POV-Ray 3.7.beta.20b is available from http://www.povray.org/beta/. At this
point only Windows binaries are posted, as the changes between 20a and 20b
are almost exclusively windows-specific.

Changes between 3.7.beta.20a and 3.7.beta.20b
---------------------------------------------

Added 'alternate render file' feature to povwin IDE. See comments below.
Added extensions .MCR and .MAC to list of files povwin considers include
  files (i.e. which are filtered as such in the various file dialogs and
  assigned the POV file type for the editor syntax highlighting).
Added .INI file type to povwin editor syntax highlighting.
Added window menu to povwin IDE. Entries are MRU-sorted.
Activated memory statistics code in Windows build.
Fixed issue with editor window splitting not being restored
  (<45620b9e$1@news.povray.org>).
Fixed issue with file type not being set on initial save if 'save as'
  was not used (reported many times, including <45602a08@news.povray.org>
  and <46092c8a@news.povray.org>).

  Windows Editor Changes
  ----------------------

  This beta introduces two notable changes to the POVWIN IDE.

  Firstly, it now has a Window menu, which is located where the GUIEXT
  menu used to be (the latter has moved to within the Options menu).

  While technically a Window menu is not necessary, as all open files
  are visible in tabs, the addition of this menu provides two advantages:

    1. We can provide the option of showing all tabs on a single line,
       with a scroller to view non-visible ones. This has not yet been
       added but will be at a later point.

    2. The MRU arrangement of the window menu makes it trivial to toggle
       between files without taking your eyes off the text or using the
       mouse. The most recently viewed window (i.e. the current one) will
       always be entry 1 in the list. The second most recently viewed
       (i.e. the last window viewed before switching to the current one)
       will always be entry 2 in the list, and so forth. Given that
       entries 1 through 10 in the list are given the menu mnemonics
       1 through 0 respectively, it is therefore clear that to toggle
       between the current and previous files all you need to do is hit
       Alt-W then 2. To go to the third oldest, Alt-W then 3, and so
       forth.

       Currently, the MRU list is not saved on exit. This will be added.
       We may also add keyboard accelerators (e.g. ALT-2, ALT-3 etc) as
       a shortcut for Alt-W 2, etc.

  Secondly, there is now an 'alternate render file' feature. This is
  intended to make things easier when editing macro or include files.
  While it is possible to use SDL to detect whether a macro/include file
  is being rendered directly and to pull in supporting code, that approach
  is not very flexible.

  The alternate render file feature allows a render to be started on an
  include file, and instead of the include file being rendered directly
  (as would have happened previously), the source file that most recently
  included that file in a render will be rendered instead. Note that by
  'source file', we mean either a .POV or .INI file.

  For this feature to work, you need to have rendered a file which
  includes the target file during the current editing session (the
  association between include files and source files is not persisted when
  POVWIN exits). Additionally you need to have requested to render a
  source file which does not have the .POV or .INI extension. When you
  request the render, a message box will appear asking you what to do. You
  can choose to render the alternate file this time only, to render the
  alternate file each time you render this one, or to render this one each
  time (i.e. disable the alternate file option).

  In all cases, the choice you give only persists for the current editing
  session; it is not restored when you re-launch POVWIN. This is by
  design.

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Thank you very much indeed, Chris!

These are significant ameliorations to the windows version of POV-Ray.

Thomas

.

Post a reply to this message

Chris Cason <del### [at] deletethistoopovrayorg> wrote:
>
>   Secondly, there is now an 'alternate render file' feature. This is
>   intended to make things easier when editing macro or include files.
>   While it is possible to use SDL to detect whether a macro/include file
>   is being rendered directly and to pull in supporting code, that approach
>   is not very flexible.
>
>   The alternate render file feature allows a render to be started on an
>   include file, and instead of the include file being rendered directly
>   (as would have happened previously), the source file that most recently
>   included that file in a render will be rendered instead. Note that by
>   'source file', we mean either a .POV or .INI file.
>
>   For this feature to work, you need to have rendered a file which
>   includes the target file during the current editing session (the
>   association between include files and source files is not persisted when
>   POVWIN exits). Additionally you need to have requested to render a
>   source file which does not have the .POV or .INI extension. When you
>   request the render, a message box will appear asking you what to do. You
>   can choose to render the alternate file this time only, to render the
>   alternate file each time you render this one, or to render this one each
>   time (i.e. disable the alternate file option).
>
>   In all cases, the choice you give only persists for the current editing
>   session; it is not restored when you re-launch POVWIN. This is by
>   design.


I think this sounds like it'll be a good time saver for going back and forth
working on those includes!    I have quite a few include-files which are
encompassed by a big #ifndef(whatever)#include "themainfile.pov" #else
[else parse this file] #end.   For making self-demo-ing includes I do think
something like main_scene_file as a string constant or binary would still be
really handy.

Charles

Post a reply to this message

Chris Cason <del### [at] deletethistoopovrayorg> wrote:
> POV-Ray 3.7.beta.20b is available from http://www.povray.org/beta/. At this
> point only Windows binaries are posted, as the changes between 20a and 20b
> are almost exclusively windows-specific.
That link only has information about version 19a. I had to manually enter in
the URL to download 20b.

Post a reply to this message

Just checking for a new update (>20b) and noticed that the beta page had 
reverted to 19a...
Thought I should mention this.

Thomas

Post a reply to this message

Thomas de Groot wrote:
> Just checking for a new update (>20b) and noticed that the beta page had 
> reverted to 19a...
> Thought I should mention this.

thanks for letting us know. I am attempting to find out why this is so.

-- Chris

Post a reply to this message

Is there an expected date for the new beta for windows?

Post a reply to this message

Pansworld nous apporta ses lumieres en ce 19 / 05 / 2007 19:31:
> Is there an expected date for the new beta for windows?
> 
> 
> 
Yes. Ass Soon As Possible!

-- 
Alain
-------------------------------------------------
To err is human, to forgive is not our policy.

Post a reply to this message

"Charles C" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
>
> I think this sounds like it'll be a good time saver for going back and forth
> working on those includes!    I have quite a few include-files which are
> encompassed by a big #ifndef(whatever)#include "themainfile.pov" #else
> [else parse this file] #end.

There's another way to do it: on the command-line text box on the toolbar,
type +Ithemainfile.pov :) (Is this on the FAQ? Should be, IMHO).

> For making self-demo-ing includes I do think
> something like main_scene_file as a string constant or binary would still be
> really handy.
>
> Charles

Although I agree a main_scene_file could be useful...

Post a reply to this message

"Nicolas Alvarez" <nic### [at] gmailrockscom> wrote:
> "Charles C" <nomail@nomail> wrote:
> >
> > I think this sounds like it'll be a good time saver for going back and forth
> > working on those includes!    I have quite a few include-files which are
> > encompassed by a big #ifndef(whatever)#include "themainfile.pov" #else
> > [else parse this file] #end.
>
> There's another way to do it: on the command-line text box on the toolbar,
> type +Ithemainfile.pov :) (Is this on the FAQ? Should be, IMHO).
>
> > For making self-demo-ing includes I do think
> > something like main_scene_file as a string constant or binary would still be
> > really handy.
> >
> > Charles
>
> Although I agree a main_scene_file could be useful...

Thanks for the tip

Post a reply to this message