The author thanks PhotoCat's users. Your comments and your suggestions have been precious in order to improve PhotoCat.
Registered PhotoCat 2.x users need a new registration code to use version 3.x. Contact the author. It's free naturally !
PHOTOCAT 3.3.1 to 3.4
(*) PhotoCat Player 2.3 to 2.4
PhotoCat has been tested on OS X beta and it works in the "classic" (OS 9) window.
Bugs corrected:
(1)
The "Copy the Indexation" menu item works correctly even if the record contains both a category and a sub-category.
(2)
Web power search menu contains "number" (and not "price") if the catalog contains a serial number (and not a price).
(3)
Corrected the power search on the exported web site, criteria "…keyword is…".
Improvements:
(4*)
The Keywords index has been modified. It's a "Keywords and Categories" index now. This means that the user can display either a keywords list or a categories list or a sub-categories list.
(5)
Add Thumbnails:
- The "Files to add" list lets you drag and drop files or folders from the Finder ( "File…" and "Folder…" buttons haven't been removed. It's an alernative way to add files).
- A new "Files Sticker" palette is born ! You can add files and folders by dragging and droping on it. It's a small palette and it's more efficient than the Add window if the user has a small display.
- The user can transfer the indexing information from Photoshop files ("File info") to PhotoCat directly. Click the "Photoshop File Info" checkbox on the Add window and specify fields connections on the "Connections table".
(6*)
PhotoCat displays a "M" in front of the thumbnail's title while the record is marked.
(7*)
PhotoCat lets you search by orientation. The "Find" item lets you search horizontal, vertical or square images easily.
(8)
Web site exportation has been improved:
- The distributor can export PhotoCat's "Comment" also.
- The distributor can export the orientation of the images and he can let the user search for it.
- Web Site displaying the original image: the distributor can specify PhotoCat's items to display on the "original image" pop-up window. Moreover the caddy is displayed on the "original image" pop-up window also.
- The Web Preferences tab lets you specify the alignment.
(8b)
TECHNICAL: some PhotoCat's users have asked for a way to customize the HTML code of the "WEB.Plug" file. The "WEB.Plug" file has new functionalities now so that it is easier to customize the code. Copy/Paste code is enabled and the user can change the textcolor of each piece of the code.
(9*)
The user can control the SlideShow using the arrow keys. The arrow keys lets the user go to the first image (down), the last one (up), the next one (right) or the previous one (left).
(10)
The interface of the "Keywords Copier" window (the "Modify the indexation" item) has been improved.
PHOTOCAT 3.3 to 3.3.1
PhotoCat Player 2.3 hasn't been modified.
Bugs corrected:
(1)
Indexing keywords corresponding to the name of the folder or the name of the volume automatically.
(2)
Transferring images from one catalog to another one: there is no more a thin black line around the thumbnail
(3)
Updating a web site displaying the download time or the images bits depth: after the update these parameters are still displayed correctly
Improvements:
(4)
Web sites built using PhotoCat: the window displaying the original images is resized automatically depending on the size of the original image.
PHOTOCAT 3.2.6 to 3.3
PhotoCat Player 2.3 has been modified in order to correct the problem with grayscale TIFF and JPEG images
Bugs corrected:
(1)
Corrects a problem with grayscale TIFF and JPEG images.
(2)
PhotoCat web site manages dates using the US format correctly.
Improvements:
(3)
PhotoCat can export images to a FileMaker Pro database and either embed it or reference it. If the distributor would like to use 24 or 32 bits depth images over the internet then he will have to reference it because embedded JPEG images (more than 8 bits depth) don't work fine using FileMaker Pro.
PHOTOCAT 3.2.5 to 3.2.6
PhotoCat Player 2.2 is not modified.
Bugs corrected:
(1)
WEB SITE: the reference to a new caddy is saved by PhotoCat correctly. "Shippment" has been replaced by "Shipping" (order form).
(2)
Corrects a problem with grayscale JPEG and TIFF images... partially. Version 3.3 will correct it totally.
PHOTOCAT 3.2 to 3.25
PhotoCat Player 2.2 is not modified.
Bugs corrected:
(1)
Using the "Serial number" and the "Calculate" options of the Indexation process works fine now.
(2)
Under particular circumstances PhotoCat 3.2 wasn't able to save the preferences changes correctly. It has been corrected on version 3.2.5
(3)
Under particular circumstances PhotoCat 3.2 has exported dithered thumbnails or images. Version 3.2.5 corrects this error.
Improvements:
(4)
PhotoCat 3.2.5 is able to export the original image to a FileMaker Pro database also. Moreover PhotoCat is compatible with FileMaker Pro versions 3,4 and now 5 also.
(5)
The "Export as a web site" feature has been entirely reworked. It is possible to display the "Multi-Search" page even if the keywords haven't been exported. The page displaying the (user's) "selected images" lets the user remove an image from the selection easily.
The E-Buisness option has been enhanced. PhotoCat web site offers a professional order form now. This means that the user is able to modify the order form (the quantity of each product) and then send it or print it (to send it by fax or by mail). The form is submitted and sent by the browser allowing a larger compatibility (AOL users, etc). The form is computed so that it is easy to parse it and to automate mass mailing. Moreover the distributor can specify shippment and taxes options on PhotoCat so that the client can choose a shippment mode and the applicable tax option. The tax option is very flexible in order to be suitable to different states (the distributor can put a tax on the products only, on the shippment only or on both). The author thanks very much Harvey Cohen for his suggestions and his help about this topic.
PHOTOCAT 3.1 to 3.2
Bugs have been fixed on Photocat Player 2.2 also.
Bugs corrected:
(1)
PhotoCat 3.2 works now correctly with catalogs whose name is a number.
(2)
PhotoCat display images imported using "Transparent Background" option correctly on the Slide Show.
Improvements:
(3)
PhotoCat saves an alias type record along with the file location. This way it is able to find original image file whose name has been changed or whose location has been modified on the same disk. The "Update the database" item of the "Catalog" menu corrects the file location automatically.
Use the "Update the database" item with the "Force the update" option checked in order to save alias records on catalogs created with previous versions of PhotoCat
PHOTOCAT 3.1 to 3.1.1
Bugs corrected:
(1)
The "Update the Database…" item of the "Catalog" menu has been corrected.
PHOTOCAT 3.0 to 3.1
Bugs have been fixed on Photocat Player 2.1 also.
Bugs corrected:
(1)
The download time is displayed correctly even if the user has choosen a 12 hours clock in the "Date and Time" control panel.
(2)
PhotoCat checks the data while the user specifies the printing options. It returns an error message if the columns size or the columns number is too big.
(3)
New printing options: the user can specify a different font (size and name) to print the name on one hand and the other parameters on the other hand. The titles of the different types of data (Indexation - Image - File) can be printed or not.
The printing process has been reworked.
(4)
Recording keywords: If the user is editing (and changing) a keyword field while it select the "New Catalog" item or the "Open Catalog" item then PhotoCat will save the changes correctly (on version 3.0 and 3.0.2, PhotoCat didn't record the changes).
(5)
PhotoCat doesn't return any error while there are many open catalogs and the "Album" window is opened.
(6)
The Status Bar doesn't disappear while adding new thumbnails.
(7)
"Ko" has been changed to "Kb" (File size) on the "Album" window.
(8)
Graham Samuel has corrected my english in the error messages. I thank Graham for you. PhotoCat will speak english better than I !!
(9)
The Search code has been changed. It works fine now even if the user searches keywords using the "contains" or the "begins with" or the "ends with" parameters. "Excluding pictures whose..." works correctly, etc.
(10)
PhotoCat quits without any error while more than one catalog are opened at the same time.
(11)
Some other minor bugs have been fixed.
PHOTOCAT 2.5.3 to 3.0
Changes and improvements are too numerous to list each one. The most important ones only are listed below.
(1)
New user parameters: category, sub-category, price/number. "category" and "sub-category" field in conjunction with the "keywords" field lets you organise indexation hierarchically. "Price/Number" parameter lets you specify numeric data. Preferences offers special options to manage this type of data.
(2)
The Find item and the "Sort" item let you use each parameter as a criteria.
(3)
"Name", "Keywords", "Category", "Sub-category", "Price/Number", "Comment" parameters can be modified either on the main window or on the other display modes (the Album window or on the General Index window).
(4)
"Modify Indexation" item of the "Catalog" menu offers flexible and powerfull features in order to index records automatically depending on the type of data. It lets use calculate a serial number or other numeric data depending on a numeric parameter of each record. For instance it is also possible to change the name or the category of each record depending on the name of the folder or the volume containing the original image.
(5)
"More Information" window ("Image" menu) lets you display additional parameters:
- The "Description" field offers the ability to describe the image more accurately, writing a 32000 characters text.
- The download time (depending on the specified modem speed)
- The original image output dimensions (depending on the resolution)
(6)
The new "FIND" menu groups all the search abilities. It is possible to mark (unmark) records one by one. The powerfull search lets you use the mark as an additional search criteria and it lets you also combine it with others. "Ignore the Thumbnail" offers the ability to exclude an item from the thumbnails found.
(7)
The main window size has changed so that the user can display 192 x 192 pixels thumbnails. This way the display of thumbnails whose height is bigger than the width is better.
(8)
General Index has been modified in depth. First of all it is possible to resize the window (like the Album window). Moreover the General Index list displays the thumbnails also now. Finally each column can be customized by the user: The type of data they are containing and their width can be changed so that the General Index is totally flexible to the user's needs.
(9)
PhotoCat is able to convert original images to JPEG or PICT files. The Bit Depth of the images can also be specified by the user. These improvements are very usefull features in conjunction with the "Manage Original Files" item of the "Catalog" menu.
(10)
PhotoCat Slide Shows offer new functionalities. It is possible to display the images in a specified shape other than rectangle. Moreover it is possible to add a background image to the slide show. Finally you can use the background image to design a special window shape so that the background image "float" on the screen.
(11)
"Export…" item of the "Catalog" menu offers an additional feature enabling to export html pages.
(11)
A new "Export as…" item of the "File" menu groups every functionalities regarding catalogs distribution. You can test each of it even if you have not paid the additional "Distribution" license. The distribution options has been enriched with many new abilities:
- Distribute catalogs by means of PhotoCat Player. It is possible to distribute the whole catalog or a part of it (the thumbnails found only). Copying the original images has been automated in order to facilitate the transfer of a catalog on another volume (so that the user can build a CD-ROM easily). Opening the catalog with PhotoCat again will let the distributor works with the images copies.
- Distribute slide shows by means of PhotoCat Player. PhotoCat lets you save the slide shows to a PhotoCat Player file.
- Build a FileMaker Pro Database. You can export catalog data to a FileMaker Pro database and then update the database easily. It lets you use FileMaker Pro compatibility with the PC platform and take advantage of the internet (server's side) tools of such an application.
- Build a searchable web site database using javascript and html languages. PhotoCat can build a web site automatically. You don't need to know anything to html tags or javascript language. The database is "client side" oriented so that you can be hosted by any provider without particular technical needs or you can distribute the web site on a CD-ROM to any platform compatible with an internet browser.
(12)
PhotoCat ejects any mounted CD-ROM and it asks for the specified volume when it needs an access to an original image file.
(13)
There is a "fat" edition of PhotoCat (working on both non PowerPC and PowerPC computer) and there is a PPC edition (working on PowerPC computers only). The latter is more speedy because the code is optimized for PPC processors.
