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    Invelos Forums->DVD Profiler: Plugins Page: 1... 5 6 7 8 9 ...19  Previous   Next
Tool: ProfilerQuery
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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DJ pointed out that the use of ctrl-c in the translation program to copy original string to translation interfered with normal copying, so I changed it to shift-ctrl-c in version 1.1.1 of Xlator.exe.
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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Translations in French, German, Dutch and Swedish are now available from the ProfilerQuery download page, if anyone is interested.

Many thanks to surfeur51, DJ Doena and dee1959jay for their invaluable assistance!

If anyone else feels like contributing a translations I will happily add them.
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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Programming is fun, writing documentation is boring.

I haven't yet met a developer that doesn't agree with that. And if you want to do it properly it is also a lot of work. And why do I bring this up? Well because I recently added a fairly advanced feature to ProfilerQuery, and I realized that I needed to document it before releasing it. And in preparing for that I also realized that the current documentation is woefully out of date. So I decided to write new documentation from scratch. With illustrations.

Crikey! It's a lot of stuff to explain if you want everything to be crystal clear. But wanting and achieving are two different things. I'll be happy if I can keep the mist from turning into fog. Sometimes I wish I had left ProfilerQuery at version 1 when it was still relatively easy to explain. But of course that takes me back to Programming is fun.

So far I have covered Basic use, most of the Selection tab, and Command files.

And of course while I document I notice little things that I didn't see before. And the inner monolog goes something like
- There's a space missing in "Add &Close"!
- Right, I'll soon have that fixed.
- But that means you have to redo the screen shots!
- Oh, feck! Will anyone really notice? Or care?
- Well, if no one else does, you will notice and care yourself! It'll bug the hell out of you!
- Sigh! Ok, ok, I'll take new screen shots! All right?

Ok, I've let off some steam. Send me some nice thoughts and I'll go back to my documentation. I promise. And if I don't go ballistic you'll see a new version of ProfilerQuery in the near future. But wait, the sun is shining and it's really nice outside. Make that "in the nearish future" ;-)
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantmediadogg
Aim high. Ride the wind.
Registered: March 18, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
United States Posts: 6,396
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Join the club! 

Writing documentation is a real pain. You often get as much benefit from discovering subtle bugs and inconsistencies in the program, as in helping users. Secondary to the pain of initially doing the documentation, is keeping it up to date when you change the program, and then most frustrating of all: most users don't bother to read it. 

On a couple of programs, I have naively attempted to provide "Help" as well as a User Guide. What a nightmare - lots of work. What I have evolved to is launching a PDF of the User Guide from the Help menu. Not the most effective, but at least something I can handle.
Thanks for your support.
Free Plugins available here.
Advanced plugins available here.
Hey, new product!!! BDPFrog.
 Last edited: by mediadogg
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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Quoting mediadogg:
Quote:
most frustrating of all: most users don't bother to read it.

I know! But it's to a large degree a matter of personal pride. You've spent maybe 100s of hours developing a program and if people don't use it, or don't use all of it, it's not going to be because you didn't give them every chance. 
Quote:
What I have evolved to is launching a PDF of the User Guide from the Help menu.
I do just that in ProfilerQuery. But you probably never looked ... 
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
 Last edited: by GSyren
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantmediadogg
Aim high. Ride the wind.
Registered: March 18, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
United States Posts: 6,396
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Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
Quoting mediadogg:
Quote:
most frustrating of all: most users don't bother to read it.

I know! But it's to a large degree a matter of personal pride. You've spent maybe 100s of hours developing a program and if people don't use it, or don't use all of it, it's not going to be because you didn't give them every chance. 
Quote:
What I have evolved to is launching a PDF of the User Guide from the Help menu.
I do just that in ProfilerQuery. But you probably never looked ... 

Correct on every count!
Thanks for your support.
Free Plugins available here.
Advanced plugins available here.
Hey, new product!!! BDPFrog.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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ProfilerQuery 3.12 is available

If you looked at ProfilerMissing, you'll have noticed that I implemented a way to send keystrokes to DVD Profiler using the SendKeys function. I wanted some similar functionality for ProfilerQuery, but I found SendKeys to limiting. After looking around a bit, I found that the freeware program AutiIt had a dynamic link library that could be used to achive the same thing, but without some of the more troubling limitations in SendKeys.

The most important things that SendKeys couldn't handle, but AutoIt could, was menu access thruogh the Alt key, and ability to check checkboxes and radiobuttons.

ProfilerQuery 3.12 allows you to use that functionality in two ways. You can specify a command sequence that is executed every time you select a profile by double-clicking a row in ProfilerQuery's result. You can also create script files that can be executed at any time from ProfilerQuery's menu.

The documentation has - as you have read in previous posts - been completely rewritten, now in the form of a normal help file, which hopefully gives a better overview of the content. The chapter named "Automation" describes the whole AutoIt functionality.

There is also a new utility, named KeyCatcher, to help you construct and test command sequences.

At the same time I took a deep look at the translatability and decided to go the whole route. Previously it was mainly the text in the different windows that were translatable, and not the text in the code. Now pretty much everything is translatable. However, since the data in your collection's exported XML file will always be in English, the values used as comparisons in the queries will also be in English.

There is a new translation kit with all the new strings, and a bug fixed Xlator.exe for those who wish to contribute new or updated translations.

As always, you find the downloads here.
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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Why is it that you can check and recheck something, and just as soon as you have committed it - but not before - you notice something that is amiss? There are still datagrid headers in ProfilerQuery that do not get translated. Who cares? Well, I do, for one.

Thankfully it doesn't need any additional translation, the correct translated strings just need to be applied. And I do have an idea for a small improvement in another area, so hopefully I won't have to live with the shame too long...
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributorsurfeur51
Since July 3, 2003
Registered: March 29, 2007
Reputation: Great Rating
France Posts: 4,479
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Thanks for all those updates. I'll send you soon updated French translation.
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DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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Thanks Yves, much appreciated!

You know, it's a bit disappointing that so few people bother to give any feedback at all, even after I asked for it on the download page.

I have no way of seeing how many people download my programs. I put in a lot of work on ProfilerQuery and my other programs. Although I write the programs mostly because I find them useful myself, there is a lot of extra work that goes into making them useful for others. There is not only the documentation, that I love to write - not. There is a lot of testing to make sure everything is working smoothly before I release a program, keeping the webpage and server up-to-date, etc.

Some days I ask myself "Why do I even bother?" I guess part of the reason is that I love DVD Profiler, and I want to help keep it going by supporting the community. While DVD Profiler itself would still work, it just wouldn't be the same if Ken shut down the online database.

So anyway, rambling aside, you Yves is one of the handful of people who actually show that you care, and I thank you for it!
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantTraunStaa
Registered: June 2, 2009
Reputation: Highest Rating
Austria Posts: 305
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Thanks again, Gunnar. Much appreciated. I'm sure, many people care for your valued work.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar Contributordee1959jay
Registered: March 19, 2007
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Netherlands Posts: 6,014
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As soon as I have time (rather busy at work this week) I'll do an updated Dutch translation.
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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ProfilerQuery 3.13

I have added a small, but significant, feature to the SRP/Region check.



You can now select a specific region and save flags for just that region. Why is it significant? Because if you save flags and then load them in DVD Profiler, you can select Collection / Flagged / Adjust Prices and set the SRP to the correct currency.

Although DVD Profiler lets you do that for both zero and non-zero SRP values, you probably only want to do it automatically for zero values. And you will of course have to do it once for each locality. Although, as you can see, you can select EURO from the dropdown list and fix all Euro locations in one go.

Personally I find it a waste of time changing zero value currencies, because to me zero is zero no matter what currency. But I realize that others feel differently, so now you can fix this easily for your entire collection. However, I would suggest that you hold off on contributing these changes unless you have more than just this change. But that is, of course, up to you.

By the way, this window is now completely translatable. That means that there are in fact three new strings to translate. Apologies for that to my translators. The translation package has been updated.
Note though: The locality names are collected from the exported XML file, so they will always be in English.
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
 Last edited: by GSyren
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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ProfilerQuery PI
(That means ProfilerQuery 3.14  )

* Added feature: Checking "Multi-value = multi-line" in Settings causes fields with multiple values have these displayed on separate lines in the result, rather than comma separated on a single line.





* Added feature: KeyCatcher now handles sequential tabs so they get a multiplier automatically. So, for example, if you hit Tab three times you get {TAB 3} instead of {TAB}{TAB}{TAB}.

*Fixed: If ProfilerQuery was shut down with its main window maximized, it was started maximized next time, but restoring it down did not work as expected. Also the Restore button on the maximized window showed the wrong content and tooltip.
*Fixed: If ProfilerQuery was shut down while minimized, it opened minimized next time, which could be confusing. It now open with the size and position it had before it was minimized.
*Fixed: The AutoIt command was saved on shutdown and restored on next start. This no longer happens, since it could cause unwanted things to happen if you forgot it was there. If you expect to be re-using the same command, you can save it to a file and load it from the Advanced Settings window.
*Fixed: Tabbing while KeyCatcher was in Catch mode could activate the menu. This no longer happens.

I also spruced up the border on the main window with a green/blue gradient, just to make it look a little nicer.

Looking for the download? Look no further than here!
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Unlimited RegistrantStar ContributorGSyren
Profiling since 2001
Registered: March 14, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
Sweden Posts: 4,508
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ProfilerQuery 3.15 (experimental)



I had an idea that I wanted something that resembled the Showcase view in the iPad  profiler. This isn't what I wanted. 

Actually, I wanted a virtualized display, i.e. one that loaded only the images that was currently inside the window. Unfortunately I could not find a way to do that. I tested loading everything in a wrappanel inside a scrollviewer. That worked find for a couple of hundred profiles. But then I tested my full 8000 profile collection... Let's just say that it took an awful long time to populate and it ate memory like a black hole.

So I came up with a compromise. I show 48 titles. This works best with ProfilerQuery maximized. Then you can use down arrow to show the next 48. And guess what up arrow does?

You get the same titles as in the result tab. But that's pretty much it. You can't sort them or do anything with them (other than look at them).  I'm not even sure how well this works with different screen resolutions.

I think this may have potential. But I'm not sure what to do with it. So you tell me! What would you want, in order to make this useful, if at all?
My freeware tools for DVD Profiler users.
Gunnar
DVD Profiler Desktop and Mobile Registrantmediadogg
Aim high. Ride the wind.
Registered: March 18, 2007
Reputation: Highest Rating
United States Posts: 6,396
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Quoting GSyren:
Quote:
...
Some days I ask myself "Why do I even bother?" I guess part of the reason is that I love DVD Profiler, and I want to help keep it going by supporting the community. While DVD Profiler itself would still work, it just wouldn't be the same if Ken shut down the online database. ...

I feel your pain. Having feedback, even from one or two users, is like gold!

I decided long ago that I would not allow myself to be discouraged by this. Just keep having fun. But there are a couple of ways that I do use, to get a rough idea of my impact: (1) Stars - 'nuff said. You've got them, (2) Thread views. Watch how the views grow with time gives an idea of interest level, (3) Download and / or page hit counter on your web page. Assuming no severe "Bot" activity, this can give you trends for interest in your stuff.
Thanks for your support.
Free Plugins available here.
Advanced plugins available here.
Hey, new product!!! BDPFrog.
 Last edited: by mediadogg
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