Feature Freeze

Both ArsClip and Rename Master public betas will now only be updated for bugfixes until they are officially released.

Both programs will include a new optional Setup program [already included in the last RM public release]. I might rename the Setup.exe to Setup(Optional).exe or something like that because even though the word "OPTIONAL" is shown in all caps on the information screen of the setup, I'm sure I'll catch some grief for it.

For RM, the majority of the changes are bug fixes and most of the bug fixes are for the Scripting View. For new features, there's one new renaming Step, a new default view, improved Scripting View visuals, and a new Format Variable dialog.

For AC, the changes are much less and include only a few bug fixes. For new features, the most notable changes are the new right-click trigger and the "(Column Break)" option.

Rename Master - a new default view

One of the biggest challenges for the new Scripting View is converting older users that don't want to re-learn how to use the program. My first attempt was a Scripting View toggle button. The toggle button lets the user switch to the older renaming options interface. This lets them use something familiar to do tasks, but my hope was that they'd learn the new interface and see it's actually much more powerful and still pretty easy to use once the initial learning time has been invested.

This is not the case. Some users didn't even find the new toggle button and switched back to older versions of the program. As some noted OS developers have stated, there is a group of users that do not like changes - even when the change is better. I try not to make any drastic changes and at least make an option to revert when the change is major, but this isn't always enough.

With the latest Public Beta, I've added more features that may help easy the transition to the new view. First, a list of each step type is automatically generated [in a disabled state] for the Default script (the script that is loaded every time the Rename Master is started). This is more similar to the previous interface where the user searches through a list of renaming options and enables only the items he wants to use.

This new default view has many advantages for learning. First, the user can quickly explore each item without having to add each step one at a time. This makes for an easier way to discover and explore all options. Second, this gives the user time to discover later that you can have multiple steps of the same type and you can order the steps any way you want [something the user couldn't do previously]. The user doesn't even have to learn to use the "New Step" button this way. Also, all the previous renaming options have been condensed into only 9 separate steps, where before the user would have to search thru over 20 items to find the operation the user wants.

The look has also been altered to be less cluttered. Each step used to show 4 buttons on the right side for moving, disabling, and deleting the step. In the new view, these buttons are only shown when the step is expanded or the right-most part of the step is clicked (this is currently not documented and has no visual cue). The Scripting Steps are designed to mimic how the "Security Center" works where a title is shown for each item and clicking on it expands it to show further details. This control design isn't too common yet, but it's now a standard guideline for showing information in the most recent Windows operating systems and should be normal sooner than later.

Also, the text is now set to grey when the item is disabled since the Enable/Disable button is not shown by default. This look is also more consistant with how items in Windows are shown to be disabled. Changing a setting will automatically enable the step; otherwise, it would be confusing to change the item and have no effect of the filename.

Drop me a line and let me know what you think of the latest Public Beta. I, personally, think it's better and should help not only previous users but also new users understand the new Scripting View. Unfortunately, I'm only one person, so my opinion is rather limited.

Rename Master's new scripting step

The latest Public Beta of RM includes a new scripting step - the option to remove everything before/after a phrase or character. This new feature is the direct result of user feedback. Previously, only a set number of characters could be removed from the beginning/ending of a filename.

If you wanted to do something like swap two parts of a filename, this could only be done using little known (and hard to learn) Full Regular Expression arguments. Using the new step, and the option to save the removed text in a ?temp? variable, you can cut-and-paste the start or end of a filename.

ArsClip Experiments

I'm looking for new ways to trigger the popup. In the lastest Public Beta, holding the right mousebutton for about a second will show the popup when the button is released. This will likely be preferable by mouse-heavy users, but it's a bit slow to trigger and could be done with some other mouse action quicker.

I'm thinking of adding a command line parameter to the program, so something like "ArsClip.exe -popup" will trigger the popup. This can be used by mouse software to have ArsClip on a special mousebutton. I'm also thinking about other possible mouse triggered actions, like holding right-click then pressing left click for a trigger.

I you have an idea about the mouse activated popup, or have feedback about the current experimental method, let me know.

ArsClip 3.1.2 - Last Changes

I've implemented all the change ideas I had for version 3.1.2 of ArsClip in the last beta upload. Besides bug fixes, the major features are as follows:

- Recently Clicked popup submenu item
- Search and Paste popup menu item and dialog
- Easy ways to use the popup to edit Configured Mode and individual Permanent Items

The "button" shown when a Permanent Item is highlighted got me thinking about other options to show for a highlighted menu item. I don't have any ideas yet, but I'm thinking that there's room for growth in this area.

ArsClip Search

I'm toying around with a new feature in the latest Public Beta upload that needs feedback. It's a Search item on the popup that's used to search for text in Text Items and Permanent Items (and possibly Removed Items in the next release) and shows a list of pasteable items.

Before showing the "Search and Paste" window, ArsClip will detect the last word typed in the current window and use it as the default search string. For Permanent Items, both the caption and the text are searched. Search results where the search string is found near the beginning of the text, or where the search string is part of caption are shown first in the result list.

The Up/Down arrow keys can be used move the highlighted in the results list and Return/Enter will paste the item. I forgot to add an option to just click an item to paste, but this will also be added.

ArsClip is not forgotten

I've had an idea for a little bit for a nice addition to ArsClip, but the more popular Rename Master has stolen my attention lately.

The idea is simple, a Recent submenu item (or Recently Clicked). Unlike the Recently Removed items list, this list will be a collection of items that were clicked recently, not recently removed from the main list. Sometimes there's an item that you seem to be clicking often but keeps getting pushed down the list. Before, you would have to use "Undelete item" to move it from the recently removed list onto the main list again.

A copy of the clicked items will be placed onto the Recently Clicked list. The list will be ordered with the most recently clicked items on top. Clicking an item in this list move it to the top and clicking on an item in any other list will place a copy on top of this list.

This is the only idea I have for change for the next version of ArsClip, so I'm still looking for other ideas. I've had some feedback for some ideas recently, but most would require a large rewrite for sections of the program and aren't high on my todo list.

Rename Master - finishing touches

I'm making the final preparations for release. Since a significant rework was done to support columns and the scripting view, I'm going to wait a little bit more for feedback and bug reports on the current beta upload. I'll probably wait about 2 weeks before making an official release - depending on how many bugs are found between then and now.

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I already have some more idea for additions to the Scripting View, but I think it wise to wait until after an official release (followed by a possible quick bugfix release) before working on them.

The first idea is to create a ?temp? meta-variable. Some of the Remove Steps would have an option to place the removed text into this variable. This way, you can put it in an Add step to basically move it anywhere. This would also simulate the full regular expression option of items in parenthesis into "$1" variables - but be much simpler.

I was thinking about adding a Move catagory of steps, but a ?temp? variable would do the same thing and reuse all the already powerful Add Steps that you'll be familiar with. The temp variable could be used with the Replace or Remove, but I don't currently see those options doing anything meaningful with the new variable.

A second change I was thinking of was a way to temporarily disable a Step. Currently, the only way to stop a step from executing during a preview is to remove it. While creating a new script, it might be easier to see the effects if you can turn off some options without having the re-create them from scratch to turn them back on.

A third change idea I was thinking of was an update to the expanded Step control. Currently, the controls in the expanded view are static and don't stretch when the main for is resized. I'm not quite sure that it's needed, but it might be more asthetically pleasing to do so.
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Anyways, using Mini Rename Buttons and the new Scripting View, I'm very happy with the smaller and simpler interface. If I was really smart, I would have done this from the very beginning, but this never entered my mind as a good and simple way for the user to define the renaming options.