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526
N.A.N.Y. 2011 / Re: NANY 2011 :: Announcement
« Last post by Perry Mowbray on May 13, 2010, 12:23 AM »
Thank you Perry for so enthusiastically championing the NANY events!

Well, I'm excited!  :greenclp: So excited (especially with the amount of time available), that I've even pledged  ;)

But it's not just me: I need to thank all the other DC members who have put a lot of thought (and posting) into the set-up of this year's NANY: Thanks!!  :Thmbsup:

527
N.A.N.Y. 2011 / NANY 2011 Teaser Update: ContactFX 0.0.2.0
« Last post by Perry Mowbray on May 13, 2010, 12:15 AM »
NANY 2011 Entry Information

Application Name ContactFX
Version 0.0.2.0
Short Description A versatile Addressbook and Contacts editor with FARR integration.
Supported OSes Windows with .Net installed
Web Page blog posts
Download Link  Main panel complete!!.
Additional Files:
: DisplayName demonstrating dynamic field linking.
: Demonstrating user Fields.
System Requirements
  • .Net
  • Should be portable
Version History
  • 2010-10-13 * ContactFX 0.0.2.0.zip (230.54 kB - downloaded 1325 times.)
  • 2010-10-08 0.0.1.17
  • 2010-09-30 0.0.1.13: Snippet for Comment
  • 2010-09-17 0.0.1.9: Snippet for Comment
  • 2010-08-17 0.0.1.3: Snippet for Comment
Author Perry Mowbray


Description
ContactFX (Cfx) will be an Addressbook programme with the following functionality (in impressive graphic format  ;)):

Process.png

Features

Here's where I'm planning to go with Cfx:
  • Flexible editing and viewing options.
    • Flexible card layout for each contact
    • Contacts can have a little or a lot of data: only see the fields with data.
  • Flexible import and export: very easy to get contacts both in and out of Contactfx in various formats.
  • Off-line access: not dependant on a website or web application.
  • Non-Cfx dependant search [e.g. via FARR]: FARR integration (FARRCfx) will give Contactfx very flexible system integration on the desktop.
  • Non-Contactfx dependant access [e.g. via HTML on USB]: can take address book anywhere and access just via a browser.

Possible Features
  • User defined fields and controls
  • Contact templates
  • FTP to private webspace
  • Automated purchase and sending of birthday presents   ;)

Screenshots
BasicWindow.png
sandismaidenname.png

FARRCfx
Some preliminary screenshots:

FARRCfx Menu
FARRCfx - 28_07_2010.png

Display Contact
FARRCfx - 28_07_2010 2.png

Usage
Installation
Should be portable, so just unzip somewhere and run  :)

Using the Application
When the application runs it sits itself down in the System Tray, to open the Addressbook window use the context menu or double-click on the icon.

At the moment all you can do is:
  • Addressbook
    • Create a new contact
      • Add fields to the Contact by dragging from the Control Pallet
      • Edit the fields
        • Add values
        • Use functions currently:
          • Initialise
          • UCase
          • Join
          • Ternary
          • Conditional Pad
          • see this post for more details on functions
        • Link Fields: Field links and functions give a powerful ability to automate contact records. To see this in action unzip * JimsDisplayName.zip (0.28 kB - downloaded 1143 times.) into the userFields subFolder; this file will modify the default displayName field so that it dynamically aggregates the other name fields. See this post.
        • User Fields: these are not fully implemented, but if you'd like a preview / play unzip * TimsNickName.zip (0.29 kB - downloaded 1140 times.) into the userFields subFolder to create a new Nickname field. You can also make copies to create other new fields: make sure you give each a unique name otherwise you'll just be modifying an existing field.
        • Edit labels (via context menu)
        • Set width
        • Set layout (fill width | add linebreak )
        • save it back to the addressbook
    • Open thus created contacts to view or edit
  • Settings
    • Change the few settings that are currently available (more will come)
  • About
    • Show the About window
    • Follow some of the links  ;)

    ContactFX is designed to be flexible by the user, with as few "rules" about how to set out any Contact. So although I've designated some suitable uses for the various parts of the Contact window, they wont be enforced in any way: each Contact's layout could be unique if that's what you wanted. Hopefully it'll become clearer when I've got a bit more functionality implemented, but I hope you get the idea.

    Screenshot - 17_08_2010 , 10_01_22 PM.png

    But the basic idea is that there will be the following types of containers:
    • Main Panel
      • Any field can be inserted into any panel, and a contact could just consist of one field in the main panel
      • The main panel can be thought of comprising uncategorised fields (ie general information)
    • Lists Panel
      • A number of list panels can be added
      • Useful for displaying lists of fields:
        • Links
        • Social Network sites
        • Related Contacts
    • Tab Panel
      • A number of Tab Pages can be added to the Tab Panel
      • Tab Pages add a category to the fields contained on the page
      • For example:
        • Home
        • Work
      • But could also be any other non-standard category
    • Notes Panel
      • A number of notes panels can be added
      • Although any field can be added to a notes panel, the default layout will be full width.
      • A notes field can be used to display plain text. The notes field will have extra functionality, including:
        • Roll-up to Title
        • Link to file

    A mockup can be found on Cacoo.


    Roadmap
    This is the tentative roadmap that I'm working toward on my slow march to a 0.1 beta version  ;)
    • Version 0.0.2: Basic Window Framework - Main Panel
      • Name Fields (display name, first name, additional name, family name, formatted name)
      • Drag and Drop (Move / Copy / Link )
      • Copy & Paste
      • Portable Configuration
      • Command-line (-tray hides to tray on startup)
      • Language Files (see \Settings\Language\English.xml)
    • Version 0.0.3: Lists Panel
      • List panels
      • WebLink fields
    • Version 0.0.4: Tab Panel
      • Tab Pages
      • Address Fields (POB, Extended, Street, Locality, Region)
      • Categorization / Type Fields & Settings
    • Version 0.0.5: Notes Panel
      • Note Lists
      • Note Fields (Internal / External)
      • Tag Fields
    • Version 0.0.6: Integration Functionality
      • Command-line Options
      • FarrCfx
      • Addressbook Search / Filter
    • Version 0.0.7: Data Fields
      • Add remaining Data Fields
      • User Fields
      • User Field Editor
    • Version 0.0.8: File Functionality
      • Save / Import / Export
      • Upload to FTP
      • Backup

    Uninstallation
    Should be able to just delete the files (although there will be some settings in the users directory).

    Known Issues
    Please remember that this application is still very much in development and most things don't work at the moment :-[


    ...you can also check for random postings on my blog as well.
    528
    N.A.N.Y. 2011 / NANY 2011 :: Entry Ideas & Requests
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on May 12, 2010, 11:41 PM »
    NANY has always been a community event, and this thread is about helping users connect with coders:
    • If you are a user with an application that you've always wanted to see coded then this is the place to mention it and discuss it. Hopefully a coder will wander by and get as excited about it as you are and it will materialize this coming New Year!
    • If you are a coder looking for a new idea for this year's NANY then this may well be the perfect place: the ideas hear already have some user interest and people who are interested in its development.

    When a coder decides to develop an idea from this thread, they should mention that here with a link to the Pledge Thread where further discussion can continue.

    529
    N.A.N.Y. 2011 / NANY 2011 :: Announcement
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on May 12, 2010, 11:30 PM »
    N.A.N.Y. 2011
    New Apps for the New Year

    NANY has for some years been the premier software event on DonationCoder where we've seen 100's of new applications released for the New Year for the simple but glorious pleasure of the Cody Mug; from its humble beginnings in its inaugural year of 2007 to the big events of 2009 & 2010. NANY is a community event where coders pit their skills against the clock and DC members join in with suggestions, testing and help with other aspects of the entry such as graphics, icons, translations and help documentation.

    This year we are broadening the event, reducing the complexity and rules whilst providing the same encouragement to software authors of all types and backgrounds to successfully complete the NANY 2011 challenge. You can form a team to work on the one project, you can re-write one of your old applications, publish an online web service script, you can write a plug-in for another programme: you can almost do whatever you like as long as it's new, yours and free.

    This year the opportunity exists for coders to start the process early and aim to build a substantial new project for release as part of NANY.  We will try our best to feature large applications appropriately and get them the attention they deserve. It's never too early to start planning and discussing your NANY 2011 entries, and although you can pledge as late as December, we encourage you to pledge early and enter into the NANY Community spirit and take advantage of the vast resources available to you on DonationCoder.

    Instructions
    • Pledge that you are participating in NANY 2011 by starting a New Thread on the NANY 2011 Board. This thread will eventually contain the released version of your software. Your thread can also be used for suggestions, ideas, bug testing and reviews if needed, up to release.
    • The software can be anything!
      • Game, productivity application, utility, web script, etc.; for any OS, for any device, for any purpose; big or small, full-featured or simple (Though this year we've made lots of time available and we'd really like to see some larger, full-featured releases!).
      • It needs to be free for personal use, donationware, or open source -- and be a program that hasn't been previously made public.
      • You retain all rights to your software.
    • Post the Release Version to your Pledge Thread before the end of the year.
    • After January 1 we will evaluate, package and publish the entries on various sites, such as Newsletters and YouTube videos.

    Volunteers
    We ask that non-coder volunteers become part of the Event and offer their services to help the coders with things like beta testing, feature suggestion, graphics/icon development, etc. We've had some very generous donations of software that will be given to our very generous volunteers that will make the best use of their time... more details later.

    Entry Ideas
    The NANY 2011 Ideas Thread is located here. It's a great place to put your idea for that app you were always wanting (but too afraid to ask); and if you're a coder, then it's a wonderful resource of ideas that already have user interest.
    530
    DcUpdater / Re: Issues with 1.26.01
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on May 10, 2010, 05:38 PM »
    I just thought I would post a note here that I am having the exact same problem. I have FARR 12 times, and the plugins 12 times each as well.

    What are all the DcUpdate File paths?

    With mine a couple were different -- but pointing to the same file (which I thought explained it a bit): one was relative the other absolute...
    531
    Living Room / Re: could two numeric keypads work at the same time
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on May 10, 2010, 08:52 AM »
    if you are considering this Trust numeric key pad, Perry, then i'd say it's okay. it's very thin, i.e. the depth is about 1.5 cm at the most. the cable isn't very long - but that shouldn't matter for laptop use.

    I haven't seen "Trust" locally (that doesn't sound very good, does it  :huh:), but the description sounds very much like the cheap ones here. And like you I reckon that for the use it'll get, should be fine. Thanks for the heads up...
    532
    DcUpdater / Re: Issues with 1.26.01
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on May 10, 2010, 08:46 AM »
    I have FARR 12 times, and the plugins 12 times each as well.

    I think you win... just wait a minute while we organise a prize... ;) :D
    533
    I think you'd need to be careful that you don't end up chasing your cursor all around your monitors?
    -Perry Mowbray (May 06, 2010, 07:34 AM)
    good point.

    In hindsight I think it may be a good idea for a game?  :D Maybe you need a gameMode??
    534
    i have a request (that i know skwire knows the answer to), for switching the mouse cursor icon to another one - but only whilst the slide cursor function is in operation. i just think it would be nice if a giant cursor appeared whilst the sliding occured. i've had a look on the autohotkey forum but the dllcall function they are talking about for cursor swapping is beyond me.

    You mean this one: http://www.autohotke...forum/topic6107.html which actually leads to this one: http://www.autohotke...orum/topic35600.html
    535
    i'm happy with how things are now - but it would be a near perfect script if the cursor slide could "transition/merge" into the manual cursor movement when user moves the mouse. maybe that is expected way too much though as there could/would be times when the user wants to break the slide immediately - so a set transition would be annoying.

    I think you'd need to be careful that you don't end up chasing your cursor all around your monitors?

    This just reminded me of an Amiga mouse hack the kids loved... a rocket was launched when the programme ran and chased the cursor; the user moved the cursor away from the rocket which then changed course and kept chasing... until it caught up with the cursor and it exploded and the cursor disappeared: just long enough for you to wonder what you were going to do without a cursor (the first time anyway).
    536
    General Software Discussion / Re: Clipboard Managing-Which one?
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on May 06, 2010, 06:30 AM »
    (see attachment in previous post)

    That's crazy Curt!!

    I've tried lots of those, but I too have settled for Clipboard Help+Spell... don't use many of the bells and whistles, but the text modification is super handy at times  :Thmbsup:
    537
    Living Room / Re: could two numeric keypads work at the same time
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on May 06, 2010, 06:25 AM »
    sounds like nudone is in love.  ;D
    well. like most things. the desire and the expectation are likely to be unfulfilled... who knows, though, this could be a match made in heaven.

    That's half the enjoyment ;)

    and the numeric key pad i'd already ordered will just add to the keyboard/mouse party.

    What type did you get? If you want to get rid of it I may be interested (I really miss my number pad with all the spreadsheet work I do)

    i think Perry was asking more if the numeric key pad could be used away from the main keyboard rather than having to fix it to either side.

    You got it. In many ways, I'd like to have my number pad like my tablet: pull-outable when I need it.
    538
    Living Room / Re: could two numeric keypads work at the same time
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on May 06, 2010, 04:03 AM »
    Can you let us know if the keypad can go anywhere, or is it attached either to the left or right?
    539
    so from my standpoint i think maybe the best bang for the buck in terms of improving site organization is to leave the forum as it is -- and just focus on making the rest of the non-forum website pages on DonationCoder.com better in terms of exposing the rest of the content on the site, and making it easier to maintain those pages.
     
     :up: :up: :up:

    - Oshyan

    +1

    Werks for me too.
    -Stoic Joker (May 04, 2010, 10:14 PM)

    And me  :D
    540
    Thanks App: yes, I think the Celebration aspect of NANY can be highlighted more, or maybe even separated somewhat...

    So, NANY is part of the Software Celebration that happens during January and that looks back over the year  :-\? But it does not have to be the whole celebration.

    I think it's pretty obvious that it's going to be difficult to maintain a combined "mad dash" and "first class" type of NANY: they seem too opposed. And most people seem to be gravitating toward a simpler NANY -- which does not exclude the "first class" entries (many of the "dashed" entries are very first class!), but also does not encourage it either (time restrictions are an issue for many of the entrants).

    One of the reasons behind the whole "first class" thing was to encourage more substantial entries of consistent quality for those that wanted to do that type of entry. I do not think that that will happen in the mad dash time-frame.

    One thought that's been bubbling around in my mind is that quite a few entrants started working on their NANY entry well before December... I wonder if there's a way to encourage this by having something like a Labs or Summer School or something (as was previously suggested) earlier in the year that provides an opportunity and framework for someone to develop and fine-tune their application; and if the entrant wants to they can submit it to NANY for further development / testing / finishing?

    I'm not really sure what format the Labs / Summer School / Event could take, but we have such a wealth of mentors on DC and a large member base that are keen to suggest, brainstorm and work on software (it's almost what we do best), that for someone wanting to work on something more substantial, maybe even in teams, it would be a great opportunity to tap into those resources (which is difficult during NANY). But it's basically for someone who wants a longer lead time and to tap into the DC resources: ideas?

    And everything would get caught up in a Celebration Catch All at the end of the year!
    541
    One of the things that has distinguished CircleDock & Trout is not their meeting the criteria mentioned at the start of the thread, but the fact that they found enthusiastic supporters and developer enthusiasm was also maintained

    I always felt that that was a fairly random thing to happen (CD & Trout are absolutely fantastic -- but there were other good entries as well): each year it was interesting to see what entries attracted the most attention... and it didn't necessarily seem linked directly to the programme.

    One aspect of NANY that I think is a shame is that the years go by and the previous entries are almost forgotten... but I'm not entirely sure that it's all customer voting by their feet... some of it I think has to be just not being made aware: there are some great programmes from previous years that would be good to have easy access to (well: easier access).
    542
    Living Room / Re: Ergonomic mouse and keyboard
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on April 30, 2010, 10:38 AM »
    If you really are (you are surprising me now...  ;))... I think you'd have to saw two in half, as one side is bound to become unusable  :o
    543
    Living Room / Re: Ergonomic mouse and keyboard
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on April 30, 2010, 10:24 AM »
    if i could saw my keyboard in two - so the numberpad was gone i'd do it. maybe i should look into it.

     ;D  That's what everyone thinks that I've done to mine!!

    i quite like the look of the TypeMatrix keyboard. i've also found this one, the "mouse friendly" keyboard (i've also seen a few left-handed keyboards now, which is what this is under another name): http://www.evoluent.com/kb1.html

    Yes: that looks good too.

    It all depends on where you are getting pain / discomfort / etc.

    I do this little demonstration at work all the time with people who ask...
    • I stand facing the person and tell them to hold their hands out in front of themselves as if on a keyboard: ie close together.
    • Then I say to concentrate on their shoulders
    • Then move their hands apart so they are in line with their shoulders
    • Repeat

    Generally everyone is amazed that their shoulders relax with their hands spread.

    I also do this one...
    • Hold your hand out horizontally in front of you
    • Turn your hand 90 degrees so that it's vertical
    • Repeat

    Your hand generally feels more comfortable in a more vertical position.
    544
    FARR Plugins and Aliases / Re: [IDEA] FARR Plugin: FARRDevelopersBible
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on April 30, 2010, 10:17 AM »
    I'm sure I'm going to pick it up again though, if only for all the work Perry and I (well, mostly Perry) have put into it already.

    [ Well I'm glad about that  ;) ]

    WMS on a local file sounds like great fun...
    545
    Living Room / Re: Ergonomic mouse and keyboard
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on April 30, 2010, 10:03 AM »
    Everyone makes the same joke when they see my keyboard: "why did you break you keyboard?". But I've never looked back, the pain in my back disappeared almost overnight (I didn't have any wrist pain, and I don't think spreading your hands would help with wrist pain anyway).

    I very nearly bought the http://www.kinesis-e...om/advantage_pro.htm, but was worried about the lack of movement of my arms. And I definitely had already decided on the rollermouse (to stop the right-shoulder pain). It was pretty comfy when I tried it out though (and it has heaps of geek appeal  ;))

    I miss the dedicated number pad though. I'm not too bad touch typing the numbers, but for spreadsheets I liked to use the numberpad. I have wondered about getting a separate one and putting in between the split keyboard...

    But I did also like the http://www.typematrix.com/ keyboard too, but it didn't give me enough hand spread.

    Recently I've been wondering about the bamboo tablet and placing it between the split keyboard  :-\... but my existing set-up is hard to beat at the moment for comfort.

    And functionality wise, it's amazing how functional it is to use your thumbs to move the cursor... ends up just like the space bar on the keyboard.
    546
    Living Room / Re: Ergonomic mouse and keyboard
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on April 30, 2010, 09:03 AM »
    Pain in the wrist sounds like an incorrect angle in the joint to me ... not that I'm an expert tho'. But as nudone says, checking your relative heights is a good idea:
    this is probably too simple a solution but it's something i encountered just this week...

    i raised my office chair about 3 inches a few days ago - within an hour my wrists where aching (which they never do normally). i ignored this for a day or two and in the end decided to lower the chair again as it was just too painful on the wrists.

    My problems were different, they were more located in the shoulders because:
    • shoulder extension issues with the mouse too far from my centre
    • hunching because my hands were not spread enough
    I wrote very briefly here about the set-up (which reminds me I should update it because it's been very good and completely solved my pain issues  :))
    547
    Site/Forum Features / Re: Discussion: How can we Improve DonationCoder?
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on April 26, 2010, 05:36 AM »
    maybe one way to address gothic's ideas and also help make things easier to find in general is to have a kind of wiki system incorporated into DC where trusted people could keep an organized set of pages updated that helped catalog stuff on the site and was a navigational aid.

    This is what the blog and the newsletter essentially does, isn't it? Just over a shorter time period...

    and I think it's a grand idea to stop good stuff getting lost over time.
    548
    FARR Plugins and Aliases / Re: FARR plugin: FarrWebMetaSearch 1.4.2
    « Last post by Perry Mowbray on April 25, 2010, 03:09 AM »
    P.S. aaah yes, and is it possible to have text in itallics or bold, or different color in the results window? Strangely enough, FARR seems to "cope" with the markup coming from Google - it ignores it. :)

    Yes: you just set it in your definition -- simple html format works fine. something like
    Code: HTML [Select]
    1. <i>$2</i>
    works OK: I've used that in my onelook search.
    549
    That would certainly help so that no one could blunder into not seeing posts.

    And if it was all able to be searched and/or re-mashed onto other pages: all the better!! In fact: perfect!
    550
    OK point taken, and maybe it's better not to offer it because it'll encourage people not to look, read and think?

    Personally though, if I opened a thread of many pages and I didn't have the time to look at each one, I'd like the ability to filter based on what other people thought was the most helpful (and I think it's anyone, the vote doesn't count more because you've been voted for previously). If I wanted to I can always turn the filter off...

    But the people who have the screening feature enabled can't vote for you because they may never see your post to begin with.

    Actually, my understanding of:
    Posts voted below a given number are hidden. ("Bad posts")

    was that you could specify a bad post as say lower than -5, which means that the sum of voting = -5 ( + 2 - 7). I think it should also read "may be hidden" as it depends on the user.

    So if you set a number greater than 0 no posts would display in filtered format!! I'm pretty sure that means that that's not the way it's meant to work... it's only meant to filter posts with a sum of less than a negative number (which means the majority of users voted it down).

    I honestly thought this type of mod was aimed at making the long threads easier to read quickly  :-\ But I have never bumped into heavy censorship (except on a national level  ;) )
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