Back from holidays in Bavaria

We spend a wonderful week in south bavaria traveling with our car from west to east. We visited a lot of nice places and here are a few impression.

First Big Joe and me in the western city Pullman City, second Burghausen, the biggest castle in Europe, three views on the mountain and last the church on the mountain Wendelstein which is the highest situated church in Germany.




For people interested, I wrote the plan of the tour on my private website: Our tours (in German)

New video about Updater Kit

We have a new video for our Updater Kit:

no longer available

A strange problem with auto complete and DynaPDF

Please email me if you know how to fix this:

First if you have this code in REAL Studio:
dim pdf as new DynapdfMBS
dim ColorSpace as integer = pdf.CreateSeparationCS("dave", pdf.kcsDeviceCMYK,-1, pdf.CMYK(0,0,0,100))
pdf.
if you autocomplete after the pdf you see that Shuffle is suggested and from the status line below you see that REALbasic things we have a 4 dimensional array here!

Now go and change the call to the static method CMYK. Use DynaPDFMBS (class name) to reference to the method instead of pdf (object name). REALbasic now does not auto complete at all and has no idea where pdf is coming from.

Now you go and change the reference to the constant from pdf to DynaPDFMBS. Now autocomplete works again:

This bug is in RB 2009r2 to 2010r2a6. Check Feedback app for status: Report 11761

Updater Kit for Linux?

Today I was asked for Updater Kit for Linux.
I think we can do that. You can package your app in a one file executable and we'd download that like a windows installer. But the question for us is whether it's worth support Linux here? You need to know that our kit is not open source compatible. So only closed source projects can use it. But the people doing commercial linux development in REALbasic are difficult to find.
If a few people tell me they need Updater Kit for Linux, we will do it. So please email us.

Plugin Fix for Filemaker 11

In the 2.0 plugin the Callback feature did not work on Mac. Filemaker 11 changed the way the webviewer works a little bit so the plugin needed an update. On our website we have now the fixed plugin. Please try.

A REALbasic template project for share-it.com

If you sell software on share-it.com, you can use a serial number generator so they automatically create serial numbers for your sales.
And the project I made is a template for you. Insert your serial number generator function and enjoy automated sales.

Download project: serialsgenerator.zip

New MBS REALbasic Updater Kit in version 1.1

We released today an update to the Updater Kit, version 1.1.

You can learn more and try the sample application on our website:
monkeybreadsoftware.de/realbasic/UpdaterKit

[ANN] MonkeyBread Software Releases the MBS Filemaker plug-in in version 2.0

NICKENICH, Germany (March 16th, 2010) -- Monkeybread Software releases version 2.0 of the MBS plug-in for Filemaker.

The MBS plug-in extends Filemaker with over 400 functions.

New in version 2.0 are three big things: URL Scheme, GraphicsMagick and RPC. But in detail:

The URL Scheme handling functions allow you to register a filemaker runtime solution as an URL handler on Mac OS X. So for example if you register your solution for the mailto scheme, your application is launched whenever the user clicks on a mailto link. This way you can make your application the default mail client or with a custom interface let your solution react on clicks the user does on the webbrowser. Like Apple calls iTunes if you click an itms link.

Second we have the over 200 functions for GraphicsMagick. You can load picture files from a container field or a file, modify them and write them back. In your filemaker database you can crop, scale, flip, rotate and roll images. We have image effects like Colorize, Emboss, Enhance, OilPaint, Quantize, Solarize, Shear, Sharpen, Swirl, Unsharpen and a few more. Try this functions and tell us what we should add next.

Third we have a special function to talk to other applications cross platform. So your filemaker database can send a request to for example a REALbasic application and receives a response. This communication goes over a TCP Socket. We include a sample project for REALbasic and a specification which any developer should be able to turn into an application.

Read the complete release notes here:
http://www.monkeybreadsoftware.de/filemaker/releasenotes.shtml

The plug-in is available for FileMaker 7 to 11 on Windows XP, Vista and as Universal Binary for Mac OS X. Demos are available on the website, along with license and purchasing information.

The plugins can be downloaded on our website:
http://www.monkeybreadsoftware.de/filemaker/

The online documentation can be found here:
http://www.monkeybreadsoftware.de/filemaker/reference/

For questions you can send us an email or visit the forum at
mbsplugins.de/filemaker/

Greetings
Christian Schmitz

High resolution podcast on iTunes

Our new high resolution podcast is available on iTunes.


.

High resolution podcast

We have our podcast in a high resolution version:

you can add this URL to itunes:
http://www.monkeybreadsoftware.de/realbasic/movies/podcasthighres.rss

New videos for our SQLite Extension

We are uploading a few videos for the SQLite Extensions.

1. Getting started with SQLite Extension and SQL Manager
2. Getting started with SQLite Extension and REALbasic
3. Getting started with SQLite Extension and REAL Server

Also we switched to higher resolutions in the podcasts. There will soon be a second podcast with the desktop versions of the movies. Should be good for the iPad.

DynaPDF Starter

If you use the Starter Licence, please update your plugins to version 10.2.
You find the 10.2 prereleases here: macsw.de/plugin/Prerelease/.

New DynaPDF Starter License

Today we introduce the new DynaPDF Starter License. For only 149 Euro or $199 USD, you can add PDF creation to your application.

Also we lowered the other license prices:

Starter new for 149 Euro or $199 USD
Lite now 449 Euro, was 599 Euro
Pro now 799 Euro, was 999 Euro
Enterprise now 1299 Euro, was 1499 Euro
Lite Academic now 199 Euro, was 299 Euro
Pro Academic now 399 Euro, was 499 Euro

Dynapdf Starter vs. Lite vs. Pro vs. Enterprise

Baby Update

On todays visit with the doctor, she told us that it will be a boy. Arrival is still planned for mid July.
We are very happy with this news. Monika and Christian

Filemaker 11

We got Filemaker 11 today for testing and so far everything seems to work just fine. Please tell us if you see a problem.

MBS Filemaker Plugin 2.0 beta

You find the beta version here www.monkeybreadsoftware.com/filemaker/.
Enjoy our new functions for Image editing, URL Scheme and sending commands.
In a few days we'll release the final version.

Release of our SQLite Extension

Today we released our SQLite Extension. We named it "MBS SQLite Extension" instead of "MBS REAL Server Plugin" because our extension is three things in one: First a plug-in for the REAL Server from REALsoftware, second a plug-in for SQLiteManager from sqlabs and third an extension for SQLite which you can use in all SQLite based database engines including the REALSQLDatabase class in REALbasic.

Our SQLite Extension gives you 38 new functions in version 1.0:
  • Additional mathematical functions like Round or Pow.
  • Functions to save blob values in files outside the database.
  • Functions to calculate checksums on blob values on the server.
  • String functions like SoundEx or accents removing for your text searches.
  • Regular Expressions in queries.

Our SQLite Extension supports Mac OS X, Windows and Linux.
Example projects for REALbasic are included for both REALSQLDatabase class and REALSQLServerDatabase class.

You can test the plugin for free up to 10 minutes per launch in a demo mode.
Licenses are available for 99 Euro per developer with one year of free updates.
If you have feature requests for additional functions, please send us an email.

For more information visit our website: monkeybreadsoftware.de/realserver/

New prices for Filemaker Plugins Licenses

Today we cleaned up the price list for the filemaker plugins. Instead of 42 one items we only have 8 items in the list now.
From the feedback we got last year, we know that our old price list was very complicated for people. Being able to buy each part on its own may be a way to have the entry lower, but still it confuses users. Also the seat counting can give strange problems from time to time. So we now give 5 seats as the start point.

So for our upcoming 2.0 release, we have this price setup: 5 seats for 99 Euro, 20 seats for 199 Euro and 50 seats or redistribution for 399 Euro. Updates 50% as before.
Older license will be upgraded (or downgraded if you need) on the next update to fit the new schema.

MBS SQLite Extension 0.9

With our extension to SQLite and REAL Server, I'm close to release the first version.
I added a few new functions: AggregateCRC32MBS and AggregateMD5MBS can now create a checksum of a whole column of blob fields. Using this functions and also the normal CRC32MBS and MD5MBS functions you can easily see if blob values changed over time by comparing a calculated value with an older value.
Also we got a new documentation with a big cleanup and better example projects. Try it.
More information

NetworkAvailableMBS

Today I removed NetworkAvailableMBS. It was not working right and basicly it's not useful.
if you want to check whether you have a network, than do a DNS resolve:

// two independend domain names
const domain1 = "www.google.com"
const domain2 = "www.macsw.de"

// resolve IPs
dim ip1 as string = DNSNameToAddressMBS(Domain1)
dim ip2 as string = DNSNameToAddressMBS(Domain2)

// if we got IPs and not the same IPs (error/login pages)
if len(ip1)=0 or len(ip2)=0 or ip1=ip2 then
MsgBox "no connection"
else
MsgBox "have connection"
end if

This way you can detect whether you got something from DNS. And you can make sure that a DNS redirection to a login page won't catch you.

Plugins 10.1

The new plugin release is uploaded.
You find it on both servers. The German one here: macsw.de/plugin/.

In this release we updated libraries we use to new versions: CURL 7.20.0, RegEx to 8.0.1, DynaPDF 2.5.0.504 and sqlapi 3.7.30. Especially the DynaPDF 2.5 update gives you much improved font support. Check new manual and the compatibility notes. The plugin for Image Capture on Mac OS X has been rewritten and is now much easier to use. You can import pictures from a digital camera or a scanner using this plugin. Also the DNS Service plugin part which offers Bonjour network discovery works much better on Mac OS X and Windows.

A lot of small things changed like the AppleRemoteMBS class now handles the new aluminium remotes better. We got a new QCViewMBS class for playing Quartz Compositions, a new WindowsSerialPortsMBS class to enumerate the serial ports, a face lift to the tidy classes, some new picture and graphics functions and improvements on the CoreGraphics classes.

DynaPDF Image Note

If you add two images to a PDF file in DynaPDF, what do you think happens?
Well if both image files have the same file path, DynaPDF will only put the image file on time into the PDF. This saves a lot of space if you have for example a logo on each page. The logo is only time in the file.
But now if you write temporary files with images from a database and you reuse the same temporary file each time? Well, only the first or the last picture is in the PDF on all pages. So to allow DynaPDF to see the difference, write all pictures to different file names. Simply ask RB for a temporay folderitem using getTemporaryFolderitem. Call CreateFolder on it and put your images inside. Later you can delete this folder when you closed the PDF. Also keep files available the whole time the PDF is not yet written. This way we can optimize and read images later when we need them. This can reduce the memory footprint.
More on our PDF plugin

Automating REALbasic

Have you ever automated REALbasic somehow?

Try this: Take 1146 REALbasic projects and build them. Write down a log which files worked and which failed.
That is the job I did today. I have a tool to help me as I need to verify whether my example projects do compile. That does not tell me whether they actually still do their job right, but it catches syntax changes in the plugin or functions which are changed or removed. So please tell me if an example does no longer work.

What do you think you need to get those projects tested?
First you need an older REALbasic version. 2009r2 is okay for this. Why? Because REALsoftware changed editfield to textarea and textfield and if you load a project with editfields in a newer RB version, you get a dialog and your automation stops. Unless you do something like magical keystokes. But that would not allow the whole process to run in the background. By the way I want to keep the editfields in the examples as my examples should be compatible with RB 2008 to 2010.

Okay, next you would want to learn the REALbasic file format. Why? Well, because RB complains if it opens a file of a future version. With a thousand files, you don't want to make manually sure that all RB files are old enough. So you change the version in the beginning of the file.

Next you start with the IDE Scripting stuff from REALsoftware to execute scripts from the shell in RB. Basicly you launch a project in RB so it loads. Than you send a build command over the IDECommunicator module. You certainly want your script to use a shell command to write a file with success or failure to the disc. Than you can issue a command to close the project.

Still you have a problem. Every x builds REALbasic crashes. For me restarting RB every 50 projects works quite fine. I don't know the exact number, but at some point the memory is full or some other internal tables so it simply crashes.

So if you know something or work on REALsoftware, you can help me with ideas for this items:
  • Keep RB away from crashing after x projects
  • Find a way to disable the version warning dialog
  • Find a way to disable the deprecation warning dialog with the editfield/textfield complains

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