Category: Icetips Blog

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I have just uploaded a demo program for Icetips Outlookbar.

The install is about 1.7MB in size and contains a local compiled version of the Outlookbar Demo app as well as the help file (Outlookbar.chm) and the Outlookbar manual (Outlookbar.pdf)

Outlookbar is easy to use with a single global extension template and a control template you add to your window. It is compatible with Clarion 5.5 to 8.0 in both ABC and Legacy. It comes with a 56 page PDF manual and also includes help files in .hlp and .chm formats for easy look up.

Outlookbar is all Clarion code, no external dll or Active-x controls involved, just pure old Clarion code:) It is included in our Gold Subscription and now you can also buy it separately using the Solo subscription. For more information please check out out the Outlookbar product page and the Solo Subscription page.

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I'm sure you have heard that Windows 8 is in town. I have downloaded the full 64 bit Windows Developer Preview with Developer tools as well as the 32bit Windows Developer Preview without the developer tools to be able to check out both 64 and 32 bit as well as the developer tools.
The Developer tools edition includes Visual Studio 11 Express, Expression Blend 5 Developer Preview and 28 Metro style apps, including the apps from the BUILD conference.

You should stop by and watch the videos posted from the BUILD conference in Anaheim, California, where Windows 8 is being presented. This one shows nicely how the Metro interface works in a 93 minute presentation

You can download Windows 8 from http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516 The downloads are ISO DVD images and the one for the full install with the Developer Tools requires a DVD-9 format, i.e. dual-layer DVD. So if you want to burn it to a DVD you need software and burner that can handle burning a dual-layer DVD.

In order to run Windows 8 it would be advisable to install it on a virtual machine rather than mess with creating separate partitions to install it on. VMWare users need to upgrade to VMWare Workstation version 8 in order to be able to install Windows 8. However, there is an alternative, an open source project called Virtual Box from Oracle. You can download it from http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads I have been using VMWare 6.5 for almost 3 years now and not had much complain about it, but VirtualBox has got some nice reviews, particularly about being noticeably faster than VMWare - I welcome any speed increase I can get! I plan to do some testing of VirtualBox and see how it holds up - expect a review or some posts about it soon.

PCWorld has put together a short tutorial on how to install Windows 8 Developer Preview on Virtual Box I plan to play with this a little bit over the weekend and get a feel for both VirtualBox and Windows 8. Can't wait to see how Windows 8 holds up.

Arnor Baldvinsson

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We at Icetips are happy to reveal some major changes in our website as well as in our subscriptions along with the re-release of our Xplore Browse Templates!

  • NEW! Icetips "Solo" Product Subscriptions
  • Re-release of Xplore Browse Template
  • Icetips website: Massive update
  • Arnor / Icetips at CIDC
  • Freebies


SOLO PRODUCT SUBSCRIPTIONS

You can now buy any Icetips product by itself, as a "Solo" subscription. The cost for each Solo Subscription is $99 for any Gold Subscription product and $49 for any Silver Subscription product. Included with each Solo Subscription is one year of support and updates, and low-cost renewal option at the end of a year. You can add Solo Subscriptions to your Gold or Silver Subscriptions at any time in case you need an additional licenses for a single product. You can mix Gold and Silver products any way you want. For example if you have a Silver Subscription you can purchase one or more Gold Solo products in addition. Each Solo Subscription has its own expiration date independent of any Gold or Silver Subscription you may have.

However, if you will use 3 or more Icetips products, you might save money by buying a Gold or Silver Subscription, rather than buying the products individually. Now, the choice is yours!

For more information about the Solo Subscriptions, please see http://www.icetips.com/solo-subscription.php

RE-RELEASE XPLORE BROWSE TEMPLATE

The Xplore Browse Template, an extension to standard ABC browses (now compatible with Clarion 7 and 8), has been updated and re-released. The Xplore Browse Template adds functionality to the standard ABC Clarion browse, including header-click sorting, on-the-fly filtering, hiding/unhiding columns, exporting, printing, and more. Documentation has been completely rewritten and is included as 65 page PDF and also in both CHM and .hlp formats. Documentation can also be accessed online at http://www.icetips.com/manuals/xplore/index.html if you want to check it out.

The Xplore Browse Template is included in your Icetips Gold & Silver Subscriptions, and is also available as a solo product subscription for just $49. For more information, please see http://www.icetips.com/xplore.php

ICETIPS WEBSITE: MASSIVE UPDATE

The Icetips website has a massive update, with the content and organization of every page updated and improved, and changes in the order processing, as well. The website's primary graphic elements have remained the same, such as the header and logo images, but there have been small graphic tweaks, like a shaded right column, enhanced login box, updated menu styling, new buttons, etc. You'll also see testimonials from happy customers showing up in the right column on some pages.

Order processing has undergone a few changes. Renewal processing has been completely automated, and renewals will be activated immediately. Build Automator licenses and Maintenance Plans are still processed manually and will be emailed to you separately. There are discounts easily available for multiple copy purchases of Gold Subscriptions (for multiple copy discounts on solo subscriptions, please contact us). And we have a new credit card processing company, FastSpring, whose modern system and fantastic support have helped us implement these changes.

Some of the biggest updates, though, are in the content. The Home page content is all new, we've added an About page, and all the Product pages have been completely rewritten and redesigned. They have better information, clearer organization and new, updated graphics. Most other pages have been redesigned to make them easier to use. The home page has a dynamic list of all the latest product releases and blog entries for an easy overview of what we are doing. Every page has a "Share" button where you can share comments about the page with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google, Yahoo and multiple other social media sites

Sue gets credit for all the designs but I worked on the programming. We hope the new website will work well for you and we appreciate any feedback you can give us! If you run into any problems with the website, please contact us as soon as possible!

ARNOR / ICETIPS AT CIDC

I will be in Orlando, Florida at CIDC, September 26-28. You should be able to find me at a table in the Solutions Room most of the time. I will be there to answer any questions you may have about Icetips products, help you with implementation, or just shoot the breeze. Please stop by and say hello.

FREEBIES

CIDC: We will have a special software freebie for CIDC attendees, so be sure and stop by the Icetips table in the Solutions Room to get your copy.

ANNIVERSARY PRESENT: Icetips' 10-year-anniversary of being in business is coming up at the end of this month. We wouldn't be here without our valued customers. To show our appreciation, we have a little something special for you! All Icetips customers should look for an email at the end of September with a little gift enclosed.

Arnor Baldvinsson

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Today on BitsDuJour - "True BoxShot" software with 60% discount! Sue uses this software and loves it! "Box shot software for lazy people" she calls it! It comes with a lot of nice images and backgrounds, plenty of nice font effects etc. I.e. it allows you to design the image, not just take a ready made image from PhotoShop and make it into a box shot.

They are also running a 60% special on "TBS Cover Editor"

Arnor Baldvinsson

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For a while now we have had pages on both Twitter and Facebook. They are connected so each feeds the other so you don't need to connect to both. From time to time I post small tidbits of news that I gather from various online publications, newsletters etc. that may be very helpful for you - or not helpful at all, as the case may be - you never know:) I'm fairly active on Facebook, so I'd be very happy if you peeked at our page and liked it or shared it:)

You can reach us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/icetips and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Icetips-Alta-LLC/177947342793

Arnor Baldvinsson

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Tuesday June 14, 2011 we released Build Automator version 1.70.1277. This is the ninth and LAST beta build we are releasing for version 2.0, which will be out in about two weeks. Just documentation and some minor polishing is needed and if any issues are found in this beta they will be fixed as soon as possible.

For more information please visit our Build Automator Blog Site

Arnor Baldvinsson

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Out of milk is one of those apps that you can't understand how you lived without!!! It was one of the first apps that I got for my phone. Now I don't know how I could function without it! One of my favorite features is the ability to use the camera in the phone to scan bar codes on products to get them into the shopping list. So far it has pulled about 90 percent out of its database. It also has a to-do list and a pantry list, but I haven't used either of those much so I can't comment on those features. But I would strongly recommend that you check it out for yourself:-)
At $ 4.99 it's not free, but to me it has been worth every single cent!

Arnor Baldvinsson

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During a skype discussion this application, PC Monitor, came up and I thought I would share this with you. Please visit http://www.mobilepcmonitor.com/ for the product website.

PC Monitor is a an application for your iPhone, Android or Windows Phone 7, that can monitor computers running Windows, Linux or Mac OS. It is free for up to 5 computers and for more than 5 computers you can buy annual subscriptions that start at US$ 49.95 for up to 10 computers and US$299 for up to 100 computers.

If you monitor or manage computers, then this is definitely an app you should take a look at. I can also see this app used as a safety device to monitor computers in an office or at home when you are not at the same location as the computers.

You can also send commands to the computers you monitor and get notifications when something happens on the computer, such as when the computer is rebooted, low on battery, when user logs in or out, etc.

Arnor Baldvinsson

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Every now and then I do a "File | Save as" in C6 to clean out the gunk that Clarion collects in the apps from time to time. Been working on a fairly large app with a lot of browses and forms in it and today after adding a browse/form to it and doing some work the IDE crashed. Been working in this VM for probably 2 weeks or more without rebooting it (and Clarion 6.3 has been running that whole time) and decided it was time to do this trick again. The app file went from 7.8MB to 5.8MB! Now it loads much faster and generates faster also:) I don't know if this still applies in C7/C8 but wouldn't be surprised if it did. If you are not doing this regularly or semi-regularly to apps that you are working on a lot, your apps are collecting gunk that does nothing but slow Clarion - and you - down! It's simple:

1. Open your app

2. Use "File | Save As" to save it to a new name (I use appnameX.app)

3. CLOSE the app. This is an important step I have found.

4. Move the original app (appname.app) out of the folder for
backup IN CASE something fails (it has never failed for me, but you never know!)

5. Open the appnameX.app

6. Use "File | Save As" to save it back to the original name.

7. Keep going:)

I try to do this like once a month or so, depending on how much I work in the apps. After I posted this I received word from one guy who did this to his app and it went from 15MB to 1MB!!!)