Favalias Application / News: Recent posts

This a stable version. Try it and report any suggestion, bug, new feature...

Summary of changes in version 0.9.2 :
- You can save/load your favorites and aliases on my web server (jcmag.europe.webmatrixhosting.net, in a Sql Server database). So you can retrieve them everywhere.
I put the default files on the server, you can retrieve them using username/pwd : favalias/favalias (! it will overwrite your current settings !)
- You can type a command even if it is not an alias, for example "iisreset". So Favalias behaves like Windows "Run" window.
- Changed the "cmd" alias to : "run cmd.exe /K date /t & time /t & if exist "%VS71COMNTOOLS%\vsvars32.bat" ("%VS71COMNTOOLS%\vsvars32.bat") else (echo VS.NET not installed) &" ; so you can use the .NET tools if VS is installed and you can create aliases to launch commands like :
"ip" alias to display your IP addresses -> "cmd ipconfig /all"

- Added a custom config file reader (in Common project)
- Redirect BabelFishTranslator (to jcmag.fr.st because babelFish web service is down)
- Change ctrl-N & ctrl-J (to navigate in the history) by ctrl-down & ctrl-up
- Display Favalias in the top left corner if the saved location matches a hidden zone (occurs with Virtual PC for example when you switch from full screen)
- Added an option in FormPreferences to enable/disable the automatic startup of Fav

Summary of changes in version 0.8.7 :

- Added "graburl" addin in Utilities. Useful to launch splitted URLs : copy the multiline URL with ctrl-C and type graburl in Favalias.
- Added support for smart clients (online/offline support) and added aliases for sellsbrothers' smart clients ; you can launch a smart client with : "smart url" (url points to the exe, for example, "http://www.sellsbrothers.com/tools/FormatDesigner.exe")
- added SoundEffect function to Common Utilities for use by all skins (see ArmyMenSkin or SmileySkin projects for sample).
- added Play Skin Sounds checkbox to preferences screen. Sounds are turned on by default but can be turned off by unchecking this new checkbox.
- Show the FormModifyAddins the first time Favalias is launched
- Added InternetConnected method to the Utilities class to check the availability of the internet connection
- Added source code to GotDotNet workspaces (http://www.gotdotnet.com/Community/Workspaces/workspace.aspx?id=5d557a5a-9f76-41d7-89b0-0835877e9b53).
- SystemInfo addin displays the size of your drives folders.
- In FormAddFavorite : you can now have the same name for many categories, the new favorite will be added to the good one.

Unzip ArmyMen.zip, drag the ArmyMen.dll onto Favalias with the shift key pressed. Then, go to the preferences menu to test this skin.

Summary of changes in version 0.8.4 :

- You can now add an addin dll by dropping it onto Favalias (with the Alt key).
- Added a Smiley skin
- You can now change the skin in the "preferences" menu and see it instantly.
- Removed the "Icon" value in all forms in the VS.NET designer and change it in code (FavaliasCore.dll is reduced from 500 Kb to 244 Kb !!)
- You can now add a skin to Favalias by dropping the dll onto Favalias (with the Shift key pressed). This dll must contain SkinnedFormFavalias, SkinnedAniFormTextBox and SkinnedAniFormLabel classes
- Added FavaliasStartup project to host the Main function
- Added MatrixSkin project
- Renamed FavaliasAddins project to UtilitiesAddins

Summary of changes in version 0.8 :

- Added a Matrix skin.
- New version of SqlConnectionStringBuilder
- Removed the Magic Library

Summary of changes in version 0.7 :

- Change the MessageBox used to display results with Genghis Aniform.
- Add copyright.
- Change the textbox by the Genghis' completion combobox. Ctrl-J and Ctrl-N are now used to navigate in the history. Tab is used to complete the command.
- Add a Common project. It contains CLP, Utilities and AniForms.
- Change the namespaces prefix.
- Hitting the Esc key minimize Favalias to the taskbar.
- New addins :
* In SearchAddins project :
. gg (perform a Google search)
* In FavaliasAddins project :
. alarm (display a message after the specified timespan)

- You can use Favalias as a calculator since google has a new calculator function, so you can "evaluate math expressions (5+2*2, 2^20, sine(30 degrees), e^(i pi)+1), units of measure and conversions (100 miles in kilometers, 160 pounds * 4000 feet in Calories), and physical constants (1 a.u./c, G*mass, earth/radius of earth^2). You can also experiment with other numbering systems, including hexadecimal and binary (0x1A in decimal)".
- Change CommandLineParser to support ArrayList fields (so multiple arguments), and fix some bugs (optional parameters, default values, use of ":"...)
- You can specify the modifiers (ctrl, alt, shift, win) for your shortcut key (new project added : SystemHotKey ; KeyboardHook is removed).
- Change the IFavaliasAddin interface : add a Hashtable param to transmit multiple arguments to addins (so we could add new arguments without breaking existing addins). The Hashtable contains "aliasName", "browser", "proxyIP", "proxyPort", "appFolder", "appDataFolder", "addinsFolder".
- Sort variables in SystemInfo Addin.
- New addins :
*In ConverterAddins project :
. htmlencode/htmldecode and urlencode/urldecode addin (thanks to Brian DeMarzo, brian@demarzo.net)
. babelfish translator
. worldlingo translator
*In FavaliasAddins project :
. sqlconnec (SQL Server connection string builder ; thanks to Damien Nanquette, hotdna@hotmail.com)

subscribe to favalias-requests@lists.sourceforge.net (go to http://sourceforge.net/mail/?group_id=86159 )

- Generate category menus in the aliases menu
- Add a dialog in setup to ask if the user wants automatic startup (-> registry key)
- add Genghis.CommandLineParser with slight modifications in the addins projects.
- The version number is defined as a constant in FavaliasController. AssemblyInfo and FormAbout use it.

Summary of changes in version 0.5 :

- add a new menu "Edit addins" that enables you to choose which addins you want to use.
- add an "icon" element in aliases.xsd. You could use it to specify an icon for your addin.
- add SystemInfo addin ("sysinfo" alias). It displays for the moment the environment variables set on your machine.
- add "timeoutForLoadingFavicons" key in the exe.config to specify how much time we must wait to download favicons.
- Prevents the user from resizing the form in height (not in width).
- You can now use any environment variables in your aliases. For example : [run mmc "%SystemRoot%\system32\inetsrv\iis.msc"] to launch the IIS console or [run "%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003\SDK\v1.1\Bin\ildasm"] to launch the MSIL disassembler.

http://www.codeproject.com/csharp/Favalias.asp

- The bug that prevents Windows from shutting down when Favalias is launched is fixed.
- Added a new "Aliases" menu to launch them using the mouse (even if it was not the primary goal of Favalias).
- Change the way to build addin (the configuration file must now be embedded in the dll).

You can download now the first Favalias release !