Games, Screensavers, and Photo Utilities
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PictureSaver Revision History

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Version 4.2.5: 03/01/2006

• NEW: The configuration file format and location were changed, to pave the way for multi-user support. Individual users on the same computer can now have their own picture lists, but other options are still shared (that's coming).
• NEW: When a picture isn't found, it is now logged to the Windows error log (instead of to the PictureSaver.err file).
• NEW: PictureSaver will now add the My Pictures foler as a default PicFolder when it's installed for the first time. An empty Default group is still created, but is disabled by default.
• NEW: PicFolders can now be exported to standalone screen savers just like groups can.
• ENHANCED: Users now have more control over exported screen savers. You can now specify which transitions to use, whether to display the clock and description text, and whether to use filenames, picture descriptions, or sequential numbers for the exported picture descriptions.
• ENHANCED: The Pictures tab now recognizes when you use PicFolders rather than Groups, and defaults to displaying the PicFolders list in that case. The PicFolders list is selected whenever you have only one group and that group is disabled.
• ENHANCED: Updated help to HTML Help format.
• FIX: Users can now play sounds from either the browser or the picture list side of the configuration box.
• FIX: Loading images is now much more CPU-friendly (no more 100% utilization spikes).
• FIX: The preview window (in Windows screen-saver properties) is now more CPU-friendly (no more 100% utilization spikes).
• FIX: When exporting groups (or PicFolders) that contained spaces, PS would sometimes crash and never get around to exporting the saver. This has been fixed.
• OTHER: Updated the gradient drawing routines to use built-in Windows functions wherever possible. Unfortunately they weren't built in until Win98, so Win95 can no longer be supported.
• OTHER: Several optimizations and miscellaneous other tweaks and changes (as usual).

Version 4.2.1: 12/31/2004

• FIX: Description and sound fields were getting swapped around on some systems when pictures were added; this has been fixed.
• OTHER: A few optimizations to the onscreen clock rendering, plus miscellaneous other tweaks and changes (as usual).

Version 4.2.0: 07/12/2004

• NEW: PicFolders can have sound and music folders different from the picture folders. Sound and music files in the pictures folder are still loaded with the group, but the files in the other folder are also loaded.
• NEW: PicFolders now have a setting for creating each subfolder as a separate group. This way you can pick, say, your My Pictures folder, and every subfolder will be a separate group (and all of their subfolders, and so on). Note that only the root folder can be independently controlled, there is no checking to see if one of the subfolders is also configured as its own PicFolder, and if sound and music folders are configured for the root folder, those files are added to ALL the created groups (no files are actually moved on the hard drive).
• NEW: Ok/Cancel now ask confirmation when you try to exit while exporting.
• NEW: Exported savers now have the same keyboard controls as PictureSaver, so you can advance to the next picture or pause the saver at any time.
• FIX: Music and sounds weren't correctly added to picture folder groups (Updated search routines - it was checking picture masks for sounds and music; duh).
• FIX: When picking from a random list of things (pictures, groups), once the end of the list was reached, PS would shutdown.
• FIX: Sorting the picture list was case sensitive, so uppercase Z came before lowercase a. It should have been (and now is) case insensitive.
• FIX: PictureSaver will now spit out an error if you try to export a group that has no pictures.
• FIX: A few minor GUI glitches when clicking on the description label have been corrected.
• OTHER: The usual round of code cleanup, tweaks, etc.

Version 4.1.0: 07/19/2003

• Made several changes designed to reduce memory fragmentation when PictureSaver is run for long periods of time.
• Updated the transition processing to be more CPU friendly, by yielding the processor while the transition is in progress. This keeps the CPU from spiking at 100% utilization, and paradoxically seems to make the transitions just a little bit smoother.
• While I was making changes to the transition processor, added several new transitions: Mesh, Holes, Jaws Open and Jaws Close.
• Added user-selectable stretching mechanisms. Users can now specify the resampling filter to use for stretching pictures.
• Added the capability of individually turning on or off picture folders the same way picture groups can be turned on or off. Look for it on the Groups tab.

Version 4.0.5: 11/17/2002

• Sound (.wav) files were not being played when PictureSaver wasn't running in multi-pic mode (i.e., only one picture on screen at a time). This is fixed.
• PictureSaver now logs errors loading files or files it can't find in a file named "PictureSaver.err". Users should periodically check this file to find problematic files. It can be deleted without adverse affect to PictureSaver - and it should be periodically to prevent it from getting too big.

Version 4.0.4: 8/23/2002

• The Registration button pointed to the wrong website; now it takes you directly to the registration page.
• If no pictures are configured, the saver now starts with the message "No Pictures Configured", which is a little better than "Loading".

Version 4.0.3: 5/19/2002

• There was a subtle bug with the sound preview buttons - if you clicked on the file browser, then the buttons would be hidden, but they wouldn't become visible again when you clicked in the sound list. Changed the behavior to disable instead of hide and fixed it so it gets re-enabled when you click into the sound list.
• Minor changes to the list processing, resulting in about 100kbyte drop in code side.

Version 4.0.2: 1/20/2002

• When using descriptions, where some pictures have them and some don't, and the description style was non-transparent, non-captioned pictures would get a single, visible blank as their description. This is fixed.
• A subtle memory glitch has been fixed under Win2k.
• A new option has been added - now you can set PictureSaver to use the last displayed image as wallpaper.

Version 4.0.1: 7/22/2001

• In the configuration box, the description and sound boxes should have been disabled anytime there wasn't a picture selected in the picture list, but they weren't. This is now fixed.
• When creating descriptions from filenames, if the filename had a space at the end, the trim was a little over-aggressive. Trimming now works correctly.
• Updated the help file with hot keys information.
• Under Windows NT/2000, exported savers were showing up in the display properties box with a cryptic name ("exported PS4 module"). This has been corrected so that Windows will use the filename of the exported module.
• Made some minor tweaks to the exported saver, to improve list loading efficiency.
• Added a pause feature

Version 4.0.0: 4/8/2001

• Added MP3 support.
• Added PicFolders feature.
• Added sound and music preview capabilities to the configuration box.
• Added support for a bunch of new graphics file formats.
• Added "export" feature for groups, to create stand-alone screen savers.
• Added a feature allowing display of multiple pictures on screen simultaneously.
• Added picture frames.
• Added more background options, including multi-colored gradients, and new gradient patterns.
• Organized the transitions into transition groups, which makes for a much cleaner interface.
• Added onscreen clock.
• Added a slew of new transitions: there are now 198 total.
• Added more 3D text options, including 8 directions and either shadowed or block letters.
• New placement options for the descriptions; now they can also be in any corner.
• Improved the file finder; now uses a separate thread to perform searching.
• New list ordering options, including move to top/bottom, and sorting.
• Changed the look of the configuration box a bit; each type of option now has a separate tab, and controls are grouped more logically (at least I think so).
• Added a help file.
• Complete code overhaul and cleanup.

Version 3.0.3: 2/13/2000

• Fixed a problem with the search for files functionality; the add button wasn't working beyond the first few pictures.
• Wave files weren't playing if transitions were turned off; this is fixed.
• If PictureSaver exited while a sound was playing, it caused an Access Violation. This is fixed.
• Tweaked the user interface so that it looked OK under large fonts, or at least usable.
• Swapped the existing font box for a new one, that uses less memory and has more options (hence the slightly smaller file).
• Some code organizational changes in the list management code.

Version 3.0.2: 1/5/2000

• Changed the color buttons on the Options tab to Mike Lischke's ColorPickerButton, for a little better look and better ease of use.
• In PS Pro, midi files stopped playing after two files were played. This is fixed.
• Changed the midi randomizer so that the same midi file won't be played twice in a row.
• Fixed a small problem in the configuration box: if you selected a picture, then flipped to the midi list, certain controls would erroneously remain enabled; if you clicked them, then you would get an error. This has been fixed.
• Fixed some problems with the group change key, which was screwing up the midi playback. My friends tried to tell me not to include that midi stuff...
• Added the ability to change the ordering of sound and midi files

Version 3.0.1: 12/7/1999

• Added a button to bring up the readme file, and made the OK & Cancel buttons nonflat.
• Fixed a "bug" (more an inefficiency) I noticed in the gradient fill routines that significantly speeds up initial start time and picture load times.
• Fixed a bug that causes a division by zero error under certain, very specific conditions - when your display order is set to "in order from random picture" AND you have a group with no pictures in it that is checked on the groups tab.
• If PictureSaver is unable to load a file (due to corrupt file, or the file can't be found because it was moved/deleted, etc.), it now clears the screen to just the gradient background instead of leaving the last picture.
• Fixed a bug in the wallpaper button code. Now it will hang the wallpaper, instead of hanging a blank bitmap. Oops, that'll teach me to over-optimize...
• The preview window and the wallpaper button now correctly reflect the Maintain Aspect Ratio setting.
• Tweaked some compiler settings for slightly better file size.

Version 3.0: 11/14/1999

• A whole bunch of new and improved transitions (104 total)
• All the transition processing is now done in a new "transition processor" module, using a completely new timing algorithm to allow for smoother transitions
• Options tab separated into sub-tabs - Fonts & Color, Size & Position, and Transition FX
• New stretching options - shrink only and stretch only, plus a stretch percent to stretch to only part of the screen
• New background gradient options - from/to color, direction
• New Windows wallpaper option
• New hot keys while the saver is running, for switching pictures or switching groups
• New favorite directories menu and management controls
• Group management moved to its own tab
• Groups can be now turned on or off individually, or reordered
• Options now included for switching groups after a user-configurable amount of time
• Shadowing for picture descriptions
• Reorganized configuration box a bit -
• Moved Display Time option to the Pictures Tab
• New Netscape-like splitter in the file browser
• Integrated the search feature into the File Browser half of the Pictures Tab
• Minor tweaks to control positions, sizes, and graphics
• Instant upgrade to PictureSaver Pro by entering the registration code
• Installer/uninstaller, scripted using Jordan Russell's excellent Inno Setup.
• Picture List management completely rewritten to allow more flexibility and to support the myriad of new features
• Registry I/O moved to its own independent module
• Minor tweaks and bug fixes, as usual
• Improved sound processing in PictureSaver Pro
• Each group gets a sound bank, from which pictures (when displayed) can draw a random sound to be played
• Each group also gets a midi bank, from which the group will randomly draw each time the previous midi ends
• A bunch of tweaks to the sound processing code to support the new features (especially group switching) and make better use of Windows processing

Version 2.0.3: 7/28/1999

• Several users reported receiving invalid page faults when operating with only one transition. This was due to a bug in the randomizer code, which has now been fixed.

Version 2.0.2: 7/16/1999

• Changed weblink to new webpage

Version 2.0.1: 7/9/1999

• Some Windows 98 users were experiencing Access Violations when Picture Saver started up. This has been corrected.
• Added buttons to select all transitions and clear all transition selections.

Version 2.0.0 Final: 3/28/1999

• Fixed a few bugs in the transition processing.
• Code documentation and cleanup.
• Fixed doors transition to be what I meant it to be.
• Added the reveal transition, which is what doors was.
• Finished this file!

Version 2.0.0 Beta 3: 3/21/1999

• Miscellaneous enhancements and bug fixes.
• Added image transitions, including Dissolve, shutter, blinds, slide in from
• left, slide in from top, explode, and doors.
• Added a file finder (from the flashlight button on the images tab)
• Fixed some bugs in the group handling capabilities.

Version 2.0.0 Beta 2: 2/25/1999

• Added feature! Image grouping is now completed! Images can be grouped together, then a group will be randomly selected at startup, or you can select a group to use at startup.
• Added feature! Now you can select an image, then press the "Goto Image's Directory" button (it's got a folder on it) to go directly to that image's folder in the File Browser.
• The image sequencing is now smarter. If you're displaying images sequentially, and you're starting with the Last Displayed, Picture Saver will no longer reset you to the first image if you make changes in the config window. If you change the image list by adding or removing images, or changing the image order, you will be reset to the beginning. You can change
• the display text without getting reset.
• Enhanced the Image Description processing. Now you can select multiple images and name them all the same thing.
• Fixed an annoying bug in the File List - the cursor keys wouldn't update the preview display. That's fixed now, so you can cursor to your heart's content.
• Fiddled some more with the GUI. Got rid of the drop-down box and replaced it with a tab control, which looks better and might be more intuitive; you can click on the Description label to select all the text in the Image Description box; better tab order; a few other enhancements.

Version 2.0.0 Beta 1: 2/5/1999

• Added a Picture Naming capability, which defaults to the filename, so that you can display names for files other than the filename.
• Added drag and drop capability, so you can drop files from Explorer on the configuration dialog box to add them to the image list. This way, you can use Explorer or Find Files from the Start menu to add images.
• Added font styles for filename display - bold, italic, underline, and transparent background.
• Added a new feature to allow the use to specify what image to start with: the first image in the list, the last image that was displayed, or a random image.
• Put pictures on the selection buttons for consistency. Moved them to make room.
• Rearranged the image selection form slightly to make room for new features.

Version 1.1.1: 12/22/1998 (not released)

• Updated System Tree View and System List View components.

Version 1.1.0: 12/9/1998

• Fixed GPF problem with sequentially displaying images, when an image doesn't exist.
• Added Select All, Select None, and Select Inverse buttons in Config dialog.
• Implemented proportional scaling.
• The configuration dialog browser window will now default to the path to Picture Saver, instead of the My Computer root.
• Fixed a minor "feature" with the password dialog. If you were using a hot corners program, and you had the screen saver password protected, you could have multiple versions of the screen saver running. This has been fixed now.

Version 1.0.1: 11/11/1998

• Fixed the mouse cursor display problem. If the password dialog is displayed, then cancelled while the mouse is over the password dialog, then it didn't get hidden again. Now it's fixed.
• There was a problem in the Borland VCL that wouldn't read certain 24-bit bitmaps. I made a change to their VCL code to fix it.
• Updated the tree view and list view controls.

Version 1.0.0: 10/26/1998

• Initial release

Latest Releases

Webifier 1.1.0 - 11/14/2007 - Show your pictures to the world with this web photo gallery creator.

PictureSaver 4.2.5 - 03/10/2006 - Turn your pictures into a slideshow screensaver; great with digital cameras!

RandomSaver 2.0.3 - 06/14/2002 - Got a lot of screen savers? Why watch just one? RandomSaver lets you watch 'em all!

GullBlaster 1.1 - 05/12/2002 - Tired of them seagulls? Now you can get even! Blast them before they blast you!

FontViewer 1.1.1 - 06/13/2002 - Preview all the installed fonts on your system.

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Last modified: June 07 2007 12:26:05 PM.