Oops

It appears I posted an older build of the program that crashes immediately. It looks like Test 12 was uploaded instead of Test 13. Those that don't want to wait for me to figure out the problem can use Test 13, since this is supposed to be the official release of version 3.1.4.


EDIT: I've uploaded an updated official version to fix this problem.

A long public beta for ArsClip

ArsClip v3.1.4 has been a Public Beta for over a year, until now. In this official version, there have been updates for Windows 7 jumplists, updated icons, a new Permanent Clip command for inserting items from the popup directly into a Permanent Clip, and quite a few bug fixes.

For the most part, my public betas of this version have been quite stable. This has caused me to be a bit lazy about creating an official release because I felt confident recommending using the beta release version for those that were having problems.

Since Windows 7 discourages use of the system tray (aka notification area), I've updated ArsClip to use the new Jumplist system. This allows for accessing windows and commands directly by right-clicking the taskbar's icon.

Stump The JoeJoe

Every once in a while, I'll get some feedback asking me how to do a complicated renaming operation in Rename Master. Since I'm currently updating the Help section for this program, I got the idea to add an example section using examples from real users. In the newest release, I've included a few renaming example scripts to get users started, but I thought some real world examples and solutions might help with some less obvious solutions.


If you've an operation you can't quite figure out to do, send me an email. What I'll need is a short description, a sample list of filenames, and a list showing the desired result.

Here's a real example from a user where where the month name needs to be inserted into the filename after the date:

Before:
file1 20100131 sgelse.ext
file1 20100228 sgelse.ext
file1 20100331 sgelse.ext

After:
file1 20100131 Jan sgelse.ext
file1 20100228 Feb sgelse.ext
file1 20100331 Mar sgelse.ext

To see the answer, see the "Rename Master -> Rename Master Help -> Renaming Examples" section.

New year filler

Just to have a post for 2010 on the home page, I'm writing a reminder for the newest Public Beta upload or Rename Master. This version is likely to be the official release for version 2.4.9, unless a problem is found.

In this new version, almost all changes are bug fixes except for one. The new "Remove Expression" step is a new and very powerful renaming option. This is a simplified version of regular expressions that the average person should be able to figure out. It lets you explain the part of a filename you wish to remove without using specifics.

An expression starts with something, has something in the middle, and ends with something. This "something" can be an exact phrase, a stream of certain characters in any order, or stream of any characters that aren't in a list. For example, the expression "(TextHere)" starts with "(", has the letters A thru Z in the middle, and ends with ")".

Google Famous

Just out of curiosity, I turned on Google's search suggestions and typed in "rename". At number 8 in the list is my humble little program - Rename Master.

On January 18th 2010, Rename Master will be over 8 years old. Happy birthday RM.

A New Step for RM

The last official release of Rename Master was in July, but I'm currently working a new renaming option. I've uploaded my progress in the current Public Beta upload and I'm looking for feedback to see if I'm on the right track.

This new step adds support for removing an "expression", or a pattern, from a filename. While RM has had support for full Regular Expressions for quite some time, this new step adds a GUI for a much easier to understand version. Normally, only programmers know about or understand regular expressions, but this new addition makes it so most anyone can learn and understand the concept.

A new ArsClip release

ArsClip v3.1.3 has finally been released, after one of the most involved testing cycles ever. The most notable changes in this release are a setup program, support for a single history list (with both text and non-text items), a new right-click hold trigger for the popup, and "column break" item that will break the popup into two columns. As always, all of these changes are options but some of these items are set on by default.

Along with these new features, a lot of compatability of bug fixes have been added to this version. Conflicts with large clipboard items [like from Office programs] and IntelliType software have been resolved. A workaround for a crash after a video driver reset has been added, and compatibility has been added for non-US keyboards with AltGr support for mimicing typing.

Windows 7

Now that Windows 7 is in public beta, I'll be testing my programs on it. There should be no difference between the testing results I get in Vista, but if there is a problem I should be able to track down the problems without the difficulty of relying on email exchanges.

A long overdue promise

A long time ago, I said that I would add support for renaming files using text from a text file. I've been thinking about how to do it in Rename Master for a while and I had one of those "duh" moments for a simple solution that is flexible. I thought of a good way to add support that seems match the multiple ways this feature has been requested.

In the current Public Beta upload, I've added support for a new Textfile tab that lets you define a text file or CSV formatted file and retrieve data into special ?text1? style meta-variables. There are two basic modes for matching a file to a line of data. The first mode uses the textfile as a sequential list and the second method will search to match each file to a line in the textfile. By default, the current filename meta-variable is used for this search string, but any of the many meta-variables can be used to match a file to a line of data.

MouseWrangler v1.0.0 released

For the first time in many years, I've released a brand new program. MouseWrangler is a mouse gesture program that can be used to automate common window tasks. Its job is to help make common mousing easier, bridging the gap between what you can do quickly with a keyboard and what you can do quickly with a mouse.

Rename Master v2.9.2 Release

This new version of Rename Master adds a new renaming option to find text and remove everything before or after a phrase. This feature allows for cut-and-paste style operations. Another new feature makes selecting and formatting meta-variables in the Scripting View much easier. Lastly, many bugs have been fixed - mostly in the Scripting View interface.