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The NetLinx Studio 2.8 Beta is now open

NetLinx Studio v2.8 is now available as a BETA release. If you are interested please contact dconde@amx.com to get a copy of this build.
I am interested in any and all feedback you have to offer. All of which I will share with the developers.

In this build you will find the 'Find and Replace' and AutoSuggest issues which were reported in the 2.7 build have been fixed.

We apologize for your inconvenience and really appreciate your patience and candor.

Release Notes: NetLinx Studio 2
Version......: V2.8
Build........: 282
Date.........: 9/3/2008


What's New for NetLinx Studio 2 - Version 2.8

FEATURE - File transfer support for devices that have STANDBY and AWAKE
states (MVP-5200i).

**************************** SPECIAL NOTE ********************************
You must have the latest firmware versions for your NetLinx masters before
you can use the device feature listed above. Versions greater than 387
are recommended. Unpredictable results may occur if your master firmware
has not been updated to the proper version.


BUG FIX - Yet more corrections on reported problems to the Find and
Find/Replace modeless dialogs.

BUG FIX - The problem with AutoSuggest presenting dulicate and truncated
entries has been corrected.



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Comments

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    jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908
    So far so good, but I haven't had a chance to REALLY work with it.

    Find / Replace appears to be fixed, so that's good.
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    a_riot42a_riot42 Posts: 1,624
    Can 2.8 be installed alongside 2.6? I would be happy to beta test but I need to have a reliable IDE in case 2.8 has issues that can't be worked around.
    Thanks,
    Paul
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    jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908
    I don't think so Paul, unless you tried doing it with two partitions. But even then, I it still installs to the compiler to C:, but I may be wrong. I haven't tried that with NSX.

    Also, another potential problem would be the overwriting of the registry keys; probably not a great idea to try and run them side by side.I never thought about running them side by side, but for some reason I don't think you'll be able to.

    After just using it for a few hours last night, not really getting into it - it appears stable. But still, that's first glance.
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    ericmedleyericmedley Posts: 4,177
    I'm going to install it this morning. I have a better feeling about it.
  • Options
    KennyKenny Posts: 209
    I just got it installed as well.
    The search, replace and multiple vars issues seemed to be resolved.
    Now to find what has been broken, that is the hard part.
  • Options
    I requested to test it but have not received a reply. :(
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    GSLogicGSLogic Posts: 562
    I've been using NS2.8 for two days, so far, so good.
    Can't believe how good it is to find/replace again!!!!!!!!
    I was even thinking about lowering my hour rate now that i can Find/Replace faster... naaaaa!

    Small suggestions:
    1. when searching, can you have the enter key invoke the Find Next instead of CLOSE.
    2. when you open Find you should highlight the input text box, as of now when you start typing it's focused on the Find window buttons.
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    jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908
    Find / Replace

    First let me say that I'm running on Vista, so YMMV, but could someone (regardless of OS) test what I'm seeing?

    Search - still not 100%, but closER.

    1) I double click the word cable on line 136 and search for the word "cable". I have "Start at Top on First Find" and "Loop Around" ticked.
    2) I hit "Find Next", it does nothing. I hit it again, it works and starts finding the next "cable" instance. I do this until I get to line 343. There is another instance of this word on 342.
    3) I close out the Search dialog.
    4) I put my cursor on line 340.
    5) I reopen it using CTRL+F, click "Find Next", and it jumps to line 342, and not 136 where the first instance of this word is, even though I have "Start at Top on First Find."

    When I chose a new word, all works fine, until I search for that word multiple times, in which case it starts the search from where I left my cursor. Unticking, and reticking "Start at Top on First Find" fixes it in terms of wanting it to actually work the way it's supposed to, and that is searching from the top.

    Okay, now onto Replace.
    - Same problem with the search portion as above.
    - When selecting multiple lines and then opening up the "Replace" function (and "Search" function as well), it copies the entire first line into the "search" portion of box. I don't remember "Replace" doing this before; I thought it would display the last item used in the "Replace" box; but do recall "Search" doing this.
    - Wasn't Search and Replace both modal? Not sure if I like it not being modal anymore. Any reason as to why this was changed?
    - After doing a replace within "Selection" (not "Whole File"), it unselects what was selected - did this happen before in 2.6? I don't recall, but I don't think so.

    Anyway, that's what I've found with search and replace, which I'm assuming has had the most work. Like I said, it's close - but not to 2.6 standards. I'm actually using this out on a job site, and it's holding up - so that's fine with me. Search / Replace are still quite annoying but . . . at least it functions for the most part,.
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    Find/Replace

    Thanks for the details you have provided on this issue James. I will forward the details to the software engineers for review.
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    jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908
    Save File Revision

    Here's something that has annoyed me for the longest time, and certainly should be classified as a bug.

    - Open up a workspace.
    - Save a new revision of some code you've got, using the "Save File Revision" tool / wizard. Update the revision, giving it a new name. I typically use "Client_Name, Date, Rev x."
    - Open your Workspace Window, right click on the "Source" folder, and select "Add Existing Source File..."
    - If you went from Rev. 1 to Rev. 2, try to add Rev. 1.
    - NS will not allow you to add Rev. 1 because "it is already a part of this system."
  • Options
    jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908
    Replace

    Could someone check with 2.6 to see if when selecting multiple lines before you use Replace if it automatically uses the "Selection" radio and not the "Whole File" radio?
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    Spire_JeffSpire_Jeff Posts: 1,917
    jjames wrote: »
    Could someone check with 2.6 to see if when selecting multiple lines before you use Replace if it automatically uses the "Selection" radio and not the "Whole File" radio?

    Yes, it does automatically choose "Selection".

    Jeff
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    jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908
    Alright - chalk up another "bug" / unwanted feature with the 2.8 Replace.
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    Joe HebertJoe Hebert Posts: 2,159
    jjames wrote: »
    Could someone check with 2.6 to see if when selecting multiple lines before you use Replace if it automatically uses the "Selection" radio and not the "Whole File" radio?
    Spire_Jeff wrote: »
    Yes, it does automatically choose "Selection".

    Jeff
    jjames wrote: »
    Alright - chalk up another "bug" / unwanted feature with the 2.8 Replace.
    How is that a bug? It's supposed to be that way isn't it?
  • Options
    jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908
    When you have text selected it should do a Replace within "Selection" and not "Whole File."; in 2.8 it does the opposite - it automatically selects "Whole File" rather than "Selection" . . . get it?

    I call it a bug since it doesn't act the way it always has.
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    viningvining Posts: 4,368
    Joe Hebert wrote:
    How is that a bug? It's supposed to be that way isn't it?
    I forget which version I'm running but what ever it is it not atomatic like this and it really should be. The other week I selected a section to do a find and replace and in my rush I didn't notice the radio button was on the whole file and I hit replace all. It was something commom to almost every line of code in this module of about 1500 lines with multiple instances on each line and I almost cried and then spent the next two hours manually removing them all except for the area that was intended.

    This should definetely be this way when something is already selected if not the default no matter if something is selected or not. IMHO.
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    Spire_JeffSpire_Jeff Posts: 1,917
    vining wrote: »
    Joe Hebert wrote:

    I forget which version I'm running but what ever it is it not atomatic like this and it really should be. The other week I selected a section to do a find and replace and in my rush I didn't notice the radio button was on the whole file and I hit replace all. It was something commom to almost every line of code in this module of about 1500 lines with multiple instances on each line and I almost cried and then spent the next two hours manually removing them all except for the area that was intended.

    This should definetely be this way when something is already selected if not the default no matter if something is selected or not. IMHO.

    First, I agree that it should automatically start with selection.

    Second, was this a find/replace that prevented automated recovery? My first choice would be to do a find/replace that undoes what I just did.... but I understand that some times that is not possible because of what it was changed to. My second choice would be CTRL-Z .... but then again, I'm not sure how many actions you can undo :( My third choice would have been a save as and see how much data I have lost since last backup. My last choice would have been manually retyping everything. Unfortunately, I have been hit with the last choice once or twice.

    Jeff
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    Joe HebertJoe Hebert Posts: 2,159
    jjames wrote:
    When you have text selected it should do a Replace within "Selection" and not "Whole File."; in 2.8 it does the opposite - it automatically selects "Whole File" rather than "Selection" . . . get it?
    Now I do. Color me overloaded with work. Brain is not multitasking very well today.
    jjames wrote:
    I call it a bug since it doesn't act the way it always has.
    Ditto.
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    jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908
    Joe Hebert wrote: »
    Now I do. Color me overloaded with work. Brain is not multitasking very well today.

    Oh - I know how it goes; being busy is a great problem to have!

    Trying to get a room thrown together for a client to watch TV - and of course this sprung up on me at the last minute . . . and it's a three hour drive home. Ugh.
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    viningvining Posts: 4,368
    Spire_Jeff wrote:
    Second, was this a find/replace that prevented automated recovery? My first choice would be to do a find/replace that undoes what I just did....
    I went back to the module to see exactly what is was I was replacing and it was worse than I remembered. I must have done the control>alt>scroll thing to just select a specific column and wanted to replace a column of single spaces w/ underscores. Every space in the entire freakin code was now an underscore and there isn't really an easy way to undo that. The undo does each underscore one at a time, I probably should have just closed the file w/o saving and tried to remember what else I may have done post the last save. Unfortunately my brain is mush most of the time and it probably didn't take as long as I said to manually redo by again multiple selection and selection find/replace, etc.
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    Joe HebertJoe Hebert Posts: 2,159
    jjames wrote:
    I call it a bug since it doesn't act the way it always has.
    Sometimes it?s called a new feature?like this one:
    FEATURE - Will only transfer TP4 files to G4 devices that have matching device types and resolutions. Therefore, the user will not be able to transfer an R-4 Remote type TP4 file to a MVP-7500 type panel.
    <crying like a little girl> Without mincing words, I think this unwanted crippling blows major colossal chunks. I don?t understand why we?re not allowed to; for example, transfer a CV5 or a CV10 into a CV17 anymore. We use to be able to transfer any smaller G4 resolution panel file into any larger G4 resolution panel for developing and testing purposes (excluding R-4 remotes from the discussion all together.)

    The reasoning for the limitation doesn?t appear to be ? at least from an outsider looking in POV ? due to panel firmware restrictions as I?m still doing it now since I haven?t ?upgraded? NS2 above 2.5 yet. <ridiculously high drama>Why oh why did you do this to us AMX?</ ridiculously high drama>

    I wonder what the results would be of a poll asking who likes this ?new feature?, who doesn?t care about it either way, and who thinks it absolutely sucks. </crying like a little girl>

    It?s time for me to accept the decision from the powers that be and move on with the rest of my regularly scheduled life?

    Apologies for the tiny thread drift. :)
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    ericmedleyericmedley Posts: 4,177
    I know this has been mentioned before, but to add weight to the staement...

    The find and find replace default button <enter/return> used to be 'Find Next'

    The way I used to use it was to highlight a word, hit cntl-F and then start banging on the Enter key until I got the one I wanted. Now, the default is close. So what happens is ou highlight the word, and bang on the key and you just close the search window and (if you don't catch yourself) add in CR/LFs to the code.

    No biggie, I personally like staying on the keyboard for this myself. I can click the key faster than the mouse button.
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    travtrav Posts: 188
    Interesting use of XML

    I like your use of XML Joe, is there a published syntax I can use for future markups?
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    ColzieColzie Posts: 470
    Joe Hebert wrote: »
    Sometimes it?s called a new feature?like this one:


    <crying like a little girl> Without mincing words, I think this unwanted crippling blows major colossal chunks. I don?t understand why we?re not allowed to; for example, transfer a CV5 or a CV10 into a CV17 anymore. We use to be able to transfer any smaller G4 resolution panel file into any larger G4 resolution panel for developing and testing purposes (excluding R-4 remotes from the discussion all together.)

    The reasoning for the limitation doesn?t appear to be ? at least from an outsider looking in POV ? due to panel firmware restrictions as I?m still doing it now since I haven?t ?upgraded? NS2 above 2.5 yet. <ridiculously high drama>Why oh why did you do this to us AMX?</ ridiculously high drama>

    I wonder what the results would be of a poll asking who likes this ?new feature?, who doesn?t care about it either way, and who thinks it absolutely sucks. </crying like a little girl>

    I absolutely second this one. I like the idea of a "filter" to change what is shown in the transfer dialog, but restricting what can be sent (not having a "show all" option) is terrible. Sniff sniff.
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    Spire_JeffSpire_Jeff Posts: 1,917
    Joe Hebert wrote: »
    Sometimes it?s called a new feature?like this one:


    <crying like a little girl> Without mincing words, I think this unwanted crippling blows major colossal chunks. I don?t understand why we?re not allowed to; for example, transfer a CV5 or a CV10 into a CV17 anymore. We use to be able to transfer any smaller G4 resolution panel file into any larger G4 resolution panel for developing and testing purposes (excluding R-4 remotes from the discussion all together.)

    The reasoning for the limitation doesn?t appear to be ? at least from an outsider looking in POV ? due to panel firmware restrictions as I?m still doing it now since I haven?t ?upgraded? NS2 above 2.5 yet. <ridiculously high drama>Why oh why did you do this to us AMX?</ ridiculously high drama>

    I wonder what the results would be of a poll asking who likes this ?new feature?, who doesn?t care about it either way, and who thinks it absolutely sucks. </crying like a little girl>

    It?s time for me to accept the decision from the powers that be and move on with the rest of my regularly scheduled life?

    Apologies for the tiny thread drift. :)


    My guess is that this was put into place because of either actual or perceived potential for problems by less experienced (feel free to insert adjective of choice) dealers. If this is in fact the case, maybe they could allow the program to normally run with restrictions that are designed to make the software idiot-proof and then add a password protected option to unlock the software. The password to unlock the software requires Programmer 3 certification... or incurs $150/hr tech support fees for problems related to locked features if the dealer is not Programmer 3 certified? This is of course only the beginning of a properly thought out idea, but it might be a start :) At this point tho, I would guess that the majority of people would prefer that Find/Replace gets the attention it needs to be fixed before embarking on this sort of venture.

    One thing I would caution AMX about if this was done to make the products more idiot-proof.... just remember that as soon as you make something idiot-proof, a new and better class of idiot appears :)

    Jeff
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    jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908
    Can someone tell me what the default transfer settings for a G4 touch panel is in Netlinx Studio 2.6? Is it smart transfer: off or smart transfer: on?
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    viningvining Posts: 4,368
    I'll still have 2.5 on my laptop and I don't believe I've ever changed this setting and my check box is unchecked for "smart transfer" when sending a TPD4 file.
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    jjamesjjames Posts: 2,908
    Okay - yup. I forgot there is a setting that I had to change to make it do a smart transfer all the time. My bad.
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    feddxfeddx Posts: 175
    Well that tears it....

    I applaud all those that took it upon themselves to Beta test 2.8. I wish I had that kind of patience (well and time)...

    But I'm going to stick with 2.6 a little longer. I just don't understand what was wrong in the FIND/REPLACE process in 2.6 to necessitate the MAJOR malfunctioning change in 2.7 and still not be where it needs to be 2.8.... I'd probably die without working FIND/REPLACE.


    And I also agree with Joe. I've never understood why they changed the whole "load only to panels with like resolutions" thing. I used a few files from NXT-CV10's loaded on to NXT-1200's and then simply moved the buttons to where I needed them. So much faster tahn converting and dealing with unwanted (or unforeseen) scaling issues. I'd like that back, but I'm not as dramatic about it as you. Perhaps I should be.....

    Thanks again for the heads-up on 2.8
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    JeffJeff Posts: 374
    I as well am frustrated about the panel transfer issue. I can't afford to keep a panel of all 6 or 7 current screen resolutions around for testing, and the way purchasing works sometimes I don't have the panels in stock when I'm doing the design for a specific job. Being able to load and test a CV10 design on a CV12 I have around the office, or a MVP5200i design on my MVP8400i would be a huge bonus to my programming. Right now, since I do all my page flips in code, I can't verify that I've gotten all the page flips working without the specific model panels. I don't understand why removing this was considered a "feature", but it sure is annoying.

    J
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