Re: [Eclass-users] bugs

[Kevin O. <ke...@tu...>]

Hi BJ and all,

The latest version, with fixes (for what I've been able to fix) can be=20=

found at:

http://www.eclass.net/Downloads/eclass-builder-2.5.4.7.exe

Yes, I'm now using the new numbering system. =3D) BTW, you can uninstall=20=

old versions of beta 4 before installing the latest build. Now that the=20=

number will change with each release, this is necessary to keep your=20
disk from being filled with EClass builds. I've moved the System=20
Preferences file into C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local=20
Settings\Application Data\EClass so that every build of EClass (from=20
this build onwards) will use those preferences, and you do not need to=20=

"re-configure" EClass with each new version you download anymore.

Now, onto the bugs...

On Apr 12, 2004, at 1:52 PM, BJ Cameron wrote:

> Hi Kevino,
>
> 1.=A0 Here is a petty bug, but...When using the html document editor,=20=

> Ctrl S does not save the document. The rest of the keyboard shortcuts=20=

> work fine,
> and if you try to close the file, you get the dialog box asking if you=20=

> want to save it. Not a big deal if you can't fix it, just remove the=20=

> Ctrl S from the file menu.

Thanks for catching this. CTRL+S does actually work, but if you use the=20=

keyboard combination it was registering a keypress, and when a keypress=20=

happens EClass marks the document as having unsaved changes. Fixed.=20
(Now only if you actually type a character in Mozilla will it mark the=20=

document as needing saved.)

> 2.=A0 This one is a bit bigger as it has larger ramifications...If you=20=

> "cancel" when using the Find Feature in the html document editor, it=20=

> crashes
> the editor and EClass.
> http://payson.tulane.edu/staff/bjcameron/error6.jpg
> Unfortunately, you lose all your unsaved work and despite the error=20
> message there is nothing in the errlog.txt. I seemed to have lost all=20=

> my "system
> preferences" after the crash too.

Unfortunately, I've been unable to reproduce this in either XP or Win=20
98. Could you send me the Dr. Watson log? Also, could you try this on=20
some computers in the office tomorrow if you're going in?

> 3.=A0 Document Editor:
> The Insert Bookmark seems to be acting a bit off. Maybe I am=20
> misunderstanding what you mean by "insert bookmark". Do you mean=20
> create the
> bookmark or are you linking to the bookmark.=A0 =46rom the HTML code =
it=20
> looks like you are creating the bookmark. How are you suppose to link=20=

> to the bookmark except through the html code? A quick explanation of=20=

> what "#" does might help novice users.

You can just create a hyperlink and type in #mybookmark to link to=20
mybookmark. In the next version, I hope to add a bookmark list to the=20
bottom, but you're right that we should also document this better=20
because then people can link to bookmarks in other pages as well. I=20
also hope to have some visual "marker" for the bookmark like what=20
Dreamweaver does.

> Once you "create" the bookmark, the "insert hyperlink"=A0sometimes =
does=20
> not work.

This isn't related to bookmarks... It seems there's something going=20
wrong with selections or possibly a focus issue. It will probably be a=20=

few days before I have a fix for this...

> Also I noticed if you cancel the link window without putting a link,=20=

> the link is still created...probably should do nothing.

Once I have the previous problem taken care of, I'll make it so. =3D)

> =A0
> 4. Greenstone search...
> Greenstone=A0only indexes files in the pub directory. I looked in the=20=

> collect.cfg file for some indication of what gets indexed, nothing.=20
> Are you using the import function? Anyways, I would also like to have=20=

> the "file" directory and any sub-directories of the File directory=20
> indexed. Possible?

Possible but not easy, unfortunately, thanks to how Greenstone works.=20
;-( The problem is that there's no way to tell Greenstone which folder=20=

to look in for content. The exception is with HTML files, where I use a=20=

little trick with META tags to make it work. The only way to resolve=20
this problem would be to manually convert all the files to HTML=20
ourselves, add metadata to the HTML file pointing to the original file,=20=

and then send the HTML file to be indexed in Greenstone. I used to have=20=

a VB macro that did this, but the person needed to have Office=20
installed, unfortunately. When I can work up a solution to get the=20
OpenOffice conversion support working again, this may be possible, but=20=

until then, this is going to be a lot of work and so it will need to=20
wait for a future version.

> 5. When using the no frames theme:
> The alignment on some of the pages are off. Sometimes the treemenu is=20=

> on the left margin and sometimes it is right next to the page content.=20=

> Could we standardize it? I think the left margin looks best.

Could you provide examples? =46rom your description, I think what is=20
happening is that the contents table is being enlarged and 'squeezing'=20=

the table of contents.

> 6. I have been having minor trouble editing the=A0new template files=20=

> (*.TPL) with Editpad lite.=A0In particular, I can't move the cursor =
with=20
> the mouse. Can you=A0recommend another editor?

No, but I can offer a suggestion that may fix your problem. =3D) Try=20
opening the file in Editpad Lite, selecting Convert->To UNIX and then=20
after that, Convert->To Windows. I think what happened is that at some=20=

point UNIX line endings got into the template files, and the mixture of=20=

Windows and UNIX endings is confusing the editor. Let me know if that=20
helps.

> 7. The convert to PDF works great except most links do not work. It is=20=

> looking for material in the same directory as the pdf file. I would=20
> recommend removing the links, or moving the pdf file into the file=20
> directory, where most of the material resides. Other ideas?

For the moment, I'll just remove the links feature. The converter is=20
open source though, so I can eventually track down (and hopefully fix)=20=

this problem.

> 8. Not really a bug, but a feature I would like to see. In=A0many text=20=

> boxes (the Credit box, Quiz question box, author box), you can use=20
> simple scripts to change font size and include links. I wish you could=20=

> do this in the objectives text box.

Actually, the fact that you can do this in the other dialogs is a bug.=20=

It works great if you know what you're doing, but if you're trying to=20
use a < or > symbol in those boxes (not adding an HTML tag), it will=20
actually cause the author or credit, or quiz question, not to be=20
displayed. In the future, the real solution would be either to detect=20
and allow certain HTML tags, or make those textboxes actually Mozilla=20
editors, so you can apply rich text styles without causing problems.

I'll leave it in there for now, but I'll try and come up with a=20
solution that allows HTML but doesn't disallow people to type in=20
special HTML characters for the next release. And it will be=20
consistent. =3D)

> 9. Not really a bug, but an idiosyncrasy. If you change a page name in=20=

> the page properties, it changes the name on the page, but doesn't keep=20=

> the change when you open the page editor. I would think that the two=20=

> would work in conjunction.

Fixed. (This was how it was supposed to work in the beginning, but a=20
bug kept it from working right.)

> 10. Using Swish-e search, doc files do not get indexed even though=20
> they are in the "File" directory. I checked out swishe.conf, no=20
> problems there. Other ideas?

I'm seeing this too, it's a problem with wvWare failing to convert the=20=

docs... I have no idea why its failing, but it is far from a perfect=20
conversion tool. I'll have to look for another conversion method.=20
Another reason I should get back on a solution for OpenOffice support.

> =A0
> I will=A0start again tomorrow.

Thanks!!