PicturesToExe v4.10 beta #1

[Igor]

PicturesToExe v4.10 beta #1 is released

http://www.picturestoexe.com/apr_beta.zip (1,3 MB)

I hope that it doesn't contains large bugs, but v4.10 has several fully rewritten components (music player, customization of a slide). So please use this first beta only for testings to check up your presentations with v4.10. If you find bugs, please let us know and we'll prepare new beta versions with fixes.

What's new in v4.10:

* Fixed two old minor visual bugs in the main window of PicturesToExe.

* Fixed old visual bugs on the time-line in case of long music track (40 minutes and more).

* Fixed bug of v3.80 and v4.00 when music plays however, even if you've turned off

"Play background music" option ("Music" tab of Project options).

* Fixed old bug when PicturesToExe showed error messages if it was added incorrect or damaged JPEG or GIF picture

* Fixed old bug with creating of template. Some main pictures of slides

or music files were not copied into template's folder if "Show picture"

or "Play background music" were unchecked.

* Fixed old small bug when name of an opened template was added into "Recent Projects" list.

* Fixed old bug when in the Preview mode hyperlink or button assigned to run HTML file didn't worked.

* Fixed several other minors bugs.

+ Added support of JPEG pictures which have unusual .jpe extension

+ Ctrl+A is assigned now to select all pictures in the file panel, instead of "Save As"

+ This version contains new improved music player:

> You need not to choose between "Internal" and "External" players more.

New music player provides high quality playing and exact synchronization;

> It fully compatible with Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000 and XP;

> New player can work even under Windows without installed DirectX or Media Player;

> Even presentation with 500 Mb of music files starts immediately now;

> Improved support of various types of MP3 and WAV music files;

> MIDI music instantly starts playing under Windows XP;

> Fixed rare cases of music glitches on some configurations;

> Many other improvements.

+ Added fine customization of a slide.

Earlier if you wanted to set own time of showing for a slide it was

necessary to make all this slide personalized. Now you can assign

own time, but keeping background preference or font of text comment

according common settings from the Project options.

This feature will work and with your current projects.

+ Improvements in the Customize Synchronization window:

> Double-click on a transition point to show "Customize Slide" window;

> Status bar always displays current position of the cursor;

+ Imporovements in the Visual Editor of objects:

> It's possible to cancel dragging of object(s) by pressing of the right mouse button;

> You can move selected object(s) pressing arrows of cursor on the keyboard;

> You can call popup menu by clicking of right mouse button or special key on the keyboard;

> To switch between objects press <Tab> key on the keyboard;

> Some other improvements.

+ Added new option "Slide List: Show file names only (without full path)"

(see Main menu | Advanced options). And this option is turned on by default,

but of course, you can set the old view with displaying of full file path.

+ And many other various improvements.

[alrobin]

Sounds great, Igor! I'll give it a try today.

Thanks so much for all your efforts on making PTE even better for us.

And thanks especially for the access to the slide and transition customization from the timeline!

Am looking forward to future betas and more control over the pausing and restarting of finished synchronized shows. You should take a short holiday now, though!

[think(box)]

Thanks Igor! There is still a bug that I was hoping would be fixed in v4.10....

I've zipped the bug report with .PTE file to recreate it and sent to your email address. The error message is "Out of system resources".

I'll check out the software more tonight. Thanks again!

[Igor]

"This problem may occurs under Windows 98, because you've used too large pictures (1600x1200). This is unpleasant limitation of Windows 9x.

No problem for Windows NT, 2000 or XP.

But I'll think how to optimize work with such large pictures under Win9x."

I was not right, - that is our bug. So using of 1600x1200 pictures shouldn't case any problem! It happened because a great number of slides contained huge pictures-objects (in 1600x1200). Thank you, Bill, for the example of presentation you've sent me. I'll fix it tomorrow.

In current versions of PTE large pictures 1600x1200 as main picture of slide *will not* case "Out of system resource" message. Only if slide contains object (picture with 1600x1200 points) and presentation has 20..40 such slides.

[hotmetal]

Igor, and All programmers,

Just downloaded beta 4.10, very please to see

"You can move selected object(s) pressing arrows of cursor on the keyboard"

Just what I wanted, will try out programme over next few days and let you know if I find any problems.

Many Thanks continuing to improve this wonderful programme.

Alan

[Adda]

BUG!

I am not able to choose a background-color (solid-color) with the new beta.

Greetings

Andreas

[think(box)]

Igor, you're the best! Thank you for the bug fix. That will be a great help. I never suspected the object dimensions could be the problem. And the memory leak that I have also observed when I let shows play a long time is related! All to be fixed with next Beta version. I can't thank you enough!

[mikej998]

I have come across a problem with the new Beta. I was working with the new customize slide 'advanced options' to run an external application. I checked the box but am not able to browse for the .exe I want to run. I tried manually typing in the address but found that if it is too long it will not let me finish. I can enter something with a short address for example C:\Wedding and it works like a charm. I may just have to refile all of my linked shows to make it work for me. Now that I'm done whining, I have to say thank you for all the hard work and programming to make PTE the great program it is!

Mike

[think(box)]

OK, no one has commented on how well the new built-in music player works, so here goes: It's great!

• Music timing is perfect!
  
• Music playback of multiple tracks is perfect!
  
• Mixes of wav, mp3, and midi play together flawlessly!
  
• PTE uses internal patches for midi - they're different from those of my sound card's midi, but just fine!
  
• Music is no longer using Windows temp file space as advertised
  

This is an important improvement to PTE that will be appreciated by very many, if not taken for granted (in time). Thanks again Igor!

Mike, I had noticed the same about the Browse button not working but forgot to mention it. Thanks!

[Igor]

I just prepared and uploaded corrected beta #2

http://www.picturestoexe.com/apr_beta.zip

* Fixed bug of beta #1 when button to choose background color didn't work.

* Fixed very old memory leak. Presentation might fall with "Out of system resources" message under Windows 9x, if many slides contained large objects (pictures or transparent buttons).

To Adda

To think(box)

These two bugs are fixed now.

Thank you for the help!

To Mike

Oh, excuse me for this skipped place!

In the beta #3.

p.s. also we're working on WMA support and got working code with the new music player. So it could be added even in v4.10

[Bob]

Igor:

Thanks for your dedication to this great program. It keeps getting better and better

Bob..

[think(box)]

Confirmed - The memory leak "Out of system resources" bug is gone as of v4.10 beta 2!

Igor, in the debug show that I sent to you did you notice the bug with slide number display color? This bug is in all PTE versions. It happens when you take a customized slide that has custom comment colors and copy/paste it to make other slides. When you do, the comment text font color changes in created shows as transition from original to copied slides happens. In the demo show I gave you the color goes from light blue to jet black (shadow color). Watch the slide number in top right screen corner as you play the bug demo show. I created only the first slide, and copied the rest. It doesn't matter whether the custom slide comment is custom text, slide number, or other. It still loses color.

Thank you Igor!

[RNB]

Hi. I've been using PTE since V. 3.65. I got it because of the objects editor; the ability to go to whatever frame one wants to and the ability to open other programs from links. I was writing a training application and didn't want to use html to go from page to page in a web browser. *The music synchronization is an added bonus for me.

Anyway, in the new beta (4.10) When I use midi for music, the balance slider goes all the way to the left and the volume slider drops down to about the third notch on the synthesizer in the windows volume control panel. Also the music sort-of "hiccups" about every 5th or 6th slide change. The sound makes me wish I had an Equalizer to take out some of the treble, add more bass. MP3 sounds good though.

When playing from CD, the sound (midi & mp3) studders everytime the cd drive spins up... about 4 or 5 times per song.

I'm compiling from:

Windows 95

Pentium1 / 233m

52x24x52 cd burner

ISA 16 bit sound card

800x600 screen size

30-45 jpeg images. Average size about 50 kb, 640x480.

Haven't had much problem with sound until now.

*I recently made a synchronized show from pics of some of my relatives and recorded it on to VHS tape using TV out card. They all enjoyed it tremendously. The kids enjoyed it so much that they invited other kids over to watch. Those kids stayed around here for days.... Ate up everything... Drank everything in the fridge until I finally made another show for them, with them in it. They left us foodless after it was done. It was good times though.

Thanks PTE... I think.

R.

[Igor]

Thank you all for testing!

think(box)

I've fixed that old bug when color of a text comment in personalized slide was not copied.

RNB

I just sent you email. I hope that we quickly fix that problem with MIDI playing.

About spinning of CD disk in a CD-ROM drive. Yes, because presentation reads music continuously directly from CD disk to don't create temp files on the HDD drive. But it's not a problem, we can create special option to copy all resouceres to the temp folder (as one file!) and CD-ROM will not be used at all.

p.s. by the way, now in v4.10 any presentation starts immediately and there are no glitches even during direct playing from CD-ROM drive.

[Igor]

I just uploaded improved beta #3 which fixes all those problems.

Please visit http://www.picturestoexe.com/forums//index...ct=ST&f=2&t=842