iScreensaver Designer 4 Release Notes
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If you are new to version 4, please read
What’s new in iScreensaver version 4:
http://iscreensaver.com/whatsNew -
Please also read the “Known Issues” section, below *
Release Note Summary
Version 4.5.0.388 - Released 27 Jun 2012
Version 4.4.4.380 - Released 29 Jan 2012
Version 4.4.3.377 - Released 11 Nov 2011
Version 4.4.1.374 - Released 10 Oct 2011
Version 4.4.0.373 - Released 05 Oct 2011
Version 4.3.8.362 - Released 28 Jul 2011
Version 4.3.7.350 - Released 10 Jun 2011
Version 4.3.4.343 - Released 30 Apr 2011
Version 4.3.2.337 - Released 08 Apr 2011
Version 4.3.1.328 - Released 18 Feb 2011
Version 4.3.0.312 - Released 24 Jan 2011
Version 4.2.0.305 - Released 05 Jan 2011
Version 4.1.0.299 - Released 21 Oct 2010
Version 4.0.0.294 - Released 23 Jun 2010
Version 4.5.0.388 - Released 27 Jun 2012
iScreensaver Designer 4.5 is a bug-fixing update. We encourage all authors to update their software and re-build and distribute new screensavers.
Screensaver Installer:
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On windows, the single-file-EXE installer is more reliable. Launching the installer multiple times during an installation or clicking too quickly will no longer cause the installation to fail.
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Missing plugins will no longer open an error window during the screensaver installer preview. The existing onscreen warning will be shown reminding the user to install the missing plugin.
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Wallpaper installation : is now more reliable when using filenames with spaces or other punctuation.
Screensaver Playback:
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The transition between movies, openGL items and SWF/Flash files is better, with reduced screen flashing. Items with the same background color no longer show a black screen flash during the transition.
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Movies with customized Start and End Times : more reliably play through from the start to end time.
OpenGL Support:
- OpenGL : windows PCs with buggy OpenGL drivers are now supported more reliably - in particular, drivers that mistakenly detect and interfere in fullscreen mode by blocking other window layers from showing are now handled better.
Interactive Content:
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Videos and Flash content: if the Item/Behavior/Interactive checkbox is on, we now force the keyboard focus to the movie/flash content (as per the documentation). At this point, keyboard input will be ignored, so it’s very important to give the user a way to exit the screensaver (e.g. a big “Exit” button). Note that the HUD (if enabled by the end user) will still be visible and can be used via the mouse as usual.
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Notes:
- There are some issues with using the keyboard within SWF movies that depends on the version of the web browser (Safari or IE) installed. We recommend that you only try to design keyboard input into your screensaver in situations where you have control over the computers the screensavers will be installed on, and you can test thoroughly.
Editor:
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Improved handling of file path delimiters so that backslashes and spaces are handled better, especially when transferring project files between mac and windows, or when looking for missing files. Note: the project file format has changed slightly to accomodate this. Files will be automatically updated from the 4.0 to 4.5 format. The new files are backwards compatible with the old format, so you can always go back again if needed.
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List view: sorting by file size now does a proper numeric sort again.
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List view: New columns can be chosen for Overlay images: Overlay Width, Height, Size-Original and Size-Final.
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Swapping assets (using the + button) now resets the custom start/end times.
Third-party Software:
iScreensaver Designer was tested against third-party software.
Unless otherwise noted, no new issues were found.
Adobe Flash CS 5.5
Flash Player 11.3
QuickTime 7.7.2
Mac OS X 10.4.11, 10.5.8, 10.6.8, 10.7.4
Windows XP SP3 *
Windows Vista SP2 *
Windows 7 *
Windows 7 SP1 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE9 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE10 Preview *
* including all vendor updates as of 25 June 2012
Version 4.4.4.380 - Released 29 January 2012
iScreensaver Designer 4.4.4 is a minor bug-fixing update. We encourage authors to update their software and their built screensavers if they are encountering any of the issues described below:
Editor:
Fixes several bugs in the styled text editor when editing more than one item at a time. Added code to protect against a crash with third party haxies such as RightZoom. Fixes so the Help menu no longer opens the browser window twice.
Screensavers:
Mac: the screensaver and screensaver options panel will now show up in the Dock and App Switcher using the customized name set by the author.
Windows: Better error trapping for registry permission issues.
Version 4.4.3.377 – Released 11 November 2011
Screensaver Installers do a better job suppressing OpenGL driver errors for older systems when OpenGL is not needed.
Exiting screensavers is faster and more reliable on Windows PCs when using the mouse or keyboard.
Version 4.4.1.374 – Released 10 October 2011
Fixes a bug that prevented the software from working on Windows PCs at all (an issue introduced in the 4.4.0.373 release). Fixed.
Also includes all the changes from 4.4.0, listed below:
Version 4.4.0.373 – Released 05 October 2011
Version 4.4 includes important bug-fixes for both Mac OS X and Windows screensavers. Monitor sleep and system suspend are more reliable on Windows PCs, especially those with misbehaving Power Manager drivers. Fixes a QuickTime-related crash on Windows for certain H264 movies. In the screensaver editor, improves handling of filenames and captions containing unusual characters such as slashes. Better handling of thumbnail generation from Flash and Video files. Automatically enables looping for single-item sequences. Restores keyboard navigation in OS X 10.7.2.
All authors are encouraged to upgrade, re-build, and release updates to their screen savers.
We’d like to remind all screensaver users to use energy-saving sleep settings when running screen savers: Please refer to our “Green Screens” campaign (part of the ENERGY STAR¬Æ “Million Monitor Drive” ) at http://iscreensaver.com/green
Screensavers:
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A crash inside QuickTime (triggered by an H264 movie that was the same aspect ratio as the screen, in certain size modes on Windows XP, Vista and 7) has been fixed.
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The TaskBar will no longer occasionally be hidden on Windows.
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Under Windows, screensavers behave better in respect to monitor Dim, monitor Off, and system Suspend settings, and will no longer prevent some PCs from sleeping, especially those with out-of-date Power Manager drivers. For best results, be sure to set the Monitor OFF time to less than the System Suspend time.
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Captions which include text or filenames with backslashes will display properly.
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More reliably shows video content in the Control Panel preview, on Mac OS X.
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Keyboard navigation (when the Heads Up Display or HUD is enabled) now works again in OS X 10.7.2.
Designer:
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Files containing unusual characters (such as backslash or forward slash) are handled more reliably. Note: if you load an old project, you may have to relocate such files, once.
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A single-item sequence containing a Movie or Flash (SWF) file will now default to looping the item itself rather than looping the containing sequence. This is more user-friendly for a common situation and prevents video glitches at the loop boundary.
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New Warning if you try to add recursively linked folders (“turtles all the way down”).
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Better handling of background thumbnail generation for Flash (SWF) and video files. Several random crashes fixed.
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No longer opens Movie files in read/write mode when scanning them, which works better with restricted file permissions in 10.7 Lion.
Third-party Software:
iScreensaver Designer was tested against third-party software.
Unless otherwise noted, no new issues were found.
Flash Player 10.3 and 11.0 release
QuickTime 7.7
Mac OS X 10.4.11, 10.5.8, 10.6.8, 10.7.2
Windows XP SP3 *
Windows Vista SP2 *
Windows 7 *
Windows 7 SP1 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE9 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE10 Preview *
* including all vendor updates as of 05-Oct-2011
Version 4.3.8.362 – Released 28 July 2011
Version 4.3.8 includes support for Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion), as well as numerous bug fixes: improved behavior when password protection is enabled, fixes for installation and uninstallation, and compatibility fixes for the newly released Safari 5 and IE9 updates. All users and authors are encouraged to upgrade, rebuild, and re-distribute their screensavers.
Screensavers:
- Under Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion”, Apple has changed the behavior of screensaver when “System Preferences / Require Password after sleep or screensaver begins” is enabled. In 10.7, when the user attempts to exit the screensaver, the screensaver keeps running behind a new translucent password dialog. iScreensaver 4.3.8 now handles this situation properly.
Known Issue: 10.7 has a bug where touch gestures (such as scrolling with a Magic Mouse) can not be trapped and will cause the screensaver to exit, even if “Use HUD” is enabled. We have reported this bug to Apple and await a fix. You can still use the HUD in 10.7 as long as you only use point & click gestures.
- Under Windows (all versions), Fixed several issues when “Screen Saver Settings: On resume, display Login Screen” is enabled.
- If the computer goes to sleep while the screensaver is running, in some cases after you wake the computer up, the Windows TaskBar would be missing. Fixed.
- The locked content reminder screen could open in the wrong window layer. Fixed.
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Mac screensaver uninstaller: no longer mistakenly uninstalls second screensaver after uninstalling one screensaver.
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Windows screensaver installer: more reliable if the user accidentally launches several copies at once.
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Windows screensaver uninstaller: more reliable and gives better feedback.
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Improvements to ensure SWF and QuickTime content play back under various installed versions of the WebKit and IE browser libraries.
Designer:
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Designer : Edit Unlocking codes - always saves codes when edited, and you can now undo/redo changes to unlocking codes.
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Designer : When opening project files, the “Open new window” and “Open last project” settings are suppressed for convenience.
Third-party Software:
iScreensaver Designer was tested against third-party software.
Unless otherwise noted, no new issues were found.
Flash Player 10.3
QuickTime 7.6.9
Mac OS X 10.4.11, 10.5.8, 10.6.8, 10.7
Windows XP SP3 *
Windows Vista *
Windows 7 *
Windows 7 SP1 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE9 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE10 Preview *
* including all vendor updates as of 28-Jul-2011
Version 4.3.7.350 – Released 10 June 2011
Version 4.3.7 includes more changes in preparation for the upcoming Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion”, and minor improvements & bug-fixes. All users are encouraged to upgrade, rebuild, and re-distribute their screensavers.
Designer:
Sequence Editor / Contextual Menus:
- Duplicate menus seen when using contextual menus. Fixed.
Project List and Sequence List View
- You can now type in the listbox to select items by filename. In Sequence Editor this works even if the filename column is hidden.
Copy/Paste:
- Copy/Paste of unlocking keycodes was unreliable if it contained UTF16 data. Fixed, all data is now converted to UTF8.
- Copy/Paste of registration name/code was unreliable if it contained UTF16 data. Fixed, all data is now converted to UTF8.
Sequence Editor / Undo:
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“Cut” was showing up in the Undo History as two separate operations (Cut + Delete). Fixed, now only shows up as a single “Undo Cut” operation.
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Undo was nuking the Build Author string. Fixed.
Test: set an author string. Make an edit in the sequence editor (cut or duplicate an item). Undo. Check the author string.
Screensaver:
Screensaver startup sequence:
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the startup progress bar is now smarter. It will not show up unless the module load is taking more than 1.0 seconds.
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exiting the screensaver during the startup sequence could cause odd behavior or a crash. Fixed.
Screensaver Control Panel Preview:
- [osx] overlays could flicker in intensity. Fixed.
Third-party Software:
iScreensaver Designer was tested against third-party software.
Unless otherwise noted, no new issues were found.
Flash Player 10.3 (Release Candidate)
QuickTime 7.6.9
Mac OS X 10.6.7
Windows XP SP3 *
Windows Vista *
Windows 7 *
Windows 7 SP1 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE9 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE10 Preview *
* including all vendor updates as of 09-Jun-2011
Version 4.3.6.348 – Released 09 June 2011
This version was buggy and was withdrawn.
Version 4.3.4.343 – Released 30 April 2011
Version 4.3.4 includes more changes in preparation for the upcoming Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion”, improvements to the Windows single-file-installer, and other minor bug fixes. All users are encouraged to upgrade, rebuild, and re-distribute their screensavers.
Designer:
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Added error checking for a crash while saving a project file.
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[osx] Fixed an issue with duplicated toolbar icons on some OS X systems.
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[osx] Fixed the malfunctioning “Custom Size…” setting for the Preview window.
Screensaver:
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[win] The single-file-installer on windows now gracefully handles the situation if a user launches multiple copies.
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[osx] Fixed an issue with transparent overlays not showing properly on some OS X systems.
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[osx] Fixed issues with Control Panel preview not showing up on some OS X systems.
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[osx] Within the Control Panel Preview, overlays now fade in/out properly.
Third-party Software:
iScreensaver Designer was tested against third-party software.
Unless otherwise noted, no new issues were found.
Flash Player 10.3 (Release Candidate)
QuickTime 7.6.9
Mac OS X 10.6.7
Windows XP SP3 *
Windows Vista *
Windows 7 *
Windows 7 SP1 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE9 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE10 Preview *
* including all vendor updates as of 28-Apr-2011
Version 4.3.2.337 – Released 08 April 2011
Version 4.3.2 includes changes to prepare for the upcoming Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion”, important bug-fixes for international authors and end-users, and improvements to the upgrade procedure for Windows XP, Vista and 7. All users are encouraged to upgrade, rebuild, and re-distribute their screensavers.
Designer:
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Systems which use the comma as the decimal point (e.g. 1,23 instead of 1.23) could encounter numerous problems due to calculation errors. Fixed. Now, decimals will be displayed according to your OS settings. Authors can enter decimals in either format while editing.
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Fixed a crash when loading a thumbnail image from movies lacking a poster frame.
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The Undo command was accidentally clearing some project settings (Use HUD, Audio volume and the OpenGL Version string). Fixed.
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Single-item movie screensavers were always resuming at the last play time, even if “Resume with previous item” was off. Fixed - will now always start at zero playtime, unless that setting is on.
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[osx] Fill and Custom stretch modes were not working with movies & videos on 10.6 or later, with the result that movies were being letterboxed instead. Fixed, now items will stretch to fit the dimensions exactly.
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[osx] Fixed an issue which could leak memory in 10.6 and crash 10.7.
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[osx] Improvements to Flash (SWF) playback in preparation for Mac OS X 10.7.
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[win] When installing iScreensaver Designer, the InnoSetup installer now properly detects if the app is already running and advises you to quit it before proceeding, making upgrades easier.
Screensaver:
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Systems using a comma as the decimal point (e.g. 1,23) could encounter numerous issues during playback, including mis-sized videos, incorrect audio volume, or wrong playback start/resume time. Fixed.
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[osx] Fill and Custom stretch modes were not working with movies & videos on 10.6 or later, with the result that movies were being letterboxed instead. Fixed, now items will stretch to fit the dimensions exactly.
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[osx] Fixed an issue which could leak memory in 10.6 and crash 10.7.
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[osx] Improvements to Flash (SWF) playback in preparation for Mac OS X 10.7.
Third-party Software:
iScreensaver Designer was tested against third-party software.
Unless otherwise noted, no new issues were found.
Flash Player 10.3 (beta)
QuickTime 7.6.9
Mac OS X 10.6.7
Windows XP SP3 *
Windows Vista *
Windows 7 *
Windows 7 SP1 *
Windows 7 SP1 with IE9 *
* including all vendor updates as of 07-Apr-2011
Version 4.3.1.328
Version 4.3.1 includes new features and numerous bug fixes. Most importantly, the Single-File-Installers for Windows have improved handling of Unicode (UTF8) characters both in filenames and text fields, as well as improved error reporting. All users are encouraged to upgrade, rebuild, and re-distribute their screensavers.
Unicode Text:
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for the Windows Single-File-Installer, Unicode in the filename was causing a crash. It now works (XP, Vista, 7). Note, in XP the filename may not display properly due to XP’s limited Unicode support.
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for the Windows Single-File-Installer, unicode in the Installer Title field now shows properly in the Unzip window caption (Vista and 7 only, XP’s unicode support is very limited)
Note: full support for Unicode filenames on the Internet remains limited, so for best results we recommend using standard ASCII characters for your screensaver installer filename.
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Single-File-Installer: better error logging when something goes wrong.
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Single-File-Installer: will still function if it has been code-signed with signtool.
Designer:
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on Mac OS X, the project files (.ISC) were missing the icons. Fixed. You may need to delete any older versions of iScreensaver Designer on your disk to see this work again.
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iTunes and iPhoto XML library readers now thread better so app responsiveness is improved when first opening, if you have large iPhoto/iTunes libraries.
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Project windows: the Video & Audio editors now remember visual settings (Thumb or List view and list/thumb size).
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various toolTips added/improved
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you can now control the Preview window (Play, Pause, etc.) even when that window is not frontmost.
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menu items now enable/disable more appropriately based on context.
Screensaver:
- The screen saver control panel audio volume setting would always drop back to zero. Fixed, now remembers the user’s choice.
Third-party Software:
iScreensaver Designer was tested against third-party software.
Unless otherwise noted, no issues were found.
Flash Player 10.2 (release)
QuickTime 7.6.9
Mac OS X 10.6.6 *
Windows XP SP3 *
Windows Vista *
Windows 7 *
Windows 7 SP1 RTM *
Windows 7 SP1 RTM with IE9 RC *
* including all vendor updates as of 18-Feb-2011
Version 4.3.0.312
Version 4.3.0 heralds the return of the “Single File Installer” for Windows Screensavers. The single-file EXE, when downloaded, will automatically unzip itself, open the screensaver installer, and clean up afterwards. This makes for a much more user-friendly experience. Use of QuickTime Movies on Windows has been improved: For large movies, start time is up to 30x faster. The screensaver build process has been improved, with more accurate file size calculation and better cleanup of temporary files. Numerous other small bug fixes. All users are encouraged to upgrade, rebuild, and re-distribute their screensavers.
Single-File-EXE Installers:
- Windows builds include the option for a “Single-File-EXE” installer. This packages the screensaver content and program within a single EXE file (rather than the multiple folders & files of the standard install).
- the installer window title and caption text are the same as the Installer title
- the splash screen artwork is the Installer splash screen.
- When launched, the file is unzipped, placing the Installer app inside a Windows Temp folder. The temp folder name is keyed to the screensaver ID, thus unique for each screensaver. Therefore, multiple downloads of the same saver won’t fill up your hard drive, as each unzip will simply overwrite the prior one.
- The unzipped installer will be set to auto-delete at next system reboot.
- Icon: the installer icon is limited to 48x48 pixels full color (32 bit)
Benefits:
- when downloading the EXE, IE shows an immediate download progress and asks “Run” or “Save” much more quickly.
- the user can simply click “Run” rather than going through the several “Extract All” steps required with the traditional Zip file.
Cons:
- overall file size increases by about 3.5MB
- overall installer size, and size of any individual file must be under 2GB.
QuickTime playback on Windows:
- a bug in QuickTime 7 and IE8 was preventing QuickTime from streaming movie data. As a consequence, large movie files were being pre-loaded entirely before they started, rather than streaming. This would cause a long pause (10, 20, 30 seconds or longer) during which the app was unresponsive. Fixed: on Windows, we included a workaround so that QuickTime movies are now streamed instantly. In practice, this allows very large movie file screensavers to work well on Windows.
Designer Build:
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Build process now only checks & reports errors for targets currently being built, rather than all targets (e.g. if you select “Build Mac”, you won’t see errors for the Windows build).
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The build process does a better job cleaning up after itself – temp files are now deleted immediately, rather than being moved to the Recycle Bin/Trash Folder.
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Disk space checks were broken. Fixed. Checks for…
- not enough space for build (properly accounts for zip and single file exe options. Uses a 25% additional size calculation for safety)
- Zip or single-file-exe with any single file > 2GB
- Zip or single-file-exe with total size > 2GB
- fixed 32 bit overflow bug in media size checks: now calculates sizes properly with individual files > 2GB
- properly accounts for re-use of items.
Designer Misc:
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Locking: unlocking reminder dialog setting would be reset after Edit Undo/ Edit Redo. Fixed.
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Thumbnails: QuickTime movies that don’t provide a valid Poster frame for a thumbnail will now get the generic “Movie” icon rather than a blank white frame. Warning: such movies tend to be corrupted, and should generally not be used. Right-click the item and choose “Update Thumbnail” if you see this happening, and if you can’t get a valid thumbnail, consider re-encoding the movie.
Third-party Software:
iScreensaver Designer was tested against third-party software.
Unless otherwise noted, no issues were found.
Flash Player 10.2 (beta)
QuickTime 7.6.9
Mac OS X 10.6.6 *
Windows XP SP3 *
Windows Vista *
Windows 7 *
Windows 7 SP1 RTM *
Windows 7 SP1 RTM with IE9 Beta *
* including all vendor updates as of 20-Jan-2011
Version 4.2.0.305
Version 4.2.0 includes general bug-fixes as well as important improvements for Flash (SWF) files. All users are encouraged to upgrade and, when appropriate, re-build and re-distribute the screensaver installers.
Designer
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Flash: a bug in the Flash plugin was causing many large SWF files (such as those with embedded FLV video) to fail. The problem was due to the flash plugin reporting nonsense values for the “PercentLoaded()” call. Fixed - Such files now work properly. Note, however, that Adobe does not recommend the use of embedded video files longer than approximately 10 seconds.
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Flash: Fixed some crashes related to mangled SWF files.
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Changes in the Flash plugin means that SWF thumbnails weren’t being generated correctly. Fixed. To re-build a thumbnail, right-click the item and choose “Item/Update Thumbnail Image”, or use Preferences/Debug/Clear All Cached Files.
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Locking: additional options for authors to determine when the unlocking reminder dialog(s) are displayed: During Installation, or after the Screensaver exits.
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Crash during “File/Save As…” - fixed.
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Various minor crashing bugs fixed.
Screensavers
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OS X: the control panel preview was not showing SWF media in some 10.6 configurations. Fixed: all media types (Images, Movies, and Flash) should display properly in the Control Panel in 10.4, 10.5 and 10.6.
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Windows: OpenGL - reduced taskbar flashing when auto-detecting OpenGL features.
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Windows: OpenGL: Bogus OpenGL error messages were showing up incorrectly. Fixed: only true errors will be displayed.
Screensaver Installer:
- When QuickTime is out of date (or missing), Apple Software Update will be launched on mac, and on windows too (if available). Otherwise, the user will be prompted to visit the QuickTime download website as before.
Third-party Software:
iScreensaver Designer was tested against third-party software.
Unless otherwise noted, no issues were found.
Flash Player 10.2 (beta)
QuickTime 7.6.9
Mac OS X 10.6.5 *
Windows XP SP3 *
Windows Vista *
Windows 7 *
Windows 7 SP1 (Beta) *
* including all vendor updates as of 01-Jan-2011
Version 4.1.0.299
Version 4.1.0 includes some important bug-fixes. All users are encouraged to upgrade and, when appropriate, re-build their screensavers.
Third-party Software:
iScreensaver Designer 4.1.0 was tested against latest third-party software.
Unless otherwise noted, no issues were found.
iPhoto 11 - Version 9.0 (449) mac
iTunes 10 - Version 10.0.1 (22) mac
Flash Player 10.1
QuickTime 7.6.8
Mac OS X 10.6.4 *
Windows XP SP3 *
Windows Vista *
Windows 7 *
* including all vendor updates as of 22-October-2010
Designer
* iScreensaver Designer 4 is now code-signed. This applies to the application on Mac OS X, and to the application and the installer on Windows. Code-signed apps can be verified as originating with iScreensaver.com, and will avoid needless “Unknown Publisher” warnings on Windows.
Note: screensavers produced with iScreensaver Designer are not code signed as this is not technically possible. To code-sign a screensaver that you author, you would need to obtain your own signing certificate and code-sign it yourself.
* Proxy auto detection for License Code verification.
Designer / Registration tab has new auto-proxy-detection code. It defaults to "Auto" which should auto-detect system proxy and use it.
Other modes:
Off - bypass any proxy settings.
Manual - override any proxy settings.
If you are having trouble validating your purchased license code, please contact your IT department and ask them for the HTTP:PORT proxy settings to use.
* [osx] Sequence editor, minor graphics glitch when deactivating/reactivating window. Fixed.
* [win] In XP: typing WindowsKey-D (the shortcut to minimize all windows) would crash and then be unable to exit the program. Fixed.
* Splash screen art cleaned up.
Screensaver Installer:
* [win] When launching installer, exception in wInstall.wInstall.Event_Open%%o<wInstall.wInstall> on some systems when a plugin was not installed or blocked by anti-virus software.
Fixed: we trap this error so it no longer crashes, and instead show the “… plugin not installed” warning message.
* [osx] when installing to /Library/Screen Savers/ and that folder doesn't exist, was being created with wrong permissions. Fixed, now uses 775.
Version 4.0.0.294
Fixes a few minor issues. If these issues don’t affect you there is no need to upgrade immediately.
Saver
* [win] Audio was not muted in the Control Panel Preview under Windows. Fixed.
Designer
* [ppc] Failing to build Win32 savers, only seen when running Designer on Mac OS X on a PPC (G3, G4 or G5). Fixed.
* [ppc] Crash in helper app when loading SWF (Flash) file, only seen in Designer on Mac OS X on a PPC (G3, G4 or G5). Fixed.
Version 4.0.0.293
A general bug-fixing release with some new/improved features. Includes minor updates for Safari 5 and Flash 10.1, and important OpenGL bug fixes for Mac and Windows. OpenGL fixes for the notorious Intel GMA950 drivers (on Windows) and Intel HD driver (on some 2010 MacBook Pros). Installers and Uninstallers are more reliable. Authors can set default values for Heads Up Display (HUD) and audio volume.
All authors are encouraged to upgrade and re-build their screen savers.
Screensaver Installer:
- [osx] “install for all users” was sometimes failing if a prior saver existed. Fixed.
Installation Plugin Checks:
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OpenGL:
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We now provide an OpenGL driver check. Rather than checking the driver version number (which is different for every manufacturer) we simply check the OpenGL version. The generic Microsoft Drivers tend to support version 1.0 or 1.1, whereas good vendor drivers support 1.3 or higher.
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When the OpenGL driver check fails, we send the user to a URL that explains how to update the video card drivers.
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All plugin checks are automatically skipped when not applicable. For example, if the author sets QuickTime to check for version 7.6, but there is no QuickTime content in the screensaver, that check will be ignored.
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The “Aero Glass is not enabled” error message: no longer shows up in Windows XP. Under Vista and Windows 7 it still shows up, but now includes a button that links to a web page explaining how to enable the feature.
Screensaver Uninstaller:
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[osx] uninstaller now resets selected saver and re-opens the Control Panel. This avoids the “module is broken” messages if your screensaver activated after uninstallation. (10.5 or later – 10.4 has old behavior which defaults to a blank saver after uninstall.)
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[win] on Vista/7, we always request elevated permissions when uninstalling a “forAllUsers” install, which should prevent cases where the uninstaller was failing (as noted by the lack of the DOS console).
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[win] also fixed cases where the uninstaller wasn’t removing the uninstall data, so the saver would still show up in the Add/Remove control panel list.
OpenGL Drivers:
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Intel Graphics Drivers: for both Mac & Windows, we have workarounds for various bugs with the Intel drivers. This fixes issues on the 2010 Macbook Pros (with Intel HD + NVIDIA 330M cards) as well as improves reliability on numerous Windows laptops using the low budget GMA 945 / GMA 950 series chips.
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Note that in the case where there is a good hardware chip, but poor drivers, the screensaver will usually still run, but it may run very slowly as it falls back to software rendering. This is typically only seen on Windows, not OS X.
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For maximal OpenGL compatibility with the Intel graphics cards, authors are now asked to choose a short (8.3) filename for the screensaver SCR file on windows systems. The Build panel now includes an option for this.
Control Panel Author Defaults:
- Authors may now set the following items in the editor for the Control Panel:
- Use HUD (Heads up display). (defaults to Off)
- Audio Volume (defaults to 100%)
- Audio Mute (defaults to Off)
These values will serve as defaults when the user previews or installs a screensaver. The end-user can always change these settings later.
Flash 10.1, Safari 5.0
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[osx] using Flash 10.1 + Safari 5, Flash content would “zoom open” from the lower left of the screen. Fixed.
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Note: tests using Flash 10.1 on Mac and Windows indicate better performance and smoother animation.
Version 4.0.0.289, 290, 291, 292
Internal test builds, not released to the public.
Version 4.0.0.287
A general bug-fixing release. Includes fixes for those using Flash (SWF) files, the unlocking dialog, and for OpenGL performance on the 2010 MacBook Pros with the Intel HD/NVIDIA 330M graphics system, and other minor issues.
All authors are encouraged to upgrade.
Screensaver Installer:
* Exceptions in FixPlistForSaverBundle caught.
Screensaver:
* the screensaver startup progress bar no longer flickers.
* [osx] on a 2 monitor system, odd monitor arrangements (such has having the menubar between two monitors stacked vertically) no longer result in graphical glitches.
* [osx] the 2010 macbook pros with the combination Intel HD / NVIDIA 330M graphics: the saver was not activating properly when the Intel HD card was active. Fixed: now properly switches to the NVIDIA 330M card.
* Tested with Flash Player 10.1 RC4 on OS X and Windows, no issues found.
Designer:
General:
* [win] the splash screen wasn’t supposed to be resizable. Fixed.
* [osx] project list was losing track of some files if they had escaped-unix pathnames. Fixed. If you are upgrading from a prior version and see duplicates, just delete the extras from the project list once to fix.
Menus:
* Menu shortcuts : Bold and Italic no longer conflict with Build and Info window.
* Edit/Undo and Edit/Redo now function reliably when focus is on the Info Window.
* "Run Fullscreen" command was only working a single time unless you re-opened the Preview window. Fixed.
Editor:
* keyboard navigation, tab order : many improvements.
* Editing text captions : multiple bugs fixed: the UI is more accurate, especially when editing multiple items at once. No longer shows "0" font size or alters font size by accident.
* Paste Properties: no longer fails when pasting an entire Overlay object.
* no longer crashes when editing properties for 2+ items at once (bug introduced in 4.0.0.284)
* Flash (SWF) items were showing up as 0x0 pixel size, which was breaking "Actual Size" playback. Fixed: the flash pixel size is now detected and remembered in all situations.
* Fixed several crashes that could happen when editing during playback or when closing the Preview window.
Preview Window:
* clicking the Preview toolbar now closes the Preview window (rather than hiding it).
* toggling the preview toolbar with a full-screen SWF showing now properly resets the overlay positions.
Build:
* invalid characters (such as & / \ < > ) are now properly filtered and/or handled in filenames and text captions and no longer caus build failures.
Version 4.0.0.285, 286
Internal test builds, not released to the public.
Version 4.0.0.284
Designer:
* [osx,ppc] Crashing problems on G4 and G5s. Fixed.
* [osx] Fixed Info.plist and Icon permissions to 644, which was causing weird bugs when Designer was installed by an administrator but run on a non-administrator account.
* [all] Undo/Redo could crash if you had the Stage Preview window open. Fixed.
* Media/Effect: the "Fall" effect names & direction caption names were wrong. Fixed.
* General UI improvements for keyboard use. Cleaned up tab order on many windows. Handles FullKeyboard Access for all controls better on OS X
* preferences window wasn't supposed to be resizable. fixed
* 'about this software' window: cleaned up.
Version 4.0.0.283
Designer:
* Undo History menu would get scrambled. Fixed
* Crash when launched on computer with no network interfaces. Fixed.
Saver Uninstaller:
* [win] uninstalling was resetting the user’s wallpaper (in the case where the installer did include wallpaper, but the user chose to skip it).
* [osx] uninstalling now resets to the prior wallpaper in use (if user chose to install it).
Version 4.0.0.282
Saver Installer:
* [winXP] installs with wallpaper were sometimes crashing. Fixed.
* [win32] Screensaver Installation on Limited (Non-administrator) XP accounts were failing: Now we detect this properly and default to an "install for me only" installation.
* [win32] fixed a bug where the saver installer could try (and fail) to delete the wrong folder after installation failure cleanup.
Saver:
* Interactive with HUD off : cursor now auto-hides after a bit if you don’t move cursor.
* Power settings for Vista now work better. Saver stops when monitor goes off. Note: there may be a brief flash of the desktop before the monitor sleeps -- this seems to be a Vista bug (can be seen with MS screensavers too).
Designer:
* fixed a crash when closing window (side effect of fix in 281).
Version 4.0.0.281
Designer:
* Fixed a memory leak when closing a project window. This was causing a variety of issues, including “file busy” errors when trying to save, move, or delete the project file, as the project file wasn’t being released properly.
* SWFs now default to non-interactive (because with interactive ON, HUD off, there is no easy way to exit the saver). Only use Interactive with SWFs that provide a button to exit.
Version 4.0.0.280
Saver/Win32:
* monitor dim/power save events improved handling:
On Vista/win7+ systems, the screensaver will keep running while the monitor dims, but will exit cleanly when the monitor sleeps fully.
On XP Systems the screensaver will keep running when the monitor dims, and when the monitor sleeps we automatically exit the screensaver (this helps conserve power and makes it work more like vista/7).
* Note that the “Dim” setting is driver-dependent and may not appear on all OSs.
* [win] SWF : clicking a URL command in XP was causing a crash. Fixed.
* [win] Right edge of window was flashing on movie/flash content. Fixed.
Saver/Interactivity/SWF:
* [all] interactive assets now ignore mouse move, mouse click even when HUD is disabled.
* [all] SWF: now using quality=autohigh instead of “high” for flash playback.
Version 4.0.0.279
Saver/Win32:
* monitor dim/power save events improved handling :
On Vista/7+ systems, the screensaver will keep running while the monitor dims, but will exit cleanly when the monitor sleeps fully.
On XP Systems the screensaver will keep running when the monitor dims, and when the monitor sleeps we automatically exit the screensaver (this helps conserve power and makes it work more like vista/7). Note that on XP you can't actually have a different Dim/Sleep monitor time, so they happen simultaneously.
Suggested tests:
Use bootcamp
change both the Dim (vista/7) and Sleep (xp/vista/7) settings (click 'Power Settings' from the screensaver CP).
test with 1 or 2 monitors
test with password protection on/off
test with HUD on/off
What to look for:
in Vista/7: monitor should Dim and saver keeps playing.
in xp/vista/7: monitor sleep: should end screensaver and monitor should not wake up (until you wiggle mouse)
make sure you never see the Windows TaskBar missing, after you wake up from sleep.
* SWF : clicking a URL command in XP is causing crash (due to re-entrant quit in cStage.DoAppDeactivate). Fixed.
* right edge of window was flashing on movie/flash content ( tmKludgeRearrangeWindow1 is now called immediately, and now does +1 width instead of -1 so right edge of window is no longer visible. and happens much faster.
* interactive assets now ignore mouse move,click even when HUD is disabled. Tooltip corrected. Keyboard commands are not ignored. (It may be possible to click into a SWF object and use the keyboard, but this is not currently supported)
* SWF: now using <PARAM NAME=quality VALUE=autohigh> instead of "high" for flash playback. better performance / cpu usage? in some cases?
See : http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/127/tn_12701.html
Designer Build:
* unregistered, uncustomized project no longer doubles up the default installer/CP texts and no longer includes “-------” separator in the default text.
Designer/Info
* Overlays: bug with overlay height somtimes showing as zero. Fixed.
* Behavior/EndTime was disabled incorrectly for images (broken in 278). Fixed.
Designer/ProjectList : offers to go to samples page to download samples.
Designer/Preview Stage window title was showing “Locked”. Fixed
Designer Win32 exe Installer: fixed bad Support/Download URLs.
Designer/Project Save:
* now respects the OS’s file locked flag (osx: “Locked”, win:“Read-only”) and won’t save over a locked file. Instead gives a warning and offers to do a SaveAs…
Designer HUD: cosmetic changes.
Version 4.0.0.278
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Help links: a few of our help URLs linked to the wrong web page. Fixed.
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SWF files: Info/Behavior/EndTime was not being honored, yet the UI let you change it. Fixed - for SWFs you can not set start/end times, only the overall PlayCount.
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Windows iScreensaver Designer 4 Installer now includes the full version # string on first page.
Known Issues:
Download/Install Issues:
* on Windows, the process of downloading, extracting, and installing a zipped screensaver installer is difficult. Version 4.3 has a new “Single-File-Installer” EXE which makes this process much easier. We recommend using this format if possible.
Video Cards/Drivers:
* The default Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, and 7 OpenGL drivers have extremely slow performance. You should upgrade to the latest vendor-provided drivers.
See http://iscreensaver.com/help/notes/update_opengl_drivers/update_opengl_drivers.shtml
* On Windows PCs, the Intel GMA 950 series video drivers are buggy -- iScreensaver version 4.0.0.292 or later includes fixes for these issues.
Media/Codec Issues:
* Under OS X 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8, certain video codecs will cause the screensaver to exit. This will not happen when you use the "Test" button from the control panel, but will happen when using a HotCorner, or when the screensaver activates normally. This is a known bug that Apple is aware of. Workaround: convert your movie to use a "safe" codec (listed below)
* QuickTime Movies with the "Conform Aperture:" setting enabled can be problematic, especially under the Windows QuickTime plugin, and especially for movies that are taller than wide. Until Apple fixes this bug, we recommend disabling this setting. To do this, open the movie in QuickTime Player 7 Pro, Chose "Window/Show Movie Properties", click the "Presentation" tab, and de-select "Conform Aperature to:" if it is selected. Save the movie file.
* Under Windows, some QuickTime video codecs do not animate at full speed. Workaround: convert your movie to use a "safe" codec (listed below)
Safe codecs currently are:
Photo JPEG
H264 (when re-saved from QuickTime Pro – video directly from devices such as an iPhone may not work without re-conversion)
Unsafe codecs:
AVI
Sorenson Video3 Decompressor
Motion JPEG
H264 (video directly from some iDevices such as iPhones).
H.263
OpenDML JPEG (video directly from cameras, such as Canon Powershot)
AntiVirus Software
* Some antivirus software will block screensaver installation, screensaver operation, or uninstalltion. You may need to give special permission to the screensaver installer and screensaver after installation. For example, some antivirus software will allow the screensaver to be installed, but then warn and block it when it loads a QuickTime movie. Refer to your antivirus software documentation as needed to solve this issue.
See http://iscreensaver.com/help/notes/anti_virus/anti_virus.shtml
QuickTime Bugs:
* QTL (QuickTimeLink) files (both audio and video) are not supported:
* Under OSX 10.6 they will cause the screensaver to exit prematurely
* Under Win XP they cause terrible screen flickering.
* Under Windows OS (all) Quicktime 7.6.5 crashes with some movies when set to StretchMode:Actual or StretchMode:Crop. Fixed in QuickTime 7.6.6 or later, which is now available.
* Under Windows OS, movies in certain stretch mode can cause a crash. This appears to primarily affect H.264 movies which are set to Actual Size or some other stretch mode that makes them hit the right edge of the screen size. Workaround: try a different safe codec, a different stretch mode, or locate your movie towards the left side of the screen rather than the right. Apple has been made aware of this issue but we have no information on a fix.
Windows OS : Flicker with overlays on non-Aero Glass systems.
* Overlays (HUD, caption, pictures) that overlap QuickTime movies will flicker when played on a Windows XP system, and Vista or 7 if Aero Glass is disabled. This is a known bug in QuickTime 7.6.5 plugin. Workaround: don’t use overlays, or await a QuickTime bug-fix.
Caption text:
* italic text may have the right edge chopped off. Workaround: type an extra space or two in the text.
Build / File Copies
* Copying a built installer file (from mac to windows, or vice versa) may not have correct file permissions. Copying the Zipped installer (created using the ‘zip’ checkbox on the build screen) works fine.
Giant Images:
* iScreensaver may crash if you try to use really really big images (more than 4096 pixels in width or height). Read this for more info:
http://iscreensaver.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=23
Screensavers on Mac OS
* On a 2+ monitor system, a screensaver playing on main screen only, with HUD enabled, will be exited by the OS if the mouse cursor goes onto the 2nd monitor.
* Under 10.7, touch gestures (such as scrolling on the Magic Mouse) will cause the screensaver to exit even if “Use HUD” is enabled. We are in discussions with Apple attempting to get a fix.
Screensavers on Windows OS
* Screensavers run on main monitor only. Secondary monitors are blanked. This is by design.