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Windows Beta is ready for deployment

jkjjkj
edited April 2016 in Windows

It works! But initially, anyone interested will have to battle with a ZIP file with which they install manually.

Here's the zip, lexiyb2.zip


readme


Lexiy Notes Windows Desktop BETA

This is the beta of Lexiy Notes for Windows. The basics are in and there are a few rough edges, but the essentials should work.

Change Log

  • B2/1.0.1
    fix scrolling of project list.
    fix scrolling of settings page
    "forget password" not a feature for desktop
    settings, delete confirm option.
    FIX dns server not always correct.

Supported Machines

Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 or later.

Installation

There is no installer yet. Installation is manual as follows:

  • unzip lexiyb2.zip

Where you would like to install. All files are unpacked inside a top-level directory (eg lexiyb2).

  • run vcredist_x86.exe

This will install the Microsoft runtime components. Ideally run this as Administrator. eg on Windows 7/8, right click start menu and select "Command Prompt (admin)", then run the above.

If this fails to install you will get an error and a log. Have a look at this log (I had a registry permission problem).

Fix any error with the runtime installation before proceeding.

Running

There is no special install for lexiy.exe. All the required files are in the same directory.

You can either run lexiy.exe from the command line or use Windows explorer to locate this directory. right click drag on lexiy.exe to desktop and select "create shortcut".

If it works, the Lexiy Notes window will appear.

Using

Click on the login tab and enter your existing credentials. This will log in the to server and automatically fetch your existing database.

If this works, you're good to go.

If you don't have an account, you can register one from the login page.

The database is compatible with the mobile version.

File Locations

Your database and preferences file are emitted into the exe working directory. For example, you might have fred_at_spam_com.db as your account file. If you don't have an account, your database is named notes.db.

The preferences are emitted into prefs.jsn

Be advised that this file contains your cipher key!

For the beta, a debug log is emitted into lexiy.log. Consulting this can resolve problems.

Tips

  • you can force a sync by clicking on the refresh icon.
  • cut & paste within the note editor is possible using the keyboard (there isn't a popup yet). Ctrl-C, Ctrl-X, Ctrl-V, Ctrl-A work.
  • You click and hold to start a text selection in the note editor (this is a bit fiddly at present).
  • you can swipe a note to move it to a project (like the mobile version).

Problems and Limitations

  • The fonts are a little small on my Vista machine, but ok on Windows 8 ??
  • links in the notes are not yet automatically clickable.
  • the "snackbar" at the bottom will often popup with "OK". This is currently a visual indication that a sync has been performed. Later this will be silent (unless there's an error).

Feedback

Problems, issues, suggestions and bugs, please post them to the forum.

Thanks.

Comments

  • edited April 2016

    Great to see the first beta out there!

    Some observations:

    1. Installation on my Windows 10 PC went fine and the interface looks very good - same nice clean look as with the Android version. I wasn't sure if this is a 32 or 64-bit application so I put it in the Program Files (x86) directory.

    2. When the Lexiy window is smaller than the available items, it doesn't appear to be possible to scroll down to see items further down the page, e.g. there is no slider bar on the right hand side.

    3. I can't sync my data and I don't see any data in the application. My first concern was that my password might be incorrect but when I change it I get an error so I assume I have used the correct one. When I log in or press 'Refresh' I get a message saying "Sync Incomplete" and I see no data. I have not tried adding any data into the PC version for fear of losing my existing data created on an Android device. Incidentally, I also don't see what I believe was the default first note "Welcome to Lexiy Notes" so I assume I'm not looking at a new, blank database.

    4. Unlike in the Android version, when I exit the application and then restart it, I have to log in again - my login details are not remembered.

  • edited April 2016

    Ah ha!!! I have found out what the problem is. I went looking for the lexiy.log file and there wasn't one. I guessed that this might be because I didn't have rights in the directory where I had stored the application. I therefore ran the application as administrator and it worked fine. How do you think I can get around this? Should I put the application in a different folder?

    A couple of other points:

    • A message is placed on the screen when you start the application saying 'Ok' which I guess means 'Sync Ok'. If so I would change it to say that.

    • Regarding font sizes, these work in very odd ways. They are very small on my Surface Pro 3 screen when creating/editing a note (approximately 4pt) but acceptable when displaying the application's menu (approximately 10pt). However, if I drag the window across to my second monitor the fonts when editing or at the menu appear to be nearly the same size as each other (approximately 10pt and 12pt respectively). A complication I have noticed is that in the Display Settings, Windows 10 has set (without my help I think) the 'Change the size of text, apps and other items' to 150% on the Surface Pro screen (2160x1440) but left it at 100% for my attached monitor (1920x1080). Do you want me to produce some more detailed data for you about the font sizes?

  • Great to hear you got it working.

    All of the problems i've encountered on other machines were to do with permissions. This is a real pain. I am not running windows 10, but i assume they've made this sort of thing even more annoying.

    Why you wouldn't have permission on your own directory is weird. I will have to run some tests on a windows 10 machine for this.

    The installer, when i write it, will have to take account of all these problems. thanks for the heads up on this.

    To address your points:

    All windows should have scrollable content. If this doesn't work, i need to know. I haven't tried the app on a touch based machine (like your surface). In theory, it should work, but in practice there are probably gesture events that i should wire in to functions. I would like the app to work nicely on a touch interface.

    Account persistence is in prefs.jsn. This is just a text file. If you delete this (or it cannot be created) you will have to log in again. Be advised that this currently contains your cipher key once you've logged in. For the paranoid, you can delete this file. But soon, i will implement the adjustable "automatically forget" feature.

    The "OK" message following sync is currently a beta feature for me to keep an eye on exactly how often the app syncs. Later, this notification will be removed, unless there is an error to report.

    I too am getting inconsistencies on font sizes. on my Windows 8 machine, they are sensible. But they are different (small) on and old Vista machine. I will look into how the sizes are chosen. Also i want to add a font size adjustment feature in the settings.

    Other points:

    I plan to put in an automatic updater, which will notify users of a new version and optionally install it for them automatically. Right now the only way to know is totally manual. I realise at first this will be annoying because changes will be rapid at first.

    I've been using this app for a while now and have found it a massive boost here whilst working. I use it for all my business organisation whilst I'm sat at the computer. What i do is make the window narrow, the compact view where the project list is hidden, and put it to the side of my screen. There's a little drawer like Android to see the projects when in this view. I find this a nice way to work.

  • edited April 2016

    Some replies:

    • My testing indicates that the only place that the scrolling doesn't work is on the settings menu (sorry, when I wrote about this bug I didn't have any data to look at!).

    • Account persistence seems to work fine so long as I 'Run as Administrator'

    • Some sort of message or indication to say that the sync has been successful is quite reassuring - I'm not sure I'd get rid of it.

    • I agree that the application looks like being extremely useful. On your idea of having it in a narrow window to keep an eye on a particular note, it might be a good idea to have an automatic refresh option so that anything added on one device pops on all of them. (I may use an old Android as a permanent 'To Do' display.)

    • Re font sizes, this idea may be a hack but I note that some applications allow zooming using -mouse wheel. I find this quite useful because it lets me decide how I want to view the application at any particular time.

  • Thanks for this feedback.

    scrolling is missing from the settings page. right now there shouldn't be enough to need scrolling, but this should be added.

    in b1, scrolling is broken also in the project list sidebar (but not in the drawer!). I have fixed this here.

    automatic refresh is a good idea. Right now the app syncs under the following conditions:

    • a note is changed
    • a project is changed
    • at the start
    • when the notes tab is selected.
    • when you press refresh.

    The same is true of the mobile app. Originally the plan was to keep mobile data low. So i didn't want it going out to the network all the time.

    However, i think a configurable automatic update period is a good idea.

    added to list: settings, auto sync period.

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