Time For An Update

Time for an update and progress report.  

Happy Holidays

Happy holidays to all!

The next update will be submitted this week. This is mainly a set of internal changes and simplifications leading up to iCloud support. There are a couple of bug fixes and graphics cleanups as well. Most of the changes aren't visible but are needed in order to rebuild the app's UI and to provide synching via iCloud. Again, this version requires iOS 5.x.

I'm not rushing iOS 5 functionality. Rushing releases caused lots of issues earlier this year and I don't want to repeat those problems by rolling out something that breaks and causes more problems than it solves. The good news is that the app is very stable at this and the bug reports coming in are almost none existent. The ones that are coming in I'm fixing and testing with each new version. Additionally, I'm taking my time with the new UI that will be released next year sometime. Enjoy the holidays. Next year will be a good one.

Sent from Auteureist™ on iPad - http://auteureist.com/

Version 2.21 Information

I hope everyone had a good holiday and finishing up writing your novels for NaNoWriMo.

I'm going to be releasing another update in the next week or so. This will be version 2.21. This one has the usual bug fixes and some enhancements. This will be a required upgrade going forward in that it will require iOS 5 or later--I am dropping support for earlier versions . So if you don't plan on upgrading to 5, you should not install this version. This move makes it easier to incorporate new iOS 5 features.

This version fixes a couple of weird crashes, and the preferences not being saved. Also I've fixed the bug where the default font was invisible if you created a new database.

 

The new enhancements include the character backstory (introduced in the last version) is now exported properly, and the journal keyboard bar now has buttons for posting to Twitter and Facebook. A major new feature is that the app now supports the iPhone's Twitter integration. You now configure Twitter accounts using the standard Settings app Twitter section.

 

The next version should be 2.3. This will include a new database structure and will be a major internal change; this wasn't ready for this release. This will allow for iCloud synching.

Sent from Auteureist™ on iPad - http://auteureist.com/

Version 2.20 Information

Another update is coming. Version 2.20 has the usual bug fixes. In addition there are a few "tweaks". The most obvious one is the redesign and simplification of the password screen. This doesn't seem like a big deal but this along with the more consistent and simplified text editing UI (not as obvious a change) is laying the groundwork for a revamped iPad UI and incorporating iOS 5 features such as iCloud. Most of the changes are internal, and the simplified UI is a result. The other visible change is in the text editing progress bar. I felt it needed more feedback so I have added additional color codes to indicate how close to your writing goal. Before version 2.20. It was either red (not done) and green (goal achieved). Starrting in this version there are more colors:

Red - starting on the goal
Orange - you have hit 25% of your goal Yellow.- you have hit 50% of your goal
Blue - you have hit 75% of your goal
Green - you have achieved your writing goal.

Using this, I've noticed I tend to write more, faster and I spend less time looking at the actual word counts.

That's what is in this version. Now on to the next.
The next version will be a major one in terms of internal changes. Most of the changes will deal with migrating the way your writing is stored. This will not only speed up some certain functions, but it will bring things into line with working with iCloud. ICloud support will show up in the following version. I want to take things a step at a time to make sure things are relatively stable.
Having said that, the next release will drop support for pre-iOS 5 devices. So if you aren't upgrading to 5 you shouldn't upgrade the app. You won't be able to go back if you do.
That's it for now. Version 2.20 will be submitted sometime this coming week. 2.20 is a recommended upgrade for all.

Sent from Auteureist™ on iPad - http://auteureist.com/

Version 2.19 Information

It's time for another update. Version 2.19 is about to be submitted to the App Store. This version has a lot of bug fixes and a couple of new enhancements.

First of all this new version fixes a few outstanding graphics glitches and items which caused the app to crash. In addition this version introduces the use of the keychain to store your password providing for more security within the app.

Please note that if you are upgrading to this new version you will have to reset your password from within the preferences screen in the app.

Also Siri can be used to dictate to the app on your iPhone. This entire blog post was dictated using Siri.

This latest version should be submitted to the Apple App Store this weekend sometime. Sent from Auteureist™ - http://auteureist.com/

2.183 Is In Review

I've been quiet lately. I've been swamped with work and personal stuff here. I haven't disappeared. The latest release is under review or out already--2.183. I've been trying to kill off all the known bugs for the most part. This release has a bunch of bug fixes plus one enhancement. I've simplified the number of steps required to enter life stream data if you have journal mode. Editing in journal mode has a new keyboard bar that gets rid of a few things nit used by journal mode and replaces it with one that let's you jump to life stream entry. Additionally this version has a lot more database checking to detect broken or corrupt databases. If you get an error saying your database is corrupt, you should restore a backup or archive.

Make sure you always run the latest version--unless I say otherwise. I have been seeing a few people using the 2.181 version which had some issues. Also, if you do run into a bug or crash please report it and let me know how to reproduce it. I haven't had much time to work on the iOS5 functionality but this will be coming as my time permits.

Sent from Auteureist™ on iPad - http://auteureist.com/

The Fix Is In

It's been a while since the last update. I haven't been hiding, I have been busy. One thing keeping me busy has been work--my real job. Auteureist, as I have said before, is a hobby--but an important one. That's the second thing keeping me occupied.

As you may have noticed 2.17 wasn't very stable. I won't go into why, let's just say there was enough blame to go around, self included. So I have spent most of the month mainly just fixing things that shouldn't have been broken in the first place.

Version 2.18 is in Apple's hands and should be released shortly. This is mainly a crash fix release. I've gone through and I believe fixed all reported causes of crashes. That is not to say it won't crash or there aren't other causes, but it should be a lot more stable. Memory use is down as a result as well.

Another annoyance was the progress display, it turns out. That code is disabled in this release. There appears to be a timing problem that causes the display not to be cleared from the screen. Until I can resolve it the progress display will be disabled. I've also switched the system the app uses to report crashes. It is now handled transparently behind the scenes. The earlier system prompted for user information/feedback and it turns out most people just ignored it. The system it turns out was one of the reasons for some of the crashes--I won't name the company/product. I would still like to hear what you were doing to cause the crash. So that's the update; it's mostly a crash fix release. However, there are a couple enhancements you should be aware of.

First, how you deal with Dropbox is simplified and standardized. I've removed the email settings from the Settings App. Now, when you try to use Dropbox it will see if you have linked the app, and take it from there. You can link/unlink from a new item in preferences. As a result of the change, it will no longer prompt you for your password each time. Also, with Dropbox, I have changed how uploads work. If an upload fails, you will no longer lose the previous version.

Next, people were confused as to when to use the Save menu item when writing--they wanted to know how often, etc. Auteureist has always been doing autosaves and does a very good job of not losing data--unless the database itself becomes corrupted. The save option merely did an explicit save and updated some statistics. To remove the confusion I have removed the Save menu from the writing screen. You may need to relearn some habits as a result. The thing to keep in mind, the app saves everything you do and you can just leave the screen or app and everything will be saved. If you ever lose some work, that is an indication something went wrong with the database and you should restore a backup.

Finally, skinning on both iPhone and iPad are now more consistent.

Ok that's it for now. I am going to start work on version 3 for iOS5. I'll continue to fix and work on 2.+ but the priority needs to shift.

Have a good weekend/holiday.

Sent from Auteureist™ on iPad - http://auteureist.com/

iOS5 Changes the Game For Developers

As you have probably heard Apple had their developer conference this week and announced the next versions of their OSes. No, I wasnt able to go this year due to work commitments. However, I have been browsing the released documentation for the iOS and what I am seeing is impressive. No, I can't speak to details since I am under NDA, but all I can say is "Oh boy! This is neat.". The new release is making me rethink things yet again. What Apple is putting out is going to make developer's of iOS more productive, consistent, and help them make better apps. How does that affect you, the users of Auteureist ?

iOS 5 is being released "this fall". I was planning on a rewrite for version 3.0 anyway and had started. What I have seen of the docs (I haven't had much free time to do so actually) is to try to target Auteureist 3.0 for iOS 5. Which is not to say I'll hit the release date, but the app will require iOS 5 to run. It will be redesigned and rewritten from the ground up. If you want to help test and improve the app, please sign up for a beta test account on the Auteureist.com support page--and be willing to actually test.

I'm also soliciting input on what you would like to see. Be specific. "Make it cool" isn't a suggestion.

Having said that, I'm not sure how it will be priced. I'll also have to work out a pricing upgrade path to existing users. I'll also continue to work on the 2.+ versions. The iPad version will transition to 3.0 as will be my central focus. And yes there will be iCloud support for seamless synchronization.

More details to follow. Sent from Auteureist™ on iPad - http://auteureist.com/

Make It Simpler

Just a quick update. There are more optimizations and bug fixes in the works. That's an on-going process.

One thing people seem to be having problems with the iPad version is the double toolbar at the top. Personally, I love it because it let's me to go from any screen to any other screen in the app without having to go through intermediate screens. But apparently people are confused as to how to use it and why there are two. So 2.17 is going to get rid of one of the toolbars. This makes using the app a lot simpler and more straight forward, but in a less flexible way. It's a reasonable tradeoff.

This change requires some rework since both the iPad and iPhone versions use the same logic internally and now the iPad logic needs to diverge. This is causing other issues in testing and opportunities for the future. Structurally, the iPad version is becoming simpler despite the change. This is a good thing. I'm also continually trying to simplify the code as I go. When I started Auteureist I had no idea what I was doing or how to code on the iPhone. I'm still learning. Each version includes fixes to old and in a lot of cases bad code. It's an iterative process as well. You fix something and find something that needs fixing as a result. In a recent post I mentioned 3.0. I plan 3.0 to be a complete rewrite from scratch. At some point, the existing code and weaknesses need to be retired in favor of a new beginning. Version 3.0 is a long way off. In the meantime, 2.17 will include a simplified UI on the iPad as I just mentioned. Additionally, as I teased in the previous post, version 2.17 will have text-to-speech capability. You will be able to have your chapters and other writing elements read aloud. This is actually useful in proofing your writing. You can sometimes hear problems you don't see. You will also have the ability to adjust the characteristics of the speech. This will be a $0.99US in-app purchase on both the iPhone and iPad versions, since not everyone will want this.

One major other change in 2.17 is a change in how preferences are stored. This will require a reset of your preferences the first time you use a pre-2.17 database. (This includes restoring a pre-2.17 database). This will help make migrating from version 2 to 3 a lot easier when that occurs.

That's the latest. 2.17 is at least a week or two from submission based on early testing. Sent from Auteureist™ on iPad - http://auteureist.com/

 

Hear it comes!

Version 2.16 has been submitted.

A glimpse at 2.17...

Price will be: iPhone and iPad: $0.99US