KM-CODEX

Adobe Air 2 is nearly out of beta and I was just as curious as the next person to see what has changed. As it turns out, quite a lot has changed and it is worlds better than AIR 1.5 and brings some very cool new tools to the table.

Click here to read about some of the new features

I’ve already begun playing around with it and have some AIR 2 applications ready for public use. The first mashes up a Koolmoves class by Wilbert Brants with Flex 3 and is called “Droppic”. Droppic shows off the new File Promises ability of AIR 2 and allows you to search Picasa and drag any picture in the app to your desktop to be instantly downloaded. The second also uses the new File Promises of AIR 2 and is called “KM-CODEX FileGrabber”. This application contains all my available downloads and again allows you to simply drag an item listed in it to your operating system and drop it to instantly download it. All download counts are updated at runtime.

KM-CODEX FileGrabber can be downloaded using the link below, once you have it installed you can download Droppic or any of my other downloads by using it. There is also a link to get the Adobe AIR Runtime Installer which is required to install FileGrabber. Nearly all code I create with Adobe AIR from here out will be AIR 2 based and when the Adobe Showcase allows AIR 2 submissions it will be housed there as well.

Click here to get the Adobe Air 2 Runtime

Click here to download the KM-CODEX FileGrabber Application

In the next few months I will be leaving Flex 3 behind for Flex 4. Time really flies when you are having fun!

YaYa v.9 is now available here and at the Adobe Showcase. This version is a must have if you like the app because it adds a lot of new things and fixes a few others.

Some of the features of the v.9 release:

1. Totally reworked multiple download routine. The list of returns is now repeater based instead of itemRenderer based so when you scroll while downloading, every active download is tracked as it should be and progresses as it should. Refactoring was causing major problems using a renderer and if you scrolled the list while downloading an item things went wonky. Not anymore.

2. Exit awareness during downloads. If you attempt to exit with downloads in progress the app finishes all downloads and library queries before exiting and notifies the end user of such.

3. Library playlist queuing. Now you queue items from the library to the video player. This is more natural. This way you can use the filters to narrow down what you are looking for…select from the narrowed down list and queue them up.

4. Added YouTube username search. You can now search by keyword or YouTube user.

5. Added a new “Hide Controls” mode. Click the box and the entire application window becomes the video space.

6. Display of Publish date (by user request).

7. Search progress indicator. Just a visual so you know the app is searching YouTube.

8. Version check from app. If your version is current you are notified. If not you can download new version.

8. Many background tweaks not worth mentioning.

I’m releasing a second version of my KM-CODEX Desktop app today.

The newest version (Power Windows) now supports Video Objects. Users can insert a video object (remotely hosted FLV path) into any post and set it’s size and alignment. Like all other objects, the video object can be re-edited at anytime (all users can edit their own posts) or removed completely from the list of objects that define that post. It’s hierarchy in the post can also be adjusted (like all other objects) by simply dragging it in the Object Outline and dropping it where you want it placed.  If the stored path to the FLV is valid, other users can download any video posted. If for some reason the path is not valid (either on purpose or because the hosted server is down) the user attempting to download it is informed that the video is no longer available.

What I am trying to do is get users to add or obtain videos that interest them, be they video tutorials or any other type of video. Since all valid videos ever posted in the desktop app are ones that can be downloaded, they can be shared and hopefully spread around to whoever has need of them.

Only the Power Windows version supports video. If you feel like taking part and have videos worth posting, myself and all users would appreciate anything you can submit.

Nearly all my website content will be migrated into this desktop app in 2010 (for instance all my downloads are inside there now) and it is an ongoing effort.

You can find Power Windows in my sidebar. It’s free, has no advertisements and is offered in good faith. These apps are also available from the Adobe Showcase and if you do not have the Adobe AIR runtime installed, the desktop forum installers in my sidebar (and at Adobe) will install it for you.

Screenshots follow:

Some people are confusing registering to download as meaning register here at my WordPress blog. To download you have to register in my Desktop forum after you install it using the install link in my sidebar. Once you install it you are immediately logged in as a “Guest” and the downloads will be hidden.

Here is a screenshot of the lower right of the forum where the “Refresh Forum” button is. The download button would be to the left of that if you log in as a registered member of the forum. As a “Guest” it is hidden.

To register, click the “User Account” button in the lower left of the forum like so:

This will open up the User Account panel where users can register, login, email their password, change their password or log out of the forum. When users log out they are logged back in as “Guests”. You want to register so in the upper left section of the User Account panel is the “Register” section shown below:

Fill in the required fields and click the “Register New” button. The board will attempt to register you. IF you choose a username already in use the board will inform you so you can try again. If the registration was successful it will email you a password and inform you in the forum like so:

Check your email for the message it sends you. Copy the password from your email and login to the board using the login section on the upper right of the “User Account” panel.

After you log in with your registered account the board will enable all things available as a member (especially the download button) and set your permission level to member so you can post and reply to threads. If you don’t like your assigned password you can change it in “User Accounts” now as well. Now that you are logged in as a member the download button is visible (little arrow icon):

Click that little arrow and the File Download panel slides in. All files have download button next to them and icon indicators to tell you what platform(s) were used to make them. Click the screenshot below to see the download panel picture larger.

Hope that clears up any confusion on registering. Have fun, drop me a post now and then and enjoy the downloads!

Above: Load screen

Above: Log Viewer Sliding In

Above: Log Viewer, Timer Halted, Scrolling Through List (IP’s hidden for screenshot)

Above: Screenshot of various admin controls

I’m getting questions about how the Desktop Forum is administered. The board is controlled with a dedicated administrator version that has all the features of the user version as well as things like:

1. Global Editing

Unlike the user version that only allows you to edit your own posts, the administrator version can edit any post at any time.

2. User Banning

Users can be banned inline at the touch of a button. Banned users are not able to load their boards as the user version locks them out. This control is reserved for cases of extreme misuse and usually an admin will simply edit any mildly offensive language and warn.

3. Thread Deletion

Threads can be deleted in place. The board will update all user post counts, forum thread counts and any other ancillary database entries affected by the deletion. If the thread is the only one in any forum, the last user name for that forum is cleared in the forum list and reset to “No Posts Yet”.

4. Post Deletion

Posts can be deleted in place. The board will update all affected user post counts and thread list post counts. If the post is the only one in a thread, the entire thread is deleted.

5. Thread Title Editing

All titles can be globally edited inline.

6. Maintenance Mode Switching

The admin can switch the board into maintenance mode on the fly. User versions will detect this flag and temporarily disable themselves until the status is changed to allow entry (maintenance turned off) again.

7. Admin Entry Awareness

Only users with admin status can enter the admin module. If the user is detected as a guest or a user without admin security access, the administrator version disables itself. This is coded for cases where a user might try to obtain a version from server meant to be an update version for an existing admin. Should they try to use it, they will find it useless and decompiling to get around the fact just as useless.

8. Slide In User Log Viewer

This slide in panel tells the admin who is online, their IP, last action taken and time of action. Timer based, this module can have it’s timer halted in real time to allow administrators to scroll through the returned list at their leisure. This is done to avoid timer resets which loads the list in real time and might force the admin to scroll down again since new data was sent to the Flex list. By being able to halt the timer they can simply halt…scroll to the position they want…for as long as they want, and re-enable the timer again when they are done to start auto-loading the list again. When the log panel is slid out of view, the timer automatically disables itself to save on database load. The amount of results can be adjusted on the fly from 20 – 1000 last actions viewable.

9. User Log Clearing

Administrators can reset the user log table (zero it) at any time they wish.

10. Admin Fail-safe’s

For user bans, thread deletions, post deletions and title edits the board asks if the admin is sure they want to perform these actions before taking any action. This is coded in case an admin accidentally hits a button they did not mean to.

User logs can be cleared (zeroed) at any time an admin chooses.