Xion 1.0 build 114 Beta Release

[Cliff Cawley]

WARNING:
This is a Beta Build. That means it has fixes and features that are NEW. It is also possible it has bugs that are NEW! If you are looking for stability, please don't expect this build to be perfectly stable. It may have issues. If on the other hand you are happy to try this build out and post any bugs back in this thread, then please do!

Download Installer Version:
r2 Studios Server -> http://www.r2.com.au/downloads/files/beta/qa-xion_v1.0b114.exe
OR
Xion Server -> http://xion.r2.com.au/download/beta/qa-xion_v1.0b114.exe

If you receive errors when running, install the VS2005 Runtimes
Download from Microsoft -> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=200b2fd9-ae1a-4a14-984d-389c36f85647&displaylang=en

Changelist:

• Fixed Xion executing as an Admin level application on the Finish page of the installer. Fixes access problems on Vista and Windows 7 where Xion would be running as an Admin application and be unable to have skins and audio files dropped onto it.
  
• Updated the validation checks for playlist only layers to include the new menu buttons
  
• Fixed a crash when loading skin packs
  
• Cleaned up the playlist resize rectangle drawing some more
  
• Updated BASS to 2.4.2.3 and updated existing plugins
  
• Added new plugin for playing .adx files
  
• Added sorting of the File Types list in the Add File dialog
  
• Modified the Component class to hold strings instead of character arrays and performed some cleanup work
  
• Modified the way that the Bass/Mid/Treble algorithm works so that it uses logarithmic, accumulate and average bins instead of just FFT peaks
  
• Tweaked the Bass/Mid/Treble algorithm to use averages instead of peaks in order to smooth out the responses
  
• Fixed a crash when the Playlist Window was hidden and you loaded a new playlist skin (Sizes weren't being updated as the window was hidden and therefore the update was ignored)
  
• Added a new Spectrum Analyser as part of the Default Visualisation Plugin
  
• Added Peaks for the Spectrum Analyser
  
• Added the ability to toggle between Visualisation modes by left clicking the Visualisation
  
• Added some accessor functions for plugins. More to come later
  
• Incremented the plugin interface to version 6
  
• Added a new QuickConfig class for helping with passing Configs around plugins
  
• Ensure that the Visualisation type is updated correctly when using mouse click
  
• Fixed some areas where the working directory wasn't set for the skin plugin
  
• Fixed the deleting of the source .xsf from the temp directory when you install a .xsf
  
• Modified the Configure dialog to include the Tabs as part of the TabStop cycle
  
• Modified the Tab order and setup for some dialogs
  
• Tweaked the saving of the visuals in order to fix an issue where the settings may not have been saved
  
• Fixed the Recent Playlist menu item so that it works once again due to the changes with the new buttons
  
• Added an error message when Xion in unable to Open an archive
  
• Modified the behaviour of the Tray icon so that single click will pause/play after the double click time has expired and double click will occur instantly, showing/hiding the interface. This removes the pausing/playing of a song when you used to double click to show/hide the interface
  
• Added fix to read PSD files that don't have proper string padding on their luni section names - Thanks OfficerMike07!
  
• Fixed the 'Play now in Xion' on a Directory so that it properly plays the first file and no longer displays an error about playing a directory
  
• Fixed SnapRectangles causing skins to get cropped on the top and left side when the snap rectangle was over valid pixels - Thanks Rutabaga!
  
• Added red/green colouring back to Xion Tray icons
  
• Added better bounding rectangle update for the Playlist and removed the reliance on the snap rectangle

If you find bugs specifically related to this build, please post them here instead of the Bug reporting forum. Any feedback positive or negative should also go in here, no new threads. This way all feedback, etc related to this build will be in the one place.


ABOUT THIS BUILD:

Another round of Bug Fixes and a couple of modifications. I've also added a new type of visual. The 'Spectrum Analyser' with included falling peaks!

Also after much public outcry I've also added the colours back into the Xion tray icon.

Let me know if you find any issues! Also if everything is running smoothly then please let me know too!

Any questions or bugs related to this build should be posted here only!

Enjoy!

Cliff

[xonenine]

The bars are real sharp looking Cliff, awesome to have two default vis! I think the part I like the most so far is the transition.

On the down side for me is that being they come on immediately some existing skin designs might need adjustments.

Edit: ok, I see, you have a save state for the two vis, that will make it simpler It's really nice too that the second vis doesnt affect the skins with the aclaswch vis layers:D

[logokas]

So far, epic. I dig the new vis, i missed the bars.

Tray double click delay feature is also awesome. Good thinking!

I think it's the icons of player status that needed a color change then the logo though. Perhaps you misunderstood. This looks okay though.

Will test other stuff later, since not at home right now.

[Cliff Cawley]

The bars are real sharp looking Cliff, awesome to have two default vis! I think the part I like the most so far is the transition.

On the down side for me is that being they come on immediately some existing skin designs might need adjustments.

Hmm? How so? The visualisation uses just the one layer. No skin updates needed.

Edit: ok, I see, you have a save state for the two vis, that will make it simpler It's really nice too that the second vis doesnt affect the skins with the aclaswch vis layers:D

Nope, no save state and no two layers. Essentially the 'visualisation' layer is just a canvas for visualisation plugins to render into. You only need one in a skin to support any future visualisation plugins.

In the future when I add new visualisation plugins that you can download they will all just render into that one visualisation layer. No skin changes needed.

Cliff

[Cliff Cawley]

So far, epic. I dig the new vis, i missed the bars.

Tray double click delay feature is also awesome. Good thinking!

I think it's the icons of player status that needed a color change then the logo though. Perhaps you misunderstood. This looks okay though.

Will test other stuff later, since not at home right now.

Thanks for the comments!

Oh! haha yes I totally misunderstood the icon colouring because someone else commented that they wanted the old icons.

So if I change the icons back to the proper Xion logo colour and just change the colour of the small play and pause parts, would everyone be happy?

Cliff

[xonenine]

The bars are real sharp looking Cliff, awesome to have two default vis! I think the part I like the most so far is the transition.

On the down side for me is that being they come on immediately some existing skin designs might need adjustments.

Hmm? How so? The visualisation uses just the one layer. No skin updates needed.

Edit: ok, I see, you have a save state for the two vis, that will make it simpler It's really nice too that the second vis doesnt affect the skins with the aclaswch vis layers:D

Nope, no save state and no two layers. Essentially the 'visualisation' layer is just a canvas for visualisation plugins to render into. You only need one in a skin to support any future visualisation plugins.

In the future when I add new visualisation plugins that you can download they will all just render into that one visualisation layer. No skin changes needed.

Cliff

Well for me combining animation sets w/ the vis layers produces different behaviour than using a vis layer alone. I also started using the vis panel as a button, and stacking multiple transparent vis layers, which doesn't really work w/ the bars.It still isn't a problem, it's even more options to work with really.

For instance, the db1600 skin can't display the new vis, whether w/ a click or through settings. But after all, I use weird things as buttons and such.In that case both vis panels are already buttons.It just means different design choices, and not a bad thing.

The newest skin I sent you doesn't display the new vis either. In that case it's on a panel which switches display from album art to vis, via aclaswch. That one just shows a blank screen when clicked. But you know, I'm just reporting it, I'll work w/ whatever we end up with, and be happy.

[Jikaru]

All the changes sound superb.

I was waiting a LONG time for the double click delay on the tray. Epic!
I was also waiting a long time for the bars vis.
I also was waiting for a lot of other things and it seems it's all working fine.

[djinn2]

I couldn't see any changes at first after updating. I had tears in my eyes Thank you Chris, this is the first time in months I've not had an error from 'play now in Xion'.

Everything else seems to be great, especially the double click delay

Some skins won't change the vis via the mouse, I assume that depends on the passthrough layer.

[Deathy]

I'm in love with the new icon tray, keep them like them please I like them right now, or maybe do a poll to see what people want

I sent you a pm about the song.
Thanks for this new release, i think 115 will be the final release or maybe an RC

EDIT: There is a bug on the tray icon, I now i'm annoying ya :p
When u stop the player, the tray icon become yellow, it's normal, but it dont show the little icon "Stop"

[Cliff Cawley]

EDIT: There is a bug on the tray icon, I now i'm annoying ya :p
When u stop the player, the tray icon become yellow, it's normal, but it dont show the little icon "Stop"

Hmm not sure if this is a bug. Does everyone want a stop icon? I thought if there was no icon and just the Xion icon it would just mean stopped.

Cliff

[Cliff Cawley]

I couldn't see any changes at first after updating. I had tears in my eyes Thank you Chris, this is the first time in months I've not had an error from 'play now in Xion'.

Everything else seems to be great, especially the double click delay

Sweet! Glad to hear it!

Some skins won't change the vis via the mouse, I assume that depends on the passthrough layer.

Yup, most likely its because there is a layer above not letting the click.

Cliff

[Deathy]

EDIT: There is a bug on the tray icon, I now i'm annoying ya :p
When u stop the player, the tray icon become yellow, it's normal, but it dont show the little icon "Stop"

Hmm not sure if this is a bug. Does everyone want a stop icon? I thought if there was no icon and just the Xion icon it would just mean stopped.

Cliff

Yep you are maybe right, but I think it's strange to see a play icon, a pause icon, but not a stop icon, it's only my point of view for sure .
And I don't understand what is the delay double click new feature ? :p It look so great ^^

The bug I got with the specials caracters

[Cliff Cawley]

And I don't understand what is the delay double click new feature ? :p It look so great ^^

Well its more a delay on the single click. Xion used to respond as soon as you clicked once, and it would pause it. If you double clicked it would pause, unpause and then show/hide the window.

Now if you single click to pause/unpause there will be a slight delay as its waiting to see if you are going to double click.

The bug I got with the specials caracters

Can you send me one of these files? I want to see if the tag is wrong, the font is wrong, or if there is a bug in Xion.

Cliff

[dolnagad]

ugs should be reported in the thread for the particular beta build.

dolnagad wrote:
I have downloaded latest beta build today and seems nice player overall 2 things that bothered me, Equalizer resets every time new track starts have to manually re-enable it,


I can't reproduce this, can anyone else?

dolnagad wrote:
and when i made custom key mapping (winamp like single key combination for pause,next song ,mute etc) imagine my surprise minimized the player and start typing,i was pausing the songs when i hit a key that i mapped in the player.


Imagine my surprise that you ignored the warning! The warning is as follows when you bind a single key:

Quote:
---------------------------
Key Assignment Warning
---------------------------
WARNING: You're about to bind to a single keyboard key.
This may cause conflicts when you use other applications.

It is recommended to use a modifier such as Shift, Ctrl or Alt, or a combination of these.

Are you sure you want to continue with assigning this key?
---------------------------
Yes No
---------------------------


Global Hotkeys will work even when Xion is not the active window. You should include some modifiers such as Ctrl and Shift instead of using just single keys.

I can only assume you aren't actually using the latest beta otherwise I'm sure you would have seen these messages. It would help if you reported the bug in the same thread that you downloaded the Beta for.

Cliff
_________________

I am really sorry for reporting in wrong section,and for my English (its not my native language).You are right i didn't read the warning post when i remapped the hot keys.
What i meant about the Equalizer reseting for example is,i listen to a online radio stream,
I have preseted the Equalizer to "Rock" and everything is ok,but when i change the radio stream to another when it buffers the sound is like the Equalizer is set to default "Flat".I have to enter Xion settings to check the "On" option twice so i can get the Equalizer to be on "Rock" settings again.Hope the feedback is useful and would be really nice, if we can map single keys to control the player in future releases,having to press couple of keys just to pause the player is not exactly user friendly you know .
Anyway the good things about the player is a great default skin really loved it,and the low memory use,my winamp is leeching like 20mb if RAM when i listen to online radio, while Xion was using only 4.5mb.

[Cliff Cawley]

I am really sorry for reporting in wrong section,and for my English (its not my native language).You are right i didn't read the warning post when i remapped the hot keys.

Yeah, currently its just global hotkeys. Hotkeys that require the Xion window to have focus will come soon

What i meant about the Equalizer reseting for example is,i listen to a online radio stream,
I have preseted the Equalizer to "Rock" and everything is ok,but when i change the radio stream to another when it buffers the sound is like the Equalizer is set to default "Flat".I have to enter Xion settings to check the "On" option twice so i can get the Equalizer to be on "Rock" settings again.Hope the feedback is useful and would be really nice, if we can map single keys to control the player in future releases,having to press couple of keys just to pause the player is not exactly user friendly you know .
Anyway the good things about the player is a great default skin really loved it,and the low memory use,my winamp is leeching like 20mb if RAM when i listen to online radio, while Xion was using only 4.5mb.

Ahh thank you, might just be a Radio only problem. I'll check it out, thanks

Cliff