Sonar X1 Helper Beta 3 Released (New Update Released 16th January)

This thread is now obsolete. For the latest information about SONAR Plus (formerly SONAR X1 Helper), please visit www.sonarplus.co.uk.  
 
[Edit: Sunday 16th January. I've just released a new version with some bug fixes and improvements (including two new toolbar buttons). You can download it here:   
   
[link=http://www.staton.co.uk/downloads/sonarx1helper_v0.9.5.1.zip]http://www.staton.co.uk/d...rx1helper_v0.9.5.1.zip[/link]
 
See post #57 (http://forum.cakewalk.com/fb.ashx?m=2199829) for more information.]
 
Hi all,

I've just finished Beta 3 of Sonar X1 Helper. For anyone who doesn't know what it is, have a quick read of post #1 of the following thread:

http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2188644

Firstly, thanks to everyone who has assisted me over the last week or so (there are too many to name - you know who you are). Your help has been invaluable.
 
Before I get into the good stuff, I'll get the not so good stuff out of the way first:

1. Unfortunately I haven't had time to do any multi-monitor testing yet. That means any bugs you found with Beta 2 will probably still be there. I intend to address this in the next update as a priority.
2. I also haven't been able to make Helper start Sonar for you, so that the Helper toolbar is available as soon as Sonar starts. Trickier than I thought, though I haven't given up on it.
3. I haven't had time to look at adding Helper to the Sonar 'Utilities' menu any more. If you had problems with it before, they probably aren't fixed. It should still work for most people though.
4. I'll post a list of known issues later, but they are all pretty minor except for the above.
5. I've had quite a few requests for new features, but I'm afraid I haven't been able to implement them all. I hope to add all those I've missed (that are possible of course) soon.

Now to the good stuff! Firstly, I've added quite a few new toolbar buttons. Here's the full list:

New
New...
Open...
Save
Save As...
Close
Undo
Redo
Cut...
Copy
Copy...
Paste
Paste Special...
Show/Hide Control Bar
Expand/Collapse Inspector
Expand/Collapse Multidock
Maximise Multidock
Show/Hide Multidock
Expand/Collapse Browser
Expand Browser Plug-in Folders
Full Screen Mode On/Off
View Undo
View Redo
Open Console View
Open Piano Roll View
Narrow All Strips (Console View)
Widen All Strips (Console View)
Loop On/Off
Set Loop Points To Selection
Insert Marker...
Previous Marker
Next Marker
Previous Measure
Next Measure
Insert Tempo Change...
Sonar Preferences
Preferences
Close

All those buttons make for a monster toolbar. Therefore I have made it fully customizable, including a generous helping of 'auto-hide' goodness to save screen space. Here are some examples:



And here is where you customize it in the Prefences window:



Other things of interest (in no particular order):
 
1. Fixed lots of bugs that crashed Helper (ie. closing Helper when no projects are open).
2. Helper now correctly remembers its screen position for next time.
3. Toolbar tooltips now show all the time, not just when Helper has input focus.
4. Fixed 'Switch to Full Screen Mode on startup'.
5. Fixed 'Hide Multidock on Startup'.
6. Keyboard input focus now goes straight back to Sonar after clicking a toolbar button.
7. Showing/hiding the Multidock in Full Screen Mode now flickers less.
 
You can download it here:
 
http://www.staton.co.uk/downloads/SonarX1Helper_v0.9.5.0.zip
 
If you already installed a previous version, I recommend copying the new files over the old ones. If you have problems with it, you can still download the old versions using the links in the thread linked above.
 
Please feel free to post bug reports and general feedback here, making sure to include as much relevant information as possible.
 
Hope you find it useful.
Ben

Makes me want to get X1 just to play with your cool toys!

One thing to bear in mind if you don't have much screen space (apart from the obvious benefits like 'Full Screen Mode') is that you can hide some Control Bar modules if you make use of Helper instead. That allows you to show other Control Bar modules that you might otherwise not have space for.

For example, hide the Markers and Loop modules and use the buttons on Helper instead. That's about 300 pixels you've just freed up for other modules on the Control Bar.
 
[Edit: By doing this you could also free up enough space in the Control Bar to house a 4 row Helper toolbar!]

Hi benstat...

Working great here with first tests. Nice fit... Just the length to fill the wasted frame that houses the TV's menu bar!

Good choice of buttons too... I think this will totally satisfy many... Nice elegant little app.

Thanks again for all your hard work...

Now it remembers it's location so with it on the menu it's almost as if it's part of Sonar itself...

Kudos!

Keni

Excellent!

Hid mutidock on startup working perfectly!

Sweet!

Hmmm...

I think I found my first bug...

I had PRV floating and in MSI mode on this song... After installing 9.5, when I clicked on Open PRV button, I got a dialong telling me that it can't open it as it's in the multidock and the mdock is hidden... Do I want to open the mdock first?

I answered yes and PRV was displayed in full MSI as I had it, but when I close PRV, the mdock is visible again and the control intermittently manages to hide it.... this will repeat each time I open PRV (wihout the initial issue of the prv-in-mdock)

BTW... This only happens if I use the Open PRV Button. If I use the keyboard shortcut, all is normal...

I'm continuing to investigate...

Keni

Wow amazing work benstat. Still not for me but again, just knowing it's there is a real comfort.

Thanks for the effort

I just narrowed it down a little...

I rest Helper and closed it, then I reset the PRV to previous (floating/msi mode)... this time when the message came up telling me (mistakenly) that it was in the mdock and should it open the mdock first, I replied No and all is well... Next I've gotta see if hide mdock on open interferes...

Sweet dreams!

Keni

Ben
That is just so great. Great little and and Great that you share this.
Many thanks
Frank

Even after turning off hide-mdock-on startup, then closing Helper, re-opening it...

The mdock will not hide from the Dx button without the procedure I mentioned previously (min/max the TV after clicking the Dx button and sometimes needing to do it twice depending on the current status of the toggle)

This now persists even after closing Helper, the project, and finally Sonar... So I'm gonna reset again and see what happens...

Keni

Thank you Ben for the x/y remembrance and the tool tips too!

Very nice of you indeed.

Still can't get the latest version to open from my Utilities menu.  I've tried uninstalling it and shutting down X1 and then opening X1 and opening the lateset version of Helper and reinstalling it into the utilities menu...then shutting X1 down and reopening it and then trying to open Helper from the utilities menu...but no go.  What am I doing wrong?

i'm trying to install it it, but it aint happening, obviously its me, how do i do this ben, copy the help exe into sonars folder ??

Ben your the man, ****ing wicked mate, be interested to hear what the bakers think of it, inspiring i hope, cheers

Still can't get the latest version to open from my Utilities menu.  I've tried uninstalling it and shutting down X1 and then opening X1 and opening the lateset version of Helper and reinstalling it into the utilities menu...then shutting X1 down and reopening it and then trying to open Helper from the utilities menu...but no go.  What am I doing wrong?

All i done was right clicked on the tool bar, closed it, went back into the folder and ran as adim, then went into tool bar pref and tick the box for it to  be in the utilities menu