ArsClip and Rename Master Release Plans

The usual cycle for releases is: new features/refinements release -> fixes release(s) -> repeat. After a feature release, time is given to address major issues and gather feedback for the next set of features/refinements.

The current Public Beta of ArsClip is a fixes release. For example, the Online Code Examples broke last release and this is needed to show some of the newwe JavaScript features for automation. Those currently running the Public Beta can see the two new JavaScript examples. Test 7 is the last planned update before doing final exhaustive testing.

The current Public Beta of Rename Master is a features release. Since Rename Master hasn't had an official release in a long time, the current Public Beta is in feature freeze. While there are more ideas for further changes, a larger audience is required for more feedback. There are about 6 refinements and a complete redesign of the Insert Meta-Variables window to introduce.

Even more Tweaks for Rename Master

The latest Public Beta upload of Rename Master has some notable features.

A dropdown list of checked files is now available on the File Tags window and the Insert/Edit Meta-variables window. Before, the file list could be clicked to change the files used for data. This was not intuitive and hard to discover.

The Insert/Edit Meta-variables window has been re-designed and re-written. There is now a clear "left to right" order for the work flow. There's now an explicit way to insert multiple variables by using a "keep open" checkbox. By default, a single variable is inserted and the dialog is closed.

The "File Tags" can also be opened using the Insert popup menu on Renaming Steps. This helps improve the flow of working with the Renaming Script, so you don't have to switch focus to the File List for viewing file tag data. The "File Tags" window itself also has some small interface changes.

There's still room for improvement. The Renaming Script header portion has empty space for controls to work with the Renaming Steps. The "More" context menu for Renaming Steps has room for more menu items. The Meta-variables window can add more panels for inserting more variables. For example, the "View Tags" list could also be integrated directed into this window.

More Tweaks for Rename Master

The current Public Beta upload of RM adds some more minor changes to improve the discovery.

Controls related directly to the Renaming Steps have been made to look integrated into the script. This is a very small change with a significant impact. Also, a new help button has also been added to this area to describe the less obvious features. The Renaming Script has supported drag-and-drop re-ordering for a very long time, but there was no easy way to discover this without a help screen.

Alert dialogs have been integrated into the File List. This area is to communicate information about issues and optional ly show ways to solve them. For example, it will now detect when collisions or illegal characters are in the "New Name" column of the file list and show an option to uncheck these files. Another alert has been added for when there are no files/folders to shown that match the current filter. Before, a blank screen looked more like a program bug that just an empty list.

As always, thanks for your feedback.

Tweaks Planned for Rename Master

RM hasn't had any significant changes in a very long time. The good news is its function set and how it performs those tasks feels right. There's no need to make changes just for the sake of having a new version to advertise.

That being said, the interface does need some slight adjustments. About a year ago, a users create a very detailed document about how RM presents its features. The main issue for almost all points was how disjointed controls and menus were from the items they interact with. For example, to get a Meta-variable for a JPEG, you have to leave the Renaming Script area and use the file list to view the existing tag data found in the file. Then you have to copy that tag and go back to the Renaming Script step to paste it.

My current goals for the next version of RM are to improve discovery of functions and to logically relate controls to items. How to edit the Renaming script is going to be made easier to learn and use. The flow of working with tag data from files will be made more streamlines. Controls will be moved closer to the items that they interact with.

The current Public Beta addresses a few of the issues. The plain is to to more beta versions with less changes, so it's easier to see what's changed and easier to address user feedback quicker.

ArsClip Beta Plans

No new major features will be added to the current Public Beta of ArsClip. Focus will be place on tweaks and fixes for the new features and existing issues. For example, it was not possible to use the Edit Permanent Clip window to test clips that needed to automate a copy of selected text. Two options were added to make this work; a setting to prevent the preview from auto-clearing, and a shortcut key for executing the current macro.

One update that won't be a program update will be new "Online Code Examples" additions. I'll be using these example to show off the new automation features. Below is a work-in-progress example for pasting selected text into an open or new Notepad instance:

---
function main(clipboardStr) {
  manuallyExecuteMacro("[COPY=\"PLAIN\"][WAIT=100]");

  var currenth = getCurrentWindow();
  var h = findWindowByPartialTitle("- Notepad");
  if (h == 0) {
    manuallyExecuteMacro("[RUN]notepad.exe[ENDRUN]");
  } else {
    setForegroundWindow(h);
  }
  manuallyExecuteMacro("[WAIT=100]");

  var h2 = getCurrentWindow();
  if (currenth == h2) {
  } else {
    manuallyExecuteMacro("[PASTEDEFAULT][ENTER REPEAT=1][WAIT=200]");
    setForegroundWindow(currenth);
  }
}
---

The current window is remembered and selected text is copied. Notepad is either found or run, Focus is placed on Notepad, the clip is pasted and the Enter key is simulated. Finally, focus is returned to the original window.

Even thought this script is a bit complicated than I'd like for an example, it shows just how flexible the new window manipulation features are. In general, the goal is for most of the new examples to be much simpler.

Solving Issues in ArsClip - Part 4

The latest Public Beta of ArsClip adds a new JavaScript routine for detecting the type of clip on the clipboard. This makes is possible to create Permanent Clips that work differently depending on the clipboard. This adds another tool for copy-paste automation for more flexibility.

This is almost the last of the planned changes for clip format and automation support. There are a few window helper routines that might be added. For example, maximizing/minimizing a window, and getting the title of the current window could help with automation and verification.

As always, thanks to everyone for their continued feedback. Since this is a new type of feature for ArsClip, it requires a lot of guidance.

Solving Issues in ArsClip - Part 3

The current Public Beta upload of ArsClip further addresses issues with working with clip formats and automation. A new "Get Clipboard As" command has been added to the Insert Commands>Popup Clips menu. This will let an AC Macro retrieve Popup Clips from the clipboard, no matter the current Clipboard Monitor settings.

A new window manipulation routine has been added to JavaScript. This routine will search through window titles and return the first window containing a phrase. For example, this can be used to find a focus a Notepad window that has "- Notepad" in the title.

An experimental feature has also been added to the Edit Permanent Clip window. It's a viewer for HTML clips set to "design mode". While you can technically edit the contents in this control, changes will not be saved.

Solving Issues in ArsClip - Part 2

(Show above is the new RichText editor)

The current Public Beta upload of ArsClip focuses on working with formatted text.

The Edit Permanent Clip window has been updated to allow for directly changing text clip formats. This helps when a user is creating a new blank clip. It also makes it easier to discover how Permanent Clips can use formatted text.

RichText clips can be directly edited in a Permanent Clip. While it's still preferable to create formatted text in a full featured text editor, AC can do some minor changes to a Permanent Clip without having to switch between programs.

The Clipboard Bar has been changed to be able to make new Permanent Clips using any detected text format. This works without having to change any Configuration settings for formatted text.

HTML Clips in the Edit Permanent Clip window are still read-only for now. However, a help panel is shown to guide in the creation of HTML Clips. It will show when no HTML Clip content is found on the clipboard and adds a button to create a new clip from the Clipboard. Research is being done on editing these clips directly in the program.

NOTE: The current buttons on the RichTExt editor are just placeholders. New icons will be create for some of these buttons.