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iScreensaver 4 Announcements: [Sticky, Closed] iScreensaver Designer 4 Release Notes

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- CommentAuthorsupport
- CommentTimeMar 16th 2010 edited
Administrator
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iScreensaver Designer 4 Release Notes
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* If you are new to version 4, please read
What's new in iScreensaver version 4:
http://iscreensaver.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=14

* Please also read the "Known Issues" section, below *

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Version 4.0.0.294

Fixes a few minor issues. If these issues don't affect you there is no need to upgrade immediately.

Saver
* [win] Audio was not muted in the Control Panel Preview under Windows. Fixed.

Designer
* [ppc] Failing to build Win32 savers, only seen when running Designer on Mac OS X on a PPC (G3, G4 or G5). Fixed.

* [ppc] Crash in helper app when loading SWF (Flash) file, only seen in Designer on Mac OS X on a PPC (G3, G4 or G5). Fixed.

Version 4.0.0.293

A general bug-fixing release with some new/improved features. Includes minor updates for Safari 5 and Flash 10.1, and important OpenGL bug fixes for Mac and Windows. OpenGL fixes for the notorious Intel GMA950 drivers (on Windows) and Intel HD driver (on some 2010 MacBook Pros). Installers and Uninstallers are more reliable. Authors can set default values for Heads Up Display (HUD) and audio volume.

All authors are encouraged to upgrade and re-build their screen savers.

Screensaver Installer:

* [osx] "install for all users" was sometimes failing if a prior saver existed. Fixed.

Installation Plugin Checks:

* OpenGL:
* We now provide an OpenGL driver check. Rather than checking the driver version number (which is different for every manufacturer) we simply check the OpenGL version. The generic Microsoft Drivers tend to support version 1.0 or 1.1, whereas good vendor drivers support 1.3 or higher.

* When the OpenGL driver check fails, we send the user to a URL that explains how to update the video card drivers.

* All plugin checks are automatically skipped when not applicable. For example, if the author sets QuickTime to check for version 7.6, but there is no QuickTime content in the screensaver, that check will be ignored.

* The "Aero Glass is not enabled" error message: no longer shows up in Windows XP. Under Vista and Windows 7 it still shows up, but now includes a button that links to a web page explaining how to enable the feature.

Screensaver Uninstaller:

* [osx] uninstaller now resets selected saver and re-opens the Control Panel. This avoids the "module is broken" messages if your screensaver activated after uninstallation. (10.5 or later -- 10.4 has old behavior which defaults to a blank saver after uninstall.)

* [win] on Vista/7, we always request elevated permissions when uninstalling a "forAllUsers" install, which should prevent cases where the uninstaller was failing (as noted by the lack of the DOS console).

* [win] also fixed cases where the uninstaller wasn't removing the uninstall data, so the saver would still show up in the Add/Remove control panel list.

OpenGL Drivers:

* Intel Graphics Drivers: for both Mac & Windows, we have workarounds for various bugs with the Intel drivers. This fixes issues on the 2010 Macbook Pros (with Intel HD + NVIDIA 330M cards) as well as improves reliability on numerous Windows laptops using the low budget GMA 945 / GMA 950 series chips.

* Note that in the case where there is a good hardware chip, but poor drivers, the screensaver will usually still run, but it may run *very* slowly as it falls back to software rendering. This is typically only seen on Windows, not OS X.

* For maximal OpenGL compatibility with the Intel graphics cards, authors are now asked to choose a short (8.3) filename for the screensaver SCR file on windows systems. The Build panel now includes an option for this.

Control Panel Author Defaults:

* Authors may now set the following items in the editor for the Control Panel:
* Use HUD (Heads up display). (defaults to Off)
* Audio Volume (defaults to 100%)
* Audio Mute (defaults to Off)

These values will serve as defaults when the user previews or installs a screensaver. The end-user can always change these settings later.

Flash 10.1, Safari 5.0

* [osx] using Flash 10.1 + Safari 5, Flash content would "zoom open" from the lower left of the screen. Fixed.

* Note: tests using Flash 10.1 on Mac and Windows indicate better performance and smoother animation.

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Version 4.0.0.289, 290, 291, 292
Internal test builds, not released to the public.

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Version 4.0.0.287

A general bug-fixing release. Includes fixes for those using Flash (SWF) files, the unlocking dialog, and for OpenGL performance on the 2010 MacBook Pros with the Intel HD/NVIDIA 330M graphics system, and other minor issues.

All authors are encouraged to upgrade.

Screensaver Installer:
* Exceptions in FixPlistForSaverBundle caught.

Screensaver:
* the screensaver startup progress bar no longer flickers.

* [osx] on a 2 monitor system, odd monitor arrangements (such has having the menubar between two monitors stacked vertically) no longer result in graphical glitches.

* [osx] the 2010 macbook pros with the combination Intel HD / NVIDIA 330M graphics: the saver was not activating properly when the Intel HD card was active. Fixed: now properly switches to the NVIDIA 330M card.

* Tested with Flash Player 10.1 RC4 on OS X and Windows, no issues found.

Designer:

General:
* [win] the splash screen wasn't supposed to be resizable. Fixed.
* [osx] project list was losing track of some files if they had escaped-unix pathnames. Fixed. If you are upgrading from a prior version and see duplicates, just delete the extras from the project list once to fix.

Menus:
* Menu shortcuts : Bold and Italic no longer conflict with Build and Info window.

* Edit/Undo and Edit/Redo now function reliably when focus is on the Info Window.

* "Run Fullscreen" command was only working a single time unless you re-opened the Preview window. Fixed.

Editor:
* keyboard navigation, tab order : many improvements.

* Editing text captions : multiple bugs fixed: the UI is more accurate, especially when editing multiple items at once. No longer shows "0" font size or alters font size by accident.

* Paste Properties: no longer fails when pasting an entire Overlay object.

* no longer crashes when editing properties for 2+ items at once (bug introduced in 4.0.0.284)

* Flash (SWF) items were showing up as 0x0 pixel size, which was breaking "Actual Size" playback. Fixed: the flash pixel size is now detected and remembered in all situations.

* Fixed several crashes that could happen when editing during playback or when closing the Preview window.

Preview Window:
* clicking the Preview toolbar now closes the Preview window (rather than hiding it).

* toggling the preview toolbar with a full-screen SWF showing now properly resets the overlay positions.

Build:
* invalid characters (such as & / \ < > ) are now properly filtered and/or handled in filenames and text captions and no longer caus build failures.

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Version 4.0.0.285, 286
Internal test builds, not released to the public.

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Version 4.0.0.284

Designer:
* [osx,ppc] Crashing problems on G4 and G5s. Fixed.
* [osx] Fixed Info.plist and Icon permissions to 644, which was causing weird bugs when Designer was installed by an administrator but run on a non-administrator account.
* [all] Undo/Redo could crash if you had the Stage Preview window open. Fixed.

* Media/Effect: the "Fall" effect names & direction caption names were wrong. Fixed.

* General UI improvements for keyboard use. Cleaned up tab order on many windows. Handles FullKeyboard Access for all controls better on OS X

* preferences window wasn't supposed to be resizable. fixed

* 'about this software' window: cleaned up.

Version 4.0.0.283

Designer:
* Undo History menu would get scrambled. Fixed
* Crash when launched on computer with no network interfaces. Fixed.

Saver Uninstaller:
* [win] uninstalling was resetting the user's wallpaper (in the case where the installer did include wallpaper, but the user chose to skip it).
* [osx] uninstalling now resets to the prior wallpaper in use (if user chose to install it).

Version 4.0.0.282

Saver Installer:
* [winXP] installs with wallpaper were sometimes crashing. Fixed.

* [win32] Screensaver Installation on Limited (Non-administrator) XP accounts were failing: Now we detect this properly and default to an "install for me only" installation.

* [win32] fixed a bug where the saver installer could try (and fail) to delete the wrong folder after installation failure cleanup.

Saver:
* Interactive with HUD off : cursor now auto-hides after a bit if you don't move cursor.

* Power settings for Vista now work better. Saver stops when monitor goes off. Note: there may be a brief flash of the desktop before the monitor sleeps -- this seems to be a Vista bug (can be seen with MS screensavers too).

Designer:
* fixed a crash when closing window (side effect of fix in 281).

Version 4.0.0.281

Designer:
* Fixed a memory leak when closing a project window. This was causing a variety of issues, including "file busy" errors when trying to save, move, or delete the project file, as the project file wasn't being released properly.

* SWFs now default to non-interactive (because with interactive ON, HUD off, there is no easy way to exit the saver). Only use Interactive with SWFs that provide a button to exit.

Version 4.0.0.280

Saver/Win32:
* monitor dim/power save events improved handling:
On Vista/win7+ systems, the screensaver will keep running while the monitor dims, but will exit cleanly when the monitor sleeps fully.
On XP Systems the screensaver will keep running when the monitor dims, and when the monitor sleeps we automatically exit the screensaver (this helps conserve power and makes it work more like vista/7).
* Note that the "Dim" setting is driver-dependent and may not appear on all OSs.

* [win] SWF : clicking a URL command in XP was causing a crash. Fixed.
* [win] Right edge of window was flashing on movie/flash content. Fixed.

Saver/Interactivity/SWF:
* [all] interactive assets now ignore mouse move, mouse click even when HUD is disabled.
* [all] SWF: now using quality=autohigh instead of "high" for flash playback.

Version 4.0.0.279
Saver/Win32:
* monitor dim/power save events improved handling :
On Vista/7+ systems, the screensaver will keep running while the monitor dims, but will exit cleanly when the monitor sleeps fully.

On XP Systems the screensaver will keep running when the monitor dims, and when the monitor sleeps we automatically exit the screensaver (this helps conserve power and makes it work more like vista/7). Note that on XP you can't actually have a different Dim/Sleep monitor time, so they happen simultaneously.

Suggested tests:
Use bootcamp
change both the Dim (vista/7) and Sleep (xp/vista/7) settings (click 'Power Settings' from the screensaver CP).
test with 1 or 2 monitors
test with password protection on/off
test with HUD on/off

What to look for:
in Vista/7: monitor should Dim and saver keeps playing.
in xp/vista/7: monitor sleep: should end screensaver and monitor should not wake up (until you wiggle mouse)
make sure you never see the Windows TaskBar missing, after you wake up from sleep.

* SWF : clicking a URL command in XP is causing crash (due to re-entrant quit in cStage.DoAppDeactivate). Fixed.

* right edge of window was flashing on movie/flash content ( tmKludgeRearrangeWindow1 is now called immediately, and now does +1 width instead of -1 so right edge of window is no longer visible. and happens much faster.

* interactive assets now ignore mouse move,click even when HUD is disabled. Tooltip corrected. Keyboard commands are not ignored. (It may be possible to click into a SWF object and use the keyboard, but this is not currently supported)

* SWF: now using <PARAM NAME=quality VALUE=autohigh> instead of "high" for flash playback. better performance / cpu usage? in some cases?
See : http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/127/tn_12701.html

Designer Build:
* unregistered, uncustomized project no longer doubles up the default installer/CP texts and no longer includes "-------" separator in the default text.

Designer/Info
* Overlays: bug with overlay height somtimes showing as zero. Fixed.
* Behavior/EndTime was disabled incorrectly for images (broken in 278). Fixed.
Designer/ProjectList : offers to go to samples page to download samples.
Designer/Preview Stage window title was showing "Locked". Fixed
Designer Win32 exe Installer: fixed bad Support/Download URLs.
Designer/Project Save:
* now respects the OS's file locked flag (osx: "Locked", win:"Read-only") and won't save over a locked file. Instead gives a warning and offers to do a SaveAs...
Designer HUD: cosmetic changes.

Version 4.0.0.278

* Help links: a few of our help URLs linked to the wrong web page. Fixed.

* SWF files: Info/Behavior/EndTime was not being honored, yet the UI let you change it. Fixed - for SWFs you can not set start/end times, only the overall PlayCount.

* Windows iScreensaver Designer 4 Installer now includes the full version # string on first page.

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Known Issues:
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Video Cards/Drivers:
* The default Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, and 7 OpenGL drivers have extremely slow performance. You should upgrade to the latest vendor-provided drivers.

See http://iscreensaver.com/help/notes/update_opengl_drivers/update_opengl_drivers.shtml

* On Windows PCs, the Intel GMA 950 series video drivers are buggy -- iScreensaver version 4.0.0.292 or later includes fixes for these issues.

Media/Codec Issues:

* Under OS X 10.6, 10.6.1, 10.6.2, 10.6.3 and 10.6.4, certain video codecs will cause the screensaver to exit. This will not happen when you use the "Test" button from the control panel, but will happen when using a HotCorner, or when the screensaver activates normally. This is a known bug that Apple is aware of. Workaround: convert your movie to use a "safe" codec (listed below)

* Under Windows, some QuickTime video codecs do not animate at full speed. Workaround: convert your movie to use a "safe" codec (listed below)

Safe codecs currently are:
Photo JPEG
H264 (when re-saved from QuickTime Pro -- video directly from devices such as an iPhone may not work without re-conversion)

Unsafe codecs:
AVI
Sorenson Video3 Decompressor
Motion JPEG
H264 (video directly from iPhone).

AntiVirus Software

* Some antivirus software will block screensaver installation, or block screensaver operation. You may need to give special permission to the screensaver installer and screensaver after installation. For example, some antivirus software will allow the screensaver to be installed, but then warn and block it when it loads a QuickTime movie. Refer to your antivirus software documentation as needed to solve this issue.

See http://iscreensaver.com/help/notes/anti_virus/anti_virus.shtml

QuickTime Bugs:
* QTL (QuickTimeLink) files (both audio and video) are not supported:
* Under OSX 10.6 they will cause the screensaver to exit prematurely
* Under Win XP they cause terrible screen flickering.

* Under WIndows OS (all) Quicktime 7.6.5 crashes with some movies when set to StretchMode:Actual or StretchMode:Crop. Fixed in QuickTime 7.6.6 which is now available.

Windows OS : Flicker with overlays on non-Aero Glass systems.
* Overlays (HUD, caption, pictures) that overlap QuickTime movies will flicker when played on a Windows XP system, and Vista or 7 if Aero Glass is disabled. This is a known bug in QuickTime 7.6.5 plugin. Workaround: don't use overlays, or await a QuickTime bug-fix.

* Caption text:
* italic text may have the right edge chopped off. Workaround: type an extra space or two in the text.

Build / File Copies
* Copying a built installer file (from mac to windows, or vice versa) may not have correct file permissions. Copying the Zipped installer (created using the 'zip' checkbox on the build screen) works fine.

Giant Images:

* iScreensaver may crash if you try to use really really big images (more than 4096 pixels in width or height). Read this for more info:
http://iscreensaver.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=23

Screensavers on Mac OS

* On a 2+ monitor system, a screensaver playing on main screen only, with HUD enabled, will be exited by the OS if the mouse cursor goes onto the 2nd monitor.

Screensavers on Windows OS

* Screensavers run on main monitor only. Secondary monitors are blanked. This is by design.

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