Schematic Publisher
Version 1.0 Defects/Fixes		 Go to Music From Outer Space

These are the defects that have been observed in RJWSoft Schematic Publisher Version 1.0 and have been fixed in the latest downloadable image.


Bug Reports/Fixes (Most Recent to Oldest)

Feb 10, 2003 Status: The #@! $%** Dashed Rectangle had another issue when being copied. All fixed.

The dashed rectangle copy was not getting all of the state it needed. I fixed the code. Sorry about that... again.

Jan 23, 2003 Status: Adding some new features I noticed that the dashed rectangle was not being cleaned up properly. All fixed.

The dashed rectangle was causing a memory leak. I fixed the code. Sorry about that.

Jan 18, 2003 Status: All is well...

I added a "dashed rectangle" tool and I uploaded a larger schematic library file.

Dec 13, 2002 Status: We are back on the air...

OK, I am not going to distribute the MSVCRT.dll file anymore along with the install package (The XP version nearly killed my 98 box). Its too dangerous. You probably have a Microsoft Visual C Runtime Library on your computer already anyway and if you don't just go to the Microsoft site (or a million others) and get one. The download got way smaller too: 617K.

Dec 12, 2002 Status: Compiling on Windows XP has problems.

I have removed Schematic Publisher from download for the time being. I recently compiled the program and the install program (using Install Shield) on a Windows XP box. I tested the download on another machine on which I run Windows 98 SE, and bad things happened. Sorry but until I find a way to fix this Schematic Publisher will be unavailable.

To get my 98 machine alive again I had to:

  • Get a Windows 98 version C:\Windows\System\msvcrt.dll onto a floppy.
  • Start my Windows 98 machine from a Windows 98 startup disk.
  • Copy the msvcrt.dll to the C:\Windows\System directory.
  • Restart the machine.
  • Curse Microsoft Windows XP... again.

Nov 28, 2002 Status: No bugs and OK for use with Windows XP now.

OK, Windows XP has definitely got a bug when drawing a line created with CreatePen(PS_SOLID,0,RGB(0,0,0)). Notice that the width is set to zero. This is perfectly acceptable and means that the line will always be drawn one pixel wide no matter how the page is scaled. Windows XP only draws lines created thus to a certain length and then poof nothing. If you create the line using a pen created like this CreatePen(PS_SOLID,1,RGB(0,0,0)) then the line always draws correctly for all scalings. I got over the grid drawing problem by breaking long lines into more shorter ones and I turned the pen size up to 1 (everywhere but for the grid) so the program works fine in XP now. You will notice that the component lines get thicker as you magnify the view now. This is a consequence of setting the pen width to 1 everywhere.

November 23, 2002
Bug reported: Grid lines not being drawn in magnified views when using Windows XP

Well I finally got Windows XP installed on my machine. I have found a quirk that I don't know how to explain fully but if you download the program you will see it. It appears that Windows XP has horked up the GDI interface so that you can't draw a line over a certain length. Yes I know its hard to believe but after I isolated the code that draws the grid lines and found that they were not being drawn over the whole range of the drawing when scrolling I started experimenting. I definitely saw that lines over a certain length are drawn to some limited length. If you set the MoveTo and LineTo points far enough apart you start to get wierdness. I'm certain that many of you have experienced complete failures of programs that used to run perfectly on ANYTHING pre-Windows XP. Well chalk Schematic Publisher up in the casualty list. I have removed XP from the list of supported platforms. The Marketing team at Microsoft has successfully barred serious development for XP on Visual Studio 6.0. If developers want to develop on XP we have to pony up the bread for Visual Studio .NET.

Interestingly I compiled the program on a 2000 machine that has Visual Studio .NET Beta using the MFC library as a static link-in. The program runs perfect on 2000 but on XP the problem persisted... go figure.

September 20, 2002
Bug reported: User downloaded on a Windows XP system and was prompted for the file: WnCfg.exe. Apparently the file was not available on the box and the program would not run. If anyone else is running on Windows XP please let me know. Is this a fluke or is noone able to run on Windows XP? I took down my Windows XP box due to hardware and driver incompatibilities with some music software I'm running.
I have not been able to verify this. The program works fine for me on Windows XP Professional.

September 5, 2002
Bug reported: When "Print Setup" is used to set narrow paper sizes, selecting "Parts List" causes the program to freeze. Task manager can be used to terminate the program if this occurs.
Fixed! The code that handles wrapping the parts list designators was running amok when the paper size was too narrow. This is fixed now and the parts list will size itself to the selected paper size (width-wise). Note that if the paper size is too narrow the text will overlap (but the program won't freeze anymore) so you must select a size large enough to accomodate the parts list width. Thank you to Ken T. for reporting this error in an understandable and repeatable fashion.

June 29, 2002
I noticed that "Resize" is not undoable.
Fixed, Resize is now undoable.

June 27, 2002
I noticed that "Resize" is not undoable.
Status: A fix is on the way... When I have uploaded the fixed release I will put an entry here.

May 28, 2002 Status: As I have been using Schematic Publisher I noticed a few more things I wanted to add so... now they're added.

  • Added Import/Export of Parts Library file.
  • Added Import/Export of Copy Buffer file
  • Added link to on-line help under the Help menu item.

Apr 18, 2002 Status: As I have been using Schematic Publisher I have noticed a few things I wanted to fix so... now they're fixed.

  • Changed the font to Verdana and made it a bit smaller.
  • Added auto component numbering.
  • Changed the interface so that I don't mistakenly move schematic component labels when I want to move schematic components. You should read (or re-read) the help about this.
  • Fixed the text editing so that the font doesn't change size (so much) in the edit control.
  • Fixed the Connector component so that it draws correctly as soon as you add it.
  • Fixed the Off Page Connector component so that it draws correctly as soon as you add it.
  • Don't repaint the whole background when you add or paste a component.
Mar 30, 2002 Status: No currently reported issues or defects.

Mar 30, 2002
When schematic components are added they are drawn with System font.
Status: Fixed. In his zeal to remove non-essential font changes the developer removed one too many. This is fixed now.

Mar 29, 2002
After working on a large schematic (> 200 components) over a period of hours and repeatedly editing schematic component properties via right clicking on components to open the Schematic Component Property Dialog a Graphics Device Interface error appears to be occurring (as if graphic resources are not being released). The font changes to 'System Font' and the drawing seems to freeze. Any previously saved work is safe and unchanged.
Status: FIXED!!!. After a careful review of all drawing code and GDI resource allocation and release a bug was discovered and fixed.
In one #@*! instance out of many many, after obtaining a pointer to the previous CPen resource like this:
CPen* oldpen = pDC->SelectObject(&pen);
For some #@*! reason I, (I mean the developer) re-instated the previous CPen like this:
pDC->SelectObject(&oldpen); instead of like this: pDC->SelectObject(oldpen);
How this worked at all is anyone's guess but it is fixed and now you can work for days and not get a hickup. The developer who made this error has volunteered to dress in sackcloth and ashes for a few days in repentance.

Feb 24-2002
Printing and Print Preview were not showing dots at coincident end points.
Status: Fixed.

Feb 23-2002
Some actions were not setting the modified flag when they needed to: (Mirror, Flip, and Rotate). 
Creating empty text elements was invoking undo storage needlessly.
Status: Both issues fixed.

Feb 15-2002
If an object was larger than the current client rectangle and no corner of its containing rectangle was in the client area it was not drawn.
Status: Fixed, If any part of an object's containing rectangle is in the client rectangle it is drawn.

Feb 10-2002
After resizing the height or width of an ellipse to 0 and left clicking while in edit mode an error occurred during the CRgn::PtInRegion test.
Status: Fixed, Testing for a hit on an Ellipse which has been resized to 0 in either x or y direction returns false. Additionally ellipses below 3 grid blocks in x or y size are tested as rectangles for mouse hits.

Feb 5-2002
In "Component Editor" mode copying or cutting did not exempt the Schematic Component element during editing of a component selected from the select list, resulting in the possibility of a Schematic Components having one or more Schematic Components for children (a condition disallowed in the design).
Status: Fixed, Removed possibility of Schematic Components having Schematic Component children during component editing.

Feb 5-2002
After selecting and moving a group of components and then performing an "Undo" the Schematic Components would be drawn as unselected (lines and other non-Schematic Component elements were drawn selected).
Status: Fixed, schematic components stay in the state they were in during the move operation.



Enhancements:
  • Feb 5-2002 Added desktop and start menu shortcut creation into the install program.
  • Feb 5-2002 Turned on Part List, Wire List, HTML, XML and Page to Bitmap in trial version.
  • Feb 10-2002 When text elements are added if the text is of length 0 or the text is all white space the text element is deleted. If a text element is edited to be 0 in length or all white space it is deleted.
  • March 29-2002 Took away the trial version page and component limits.