized". This makes the compatible when installed in the Program Files location, but is only recommended for users that don't need a standalone program.

ArsClip Error

I've been getting reports of a cascade of error prompts that sometimes occurs when starting ArsClip. I've seen this happen once on a reboot, but I've been unable to reproduce the conditions that caused the error.

In the latest Public Beta, I've corrected the error logging features to catch this issue and record it to the debug log. When the program correctly catches the issue, it will display a prompt with an error saying "[Debug.txt] log created". If you encounter this issue, please send me a copy of this file from the ArsClip folder.

UPDATE: It looks like I've fixed this issue completely.

About Those Version Numbers

You may have noticed that the version numbers for the latest have changed. The new scheme used by the compiler requires some explaining.

Before, versions where in the following format:
3.2.1 build 9999.

Now, versions are in the following format:
3.2.1111 build 999999.

Only the first two numbers are now relevant. The third number, represented as 1111, is now part of a timestamp. The last numbers, represented as 999999, also part of the same timestamp.

The good part is that the timestamp is now guaranteed to uniquely identify the current build. Before, the build number often was not automatically updated and was unreliable.

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On my ToDo list is changing the About windows to show the new version in the following format: 3.2 build 1111 999999. This should make the version number easier to read and slightly less confusing.

Unicode Followup

Now that both ArsClip and Rename Master (AC, RM) have been migrated to the new compiler and uploaded as Public Beta versions, the hard part of the switch is over. While AC required the most rewriting, it also made a lot of the code much simpler.

Both programs feel much more responsive - especially the user interface. While the executable is 30 to 50% larger, it's a trade-off for speed and a more robust framework. For most, a 3 MB uncompressed file is still going to be a very quick download. AC, also, has improved the most by replacing a lot of very crude code used for primitive Unicode support. RM's improvements were noticeably small. Only those with Unicode filenames will notice a difference in functionality.

While replacing my 6 year old compiler has solved many issues, the new program versions don't have the luxury of being tested on thousands of systems. My own testing is limited to my personal Win7 64 bit machine and a virtual WinXP machine. It's very important to report even the smallest of issues with the programs, since it may be new.

ArsClip Redesign

As I thought, ArsClip is requiring a redesign of specific parts of the program. Now that everything is Unicode, some previous features don't make any sense in the program. As always, I try to make changes that are backwards compatible and do any conversion invisibly. With any luck, most of these changes will be mostly undetectable.

First off, the plain text version of the clip is now always Unicode. This means that the storage format for saving clips has changed. The program will, however, detect the old format of ".acy" files when reading and convert it to the new format when saved. This also means that popup clips and removed clips will not work for older versions of the program.

Second, Permanent Clips have also changed. Unicode characters can be used in the menu caption and clip just like regular text. Before, a Unicode clip was read only and could only be displayed. This also means that a new file format is used and it is automatically created.

Third, HTML and RichText clips will now always take precedence over Unicode when detecting new Clips on the clipboard. Before, ArsClip would always get two copies of a text clip: a plain text version and a Unicode, RichText, or HTML clip -- if those formats were enabled.

Fourth, the Tooltip hint window needed to be rewritten. Before, it was overly complex to support manually displaying Unicode and was barely functional. The code is now simplified and the window's behavior is reliable.

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A Public Beta should be available soon.

Unicode Notes

The latest Public Beta of Rename Master is built with a new compiler. Most everything will look the same, but there are some changes that needed to be noted:

- version numbers are wildly different
- the executable file size is larger, but performance is faster
- visuals of the filelist are slightly different on Vista and above

I'll be using what I'm learning about migrating RM to help with migrating ArsClip. It should make the process go smoother the second time.

The "Unicode" Experiment

I'm currently evaluating what it's going to cost, in time and money, to upgrade Delphi (the language that creates my programs). One of the major reasons, besides numerous bug fixes and better support for newer Windows version, is for real Unicode support.

I've been using a trial version to test migrating Rename Master. My guess was that it would require the least amount of work to get it in a semi-working state. After about two or three days of work, I think I finally worked out the last of the major issues. The updates to support Unicode filenames were actually pretty easy, but the custom drawn controls presented several issues.

The good news is that the program looks better on Windows XP. The visuals of the controls look more modern and more consistent between different version of Windows. The bad news is that the visual quirks and control behaviors have changed and require obscure methods to fix. I'm guessing that ArsClip will require much more work to migrate, since it's more demanding in several areas beside graphical.

I've learned that the amount of work isn't trivial, but it's not crippling either. It won't be the major issue and deciding factor. The lowest price version of Delphi used to be more than the website could make in several years, but there is a now much more reasonably priced version available.

The Meta-Variable Conundrum

One issue that was never corrected in Rename Master was the problem of data that may not exist in a file. For example, a JPEG may conditionally contain several EXIF tags, but none of them are required. If you use a tag variable that only exists in some of the target files, the variable will be removed, since the data replacing it is actually empty. It's hard to tell when there is an issue with one of the files.

I'm making 3 changes to the program to help combat this issue. First, I've added a Configuration option to detect missing or empty tags. When this option is enabled, the variable will not be replaced in the New Name column with empty text. Since meta-variable question marks are not legal in a filename, this will let the user know there is a problem since a rename operation cannot be performed without an error.

Waiting until the renaming phase, however, is a bit late in the process. I've updated the program to detect illegal names and make them blue and bold in the filelist. This way, there are plenty of visual cues to let the user know there's an issued that must be addressed. This behaves similar to how the filename collision detection works.

The last change I made was to add a [Tool>Highlight Illegal] menu item. This way, the names can be quickly highlighted and unchecked to allow a Rename Operation to continue.