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Name Mangler 2.4.5 released

Monday, August 15th, 2011

We’ve just released a minor update to Name Mangler that includes only a couple of changes:

  • A new optional parameter (sequence identifier) has been added to Advanced mode’s Sequential Numbering function. If this sequence identifier is included, it indicates that sequence indexes are only inferred from the number of files that share the same identifier, as opposed to the overall number of files to be renamed.
  • Optimized the progress bar’s display when renaming thousands of files.

    • As always, direct customers can get the update via in-app updates (or by downloading the new version from our site). App Store customers should see the update available either now or very soon via the App Store program.

Posted in Name Mangler, Products | Comments Off on Name Mangler 2.4.5 released

Our apps and OS X Lion compatibility

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

With today’s release of Lion, here’s an update on the status of all our apps in Apple’s latest Mac OS X release. Note that this is based on our testing only, and many of our apps are feature-rich: so if you run into something, please let us know via comments here, a tweet, an email message, or a trouble ticket.

  • Butler: Compatible, though it’s likely we haven’t tested 100% of everything that Butler can do.
  • Desktop Curtain: Compatible, but with some issues if you use Spaces or Mission Control. We’re working to find a solution to those issues.
  • Displaperture: Compatible.
  • Key Codes: Compatible.
  • Keymo: Compatible.
  • Leech: Leech’s browser integration feature only works with Firefox in Lion. We’re investigating getting the other browsers working again, and will post any updates here on our blog.
  • Menu Bar Tint: Compatible.
  • Moom: Compatible, as of latest 2.2 update.
  • Name Mangler: Compatible.
  • Open-With Manager: Not recommended and not tested in Lion.
  • Safari Guardian: Not compatible with Lion. It won’t cause problems if installed, but its features won’t work. (Note: Safari 5.1 in Snow Leopard also breaks Safari Guardian.)
  • Service Scrubber: Not recommended and not tested in Lion.
  • Time Sink: Compatible.
  • Usher: Compatible.
  • Witch: Compatible, as of the 3.7 update.

As noted above, if you find certain features in our apps that don’t work in Lion, please let us know!

Posted in Butler, Desktop Curtain, Displaperture, Key Codes, Keymo, Leech, Menu Bar Tint, Moom, Name Mangler, Open-With Manager, Products, Safari Guardian, Service Scrubber, Time Sink, Usher, Witch | 30 Comments »

Another day, another Name Mangler release

Wednesday, April 27th, 2011

We’ve just released Name Mangler 2.4.4, which contains an important fix for an issue introduced in yesterday’s 2.4.3 update: under certain conditions, renaming wouldn’t actually work, despite the filename preview showing correctly within Name Mangler. Version 2.4.4 fixes this problem, and that’s the only change in this release.

If you bought Name Mangler directly from us, the update has been released, and you can get it via in-app updating or by downloading Name Mangler again from our site. We apologize for two releases in two days, but we felt it was important to get this fix out as soon as possible.

If you’re using the App Store version, we’ve submitted 2.4.4 for approval, which we hope will take only a few days. If you find that version 2.4.3 won’t work for a certain renaming task, you can (temporarily) use the demo version from our site until the App Store update is approved. Continue reading to see how to do that.

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Posted in Name Mangler, Products | Comments Off on Another day, another Name Mangler release

Touching things up on a Tuesday

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

Yes, it’s another installment of Touch Up Tuesdays…this time out, Butler, Moom, and Name Mangler are getting the update treatment.

Butler 4.1.10: There are some nice fixes in this release, including making Butler work properly with Address Book’s Smart Folders feature, and pasting clipboard items as plain text into Mail. (Full release notes)

Moom 1.2.1: Mouse users can Option-click the full screen icon to center windows, Moom now works properly when running Dreamweaver and/or HyperDock, and we’ve reduced Moom’s CPU usage through a smarter activation algorithm. (Full release notes)

Name Mangler 2.4.3: You can now use Command-Z (multiple times) to undo changes in Advanced mode, and you can use the forward slash character in renaming actions. (Full release notes)

As always, you can get the new versions via in-app updates, or by downloading a fresh copy from our site. App Store users: the updates for Moom and Name Mangler should be available very soon, if not already, from the App Store application.

Posted in Butler, Mac App Store, Moom, Name Mangler, Products | Comments Off on Touching things up on a Tuesday

Name Mangler 2.4.2 offers expanded views

Tuesday, March 22nd, 2011

It’s only fitting that, on today’s one-year anniversary of the company’s relaunch, Name Mangler receives an update: Name Mangler was the first product updated on our relaunched site back in March of 2010. One year later, version 2.4.2 adds one very useful feature, and one bug fix.

The very useful feature is that Name Mangler’s text fields will now auto-expand to show text that overflows the available display space. So if you’ve got a long text entry in a field, you won’t have to use the cursor keys to scroll through its contents (or, even worse, miss the fact that there’s more text there at all). Instead, the field will simply expand to show all the text:

The single line Prefix is what you see in older versions of Name Mangler; the bottom Prefix is what you’ll see in Name Mangler 2.4.2. (If you don’t need the space, the text box will still take up only one line, as it does in older versions; it only grows when necessary.) Read the release notes for details on the bug fix, if you’re interested in the gory details.

Direct purchasers of Name Mangler can update via the in-app updating (or by downloading a new copy from our server); App Store customers should see the update available in the App Store any time now. (The update has been approved and released, but it may take a bit of time to propagate to the various countries’ App Stores.)

Posted in Name Mangler, Products | Comments Off on Name Mangler 2.4.2 offers expanded views

Conversations with the App Store

Saturday, January 29th, 2011

We’re now roughly three weeks into the Mac App Store’s existence, and both Peter and I have been thrilled with how it’s gone. We’ve found it generally pleasant working with Apple (they’ve yet to reject one of our apps or updates), and the users we’ve chatted with have found the store to be a pleasant place to browse and shop.

With that said, there’s one feature missing from the store that impacts our ability to interact with customers and prospects: there’s no mechanism for developers to respond to questions or comments in users’ reviews. (We could modify our program’s descriptions, but using that space to answer questions seems like using a hammer to crack an egg.)

So we’ve decided to start an occasional series here on our blog, of which you’re reading the first installment: Conversations with the App Store. Each installment will address some of the questions and comments raised in reviews on the global (those we can read, at any rate!) Mac App Stores.

While this isn’t an ideal feedback mechanism—Apple should really allow developers to post responses directly—we hope it provides useful information to those who may have similar comments or questions about our programs. So without further ado, here’s the first edition of Conversations with the App Store.

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Posted in Company News, Desktop Curtain, Mac App Store, Name Mangler, Witch | 5 Comments »

Name Mangler gains Title Case powers

Thursday, January 20th, 2011

Name Mangler 2.4.1 is now available, which is quite a vault from its prior 2.3.3 version number. As such, you may be wondering where 2.4 went, as it wasn’t ever announced here.

The short answer to that question is that the App Store ate version 2.4. That is, we had been holding 2.4 here, waiting for approval of the same version in the App Store. When it became apparent that it was going to be a while before 2.4 was approved, we went ahead and committed a few fixes we’d been working on, which led us to 2.4.1.

We’ve submitted that version to the App Store (but it’s not yet approved; we’ll post when it is), and we’re releasing it here now so all you direct customers and prospects can get your hands on it.

So what’s new? The main new feature is a Title Case option in the Change Case renaming mode. Title Case works like the existing Capitalize option, except that it allows you to specify a minimum word length before applying capitalization. So you can now easily choose between Titles With All Caps (Capitalize) and Titles not With all Caps (Title Case, with words over three characters in length).

There are also a couple new features in Advanced mode, and a renaming of the Filter label to Show, which more accurately reflects what those checkboxes do. You can read the release notes page for the full scoop.

As always, update via the in-app udpater, or by downloading a new version of the app from our site.

Posted in Name Mangler, Products | Comments Off on Name Mangler gains Title Case powers

Witch now available in the Mac App Store

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

After waiting and wondering for over two weeks, we were quite happily surprised when the App Store version of Witch was approved this evening and made available for sale at $16.99

If you’re good at math, you’ll quickly realize that’s “over $2 less!” than Witch costs when purchased directly from our site. So why is it cheaper on the Mac App Store than directly from us? One simple reason: the App Store version of Witch lacks the pop-up window previews available in the version for sale on our site. Why not? As of now, we’re not certain that the method we use to show those previews will pass muster with the App Store reviewers, so we chose to leave them out of this initial release.

Everything else, though—including the ability to assign Command-Tab as the Witch trigger—is there. (OK, one other thing you won’t find is in-app updates, as the App Store app itself handles those updates for you.)

None of our other App Store apps are missing a key feature, so this was new ground for us. After talking it over, we decided that the lack of previews was worth a couple dollar reduction in sales price, at least until we know for sure if we can get them in or not.

So that’s why Witch is cheaper on the App Store than here on our site. If you like the image previews, and want them now, then you should buy Witch on our site. If you don’t think you’ll need image previews, you can save yourself a couple bucks by purchasing the App Store version instead.

We’re thrilled to have our fourth app (joining Name Mangler, Time Sink, and Usher on the App Store. And here’s a little secret…we’ve submitted a fifth app, and it’s now in the review queue for approval. Which app? Well, that piece of information will have to remain undisclosed for just a bit longer…stay tuned! (Note to Butler fans: no, it’s not Butler 5, sorry!)

Posted in Company News, Name Mangler, Time Sink, Usher, Witch | 4 Comments »

Another installment of Touch-up Tuesdays

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

After getting through the end-of-year holiday rush, which was combined with the Mac App Store launch (thanks for that timing, Apple!), we’ve finally had a chance to catch up on some minor updates for Name Mangler, Usher, and Witch.

You can get the updates via in-app updating (this can be enabled on the Updates tab of Name Mangler and Usher’s Preferences, and on the About tab in Witch’s System Preferences panel), or by downloading the full versions from our web site.

So what’s new? As always, the release notes page for each app (Name Mangler • Usher • Witch) provide all the details, but here are some highlights:

Name Mangler 2.3.3

  • The help files have been completely rewritten in the new Many Tricks’ style. For you users of Advanced mode, there’s even a handy function reference that lets you navigate directly to each available function.
  • In expired-trial mode (after 25 launches), Name Mangler now limits features (five files renamed at once, no droplet use) instead of presenting annoying dialogs with countdown timers.
  • Name Mangler no longer accepts files dragged and dropped directly from iPhoto or Aperture. Because these programs use an internal database, all renaming should be done either before the photos are added to the programs, or within the programs themselves.

Usher 1.1.1

  • Usher can now manage Elgato TV recordings (playback will be handled by the Elgato EyeTV player).
  • A new Save As contextual menu lets you save a selection of movies, in their native format, to a folder of your choosing. This is basically ‘export without conversion.’
  • Usher should now use less memory usage during some operations.

Witch 3.5.8

  • Using a hidden pref (detailed on the release notes page), windowless apps can be forced to the bottom of the switcher panel when used in application-specific sort modes.
  • Updated help files, and numerous other small fixes and improvements.

Note that both Name Mangler and Witch skipped a minor version number. We did this to keep the version numbers in sync between these releases and those on the Mac App Store (Name Mangler is there already, Witch is still in review).

Posted in Name Mangler, Products, Usher, Witch | Comments Off on Another installment of Touch-up Tuesdays

Many Tricks enters the Mac App Store

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

Unless you’ve been vacationing in Bora Bora for the last three months, you were probably aware that Apple’s new Mac App Store launched today. We were thrilled to have three of our products front and center on launch day: Name Mangler, Time Sink, and Usher were all available when the store opened this morning. (We actually have one more in process right now; a special non-preference-pane version of Witch has been sitting in the review queue for two weeks now.)

So far, it’s been an interesting day, just watching the sales charts trying to figure out what they mean (we don’t get real-time data, so we don’t really know what’s happening with total sales). We did a fair bit of of work to get our apps ready for the store, though, so it’s very gratifying to finally see them there on launch day.

For those who prefer “traditional” software distribution, don’t worry—we’re not going away from that, just taking advantage of a new sales channel. We have apps (Butler and Leech, at least) that can’t be sold on the app store, and we have others (Witch) that have slightly different functionality. So our direct sales model isn’t going away because of the Mac App Store.

Also, we’ll always keep our apps “in sync” to the extent that the App Store rules allow us to do so. That is, if we update Time Sink on our web site, the App Store version will get that same update, and vice-versa1. Due to Apple’s review process, it may occasionally take a bit more time for the changes to reach the App Store, but rest assured, they’ll get there (assuming Apple’s approval, of course).

Our objective with both our App Store apps and our “traditional” apps is simple: to deliver compelling Mac programs that are a delight to use, and to do what it takes to keep our customers satisfied. So whether you want to purchase through the Mac App Store, or via the web, or via our in-app purchasing module, we’ll be there for you.

(1) The two sales channels are distinct, and require different builds of our software. So you can’t update your Mac App Store version of Name Mangler with a download from our site, and vice-versa. If you purchase from our web site, your app has a built-in updater that reminds you when it needs an update. If you purchase from the Mac App Store, the Mac App Store itself will tell you when there are updates to install, and you’ll do the updating via the Mac App Store app.

Posted in Company News, Name Mangler, Products, Time Sink, Usher | 12 Comments »

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