Version 4

Change History for AppStudio 4

If you own a previous version of AppStudio, you need to buy the upgrade to use Version 4. You can do this from within the app or from our order form.

Until you have bought the upgrade, you can use AppStudio 4 in Demo mode. Once you buy, your copy will convert automatically to the full version.

Version 4.2.9

1. Controls: new Calculation control
2. Deploy: FireFox support improved.
3. Deploy: Recommended size of iOS icon increased to 180x180 for iOS8.
4. General: copyright changed to 2015.
5. Runtime: new Number function converts strings to numbers.
6. Samples: New Calculation sample.
7. Samples: Several tidied up and improved
8. Translator: a="//*" now translates properly

Version 4.2.8

1. Language: Improved Format function
2. Controls: Add missing images to jqmListBox
3. Controls: Label and Button: clean up generated HTML
4. Controls: New Generic control
5. Controls: Bottom now works on jQW controls
6. Controls: Chrome warning for blank bounds value fixed.
7. Runtime: Fix registration of Education Version in KSA.
8. Runtime: jQuery updated to 2.1.3.
9. Samples: New Generic sample.

Version 4.2.7

1. Button: add '.text' to autocomplete
2. Controls: jqWidget CheckBox check_black image added.
3. Demo: Add nag screen.
4. Deploy: Use ProjectID instead of Filename.
5. PhoneGap: Start using new API key for Build.
6. Runtime: make function return value a local var
7. Select: Fix margins when mini=true
8. Translator: fix a.add("a","a a")

Version 4.2.6

1. Deploy: Deploy to nsbapp.com is now much faster.
2. Deploy: Deploy to nsbapp.com now shows download QR code.
3. Deploy: Deploy to nsbapp.com now has option to show all your projects (registered users).
4. Deploy: New dialog box on completion.
5. Library: AddToHomeScreen 3.1: improved Android Chrome support
6. Controls: Grid clicks when scrolling improved on some platforms.
7. Controls: Select now shows square and round corners properly.

Version 4.2.5

1. Language: New serverStorage object: makes it easy to store data on the server.
2. Deploy: PhoneGap CLI support added.
3. Deploy: Google Glass support added.
4. Code Window: Disable block comments in free form blocks.
5. Controls: Error hiding Panel fixed.
6. Deploy: Fix extraheaders line ending. Existing apps need to open property and hit OK.
7. Deploy: versionCode added to default PhoneGap configxml.
8. Design Screen: Fix non numeric left and top.
9. Design Screen: Vertical drag now sets horizontal % correctly.
10. IDE: Better message for Other files without an external file.
11. Library: jQuery Mobile: Upgraded to 1.4.5. Fixes for iOS 8.
12. Library: Updated iScroll to 5.1.3 and minified.
13. Preferences: Moved PhoneGap options to a new tab.
14. Runtime: Change close character to %times; in dialogs.
15. Runtime: isEmpty() function improved. (Thanks, Tomas!)
16. Runtime: PlaySound now fails gracefully in IE11.
17. Runtime: Set NSBCurrentForm before global code executes.
18. Samples: Dropbox samples updated.
19. Samples: New serverStorage and StudentsServerStorage samples added.
20. Samples: Google Glass sample added.

Version 4.2.4

1. Code Window: K no longer quotes text on some German systems.
2. Controls: Panel.close function added.
3. Controls: Panel auto sizes form when opened.
4. Controls: Panel.previousForm adds reference to calling form.
5. Deploy: Obsolete demos cannot use nsbapp.com.
6. Deploy: Splashscreens for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus added.
7. Design Screen: Grid overlay is no longer wiped out by background color.
8. Documentation: Localization and wiki files updated.
9. PhoneGap: remove obsolete reference to feature properties.
10. Runtime: PlaySound incompatibility with Safari fixed.
11. Samples: New PhoneGapVidCap sampled added. (Thanks, Julio!)

Version 4.2.3

1. Controls: New jQM Panel control. (Thanks, Erkan!)
2. Controls: The height property of Forms can now be set if fullscreen is false.
3. Controls: jQM RadioButton square corners fixed.
4. Controls: HeaderBar - background on notext buttons is gone.
5. Code Window: go to function works properly in JavaScript
6. Code Window: JavaScript functions created from Properties Window correctly.
7. Deploy: iOS 8 no longer supports minimal-ui, so default is now off.
8. Deploy: Security certificate handlers updated.
9. Language: SQL now supports parameters.
10. Language: Bug in Yosemite's handling of Arabic worked around.
11. Language: Serbian added (Thanks, Elvir!)
12. Help: Link to English and Arabic AppStudio Videos added.
13. Libraries: DropBox upgraded to 1.2.
14. Samples: New Panel sample.
15. Samples: All use .appcache as the cache file name suffix.
16. Samples: Updated to use SQLite Parameters.

Version 4.2.2

1. Debugger: New NSBApp Debugger for PhoneGap and iOS apps.
2. Deploy: Error in Make Desktop App fixed.
3. Deploy: Possible error in FastClick fixed.
4. Controls: jQM CheckBox square corners fixed.
5. IDE: Registration check when offline fixed.
6. Language: new ForEach statement.
7. Language: new Object.observe statement.
8. Libraries: iOS 8 support added to Add to Home Page.
9. Libraries: New EasyModal library
10. Libraries: Retina updated to 1.3
11. PhoneGap: Version can now be set in Project Properties
12. Runtime: PlaySound now has stop and loop options.
13. Runtime: Sound only inits if needed. Saves battery life on M8 device.
14. Samples: New Modal sample.

Version 4.2.1

1. Controls: Adsense updated for current API - Use Content ads instead of Mobile.
2. Controls: Projects with old style jqWidget Button rounded corners load properly.
3. IDE: Improvements to registering.
4. IDE: Support for iPhone 6 screen size added (375x646)
5. IDE: PhoneGap Status screen works properly in Arabic.
6. PhoneGap: Certificates updated.
7. Samples: New IndexedDB sample.
8. Samples: Updated AdSense sample.
9. Translations: Slovenian is complete! (Thanks, Oton!)

Version 4.2.0

1. Adsense: Updated for current API.
2. Controls: Add zoom capability to scrollers.
3. Controls: Facebook now uses HTTPS, updated for new API.
4. Controls: jQuery Mobile updated to 1.4.4
5. Controls: jQWidgets updated to 3.5
6. Controls: New Signature Control
7. Controls: Missing filter image added to jqxGrid.
8. Documentation: Locale files and Wiki updated.
9. Documentation: Unneeded Locale files removed.
10. Deploy: Icon for Android home screen now appears.
11. Deploy: New projects default to PhoneGap 3.5.0.
12. IDE: Support for iPhone 6 screen size added (414x736)
13. IDE: New Education license options
14. IDE: Registered name now appears on About screen.
15. iOS8: minimal-ui no longer supported.
16. Runtime: Print output is scrollable again.
17. Samples: New GridDynamic sample. Shows how to dynamically read SQLite database.
18. Samples: New Signature sample.
19. Samples: New TwitterURL sample.
20. Samples: New WhatApp sample.
21. Samples: Obsolete WebSocket samples removed.
22. Samples: Update ListWithScrolling sample.
23. Translator: Dim array with variable as one of the bounds gets treated properly as an array.
24. Translations: Tagalog is complete!

Version 4.1.4

1. Controls: TextBox - bottom property fixed.
2. Controls: TextBox - Fix warning message from Safari.
3. Deploy: Add new iOS splashscreen names to default configxml.
4. IDE: Language files appear again.
5. IDE: Language files updated.
6. IDE: Now built with Python 2.7.8
7. Runtime: iScroll updated to 5.1.2
8. Runtime: jQuery Mobile updated to 1.4.3
9. Runtime: PlaySound changed to work with older browsers
10. Translator: Bug in InStr() fixed.
11. Translator: Select Case and Dims function properly.

Version 4.1.3

1. Code Window: False negative syntax error on Style keyword fixed.
2. Controls: Audio and Video now have file pickers.
3. Controls: jQM Checkbox now ignores FastClick.
4. Deploy: Now uses FastClick 1.0.2.
5. Deploy: Prefix on apps deployed to nsbapp.com changed.
6. Deploy: Signing certificate updated.
7. IDE: Updated to Python 2.7.7
8. Runtime: Order of hiddenfiles and extraheaders reversed.
9. Samples: New Pushwoosh sample shows how to use notifications
10. Translator: Improvements to Mod operator.

Version 4.1.2

1. About: Now shows license type.
2. Controls: CheckBox and RadioButton no longer display over other controls.
3. Deploy: iOS splash screens for all screen sizes supported.
4. Deploy: Port number can now be specified in Preferences.
5. Deploy: SFTP now supported
6. Runtime: Message shows if Cookies are disabled.
7. Runtime: Message shows if JavaScript disabled.
8. Samples: New splash sample shows how to do different iOS spash screen sizes.
9. Translator: ChangeForm(EvaluationForm) fixed.
10. Translator: Fixes to Mod operator.

Version 4.1.1

1. Code Window: Fix problem with Style/Style End
2. Controls: HeaderBar icons can be set to 'none'.
3. Controls: PictureBox's hidden property set on start.
4. Controls: RadialGauge style property works now.
5. Deploy: Mime types fixed so IE can run localServer.
6. Deploy: Put files into the correct place in OfflineApp.manifest
7. Deploy: Sound files are now give the correct name on deploy.
8. Design Screen: Japanese characters were crashing app.
9. Documentation: Local and Wiki files updated.
10. IDE: External files are read in as unicode.
11. IDE: Problem starting first time on a Mac fixed.
12. IDE: Unicode problem on AppStudio startup
13. Project Explorer: Drag and drop an image fixed.
14. Samples: Update Ajax sample to work with PhoneGap Build.
15. Translation: All language files updated.

Version 4.1.0

1. Deploy: Support for new PhoneGap Build authorization
2. Deploy: Start in Desktop Browser now opens a localhost session
3. Deploy: Version guard added for SQLExport/SQLImport
4. Deploy: Problem with empty table on SQLExport fixed.
5. Forms: Fix problem with setFocusID.
6. Libraries: xml2json was loading jQuery.js twice.
7. Samples: Add cellsRendering to jqxGrid sample.
8. Code Window: colors tuned.

Version 4.0.5

1. Controls: Forms can now be scrollable.
2. Deploy: SQLExport produces files about 70% smaller than before.
3. Library: New AddToHome 3.0 library works on recent Android devices as well as iOS.
4. Code Window: Reverse screen (white text on black background) looks much better.
5. Design Screen: Right clicking on form now brings up its events.
6. Controls: FooterBar does not disappear when you add an item to a List.
7. Controls: List control now displays items properly when filterReveal set.
8. Controls: YouTube control no longer errors if you supply a % width.
9. Controls: Fix get hidden property value.
10. Controls: jQM Icons can now be shown on Android 2.x devices.
11. Controls: Remove reference to gesture events - do not seem to be effective.
12. Deploy: "Refresh Deploy" added to Deploy drop down.
13. Deploy: SQLExport produces files about 70% smaller than before.
14. Help Window: strange line wraps fixed.
15. IDE: problem in saving Code Modules fixed.
16. Libraries: Headers are now generated on each deploy.
17. Libraries: Upgraded to jQuery 2.1.1, minor fixes.
18. Library: New AddToHome 3.0 library works on recent Android devices as well as iOS.
19. Samples: Fix path in AudioVideo sample.
20. Samples: New AutoComplete sample shows how to have a field autocomplete.

Version 4.0.4

1. Code Window: Fix cursor position after splitting line with a return.
2. Controls: Add autoCloseOnMouseLeave property to jqxMenu.
3. Controls: Fix error in ToolTip.
4. Controls: Label.Caption and Label.text now accept HTML formatted values.
5. Controls: Line was adding an unnecessary margin.
6. Controls: Make sure Orientation control appears on top of all other controls.
7. Controls: Simplify Google Map's setMarker() function.
8. Controls: TextBox now has min and max properties for numeric input.
9. Controls: Work around problem of iScroll producing double clicks on certain devices.
10. Controls: Class property of Grid and Select enabled.
11. Deploy: New Check Deployment option on Run menu lets you check if your server is properly configured.
12. Deploy: Several cleanups done to the deploy process.
13. Deploy: Turning off minimal-ui is now a project property.
14. IDE: Serial number checking improved.
15. Language: New window.print() command for iOS.
16. PhoneGap: has renamed preference "slash-screen-duration" to "SplashScreenDelay". You will need to update existing project's configxml property.
17. Runtime: Name of the page the app runs on changed to "Page_jqm".
18. Samples: All samples updated to use new Camera control.
19. Samples: clean up bad html in year.htm.
20. Samples: Fix scroll_options on HTMLview samples.
21. Samples: New window.print sample for iOS.
22. Samples: Fix rotation in Camera sample.
23. Translater: Fix Dim x = expression, where expression contains parenthesis.

Version 4.0.3

1. New Camera control
2. Control: jqxButton: fix rounding on corners
3. Controls: FooterBar with icon sizes properly.
4. Controls: GoogleMaps: Add setMarker() function
5. Controls: jqxTab: Allow % height
6. Controls: ToolTip: eliminate redundant close button.
7. Controls: WaitCursor launched twice would not cancel.
8. Controls: add hide() to new controls.
9. Code Window: Fix false syntax errors
10. Design Screen: Fix mirroring problem on RTL projects.
11. Runtime: Correct Viewport setting.
12. Runtime: fix iOS rotation problem

Version 4.0.2

1. New YouTube control
2. New Google Maps control
3. Code Window: False positive syntax error warning fixed.
4. Controls: Do not show unusable properties in Adsense, Facebook, PayPal and Twitter.
5. Controls: Adsense now picks up user parameters properly.
6. Controls: FooterBar, NavBar: Remove unused font properties
7. Controls: FooterBar: Eliminate white line at bottom when theme is 'b'.
8. Controls: Grid: Fix clicks on Android scrolling grids
9. Controls: Labels now look sharper in jQM projects - no more textShadow.
10. Controls: List: Divider lines now wrap as well.
11. Controls: MsgBox now has an Id when active of NSB_MsgBox
12. Controls: MsgBox text is now sharper in jQM projects.
13. PhoneGap: Updated to 3.4.
14. Properties Window: Select property in RTL systems fixed.
15. Samples: Add rotation to Camera sample.

Version 4.0.1

1. Code Window: new Format Code feature in right click menu.
2. Code Window: If Then on one line indents properly.
3. Controls: Footerbar: Fix issue with blank icon.
4. Controls: Image.src can now be used to set/get image.
5. Controls: Label.Caption and .text can be used (as well as .textContent).
6. Controls: List: Add click:true so clicks work on Android.
7. Controls: List: Now wraps long text instead of truncates.
8. Controls: MsgBox: Change button text to blue.
9. Controls: PictureBox.addImage() does iOS image bug fix.
10. Docs: Wiki and translation files updated.
11. Docs: Tutorials and AppStudio Course updated with new images.
12. IDE: False positive from BitDefender on Mac fixed.
13. IDE: Fix problem with Edit menu items disabled.
14. iScroll: Now includes Zoom feature.
15. Language: new Style/End Style structure. Allows inline css.
16. Runtime: Ajax() function now calls $.ajax()
17. Runtime: Fix issue with PlaySound() on unsupported environments.

Version 4.0.0

Major New Features

1. New, modern look to the IDE
2. jQuery Mobile controls have a flat, clean style.
3. DropBox Files can be read and written.
4. Improved support for RTL languages
5. Desktop Apps now run on Mac OS as well as Windows.

General

1. Code Modules: More file types can be edited in the Code Window.
2. Code Modules: Files keep their names when drag and dropped to Code Window.
3. Code Window: User can now choose font, font size, reverse colors and indents.
4. Code Window: Defaults to Consolas. If not present on Mac OS, Monaco is used.
5. Controls: PictureBox.addImage() is a much easier way to add images to a PictureBox.
6. Controls: Adsense, Facebook and Twitter now allow % bounds, have bottom property.
7. Controls: Grid draws properly in RTL projects.
8. Controls: jqxCheckbox updated for new version of jqWidgets.
9. Deploy: PhoneGap 3.3 now supported - Android 4.4 (KitKat)
10. Deploy: Chrome manifest (for packaged apps) now sets display_in_launcher, display_in_new_tab_page and short_name.
11. Deploy: jsmin.js obfuscator updated.
12. Deploy: index.html is no longer sent twice, speeding up deploy.
13. Deploy: Downloading from PhoneGap Build gives up after 5 seconds: no longer hangs if PGB is unresponsive.
14. Design Screen: Controls sized in percentages remain in percentages after being moved.
15. Design Screen: Fix problem with alignment lines sometimes too short.
16. Dropbox: Support for Dropbox files.
17. Dropbox: Support for Dropbox Datastores.
18. Forms: New locked property stops changes to form layout.
19. Forms: New setFocusID sets input field with initial focus.
20. Installation: licences for all components of AppStudio are in new licenses folder.
21. Preferences: New panel for Code Window.
22. Project Properties: New rtl property for languages like Arabic, Farsi and Hebrew.
23. Project Save: redundant external file info no longer saved in .nsx file.
24. iOS: Using the new minimal-ui setting, web apps are automatically full screen in iOS 7.1.
25. Android: Easier to add apps to home screen when using Chrome 32 or higher.
26. Windows Phone: -ms-touch-action:none added to stop screen bouncing.
27. Timeout on demo reset to 30 days.

IDE

1. New, more modern look and feel.
2. Windows do not reverse screen on right to left languages.
3. New RTL Project Property for right to left languages.
4. Preview for images added in Project Explorer.
5. New Deploy To chooser in menu bar.
6. New icon picker
7. Now know about onresize event.
8. Toolbox search button removed.
9. Busy cursor appears on long operations.
10. Galaxy 5 added to standard form size options.

Libraries

1. Obsolete Sencha and Cordova libraries removed.
2. jquery.js is always included.
3. jQuery updated to Version 2.1.0.
4. FastClick updated to Version 1.0.0.
5. FastClick compressed to 1/3 the size.
6. messages.js merged into hfunc.js.
7. new Shake library adds onshake() event.

Scrolling

1. Scrolling is now uses iScroll 5 library (was 4)
2. New scroll_options: scrollbar and mouseWheel. Both default to on.
3. Much smoother than before.
4. On the desktop, you can scroll with the mouse wheel.
5. Forms can now be scrolled.
6. Grid control does a better job of using its height and width settings.

Language

1. New Format string function.
2. New IndexOf string or array function.
3. New Push array function.
4. New Splice array function.
5. New GetJSON function: see StockQuote sample.
6. New PlaySound() statement.
7. New WaitCursor statement.
8. Nicer wait icon.
9. The buttons on NSB.MsgBox and NSB.InputBox are now blue - they stand out better.
10. SysInfo(4) now handles MS touch screen devices.
11. Fixed Typename(0) and Typename(CSng("text"))
12. Fixed DateDiff("d","12:00:00","13:00:00")
13. Fixed MsgBox "i break f"

jQuery Mobile

1. jQM 1.4 is now the officially supported version. It has a much more modern look and feel.
2. jQM 1.3 is deprecated in AppStudio.
3. All jQM samples have been converted to jQM 1.4.
4. New option to convert jQM projects to JQM 1.4 on project load
5. RTL appearance for controls now available.
6. Just two built in themes now: white(a) and black(b).
7. FontFamily, FontSize, FontStyle and FontWeight can now be set in the Properties Window.
8. More controls now have a square corners option.
9. More controls now have a mini option for a smaller version of the control.
10. Where possible, controls now set their height automatically.
11. Icons updated, with many new ones added.
12. Custom icons can now be used - see CustomIcon sample.
13. Some controls were positioning themselves 6 pixels too low.
14. Chrome warning "Consider using 'dppx' units instead of 'dpi'..." fixed.
15. Button has new padding property. Use it if you need a bit of extra room for text.
16. Button: You can now set a button's value with Button1.value = "new text"
17. CheckBox and RadioButton can now have checkbox on right.
18. Footerbar no longer needs refresh().
19. Label is now a div so jQM does not enhance it.
20. List: addItem() now has a theme parameter.
21. List: addItem() now sets the nsbclick and nsbvalue attributes for each line.
22. List: addItem() now allows use of number for item.
23. List: New AutoDivider property.
24. List: New filter properties: filter, filterPlaceholder, filterReveal
25. List: New setFilter(str) function to set or clear the filter.
26. List: setting theme on items now works propery.
27. PopUp: New control with sample.
28. Select has new align property.
29. TextArea has new autogrow property.
30. TextArea has new heightMax property.
31. TextBox has new submit inputType.
32. TextBox has new step property number input. Allows integers or floats to be valid.
33. TextBox and TextArea have new required property. Can be used by validation libraries.
34. TextBox and TextArea have new onkeyup event.

iWebKit

1. iWebKit has been deprecated. You should replace these controls.
2. iWebKit sample folder has been removed.
3. All references to iWebKit in other samples have been converted.
4. iWebKit Buttons, Text, Textarea and TitleBar controls can be converted to jQM 1.4 controls on project load.

Samples

1. All samples updated to use the new release.
2. New PlaySound sample - Easily play mp3 and wav files.
3. New RssFeed sample: Get RSS feed and display.
4. New PopUp sample: shows how to use the the PopUp control.
5. New samples for AppStudio Course
6. New sample: CustomIcon shows how to use custom icons with jQM controls.
7. New sample: StudentsLocalStorage shows how to implement simple student list using localStorage.
8. New sample: StudentsSQLite shows the same thing, but using SQLite to save the data.
9. New sample: StudentsDropBoxFile shows the same thing, but saved to a DropBox as a file.
10. New sample: StudentsDropBoxDatastore shows the same, but using a DropBox DataStore.
11. New sample: Upload lets you upload and view files on a server.
12. New sample: Shake demonstrates how to detect a device shake in your app.
13. New sample: Formspree emails the data on a form.
14. New sample: jqPlotExample plots a graph using the jqPlot library.
15. iWebKit samples removed.

Breaking Changes

1. The IDE will not let you mix jQM 1.3 and 1.4 controls in the same project.
2. Make a backup of your projects before loading them into AppStudio 4.0. You may not be able to load them in AppStudio 3 after you save them.
3. iWebKit has been deprecated. The controls will still work, but support will be removed from AppStudio in the future. When AppStudio was first released, 3 years ago, iWebKit was one of the best frameworks available. However, its author has not updated it since then and no longer supports it. Time to move on!
4. The officially supported version of the jQuery Mobile framework is now 1.4. The controls have all been updated to a modern look and feel, similar to iOS 7 and Android. Once you upgrade, your apps will have a new clean look and feel modern. Apps using jQuery Mobile 1.3 are starting to look dated. jQuery Mobile 1.3 is deprecated and will be removed from AppStudio in the future.
5. The most notable breaking change is to Themes. Formerly, jQM had three themes: a, b and c. JQuery Mobile 1.4 has just 2: 'a' for primarily whlte and 'b' for primarily black. The result is a cleaner, more modern look to apps. You can still use ThemeRoller to create your own themes: you will need to import, tweak and download your existing themes to upgrade them.
6. AppStudio does what it can to upgrade your controls to jQuery Mobile 1.4. You will be prompted when opening your project to do so. If you have been using jQM 1.3, your control's properties are copied over and tweaked for the new version. iWebKit buttons and text controls are automatically converted to jQM 1.4, but other controls will have to be to done by you.
7. In the Chrome Debugger, ignore the minimal-ui message. Apple introduced a new keyword, which Chrome doesn't ignore. Google has fixed this in a update which has not been released yet.
8. If your text does not quite fit on a button, change the 'padding' property to 0.
9. Display Emoji in Labels, not jQuery Buttons.
10. A number of controls were positioning themselves 6 pixels too low. This has been fixed, but could change the positioning on existing projects.
11. FlipToggle: Number of characters in a label limited to about 5.
12. Scrollbars: The default value for scroll_options should be 'mouseWheel:true, scrollbars:true, bounce: false, zoom:true'
13. On jQM List controls, do not try to access the children property.

'Do not do this..
List1.children[1].style.minHeight="30px"  

'Do this instead...
List1_1.style.minHeight="30px"
'or
$("#List1" & i).css("minHeight","60px")

1. The syntax to change the name of a button has changed in jQuery Mobile 1.4. (Similar change for CheckBox.)

  $("#Button2 .ui-btn-text").text("New Value")    'jQuery Mobile 1.3
  Button2.text = "New Value"                      'jQuery Mobile 1.4