What's new in BrowserBob 4

 

BrowserBob 4 is the new generation of "weblication" generators. A powerful engine allowing you to create smart windows applications, combining the best of both the online and the offline world. Create desktop applications with online connection for various purposes.

 

BrowserBob 4 comes with numerous new features and enhancements:

 

 

NEW: Resizable panels: like the Main Dialog, panels are now sizable by a resize button. The concept is exactly the same as for the Main Dialog, via puzzling. Puzzle helper lines are used to divide the panel into several areas, which behave differently during a resize (stretch for inner pieces, constant in case of the corner pieces.

Panel object properties

 

NEW: Graphic editor integration:  
"Click to edit graphic", a new button which brings up the selected graphic in your favourite graphics editor. This often asked for feature allows you to conveniently work on your project graphics without opening them separately and caring for their file locations. Editing and saving the file in your graphic editor, will immediately display the changed graphic in your BrowserBob project.
Example for usage: Button object properties

 

The preferred editor for different graphic file types (bmp, gif, jpg) can be assigned via File -> External Editors... Connecting your external editors

 

NEW: Files editing integration:

"Click to edit selected file", a new button, which makes working with BrowserBob again a lot easier. Clicking this button opens the program, which is associated with the selected file. This button has been added to the Additional Files window and the content window. You can assign your favorite HTML editor via File -> External Editors..., all other file types will open the standard associated program.
Connecting your external editors

Additional files window

Content window

 

NEW: Content management creator (TOC) for eBooks & presentations: create a table of contents (TOC) with this new feature, allowing you to structure additional files and online content for use in eBooks and presentations with ease. Additional button functionality for "next page", "previous page" and chapter navigation has been added.
Content window

 

NEW: Alpha blending (application semi-transparency): both the Main Dialog and Panels can be assigned a blending value, a grade of transparency between 0 and 100. Semi transparent applications can be created. All objects on the blended container object (Main Dialog or panels) will be transparent, including displayed web content. This feature works only under Windows XP & Win 2000 and will be automatically deactivated under other operating systems.
Example usage:
Main Dialog properties

 

NEW: States switching via the Project Explorer: the objects explorer has been extended by an important feature, a States overview, which shows you all available application states, allows you to quickly switch between states and always shows you the actually active one. Project explorer

 

NEW: Separate tool windows: each entry (Tab) of the tools window can now be separated from the tools window by clicking on it and dragging it out of the tools window. Consequently you can display several tools at the same time instead of switching between tools. To bring it back to the tools window, grab the separate window with your mouse and move it over the tools window again.

Tools window overview

 

NEW: New user interface, workspace & project notes: BrowserBob 4 comes with a whole new user interface and a workspace. The workspace background allows you to post project notes with comments.

User interface overview
Note object properties

 

NEW: Application templates: new templates for different application types have been added, allowing you to quick-start a new project and giving you ideas for your own creations.  Clicking the "New" button brings up a dialog with templates, samples and all your imports as basis for starting a new project by double click on the preview image.
Templates_overview

Creating a new project

 

 

 

NEW: "Per machine installation" for setups: setup wizard can install for all users of the local machine. Per machine installation is a new option, which makes creation of setups for use under limited user accounts more convenient.
Setup method

Launching and installing finished programs under limited user accounts

 

NEW: New variables added: placeholders for the windows directory, for retrieving the mouse position of the user and the actual screen resolution have been added as BrowserBob system variables.

Variables