Phiware

Phitext Update Version 1.1.1

The first update since version 1.1 fixes a memory leak, text wrapping behaviour, menu controller behaviour and magnifier behaviour. The magnifier now only magnifies the contents of the editor not the entire window, so not to disorient the user. The menu controller now disappears when interacting outside the editor. Finally, The fade-in transition on the text while typing has been removed to improve performance.

 
Phitext: Version 1.1 Released

A much needed performance update has been made to Phitext; v1.1 is now available to download. If you have previously purchased the framework login and click the button below to download the free update. If you haven't decided to make the purchase this first update remains at the introductory price of $399.

The fully functional Developer Preview (only works in the simulator) has also been updated, but note that the default current version is for Xcode 3.2.2 (see the Quick Start Guide for steps to change the current version).

In order to improve performance UIView based drawing has been moved to CALayers, Phitext also overrides default actions to provide unobtrusive animations. Many changes have been made to PhiTextSelectionView, whose job it is to draw the blue rectangle around the selected text range. This blue box is now optimised for large text ranges, Select All action now occurs instantly and the display now updates while scrolling for large selection ranges. The menu controller now disappears while scrolling to avoid visual artifacts from cluttering the screen. Selected text ranges near the end of the document are now well behaved.

The magnifier has been revamped; magnification is now pixel perfect. The magnifier goes beyond a straight clone of Apple's magnifying loupe. When it approaches the top of the screen it automatically shifts to the left or right to avoid your finger. By default the magnifier assumes a right handed operator and scoots to the left but this behaviour can be customised using NSUserDefaults settings. Many aspects of the magnifier can be customised in this way including the how close to the top of the screen it will go, glass tint color, size and of course the factor of magnification, any value can be used (less than one is undesirable for obvious reasons).

Over 50 user default settings have been added, to see the complete list check the com.phitext.plist file that is created in the Preferences folder in your application's sandbox. A couple have been used in the sample application that changes the magnification factor and displays a lined background. Other settings include: color of selection box, handles and cursor; the documents padding; text line wrapping; and fine grain controls for scrolling and cursor behaviour. For instance when dragging the selection handles the selection will snap the closest word boundary if moved fast enough, this velocity (pixels per second) can be set by changing the wordSnapVelocityThreshold key in the shared NSUserDefaults object.

Numerous bugs have been squashed that were hanging around the end of document. There were problems with the autoscroll, cursor position and display, cursor control using arrow keys on the hardware keyboard and more. If you still notice problems just This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 
Finally Official: iPad to reach Australia

I've just heard that Apple have announced that the iPad will reach my shores (Australia) on May 28. After what seems like a long delay, I'm happy to say that Apple have kept their prices down.

I had expected that the top end (64GB+3G) model would be priced at AU$1100 while I had seen others estimates much higher. But starting from at $629 and ranging to $1049 it's only 15% the current exchange rate. (This is more impressive if you consider that the pricing may have been set before the Aussie dollar dropped after a government announcement last Monday.) There was some cynicism given the Australian pricing of the iPhone (many phone carriers offered the phone unattached to a contract for well over $1000), but I attribute that to the deals made with the phone carriers. In my view, Apple are much more price sensitive when it comes to the iPhone and iPad than they have been in the past with the desktop and laptop products.

 
New Site Design!

Welcome to the new Phiware website!

Relax amongst the leather surfaces and visit the forums or see if there's anything new in the blog. Find the latest news in the press section or get all the info in the apps section.

Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you soon.

 
Introducing Phitext

Phitext, the first rich text view for the iPad, is available for beta testers. The framework is specially packaged for Xcode and includes the following classes:

  • PhiTextEditorView, implementing the UITextInputView protocol, this class is the main view that interacts with your application. It can be embedded into a UIScrollView or be a fixed size text area. PhiTextEditorView is responsible for the NSAttributedString and also includes many gesture recognisers to modify text selection.
  • PhiTextView, is a subview of PhiTextEditorView, and uses Core Text to render text and is responsible for determining the view's geometry and provides hit testing mechanisms to PhiTextEditorView.
  • PhiTextMagnifier, replicates the appearance and behaviour of the text magnifier of UITextView. Future updates will allow you to plugin your own magnifier to give your application it's distinctive appearance.
  • PhiTextSelectionView handles user interaction to modify the selected text of PhiTextEditorView. Two colors are blended with the text to ensure that the selected range is always apparent regardless of the color of the text or background.
The most requested feature is a system to manage the RTF file format, but there are many directions that Phitext could evolve. Phiware is looking for beta testers and is open to all suggestions.
Please register your interest using our contact form.

 

 
About Phiware

Phiware is an indie application development brand foundered and owned by Corin Lawson late November 2009.

With a love of programming languages, Corin decided to quit his day job and dive into unknown waters of Objective-C, iPhone Frameworks and Apple bureaucracy.  He created a brand and began trading as an experienced software engineer developing iPhone apps.

Corin continues to build Phiware with trust and innovation.

 
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