Igor

With 3-6 categories: 1) General forum (announcements, common questions. It's a current main forum) 2) Introduction to PicturesToExe (with pinned topics: FAQ; Tips & tricks; sites where located helpful info about PTE; useful programs) 4) Announcements of new presentations (with pinned URLs of Web sites were placed presentations created with PTE) 5) And at once or later several new categories: Digital photo/presentation (very wide theme); Images issues; Sound issues. All categories are available for postings, of course.

Thank you, Hans! It was very rare bug of v4.00 beta and font problem happened only in the main window of PTE and only with some foreign interface.

Try with beta #5, please!

Just uploading was not finished yet. Try now, please.

Please download newest v4.00 beta #5: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1.25 Mb)

PicturesToExe v4.00 beta #5 is released: http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1.25 Mb) What's new in beta #5: * Preview from necessary slide didn't started correctly if you use "External mp3 player" option. The problem is fixed now. * Fixed rare bug of v4.00 beta with incorrect fonts in the main window

Thank you! The bug is fixed. Please wait for the beta #5 tomorrow.

Yes, there is a bug with starting of Preview from some slide, if you use "External mp3 player" option. But no problem when presentation starts as usually from the first one. I'll try to fix this problem it as soon as possible.

Yes, exactly like this, - stand-alone sub-forums. Not pinned topics. 1. General. - OK 2. For new users of PicturesToExe. - OK (especially with pinned one or several FAQ topics) 3. Sound (do include synchronization topics?) 4. Images. - OK 5. ? Maybe some other useful categories can be included? Please advice.

"Now if we could just change the transition effects and duration from the timeline" Not in v4.00, unfortunately, but maybe even earlier than in v4.10 I'd like to make it with high quality, not hastily.

We will plan to add (in a month or so, after v4.00) some very useful improvents for our forum: new languages files for interface and new skins. By the way, as you can see, it's more reliable system when now we have two different and independent hostings for Web site and for the forum. Two weeks ago we have received a newsletter from the forum hoster, where they have said us that speed of access to the forum will became faster in the nearest time.

OK, I agree! But there is one main difficulty only, - we really would like to see *only* 2-4 sub-categories to be able quickly check for all new postings on the forum. Please suggest your variants!

Thanks. Earlier we have already had discussing of this idea. Maybe in the future versions we will add text transitions within the bounds of an one slide.

1) I totally agree with you concerning this problem. I will try to write speeding-up of a transition effects, if too small time before the next slide. Will post a message about result in this topic. 2) We need to reprodue that problem. But I'll check the code for potentialy problem places.

We have only far plans about .NET version of PicturesToExe. The .NET applications are cross-platform and they can be run on any computer (Mac, Linux, PockectPC) where will be ported .NET kit.

Thank you for necessary details! Anyway I'll try to reproduce it and maybe make some optimization.

Unfortunately I was not able to reproduce this situation under my Windows 98 - all worked fine. Please couldn't you check with another presentation? And let me know some additional details: kind of presentation (sync'ed or not); number and total size of mp3 files, usual size of JPEG images (in pixels (width/height) and MBytes).

Thanks, I just fixed it. Earlier I had verifying, if slide was personalized. And now I have added checking up with "Use transition effects" option.

I have fixed this bug in the beta #4 http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip p.s. moreover there is still another similar problem with new changes in the Project options window. So if you close "Cust. synch." window and for example will make some changes in transition effects, then open again the "Customize synchronization" window and start Preview. The new changes will not appear, until you not clicked "OK" button in the "Project options" window. I see two possible ways: 1) Before PTE will open "Customize synchronization" window, it will close Project options window with applying of current changes. 2) Moving of the button for calling of "Customize synchronization" window from the Project options to main window of PicturesToExe. Also this variant gives an ability to quickly open this window.

PicturesToExe v4.00 beta #4 is released http://www.wnsoft.com/apr/apr_beta.zip (1.25 Mb) What's new in beta #4: * Fixed bug of v4.00 beta when after auto hide of mouse cursor in synchronized presentation it didn't appear on mouse move. * Fixed bug of v4.00 beta when current changes on time-line didn't appear in the Preview from a some slide. To see changes, it was necessary to click "OK" button, opening of "Customize synchronization" window again, and then start Preview from some slide. The bug is fixed now. + You can adjust zoom of the time-line by wheel of mouse. What's new in v4.00: ----------------------------------------------------------------- * Fixed the old bug when presentation run in the synchronization mode. The music started a little earlier, if first slide contains very large JPEG picture. However all other slides are shown *exactly* at specified time. Now the first slide also will be shown exactly with begining of music. + Fixed several bugs + Preview of large images works much faster now (with same quality) in the Main window of PicturesToExe and "Customize Synchronization" window. + Improved quality and speed of full-screen viewer of images (Main window). + Improved quality of gradient filling of background, if screen in Hi-Color (16-bit) mode. + Improved shadow for the main picture: > It looks much smoothly now; > You can adjust opacity of shadow behind the main picture. (Project options | "Screen" tab | "Opacity". From 0 of full transparency to 255 of opacity; > The shadow can surround picture around all sides (see "Offset" parameter). + New default an icon for newly created .exe file of presentation. Also the main icon of PicturesToExe is improved. + Added new option: "Auto hide mouse cursor" (Project options | "Advanced" tab) + Some improvements in "Main" and "Advanced" tabs of the Project options. + Visual Editor of objects is vastly improved: * Fixed several bugs; > Added support for transparent GIF pictures (as objects of slide); > You can call "Properties" dialog for a some object by double clicking of mouse; > It's possible to cancel dragging of a object by pressing of <Esc> key; > To select/deselect several objects, click on an each necessary object holding <Shift> key; > To select all objects, press Ctrl+A; > Added "Undo" button to cancel last modification; > Added Copy/Paste functions (Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V) > Improved popup menu when you click right mouse button on the object(s) > Added hot keys for all actions (see popup menu above) > And some other helpful improvements. + Produced presentations will start faster now. + "Preview" of presentation starts faster + PicturesToExe (main window) opens projects much faster + Improved Customize synchronization window: > You can start Preview of a presentation from a necessary slide ("Preview button"); > Time-line graphically displays effect duration for the transition points; > Added vertical graphical lines between sound tracks on the time-line. > You can adjust zoom of the time-line. Click "View" button or press Ctrl+F11/F12 > Improved work of the horizontal scroll bar > Added new hot keys: Play/Pause - Ctrl-P, Stop - Ctrl+S, Delete - Del, Add - Ins. > Little improvements in the interface + PicturesToExe correctly informs you, if you add damaged JPEG image + Added numbering of slides in the slide list (main window) + Various improvements in interface of the program

To Carol Steele Please could you describe me step by step, how to reproduce this situation. I have checked it, and once deleted "Comment" field for a some slide will not appear more. May be you have selected "Set comments for all slides as:" options (Project options | "Comment" tab)?

Nice idea. I think it will not be difficult. Thank you,

Many thanks, Harold! Really, I can't believe that I have missed such obvious moment! And we all have noticed only in four days I shall fix the bug tomorrow.

To mandarinfish I'm sorry, - it was really a bug of v4.00 beta, when after auto hide of the mouse cursor in a synchronized presentation it didn't appear on mouse move. Of course, the cursor is not required now, but in the future versions we plan to add the usual functionality and in the synchronized mode. p.s. I have fixed this bug right now.

I have found reason of this interesting problem and could reproduce it under my Windows XP and Windows 98. I don't know, how it happened, but the "opt_bname" field has value = "-1" (opt_bname=-1) But it should be between 0 (black) and 16777215 (white). Just open Screen tab and select the black color again. I think it's a very rare case and bug of the default control of Windows which has returned the incorrect value. If it will happen again, I can add protection to prevent such situation. As programmer, I also think that Windows NT/2000/XP much stable than previous ones from Microsoft. But sometimes Windows 98 helps us to determine potentially problem places or bugs in the program. Because WinNT/2000/XP watches for accurate work of software and prevent from their dangerous behaviour. Minor bugs may be even ignored without any notification. Of course, Windows 98 has many strange limitations and a lot of own bugs and we prefer Windows XP.