Stickies v10 beta

Hi,

I'm preparing to release a beta of Stickies v10, and am looking for people to help test it.

The move to v10 includes a new data file format, so to make the move the installer adds a conversion tool to the install directory, which also needs testing to ensure it's bulletproof.  The move to the new format (based on SQLITE) means the app no longer uses the Jet library, and so can be both statically linked (to avoid needing an external library), and also compiled to 64-bit.  

The Manage dialog has had a little overhaul, along with the app menus, so that both look better on high DPI displays.  The Options dialog has also been completely re-written, along with a number of other fixes and additions.

If you're interested in helping with testing, please drop me a line and I'll let you know when the beta is out.

Thanks,

Tom

EDIT: The beta is now available to everyone - download it here: https://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/beta

Hi Tom,Yes, I'd like to help with beta testing.

I'm in. Do we email, DM, reply here?

Drop me an email (https://www.zhornsoftware.co.uk/contact.html) and I'll get you the link, thanks!

Tom

Blue = update 11/2/2019

Running all my Stickies as Portable. (24+ different Stickies programs)

Ran the install .exe as a non-portable then copied all files (3 + SKIN FOLDER) to one of my portable existing Stickies data folders.

mdb2db.exe
stickies.chm
stickies.exe
skins (folder)

Then un-installed the standard C:\ ... Programsx86/Stickies.

Then Renamed the v10 "Stickies.exe" program file to the same name as my existing portable program .exe. (i.e. v10 "Stickies.exe" > v10 "Stickies 1 RLD FAMILY.exe") 

Did convert all perfect and seems to have no problems running as v10 portable. (Tried on several of my different portable existing Stickies data folders.) (One had over 250+ "Desktop" and 500+ "Stored".)

Had what seemed to be a anomaly - When trying to "Store" a stickie the dialog-box content showed the Root-Category[s] but when I double clicked the root to expand the Category just saved the subject stickie in the root. (I have not been able to reproduce this behavior - so not sure what was going on.) 

All fits on screen, and better interface on Options > Settings.

Still have more testing to do running "Multiple" and "Manage".

Like it a lot! 

SPOOK

Did cursory check on "Multiple" and "Manage".

"Multiple" Behaves OK.

"Manage" Behaves OK but needs little "+" in box before Category in "Manage" that has sub- Category[s]. (Like in "Store...")

Works OK in "Vista Home Premium" 

Massive amount of work to make V10, very nice. 

SPOOK

I like the sound of those changes, ditching Jet sounds like a winner. I'll drop you a line, I could do some trial runs on a remote desktop farm (well, on a clone of an RD farm machine anyway). I have some users clamoring for this. Too bad there is no Swedish translation for either 9e or this. Any way I can help with translation/localization to Swedish?

Thanks Spook, that bug report is useful - I've been able to do the same thing here and store a note into a non-folder.  That not only then means that it disappears (as it's not in any of the folders), but that if you do find it by searching it will lock up Stickies.  Not great.

I need to add a fix to prevent it happening, a fix for if it has happened already and a fix for the infinite loop which locks up the app.  It's good that I'll get this sorted out in the beta stage, so it will be right for release.  I'll get the fixes into beta 3.

Cheers,

Tom

KimmoJ - I've replied to your mail with details of how to help with translations, thanks.

Tom

Thanks Tom, I've started working on a translation, it shouldn't take that long. The translation program you put together for this makes it pretty effortless and speeds the process up quite a bit compared to a flat file to edit (well, aside from the translation itself which can sometimes be tricky when terms don't have a direct equivalent, but it will work itself out.)

Also running the beta now on my personal machine, it converted nicely from 9.0. Big fan of the new more standardized look, visually alone the menus etc are a massive upgrade. Not that 9 is ugly in any way, it's just very non-standard and stands out as being third party, and this is also much more readable to me.

Bringing up the window to manage notes breaks a little around the edges visually; it doesn't seem to deal with DPI changes from screen to screen very well. Windows 10 is much better at  scaling content, if you have a screen with 100% scaling and one at 125%, well-behaved apps scale dynamically when you go from window to window. The Home view doesn't. It's purely cosmetic but I thought it was worth mentioning. The window reflows the moment you grab the edge and drag it larger or smaller, though, it just doesn't update dynamically.

The Settings window doesn't change size at all going from a 125% scaling screen to a 100% scaling one, it remains the same amount of pixels. Ie, I open settings on the screen set to 125%, and then move it to one with 100%, it doesn't scale down, it remains at the same physical size as at 125% and so is physically large when dragged to a 100% screen. However, there is no cosmetic visual corruption. Same goes for the Friends screen - no visual corruption, but also no scaling down in size when going to a 100% scaling screen.

This is not a problem when we're talking 125% scaling to 100% - well, it's visibly large but it works.

But a Surface tablet, for instance, with a very high res and physically small screen sometimes runs at 200%, 225% depending on the age of the user (ie, eyesight). Dragging one of those windows from 225% to 100% would result in a window so large it wouldn't fit on the screen at all.

The "Manage notes" window itself honors scaling for the frame, IE the window starts out at 125% looking good (the first image) and when dragged to 100% the physical frame of it gets smaller as it no longer needs to enlarge to 125%. The content inside the window however remains at the same size. Again, doesn't break when we're talking small scaling changes, but as the image shows the actual sections with Desktop, Stored and so on are still the same size, which is why they no longer fit inside the now resized smaller frame. And 225% would make this breaking, too; there would be room for nothing in the smaller window except a giant text that read "Desktop" on a blue background...

The beta is now over - locking thread.