Redux Update

ArsClip's default popup view on a new install has been simplified in the latest Public Beta. Before the Full/Configured popup item was added to the program, the only way users would see new items was if they were displayed by default. This was an all around mistake and I didn't fix this mistake when I created the view toggle command.

Looking at the old popup on a new installation, way too much information is being displayed. It's hard to discern the commonly used items from the occasional items. The items, also, are not categorized very well either.

To fix these problems, I've re-organized the default view and disabled most items by default. The new look is simply history, Permanent Clips, System, and the view toggle. Before, the view toggle actually did nothing on a new install since all items were enabled. Now, it shows how the popup looks in Full Mode and what items are less important but still available. I've also grouped together the Recently Removed and Recently Clicked items with the clipboard history, since they are all logically tied together. All the utility features, that are hidden by default, are grouped together as well to imply a category.

Lastly, there is no reason that the Cancel item should have an assigned keystroke. Windows automatically detects the Escape key to dismiss standard popup menus. I simply changed the label to show ESC is a valid keystroke.

I think these changes should make it much easier to learn how the popup works, while still showing there is additional functionality. The problem still exists that the popup shows very little of use until a few items are copied to the clipboard. There's no history or permanent clips to show and these are the most important items. The only work-around I can think of for this first-run problem is to detect the text on the clipboard and add it to the history just so something is shown on the popup.

Redux for ArsClip and Rename Master

These new betas address issues I'm seeing after revisiting new installations of the program.

In ArsClip, I give instructions under Configuration>Misc for pinning the program to the taskbar. There are two issues with the text. The first issue is that the Config window no longer appeared in the taskbar. The second issue is a warning about right-clicking on the executable and selecting "Pin to Taskbar". I've fixed the first issue by forcing the window to show in the taskbar. I re-tested pinning the executable to the taskbar and the Jumplist now works as expected, but only after the program has been run at least once. I tried to duplicate the problem where two icons would show on the taskbar for ArsClip, but was unable to do so.

Though I've not changed it, I believe the default configuration of the popup needs tweaking. The order of the items isn't what I personally use and there are too many items being shown by default. Since the addition of the "Full Mode" toggle, there's no reason to show so much by default. It's just too cluttered and doesn't help new users to learning the essential features of the program.

For Rename Master, the default display settings have always been problematic. There was a strange bug where drag-n-drop support broke if the program was set to show on the center of the desktop. The initial size was designed when 640x480 was a supported desktop resolution, and too much information was being shown on the initial run. I've fixed these issues by making the default size larger, centering the program on the monitor by default, disabling the folder browser by default, and tweaking the Scripting tab to display less information. I also re-vamped the default script in an order that's less likely to override other renaming options (Removes first, Replaces second, and Adds last). I've also included version information inside the scripts so I can conditionally update older default scripts as needed in future versions.

The 'Duh' Moment

... or the great epiphany. How do most users edit the clipboard? If you're like me, you end up opening a text editor like Notepad (or my favorite very light-weight editor, Metapad). You press CTRL+V, edit the text, then highlight the text and press CTRL+C, and finally close the program and select Don't Save at the warning dialog.

That requires several steps for what should be a simple process. I added an 'Edit Clipboard' window to ArsClip long ago, but it was a foolish thing to do. There's no reason a person should have to re-learn to use another text editor, especially when it's bad and lacks your favorite features. Even I didn't use this feature and preferred using a separate text editor.

---

In the newest Public Beta of ArsClip, I've replaced the 'Edit Clipboard' window with your favorite text editor. AC will create a temporary plain text file with the contents of the clipboard, open the file using Windows' associated program, and then it will automatically update the clipboard with any changes to the file.

This new method automates most of the process and corrects a huge mistake I made in early development. It also opens up the possibility of new future options, like the ability to detect RichText on the clipboard and open it with the associated program.

Yet Another Step and Other Stuff

I'm working on a new renaming operation for Rename Master. It's the ability to remove a word by number. You define what separates a word, or what characters a word can contain and specify the number of the word to remove.

I've not made up my mind if I should keep this option, or just alter the Remove Expression step to let the user say to only remove a specific instance of the expression. Remove Expression is the most flexible operation, but I'm a bit worried about its complexity. It's just so flexible it would be a shame not to add another tool to the swiss army knife of the renaming operations.

---

In other news, I never did think of a way of removing the rare dialogs that sometimes appear in ArsClip. I'll have to revisit that idea some other time. There are, however, a few new Public Beta versions of ArsClip available with some small new functions. I should still be able to release version 3.1.6 officially soon. The current beta version is a stable release and is likely to be the same as the official release, if you want to get a head start.

ArsClip Prototype

Test 3 of ArsClip contains a new method for displaying the popup. The idea isn't new and previously existed in MouseWranger, but it took user feedback to tell me that it's an interesting and useful feature. In MouseWranger, I called this a ScratchPad. The window shows as only a sliver on the left hand side of the screen until the mouse hovers over it. It's purpose, when shown, was to literally draw lines as the user performed a gesture.

There's a problem, though, in ArsClip. I've no idea what to call this feature. Currently, the Configuration window option is called a "trigger window". When the mouse enters the partially visible window, the main popup window is displayed instead.

This feature is optimal for mouse users. You don't have to magically know to hold down right-click to trigger the popup. There's a visual cue directly on the screen that reacts as soon as the mouse enters it. It's intuitive and, best of all, it's fast. The popup acts as normal and will dismiss when focus is removed or Escape is pressed.

---

Error Dialogs

This new feature also has me re-thinking how to deal with errors displaying the popup. First of all, windows with no control to target will trigger a dialog box asking to use 'Clipboard Only' mode. Most users will click "Yes" without reading or understand this message. For example, CMD.EXE triggers this message. A program running as Admin with UAC on will also trigger similar actions.

For CMD.EXE, mimic typing actual seems like the best alternative; otherwise, you manually have to use the 'Edit>Paste' menu option of the command prompt when ArsClip is in 'Clipboard Only' mode. UAC limited programs cannot receive mimicked keystrokes, so this is not an option.

What I'm trying to figure out it how to automatically choose the correct pasting method and correctly inform the user of problems without breaking the normal workflow with dialog boxes. One option I though of was simply displaying 'Clipboard Only' using a tooltip once a clip has been clicked on the popup. This doesn't break the normal workflow, but it also doesn't tell the user why it's not working as usual. Another option I though of was to display a tooltip when the popup is displayed to signal a problem. This tooltip, however, can easily be destroyed before being read by just using an arrow key to navigate the popup.

So far, no option I've thought of is great, but the current method of displaying an error dialog has to be worse.

More Tweaks

In MakeLinks, I've updated the breadcrumb indicator and changed the default MakeLinks identifier from text to a small trailing icons when the clickable links option is enabled. The goal was to make them appealing, easily identifiable, and less distracting.

I've also added new options for handling links that may contain unwanted characters and for including non-standard characters as part of a link's path. For example, brackets are not allowed in a path, but many browsers will alter the links, in the background, to work as expected. Adding the bracket characters in the options page will allow links like http://www.example.com/[hello]to_you. Also, in the previous example, links that end in a period (and other common punctuation characters) will be detected and the link split in two or more parts. This way, it's easy to choose the correct version.

The Overall Status

Rename Master
It's been over a year since version 2.9.5 started in beta. Even though only small changes and fixes have been made, it's way passed time for an official release. The last task is to fix the Replace Phrase option to include a limiter for the Name or Extension. Once this is finished, this version will likely be released this week.

MakeLinks
The experiment was a success and it was the fastest downloaded program I've had to date. A new version has been 'uploaded for approval' at the official Opera Extension Catalog. This new version fixes many of the existing problem and limitations.

ArsClip
Version 3.1.5 was officially released about three months ago. This release was comprised almost completely of minor fixes.


While the feature changes have been very slim for RM and AC, the good news is that the beta releases have been very stable. It's easy and quick to upload a new beta version to address reported bugs or to test new features.

For MakeLinks, the upload approval process is slow so I've had to spend much more time testing the extension before releasing new versions. Since this extension is automatically updated, uploading a version with an undiscovered bug can affect thousands immediately and can take a day or more for a fix to be approved for publishing. The different platform for this program means not too many people are trying the beta versions, so feedback has been almost non-existent. Virtually all feedback has been located on the page MakeLinks page in the Opera Extension Catalog.

A Small Experiment

I've created something new that was initially just something for me to use. It's an extension for Opera that will turn text web addresses into clickable links when you highlight text containing addresses. For now, I'm calling it MakeLinks for Opera.



From my statistics, not very many people that visit my website use Opera as a browser. I, however, do not think the extension is ready to be officially submitted for distribution, so I'm hosting it here as an experiment. I'm not expecting any feedback for this item, but I'm still hopeful.