[Ann] CintaNotes 3.2 Beta 2 (Autotagging Rules Preview 2)

[CintaNotes Developer]

Hi all,

Sorry it took us so long to prepare Beta 2. The reason for this is that for some of the features a lot of code had to be rewritten. Rules log and undo, improved matching engine, rule application notifications - all that took its toll. Thank you for your patience!

First, a couple of new screenshots:

2016-06-20_17-48-24.png (24.78 KiB) Viewed 21923 times

2016-06-20_17-52-48.png (34.12 KiB) Viewed 21923 times

Jun 20, 2016 - Version 3.2 Beta2

In this version:

Features:

• Autotagging Rules (See "Notebook / Rules" menu item)
  New since Beta 1:
  
  • Rules Log and Undo
    Now the Rules dialog has the "View Log" button, which opens the rules log window. There you can see which rules were applied to which notes, and undo them individually.
    
  • Improved Rule Matching Engine
    Unified the rule matching engine with search engine. In Beta 1, for "contains" condition, rules always used "inside words" search, which could lead to unexpected results. Now a proper word-start matching is used.
    
  • New "note is new" condition
    Useful if you want the rule to apply to only newly created notes.
    
  • Popup notifications when rules are applied
    
  • Simplification/safety: removed "ELSE" branch in rules
    ELSE was problematic since it could apply when you weren't expecting that. E.g. if rule had a section condition, then notes from other sections would get ELSE branch executed!
    
  • Simplification/safety: removed top-level "AND/OR" selector.
    Top level OR selector had the same problem: could make the rule apply to notes you weren't expecting. You can create additional rules to emulate top-level OR.
    

Enhancements:

• New "Notebook" top level menu Moved there items related to currently active notebook from "File"
  
• File attachments: add ability to save to disk multiple attachments at once
  
• Editor: add advanced option to copy text without formats ("editor.copyplaintextonly" in cintanotes.settings)

Fixes:

• PasswordEnterCancelledException after canceling adding note
  
• Simplenote sync: synchronization no longer resets note selection
  
• Editor: std::out_of_range raised on save
  
• Notes list: RTL numbered lists were rendered incorrectly
  
• Simplenote sync: failure to sync from behind a proxy
  
• Large DPI sizing problems
  
• Tag drag and drop highlighting problems
  
• Tag drag and drop: didn't always correctly process mouse leaving
  
• Fixed HotKeyEditor Ctrl + Alt bug
  
• Import from a password-protected older format notebook required entering password twice
  
• Deleting section didn't also delete autodeletable tags
  
• Replacing and renaming tags was extremely slow on large number of tags and notes

Rule-related features planned for Beta 3:

• impl condition scrolling in rule editor
• tag renaming and rules
• section renaming and rules
• export to XML
• import from XML
• import from DB
• test and apply in the rules dlg
• show warning when rule will apply to all sections

Download:
Installable: CintaNotes_3_2_Beta2_Setup.exe
Portable: CintaNotes_3_2_Beta2.zip

WARNING: THIS IS A PREVIEW and the main purpose of it is to collect user feedback on the new feature.
It is possibly VERY BUGGY!! Don't use it with your actual notes!

[date]

When searching for attachments, after creating a rule 'attachments do NOT exist' is prefilled.
If there is just the empty version of CN, there is not the equivalent of one + pressed in the IF section, but it is in the THEN section.

The rules functionality somehow doesn't work properly. It prefills the current section wrongly at first, so I had to correct that. Then the results don't match up? As shown in the screenshot.

2016-06-20_22-10-12.png (69.22 KiB) Viewed 21895 times

Then I selected 3 random sections, opened the Rules dialog and clicked +, and got:
class err::InvalidStateException
Postcondition failed:
app::model::data::NoteRepository::getSectionProperties static_cast<bool>(si)
This worked the second time though.

Then I select ALL sections, and there wasn't any section prefilled. But nonetheless it worked on all sections, I got 75 notes containing 'test' in the whole notebook and 44 were processed.

You can't just leave fields empty:

2016-06-20_22-30-06.png (18.04 KiB) Viewed 21895 times

(In this case the rule SHOULD apply to under a 100 notes.)


In the ELSE section I can ONLY move notes to the leftmost section (伊達 in the screenshot.) The dropdown-box is expanded only for about 2 pixels and doesn't contain a list of my sections.

After undoing rules, they disappear from the log, but how to clear the log? Also I can undo rules from deleted rules, but they will keep existing in the Rules Log.

A saved search can probably still be done without the ELSE section, using two rules.

[CintaNotes Developer]

Hi date,

Huge thanks for taking a look!

When searching for attachments, after creating a rule 'attachments do NOT exist' is prefilled.

Will fix that, thanks!

If there is just the empty version of CN, there is not the equivalent of one + pressed in the IF section, but it is in the THEN section.

Will fix that too.

The rules functionality somehow doesn't work properly. It prefills the current section wrongly at first, so I had to correct that. Then the results don't match up? As shown in the screenshot.

Maybe you had the "search inside words" option checked? Rules currently don't support this option.

Then I selected 3 random sections, opened the Rules dialog and clicked +, and got:

Wow, that's nasty. Will be fixed, thanks!

Then I select ALL sections, and there wasn't any section prefilled. But nonetheless it worked on all sections, I got 75 notes containing 'test' in the whole notebook and 44 were processed.

This is by design. If you have all sections selected, CN assumed you want to rule to apply to all sections.

You can't just leave fields empty:

Yes, this is an oversight. Empty fields for "contains" and some other operators should trigger an error message.

In the ELSE section I can ONLY move notes to the leftmost section (伊達 in the screenshot.) The dropdown-box is expanded only for about 2 pixels and doesn't contain a list of my sections.

(Did you mean "THEN" section? "ELSE" section is no more.. )
Hmm, interesting. I'll check it, thanks.

After undoing rules, they disappear from the log, but how to clear the log?

Ability to clear the log will be added in Beta 3.

Also I can undo rules from deleted rules, but they will keep existing in the Rules Log.

Do you mean that the rules log entries for deleted rules aren't removed when you undo them? I couldn't reproduce that.

A saved search can probably still be done without the ELSE section, using two rules.

Yes, unfortunately now it's a bit more cumbersome. But IMO overall, the new design has made rules much safer and easier to use.
If any of you doesn't agree with the changes, please speak up

[date]

In the ELSE section I can ONLY move notes to the leftmost section.

(Did you mean "THEN" section? "ELSE" section is no more.. )
Hmm, interesting. I'll check it, thanks.

Yes THEN.

Also I can undo rules from deleted rules, but they will keep existing in the Rules Log.

Do you mean that the rules log entries for deleted rules aren't removed when you undo them? I couldn't reproduce that.

The rules functionality somehow doesn't work properly. It prefills the current section wrongly at first, so I had to correct that. Then the results don't match up? As shown in the screenshot.

Maybe you had the "search inside words" option checked? Rules currently don't support this option.

I checked and I didn't have 'search inside words' checked. Besides prefilling the wrong section there seem to be more unsensibilities that don't add up, I'll outline the steps to reproduce a few of those at thirst to keep it simple:

1. Place attached .db and the cintanotes 3.2b2 .exe file in a separate directory (whithout the .settings and .key file, just to be sure.) Run CN, open 'testt.db,' enable tagbar. Type 'simple.' (Just the word simple) Open Rules dialog, click +, in the rightmost field type: asdf . Click 'Test rule,' it says the rule will apply to 2 notes. Should be 15. It apparently only looks for complete words surrounded by spaces..
2. Continuing, click OK. Change the rule to 'tags have all of' and type 11111. Test rule: 0. Should be 5.
3. Change rule to 'don't have,' test rule: 26. Should be 12.
4. Change rule to 'Link starts with' and type http. This gives an error: Precondition failed:app::model::query::`anonymous-namespace'::getDatabaseColumns!result.empty().
5. Change to 'doesn't start with': same error. (There arent any links there but that doesn't matter.)
6. Change rule to 'Remarks is not empty.' Tested true for 26 notes. Should be 0.
7. Continuing, apply the rule anyway with OK OK Yes OK. Open Rules dialog again, click +, in the rightmost field type: yxcv . Click ok ok yes ok again, now you have 2 notes with the yxcv tag. Open Rules dialog again, delete asdf rule, click OK. Open Rules dialog again, View Log, arrow down, Shift-End, Menu key or right-click and select/click 'Undo.' Rules log is now empty. Space, Esc, Esc and open Rules dialog again. View Log: undone deleted rules are still there.

[CintaNotes Developer]

Huge thanks for the detailed repro steps! I could reproduce all issues and will fix them soon.
BTW do you have a way to reproduce the "prefills the current section wrongly at first" problem?

[date]

Huge thanks for the detailed repro steps! I could reproduce all issues and will fix them soon.
BTW do you have a way to reproduce the "prefills the current section wrongly at first" problem?

I do now

Issue with these things is, I could rename the tag 'vvvvv' (or another small thing that changes) and it would behave differently.
See the attachment again, tab Three is activated. Create a new rule and it prefills Four.

PS I hope I'm not clogging up the forum disk space too much!

[CintaNotes Developer]

Don't worry about disk space Ok, I could repro the issue now - turns out the fix for one earlier bug fixes this one as well.
Thanks!

[date]

One more thing: CN can crash when you cancel 'Test Rule' calculations, tested on both XP and W8. You need a big .db and guess when it is midside a calculation (not too fast or too slow,) and press 'Cancel' at just the right time.
A bit difficult because on my .db which is big enough it takes 2 seconds at most, and it appears it somehow goes faster every time, but it really does crash.

Another remark is that a rule 'Attachments don't have items...' doesn't assume there has to be an attachment in the first place and selects notes without an attachment too. While this is technically correct, I'm not sure about what someone's assumption would be when using such a rule.

[CintaNotes Developer]

One more thing: CN can crash when you cancel 'Test Rule' calculations, tested on both XP and W8. You need a big .db and guess when it is midside a calculation (not too fast or too slow,) and press 'Cancel' at just the right time.
A bit difficult because on my .db which is big enough it takes 2 seconds at most, and it appears it somehow goes faster every time, but it really does crash.

Would be great if there was a db to reproduce this on. Does it depends on the rule conditions? Do you still remember them?

Another remark is that a rule 'Attachments don't have items...' doesn't assume there has to be an attachment in the first place and selects notes without an attachment too. While this is technically correct, I'm not sure about what someone's assumption would be when using such a rule.

I agree, but note that this is easily fixed by adding the [Attachments][is not empty] condition. On the other hand, if the "attachments don't have items" condition would exclude notes without attachments, and you wanted to include them, you'd have to create an additional rule for that.

[date]

One more thing: CN can crash when you cancel 'Test Rule' calculations, tested on both XP and W8. You need a big .db and guess when it is midside a calculation (not too fast or too slow,) and press 'Cancel' at just the right time.
A bit difficult because on my .db which is big enough it takes 2 seconds at most, and it appears it somehow goes faster every time, but it really does crash.

Would be great if there was a db to reproduce this on. Does it depends on the rule conditions? Do you still remember them?

I'll temporarily place one here that should be big enough: https://yadi.sk/d/OnCe1k8fsjYy5
Create a rule 'If section is equal to Main.' The crashing is very repeatable, but don't click Cancel all too fast.

The database structure reminds me a bit of Kalenderchen.

PS Disable debug logging first! So you're not writing large log files.

[CintaNotes Developer]

Thanks a lot for the db! Thanks to it I could reproduce the crash!