[Ann] CintaNotes 2.6 Beta 1

[CintaNotes Developer]

Hi all,

please check out a new beta!

Apr 24, 2014 - Version 2.6 Beta 1

In this version:

Features:

• Editor: Search and replace inside of note edit dialog.
  New items in note text edit context menu: "Find" and "Replace".
  Also shortcuts Ctrl+F and Ctrl+R.

Enhancements:

• Export: provide default filename
  
• Export: reduced UI clutter, removed unnecessary groupboxes
  
• Editor: added "Properties..." to context menu
  
• Focused note and note selection for each section are now remembered on program restart
  
• Option to hide the "All" button on the section bar: "sectionbar.allsectionsbutton.displayed".
  The button is now hidden by default.
  
• Tag sidebar: tag list filtering settings (none/used/related) are now remembered on restart

Fixes:

• Simplenote sync: search filter is reset after sync (regression)
  
• Editor: don't apply list markers to empty lines
  
• Editor: shortened URLs not entirely visible in the Link field
  
• Recycle Bin: crash after mouse click when list is empty
  
• Editor: "mailto:" links were diplayed incorrectly
  
• Buttons remain hover-highlighted even after mouse leave

Download:
Installable: CintaNotes_2_6_Beta1_Setup.exe
Portable: CintaNotes_2_6_Beta1.zip

[Thomas Lohrum]

Hi Alex,

great to have a new version in our hands - once again. I want to add some off-topics remarks, though. After starting the setup i was briefed, that my license is no longer valid for updates. That came as a surprise to me. Especially since it stopped me from installing the beta and running some tests.

I suggest to improve license handling:

• running the setup, the warning dialog should give me an option to renew my license; for example a button which would jump to "Buy new license" in the browser
• show me a hint some time before my license will expire; let me know, that my license will no longer be privileged for updates; for example show me a header bar, like the "new version available" message on top of the notes list; the message could be shown in an intervall, for example four, three and two weeks and also each day in the last active week before expiry.
• make the expiry date in the About-dialog more prominent
• maybe disable license check in beta-versions and have a fix expiry date instead

Since it takes time to have these changes in deployment, i suggest to introduce them right now, together with version 2.6. This should help to have users update their license more frequently. It might also satisfy users, before they make an annoying update experience.

Thomas

PS: Next i will update my license and give the beta a new try

[Thomas Lohrum]

Alex,

i have now checked my license using the "Help/license" dialog. I clicked on the button to buy a license. However i was directed to a page to buy a new license. Since CN knows, i already own a license, it should direct my to the upgrade page.

Thomas

[Thomas Lohrum]

Remarks to the Find-dialog:

• an option to search word-only is missing
• search up/down (next/previous) should be radio buttons, since it is an action, not an option
• reposition of dialog is good, when search-text could be hidden by the dialog
• F3 next and Shift+F3 previous should be added
• when i leave the search dialog and click into the editor, maybe the search dialog should be closed automatically

Thomas

[Thomas Lohrum]

Alex,

CtrL+L/Ctrl+L+L is broken and no longer working. To me this is a showstopper since i use bullet lists a lot. Because of this i consider using 2.5 again.

[EDIT 11:52]The key does not function on empty lines. So i guess your change to the bullet list handling is the cause for this.

Thomas

[Thomas Lohrum]

Alex,

the default file name is an improvement, but it could be smarter. Please read my post two years ago here http://roadmap.cintanotes.com/topic/115972-default-filename-for-exporting-notes/.

Thomas

[Thomas Lohrum]

• Export: reduced UI clutter, removed unnecessary groupboxes
  
• Editor: added "Properties..." to context menu
  
• Option to hide the "All" button on the section bar

Nice

Thomas

[CintaNotes Developer]

Hi Thomas,

thanks for checking out the beta!

After starting the setup i was briefed, that my license is no longer valid for updates. That came as a surprise to me. Especially since it stopped me from installing the beta and running some tests.

Well was the message incorrect here? When was your updates subscription scheduled to end?
I remember last time you bought license in December, but maybe you didn't install this license?
Also, why did it stop you - it's just a warning that can be ignored?

Whether this message is displayed or not is controlled by the "client.freeupdatesexpirationdate" line in cintanotes.settings.
(BTW this setting is used only to display this warning - changing the date there won't really prolong the subscription. It is
needed because installer can't decipher the license file itself).

running the setup, the warning dialog should give me an option to renew my license; for example a button which would jump to "Buy new license" in the browser

I agree. We'll try to do this soon.

show me a hint some time before my license will expire; let me know, that my license will no longer be privileged for updates; for example show me a header bar, like the "new version available" message on top of the notes list; the message could be shown in an intervall, for example four, three and two weeks and also each day in the last active week before expiry.

Actually this hint is already shown in the Check for updates dialog. But I agree that this should be more prominent.

make the expiry date in the About-dialog more prominent

Agreed.

maybe disable license check in beta-versions and have a fix expiry date instead

Are you sure that people won't use release candidate versions for free?

Since it takes time to have these changes in deployment, i suggest to introduce them right now, together with version 2.6. This should help to have users update their license more frequently. It might also satisfy users, before they make an annoying update experience.

Thanks for great feedback. I'll see what can we do here.

[CintaNotes Developer]

i have now checked my license using the "Help/license" dialog. I clicked on the button to buy a license. However i was directed to a page to buy a new license. Since CN knows, i already own a license, it should direct my to the upgrade page.

But what if you wanted to buy an additional license, e.g. for your friend?
The dialog with "Renew" button is displayed on program start when CN detects that the license is no longer valid.

[CintaNotes Developer]

[*]an option to search word-only is missing

Well, not everything at once;) Regex support is also missing. But I agree that it will be needed.

[*]search up/down (next/previous) should be radio buttons, since it is an action, not an option

Radio button is also not an action. Maybe "Find next" and "Find previous" _buttons_ would be better, but we modeled this option
like in Visual Studio.

[*]reposition of dialog is good, when search-text could be hidden by the dialog

Yes, I've taken extra care for it not to be annoying

[*]F3 next and Shift+F3 previous should be added

Already in the pipeline.

[*]when i leave the search dialog and click into the editor, maybe the search dialog should be closed automatically[/list]

Could be an option, I'm afraid this can be surprising for the user.

[CintaNotes Developer]

CtrL+L/Ctrl+L+L is broken and no longer working. To me this is a showstopper since i use bullet lists a lot. Because of this i consider using 2.5 again.

It's working for me. Is the "Format" menu item displayed?

[EDIT 11:52]The key does not function on empty lines. So i guess your change to the bullet list handling is the cause for this.

Yes, probably. I guess empty lines should be skipped only if there also are non-empty lines selected, am I right?

[Thomas Lohrum]

My remarks to search and replace:

• BUG: replace with empty text will cause wrong highlighting
• shortcuts for buttons not visible, for example Alt+R to replace
• shortcut for options missing
• the checkboxes width is wide and will cause change, when you click what appears to be an empty area
• option to search word-only missing
• search up/down (next/previous) should be radio buttons, since it is an action, not an option
• F3 next and Shift+F3 previous should be added
• when i leave the search dialog and click into the editor, maybe the search dialog should be closed automatically

Thomas

[Thomas Lohrum]

The key does not function on empty lines. So i guess your change to the bullet list handling is the cause for this.

Yes, probably. I guess empty lines should be skipped only if there also are non-empty lines selected, am I right?

Yes, i think so. How else would you start a new bullet list?

Thomas

[Thomas Lohrum]

But what if you wanted to buy an additional license, e.g. for your friend?

More often (once a year) i want to renew my own license! I would prefer "renew" as default, when CN is licensed already. Another option would be to have two buttons [Buy new license] and [Renew license], but personally i prefer my other suggestions.

The dialog with "Renew" button is displayed on program start when CN detects that the license is no longer valid.

Really? I did not take any notice of it! My license expired as of April 15.

Thomas

[CintaNotes Developer]

BUG: replace with empty text will cause wrong highlighting

Could you please provide some example here?

shortcuts for buttons not visible, for example Alt+R to replace

You mean the underlined letter? Yes, agreed.

shortcut for options missing

+1

the checkboxes width is wide and will cause change, when you click what appears to be an empty area

Agreed.

[*]option to search word-only missing

I'd call it "Whole words only". Agreed.

[*]search up/down (next/previous) should be radio buttons, since it is an action, not an option

I'm not sure about this. I'd better use an additional button.

[*]F3 next and Shift+F3 previous should be added

Agreed. They'd map to "Find next" and "Find previous".

[*]when i leave the search dialog and click into the editor, maybe the search dialog should be closed automatically[/list]

I agree this would be convenient. But I'd add a cintanotes.settings option to disable this.

[Thomas Lohrum]

After starting the setup i was briefed, that my license is no longer valid for updates. That came as a surprise to me. Especially since it stopped me from installing the beta and running some tests.

Well was the message incorrect here? When was your updates subscription scheduled to end? Also, why did it stop you - it's just a warning that can be ignored?

From what i remember the dialog offered to step back to a free license with reduced functionality, which made me stop immediately.

Thomas

[Thomas Lohrum]

BUG: replace with empty text will cause wrong highlighting

Could you please provide some example here?

Find "Test"
Replace with ""

Try it your own and you will notice, that the editor will highlight the next four characters where "Test" was replaced by nothing.

Thomas

[CintaNotes Developer]

More often (once a year) i want to renew my own license! I would prefer "renew" as default, when CN is licensed already. Another option would be to have two buttons [Buy new license] and [Renew license], but personally i prefer my other suggestions.

You certainly have a point here OK, let's do it. Registered ticket: "License dialog: Replace "Buy" button with "Renew" when license is present".

Really? I did not take any notice of it! My license expired as of April 15.

Hm, probably that's because you installed it into a different location and it didn't load the license key file?
You must be running it with Free license now.
What does the License dialog say?

[CintaNotes Developer]

From what i remember the dialog offered to step back to a free license with reduced functionality, which made me stop immediately.

That's probably just poor wording. The dialog should at least make clear that it will be possible to renew the license after the installation, and no data will be lost.

But of course it would be perfect to allow users to renew immediately.

[Thomas Lohrum]

Really? I did not take any notice of it! My license expired as of April 15.

Hm, probably that's because you installed it into a different location and it didn't load the license key file?

No. I always install to the same directory (non-portable version).

You must be running it with Free license now.
What does the License dialog say?

Sorry, i can no longer verify this. I already replaced my license with a new one, which i have just bought.

Thomas